Week 103: The Best Two Years

     Hello everyone!  It's crazy to think that almost 2 years ago I entered the MTC.  The past two years have been amazing, what happened this week was the perfect way to end my mission.  I'm so grateful for all the experiences that I have had and all the people I've been able to meet in the last 24 months.

     This Saturday the entire Escobar family was baptized.  Alfredo, Gabriella, and Fabiana entered into the waters of baptism as a family.  Also something that we were not anticipating happened this week.  Tuesday during zone conference, Rachel texted us and asked if she could be baptized this Saturday also.  She had been fasting and praying that she would be able to find a new job so that she could be baptized as soon as possible.  She was able to find a new job and we had already finished teaching her the lessons.  We were able to work it out so that she could have her interview.  She passed and entered the waters of baptism on Saturday with the Escobar family.  I stand all amazed at the experiences I've had on my mission.

     In the past two years, I have fallen short many, many times; I've been less diligent at times, I could have had much more patience with my companions, and I was far from perfect.  That being said, I've come to know more than ever, in these past two years about the power that Jesus Christ has to change us into who God wants us to be.

     I know with everything in me that God lives.  He has a love that is so strong for us all.  His son, Jesus Christ truly walked the Earth perfectly.  He taught us the truths of eternity.  Though sinless, he was hated and killed to satisfy a mob.  Three days later He rose again!  Because of His victory over death and sin, we too can overcome our sins, pains, and weaknesses.  I know this is true.  There is no lasting happiness in this life without Jesus Christ and repentance.

     All anyone has to do to know these things for themselves is to read the Book of Mormon and ask God if He is there.  I promise what will come next is a confirmation that He lives and He will then direct you to the steps you need to take to feel joy.

     From the deepest part of my heart, thank you.  Thank you to all who have supported and helped me these past 2 years as I have been blessed to be a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Baptism of the Escobar Family and Rachel Bitarabeho on Saturday, June 16, 2018 with Elder Schrader, Elder Gutierrez, and Elder Bingham

Baptism of the Escobar Family:  Alfredo, Gabriella, and Fabiana

Baptism of Rachel Bitarabeho with Elder Schrader, Elder Gutierrez, and Elder Bingham

#Blessed

Attacked by Kids

Our investigator, Hector

Grandpa and Grandma Sen

Visiting the Clapp Family

Last Zone Conference - The North Shore Zone- June 12, 2018

President and Sister Miller, I LOVE THEM!

2 years later . . .  Fufu!  Elder Gutierrez with Elder Evans, MTC Companions

Saying Goodbye to Elder Seth Warner until August.

Week 102: Wait it's June . . .?

     Hello everybody.  We had a busy week in Revere.  Investigators are progressing, new people are being found, and we are two happy missionaries.

     The most exciting news to report is that the Escobar family baptisms are only 5 days away!  Yesterday we were able to plan out their baptismal program with them.  I will be baptizing Alfredo.  I have really grown to love this family and feel as though they are my family.  They have such an amazing, loving culture in their family that I admire greatly.  Can't wait to see how the gospel will strengthen that even more.

     More exciting news, we were able to set a baptismal date with Kori and Kevin Woodside for July 14th.  (Mom note:  We will be touring the mission and should be able to attend!)  We had a very special lesson with them about the Plan of Salvation.  They both felt that it made so much sense.  Both of them said that they are willing to give their lives to Jesus Christ and do whatever it takes to return to live with God.  It was powerful.  Only great things to come from them.

     Sunday, we noticed that we hadn't picked up as many investigators as we would have liked so we went to work.  I felt like we should stop by a former investigator that I had taught here months ago.  We stopped by and he welcomed us in and invited three others at his home to hear what we were going to share.  We picked them all up as new investigators.  One of them, Nina, is actually from Arizona and moved out here for work.  She had a close friend in high school that went on a mission and she attended his farewell.  She seems really excited to learn more about our faith.

     On Wednesday, I went to my last Mission Leadership Conference.  Throughout the last year, I have had several powerful experiences or impressions in these meetings.  This happened to be President and Sister Miller's last MLC too.  They both bore their simple, powerful testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of the work we are engaged in.  It was a highlight to an already great week.

     There's so much to do and I am so grateful to be a part of this work.  Talk to you all next week!  Love ya.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

P-day with the AP's Elder Harris and Elder Fisher

Elders in thermal infrared - Museum of Science in Boston

Elder Harris and Elder Gutierrez - Museum of Science in Boston

Elder Harris, Elder Gutierrez, Elder Schrader, and Elder Fisher eating at the Top of the Hub on the 52nd floor

Kanes Donuts with Elder Schrader

Exchanges with Elder Shull

Week 101: The Book of Mormon

     Hello everyone!  Hello everyone!  This week was incredible.  Elder Schrader and I are loving Revere.  We have so many awesome people to teach and our investigators are progressing very well.  We are super excited about the two families that we are teaching and are preparing to be baptized.

     We were able to visit the Escobar family three times this week.  In our first lesson, we were able to continue teaching Fabiana, their eight year old daughter.  She was initially sad that her family was looking into a different church because she was going to miss her first communion.  But, she is excited now because she will get a white dress for her baptism.  Gabriella and Alfredo are both excited to be baptized.  Alfredo has had concerns but as time goes on they are being resolved and he's feeling more comfortable about the Gospel.  They are an amazing family and we are very blessed to be teaching them.  This week they came to Stake Conference and really enjoyed the meeting.  They are an incredible family!  We taught them the Word of Wisdom on Saturday when they had us over for dinner.  Both Gabriella and Alfredo keep the Word of Wisdom.  They are the most prepared family.

     We also had an incredible lesson on Friday with Rachel.  We taught her the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity.  She told us a little bit more about her story that we did not know.  Before one of our first lessons, her member fellowship invited her to fast to know if what we were teaching was true.  She agreed to fast and during our lesson, we said something that answered her prayer.  Since then, she has had such a great desire to be baptized.  The only thing holding her back is her job because she has to work on Sundays.  This Sunday, we fasted with her so that she could find a new job.  We are excited to see the outcome of our prayers and faith.

     Kevin and Corey, the other family we started teaching is doing great as well.  They and their one year old son came to church again this week.  They both have great desires to be closer to God in order to strengthen their family.  We are blessed to be teaching them.  Hopefully this week we will be able to set a baptismal date with them.

     This week I was able to finish the Book of Mormon for the fourth time this year.  I'm very grateful for the eternal truths found within its pages.  I know that it is true and that anyone who reads it will be closer to God than every before.  I love how it teaches so much about Jesus Christ; His life, His death, and mostly about His power to redeem us from sin.  I am so grateful to share it with the people I've come to love here in Massachusetts.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

The Escobar Family

District P-day

We Love Sister Miller

Michelle's First Trip to the Temple

Elder Gutierrez at the Boston Temple

Week 100: The Escobars

     Happy Memorial Day family and friends!  This week was fantastic and we witnessed many miracles.  I'm sad to report that this week I started my last transfer as a missionary (my mom's feelings are quite the opposite).  Tuesday, I will hit my 23rd month mark.

     On Wednesday, I said goodbye to one of my most legendary companions, Elder Bingham.  He taught me many lessons that will stick with me for my entire life.  He is incredibly skilled as a missionary and his desire to be obedient is inspiring.  I am very grateful to have served with him the last 2 transfers.

     My new companion, Elder Schrader is a stud.  I've grown very close to him throughout my mission as we have served in 2 other districts together prior to becoming companions.  He is from Twin Falls, ID and has been on his mission for 21 months.  I am very excited to serve with him for the last weeks of my mission.  We are both going to finish strong.

     This Sunday was so memorable.  We had 10 investigators attend sacrament meeting!  It was so cool to see investigator after investigator walk into the chapel.  Revere is starting to blow up!

     We picked up a super cool family this week.  We received a referral for a lady named Kori who wanted a visit.  On Tuesday, Elder Bingham and I were able to visit her and taught her the restoration.  She said that a few years ago she was living in Pawtucket, RI and some missionaries knocked on her door.  She let them in and they started teaching her.  She doesn't remember anything they said, but she has never forgotten the way she felt as she spoke with them.  Life got busy and she lost contact.  Fast forward to now, she remembered how she felt when the missionaries had come to her house and wanted to feel that way again.  We taught her and her husband, Kevin on Saturday and on Sunday they both came to church!

     Sunday night we had the most incredible lesson with the Escobar family.  We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ by using pieces of paper representing faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end as "stepping blocks" to eternal life.  At the end of the lesson, we had Alfredo, the father, walk across the steps first and stand facing the family.  Next, we had Gabriela walk across the steps and stand with her husband.  Finally, we had Fabiana, their 8 year old daughter, walk across the steps and join her parents.  As they stood together as a family, we asked them if they would be baptized on June 16th so they could prepare to have an eternal family.  Gabriela looked over at Alfredo and he said yes!  The spirit was very strong.  Through teaching them and working with their family, I know that without a doubt God wants families to be eternal.  We are so excited for them.

     I love being a missionary and feeling a small portion of the love the Heavenly Father has for His children.  I know that He is aware of all our needs.  As we are obedient to Him and His commandments, He will fill us with light and truth.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Elder Schrader and Elder Gutierrez at the Boston Temple on Memorial Day 2018

Elder Gutierrez and Elder Schrader - P-day at the Boston Temple

Elder Bingham's Last P-day in Revere was spent in Boston - May 21, 2018

Elder Gutierrez in Downtown Boston

My son, Elder Barlow, trained him 18 months ago.

Celebrating Earl's 20th Birthday

Elder Schrader . . . . .

Week 99: Goodbye Elder Bingham

     Hello family and friends!  The work is going great in Revere.  We received transfer texts on Friday.  Elder Bingham is headed to my former area Ludlow.  On Wednesday, I will get my new companion, Elder Schrader.  I happen to know Elder Schrader quite well and have served in two other districts with him.  I am very excited to have him as my last companion.  We will have a great transfer.

     This week we were able to make a lot of progress the investigators that we are already teaching.  We were able to help our investigator Jacqueline make a 14 day plan to stop smoking.  She is loving the gospel and the church and as soon as she can live the Word of Wisdom she can be baptized.  We are planning for June 2nd.

     We are currently teaching the coolest family I have ever taught.  I failed to mention them in an earlier email.  There story is quite long and complicated, but here is the short version:  The Escobar family came to church 3 weeks ago.  The mother, Gabriela, felt very strongly that they needed to come to our church.  They are devout Catholics and are very involved in their parish.  Gabriela's parents converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about 20 years ago in Venezuela.  Gabriela's oldest daughter was baptized at 8 years old into the LDS church as well which had a very big impact on the family.  Her parents were not supportive, but let her make her own decision.  Alfredo, Gabriela's husband, is an incredible father and has always been a devout Catholic.  Through many different powerful revelations from God in the last 3 months, Gabriela has come to know with a surety that the Catholic church is false and that the LDS church is the true church of Jesus Christ.  Alfredo though questioning has been a great support to his wife's decision and has come to church with her now four weeks in a row.  We have taught them three times now and Alfredo is doing very well.  He has tons of questions and is slowly coming to know the truth.  They also have an 8 year old daughter that we will begin teaching this week.  They are a huge miracle and a testimony builder to me that the Lord is preparing the hearts of so many in the world.

     This week we also had a very powerful zone conference.  President and Sister Miller gave amazing trainings.  I know that God places us in our assigned missions for specific reasons.  The Miller's have definitely been one of those reasons for me.  I will never forget the power of their testimonies and their strong examples of love and obedience to the Lord.  I love them both very much.

     Well everybody, thank you for all your support.  I love you all very much.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Sister Kimberly Miller, Elder Scoresby, Elder Gutierrez and President A. Todd Miller

The Roman Catholic "Madonna Queen of the Universe" Statue in East Boston

Week 98: Miracles and Mother's Day

     Hello family and friends!  It has been an exceptional week in Revere.  So much has happened and I have been very excited to tell you all about it.  But first, I want to express my deep gratitude to my mom.  She is the most amazing woman.  She has always been an example to me of faith, love, and charity and I love her very much.  Happy Mother's Day Mom!

     I had a great exchange on Tuesday with Elder Harris in Boston.  During our morning planning meeting, we saw that we had a new referral for a man named Chris Chasse, on the refferal system.  He lived in downtown Boston and we both felt that we needed to go and stop by.  Again during the day, we felt like we needed to visit him.  We stopped by and found out that he lived in a special home for people recently coming from prison to help them get back on their feet.  We asked at the front desk for Chris and not too much longer, a wheelchair bound man came and introduced himself to us with a big smile on his face.  We sat down and began talking with him.  He started telling us his story and it didn't take us long before we noticed that Chris was special.

     He first showed us some certificates he had from the church recognizing that he had finished the seminary study guides for all of the standard works.  He then grabbed his scriptures which were all well worn.  He told us in 2011 he drove past our church in Foxboro, MA and decided he wanted to order a Book of Mormon, so he got on Amazon.  He read it.  Then he read it and read it again and again.  That same year, some mistakes from his past caught up with him and he was faced with the consequences and was sent to prison.

     Since then, he got out of prison, lost his family, and 18 months ago was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  He went from being healthy to not being able to move within 5 weeks.  He has been in hospitals for the last 18 months until he moved back to Boston about 3 weeks ago.  Ironically, right across from Northeastern University where he used to be a professor of computer science.
   
     He has read the Book of Mormon 20 times since 2011 and basically any other book published by the church including:  Jesus the Christ, Preach My Gospel, The Teachings of the Presidents, and Our Search for Happiness.  A while back, he wrote a letter to Elder Ballard after he read his book, Our Search for Happiness.  Elder Ballard wrote him back and put him in touch with someone to send him materials.  We felt that we should go through the baptismal interview questions with him and he answered all of them in depth.  He has a strong testimony of repentance and the atonement.  We asked him if he would like to attend church and he said, "That would be a dream come true."  In all of his study, he has never been taught the Gospel by anyone other than the Holy Ghost.  We also invited him to be baptized 3 weeks from now and he gladly accepted.  He is the most prepared man I have ever met!  I am very grateful to have met Chris and to hear his story.  The Boston Elders are blessed to help this man's dreams come true.

     That's all I have time for today.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

The most prepared man, Chris

Exchanges with Elder Harris

My first Lobstah roll

Our new pal, Father John

Dexter's Laboratory, Lynn Edition

Mother's Day Surprise

      What an incredible Mother's Day weekend!  On Saturday, I was able to meet up with other moms with missionaries serving in the Massachusetts Boston Mission.  We laughed and shared stories about our missionaries.  I know why Elder Gutierrez has had some amazing companions - because their moms are amazing.  It was so great to meet them all.

      During Sacrament meeting, the Bishop got up and explained that we would end the meeting by having the fathers of the currently serving missionaries in the ward read a letter over the pulpit that was written by the missionaries to their mothers.  He asked what was special about their moms.  Of course, I started tearing up immediately and couldn't hold it together.  Here is what Elder Gutierrez wrote.

April 30, 2018

      My mother is the best, and when I say that I mean it.  Before serving my mission, I unfortunately didn't realize how amazing she is.  She raised me right - always living the Gospel and being an example to me and my siblings.

     My mother has always gone the extra mile.  I cannot remember a single day growing up where we did not have dinner as a family around the table.  Whenever I needed help, she was there.  It is the little things that my mom does that really make me grateful to have her in my life.  I love her and cannot thank her enough for all the sacrifices she has made for me.

     God, on occasion will send angels to minister to us, His children. I can honestly say that my mom has been one of those angels.

- Elder Drew Gutierrez

      It was great to talk to him over Facetime.  He is doing well and is so excited for all the investigators that they are currently working with.  He is still putting all his energy into serving which I am so thankful for.  At one point, he commented, "You all act like I am coming home soon.  I still have plenty of time left, 5 weeks.  I'm trying to stay out here."  I am so grateful for his dedication and commitment.

- Entry written by Heidi Gutierrez