June 25, 2012 letter

Dear Family,

The training went well.  I taught ``Teach people, not lessons´´  I gave a demonstration, and ran a practice for the missionaries in the zone.  The techniques for that principle is the model of teaching (questions, listening, discerning, and teaching), and what to use when you teach (experiences, knowledge, testimony, feelings, and scriptures). Sometimes missionaries fall into the trap of just using knowledge, and not any of the other methods.  I compared that to using ties, and that we shouldn`t use the same tie every day. 

Elder Gonzalez is from the state of Mexico.  He has a Dodger`s hat that 

he got from his cousin that lives in L.A.  I don`t know a whole lot about him.  He seems like a good companion. Today we cleaned our house for almost 3 hours.  I rearranged our shelves of missionary supplies and we dumped cleaner on the floor and scrubbed it with brooms.  I have to cut today a little short. 

Where is Paden Law going on his mission?

 

Love,

Elder Gubler

Elder Gubler with new companion Elder Gonzalez

Old picture from MTC that Elder Gubler found

June 18, 2012 letter

Dear Family,

I can`t believe it has been 2 years since I was at BYU.  Time sure does go by fast.  My suitcases are in OK condition.  They aren`t perfect, but they still work.  I`m glad I saved my other square suitcase at home.  How much is the rent where Kimi is at (at BYU)?  Mine was about $450 I think.  Do you know what is going to happen to the old Heritage Halls buildings?

By the way, happy father´s day.  Do they still pass out the chocolates after sacrament meeting?  I`m sure grandpa Gubler liked your article.  I did.  I read them every month. 

This week didn`t turn out like I had hoped.  We were going to baptize one of the kids from the family we are teaching, but he didn`t pass his interview.  This week it should happen though.  We found a few new investigators.  There is an inactive family that has a few kids that aren`t members.  We`ll see how it goes with them.  The daughter seems really interested.  This week the ZLs, DLs, and trainers are going to give a training meeting to each of their zones.  I did this a few months ago when Elder Gubler was still here.  My training skills are a lot better, and I got assigned to teach the parts that I wanted.  I`ll spend the night in Merida on tuesday with Elder Calvert.  He´ll be home in September, and maybe Kimi can go to visit him.  I think dad will like him.  He `s a good basketball player.  He`s only 5`9``, but he could dunk before his mission.  I sent a picture from the MTC that I found.

 

Love,

Elder Gubler

Time Flies By

June 12, 2012 letter

Dear Family,

Sorry I didn´t get the email sent yesterday.  We had transfers.  Elder Taylor went to Cancun and I´m here in Ticul with Elder Gonzalez.  We got up at 6:30 on Monday, got dressed, said good bye to Miguel Uitz, the father of the family that we are teaching, and got on the bus to Merida.  I waited in the bus station from 9:45-2:05 for my companion to arrive from Cancun.  While waiting I visited with the other missionaries, bought some ice cream, and an ICEE.  I don´t think I´ve had an ICEE in the last 7-8 years.  Elder Higginson, my companion from the MTC is the new AP.  It was kept really quiet.  The only ones that knew about it were the secretaries, the AP´s and a couple other missionaries.  They called him with the transfers and said that he would be training in a pueblo in Campeche.  He had no idea until he got to the offices and they surprised him with the news. 

Elder Gonzalez is from Mexico state and has been out since December.  He is in the same group as my last companion from Kanasin, Elder Lima.

Miguel and his wife got their blood taken this week.  All they need to do now is make an appointment to get married.  We need to find more new investigators, because nobody else is going to church.  

Love,

Elder Gubler

June 4, 2012 letter

Dear Family,

The Brother that we baptized last week is Jaime David Balam Carrillo.  The couple there is the brother of the wife.  They were being taught by the other missionaries.  The wife invited them to the baptism.  We invite our investigators to the baptisms.  The 2 kids of the mechanic showed up.  There is a statistic that the majority of the people that attend a baptism will eventually get baptized.  I don`t know what the name of the fruit is.  I don`t think it`s bread fruit.  Inside it looks like a pineapple, but its a lot tougher.  The one in the picture is about 1/3 the size of the normal ones.  The missionaries that bought it said that for the full sized ones you have to use your knee also to hold it up.  Elder Taylor is from Georgia.  He went to a few years of college.  He sold pest control.  He played college soccer.  His sister comes home from her mission in Brazil next week.  He is the middle of 5 kids also.  The only thing stopping the investigators from getting baptized is their blood tests.  Hopefully today Miguel and his wife will get it taken.  Other than that we don`t have any investigators that are going to church, so we are going to see if we can find some more this week.  

When we had the baptism last week, we didn`t think that David would be back for another 2-3 weeks.  He showed up to church, so he was able to get confirmed.  That worked out nicely.  Miguel isn`t as much of a mechanic as he is a body worker for the cars.  This week they were painting, and I noticed that they were doing the same things that I was doing when I worked for Valley Pacific.  They were painting a VW bug, and first had to remove the paint with acid goo and scrape it off.  I`m sure glad I`m not doing that anymore.  That was my least favorite part.  

Can you call BYU to find out when I should register for my classes and housing for winter 2013? 

Love,

Elder Gubler