8/31 Rainbow, SDC, and Peru's win over Bolivia

I am extremely tired. It's been a rather long day.

I was at Jurupa Vista, intentionally to rove, but I was in Mr. Martin's SDC class all day, which I wasn't opposed to. First half he was in IEPs and second half I was just a help to him and Mrs. Ramos. I'm in his class tomorrow for sure. During lunch, I was able to have a heart to heart talk about his class. How I felt about each one of his students and it was stimulating. Next week is my SDC week and it is funny because Aunt Kerry called and told me she felt like I should do SDC as a teacher because it isn't as hard as regular teachers and I'm patient and kind and I have a soft personality with the kids. So, we'll see.

It literally poured when school was out today, my shoes and bottom of my pant leg and shoulders were wet when I got home. On the way, a lady asked me if I could walk Aaron and Jayden home. I guess their parents weren't able to pick them up.

I picked up Pollo Loco for dinner. It was so good.

I watched Peru vs. Bolivia and we won 2-1, it was awesome. The two goals were amazing. I did that instead of go to institute.

I either have a cold or allergies. Not sure which. Just one more day to go and it's a three-day weekend.

I get to see Sarah Rebecca tomorrow!

Here's two pics that I captured of a rainbow on my way to El Pollo Loco.

8/30 Mr. Sutherland's Kinder and Possible Wedding Dates

This is my Roving week. Today I was at Grimes Elementary. They assigned me to Mr. Sutherland's Kindergarten class, although, I didn't know it was Kindergarten until after I was done at around 1. I thought it was a first grade class. Mr. S was doing some testing. By the time he was done, before the Kindergarteners went home, he had tested his whole class, so he was happy. I monitored and guided them as they cut out papers for a huge letter M, with a mountain climber on the slope. The kids went crazy with their designs even though they were suppose to stick to brown for the M and white for the slopes and black for the goat. They got paper everywhere, and fortunately, when Lunch time rolled around, Mr. S heard me and helped me gather the children up to clean and put things away. Fortunately, he did that, because it would have been like pulling teeth, which it was until he came in. Then, after lunch, he told me to take a while on math, which I did, but the kids were getting bored with me. Finally, he did come in, told me he was done, and sent me back to the office, where I waited for about 15 minutes before they assigned me to a fourth grade teacher that I went to last time I was at Grimes roving, and she thankfully accepted my help to read from their science book until it was time for the day to end because of minimum day. I had rich cake today from the staff lounge for August and September birthdays.

Mom and I were discussing possible wedding dates in December. We looked up Briana and Sarah's school schedules and the 16th of December cuts into Sarah's last week of school, and Briana ends on the 15th, so it would be tough for her to get here. I called the Redlands Temple for December 16th to see how open they are and they only had one wedding for the 11am hour. But they were open every hour from 8am to 8pm. So now I'm talking with Sarah, and she's willing to change it to accommodate my family, also hoping that her family could also make it to the wedding, because she has one sibling who lives in Japan with their family, and she's hoping that all her siblings could make it.

Mom was looking up wedding stuff based on the colors I told her Sarah had told me about: Blue and Purple. She looked on Pinterest and was finding things that she liked.

Mom and I made Lomo Saltado. I peeled the potatoes. Three of the potatoes were going rotten because they had holes in them. We watched Madame Secretary as we made them. Mom was getting a bit distracted and the french fries were getting dark. But overall, the food was good.

Overall, good day.

8/29 1-Page Sub Plans and Residency plans

Today I felt a bit stupid during my first half of work. I was at Lewis Elementary roving. We were assigned two different classes, so one for the first half of work and one for the second half after lunch. Well, my first class was a fourth grade class room #2. The sub plans were paper clipped to several papers unrelated to sub work. So, I saw that page and I was like, oh man, there isn't enough work to last us the first 2 and a half hours. I was spread thin. I did my job to make each thing as long as I possibly could. Finally, at the end of first recess, I was like well, there is only 30 minutes left and I have nothing for the kids to do so I let them draw. The teacher arrived just on time. I told her about feeling spread thin and she said, did you not see the second page? I was like, uh, no, I hadn't seen a second page. She de-paper clipped the front page of the sub plans and turned it over. I was like my bad, when I saw that she had had more plans on the back. I felt so dumb, haha. Nothing to cry over, but I had messed up. But it is pretty impressive that I spread an hour or so worth of work over 2 to 3 hours, haha.

Second half was good. I utilized my extensive knowledge of songs, like the favorite: the hokey pokey, once there was a snowman, and popcorn poppin'. I was with first graders, but I must have been in a good mindset because it was not that hard as last week's sub job. They had centers at the end of the day, which started chaotically, but ended organized, fortunately. I have SDC at Lewis next week, as well as two other SDC classes next week. This week is Roving week and next week is SDC week. Monday is a holiday, Labor Day.

Now that I think about it, the LA County Fair starts September 1, this friday. Sarah and I could possibly go to the fair on Labor Day, if it is open. Just checked, it is open. It is not open following Mondays or Wednesdays, so it is a possibility of being something we do this weekend. Sarah doesn't have to use her crutches anymore, she told me.

Sarah and I have been chatting about possible honeymoon destinations. We've mentioned maybe going to Disneyland, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, etc. Not worrying about money because we should not be afraid of that. I brought her to the fact of what we were going to do after we were married, namely, where we are going to live. I brought up moving to Arizona. I told her about my family ties to Arizona, and wanting to move to Arizona after I broke up with Stephanie. Visiting Aunt Kerry and Uncle Steve on my two trips to Arizona. And shadowing Kerry being a school psychologist. She said she'd consider it. That's the great thing about Sarah Rebecca, she's up to anything if we talk about it and pray about it beforehand. I love that about her. She believes everything is possible. I need to carry that mindset about different things. Mostly the stuff I believe isn't possible.

I guess, with God, ALL things are possible.

I still need to talk to Mom and Dad about wanting to get married in December. Hopefully it all goes well.

P-day Letters August 28

GOOD MORNING.

I just realized that I usually send my email to you right around this time, like 9 or 10 in the morning. Which means you receive them at like 6 or 7 in the morning. That must be nice. Pop off your pillow, and get to read a letter from your favorite missionary son. This time difference is sorta being used to our advantage. It's nice to have a tablet, and be able to write you super early, as soon as P-day starts. And this new keyboard that I just got for my birthday is a nice luxury for sure. Anyways. I don't really know why I've been thinking about that.

You wanna know what else I was thinking about?? I HAVE A MISSIONARY PLAQUE HANGING IN THE CHURCH BUILDING. That's just a totally bizarre thought to me. And Braden has one. And Kalani has one. Like, WUT? Does mine have a picture in it already?? You should get like a super attractive picture of me to put in there. Good luck with that. There aren't many super attractive pictures of me to choose from. Maybe that one of me at the San Diego temple? The one that I have as my profile picture on all of my social media accounts?? I don't know why I'm thinking so hard about this as well.

Hmmm... So the headaches aren't completely gone. I finished the 10 days worth of antibiotics yesterday. The frequency of the headaches seems to have decreased, though, which is good. But they still occur every day, just not as often, and they don't seem to be as debilitating. But I was really hoping they'd be completely GONE by the time I was completed with the antibiotics. And they're not. So I have another doctor's appointment this Wednesday, for some additional advisement, to see if there's anything to get rid of the problem ONCE AND FOR ALL. But I have a lot of faith that I will get better, and soon. It does seem to finally be getting better, so that's good. I just received a call from Sister Bednar, and she told me to keep you updated with all this stuff. She says that it's important for a mom to know what's going on with their children's health. So here I am, keeping you updated. :)

I've continued talking to Sister Waterbury, the counselor woman for my mission. It's weird talking about ME so much, and what goes on in my mind. Because half the time, I don't even understand what's going on in my head. But I enjoy talking to her. Or rather, I enjoy having someone listen to me. And she offers very helpful hints to reduce stress. Maybe she's the reason why the headaches don't seem to be quite as frequent? I don't know. All I know is that I'm going to continue meeting with her. We do Skype calls like once a week, usually on Monday nights.

Okay, you're not going to believe this, but on August 26th, I didn't even THINK about BYU football until after 9 o'clock at night. It's just so weird. Back home, that would have been the day marked on my calendar for MONTHS. And now, it basically came and went without me even realizing. It's weird being a missionary, and not really thinking about the things that are most important to you, and being so cut off from the rest of the world. But you're gonna have to continue keeping me updated!! I didn't know the score of the game until I read your letter. 20-6. Hm. That's concerning. Was our offense not playing that well or something?? Seems like this Talon Shumway kid is gonna be good. You're gonna have to send me a picture of the BYU football schedule, because I honestly can't remember what order the games are in or anything. But I DO know that we've got LSU this next week, which is gonna be a freaking DIFFICULT challenge. If we can barely beat Portland State.... meh. I'll try not to think about it too much. Hopefully our offense will spark and we can pull this one off. That'd be a great start to the season. Although LSU is traditionally a POWERHOUSE. I know it's only been one game, but is our offense good? Does our defense seem to be performing to it's usual standard? I know, I know. Focus on my mission.

I completely agree. August just flew by. August has been great. I've been able to see 3 of my investigators be baptized. But it's also been hard, with more responsibility being added onto me. I'm excited for what September will bring, and for the training aspect of mission to be over. Most likely get a new companion at the end of the month, and lead out here in Lewisberry. I'm excited to see what I can do when I don't have Elder Marcum peering over my shoulder all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. But he's just too dang perfect and different from me. All of his strengths are perfectly tailored to missionary work. The dude was born to be a missionary, and it's kinda intimidating sometimes.

Everything is going good in the work. We've continued to teach Cheryl, and just taught her the Word of Wisdom. It was sorta awkward, when we got to her house for the lesson, she was drinking this MASSIVE bottle of green tea. But she told us that she had her last one, and that she's gonna be replacing it with things like water and apple juice. Hopefully she stays true to that!! She's such a strong woman, I know that she'll be able to quit. I just hope it's sooner rather than later. We also taught her the law of Tithing last night, and she accepted that as well. She even wants to start paying before she's baptized!! So yeah, things are looking good for her baptismal date to remain on September 16th. I'll keep y'all updated.

We're also going to start teaching Jadyn, Stephanie and Tyler's son. He's 11 years old, and is afraid of water. He's had some reservations towards being baptized in the past, but we asked him on Saturday if he wants to start receiving lessons from us, and be baptized, and he seemed excited about it. And his parents were totally supportive. So I'm excited to start teaching him. 

Oh, something pretty cool happened this last Saturday. We were spending most of the day doing some Finding in Camp Hill. Biking to Camp Hill takes about an hour or so, so we rarely go up there. In fact, this was my first time going up there on a bike. Anyways, we went to this motel/apartment to try and contact a former investigator, Katona. But when we got there, her apartment was clearly deserted, and had a MASSIVE padlock on the outside of the door. So we asked some of her neighbors, a woman and a man, if they knew if she still lived there. They said they had never heard of her. So then we told them who we were, and the woman TOLD US OFF, telling us that the Book of Mormon wasn't true, and all that jazz. It was quite humorous, actually. She told us to move on, and walked back into her apartment. We then asked the guy, her boyfriend, if there was anybody in the neighborhood we could share a message with. Obviously we weren't super optimistic about our chances. But then he said, "You can share one with me. She'll be gone in about a half hour, so come back around then." We were like "OKAY, SOUNDS GOOD. WE'LL BE BACK."

Anyways, we went back and had a really good lesson with this guy, Bill. We taught him the Restoration, and invited him to read from the Book of Mormon. He seemed REALLY interested. He told us that he can see that we're speaking with a lot of sincerity, and that we have a certain light about us . He said he wants what we have. Apparently he's been struggling with alcoholism, and wants to be free of that burden, and just be HAPPY. So we'll be back there next Saturday. I won't even mind biking all the way up there again, if it means we get to have another lesson with him. 

Well, that's most of the momentous news for this week. We never have a shortage of things to do, that's for sure. I'm grateful that my first couple of transfers have been here in Lewisberry, and that I've been blessed with such awesome investigators. Elder Marcum says I've been really lucky, and that I've had it easy. I don't know what he's talking about. It's been hard. But God knows what we can and can't handle. This is plenty for right now.

I was gonna ask, have  you sort of gotten used to my absence? Like, does it feel natural to have me gone now?? It's been almost three months. I still feel like a new missionary, and that I just left home yesterday. It's strange. Time flies when you're doing the Lord's work, I guess.

Love you mom. LIke, a bushel and a peck. And a hug around the neck. And all that jazz. 

Elder Gonzales

Hey there bud.

Firstly, I have a question?? Was Roger Federer ranked Number 1 in the world recently? One of the emails that you sent me made it sound like he was, but that Rafael was gonna be taking over that spot pretty soon. If he was, that'd be pretty sweet. He hasn't been number one for FOREVER. If not, then at least he won Wimbledon. Do you know if he's still planning on playing in the US Open? Is that gonna start soon? Man, I feel so out of the loop. Thanks for everything you do.

Also, thanks for keeping me updated with BYU football as well!! I feel so out of the loop about that as well. Those plays were pretty great!! Seems like we have a lot of potential this year. Although the fact that we only won 20-6 against Portland is sorta disconcerting. I'm glad that football season has started again, and that the family can watch them together. Those are some of the best memories EVER. Hopefully you'll be able to make lots of new memories this year. You know, since we're going undefeated. If you could send me a BYU Football schedule for this year, that'd be helpful. But don't feel obligated at all.

It's cool that you've been called to be a facilitator for the self reliance program!! They're kick starting that thing over here in Pennsylvania as well. There's been LOTS of excitement about it, and lots of people have been signing up. I know they just had their fireside for it last night as well. WOAH. It's like we're living the same life thousands of miles away from eachother. Not really. But still.

Dude, I'm glad your ear is feeling better. That was sorta scary. But it seems like it was just a simple fix. Now, if we could just get my headaches gone completely, we could be healthy together. 

Lots of good things happening, man. Enjoy it. 

Love you, 

Elder Gonzales

8/28 Slip n' Slide Kickball and a Warm Lunch

Today was just a normal working Monday for me. As of now, I have jobs for every day this week. I haven't subbed for Paul Rogers Elementary a lot. Just, probably, a handful of times. I just checked, according to my phone, this was my second time at the school but I could have sworn I've been twice, so it is weird. I roved. I was there with three other subs that were roving and there was a guy that, I don't know why, had already taught, got his credentials, but for some reason was still subbing. It's weird. Like, I guess Gus Falcon still subs because he can't find work with his credentials, but it is weird. It seemed like he should have been teaching. He was very knowledgeable about the school. I didn't have any keys, even to the staff lounge, so I had to carry my lunch with me all day, and so it wasn't as cool as it should have been. Oh well, nothing went rotten or anything so I can't complain. No keys to the bathrooms, so that was something. I had to go the office to go to the bathroom. I feel like I was in there too much. For the most part, I was able to have a good day in several classrooms. Hopefully the teachers felt the same way about me, too. There was a teacher there in a wheelchair. I guess she broke her left leg, which was crazy because that's the same leg Sarah has her malady. I helped her out twice. Once to sub, and second to be a helper.

When I got home today, I called Sister Hudrlik, Michelle's mom, because she's the leader in regards to the Self Reliance classes. She wanted to give me a solution to the problem. One of the sisters in my group is going to sit out this session of classes and do the next 12-week course in January. Sister Hudrlik is so nice. We make a good team.

I watched the end of GotG V.2. It only took me 6 days. I'm so busy. I ate some chicken, good chicken (which I also had for lunch). Watched the end of Madam Secretary with mom. Then went to FHE.

FHE was fun. We did Slip n' Slide Kickball in the dark because they couldn't turn on the lights to the field at the Stake Center. I was the first person to get a home run. YAY! Also, on the home run run I almost lost my glasses to the pool at the end, but either Caitlin Coder or Natalie Young helped me find them. It got too dark. It's an excuse and not an excuse to allow the other team to beat us like 12 to 5 or something. It was so dark, I could not see the ball coming, which stunk. It was fun though. I hurt my left ankle though, once again. I just have a weak left ankle, that's all.

I read D&C 132 for fun today about eternal marriage which is the New and Everlasting Covenant.

Letter #32

Sorry bud.

This is going to be a short letter, because I just barely got home from a long Sabbath day and it's already almost 11pm.

On monday, I got an Ear Lavage (after waiting 2 hours in a doctor's office). I missed the partial eclipse, unfortunately. There's always 2023. They got a syringe and filled it up with warm water and high pressured squeezed it into my ear. After the fifth squeeze I was hearing better. After like the 9th squeeze, the high pressure was hurting. But, I'm healed! Probably thanks to yours and other's prayers.

I'm getting home so late because I was asked to be a Facilitator for a Self-reliance initiative that the church is beginning to beta test in the states. It's popular outside the states, so we are one of the first wards to do it, I think. I know they've started it in Utah already because Sarah Rebecca has already gone through a class. The initial fireside took two hours from 7 on and so that's why it is so late, plus I had to give Tyler Frederick a ride home.

I had a pretty good three days of work from Wednesday on. However, the last half of my friday roving went awry. The kids (first graders) were super naughty and hard to corral. I had to call the principal for backup. My wednesday and thursday were spent at Jurupa Vista, mostly with the SDC, and you know how I like both the SDC and Jurupa Vista. I'm making friends with the new 5/6 SDC combo teacher. He even said that he will probably soon be looking for an aide to help him out. So I told him to let me know when he does it because I am super interested. He said, however, that it might take the district a year to process his request, so not to get my hopes up.

The game was okay. We won, which is what really matters, but the other team did pretty good, considering people were saying that this was going to be a cake walk. There were two touchdowns and two field goals. I sent you the most exciting clips. Second touchdown, not so exciting because it was at the one yard line, which the player set up in one of the clips. The other team had one touchdown but missed the PAT. It was kinda too close for comfort for a little while.

I guess, I'll keep you informed about the US Open, or at least what I hear. I still wish the final wasn't played on Sunday. I always feel bad watching it.

Did you like your birthweek of snailmail from me?

Sarah Rebecca is moving to a house near us next Friday. Crazy! I'm really looking forward to it.

Anyways, I love you kiddo.

John

8/27 Self-reliance Facilitating, first day and Lunch at Church

It's late, so quickly: nice long Sabbath day away from home. Took lunch to church and it seems that I'll have to do that a lot. Meetings were good. Fasted and prayed.

Went to the Self-Reliance fireside tonight and helped facilitate a group of Chaffey Ward (Bishop Trask's ward). They clapped for me and were impressed by how prepared I was for the role. Brother Trask even asked if I had received training.

Ended up with six people in our group that can't meet next Sunday the 3rd of September, but we will be meeting the 10th with our first class.

I'm looking forward to it, especially after today.

Sarah wanted my counsel about whether she should begin her business but with her focus on it instead of get a job, and I said maybe, but we should really get on our feet again.

Good day.

8/26 20-6 win against Portland State and Food Acquiring

Today was the first BYU football game of the 2017-18 season against Portland State University. It was suppose to be an easy win, but I think everyone's expectations were way too high. BYU performed mediocre-ly. We won 20-6. Two touchdowns, two field goals. But in the end, it is still a win, so we got that.

We had pizza and buffalo wings for lunch, which is sort of a tradition. I was definitely jumping up and down at certain parts of the game. It is good to have football back, though, and the awesome announcers of Spencer Linton, Brian Logan, David Nixon, Dave McCann, and Blaine Fowler.

Mom and I went to the grocery store together. I like doing that with mom, even though going is quite the chore. However, later dad got angry at mom for certain purchases, such as extra eggs and I guess too much meat to cook in one week that will go bad in the freezer. His points are made, but he was yelling at mom and me. It's not like he can handle it another way. I stood up to him, but it didn't help. If anything, it made matters worse.

I got gas afterwards. Spent $30. Talked to Sarah Rebecca about her time in Rigby and about the game.

Tonight is the Floyd Mayweather and McGregor fight, but it is Pay-Per View...so I guess I'll just hear about it tomorrow in church. Youtube is blocking all transmissions of the live fight, haha. Thought I'd try anyways.

I'm still watching Iron Fist. I need to watch Guardians of the Galaxy:Vol. 2 in its entirety, though, which is calling out to me more than Iron Fist. But I can't wait to watch the 8 episodes of the Defenders.

8/25 A Rough Second Half and Mrs. Vizcaino

I had half a hard day of work today. The first half was pleasant and easy. The second half was mortifying and debilitating. I was at Wilson Elementary School, roving. I taught a 5th grade class, really just watched them at PE and then I gave them four different tests that their teacher Mrs. GD, gave me to give to them. The first was a spelling test of 20 somewhat difficult words. Then three more other tests and by the time they had finished all four, Mrs. GD came and released me. I thought I was going to have it good in Mrs. Vizcaino's class after I ate lunch, but no, it got extremely worse. So, I picked up the kids from recess. I had them sit at their desks in the dark like it told me and then turned on the lights and had them sit on the carpet while I read a story. The problem was they all flanked me and asked to go to the bathroom. So, I let 4 people go at once. Big mistake. After that, I couldn't get a word in edge-wise. They were so riled up from recess that I couldn't get them to listen to the weird story, nor get them to pay attention while we worked on worksheets. The two kids she warned me about were as bad as she said, and I had kids fighting about discussing his sister??? I don't know, it was hard. Then I had this little black girl in everyone's faces, causing a riot. I finally had to put my foot down and call the principal's office for backup and help. They gave me phone extension numbers but none of them worked for like 5 minutes. Fortunately, the school phone number was also listed so I used my cell phone and called the office. She said she'd be down in a minute. So, I had two girls bawling their eyes out because they were going to get in trouble by the principal, and the minute which was like five, felt like an eternity, and still, I had no control of the class. Then the principal came in to help, finally. She agreed that my class was out of control...so she played Simon Says with them which calmed them down a bit (but they were still acting out) then she noticed that the schedule said PE so she started to play Head's Up 7 Up with them but that was literally a disaster because they had no idea the right way of playing it. So she started to read Green Eggs and Ham to them. They were even acting out then too, because they were moving their chairs closer to her to see, but then she noticed and told them to put their seats back where they were suppose to be. She left me with 10-15 minutes to fill...and it was horrible, what could go wrong went wrong, kids fighting and scratching and getting in each other's faces and spitting and running out of the classroom. It was just a big mess. Of course, I got anxious by the time everything was done and I was happy to leave. When we were waiting by a bus, a kid had a basketball hit out of his hands and went under the bus and rolled out covered in a black something. It's over. I'll never sub for Mrs. Vizcaino again.

When mom and dad went out, I went to Sam Ash to pick up the La La Land music book with a $10 gift card I received when I got my uke. I'm really excited about it.

Dad let me make steak fried that he seasoned that was good. And I also ate my burrito from Miguel's that I forgot to take for lunch today. For lunch I ate a breakfast sandwich. Plus other stuff.

Sarah Rebecca is now telling me that she might need help with this next month's rent. About $200. If I didn't love her, this would be extremely hard to do. And it still is extremely hard. But I do love her, so hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

8/24 JV roving SDC and Rounding

I've roved every time I have subbed but once since the new CJUSD school year has started, and so far, they've mostly been pleasant experiences. Today was the same. Instead of subbing for many teachers today, they asked me to teach and sub for Mr. Martin's SDC class today at Jurupa Vista. For the most part, it was a nice experience. Sure, there were some blunders here and there, but overall, I like subbing for SDC and I like subbing at Jurupa Vista. Mrs. Ramos was my aide today and we made a pretty good team. I would ask her questions and we would evaluate what our next course of action would be. One thing I liked is that there was this online question asking site and they had many chromebooks where they would link to the site and answer the questions. It would be fun to have that in other classes.

I got to help tutor Freddie in rounding to the nearest ten and hundred. But all the kids needed help with that. It was nice because Freddie sleeps and is to himself and doesn't play at recess time (except maybe sitting down and playing with paper figures he made himself). He's a very good artist. I got to know a girl named Jessica, also by helping her round, but also because she sits right next to where the teacher stands to do his work.

It was nice to talk to Mr. Martin and Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Raymondo about things during lunch today. They were happy I was there to teach and asking me questions about how kids were acting. He asked if Pedro went under the table and I was happy to report that none of them did. I did, however, report that the kids were a bit noisy going into the library but Mr. Vaughn straightened them out.

When Mrs. Ramos left at the end of the day, 15 minutes before the bell rang, I was having a real tough time taking control of the class. When they left, some of them, including Richard, ran for their lives outside of the classroom, and I wasn't able to corral them back to the class. Fortunately, all my kids were picked up or went on the bus.

I went to pick up Miguel's for dinner tonight at mom's request. She gave me a $10 coupon that needed an ID, fortunately not her's but they accepted mine at the drive-thru. We watched an episode of The Middle, and mom finished off my last bean and cheese burrito. I had two for dinner.

I went on to Institute. It was a good lesson, on 1 Nephi 4-11. I was going to comment on how Sariah calls Lehi a visionary man and Lehi says I Know in 1 Nephi 5. And also on how the Lord answers prayers in his own way, not ours in 1 Nephi 7 where Nephi prays that the Lord will give him the strength to destroy the bands but instead, they are loosened after he prays. All good things. I wonder if I should read 1 Nephi 11 as part of the Christmas story at Christmastime.

Took out the trash and now I'm going to talk to Sarah for a little while.

8/23 SDC teacher aide aspirations at Jurupa Vista and Venn-diagrams

Working roving at Jurupa Vista was pretty simple stuff. It was minimum day, which was nice because at 2:05 when all the kids were let out, Veronica, the secretary told me that I could go home even though my scheduled time was til 3:30. She was like, what time did you work til, and I said 3:30, and so she let me go. I was in sixth grade to begin with. The sixth grades combined this morning for PE and a male 6th grade teacher took charge in having the kids play boys against girls in Kickball/Baseball. Then, when we were done I took the kids and we read from The Giver. We read a chapter and a half before the teacher got there.

After that, Veronica told me to go to room #4, which is the 4th/5th SDC class ran by a new male teacher, Mr. Martin. He told me it was just low-key and not to expect too much. I helped by walking around and making sure that kids were paying attention. Later, we had lunch together and he mentioned that he was probably going to petition CJUSD for another aide. I jumped on that and told him when he does and it gets finalized, to let me know. He said he would. But he also said it could take some time. Mr. Vaughn, the Librarian of Jurupa Vista told me that the librarian position at Wilson was filled by a substitute librarian and not to take it personally that I wasn't hired for that job. We all figured as much.

I was in a fourth grade class (with a long-term sub) that ended my whole day. We read a chapter in a science book and did a Venn-diagram of Volcanic eruptions versus Landslides.

Then I went home. Mowed the lawn at home. Helped dad put up his TV on a mount. He did most of the work. I just helped him guide it.

I talked with Sarah Rebecca. She wanted to know if I found her annoying. I didn't know what to say. She's probably mad at me now because I was hesitant in letting her know. I told her that I want to take the initiative when it comes to certain stuff, like calling and texting and reaching out to one another. I might have told her that she calls too much. Yeah, I know, I'm in the doghouse, why? because, I didn't end the conversation on a good note. She had to go visit Sabina.

I watched episode 2 of Iron Fist.

I also did some research on becoming a CPA.

8/22 GotG:Vol. 2 and Self-reliance facilitating orientation

It was nice to stay home today. I got the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 today on DVD and Blu-ray. Watched about a half an hour of it.

I went to the Self-reliance facilitator meeting tonight with Bishop Ellsworth. President Lanier knew me and thanked me for coming, as did Sister Dana Hudrlik and her husband. I didn't know it was going to be over an hour long (it went for 2 hours). But after the orientation, I feel like I have a better grasp of what is going to go down and how to better be a good facilitator. Bishop had to leave early for interviews with members of our ward, Ashley Greer and Chris Santos. I had to put on the list that the only days I am available to be a 2-hour a week facilitator would be on Tuesday and Sunday, but mostly Tuesday, because of how hectic Sunday is.

Other then those things, I spent my time reading 2 Nephi 2 and two talks from conference. I love reading conference talks; I don't know why I stopped. I'm going to continue to do so.

I thought about maybe thinking about becoming a CPA (an accountant). I gotta figure out the stuff about that.

I talked to Sarah a couple times today. She just had work today and needed help getting to her doctor. Jurupa Vista gave me a call to extend my half day tomorrow to a whole day, thank goodness.

P-day letters August 21

Dearest Mother,

So I'm sure you're pretty anxious to find out just WHAT THE HECK the doctor said on Thursday. I told him all of my symptoms and things like that, and he determined that I have.... a sinus infection. And also allergies. So that was kind of anti climactic. He put me on a ton of antibiotics that I've been taking for the past few days. To be completely honest with you... I don't feel a whole lot better. The headaches haven't gone away. My jaw still hurts at times. I stilll have another week of antibiotics pills to take, so we'll see if there is a marked improvement by that time. The doctor wanted to see me three weeks from now to follow up, so I guess if things DON'T improve by then, we'll reevaluate the situation. But for now I'm just going to suck it up and continue working. I'm hoping that one day I wake up and the headaches are just GONE. That would be GLORIOUS. 

Remember how I told you that I hit my head on the shower head and thought that might be the cause of the headaches? I didn't bring it up to the doctor when I visited with him on Thursday, but I'm thinking I'll bring it up this next time, just to cover all of my bases. Because all of my headaches are in that same spot that I hit my head. And it hurts to touch that spot, like there's bruising there or something. I don't know. I'm probably just being overly paranoid. But I just WANT TO GET BETTER ALREADY. I'm sick of being sick. I want to be a healthy missionary. LIke, is that too much to ask?

BWAHAHAHAHA I can't believe you started a war on Facebook lol. I really hope that all of those mean commenters didn't make you lose your faith in the BYU football program as a whole. I'm kinda disappointed that these fans reacted in that way. BUT the important thing to remember is that Kalani Sitake did the right thing in penalizing Francis Bernard for his behavior, whatever it was that he did. So although some members of the fan base are less than perfect, at least the program itself is remaining true to the honor code that they've set. 

YES. I DID GET YOUR BIRTHDAY CARD IN THE MAIL. Thank you so much for the kind note and for all of the gift cards!! Like seriously, thank you. They will be used. The next time I eat a Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich (which will undoubtedly be soon), I'll think of you. My birthday ended up being pretty good, although it was unlike any birthday that I've ever experienced. I didn't have any cake. Nobody sung to me. Nobody really knew it was my birthday, except for my companon, and a few members of my district. And you know what? It wasn't too bad. 

Elder Marcum started off my birthday well with a cool gift: his old Bluetooth keyboard, encased in an awesome Batman v. Superman backpack for P-days. I am typing on the bluetooth keyboard RIGHT NOW. It works pretty dang well, so I was really appreciative.

We also went out to eat with the two new Elders in our ward, Elders Stratford and Torgerson. We went out to this place called Bob Evans, which is sort of like Dennys. It was pretty good! I was kinda nervous about serving with two other Elders in our same ward, but they seem like they're going to be GREAT. Elder Stratford is BRAND NEW, straight out of the MTC. So yeah. I am no longer the youngest missionary in the district. So that's kind of nice. The best part?? Elder Stratford plays TENNIS. And he WATCHES TENNIS too. And plays ping pong. We are gonna have some fun P-days from here on out. I can't wait to go on exchanges with him, and we can have an intense set of tennis during our exercise time. Gosh dang. I miss tennis. 

OH YEAH. Something else momentous happened this week. CAROLINA WAS BAPTIZED. It was amazing!! I had a a lot of the same emotions this week as I had last week. Once again, it was like watching by baby grow up and leave the nest. I have a special place in my heart for Carolina. She is the first person that I've baptized that I was able to be there for the entire teaching experience. She was baptized just one month after beginning the missionary lessons. Like, that's ridiculous. She's just amazing, and was so prepared to receive the gospel. She knows that the church is true, and is SUCH an example to me of humility. She's gonna be Relief Society president someday. Or even GENERAL Relief Society President. Watch it happen.

We filled the water up WAY too high in the font. There was also a MASSIVE Spider floating around that we had to fish out. To make matters worse, apparently it was SUPER cold. After Carolina was baptized by Elder Marcum, she was shivering so much that she tripped going up the steps out of the font. Fortunately, she was okay. I had the honor of being the witness, along with Marcelo, the Angolan man who introduced her to the church. It's so funny. No baptismal service goes by without incident. BUT SHE'S BAPTIZED. HALLELUJAH.

We also committed another one of our investigators to baptism last night, Cheryl. She always talks about how much she LOVES coming to church and feeling the Spirit and camaraderie that's there. We've been working with her for a few weeks now. We just finished teaching the third lesson to her, which means the commandments are next, beginning with the Word of Wisdom. So yeah. Prayers would be appreciated. Her baptismal date is set for September 16th. Fingers crossed!!

I'm trying to remember if there's anything else that I ABSOLUTELY need to tell you. I mean, there's so much more I wish I could tell you. I wish I could tell you everything that goes on in my life. Because there's SO MUCH. I love my mission.  Miracles happen every day. But I'm just content to tell you that I love you. Thanks again for all of the birthday wishes. This week was definitely a memorable one. 

Until next week!!

Elder Gonzales

P.S . If you ever want to reply to any of my emails on p-day, I'm allowed to reply until 6pm, or 3pm your time, I guess. So if you ever have any follow up questions or anything, feel free to ask, and if it's within that time slot, I'll try my best to reply. 

Why hello there. 

First and foremost. It's that time of year again. The LAST Major of the year. If I'm not mistaken, the US open should be right around the corner. Updates would be greatly appreciated. You think this could be Roger's year?? I mean, he's already won two majors this year. Why not a third?? 

This whole business with your right ear is kinda disconcerting. Look at us. The two sick brothers. I hope you get it all figured out at the doctors soon. Hopefully it's nothing more than like a  ear infection or something?? It's kinda strange that there's no pain whatsoever. 

How comforting to know that the teachers at Jurupa Vista actually DID love me. It's always nice to hear that people are praying for you and cheering you on from the other side. 

You don't... really sound all that happy about having Sarah Rebecca there. I mean, I know it was kinda an awkward situation with Mom and Dad. That can't have been fun at all. But did something else happen?? Let me know, man. I'm hoping everything is going okay with y'all. 

Have you gone out to go play tennis at all since I've been gone?? How's your ankle feeling? You've got to keep it warm for when I get back. That's the first thing we're gonna do when I get off the plane. Hug mom. Hug dad. Then go play tennis. In my church clothes and everything. 

 Did y'all actually go inside the San Diego temple?? I'm sure that must've been fun. That place is beautiful as heck. 

Thanks so much for the birthday card. And 20 bucks?? Dang. You must really miss me. Thank you so much!! It will be put to good use. 

OH. I found out at the doctors office on Thursday that I am NOW 6 feet tall. It's about dang time, am I right?? That's the best birthday gift I could have ever received!! 

Love you man. Have a great week. 

Elder Gonzales

Hello Everyone!!

First and foremost, I just wanted to thank everybody for the birthday wishes!! Like, seriously. This was one of the best birthdays I've ever had. I mean, it was different. I didn't get a birthday cake or have anybody sing to me. But I got to visit with different people and teach them more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And two days later, I was able to watch Carolina, one of my first investigators, be baptized. What more could you ask for in a birthday?? That's right. Not much. 

I get to meet SO MANY different people. It's the best part of being on a mission. And also the scariest. There is a woman in our ward (congregation) who is less active. Her name is Sister Diana Zoeller. She served in the army several decades ago, and has received literally every single military recognition that you can think of. The purple heart?? She's got one hanging up on her wall in a glass case. She saved dozens of lives, and is constantly receiving letters in the mail from people that she has saved and inspired. Unfortunately, due to her dedicated military service, she suffers from extreme PTSD. She is unable to sleep at night because, in her words, she "can't see what's coming" at night. A few weeks ago, we visited with her and told her about the importance of prayer and scripture study. She was very receptive, but told us that it's hard for her to read because of her PTSD and lack of sleep. We felt inspired to tell her that if she would show God her faith by praying and reading her scriptures, God would bless her with the ability to have sleep. 

The very next day, she texted us and told us that she had read been striving to pray and read her scriptures, and had slept for 8 hours straight. When I read that text message, I got goosebumps. We visited her again a few days ago, and she told us that she's been reading her Scriptures and praying every single day since then. And she's been sleeping a lot better as well. If that's not a miracle, I don't know WHAT is. Guys, the Lord WANTS to bless us. When we humble ourselves before Him, and ASK Him for help, he will answer. I know that that's true. I've seen it in my own life, and in the lives of those I've been teaching. I love this gospel.

I hope everybody's been having a great week!! Thanks so much for the prayers and support!!

Elder Gonzales 

1) Elder Marcum and I with Carolina. She is the sweetest person you'll ever meet. It has been a genuine pleasure to teach her. Watching her be baptized?? The best feeling EVER.

2) 4 CARDS IN ONE DAY?? I wish I could have a birthday every week lol.

3) Random birthday selfie. Please ignore the disgusting sweat on my forehead.

4) Our district before transfers, along with the Zone Leaders and STL's who happened to the be at that district meeting. I serve with the best missionaries.

5) An old picture of me and Elder Marcum riding in a convertible with the TOP DOWN. I can't get over how fun that was.

6) Hibachi Grill?? Yes please. It turns out crab is the BEST THING EVER. Just In case anybody was wondering. 

8/21 Ear Lavaging and Chinese labor laws

I went to La Clinica Medica for my ear today. It took them two hours to see me, and a half an hour to treat me. The doctor could not see anything in my ear or blocking it. So they had me do an Ear Lavage (sp?). They put a liquid (probably Hydrogen Peroxide) in my ear with a cotton ball and told me to lay on my side for 10 minutes. Then, after that, the nurse brought two bowls. One empty one and one full of warm water. She told me to hold the empty one under my ear while she sucked up the warm water in a syringe and high pressured, squirted it in my ear. She did it like 10 times, until all the water had been used. After the 5th time I could hear better and after the eighth time, it started to hurt a bit. But I was healed!!! How miraculous is that!?!

So, I came home and ate some chicken soup for lunch and laid down some more. Helped dad tell the Terminix guy about the weevils in the rice that mom and I experienced. Dad went to the grocery store to get juice and stuff.

I read Jacob's letters, one to me, thank goodness.

Oh, today was the Solar Eclipse. I missed it because I was in the doctor's office at the time. Boo! Briana sent us a video which was way cool to watch.

I went to pick up Chinese food for us to eat for dinner at Tasty Goody. There wasn't enough chow mein for all three plates so I got two done and paid for all three. Except the waitress didn't know that I wanted Buttery Shrimp, which cost a $1.50 extra, so the man manager kinda angrily rebuked her, which she didn't deserve. It was my fault that she didn't know I was getting the shrimp. Mom and I think the management there is not that good. I felt bad.

I had volunteered to take Kat Peterson and her friend Natalie Herrera to FHE with me tonight because they needed a ride. Natalie's mom wanted to meet me to make sure I was trustworthy to take her daughter to this activity. We played Zombie Tag, or Zombie Hide and Seek. It was a pretty fun game because they turned off ALL the lights of the church building and we hid in the dark with glow in the dark bracelets on. I hid in the same room twice, being passed like three times before anyone saw me, and behind the piano in the primary room the third time.

Katelyn Bock and I sorta made friends because she was conducting FHE for the first time and I helped her choose a hymn for us to sing (#85 How Firm A Foundation). We also hid in the same room together the first time. She didn't sell me out when she got caught.

8/20 Yesterday tears and Special Sacrament meeting

So, I'm sorry, I did not write yesterday. My parents kept me up because they were disappointed with how I spent my time with Sarah on Saturday. Basically, I spent the whole day with her at the temple and at her brother's that I didn't give them enough time to meet her. We got home after the long day, and when they got back home, they harshly told me in front of Sarah Rebecca that they were upset with me for not being considerate. Plus, I had told mom that I would be home in between 3 and 4 and they wanted to do something with us but they didn't communicate it to me at all. I did continually update them as to how we were doing on time, but on the phone I got abrasive and told mom that I was an adult, and she hung up on me. Okay, probably not the best way to treat my mom, but... So, after Sarah left, they talked with me upstairs, reitterating their feelings. And they told me not to hold back or keep pent up feelings. So, I finally let it all go and cried while telling them how I felt about specific things that they were holding back from me. Yes, I cried, a lot. I don't know if everything was resolved, but at least they know somewhat how I feel.

Today, I got up early-ish to help Sarah pay for her new place, and unload her car into her new room on Plane Tree, literally just three blocks away from where I live on Yarron and close to Smoketree. I needed to go by 10:30 so I could catch Ward Council, and fortunately we left right then and got all the paperwork signed and her room packed. I gave her the directions to the Woodruff Building. I went to ward council and she sat in the chapel and her car and waited.

In Ward Council, we discussed the new self-reliance classes that are getting started next Sunday. I was volunteered by Brother Harris to be a facilitator. Hopefully, I live to the expectation. I introduced Sarah to the bishopric, and they were all really nice to her. Bishop invited her to the new member meeting, where Sarah said she mostly is moving to California to be with me (no pressure, right). Sacrament was pretty special. I introduced myself to many people and got two prayers. Then, after the new member meeting she took off, with a couple kisses and Sabina's wheelchair, to my relief.

I talked to Chris Chandroo after that meeting and helped him get a TV for his Elder's Quorum lesson. We are really good friends and I do like him a whole lot. We talked about doing something this week before he leaves to finish up his time at BYU Hawaii. His lesson was pretty good.

I stayed for the food but skipped out on the Pot Luck fireside. We had breakfast for dinner, including great eggs and some great coffee cake and monkey bread.

I came home and just went upstairs to take a nap.

Mom woke me up and we watched Gymnastics. I ate some of her great Chicken soup.

I wrote a letter to Jacob and talked to Sarah. She will probably get back to Orem by 1am Utah time. She still has a couple of hours left.

Letter #31

Hey man!

How have you been? I hope all is well with you, that you are well taken care of, that your companion has been a good companion to you, and that your physical ailments are lessening, if not gone completely.

It's been a crazy first week back to work. One weird thing is that my hearing in my right ear has almost gone away, and I am unsure why. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to see if there is anything that I can do and to see what is wrong. It's been bugging me. It doesn't hurt, fortunately, otherwise I probably would've gone to the doctor sooner. It's more of a downer though. I kinda can experience what dad goes through, because I can hardly understand myself with the impediment, and everything seems so hollow.

I worked everyday except Thursday this last week. It was a lot of roving, including once at Sycamore Hills and once at Jurupa Vista. Whenever I am there, every teacher that knew you asked me about the family and specifically you. You have a cheering squad from all walks of life. They are excited to learn what you are doing and congratulate on a job well done by you.

The funniest/saddest experience that I have had from this week comes from my first day back on Monday, I might have told you about it in a snail mail letter. It was the end of the day. A little black girl named Madison was crying under her desk for some unknown reason. I figure someone said something mean to her. I coax her to come out, still crying. I give her a hug and tell her everything is going to be alright. She, through tears, tells me that she wants to see her dad. Since it is the end of the day, I tell her she'll see him soon, not thinking anything of it. Then she says her dad has passed away. Oops! I just had to apologize and get her to think of something else by getting her to pass out homework to all. Funny, I know, and sad.

I was able to spend time with Sarah Rebecca from Friday through Sunday. She came down to bring half of her stuff in her car. We were able to find her a room in a house that is just two blocks away. I helped her move her stuff into the house after everything was finalized. Jurupa Vista was having a movie night with a surprise choice of a disney movie. Well, they had to change the movie three times due to technical difficulties (one no picture (UP) and one no sound (Little Mermaid)) so we finally ended up watching Finding Dory, which is just a gut wrenching movie at times.

On Saturday, we went to the San Diego temple with her Mom. We also went to visit her brother. It was pretty fun. However, I wasn't really considerate to Mom and Dad, so I got a talking to afterwards, in Sarah's presence and out.

She left today after the first hour and a half of 1pm church. I gave her a blessing before she left. She's coming back at around September 1. I had a good time with her. It's been an okay weekend.

Like I said, I hope you are doing well this week and I hope you had a good birthday. Let us know how it was. Last month, I used all of my data, mostly with GPS on my phone. So, I finally have 2GB of data again, which means, I will receive your letter when you send it. YAY!

I love you man! Have a good PDAY and week ahead.

Love

John

8/18 Sarah is Here and a Disney Movie

So, my day was divided into two. Time I spent at Sycamore Hills and time I spent with Sarah Rebecca.

She's here! She got here at about 4:30pm. I went out to her, leaving the door open and just kissed her. Mom and dad had left just a few minutes before she got here. I pulled out her wheelchair and packed it into my car. We kissed, and then we drove up to the nature center with the time we had remaining before the movie and kissed some more. We both said we could both wait to eat.

Jurupa Vista was having a free movie night at 5. It was advertised as a surprise Disney movie. We got there and Mrs. Towne and Mrs. Pedroza was at the front and they were having the kids decide on which movie to watch, asking them to choose from six. So, Sarah and I took a seat. Sarah was already in her seat in a wheelchair and I got a nice metal chair from the back of the stage. I went to go get a blanket to put on my chair from my car. She went to the bathroom and we waited for the movie to start. The movie didn't start until 6. They were having technical difficulties getting movie and sound to work. The decided movie was UP, but it didn't work on the player, so they switched to Little Mermaid, which was showing but the sound wasn't working. So in the end, we ended up watching Finding Dory, which turned out to be pretty good. Sister Davies was at the movie helping with the Fund Raising. There were tons of kids, TONS. Oh, and parents too. It could have been hard to focus, and at times it was when in the movie they were whispering, but it was good being there next to Sarah and cuddling a bit.

Three quarters of the way, Sarah started to get a bit insecure about how much I want her in my life, and was bringing up concerns of how if she moves here and I don't end up with her, will it all be worth it? I told her from the bottom of my heart that I will not abandon her. I did my best to convince her of that.

It was funny, we talked about which Disney Princess and Prince we were most like. I told her I thought she was a cross between Cinderella and Ariel, and what was cool is she was thinking the exact same thing. She told me I was like the Prince from Sleeping Beauty. I told her she was like Cinderella because she takes charge in a world that isn't always good to her. I told her like Ariel because she gets meaning from all things.

We had a bit of time to get Carl's Jr. On the drive there, we called her mom and arranged to go to the Redlands temple. However, that idea is scrapped for the San Diego temple tomorrow at 10am.

We went to check out the $575 apartment/room. We met Kimberly and her husband Isaac. The room is small, but it has a bathroom connected. Then we talked in the living room with Forrest Gump playing in the background. Kimberly was so excited about our story. She was giddy about it. She was very professional, but she was extremely comfortable with us. She shared stories with us, about her two children, a boy who is in the military, and about her daughter who is not soft-spoken. She loved Sarah, so we are going to take the room. I'm going to come up with the $350 security deposit and the first 13 day rent at $10 a day, so $130. The reason we are paying the $130 is because Sarah is going to dump all her stuff into that room as we get ready for it. She has a queen size mattress already given to her by her mom. So, it'll all be alright. We were at her house for 2 hours talking, she was really comfortable with us. She told us about all her pets, and about the reasoning behind her tattoos and about a depression she went through when her some left to go to the military. We sat there and talked for a long time.

By the time we were done talking with her, it was already time for Sarah to go to Murrietta (which was suppose to be Moreno Valley). We kissed some more and I let her go.

We're going to the San Diego temple tomorrow, with her mom and to lunch.

Sycamore was interesting. I didn't ask why, but there was an ambulance and police car outside the office when I got there. Laurel had me sort Shakey's pizza fliers 2x18, 20x24, 13x30, for classes. Then I did some hourly subbing the rest of the day. Good day!

8/17 Skipping out On Kinder and Black Ruffians

It was a bit of an interesting day. I got up to go to Sycamore Hill, as planned. When I walked right then into the office, I could tell that Laurel (the sub manager) was talking about me because she said that I had just walked in. She apologized and said the sub job was actually a kindergarten class instead of first grade. She said that I could take it or take another job in the district or take another kinder class. I told her I do not do Kindergarten, which she said she knew. She let me talk to Valerie MacDougall, the sub coordinator, where I told her I did not feel like doing Kinder nor a High School classroom. She said okay. I apologized to Laurel for abandoning her. She said it wasn't my fault and she understood. I told her I would see her tomorrow because I'm roving there tomorrow and that I would do Kinder then if I had to. I drove home. Told dad before he left why I was home. Then I used my time to rest in my bed and watch the ending episodes to season 2 of Daredevil. Took me a good long time, but I finished it before mom came home from work.

I took the missionaries out to Senor Baja tonight at 5. I tried the tacos and I wasn't impressed. The worst part were the tortillas were not soft. I also tried a fish taco. Super unimpressed. It didn't taste like anything compared to the tacos de carne asada. The missionaries are Elder Hatch and Elder Obona. They are nice guys. I like them a lot. Especially Elder Hatch.

Institute was good. I got there early. No one was there so I sat on the front steps. There were some black ruffians smoking in the parking lot. When Brother Trask got here he went up to them and just greeted them warmly with are you guys here for a class and told them about the church a bit. Tyler Frederick and I were extremely impressed by his debonair approach.

I had the chance to talk with Brother Trask about things, which I usually do when I get there early and no one else has his attention. I love him. He is so good and truly listens and counsels when it is needed. I told him about Sarah Rebecca and he was super excited for me and wished me well. We talked about the first three chapters of the book of 1 Nephi for class.

Sarah changed her plans and is planning to leave her place tomorrow early morning. So, we will see each other tomorrow. She's making all the necessary preparations, like having people help her clean up her apartment. She wants to have a clean break from that stuff because her lease is up on monday. She wants it done before then. I got a beautiful sweet letter from her today. It was so nice. I loved it.

8/16 JV roving and the Vice-principal

I had a nice day at Jurupa Vista today roving. The event that was taking place at the school that required all the teacher's attention in all grades was they were making a video for Back to School Night, where all the teachers say something of worth for the parents to watch. I was subbing for all the grades today, starting with first. When I got to third, Mrs. Martin complained to me about how dumb this video was, plus, when she got there, they weren't even ready for her because they went to lunch. She came back in fury and said it was a waste of time. I had to go back to her class about 15 minutes later to let her go make her video. I was asked to watch both third grades classes outside, Litchford and Martin, while they did that. Then right after that, the 5th grade classes were needed to be watched, which proved much harder because six grade was outside doing PE and I could only watch them on one side. The principal, Dr. Jones was probably wondering if I even watched them, because after the fifth grade teachers were done, she looked around for me in that big mass of kids. What was cool was during that time, Daniel from the SDC class, with his TA, a nice black girl who's name I cannot remember off the top of my head, greeted me, and it was nice to remember his name and give him a big hug. His TA is a nice, more of a girl than a lady. Mrs. Pedroza, the vice-principal, was helping me rove today with the other teachers that needed subs. We did a lot of outside roving. Mrs. Pearson had a message to me from Ms. Santos about the time that I had to have her class. Mrs. Pearson formally met me and said she had had all of my brothers and sisters. So, I of course, had to tell Briana. My last grade to teach was kindergarten, but fortunately Mrs. Towne and her colleague were in and out of there in a few minutes. Then, the office told me to go to Mrs. Shumate's new T-K class to help her out, and I spent an hour and a half hanging up superhero posters and stuffing birthday bags, tracing letters and gluing papers to a black border. Then I got to go home.

Haven't done much since then. Talked and ate with mom. We had Miguel's. Then watched a Daredevil episode, had a nice conversation with Sarah Rebecca about what we are planning to do while she is in town on Friday-Sunday. Talked to Briana during dinner. I need to call Sarah, but maybe I should wait til her birthday tomorrow. And watched another episode of Daredevil. Nice to relax a bit.

8/15 Roving and money

Today was definitely not as bad as yesterday working. I'm pretty sure it was because I roved today at Grimes. There were only two hours worth of me teaching, really one hour, because the 2nd hour I was letting the TAs of the SDC class do all the work. I was in Mrs. Heras' class for the beginning of the day. I feel like the way she acts is the way I would act if I become a teacher, with my head barely just above the water. She isn't very good at teaching, but I was with her for one more hour and I helped her make a worksheet about saying what the kids wanted to be when they grow up, in Spanish. Oh, yeah, Grimes is the only school in the Colton District that is a dual immersion Spanish program, so not only Mrs. Heras, but most of the teachers in the district teach in both Spanish and English, and expect the subs that go there to know to teach their classes.

The SDC class, while expectantly somewhat disobedient, were actually pretty well behaved. We were studying the words SAW and RAW. There was only one little girl in the class and she had down syndrome. I had to help a little kid named Matthew who wasn't all there to begin with when it came to doing things of his own volition. Then the teacher came back, after recess. But like I said, that was an easy hour, because the TAs took over and I did whatever they told me.

Then I helped a fourth grade teacher teach Beginning, Middle, End, Characters and Setting to her class. Went back to Mrs. Heras' class, then ended in Mrs. Cortez's class and barely had to do anything to help her. She was talking about what the class did over the summer, so they could write a personal narrative.

I agreed to give Sarah Rebecca money to pay for her deposit and possibly first month's rent, because she owes money to Nicole's husband which she's going to pay back to him today. I know that if I'm committed to Sarah, which I am, then doing this is the right decision, but playing around with money makes me hyperventilate a bit. I hope that everything will work out.

I've kinda just been relaxing with my rare free time, watching daredevil, writing Jacob a letter, and now writing in here, but I am pretty wiped out. We made pizza and buffalo wild wings for dinner and pretty much ate it all, crazy.

Oh, and we have an appointment to see a $575 room here in Southridge on Friday night or Saturday morning.

8/14 First day woes and 5 days of work

First sub day back! Man was it a day. Let's just say I was happy to finish the day and relax. I was at McKinley Elementary in Colton today, first grade, Mrs. Tavenner's class. I hope I taught to her liking, it definitely wasn't easy. I was pumped this morning, giving my class high fives and saying good morning and ready to teach but then as the day progressed, the kids just wore on me. The principal came in mid-day, 20 minutes before lunch and told me that I needed to pick up the pace because I was teaching too slowly. She didn't know that she went over on time before lunch and when she left, she came back in and hurried us off to lunch, like it was my fault. There was also a Lock Down Drill today. Fortunately, the teacher was nice enough to let me know that there would be one, so during the opening exercises, I prepped the kids for it. They were actually pretty good when it happened. I just had to tell them that they needed to whisper. One girl that was all over the place during the drill and throughout the rest of the day was Madison, a little black girl. At the end of the day I found her under her desk (among other places) and she was crying. I don't know what happened to cause the outburst. But as I tried to console her she said that she wanted to see her dad. It was almost the end of the day so I told her she would see him soon. Then she said that her dad had passed away. Oops. What could I say to that but sorry. She was the last of all the students to leave. The morning PE was hopscotch with a bean bag. I noticed a boy named Caleb that was really slow so I let him sit on the benches. He wasn't just slow at that but he was also slow in other things as well. When the kids were being picked up, his mom came up to me to ask how he did. I didn't want to tell her that her kid was slow, so I told her that he needed a lot of help. She was like Yeah, he says he's afraid of his teacher. I was like, now you mention it, he was a bit scared of me. Honestly, he should probably be in special ed. Also, at the end of the day, one kid forgot his backpack and homework. Awww, man. So, that was a little picture of how my school day was.

I got jobs, both roving for tomorrow at Grimes, and Wednesday at Jurupa Vista. So, I am booked the whole week, which, most of the times is rare, but I did it.

I went to Food 4 Less with Mom to pick up gift cards and Target to pick up birthday cards for Jacob and Sarah. I got $20 to give to both the kids.

FHE was funny. I got paired up with Tyler Frederick and we were the first to lose ultimate spoons. I didn't expect too much when I knew that Tyler was paired up with me. So I spent the rest of the time talking to others like the Elders and the Kirtleys.

P-day letters August 14

Dear Mom, 

It has been SUCH a crazy week. Like, I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll just start at the beginning? Monday?? Just a heads up, the beginning of this email is sorta sad. But there's happiness on the horizon :) 

Long story short, the headaches have not gone away. My jaw has been SUPER tight and painful. My ear is beginning to hurt again. I've been getting like really weak and shaky at the most random times? The worst thing is that I have no idea what are causing all of these physical issues. It was especially bad on Tuesday. I threw up that morning, so I basically just took the day off. That was like so hard. I hate being incapacitated and not being able to work. 

All of these physical symptoms of stress are really getting me down. I do think that's what it is in its entirety: Just stress and anxiety. I've been really stressed recently, for various reasons. These symptoms I've been experiencing remind me a lot of how I felt before my mission, just on a higher level.  I called Sister Bednar on Monday, and she referred me to a retired doctor/senior missionary who I talked to on the phone. She thinks that what I have is something called TMJ?? It is a jaw condition that stems from stress. I can't remember what it stands for, but basically I've been grinding my teeth and causing too much stress on my jaw and it's causing me to have headaches. Which inevitably makes me more stressed. It's like an endless cycle. I wouldn't be surprised if I have another ear infection as well, since the jaw and ear are connected. The doctor woman set a doctor's appointment for me, which will be on Thursday. Happy birthday to me, right?? She also wants me to start talking to the Waterbury's, a senior missionary couple who are responsible for the mental and emotional welfare of the missionaries in my mission. I guess it'll be like a counseling session?? They will help me find out what the source of the stress is, that way we can address it and find a solution. 

I guess I'm just getting really discouraged. I don't like being sick. I don't like being stressed. I don't really want to receive counseling sessions. I'm going to get my money's worth out of this doctor's appointment on Thursday. I hope that whatever the problem is, we'll figure it out quickly so I can continue working and have peace of mind. So yeah. If Thursday could just come a bit quicker, that'd be great. 

I know I've undoubtedly scared you a little bit. Or A LOT. But the fact of the matter is, it'll pass. I know that I can get through this. We'll figure it out. The doctor will know exactly how to address my concerns. It says in my patriarchal blessing that I will be healthy throughout my life, according to my righteousness. I'll be okay. Sending you all of this information is like really hard for me. I don't want you to worry too much or anything. I'll be a better missionary, a better person, because of these trials. :) 

OKAY. The depressing part is over. Other than all of this sickness that I've been experiencing, this has actually been a GREAT week. Stephanie and Tyler were married and baptized on Saturday!! I want to talk about THAT in detail. 

They were married at 9am and baptized at 10am. Isn't that just CRAZY?? They were married in the chapel, with only the missionaries from our district and a couple of family and friends with them. The love that Stephanie and Tyler have for each other is so apparent, it was adorable. Stephanie, one of the toughest women I've ever met, actually started tearing up. Seeing them up there, I felt like I was watching my own kids, which is RIDICULOUS, but that's legit the only way I can describe it.

The baptism came immediately afterwards. I was so dang nervous. You know I've never baptized anyone before, and I was going first. I started saying the baptismal prayer, but stopped halfway through because I couldn't remember how it ended lol. Fortunately, I managed to remember it pretty quickly. AND I BAPTIZED HER. AND IT WAS AMAZING. And then we got out of the font, and watched her new husband be baptized by Elder Marcum. It was GLORIOUS. 

This marriage and baptism were like the highlight of my mission so far. I am just so full of love for Stephanie and Tyler and their children. I'm so grateful that they made this decision to be baptized and come unto Christ. They're like the nicest people EVER. Everybody in the ward loves them. This gospel will be such a blessing to them and their family. Their kids, Liliana and Jaydon will reared in a home with the gospel. This right here?? THIS is what missionary work is all about. I'm undoubtedly going to remember this feeling for the rest of my life. 

The best part?? We get to do it all again this Saturday with Carolina!! She passed her baptismal interview this last Friday, and could not be more excited to be baptized. :) She was at Stephanie and Tyler's baptism on Saturday and told us that she could feel the Spirit SO strongly. She told us we looked like angels in the font. She is the sweetest woman ever. Hot dang. I am so lucky to be experiencing all of these wonderful things at the start of my mission. I thank God every day for allowing me to be here in Lewisberry. Even if it is hard sometimes. 

 

OKAY. This has been one of the weirdest weeks EVER. I started typing out the whole story, but there's just so much that goes into it. I'll just tell you the shortened version. 

Long story short?? The sister missionaries that serve in my ward think they have a stalker. They were freaking out. They didn't want to go back to their apartment for fear that the stalker knew where they lived. So they called the mission president and told him the problem. His solution?? To have them come stay in our apartment, while we went to go sleep with the Elders in the Camp Hill area. So yeah. I had sisters sleeping in my bed last night. That was a weird thought.

Fortunately this is all happening right around transfer time. So they are going to be taking the sisters out of the Lewisberry area, and putting Elders in. This is going to be SUCH a crazy transfer, for so many reasons. I wish I could put all of it into words, but this is just going to have to be one of those crazy stories I tell you after my mission. But these next few days are going to be interesting, to say the least. 

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! I always tell people I'm 19, because I legit think that I'm 19 half the time. Then I remember that I'm still 18 and it's a bit of a slap in the face. But now I'll be able to tell people that I'm 19 and it'll actually be true haha. So that'll be cool haha. 

As usual, I have so much more I'd like to say, but my thumbs don't have enough willpower. Like I said before, don't worry about me. It's just been a rough week. But what is it that Grandpa always used to say?? Things always have a way of working out. And they will. 

I love you mom. Sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to the main part of your email. I just had so much I needed to tell you. You're always in my prayers. :) 

Elder Gonzales

1) We're dorks. P Days are fun. 

2)Doing missionary work, one wrong number at a time. 

3)Stephanie and Tyler, right after their wedding. They were baptized like a half hour after this picture was taken. A wedding and a baptism on the SAME day. Isn't that just CRAZY?? 

4)The fruit of our labors. Legitimately one of the happiest moments of my life.