Hey family!
Sounds like you all had a fun week at the beach. The kids are gorgeous and are growing up so fast. So I just got an email from toto saying that they are coming here today!! haha So I gave them a call I hope he calls me back, this is probably illegal but its P Day so I think it should be fine.
Anyways... This week was great. It has been raining and it looks like fall is coming which makes me sad, I don't want summer to end. I feel like I have come a long way since the first day I got here.
We met with a referral this week she is from Peru and so I got to practice my Spanish with her, I miss latinos they are just so funny haha...we just saw her again here at the library. We see everyone here at the library it seems like. You all wouldn't even believe how much I have broken out of my shell, I guess you have no choice when you are a missionary, but it is just becoming more natural each day to go up to people. Although I probably did sound like a robot leaving a voice mail on toto's phone because I am just so used to doing it a certain way haha.
So last week we ran into Barbara ( the sweet lady we door knocked into) And her friend is from Brazil. Well we called her this week and she is so sweet she wanted to take us out on her boat haha we told her we couldn't, so she said we can have cookies on her patio I am excited to meet with them again and practice my Portuguese. 
Dad that is so cool that you had a lesson about D&C 121, I read that a few weeks ago and I just love that section. I read it because I wanted to strengthen my testimony about Joseph Smith and just see all the awful things he had to go through in jail, but how the Lord said thine affliction will be for a short while. I love it because anyone can relate to Joseph Smith, we meet so many people that complain about money and are struggling but forget to go to the Lord first. He is the only way we can overcome trials in our lives. I read this morning 1 Nephi 18:16 Wow how Nephi said "Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions." What a wonderful example, I see too many people complaining and I just wonder if they did all they could, did they ask the Lord for help. I do not want to come back home the same person I was when I left. I want to take all of these experiences, all of these people that I meet and learn from them.
This week our Mission President asked us to fast for the faith that our investigators will attend church.
Sometimes I do not have the best faith in my investigators and that is bad, I need to have more faith in them. I have been learning a lot that the mission all starts with faith. If you have no faith then what are you working for. I have learned to have faith in Heavenly Father because He knows all and things will be done in His time... Everything happens for a reason. haha I remember one time we were door knocking and it was this sweet black lady, and a fly flew into her house and she said oh no! And my companion said well everything happens for a reason.. And the lady said, yea I guess so, guess we will chase it out, it will give us something to do. haha I just thought it was funny. But it is true everything does happen for a reason, and it happens in the Lord's time. I have had to learn that while waiting for my VISA, but I know it will come when the Lord needs me to leave.
A scripture that I read last week also really helped me it is in psalm 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." It helped me because the Lord is waiting for us to cast our burdens, to ask for them to be lifted. Yesterday at church a sister bore her testimony about how she went on this long bike ride and she got really tired towards the middle because she had packed way too much in her backpack that it was weighing her down. Her friend had only packed a water bottle and asked if she could take her backpack. The sister told her no that it was her own fault for packing too much she will just have to deal with it. But her friend asked again, and said its okay let me take your backpack. And the sister said that in that moment she realized that her friend represented Christ, that he is always willing to lift the burden off of our backs, and he never wants us to over pack our bags. Sometimes we put too much stuff in our bags that we are too weak to carry on our own...but the Lord doesn't want you to travel alone, He will always lift our burdens when we let him. That also reminds me of a scripture it is in 3 Nephi 18 that chapter is wonderful but verses 22-23 to me reminded me of all the less-actives we have been meeting with and how no matter what we have done, or how much stress we put ourselves under if we desire to come back, the lord will not shew us off but will pray for us, will help us will open his arms wide to come back to him.
Well familia! Eu espero que tudo-bem com voces! I hope aunt stella got the card I sent, I had to send it home because I messed up the first time. Anyways let me know if she got it! Obrigada!
Eu te amo!
Sister Gonzales
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