New Transfer

Happy Monday!

These past six weeks have been the fastest six weeks of my life! I can't believe it is already time for another transfer. I'm staying in the Cerritos first ward with Elder Welch. I'm excited to stay and to keep working hard. This past week a member from the ward had us go and visit with a woman named Shirley. She is a very sweet lady who let us into her home and since it was late, briefly went over what we talk about with people and told her we would come back the next day. She was actually homeless a few months ago and has had a pretty rough life. She lives in Hawaiian Gardens which is a pretty rough place. We were looking for someone else and the address was where all these gangsters were laying around pretty much doing nothing. Walking into their hangout would be dangerous for pretty much anyone besides missionaries so I'm glad I've had experiences like that. We walked in and asked them where this person was and they told us after asking us if we want a beer. They do that a lot. I always say yes and get a funny reaction and then tell them that I would probably just poor it on the grass though. I love that even the roughest of people are likeable when you talk to them after a few minutes. I firmly believe that if you don't like someone you just don't know them enough.

Our ward had a "picnic in the park" activity this weekend and it went pretty well! It was amazing how much food the man serving me piled onto my plate. I've still only gained a few pounds which is good. Shirley came and I think she had a good time talking to some people. Another woman from Brazil who we are teaching came too! She seriously looks like she is in her 20's and she's actually 45. I was shocked when I found out. She's a very sweet lady who wants to join the church but there's a lot going on in her life right now. She's applying to work, getting a divorrce, trying to move to Cerritos and raise her four year old daughter at once. I get stressed out when she talks about everything on her plate and I don't get mad when we can only meet about once a week.

Yesterday I gave a talk in church about following Christ. It was based of the talk "Followers of Christ" by Elder Dallin H Oaks. I just talked for about ten minutes about what it means to follow Christ and why we choose to follow Christ. I think the most fundamental characteristic of a Christian is love. He loved everyone completely and gave His life for us. He was all about service.

Well I love you and I have to go now! Hope you have a great week!

Silas!

short!

Hey!

I hope everyone is doing great! I have little time to write today but I'll do what I can. This past week was really great. I had zone conference on Thursday which went really well. President Tew spoke to us about one of the most basic traits of a follower of Christ. He talked about being other oriented. I have to get off now haha but I'll write more about that next week sorry!

Love

Silas

Elder Gallagher

Family!

Here is what I wrote in my weekly letter to the mission president plus what I'll add in now:

My family recently moved from Brewster, NY to St. George, UT and were able to visit a few temples along the way. They went to the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples. See pictures of those temples made me really appreciate the early saints and the hard work they gave to the Lord. I haven't been to the Nauvoo temple but the Kirtland temple has a special spirit there. It was on a youth conference trip there that I felt the spirit very strong. I know Christ stood in that temple and important keys were restored. D+C 110 has always been one of my favorite scriptures. I like the description of the Savior.

I am trying to follow the example of those early saints and work! Elder Welch and I have absolutely seen the blessings of diligence this week. The drought of investigators that we were experiencing the past few weeks is over. The Lord will make things happen for you as you trust in Him and go to work. That was part of the message that we shared at zone meeting this past Thursday. Thursday was the first day I gave a "training" on my mission and it went pretty well. I'm usually a bit nervous when I have to speak in front of people but after a few minutes I relax.

One of the people we found this week was a referral from the Anaheim mission. His name is Gerry and he was just pulling up to his driveway as we were leaving his front door. We taught him a first lesson and it went very well. Elder Welch and I taught the best we have taught together. Gerry felt the Spirit and accepted a baptismal date for September 7th. He came to church yesterday and we plan on having him go over to the El Dorado ward which is a congregation of people around 25 years old.

On Saturday, all of the missionaries in the Lakewood zone worked in Sister Fulgham's area because they are having a hard time finding new people to teach. I feel like it was good for everyone to go and work had for someone else. People get excited to give charity. I think that we often forget that we are and should be working for someone else. I went on an exchange with Elder Pollard and Gutierrez who are both in the training program and it was great. They are good missionaries! Elder Pollard is a great contacter and teacher. Elder Gutierrez is not mad his visa hasn't come for Brazil and is trying his best. I invited them both to study the lesson pamphlets and make a list of inspired questions they can ask. I love getting to know the missionaries in my zone better and being to serve them.

Today I am going golfing with a few missionaries and that'll be fun. I haven't golfed in two years and I wasn't good then so we'll see what happens. Next week I'll be on to email on Tuesday because we're going up to the LA temple next week. Happy Birthday to Dad on the 14th! The last birthday I wont be able to talk to you on! I hope you all had a good week and I want you to know that I miss you!

Love

Silas

Another Great Week!

Hey

This week Elder Welch and I worked hard but didn't have as much success as we've had the past few weeks. We're having some trouble finding investigators but I know as we are diligent, we'll be led by the Spirit to the people who are ready to receive the gospel. One man we contacted on the street does seem very promising however! His name is Victor and we talked to him about eternal families. He told us that his wife had had a miscarriage and was upset with God. He agreed that families are forever and we were able to explain that the same power that Christ gave Peter to seal on earth and in heaven was restored through a prophet. It is so easy to see how the Gospel could bless Victor and his family so we are excited to teach him about the restoration.

This week I went to mission leadership council (MLC) which is where the zone leaders and the sister trainer leaders meet with President Tew and It was really great. I took my voice recorder in there so I could listen to what he said again. He talked mostly about how to set goals. We've been learning a lot about having a vision, then setting goals, making plans and being accountable. I'm learning a lot about how to make dreams become reality. Obviously that doesn't just apply to missionary work so I'm learning a lot of life skills too. He talked about what a vision is. Dreamy and non-specific. Like a child's dream to play on the NFL. Most people get far enough to have dreams but I think most of us stop there and kind of just hope that the things we do will maybe get us there. So he talked about identifying what is standing in your way from the vision being a reality and called it a "barrier analysis" It's pretty simple but I am not good at that and setting goals that will really get me where I want to go yet. I imagine that if everyone knew how to see what was truly stopping them from achieving our dreams we would all be more successful. I like that what I'm learning about setting goals with a vision can apply to the rest of my life. I know it's so important that we involve the Spirit with the goals we set and I'm excited to share that with the missionaries in my zone this week. Elder Welch and I are giving trainings on that and a few other things. Wish me luck!

He also talked about helping people who can't/have a really hard time forgiving themselves. Talking about this he said that Satan tells two lies. One before we sin saying, "everyone does it. One time won't really hurt, What's the big deal?" Then, after we sin he says, "Look what you've done. You're worthless. just give up" If we fall for the first lie we don't need to fall for the second. It's so important to trust in the power of the atonement. We have to believe that Christ can take away our sins and make us clean. I'm grateful for our Savior and the chance he gives us to repent and change for the better.

I was thinking about Grandpa too this week and how it has been a year since her passed. Please let Grandma know I'm thinking about her. I'm glad Mom and Dad are almost done with their week long trip! Hopefully Noah has a good time on high adventure! I'm glad Mrs. Zurheide is doing alright and I hope she feels better soon! I miss you all a lot!

Love

Silas

Cerritos!

Hi!

My week went by very fast. I'm trying to remember what  I did so I can at least tell you something fun or interesting. Where Elder Welch and I live is pretty cool. There are a few pretty interesting people that we regular interact with now. One of them is an old Filipino lady who is sometimes on the sidewalk just outside of our apartment complex. She always wears a pink beanie and asks people passing for the time. The first time we contacted her on the street she just asked us what time it was so we told her. She kept asking even though we told her so we asked if we could do anything for her. It's kind of hard to understand her because she doesn't really have any teeth and I'm not sure how much English she speaks but it sounded like she asked us to take blood. Haha so we told her we had to go. I like talking to "time" because she's nice and she brightens up my day.

There are a lot of really great people here. It has been so interesting for me to meet so many people from so many different backgrounds and beliefs. Something I have really learned on my mission so far is that no matter the circumstance, following Jesus Christ will change your life for the better. It is simple. As we follow Him we will receive blessings both spiritual and physical. I feel blessed to be in a position where I can be an instrument in God's hands as I invite people to follow Christ just like He would if He were there. Where I can show people how living the Gospel could really bless them and their family. I also like having a message that I don't have to prove. I don't go into someone's home and make them believe what I believe because of a scripture or how flattering the words I say are...I go talk to people about what God has done and what we believe God has done recently and give them evidence of that and invite them to find out for themselves.

I'm going to attach pictures this week of Elder Welch and I drinking a sketchy basil seed drink that he bought at "H Mart" an Asian market very close to our apartment. It was pretty gross. We also picked this giant lemon that wasn't ripe but was actually the size of a football. We cut that in half and there was not fruit in there so that was a bummer. So besides working very hard we are having fun too!

There are a lot of Polynesians in our ward and they love to feed us as much as possible. We visited the Tupu family and they got us a big bowl of three scoops of ice cream and three cookies. We talked to them and after we were done we were given three more cookies and scoops as big as the first helping. I can't believe I could still bike after that ha. They are really great people. Very giving and very loving. There have been many people here who want to give us dinner whenever we don't have someone to feed us.

I've liked being a zone leader so far. We get to answer any questions the missionaries have about the work and we get to help them. I like helping people a lot so why not help the missionaries who are trying to help people too? This morning we got a call from some elders that had their car towed last night. He was pretty mad at himself for parking in a tow zone so we got to cheer him up and spend some time with them as we drove to where there car was this morning. There are a lot of fairly new missionaries in my zone and I think they are really great.

Can you believe I've been gone for a year on Thursday? Me neither. I also can't believe we're moving and I hope you travel safe! Well I love you all and I hope you have a great week.

Love

Silas

First Week in Norwalk/Cerritos/Lakewood/Artesia/Hawaiian Gardens

Yes,

There are five different cities in my area. I really like it though! We have "little India" in our area so that was fun to discover. We were riding our bikes down Pioneer and I started smelling curry. I'm excited to try one of the restaurants and eat some chicken tikka masala again.

This is what I wrote to President Tew:

"It has been a week full of miracles as Elder Welch and I have come into our new area. It is a neat experience to white wash. It has helped me develop trust and hope that God will put us in the right place as long as we get out there and minister. I've already enjoyed having the responsibilities of a zone leader. I like getting to know and really care about them like Christ would if He were in my place.

The Lakewood Zone is full of great missionaries that work hard. I'm excited to get used to being a zone leader and being able to inspire them to be the best they can be. Something Elder Moala taught me is that we should work the hardest we can to show God the love that we have for Him."

We went to the mission office on saturday for a Mission Leader Council and it was really good. All of the zone leaders and sister trainer leaders met with the assistants and the mission president. One thing that's kind of funny is that now we're not going to use back packs anymore. So I'll be shopping for something else I guess. There was a missionary with a nice fossil brand satchel and it looked pretty nice actually. I think I'll look silly but I'll probably get used to it.

Elder Welch and I get along really well and we're having a good time. He's a good companion and I think we'll have a lot of success here. I'm excited for the next few weeks. Good luck family moving! Sorry my email this week is short!

Love

Silas

Transfers! (letter from 7/15)

Hey everyone,

This is my last P-day is Whittier! I am moving to the Cerritos 1st ward. My new address is: 16031 Pioneer Blvd #B13 Norwalk, CA. This week was pretty good. Wednesday night President Tew called Elder Moala and I to be zone leaders. That basically means I get to help not only people around where I live but also the missionaries that I serve around. So I get to help missionaries with any problems that they have and  try to be an example to them. The general area or zone where I'm going is "brand new". Last transfer there was one pretty big zone and now there will be two zones with about 20 missionaries in them. 

I'm excited to have the opportunity to be in the Lakewood zone with my new companion Elder Welch. He was Elder Moala's trainer and he said I'm going to really like him. I am sure I will have a lot to learn from him about being a good zone leader. I'm very humbled to be put in this position to serve and do so much good for others. I've been studying chapter 12 of Preach My Gospel in the hopes that I'll have the chance to interview my first baptismal candidate! 

I know I'm leaving the Colima ward in good hands. Elder Jensen is a good missionary and he knows where he wants to take the work. Yesterday I glanced over and saw Grace take the sacrament and renew the covenants that she made just two weeks ago. I am so happy to have had a chance to help her come closer to Christ. Every time I leave an area I realize how much I have enjoyed knowing the people that I've met. There are many families that I've grown close to and I've had a few chances to take pictures with them. I'll post some.

I finished the Book of Mormon this week and applied Moroni's promise. I'm grateful for the witness of the Holy Ghost of the Book of Mormon. I feel that same witness as I get ready to leave for the Lakewood zone. I've also been reading through the Old Testament still and I am in Jeremiah right now. It's interesting how the Lord speaks to the people in Jerusalem through Jeremiah. I like how God is very straightforward with us. If we're doing the wrong thing we won't receive blessings and we may go through trials to help us repent. On the other hand if we're following God He'll give us all He has. 

I took a picture with the Budge family. They asked Mom what my favorite food was and made me french toast for my birthday. I'll miss them! I couldn't get a picture with the Montierth's because they are in Utah. I'll miss them a lot too. I'm sure we'll keep in touch though. Well I hope everyone had a great week. Can you believe I'm only two weeks away from being out for a year? 

Love 

Silas