Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Sept 16, 2013


No time today but this last week we had a Zone Conference with President Dalton, Zone meeting where the goals of the mission where presented. basically to double all the numbers.  Stake Conference on Sunday. Elder Miranda arrived on Monday evening (it seems like we've been together forever already) Daniel Olivares will be baptized on Wednesday. 18th of Septemeber which is independence day. I filled up my journal need a new one. 

and more but that's all for now fowks.
 

Elder James Gillespie

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

(AUG 26's Letter) It's warming up


It's hot today- I had forgotten how hot it can be here. 
     This week as we made our way to the church for district meeting we ran into all of the office Elders which was a surprise being that we are about 400 miles from the office I was just shocked to see all 4 of them here, but they were coming to get the chapel ready for our Zone Conference that we would be having the following day. 
     The same day we went to visit Lorenza who had a baptismal date for Saturday and she has been feeling a little sick, her son told us that if she didn't get better she would not get in the water and get more sick. So we gave her a blessing and it was a very strong spirit there- and we left. 
     Zone Conference was amazing- Elder Francisco J. Viñas of the first quorum of the seventies came through the mission. His knowledge of the scriptures was so amazing- he would just talk and the scriptures became his own words. Just weaving in and out of scripture. It was impressive and I hope one day to be able to master and use the scriptures in such ways. 
     Two thing that Elder Viñas pointed out that I had never really thought about was that exists three times when we have no agency. The first we have not choice to when we will be born, the second is when we shall die, and third when we will resurrect. It will just happened. The second is that dead/birth are the same in many ways. We leave one world and go to another. When we die people here on earth are sad because they won't be with us anymore, but the people on the other side of the veil are happy because we are now with them. Same thing with birth. We were in the premortal world and people were sad there that we would be born because they would not be with us anymore; however people here on earth are happy because we are with them now.... Just a fun thought. 
     So Wednesday when we went back to Lorenza's home she was all better. Priesthood is real. And so Saturday arrived and we had a beautiful and simple service. Nevertheless afterwords I was just exhausted mentally physically everything. Both Elder McCaskill and I entered the water to support her and help her feel more secure. 
     Today for a Zone Activity we played Jeopardy with random detail from the scriptures it was a good game. The categories were: Numbers, Nobody knows me, Where is that at?, Family Trees, and Fetch? And an example from each grow is: 
Numbers: How many children did Job have? 
Nobody knows me: Nephi brought back to life one of his brothers, what was his name? 
Where is that at?: Where did Solomon Build the temple? 
Family Trees: When Lehi left Jerusalem with his family there was a King- what is his father's name?  
Fetch?: When Nephi and his brothers returned to Jerusalem to get Ismael and his family, where was Jeremiah at? 

It was a fun game with the finally Jeopardy having to do with using the Nephi money system and figuring out how much change you would receive after going shopping. 

Good stuff. Thanks for reading. 

Have a Wonderful day- becuase you can choose to
     Elder James O. Gillespie






September 2nd

Well it's quite warm - ok well looking at the weather it really isn't that warm but it just feels so hot. Kind of takes the energy out of you. 
 So on Saturday the stake and an activity with all of youth and the missionaries- and we did divisions with all of the youth and did contacts in the street inviting them all to come into the chapel for an open house- I didn't have so much luck in my contacts but it was the first time in a long time that I have done so many street contacts. It was a good activity though. Then shortly there after Elder Marin and Elder Perez who work in our ward as well had a baptism that we went and helped out/played the piano. 
   On Sunday we went to the hospital to visit a member who has been there for some time now, and we were just there- It's a bit hard to discribe the feels that I had as we just watched his son just hold his hand and stroke his head. My thoughts went to the talk of Elder Oaks, when he mentioned "A loving Heavenly Father gives us those feelings to impel us to help His children." The man can`t talk, 84 years old and just waiting it appears. What a great blessing we truely have to have the Gospel in our lives. 

Well that's all for now

Have a Wonderful day
     Elder James O. Gillespie