Week 9: 1st Transfer and 2 Months Down

Dear Family and Friends,
     Things are changing here in Worcester!  We found out on Friday that Elder Scoresby is being transferred to Ludlow, Massachusetts.  Pretty crazy because he has only trained me for 6 weeks and normally it is 12 weeks.  My new companion's name is Elder Stewart.  He comes to Worcester on Wednesday!  I'm super excited to get a new companion but I will miss Elder Scoresby a lot.  He is an amazing missionary and I have learned so much from him.  Hopefully I will be able to continue the great success here in Worcester.

     I am so thankful for everything that I learn every day on my mission.  It is unreal to think how much I have learned and how much I continue to learn every day.  Today marks 2 month exact and I am so excited about all that I've been able to do thus far.

     We have a lot of awesome progressing investigators right now.  It is so amazing to be a missionary because people immediately trust you with their deepest and darkest trials and struggles.  We are teaching an amazing man named Redian from Albania.  He is about 26 and he has been through so much.  How he was treated as a child was heartbreaking to hear.  There has been so much heartbreak in his family and he wants his life to change.  The most fulfilling thing to see as a missionary is somebody's happiness progress the more you meet with them.  When I first met Redian, he seemed so dark and lost, now he is beginning to be so much more happy and the light of Christ is touching his life.

     We have 5 baptismal dates coming soon.  Tony, Tamisha, Faustina, James, and Emmanuel.  Please keep them in your prayers!  Thank you for all the support and love.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Bancroft Tower in Worcester

Julia, one of awesome investigators made us soap.

Week 8: Miracles Are So Real

Dear Family and Friends,
     Worcester is so ready to hear the Gospel.  There are so many people that we meet everyday that have been prepared by the Lord to receive the Gospel.  What is so amazing about this is that the Lord trusts Elder Scoresby and I enough to place these people into our paths.

     For example:  we are teaching this family of three; Faustina (mom), Emmanuel (son, 20), and James (son, 19) from Ghana.  For the past 20 years, Faustina and her sons have gone to a ton of churches in Africa and in the states.  Emmanuel never liked any of the churches and Faustina only liked a few.  She has a Bible app that sends her scriptures every day.  One day she forgot her tablet at home when she left for work. When she went back home to get it, there was an ad for a free Bible on the app from the LDS church. So she decided to sign up and the next day we were at her door with a Bible.  She invited us in and we shared our message about the Restoration with her and her sons.  We invited them to church and to read the Book of Mormon.  Faustina and James seemed interested but what really was a shock to the family was Emmanuel said, "I like it".  After we left, he read part of the Book of Mormon.  Apparently this is the first church that he has ever shown interest in, they are growing and learning so much.  All three have baptismal dates for the 24th of September.

     I know that through hard work and obedience that the Lord has blessed Elder Scoresby and I with the opportunity to teach them the Gospel.  He trusts us to teach them and it feels so amazing to know that the Lord has given us this sacred opportunity.

     We had a zone conference this week in Cambridge, pretty close to Boston.  It was so inspiring and great to hear from President Miller, our mission president.  While I was there, I met Elder Liston who is from West Jordan too.  It was pretty cool.

     On Saturday, we had the baptism of Raymond Lopez.  He is a high school senior and is so amazing.  He read the Book of Mormon in 19 days.  It was a very special experience being able to baptize him.  He really is a stud.

     Also we got to do a session at the Boston Temple this week.  WOOOHOOO!!  Having a temple in my mission is one of the best things ever.  It is so beautiful and going to the temple is such a spiritual and physical recharge.

     This week we also had a mini missionary with us!  His name is Adam Chidester, we called him Elder Adam all week.  Super awesome guy!

     It is amazing to see how much I've grown since I've been out.    I love being able to serve the Lord and I know that I couldn't do it without His help.  The church is so true and our Savior is so aware of our lives.  Thanks for all your support.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Boston Massachusetts Temple

Beautiful Boston Cityscape

Elder Gutierrez with Elder Liston - both from West Jordan, UT

Elder Scorseby and Elder Gutierrez at Raymond Lopez's baptism - August 20, 2016

Elder Gutierrez, Elder Adam, mini missionary, and Elder Scoresby

A Note From the Family Email

     I realized that I haven't told you much about my companion!  SO here's some info:  Elder Kade Scoresby is from Mesa, AZ.  He has been on his mission for 11 months and he is my dad.  (Missionary trainers are the dads and the trainees are their sons.)  Anyway, he is a super obedient and hard working Elder.  Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better trainer.  Our personalities and hobbies are very different but we work very well together because we are both really happy and positive people.  I live with two other elders, Elder Asay (Washington) and Elder Clements (Stansbury Park, UT).  THEY ARE HILARIOUS!!  Seriously two of the funniest people.  I'm so blessed to live with them, and we have such a good time together.  Also, Elder Clements is diabetic.  They are also the zone leaders and my companion is the district leader.

     Reading this email made me so happy.  The Lord really does know his children.  I am more at ease knowing that Drew was able to start his mission with another missionary that is diabetic. I am so thankful that he has a great trainer and is able to work hard and have fun.

Week 7: Word From Worcester, Massachusetts

Dear Family and Friends,
     Another amazing week in Worcester, Massachusetts.  This was the first week where I felt the humidity.  Oh my gosh, it was insane!  It rained for three days this week with the highs being in the 90's.  It made for a very, very humid Worcester.

     The work is going SUPER well here.  On Saturday, we set 4 baptismal dates and we have 6 total!  The people here in Worcester have really been prepared to hear the restored gospel.  Three of the dates Elder Scoresby and I set on Saturday were with this family from Ghana.  Faustina is the mom and her two sons are James and Emmanuel.  We met them on Friday and set dates with them on Saturday.  It's people like them that make me so excited to be a missionary and to be a servant for the Lord.

     This week there was a drive by shooting at a house down the street from where we were teaching.  Worcester is super crazy and is full of sketchy people but I never feel threatened because I know the Lord is on my side.  I bet it's super funny for some people to see Elder Scoresby and I walking down Main Street here.  Two random kids in shirts and ties surrounded by drug dealers and gangsters handing out Book of Mormons.  This is something that I have learned to be good at, we try to give out as many as possible.  We know that if people will read it, their lives will be changed.

     Thank you for all your support.  I challenge you to all make the Book of Mormon a part of your daily lives and to pray for opportunities to share the gospel.  I know it is true and that it will bring so much happiness if you read it.  I know God LOVES all of his children and wants them all to be happy.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Elder Gutierrez Even Found A Pet On His Mission

Week 6: Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength

Hello everyone!
     Another week has really flown by!  I am loving serving in Worcester, MA and I cannot believe that I've been here for so long already.  I'm starting to understand everyone's crazy accents more and I am super excited to be serving here.

     This week was especially amazing because I got to go to the Boston Temple!  WOOOOHOOOO, it was so amazing also because it was Recent Convert Temple Day.  So, Elder Scoresby and I were able to bring two of the recent converts in the ward with us.  Their names are Carol and Jude.  They both have amazing conversion stories and when we visit them it is super funny because they talk about old lady stuff for forever (ex. Gardens, Hair, "When I was a Kid" stories).  But for real it was amazing to be in the room when Carol had temple work done for her father and grandfathers.  I encourage everyone to go to the temple as often as you can because it is truly the House of the Lord.

     Also this week a recent convert got married!  And he will be going to the temple to be sealed to his wife in January.  It's amazing to see the gospel completely change peoples' lives and see how the atonement can lift people up.  This recent converts name is Tim.  He used to be into hard drugs and now he is an amazing new husband who loves his Savior so much.  It's because of people like him that I know this Gospel is not only true but is also for everyone!

     Never be afraid to share the gospel with somebody, that is just Satan trying to stop you.  There is not a single person who cannot benefit from coming closer to Jesus Christ.  Every day we talk to people who are into heavy, heavy drugs, from gangs, or have extremely hard trials.  It is such a testimony builder for me to see what some people go through on this Earth and how miserable Satan wants us to be.  Wickedness NEVER was happiness.  I invite you all to share the Gospel with anyone you can, it doesn't matter if you have a black name tag or not.  All people are children of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you all for your support.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Elder Scoresby and Elder Gutierrez at the Boston Massachusetts Temple

Angel Moroni atop the Boston Massachusetts Temple

Angel Moroni at the Boston Massachusetts Temple

Elder Gutierrez and Elder Scoresby with Carol and Jude at the Boston Temple at Recent Convert Temple Day where Carol completed temple work for her father and grandfathers.

Elder Scoresby, Tim (a recent convert), and Elder Gutierrez at Tim's wedding

Boston West Zone Meeting

Week 5: One Month Down

     One month down, 23 to go!  Worcester is amazing.  There is so much work to be done here and there are a lot of people who are willing to listen.

     SO CRAZY STORY.  Most everyone that goes on a mission has a crazy story that they tell everyone when they come back...  I'm pretty sure mine happened this week.  So Bob was baptized this week, the spirit was amazing and it was so awesome to see how the Book of Mormon and the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change somebody.  BUT, on Sunday before Bob was to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, Satan was really trying to stop him.  We were with Bob in the chapel for Sunday school which takes place in the 1st hour and Bob wasn't looking too well.  He has diabetes and is a cancer survivor.  Out of nowhere, he started puking all over the chapel!  Elder Scoresby and I were running around trying to clean it up and trying to help out Bob.  He can't walk very well and he didn't want to leave the chapel.  He started violently shaking, so I was trying to help him test his blood sugar to figure out what was wrong.  To sum it all up, he gets sick when he is out in the cold because of his past cancer treatments.  Everything worked out though.  Bob received the gift of the Holy Ghost and felt immediately okay.  Pretty powerful moment, Satan takes another loss.

     It's been amazing being able to serve here.  I'm so blessed to be a missionary and to help others come unto Christ.  We have 2 other investigators who are progressing super fast.  Thank you for all your prayers and all the support.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Elder Gutierrez and Elder Scoresby at Bob's baptism - July 30, 2016