Transfers on 12/31/14

So transfers are Wednesday and I think my companion will change which is tough because I really like him.  He talks really good Spanish, and I have learned a lot from him, so if he goes that will be that I guess. So this Saturday was a little different the others. An elder in the ward went home, so we have been in a trio the whole time since Saturday until transfers on Wednesday. Um that's cool with everything that went on for Christmas and that's not good with you all getting the flu. i think the flu went through everyone, but at least that will be it for the year, hopefully. I liked the Skype.  I don't know, I was nervous and I didn't really sleep the night before and with worrying about transfers the next week, it just all piled up on me. I am doing good now. Some days are better then others, but i am doing good. It was good to see all of you guys. I felt bad because I felt like I couldn't really talk with only forty minutes. It was definitely the fastest phone call in my life. I thought I was on there for about ten minutes. I am glad you guys had a good Christmas. I had a good one too. I got some socks and some ties from the members. Oh, and thanks for the tie and the book you guys sent. That was really cool.  

This week with Sergio, I don't know what's up with this guy. The thoughts are still in his head from the excommunicated member. I am getting kinda frustrated because he told my comp that he felt we were pressuring him. My comp said you said you wanted help with this. We are trying to do our best and then you said you wanted to change so we are trying to help. So I don't know what's up. its frustrating. We teach as clear as we can and sometimes I wonder if he is listening or what. Yesterday we did find another investigator and she read the scriptures. She didn't understand much, but she read what we assigned her. The thing is, she is eighteen and has a boyfriend. So the law of chastity is a problem. I don't know, I guess we can help her build her testimony a lot so she will want to obey it.  

You didn't really get to ask that may questions on the Skype call. Do you have any? I will try to answer the best I can next week. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Elder Gillies

Merry Christmas!

O.K. with the Skye call. I looked at the email of Bryan's and he said he won't get off till four so I would have to Skye at like eight p.m.  I thought I was only three hours ahead, not four. I will try to talk to my comp so I can talk at eight so I can see Bryan too. Be ready around three-thirty to four. I hope everything works out. The next time will be easier because it will be my second time to Skye and I will know what I am doing. I don't like that I have to call on  the twenty-fourth. It makes it harder for the people in the states, but its good. 

I am glad Landen Bradshaw finally got his mission call.  Tacoma, Washington will be good  I am glad he is going. Hopefully Tui can get everything figured out. Maybe it will put a little more pressure on him to get going without Landen around.  That  is super sad about Seth getting killed. That was certainly an unexpected thing and it had to happen this time of the year. And Scott Woody and Lindsey Crosland getting engaged. I couldn't believe that when you said that, but Scott is a nice kid.

This week was probably one of the most interesting in my mission. We went to an investigators house. He was progressing and went to church last week. Then this week, we had an excommunicated member that comes to church still and he saw our investigator in the street and talked to him and then things went down hill from there.  He told the investigator all this crap about his excommunication in the church and how people don't talk to him and the bishop did this and that and all this he told him the church was true. At this point, the investigator was so confused. So that really stunk. It was so frustrating! So yesterday the bishop called us into his office with the excommunicated there.  The bishop basically cut him down and asked him why he cut down the church and did he think he was right?  The ex'd member said this and that and the Bishop said, "This isn't a game. We don't play around with souls." So now the investigator won't progress and the ex'd member will be responsible. The ex'd member got mad after a while and left. You could tell his life wasn't with the church. He was doing things he wasn't supposed too. So yeah, this week wasn't that great. I don't know. I haven't really found any new investigators with the parties and all that So I don't know. It's like the recent converts are mad at us because we didn't come teach then this week because they know it's different when we are there. I just wish we had more investigators. We taught a less active girl this week. She is twelve and her parents gave her permission for a belly button ring. Like what parents would do that! The parents here have no control over their kids.   

I am super excited to talk to you this week. Have a good week and a Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Gillies

Conference with the Mission President

O.K. first with the Skype.  I can Skype for the Christmas phone call.  It will probably be on the 24th and not on Christmas because the 24th is when they celebrate down here.  I can skype with you guys for 40 minutes, so I hope everyone can be at the house on the 24 so I could see everybody.

The conference with the mission president was really good.  I liked it a lot. The mission gave us jump drives for Christmas loaded with Mormon messages and stuff we can use to teach with, so that was really cool.  There are going to be a lot of changes with the numbers and stuff at the end of the week staring in January.  Now we will say how many baptisms we had for the week, how many confirmations and how many people showed up to church. I like this way so much better. We don't have to worry about how many lessons we need to teach and all this, so it should be a lot better. We just have to get the people to come to church and do everything we can. It will be so much better. With the conference we had to do requerde esto. It's something no one wants to do, but we did a good job.  With the practices, we had President K. right there watching us and then when we finished teaching he left, but he told us we taught really good together and all that. With both conferences I have had with him, he has been right there to see the teaching. The first time I was way nervous, but this time I was like eh, just another person.

I have gained a little weight, but I can still fit in my pants so that is good. I can't gain too much weight or else I am going to come back fat and bald! It was funny. Yesterday we ate with some members. They gave us a Christmas gift. It was socks and chips. It was way cool of them to do that. 

We had one person come to church yesterday. It was not the guy who has come two times,  but Serigo, the guy who has no job. We are teaching him again and yesterday he wanted some movies with the lessons and the lesson was very powerful. He got emotional. Now it just needs to click that he needs to get baptized. Then he asked me yesterday why some members pay more attention to other people and don't pay attention to some people. I wanted to beat some members that think it's not effecting anyone, if they don't listen. Serigo noticed it and that was not good.

Other then that, not much is going on. Have a good week.

Love,

Elder Gillies 

Still Looking for Investigators

O.K., I am pretty sure I am right. Is your anniversary this week on the 14 and if it's not, my bad. How will that feel, your first in thirty something years with just you guys.I hope you will have a good anniversary. This week I fasted twice for our investigators and this week I will probably fast again. I got a letter from the president that his last line asked if I was using my time wisely because our numbers are falling a little. I felt bad because is that is all he can see is the numbers? They have been falling because we can't find anyone to teach. When we do find people, we teach them and then can't find then again.  President can't see all the sweat we put in, in the hot sun all day. I know the Lord knows what we are doing, so that is what I will focus on. We had an investigator attend church, which was a miracle in itself. It was ten to five and he walked in. If he didn't attend this Sunday, then the other day that he attended would have fallen through, so it's good he came. Now he has two needs met. One more and he can be baptized. We really need to start finding people ready for baptism because the pressure is building everyday. 

 That's funny that Boston loved shooting the BB gun. Is that what he wants for Christmas now? 

I will have a meeting  with the President this week, but its only with the zone, not with the mission. Honestly I am not really looking forward to seeing him all that much, but the Lord knows what I am doing and how hard I am working so I have nothing to worry about. The girl we were teaching is super hard to find. We find a lot of people too, but they are like fools gold. When you teach them the first time, they want everything like when you first see the fools gold you think its really great, but when you start to look close, you realize it's not worth much. Just like our investigators, something changes. They don't want to keep the commandments. I don't know.  It's hard. 

 I helped move a member of the ward today. The guys in the ward are pretty funny. When you get them all together, you have a good time, The people had so much crap in this little apartment. Then they lived on the fourth level of the apartment block so that made it a little harder to move them. But we got it done . 

My apartment is actually pretty nice. I won't have all of the apartments like this one. Like the house in Los Vilos was not like this. So I got lucky with this apartment. Don't worry a lot about the houses here.  They all have bard wire or broken glass in the cement around the houses. It is just something they do here. Nothing has happened here that was dangerous, so don't worry. Other then that, not much has happened. Maybe I will have more to tell you next week. Have a good week and a Happy Anniversary!

Love,

Elder Gillies 

MORE STREET CONTACTING

You said that Dad got asked to be on Evanston hospital board. What do you have to do for that? The kid in the pictures I sent last week, one was my District Leader that went home, and the other is my new mission leader. 

So that's what you do when you have been out for six months is burn a tie? O.K. Perfect.  It will give me something to do tonight.  So Cody Christopherson and Kasha Peterson are getting married. That is funny.

For Thanksgiving, I ate beans. I forgot it was Thanksgiving, so it didn't really matter. For the Christmas call, I should be able to use skype, but there is a very high chance that it could be on the twenty-forth and not on Christmas. I don't know yet. We have a thing with the Mission President this month, so I will have to wait to see what he says.

This week we taught the girl who showed up to church last week. She didn't show up to church yesterday because she had to watch her little brothers, which are basically her kids because the mom is never home.  She is really receptive, so hopefully we can get her baptized this month and maybe her two little brothers too. My companion ate something bad this week, so he has been having some problems with that, but he is getting better. Yesterday we gave a girl a blessing who has been having some trouble with some satanic stuff, but the whole time the spirit was so strong so I think that will end. The power of the Priesthood was strong. We have a trio this week, because the other elder has a meeting and the elder who came with us told us all this stuff. Like his family doesn't support him on his mission. They don't write him and on Christmas and Mother's Day, he doesn't call his family. So yeah, that would be rough. So thanks for all the love and support you have given me in my life and especially on my mission.  

That's good with Landon and Tui getting closer to getting their mission calls. By the time they are going in the field they will be leaving with the kids who are graduating next year. That still surprises me about Alyssa Rasmussen going to England, but its good too. The funny thing is, she will be coming home the same time I am or maybe even before that. Kinda ironic. I don't know. I want to write you more. but there is not much to write.  We have been out in the streets all week contacting. Oh yeah, I had a guy we contacted talk about the garments and he told us that after this we could only be angels, but I wanted to say, "You can be an angel, but i am going to be a god in the next world." That sounds a lot better to me. Then we taught a lady very, very catholic who said she would never ever change her religion, or her tradition, which is a better word for it. We asked her if she ever prayed and asked god which religion is right. She said "No" and we are like here is your sign. Then she said she didn't want to pray and be tempted by false prophets. So we are like that's why we say pray. Go to the only person who can't lie. But she wouldn't do it, so good-bye to her. Other then that, I am glad you had a good Thanksgiving and a good week. I will throw in some things I am thankful for. I know I am a little late, but better late then never.

estoy muy agradicido por este opportunidad tengo servir mi señor en este obra que tengo una familla a quien dan mi mucho apoyo cada dia de mi vida por la expicion de jesucrito por este evengelio y la parte juga en mi vida cada dia

Just a few things. Thanks for everything.  

Translation: I am very grateful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord in this work.  I am grateful that I have a family that gives me so much support each day of my life.  I'm grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for the gospel and the part that it plays in my life each day.  The last picture that I sent you today is one of my favorite ladies in Los Vilos.  Also can you tell the Batt's thank you so much for the package!  That was so very nice of them to send that. I can't find their email.  

Love,  

Elder Gillies 

One of my favorite ladies in Los Vilos who was sick.

Our Kitchen

Our cool bathroom.