September 29, 2014

You asked about what treats to send when you send the package with the jacket.  I don't really need any because I am getting fat. Maybe just send some healthy snacks and a few pairs of black socks for church because with the washing lady, I am always short of socks. I looked here and they only have blue socks and they are really expensive. Thanks a ton. 

That's way cool you went to Yellowstone. I am pretty sure I was a baby when you went before.  I can't even remember it. After I get home from my mission, we will have to go and do all that. That's too bad about Utah that they didn't pull it out. They need to win so they can make it to a bowl this year.  

This week with conference I am super excited for it. We will go to the church and watch it. We get to watch all the sessions. They are broadcast later like two hours. So the priesthood session won't start until nine that night,  but I am way excited to hear conference. This week was crazy. It went so good all week and then Sunday's are super hard because you have to see if your investigators will show up. None of them came again. We had set a baptismal date last week like everyday for five days straight. They just need to come too church. Then we had a person who is having problems. We talked to her in the street and we are like, What do you want to know about the church and all that. She is like, I want a very beautiful baptism in the church of the Mormons. We left and I was like, Elder did I hear her right? So we have a lesson with her today so that could be another potential baptism if people will come to church. We could have like 7 to 12 baptisms this month alone, but they just have to have the desire to come. It's funny how things work out. I can kinda see how the Lord looks at us. Like he gives us everything and all that and then we don't come through. He is probably up there pacienca paciencia, but i don't know. 

Sorry about the lds.org movie I told you to watch. I thought they would have one in English. I will have to translate it for you when I get back. My language has improved  a ton this week. I think we have a meeting with President, but i not really sure. So we will have to see. Have a great week. Thanks so much for everything!

Love,

Elder Gillies

As a ​house doing service with a member.
My companion Elder Recinos, Elder Duran,  me
and Elder Evans, our zone leader. 

With Cindy, a member

Independence Day on September 18th

Sorry I will send you some pictures after this activity. The activity is next week. Then the pictures would be a lot better then anything around here. So I will get you pictures the week after. 

I have been trying to get movies and books and stuff for my investigators because the movies they have on the gospel things are way cool and powerful.

I talked to this guy and he said crazy stuff was happening in the states and especially in Utah. What's going on or is there anything? Who is Utah's quarterback this year? 

Mom, go to Mormon Messages when you have time and look up a video that is Para Todos Los Madres. It's like for all the mothers. See if you can find it. It is pretty cool.

With Independence Day on the18th, we ate a ton of meat. It was good and the best lunches we had around here.  No we weren't on lock down. We were out tracking people, but no one was in town. It was a ghost town. Everyone goes up in the field and parties and all that for like three or four days. Now it's over and it things should be back to normal. It messed up all our baptism dates. Transfers are coming up in a few weeks. I need my companion and I to stay at least for one more transfer to see if we could get six or seven baptisms. The investigators all have to come to church which is super hard to get them to come. This week we went to a baptism of the other elders. The kid is 12 and way cool. Then we played soccer on the 18th and the Chilean people try to stack their teams. It was funny. We had a 12 year old, two gringos and an older guy, and we won the game which we should have got killed. So that's what they get for trying to cheat. It's hard playing soccer with then because they whine and cheat and its stupid. It's just a lot more fun to watch, then it is to play. We did companion exchanges. The one elder that I was with is lazy and didn't do anything. Then we had our district leader give us this big speech on all this stuff which just made us feel worse. He needs to relax He has made me upset.  Last night he told us to look up a scripture about being slothful because none of our investigators showed up for church.  I was upsetting because we went to every one's house, woke them up and everything. We did all that we could and then he calls us slothful. Whatever. Other then that, not much has really happened. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

September 15, 2014

With the jacket I can't look on Amazon because it has to be a church web site only Just send me one like dad's that is water proof.  I am sure the one you found on line is good, but it has to be black so I can tract in it. The rain is crazy down here.  After it rains, everything is super muddy and you track it everywhere. But it's all good. With my visa, no I haven't got it yet.  Hopefully tomorrow.  Dad, with the anointing oil for blessings, can I buy olive oil at the store and bless it or does it have to be a certain kind of oil. Tell Grandma and Grandpa Gillies thanks a ton for the money. I didn't get the package yet, but i think i will next month. I finally did get Boston's letter and five letters from Grandpa and Grandma Gillies from July.  Thanks! Good to hear things are improving with Patty and that Lance is doing good. I here Santiago is huge so they probably have a lot to do. We hear a lot about Santiago because I have a Elder in my district from there. 

This week on the 18th is their Independence Day and they celebrate it the whole week. So a ton of our investigators are gone out in the field. It's going to be crazy this week, but hopefully good with our other investigators. The nine year old didn't come this week. It's super hard because he can't control going to church. He has to go with his parents and all that, but I think we will just push his baptism back. This week a gypsy lady came up and asked me for money. I said I didn't have any. Well first she told me I had beautiful eyes and asked where I was from. As soon as you say the U.S., they ask for money, But the things about my eyes, I am getting told that more and more. But the gypsy lady grabbed my companion's hand and said something so crazy.  We gave him a priesthood blessing after and everything is good. We are doing the insanity workout everyday. We can't watch the movies, but my companion has it written down. It stinks cause the food is so bad for you down here and you try to be healthy and you can't even tell. But it;s all good.  That's fun about the primary class and the Father's and Son's camping. I don't really have much other then that. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies 

P.S.  One more thing, I read in Alma. I learned a ton from 47 through 57. Thanks for everything. It talked a lot about moms and parents and then I related it to my patriarchal blessing. It was cool.

Hello

Holy cow Ryan Niederer is coming home from his mission already! That is nuts. I have a question for you.  Next time you are out of town could you get me an under armor jacket like Dads.  I need one that  sheds the rain off.  It needs to be all black and has to have a hood. I know you just sent me a package and I feel super bad for even asking because you just sent one, but the rain just goes right through my coat.  Then it's wet like for like three days. You can take the money out of my account. I don't care. I have looked here and they have stuff, but it's super expensive and not good quality. I will tell you when I get the packages. I can only get then when my district leader goes to Vina or to conference which is once a month. We have one tomorrow, so maybe it will be there tomorrow. 

So I get a call from the secretary last week and they lost a paper so I can t get my visa till I get that paper back to them. So I have to figure all that fun stuff out today.  I am not really looking forward to that. My new companion, we get along really good and he is a hard worker. You can tell he is form America because I lent him some money, and he has already paid me back and the other elders haven't. 

We have a nine year old with a date for baptism so hopefully he comes two more times to church. Then we can get another baptism. Then yesterday, I finally got to confirm Raquel. She was late to the meeting because she forget to change her clock, but its all good. Then i got to help with a baby blessing of the Menos Activos.  He is really cool and the baby was way good.  it just sat there the whole time. Then we taught one girl last night that is very promising and i feel really good about her. It's getting close to their independence day down here so the next few weeks should be pretty crazy. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies

New Companion - Elder Recinos from LA

September 1, 2014

To answer your questions about if we get referrals or if we tract--we don't get a ton of referrals, but we get some.  These last few days we have been tracting a lot because I did get a new companion. His name is Elder Recinos.  He is from Los Angeles and works really good.  I like him, but I am afraid my Spanish won't do as well because it;s not life or death if I don't know it with him. I like him.   With the planning books, I think I will rip out pages that I want.  Like I ripped out the page when Raquel got baptized. This week's planning book is a week old and just got ruined today because its been raining hard today. There is a river running down the street and it's pretty cold. 

It was super weird this week because I have been getting a taste of what it is like to be the senior companion because my new companion doesn't know the area.  All these changes are super stressful. I feel like I am not qualified.  When I can memorize a few more things and get the language down, the the changes won't be that big of deal, but right now it's pretty hard with everything.  We have done  a lot of walking and trying to find new people.  I am learning new places in my sector because with my other companion we really didn't branch out much.  That has messed me up now.

We do have a new investigator.  He is nine and has a date to get baptized so he needs to attend church.  Then he should be getting baptized. We tracted out and taught Jorge Topia, the son of a member, that I really like. It was kinda funny because we had lunch with the member last week and she talked about how she wanted her kids to attend church and how she prays for them.  I shared Alma and Alma the Younger with her and everyone really felt the spirit. It was cool. Then a few days later we find her son, and he talks to us and says he wants to come back to church but his girl friend doesn't want to. So we will have to figure that out, but it was way cool. 

My companion is getting a 90 x ab insanity and we are downloading it to work out with.  It's like 200 dollars and I will get it for free so that's exciting. Other then that, not much happened this week . Just a lot of change. Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Gillies