Hey guys!!

I hope you are all doing ok. We have been having a great time here and seeing lots of miracles! We are also DYING of the heat. Here is what’s going on:

1. NEW FAMILY!!!  We had a miracle this week and found a positive family. On Thursday, our new zone leaders promised us that if we looked hard, we would find a family to bring to church that Sunday. I try to take promises from our leaders seriously, because, if they’re for real, and we do our part, what they promise has to happen, right? I wrote the promise in my agenda and everything, and boom! Later that day we found a husband and wife and they promised to come to church on Sunday...and they did!!! We found them in this apartment complex where we are working, and we are excited about them. The mission really focuses on families. They definitely have a ways to go to prepare for baptism. The hermano has to stop drinking; they have to get married, etc...But we’ve seen bigger miracles here in Las Palmas!! The family's names are Roberto y Norma. Also we had two other guys at church-- Hermano Juan, he’s a crazy guy, and a guy named Josué, he’s blind. It was kind of cool when at the end of our first lesson we invited him to church. We invited him and he started to explain to us that he didn’t really like to leave because he’s recently gone blind this past year and is really embarrassed because he needs lots of help and stuff. I was about to tell him, "Oh that’s fine, we understand" ha, but my comp is super great and talks to him a little rough, saying "well look, if you’re not willing to put in your part, how are you expecting God to bless you?" Ha, kind of rough on a blind guy, right? But it worked! He got it and immediately changed his mind and said he wanted to come. Way to listen to the spirit, Hermana Rosas! 

2. Well that’s pretty much the excitement of this week. I just wanted to share a sad little experience we had, to make everyone appreciate their lives and jobs in America. We went late to buy bread at the little bread shop (because I love bread!!) and started talking to the sweet lady who worked there. Her life is really hard. She works at the bread shop from 5 am until 9pm ish, without a break to eat or anything. She hardly makes any money. She gets one day off every 15 days. Her home is really far away so during the 15 days she stays with a family member nearby, and only goes home and sees her family every 15 days. If I was working in a panederia all day long, every day, I would definitely be super cranky, guaranteed. I think most people would be. But she was really nice to us, and after we had chatted for a bit she gave us drinks, paid for by the money she makes. So many people here are just like that. No matter how hard their lives are, they look for what they can share, and immediately share it. I really hope that I can be more like these people, and that I don’t forget about things like this when I leave. When we left the panederia I felt really sad for this sweet lady, because her life is really hard and there is no escaping or changing it. But she taught me a great lesson.

I just want to share my testimony to finish. I know that the Gospel is true. I know that Christ lives and loves us. I know that He is our perfect example. I love the Gospel. I was thinking this morning that the words that I say in my testimony haven’t changed since being on the mission. And I had a testimony before of these things. But now I feel like I’m starting to understand why these things are so important, and what they can mean for the whole world. I know that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is here on the Earth and that everyone needs it. 

Thanks for everything!!! And have a great week!

Love, 

Hermana Gilland