Paz

Dearest family and friends. THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO SHARE!! and not enough time .... ahhh SO ill be brief. 

moms dear elder ... GOT IT AND I LOVE IT! i love your poems. and yes. this daughter misses her mother. you brought a tear to my eye. i have the best mom int he whole wide world. just so everyone knows. 

julias announcement.YOU LOOK SOO HAPPY with him. yes i got the announcement and the temple invite and its so bitter sweet. im so happy and you look SO happy like you could easily laugh ad smile with him FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER! thats how it should be,you have such a light and it warms my heart so much. felizidades querida prima. 

cambios.... im staying. im pretty sure im gonna finish my mission here in california. and my companion goes home in 6 weeks- ill be "killing her". never killed anyone before. but supposedly she is extending four weeks after that. so maybe ill be with her for longer... not sure. 

rodrigo. recieved the priesthood. was wonderful! 

hosting dying sisters. all the sisters who are finishing their missions come to our area to pros for their last days. so we have had like 5sisters in and out of our area dn we nave to mke double plans for us to be able to keep them working to teçhe end. but our numbers look GREAT this week. so thanks! 

elvira milagro... SHE IS OUR NEWEST GOLDEN

nightmare and fasting

elder andersen and the closing prayer .

 

she is gold. iour investigator. she said she recieved her answer that it is all true through and email her missionary grandson sent to her. she said that was her sign and her answer. and she came to church with us for the first time yesterday. she is wonderful. i hope one day my email or testimony will tuch ssomeones heart and they will feel thes spirit. 

 

the night before elder andersen came, a very weierd thing happned. at 4 am i woke up to my comp screeming! not like a whimper, not a cry out loud, but a loud strong, geuinely paniced screem!! like a cry for help to escape something, i woke up and found MYSELF screeming too!! she scared me so bad!!! but i was so confused cause i didnt know WHY!!! I LOOKED around frantically loking for the cause of such a horrible reaction. but i saw nothing. abosluely nothing and no one. i pulled myself together a little and started yelling her name. "hermana paiva! HERMANA! HERMANA LOOK AT ME! hermana tranquilate! tranquila!!! " when that didnt work, she kept screeming, i started saying "i love you hermana come back to me. what is happening. i love you look at me" nothing. she was freaking uot. so i bravely jumped from my bed and and into hers and grabbed her in a big hug and tried to wake her up. finially she woke up and calmed down. i said "we are going to pray" and i cried to heaven with all my herat cause i was so scared to death. there was such a bad eary feeling in the room i hated it! i cried to heaven to save us from such a dark feeling. i said "with the power and authority i have as a missionary and representative of the savuior, in the name of jesus christ, clean this room from, any dark or evil spirits" and we cried and prayed together. then she was back. she said she had a reallybad nightmare where an evil spirit was choking her and she felt a lot of pressure on her chest and it wouldnt go away. 

 

family. i have never felt such a horrible feelign in mywhole life. after, we said another prayer. and family, i cannot tell you how much power there is in a simple prayer. it was like a restoration.i icannot explain it but it was like the peace was restored. yes i was still a little shaken but for some reason, what i had in my mind was the workd "paz": it was like the spirit commanded "Paz" (or peace) to my mind. and i felt "restored". but you BET we slept with the lights on after that. i woke up two huors later with a question in my mind "why, if we are fasting to have a spiritual experience for elder andersen, would such a demonic thing happen to us?" 

 

my question was answered as we listned to the gener authorities that were visiting the next morning. Elder Zuarez was telling a story and he made a similar question. he said "why did my father have to die on his mission? when he was serving the lord and doing his will?"

 

ithen he said "the spirit told me, there is no better time." and that too was my answer. fasting gives you spiritual strength. there is no better time to "cast out devils" so to speak, than when you are fasting. i cant imagine how different it would have been if i had that experience with out the spiritual power to do so. 

 

truly inspired. and my testimony of the "opposition in all things" concept has been strengthened as well.

we had an amazingly spiritual "charla" with the general authorites. they taught us on high. and ill share more after the mission but i was truly edified spiritually. 

 

AND they asked me to give the closing prayer. and i was so grateful cause i was so filled with joy and gratitude for the spirit that i personally felt that i could express that in behalf of all the misisonaries and in front of elder andersen. 

 

and i shook his hand after and he looked RIGHT in my eyes and said "thank you. thank youso much". like he was sayig thanjk you for havig the spirit. and i was so happy. 

what a blessig. this was a good week. a wierd but good week 

 

con amor

hermana gonzales 

Packages and Gifts

I LOVE YOU ALLL!!!! so dang much! THIS WEEK was a good week. :) estoy MUY feliz este semana. por que? les cuento....

first of all i got a package from my family. :) complete with peanut butter, american chocolates. (my favs!) photos and little decorative flags with notes from my cousins aunts ucles grandma and siblings. and a sweet note from my dear sweet mom. AND THEN i got nother package from my BFF MIKE! and his brother and his wife. THANK YOU!!!! they sent me Face astringent and shower lufas. THANK. YOU! now i feel clean after 4 months. what a blessing. 

Package from the FAM!!

Package from Mike

then i got a package from my HEAVENLY FATHER! we call them Baptisms here  on earth, but surely in heaven they are like gifts from our heavenly father. something i have learned. 

success is a gift waiting to be recieved. and God is preparing us to recieve this gift. and he only gives it when we are ready and prepared if we are going to recieve it well. and the preparation comes through opposition. and trial. and trying and failing. and perservering then, when it looks like all is lost, and youre about to give up.... he comes in and rewards you for your patience and your hard work. and you are SO GRATEFUL and you feel like you dont deserve it. and maybe i dont deserve it still, but then you see to grace and Mercy that comes through the atonement and you are filled. filled with gratitude, love and joy! 

 

Rodrigo con las jas (ysa)

Baptism

 

 

Yesterday Rodrigo was confirmed a member of  La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos dias. And he glowed. he was so happy. I WAS so happy. and his baptism was something special as well. all the YSA who went kept saying "i cant belive he is baptised! i never thought id see the day. wow rodrigo is actually baptised!" its cause he had been assisting for about 8 months and never had any desire to be baptised. some guys are kinda hard hearted., but for some reason we got to him and he accepted. and the YSA and bishopric were astonished. (as was i). they told us how he used to be anti mormon, he would tease the members and make fun, he has a strong character, and he never even wanted to talk about it. and now! ITS OFFICIAL! and his testimony was SO strong. when we were giving the pracitce interview, we asked him to share his testimony of Jose Smith. and as he was talking, and sharing, and reviewing the words of jose smith, i had a small vision. now im not a visionary woman, but this was like.... a VISION! i saw him with a shirt and tie and plaque, teaching the restoration. when he finished there was a silence, and i broke the silence by asking, "rodrigo, have you ever thought about serving a mission?" he sat there for a second thinking... .and said "yes. i have." the two members who were there with us looked at him in amazement. (as did i). we sat there in the spirit a minute and then continued. .... it was a beautiful moment. then he did the same thing at his baptism. as he shared his testimony and we all just sat ther in the spirit. no one wanted to break the silence. AH! it was SO REWARDING! i serisouly am thinking, WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS! 

 

it went perfect. hermana Paiva and i did the musical number with my faithful Uk. we arranged his favorite hymn "brightly beams our fathers mercy" its beautiful in spanish. it was a good day. 

UPDATES: 

Elder Anderson is coming this sunday! and i was asked to participate in the choir. b ut just I was asked. and i didnt feel right about that. so i asked the director of my companion could participate too. (she cant sing all that well....but she LOOOOVES music!) the director, considered... she was thinking. she obviously didnt like the idea. but i just looked at her like we are UNIFIED! please. its BOTH or nothing! (OBV I DIDNT SAY THAT... but she got the point.) 

so now we are BOTH singing in the choir for Elder Anderson. EXITO! so we are pretty excited about that. 

this week they put Angel Moroni on the Trujillo Temple! its looking good. we get lots of questions about that. its a great way to find new people. its funny cause its right next to a catholic cemetary. a popular cemetary so everyone has seen it. and its the biggeset most beautiful building in all of peru. and for that we also get judged. the mormons with all their money. why would they build something so nice when there are people starving and suffering..... 

ya those are fun to explain. 

this week i had a small infection in my intestines. ok really ive had it for a week and a half but didnt want to scare mom.... i had a little internal bleeding but im ok now. :) happy to report. 

also, my President is THE MAN! did you know he loves country swing dancing and Broadway musicals?=??? sound familiar...? im pretty sure we were friends in the pre existence. 

he told me i had to keep up with my passions the rest of my life and teach my children to appreciate the arts. im glad we have a lot in common. 

and that is the latest and greatest in the life of sister gonzales her ein good old California, Trujillo , Peru. 

Con amor

Hermana Gonzales 

Scriptures of the Week

 what touched my heart this week from personal studies. 

2 Tim. 1:6-7

6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the giftof God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and oflove, and of a sound mind.

2 Tim. 2:21-26

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be avessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, andprepared unto every good work.

 22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity,peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

 23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that theydo gender strifes.

 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentleunto all men, apt to teach, patient,

 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if Godperadventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging ofthe truth;

 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of thedevil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

for me this is comfort. and a wake up call. the second of the two is who we ought to be as deciples of christ and more importantly, as a missionary. this has helped me mature a little bit. helped me take my calling, my power and authority a little more seriously. and realize just what i represent and act accordingly. i love this work. i love the scriptures. i love learning of the savior. and i am becoming better. 

con amor, 

hermana gonzales 

The meaning of a mission

Dearst all. how is eveyone. congrats nick for starting your second mission. what a good example. all these weddings and missions. I LOVE IT!!!

My MIssion. and it means something. 

6 For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that whichis good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except heshall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing.

 7 For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness.

 8 For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth itgrudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he hadretained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God.

this is my calling. this is what i do. and i love it. 

 31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance,and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father,which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the wayamong the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ untothe chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony ofhim.

and this is why i am here. 

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored withoutceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I mightbring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; thatthey might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give meexceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;

26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me,behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I havetasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they doknow of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and theknowledge which I have is of God.

we are doing good-. i am working hard. 

we are having a baptism this saturday. he is a gift from heaven and already wants to serve a mission. 

i am tired. i am working hard. i feel like im 80.but i am happy. 

keep the prayers coming. we are going strong to the end.  

love 

hermana gonzales