Week 29: Today I Woke Up in Rhode Island

     I've got big news . . . again!  I am now serving in Warwick, Rhode Island!  Yesterday, I got a call from President Miller telling me that I would be leaving that same night to Warwick, Rhode Island.

    Today there was a missionary that went home early, so President had me fill his spot here.  My new companion's name is Elder Duggar.  At first, I was super shocked and bummed when I heard that I was leaving West Bridgewater, but I know that I'm going to enjoy Warwick and I'm here for a reason.  This is Elder Duggar's last transfer on his mission and I'm excited to learn a lot from him.

     My last week in West Bridgewater was so amazing and I am so grateful that I was able to serve there with such great missionaries.  Elder Tilly and Elder Rich taught me so much in the short week and a half that I was with them.  And even though I was there for such a short time, we still had a baptism!!  Our investigator, Osa, was baptized on Saturday!!!  WOOOOOHOOOOO, he bore such a powerful testimony after his baptism of the prophet Joseph Smith.  I'm very grateful to have been part of his conversion.  This week we also had Mission Leadership Conference, it was great to go there and learn from President Miller on how to counsel our zones.  In that meeting, we set goals for the upcoming year and we set a huge goal of 600 baptisms in the year of 2017!  Friday, I gave my first training as a Zone Leader which was great.  We picked up some awesome investigators this week that I will be excited to hear about as time goes on.  My time in West Bridgewater was the best!

     Yesterday, I was pondering on all the things that I learned from Elder Tilly and Elder Rich and I want to share some of those things.  One of the biggest things I learned from them was the need and importance of the Holy Ghost in a persons conversion.  It is essential!  Also the need of the Holy Ghost as we teach, there were several times when we would teach where the Holy Ghost would either help us to know when and when not to speak in a lesson.  As a missionary, it is our purpose to help those we teach recognize the promptings of the Spirit and be able to learn from those experiences.  This is something that both Elder Tilly and Elder Rich were really good at.  I also learned a lot about my studies as a missionary and how powerful they can be as we study for those we are teaching and write down the revelations we receive from the Lord.  And finally, one of the greatest things I learned is how to truly love those who I am teaching and serving with.  I love my Heavenly Father and I absolutely know that he loves all of His children perfectly.  With that in mind, it is such a sacred opportunity to serve a mission and teach His children who are searching for Him or have gone astray from His fold.

     I am so excited to be here in Rhode Island and I am excited for the experiences I will have here with Elder Duggar.  Thank you so much for all the love and support I receive.  I love you all.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Four companions in one photo - Elder Stewart, Elder Gutierrez, Elder Scoresby, Elder Tilly and Elder Rich

Osa's baptism on January 14, 2017 in West Bridgewater

The TRIO - Elder Gutierrez, Elder Tilly, and Elder Rich

My new companion - Elder Duggar and new area - Warwick, Rhode Island

Week 28: "Sak Pa Se"

     Brockton is the best place to be serving!  I absolutely love it here and serving with Elder Tilly and Elder Rich is unreal.  Brockton, Massachusetts is definitely not the safest place, it is a lot like Worcester because every home is a "triple decker".  I love it here!  This week alone I learned how to say a handful of words in Portuguese, Haitain Creole, and Cape Verdian Creole.  Brockton is where we do all our work, it is so diverse and awesome.  There are people from all over the world here.  There are a ton of Haitians, Cape Verdians, and Brazilians.  It's wicked fun serving around so many different cultures.

     Elder Tilly and Elder Rich are such amazing companions.  As zone leaders, we oversee all of the missionaries in the Hingham Stake in Massachusetts, which is the lower eastern part of the state.  They are both fantastic missionaries who are such great teachers and so fun to be around all day.  Teaching in a trio is different but we teach pretty well together and as we all testify it can be so powerful.  We are teaching a lot of people right now and we have three investigators who are really progressing.  One of them is Mark, who I taught on an exchange with Elder Rogers not to long ago, he's the guy who gave us all his cigarettes.  The other two investigators who are progressing well are Osa and Taylor.  All three of them have baptismal dates for next Saturday and we are pretty excited that they are doing so well.

     This week was very fun meeting tons of new people and we had some wicked, crazy, snowstorms.  Saturday we got 15 inches of snow and we were "red dotted" which means we were not allowed to drive.  So instead, the three of us bundled up and went out into the Arctic and visited some people.  It was super fun because the streets were crazy full of snow and we were basically the only people outside.  Sunday the YSA ward was cancelled but our normal West Bridgewater Ward wasn't, but there weren't very many people there though.  The ward seems great though and there are tons of members willing to come out teaching with us.

     This area and transfer are going to be so much fun.  I'm trying to learn as much as I can from Elder Tilly and Elder Rich.  Miracles are happening all around us and there are TONS of people who have been prepared in this area and we are so excited to be here.  I know that as we unbind our tongues, peoples' lives can be changed through Christ's mercy and love.  I love you all!  Thanks for the support!

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Converting Benjamin Franklin

Chess with Elder Barlow

Jack Daniels and Elder Gutierrez

Saying Good-bye to the Moessing Family - Sister Moessing arranged the missionary meals in Franklin

Elder Rich, Gutierrez, and Tilly with EDDIE!

Walking around Brockton while "red dotted" - not allowed to drive.

Massive amounts of snow!

Buried in SNOW!!

Week 27: New Year and Big Changes!

     Happy New Year everyone!  2016 was such a great year in my life and I'm very excited to start this new year.  On Friday, the mission sent out the transfer texts letting us know if we were staying or leaving Franklin.  We found out we were both staying . . .until we got a call from President Miller Saturday night telling us both that we were being emergency transferred out!  Wednesday Elder Barlow and I are both leaving Franklin.  I am going to West Bridgewater, Massachusetts #BackToTheGhetto and Elder Barlow is going to Providence, Rhode Island to serve with my MTC companion, Elder Evans.

     I am so, so, so, excited!  I am going to be serving in a trio with Elder Tilly and Elder Rich.  I look up to Elder Tilly soooo much and I could not be happier to have an opportunity to serve with him.  He is such a great missionary and we are gonna do work!  West Bridgewater is a lot like Worcester and I am very, very excited about that.  I am sad to leave Elder Barlow after only one transfer but I trust that the Lord will continue to help him learn and grow.  This will make 7 companions in 6 months thus far on my mission.  I'll also be serving as a Zone Leader for the time being.

     I am so grateful for the members and people I was able to meet here in Franklin.  The ward has been so great in helping us and making sure we are taken care of.  The Franklin 2nd Ward sisters will be taking over our area and investigators.  Sueidy, our main investigator, is progressing well and hopefully the sisters will be able to get her to baptism after we leave!  Brother Moles, the less active member we are working with got married this week!  It was great because we finally got to meet his wife and hopefully they will start attending church together.

     This Sunday I gave a talk in church on "The Value of Preaching the Gospel to the World".  It was a great way to share my testimony with the members in Franklin about this work before I leave.  In my talk, I read to the ward a book that my little sister sent me, Green Eggs and Ham, the Book of Mormon edition.  It was so great and the members loved it.  It was a great way to inspire the members to do missionary work.

     This week and the next couple of weeks are going to bring lots of changes to my mission.  I am very excited that the Lord and President Miller has given me these opportunities.  I love you all and am thankful for the support and love I receive every day.  Love ya all!!

Love, 

Elder Gutierrez

Elder Gutierrez and Elder Barlow - Last Sunday in Franklin Massachusetts 1st Ward

Franklin Massachusetts District- Elder Gutierrez served as a District Leader

At a less active members wedding ceremony

Elder Gutierrez with Brother Prairie

Check out this creepy Santa!

Week 26: Merry CHRISTmas

     Merry Christmas everybody!  I hope your homes were filled with love for our Savior yesterday as we celebrated his birth on a very beautiful Sabbath Day.  My 1st Christmas away from home was very, very, special and I had a very Merry Christmas and a great week.

     This week was full of fun and exciting things.  Tuesday we had interviews with President Miller and on Wednesday we had a trainer/trainee meeting.  We got to go to the temple afterwards.  I love being around President Miller because everything he says is so profound and I am continually learning from him.  He helped answer some questions I had about receiving personal revelation.  On Wednesday, Elder Barlow and I got to get more instruction from him on how we can both become better missionaries.  It was great to see some other missionaries who are going through the fun and tough times of training, like I am.  We all can improve so much but we are all being qualified through the Lord's help.  Something that I learned was if we have enough love for our investigators, there is nothing that we should be afraid of saying to them to help them change.  BE BOLD!!  Going to the temple afterward was so great, there is no greater feeling than being inside the temple.

     Friday night, we had a very special experience.  Our District went caroling to our investigators and members homes in our areas!!!  It was so much fun as we sang those sacred hymns of Christ's birth and to see the faces of those we sang to light up.  It really helped me to feel my Savior's love for his children and how very, very special this time of year is.

     Christmas day we got to go to church and I loved it.  There is no better day to go to church and to praise our God.  The service was an hour full of singing and the spirit.  It was a Christmas that I will never forget.  Afterwards, we got to spend time with some fantastic members and Skype our families.  I love my family very much and it was so great to hear their voices.

     I love Christmas time and I'm sad that it's over but we can always have his spirit with us as we follow him, keep his commandments, and love one another.  I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the gift he provided to the world.  I know he lives and loves each one of us and it is my prayer that we can all turn our hearts to Him and partake of his everlasting divine love.  He bears our burdens, lights our way, and knows each one of us.  Thank you for all the love and support I continually receive!  Love ya all.

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Merry CHRISTmas 2016 - Elder Barlow and Elder Gutierrez

Matching District - The tie and skirt match

Christmas Eve Dinner with the Pickups

Chistmas at the Gutke's Home

FaceTime for Christmas

     Merry Christmas!  The best part of Christmas was FaceTiming Elder Drew Gutierrez from the Massachusetts Boston Mission.  We had everything ready to Skype but the connection was bad so it kept stalling.  We changed to FaceTime in order to see and talk to him.

     Elder Gutierrez was very upbeat and happy.  He loves being a missionary and the people in the Boston area.  He told us all about his companions and his awesome converts.  He gave us an update of his convert, Julia, that was baptized the week after he left the Worcester area.  He was able to go back for her baptism.  Julia attends a Catholic school.  In one of her textbooks, there was a chapter about Joseph Smith.  They called him a gold digger and fraud.  Julia approached the professor and told him that the information was not true.  He offered to let her do a presentation on Joseph Smith.  She put together the presentation and taught her school class about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  After the presentation, three of her friends requested missionary lessons and copies of the Book of Mormon!  The missionaries are currently teaching them.

     We are thankful to the Gutke family for opening their home on Christmas so Elder Gutierrez and his companion could contact their families.  Afterwards, I contacted them and thanked them for their kind service and support for the missionaries.  They replied with the following message which of course had me in tears.  "Thank you so much for your sweet message to us.  Elder Gutierrez is such an exceptional missionary and we love him very much.  He has such an amazing heart and pure soul.  From the moment he first knocked at our door, we knew that he was someone special.  We are so grateful to you for raising an amazing young man and preparing him to serve.  He is a dedicated missionary to the Lord.  New England is blessed to have him for a season.  Merry Christmas."

 - Heidi Gutierrez

FaceTime with Brooklyn

FaceTime with Mom

   
   

Week 25: Christmas Miracles!

     Christmas miracles are happening!  Elder Barlow and I had set a goal earlier this month that we were going to have a baptism this month.  We knew we could accomplish this goal with the Lord's help.  And . . . this week we extended 3 baptismal dates and only one accepted but we now have a baptismal date for one of our investigators on 12/31!  Robert Lewis is his name, he is such a great guy.  He lives in our apartment complex and we often see him walking around and on Wednesday, we were talking to him in the apartment building. I asked him if we could share a message with him and he said that we could!  We taught him the Restoration and on Friday we taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  He is very excited about his baptismal date and Elder Barlow and I are very, very excited too. Everyone keep Robert in your prayers.

     This week we had a Christmas themed Zone Conference on Tuesday.  Instead of trainings, President Miller opened the Conference to testimonies and musical numbers.  IT WAS SO AMAZING!  Definitely the spiritual boost that I needed.  The spirit in that chapel was tangible.  I was so touched by the testimonies of my fellow missionaries and I felt so much joy and love from and for my Savior.  And to top it all off, we got to go to the temple afterwards and not only for a session.  I got to participate in sealings, an endowment session, and initiatories!  I love the temple so, so, so, much and Tuesday was just extraordinary!  I especially loved the feelings inside the sealing room and was very grateful to be able to participate in the sealings of families who have passed on.  I know without a doubt in my mind that the temple is the House of the Lord.  It is the only place on Earth where heaven literally connects.

     Funny story of the week, sorta . . . . it snowed a ton!  We were helping shovel snow at our ward mission leaders home before we correlated.  After our meeting, we were about to go and I could not find our keys . . . After much searching in the snow, we could not find them.  So we are now keyless and our ward mission leader had to drive us to the mission home to get a spare key to our car.  Ha, ha so maybe we will get our keys back in the spring. Whoops!

     This Sunday was our primary program and nativity scene, which was fantastic!  I love Christmas time and the spirit that radiates in our souls, homes, and families.  I marvel how meek and humble our Savior's birth was and how He is the most influential person who has ever lived.  He accomplished the will of our Father so that WE could live with Him again.  So that WE can be with our families forever.  So that WE can become like Him.  So WE may have joy!  I love Him so much for that.  I know that He really does love each and everyone of us in the most perfect way.  MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Merry Christmas from Bellingham. MA

Zone Conference - December 13, 2016

Sister Carlisle and Elder Gutierrez

Elder Gutierrez and Elder Barlow at the Boston Temple

Nativity at the Boston Temple

John 3:16:  For God So Loved the World 

Week 24: Are We All Not Beggars?

     Mosiah 4: 19-20 "19: For behold, are we not all beggars?  Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind? 20: And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins.  And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain?  Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy."

     Recently, I have been able to think a lot about really how dependent I am on the Savior as a missionary, as a person, and as one of God's children.  I know my Savior, Jesus Christ payed the price so that we would not have to, and because of that I have so, so much joy!  Without Him, I am nothing and I can do nothing.

     Elder Barlow and I have had the opportunity to be tested and to rely on the Lord on every single aspect of this work this week.  It has been tough to find people to teach recently and I received some very great counsel from another missionary.  Elder Barlow and I NEED to involve the Lord in EVERY single aspect of our work here.  We need to have increased faith that the Lord is preparing people for us to teach, increased sincere prayers so the Lord can direct us to them, and more obedience and continual daily repentance so that we can be trusted by the Lord.  We are excited to make some changes in our work and be able to find those who are prepared here!

     It truly is so amazing to know that our Heavenly Father does not and will not abandon us.  He hears us and loves us!  I am so, so dependent on His grace and I am so thankful for this Christmas time to celebrate Christ's birth.  Yesterday was the Stake Christmas Choir event, I love Christmas hymns and it was such a great spiritual experience.  This week is going to be great and we are loving the Christmas spirit that is in the air!  Love you all!

Love,
Elder Gutierrez

Quincy Market - Downtown Boston

Downtown Boston on P-Day

Downtown Boston

Check Out Tom Brady's Car