Christmas Skype!!!

It was wonderful to talk to Silas on Christmas. It didn't seem like almost 5 months since we've heard his voice. His letters and emails keep him close to home while he serves the Lord.

We love Silas!

Merry Christmas!

So this week has been really great. Elder Edward and I are getting along really well. He's from Billings, Montana and he's been on a mission for just over a year. I've been getting to know my area a little better so that's good. East Long Beach is really nice compared to North Long Beach. In fact, most people I talk to about where I just came from gasp is disbelief, haha. One lady said that her job doesn't let her go there without Police escort. She's a social worker. Another asked me semi- jokingly if I had to do drugs while I was there. But it wasn't really that bad, in fact I liked it a lot.

It has been really amazing to feel the guidance of the Spirit as a missionary. On Saturday we had a lesson with a guy who hasn't gone to church in awhile. His name is Chris and I didn't really know much about him so I just opened up my scriptures and shared what I saw. It was in Alma 59 I think and I just talked about how the Nephite army was facing an innumerable enemy and the first thing they did was pray. I told him that even though they were already afraid and thinking about what they needed they had to pray to God to receive strength and comfort which they did. It was just really great because afterwards Elder Edward said that Chris wasn't really sure why he had to pray formally because he thinks about what he needs all of the time. So the Spirit definitely leads missionaries to do certain things sometimes. It's really important to try and listen to what God wants us to do all of the time.

My apartment address is 5551 E 23rd St., Long Beach, CA 90815 so you can send things there now. I like my apartment. It's a lot smaller than my first one but it's nice enough. I'm excited to talk to you tomorrow! I can't wait to hear how old Ella sounds and just how everyone is doing.

It kind of stunk to move right before Christmas but the stress is leaving so that's good. I just wish I would've had time to write everyone a Christmas letter. Hopefully my voice will be a good enough present, haha.

Love you!

First Baptism!!!

Well this week has been very good! Yesterday was Tammy's baptism and it was pretty stressful but amazing as well. We had a huge turnout and everything ended up going according to plan and it was really spiritual. There was another 18 year old girl and her 17 yr old brother who the other Elders baptized and they were really nice.

 

As the program was going on and the talks were coming to a close I started to get really nervous. I was worried that I wouldn't say everything right or maybe I wouldn't be able to pick her up that great but I said a prayer that I would be comforted. I definitely felt peace come over me as I got up and walked into the font. My voice was a little trembling a little but I did it and Tammy started crying afterwards becasue she was so happy. I don't really know how to explain the simplicity and importance of baptism. As I was getting changed I just knew that that baptism counts forever. There aren't many things we can do on earth that are eternal but I know that baptism is one of them. I'm really grateful to have been a part of Tammy's decision to change her life and have a fresh start.

 

One thing that is sad is that I won't be able to teach her daughter that wants to get baptized too now. I am being transferred! I leave tomorrow to East Long Beach. I am going to be with Elder Edward in the Woodruff ward. It has been really weird packing up all of my stuff and getting ready to leave my first "home" but I'm excited for it. Usually transfers are 6 weeks but this one was 5 because of Christmas and just all the new missionaries that are coming in soon. We're getting 100 new missionaries in the next year. 36 in march.

 

So send everything to 6500 E Atherton St Long Beach 90815 aka the mission office.

 

Elder Gallagher

Hello from Long Beach!

Hey Everyone,

This week has been really great! I thought of some more things I could use for Christmas! Maybe a little photo book of family pictures. That would be really nice!

So on Sunday those same two people came to church and they really liked it again! Sovandy is the Cambodian man who already knows a lot about everything and will probably get baptized after he gets home from his trip in Feb. And Tammy is getting baptized on the 16th!!! I'm so happy for her and she actually went with a family from the ward to the L.A temple to see the lights. Her daughter wants to go to church now too so we're excited to go and teach them together.

Right now I'm kind of sick but I went to the temple so that was nice. As time went on I started feeling better ha but now I don't feel that great. Just a cold so don't worry. I'm going to try and post pictures up of the temple for everyone. I bought a card reader!

So I can't think very straight so I don't remember much of this past week but I'm just really excited for my first baptism! Tammy is really nice and I know that this will bless her life forever.

It's really weird having such warm days in December! It makes it feel like I haven't been here long at all. It maybe feels like fall some days but other than that it is t-shirt weather. 

We got to meet with one of the brothers from the temple presidency and I'm pretty sure it was Matt Capone's mission president. President Larkin? That would be fun to ask the Capones. He was a pretty nice man.

Transfers are next week on Tuesday so there's a chance I'll be moving right before Christmas. That would stink but I'll be okay. I'll know next week when I email you.

I'm trying to think of one funny story for this week...

So Elder Jacobson and I were riding our bikes in the bike lane and this black guy was wearing a suit and standing on the side so we stopped next to his car and started talking to him. His shoes were more polished than anything I've ever seen. We asked him his name and he said Harvey. I remembered Elder Sudbury talking about a crazy church guy they found while I was in Compton one day and this was him. He was moving his hands all weird while he talked about our churches. I think Dad would really like him because he was probably the most animated person I've ever seen. He had like 20 Bibles in his car. Just one of many very interesting people we meet on the streets. 

Love you all! I have to get off soon! Sorry I didn't write more. Next week I'll be able to talk about the baptism and transfers. Have a great week!

Love

 Elder Gallagher

 

Monday!

Hey!

 

So this week has been really great. I can't really remember what happened in the beginning so I might start yesterday and go backwards. Sunday was probably the best Sunday I've had here because two of the people I'm teaching came to church! We've only had one lesson with them and they both came!

 

First I'll talk about Tammy. We met Tammy because we looked at a list of people that missionaries had already talked to a little bit. We knocked on her door and she said that she hadn't really had a conversation with the missionaries but she had said they could come back. So we set an appointment and she said that she could do it a week and a half later which is pretty lame so we didn't think too much of it. Jump to a week and a half later. We have a lesson with her and we mainly just talked about how God loved her and that Jesus Christ was so important. She told us that the night before we came by the first time she was praying so hard for someone to help her. She just needed someone to help and make her happy. When we met her we asked her if she needed any help. We do that to almost everyone but I was really asking her if she needed her garbage taken out or her plants watered or anything. She called us angels at church because I really was an answer to her prayer. She wants to get baptized this upcoming Sunday but it might be next Sunday. I would be so grateful to be the instrument that God used to change this woman's life. The Ward was awesome at making her feel at home too which I was so nervous about. Having people at church is so stressful because you want it to go perfectly even though no one is perfect ha.

 

The other person who went to church is a Cambodian man named Sovandy. He just got married and he actually went on Mormon.org and asked for missionaries to come and teach him. He said that he was researching the church because the way he respected his professor who graduated from BYU. He went to Georgia Tech so I guess that professor really stood out. He knew a lot and really wanted to learn about the way we live our lives. He came to church and people thought he was a member ha ha.

 

So we get to meet with them on Wednesday so wish us luck! Yesterday we also had a baptism! Well it was in our ward but I never taught the guy. Elder Jacobson baptized him because he started teaching him on the other side of the ward. It was a good baptism. Harvey Adams is the guy who was baptized and man is he big. He is a huge black guy and it was pretty funny to watch him get baptized. I bore my testimony of how grateful I am now for the sacrament. Being able to start a new week fresh and clean is something I'm taking a lot more seriously.

 

I'm going to go and buy a thing to connect to the computer so I can post pictures again. Sorry I haven't been very good about that. Well the woman who I helped quit smoking is still doing great which is just so awesome. Prayer and scripture study was a huge difference with every other time she has tried to quit. That built my testimony a lot because she really didn't think she could do it.

 

Anyways, I have had a good week and I hope you all did too. I'm sure I'm going to miss you all a lot more as we get closer to Christmas. It was pretty nice because Elder Jacobson's family sent him two advent calendars so I get one too :)

 

 

Elder Gallagher