Life at the "Table"

Hola hola!
Wow, it always seems like a load of news when I read your emails. I pray for the family, Grandma and Grandpa included. It's always fun to have the Rich and Kathy gang over for the holidays. That'll be a blast.
Some of the biggest news from this week is the mini mission tour that we had. Elder Quentin L. Cook, Walter F. Gonzalez, and Gary Stevenson came to visit our mission this past Friday. We all got together at a local chapel and they addressed just our mission. It was really cool. And they had great things to say, of course. And what they said actually wasn't anything new. Bishop Stevenson talked about Preach My Gospel's counsel to extend an invitation, promise blessings, and bear testimony. Then Elder Gonzalez (who has a funny Uruguayan accent) talked about the power of the Book of Mormon as a tool in finding, teaching, baptizing, and retaining. Elder Cook talked about removing foolishness from our lives, especially as younger missionaries enter the field. Then he said more about making powerful invitations to help people progress in the Gospel. And he also commented toward the end about how we are in the right place in our lives right now. Our family now and in the future will be blessed as a result of serving a mission. And actually typing that just now reminded me of a verse I read this morning in Mormon 3:1-2. As all the people were preparing for war and trying to make sure they were ready in every way possible, God tells Mormon that if they people will live the Gospel, He will preserve them. It's like saying, "I know you're guys are busying yourselves for war, and now you really need to give emphasis on religion." Seemingly they don't have a relation, but God will bless us in every aspect of our lives as we live the Gospel.
My companion and I spoke in our English ward sacrament yesterday and had a terrific response from the ward. A convert also shared his conversion experience and it really made sacrament meeting spiritual. All in all we had a decent week. Oh check this out: A few years ago, the Spanish ward I'm currently in had 68 baptisms in a year! This year it didn't get close to that, but it's crazy to think about the potential it has. I hope to be here for a long while.
Well, I love you all. I hope I answered your questions. Good luck with work and school and merry Christmas!

Yours truly,
Elder Gathro