What my mission has done for me

9/26  This week was great! We had a wonderful few visits with Eva Maria! After our first visit, she told us that she had made the decision that she is going to quit smoking! We have been following up since then every day, and she is doing so good! We set a new baptismal date with her for the 15th of October, and she is way motivated to be prepared this time. We are so excited for her! It has been such a blessing to be able to take part in her conversion. I still remember the first time we met her. She contacted us in a bus. We weren't even supposed to be on that bus, but God prepared everything so that she could find us. It's experiences like those that I will miss most about the mission.

All of our other investigators are still doing well. Manuel didn't make it to church this week, but he and his family are still progressing a lot. Alexia is still in the same position as always. I'll always be praying that her mom will let her get baptized soon. We are teaching Angel now, an adopted child of a member in our ward, and he has a baptismal date for the 29th of October. He's a really good kid. He's only 9, but he understands everything better than most people we teach. We also found a new family this week. The son is the one we started teaching. His name is Christian, and he is 20 years old. He is super good. He's really interested in our message, and really liked the restoration. We are excited to see how he and his mother progress.

Words can never describe what my mission has really done for me, but I hope to be able to do it justice. Before my mission, I didn't know the scriptures. I didn't know the Book of Mormon or the doctrine it taught. I didn't know the lessons in preach my gospel. I didn't know how to teach. I didn't have a true testimony. I was lost. I knew that I needed to serve a mission, although I didn't understand why, and I knew that I wanted to serve a mission. For some reason or another, I found myself in Barcelona, Spain without the slightest idea of what I had gotten myself into. I didn't speak Spanish, didn't know how to preach the gospel or how to be a missionary. Now, all of that has changed. Now, I know the scriptures, the Book of Mormon and the doctrines it teaches. I know the lessons in Preach My Gospel like the back of my hand. I now know how to teach the gospel to people who have never heard it before. Now I can say I have an unshakable testimony of the gospel, and I know who I am and what my purpose is. I know why I served a mission. I can truly say that I am my strongest convert. The lessons I have learned, the experiences I have had, the
people I have met, have all changed me for the better, and I will never forget them. I truly feel like the prodigal son in Luke 20 when his father said "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

Love you all so much! Thank you for all the support you have given me throughout my mission!

Sebastian's baptism

God knows and loves every one of His children

9/19  This week was a really good one. Despite the fact that we lost a couple days at the conference in Barcelona, we were able to have several effective lessons, one of which was with a new investigator named Juanita. We contacted Juanita in the streets several weeks ago and gave her a restoration pamphlet. Ever since then we have been calling her to try and set up a visit, but because of work were never able to. She did, However, comment on how she loved reading the pamphlet we left her over the phone. You can imagine how excited we were when we finally set a visit with her! We had a wonderful lesson on the restoration which she loved. The only issue is that she works taking care of an elderly woman on the weekends, and for now, can't come to church on Sundays. It's a minor challenge that we will overcome, but all in all, she is golden!

Quick update on other investigators: Eva is doing very good, and we finally got her hooked on the Book of Mormon. She was having a hard time understanding it, so we gave her the children's book with pictures, and she absolutely loves it. Still struggling with a few commandments, but we are getting somewhere! Manuel and his family made it to all three hours of church this week and really enjoyed it. It was great to see the members take care of them and make sure they were where they needed to be. We didn't have to do anything. They are progressing a lot as a family, and we have seen a huge improvement in the love we see between them. We switched things up a little with Alexia and she taught us the lesson last time. She really taught a super good lesson about prophets. Her mom is still pretty firm in her decision about not letting her get baptized until she finishes this year of school.

For the next two weeks I'd like to share a little about what my mission has taught me. First and foremost, my mission has taught me that God knows and loves every one of His children with a love that we cannot comprehend. I have seen that love when He has guided me to find those of His children who are prepared to receive the gospel in their lives. During my mission, I have been able to feel a portion of that love for those I have taught, and for the members I have served with. I have also felt the love our Savior has for all of us as I have seen those I have taught make the changes in their lives necessary to bring themselves closer to Him. I have seen the effect the atonement has in the lives of those people. I have seen the joy it brings. All in all, my experiences on my mission have helped me to come to know my Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ in a way no other experience could. I know that they know and love each one of us.

A baptism!

9/12  This week was incredible! I was blessed with the opportunity to baptize Sebastian, the son of Gary, a less active member. We were teaching Gary and his family for a long time and had formed a very strong relationship with them when they moved to another ward. On Wednesday, Gary called me and informed me that Sebastian was going to be baptized on Saturday and that he wanted me to to it. It was an incredible experience! The baptism went very well and was very spiritual. Gary played and sang a song on his guitar that he wrote. It was very well done. I could tell it was a very special moment for Sebastian and especially for Gary. We've formed a friendship with him that will last forever!

Our investigators are still doing well. Manuel is progressing slowly but surely as is Inma. Eva Maria still wants to get baptized a lot, but she is struggling a little with a few of the requirements. She absolutely loves everything about the church though. She calls us every single day, sometimes twice a day, to tell us how she is and how happy she is for getting to know the gospel. It's just a matter of time before she too gets baptized. We had a visit with Alexia this week. She finally spoke with her mom about when she can get baptized, and her mom said she needs to pass all of her classes this year. Needless to say, nobody is really happy about that, but it's something. Now she has a goal to shoot for, and we are going to help her with that goal. It's a bummer I won't see her baptism though...

One scripture that really stood out to me this week was Alma 17:3 which says: "But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God." That last part got me thinking about what gave their teaching power and authority, and how we can teach with power and authority today. While it's true prayer and fasting helped them, I couldn't help but think of something else that gave them the power and authority. As missionaries, we are literally called by a prophet of God to teach the gospel. With such a call comes authority to teach the word of God. However, the power comes from a different source. In order to teach with power, we need to have the spirit with us, and there is no better way to have the spirit with us than by being worthy of it. Thus, the authority in our teaching comes with the call, but the power comes through our obedience. If we want to be missionaries like Ammon and Aaron, we need to fast and pray as they did, but most importantly, we need to be as obedient as they were.

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

More prepared investigators

 9/5/16   This week was really good. We found a lot of really prepared people again, many of whom might have baptismal dates very soon. One such lady is named Delia. She was actually a reference from the elders in Ward 2. She has come to church once and has seen a baptismal service. She also has a ton of family in Bolivia who are members of the church. We had a really good first lesson with her. She commented that she believes there should only be one true church and was really confused as to why there are so many churches and so much confusion. She really liked the bit about how Joseph Smith felt the same way. At the end she said that she was going to read the Book of Mormon to see if it answered some of her questions.

Eva Maria is still in the process of preparing herself to be baptized. It seems like she may have lost a bit of enthusiasm ever since we told her that the word of wisdom is a requirement for baptism. We are still working closely with her. Her father has been sick for a long time and she has been at home taking care of him every weekend so she can't come to church, but she always comments that she wants to come. Manuel is doing good still. We had a good visit this week and plan to go over the family proclamation. We think that will help them a lot. We have faith that they will accept a baptismal date this week. Liliana, the investigator we passed to the other elders a while ago, just got baptized this weekend! It was an incredible service.

This week I learned a lot from the 4th chapter of gospel principles that talks about our freedom to choose. Our free agency is one of the greatest gifts God has given us, and it is the one thing he will never take away from us. Our agency is an essential part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. The gospel principles manual uses a really good example that I would like to quote: "Imagine seeing a sign on the seashore that reads: “Danger--whirlpool. No swimming allowed here.” We might think that is a restriction. But is it? We still have many choices. We are free to swim somewhere else. We are free to walk along the beach and pick up seashells. We are free to watch the sunset. We are free to go home. We are also free to ignore the sign and swim in the dangerous place. But once the whirlpool has us in its grasp and we are pulled under, we have very few choices. We can try to escape, or we can call for help, but we may drown." This is a great example that shows that when we chose to follow the commandments, we are given more opportunities, but when we chose not to follow the guidelines God has set for us, we lose opportunities. Our agency is so important, and it is essential that we use it properly. As it says in doctrine and covenants, when we do what the Lord commands of us, He is obligated to bless us, but when we don't, we don't have any promises.

Finding with faith

8/29/16  We had a really good week this week and found a lot of new people with a lot of potential. One lady we contacted and set up a new visit with told us on the phone that she had read the pamphlet we left her and loved it and really wants to visit with us now! We also had a really good visit with Rodrigo. He had been visiting with missionaries before but because of work, he lost contact with them. We are finding a lot of new people, and hope to continue finding more. We will be doing everything in our power to make sure that these investigators can progress.

We had a good visit with Manuel this week, and they came to church!! They all made it on time and stayed for the first two hours. The kids liked Sunday school. After Sunday school, Manuel asked us where we do baptisms. We went and showed them the baptismal font, and Inma was interested. We could tell she was contemplating. We have seen a ton of progression in this family over the past few weeks, and I really think they can be ready for baptism by the end of September.

We were able to teach the word of wisdom with Eva this week. She expressed that it will be difficult, but we made it clear that nothing is impossible with the Lord on our side. She has still been very busy taking care of her father who is recovering slowly, but she calls us at least once a day to see how we are doing and to report on how she is. She is super excited for her baptism, we just need to work with her a little bit to make sure she is ready. She'll get baptized for sure though.

One thing I learned this week is the true power faith has in finding those who are prepared. Chapter 9 in Preach My Gospel talks all about developing the faith to find. We always talk about it in district and zone meetings. It seems like we are always hearing about having the faith to find, but somehow we always seem to fall into the rhythm of things and contact people just because that's what we do. That's not finding with faith. When we contact people because we are truly looking for the people who are prepared, that is when the Lord blesses us with miracles, and that is when he puts those He has prepared in our path. This week we were truly trying to find those who the Lord has prepared, and He put several of them in our path. Now the next step is to teach them with the spirit so that they can receive a witness of the truthfulness of the message we carry. 

with Elder Mambo who just left for his mission in Argentina

Another golden investigator!

8/23  This week we found a wonderful family from Equatorial Guinea. Their names are Felix, Magdalena, and Rosario. They are relatives of a member who just recently passed away, and now they are interested in hearing more about the gospel. Our first visit with them was incredible! Even before we started teaching we could tell that this family has been prepared. They are so open and kind to us, and repeated many times that we are always welcome to come over whenever we want. Also, before we even started teaching, Felix began sharing some of his beliefs. He said he has always listened to people who preach the word of God because he knows that there should only be one church, seeing as though there is one bible and one God. His comments all throughout the first lesson were golden! We came to the end and invited them to read the Book of Mormon and ask God if it is true, and Felix said he didn't need to because he already knew it was true. We told him to ask anyways. They were a bit hesitant at accepting a baptismal date before they prayed together as a family, but they did accept the invitation to pray about baptism as a family and told us we would talk about it next time. Unfortunately they are on vacation this week, but we are excited for when they come back!

We had another really good visit with Manuel and Ima this week. We read with them in 3 Nefi 11, and you could tell they could feel the spirit. Manuel was really attentive and spiritual as usual, but the interesting part was that Ima was way calmer than she usually is. Usually, if we are trying to teach a point, she comes up with some sort of question to ask us, and comes up with a bunch of "what if" situations. This time, she was calm and quiet, and listened the whole time. She had a few questions, but when we answered them, she accepted the answers and we moved on. It was great to see that she is progressing little by little.

Eva is doing well. Unfortunately, her father was very ill this week and she had to take care of him all week. We were unable to visit with her, and she was unable to come to church. She still calls us every other day to see how we are doing. She is still reading and progressing, but we really need to teach her the commandments so that she can start to live them before her baptism. I'm a little worried about that, but I'm sure the Lord will prepare a way.

What I learned this week in the visit with Manuel is that there is no replacement for reading in the Book of Mormon. Every time we read the Book of Mormon with them, it invites the spirit and questions are answered. It's incredible how powerful a seemingly simple book can be! Throughout my mission I have seen how the Book of Mormon can change people. If an investigator who seems to have trouble understanding the doctrines of the lessons starts to read the Book of Mormon with real intent, it's incredible how that simple act opens their mind and understanding. Every time I see something like that happen, it strengthens my own testimony of the Book of Mormon. It truly is the most true book on the face of the planet.

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

A miracle with a plot twist

8/16  This week we saw another incredible miracle with a bit of a plot twist. We were walking down the street contacting with a member when we heard a woman calling us over to the other side of the street. We crossed to go talk to her. Her name is Delia and she told us that she has been here in Spain for 8 months, but just before she came she and her family were visiting with the missionaries in Honduras and she was just about to get baptized when she left for Spain. She told us that all her family members have been baptized in Honduras, and she is the only one missing. We set a visit with her a few days later, taught a wonderful first lesson, and set a baptismal goal for the 27th of August. She is so prepared! Then she threw us a curve ball and told us where she lives. She lives just crossing the line into the other elders' area. Though I don't understand why things like this keep happening, I know that if I don't do what I'm suppose to, I'll loose blessings. So, as hard as it was, I again passed her to the other elders. As I said when we did the same with Liliana, the most important thing is that she gets baptized. It doesn't matter which pair of missionaries does it.

Our other investigators are doing well. Manuel this week mentioned that this church is the church for him. He straight up told us that he has no objections, and that he has everything very clear. Ima on the other hand is full of doubts. Manuel says he will only get baptized if his whole family can be baptized together, but the issue is, the only way I can see his family progressing is if Manuel gives the example to follow by being baptized. We will continue to work with him on that.

Every visit we have with Eva Maria, she says that she can't wait to be baptized. She is absorbing everything we teach like a sponge. She came to all three hours of church this week and loved it. She also came to the family home evening again with the Mambo family. She is loving every part of the church. We are excited to help her with the word of wisdom this week, and help her get that much closer to baptism.

The lesson I have learned from my experiences this week is that the Lord uses us as tools in His hands to bring about His work. Delia was praying to find the missionaries. She needed to get baptized, so the Lord used us in order to find her. Although we won't be able to teach her, I am content knowing that we were able to be tools in the Lord's hands that were able to find her and answer her prayers. It is such a privilege as missionaries to be constantly blessed with the opportunity to follow spiritual promptings and answer people's prayers. The Lord knows those who are prepared, just as I said last week, and He uses us in order to find them.

My sheep hear my voice

8/8  This week while we were teaching Eva, we had a really cool experience. We were teaching her the plan of salvation and got to the part of our life here on earth. I was explaining the things we need to do here on earth: have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, etc. When I got to baptism, she commented that she had already been baptized. I began to explain how it is necessary to be baptized by someone with authority from God. She realized that the baptism she had had wasn't done with the authority, and asked right then and there if she could get baptized again. I was a little thrown off, because I was planning on setting a baptismal date at the end of the lesson, and her question kind of threw off the whole lesson plan, haha. We invited her right then to be baptized the first week of September, and she accepted. We had a wonderful lesson with her. She also came to church again this week and loved it. She really likes singing the hymns.

We had a really good lesson with Manuel and his wife this week as well. As I said before, Ima, his wife was holding him back a bit. We had a lesson to help her overcome her doubts that she had. She told us that she doesn't believe it's necessary to go to a church to worship. We talked about that for a while but it didn't seem like we could get anywhere. Finally I asked her if she really had the desire to know if the church of Jesus Christ was the church of God here on the earth. She said yes. We then read Alma 32:27 that says if you have no more than a desire to believe, let that desire grow within you. Then the whole attitude changed. We began explaining what she needed to do in order to let it grow, read the Book of Mormon, pray, and go to church. She admitted that she had never offered a personal prayer. That is exactly what we were looking for. We told her to start praying every day, and told Manuel to help her. Manuel kept saying "I'm going to convince her this week!". We have high hopes for this family. Manuel is definitely the one who will carry his family to the font! He is so ready!

This week I found a whole new meaning to the scripture in John 10. Verse 14 says: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." It brings us back to the principle that the Lord is preparing people, His sheep, in every area of the world. He knows who they are, but we don't. That outlines the great need for diligent missionaries who are dedicated to finding those of His fold. Later in verse 27 it says: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." This scripture was outlined by my experiences this week with Eva and Manuel. It is very clear that they recognize the message we bring to them. They are clearly prepared people who know and hear the voice of the  spirit testify of what we teach. I feel so blessed for the opportunity I have had to get to know them, and the opportunity that I continue to have in teaching them the restored gospel!

Zone conference

A golden investigator

8/1 This week we had a couple of good experiences. For starters, Liliana came to an activity in the chapel on Wednesday, and while we were sitting there she turned to me and asked "if I wanted to get baptized, how long would it take?" That is the one question that every missionary in the world wants to hear!! I let her know that it all depends on her. I told her that she needs to come to church at least twice, and that we have to teach her all of the lessons first, and as soon as we teach them, she could get baptized. She commented that she had been talking with Emilio, the member who gave us the reference, and that she wanted to prepare herself for baptism. I was so excited! We later came to find out that she has temporarily moved from her piso in our area to stay with a member the other elders' area. As hard as it was to pass such a miracle as Liliana to the other elders, we did it. The most important thing is that she gets baptized.

While we were on the rebound from losing Liliana, we managed to get ahold of a former investigator named Marisol, and we set a visit with her. We rang for her to let us in 3 times, and finally the door opened. We had a wonderful visit with her! She told us that she and her son Jose were visiting with the missionaries for a while, but then they suddenly stopped coming and she didn't understand why. She was working weekends at that time and couldn't go to church on Sundays, so she lost contact with the church. We taught a wonderful lesson on the restoration, and at the end, she offered to say the prayer! In her prayer she gave thanks for sending the missionaries to her home, and asked that we continue to pass by. She was super nice, and we believe she has a lot of potential. She is still working weekends, but that's nothing we can't fix.

About our other investigators, well, little has changed. We are still trying to figure out when Alexia can get baptized. Manuel is doing well, and every time he answers the phone he sounds excited, but his wife was startled by the baptismal goal for August and has taken a few steps back. We are afraid she is holding Manuel back a little, but we will keep working with them.

In my studies a few days ago, I studied chapter 3 in Mosiah. This chapter had never really stuck out to me before, and I can't seem to figure out why. Verses 5-11 are one of the most detailed prophesy of the atonement of Christ that I have yet found in the scriptures. Verse 8 says; "And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning." This is one of the first times the name Jesus Christ is used in the Book of Mormon. Reading this chapter strengthened my testimony so much of our Savior Jesus Christ! My testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened too. As it says on the cover, the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Chapter 3 of Mosiah is a perfect example of that. Every time I read the Book of Mormon my testimony grows in all aspects of the gospel. There is a reason it is called the keystone of our religion!

 The main plaza in Valencia

Blessings from Heaven

7/26  We had a wonderful week this week! We found two people that seem to have appeared out of nowhere with no apparent correlation to the work we have been doing. I call those miracles. On Tuesday, we got on a bus, and no sooner had we sat down, than a lady sitting in front of us asked us if we were Mormons. We responded hesitantly because usually one of two situations occurs after that question. She got really excited when we said yes and asked for the address of the chapel in Valencia. She told us that she had met with missionaries before, but lost contact with them and wanted to come to a service. Her name is Eva. We exchanged information and she said she would for sure come on Sunday. On Saturday, I called her just to confirm. She was in a meeting and didn't answer but 30 minutes later she called back and told us not to worry, that we would see each other on Sunday. Sunday came and it was time to catch the bus to the chapel. We got on, and Eva was right there to greet us. She really enjoyed sacrament meeting. Unfortunately she couldn't stay for the next hours, but she said that next week she probably could. We are pumped to start up with her!

The other miracle is a woman named Liliana. She was a reference from Emilio Mambo, a strong member. He was in Zaragoza for a few weeks working in an orchard, and it's there where he met Liliana. There were 4 other members working there, so every Sunday Liliana would go to church with them. She even started considering herself a member. Emilio told us he had planned to take her to an activity in the chapel, and so we went there to wait for them. After 30 minutes, they still hadn't come, so we were planing on going to our next visit. As we were leaving the chapel, I had a super strong impression that we needed to reschedule the other visit and wait longer. So we did. They came 10 minutes later and we were able to get to know her and teach her. She came to church on Sunday with Emilio. We are pumped for her too!

One thing that I was reminded of this week is the importance of hard work and obedience. Throughout my mission I have noticed a pattern: when we work as hard as we can and do what we are suppose to, it's like filling a celestial bank account of blessings. As long as we keep doing what we are suppose to, the Lord will pour out blessings upon us when the moment is right. The two people we found this week had nothing to do with our efforts. They seem to have fallen from heaven. Definitely miracles from our Father in Heaven! It's like it says in Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord is bound when we do what he says, but when we don't we can't expect any promises.

City of Arts and Sciences building in Valencia

The gift of agency

7/18  This week was a bit trying. Although we were planning on a baptism with Alexia, in the end, it didn't happen. To make a long story a little bit shorter, she left for girls camp on Tuesday expecting to get back Saturday and get baptized. When she got home her mom decided to change her mind, and told her she couldn't get baptized. We called her to tell her that everything was all set up and ready to go, and that's when she told us that her mom wanted to talk with us. We planned to go there with Hermano Buffoni, but later he called us and told us that it would be best if we put it off for a few days. I don't understand why it happened the way it did, but what I do know is that Alexia was devastated. We talked with Alexia on Sunday and she said that she was hoping we might be able to do it this week. So we are going to do all we can to make sure that happens.

My new companion Hermano Mora is super fun! He is from Costa Rica, and has been living in Santander for a few months. He's 19 and already working on his mission papers (he's serving for 6 weeks as a mini missionary). He told me that he use to go out with the missionaries almost every day in Costa Rica, and he knows a lot about missionary work. He's very spiritual in lessons and in the streets, and he always knows exactly who we need to talk to. I'm excited for the next 5 weeks with him. I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot with him.

This week I learned just how important our free agency is in the Plan of Salvation. Our agency is the one of the greatest gifts God has given us, and it is one thing that he will never take away. Our agency is a key part to our purpose in this mortal life. Our purpose is to be tested to see if we will use our agency to follow Christ. Unfortunately, some people chose not to follow Christ, and sometimes those decisions affect other people. But I know that God will always bless us for choosing to do the right thing. He always blesses us for following His commandments, and although other people's decisions can sometimes affect our lives in a negative way, if we chose to follow God, we will be blessed.

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

4 mini missionaries with their companions in Valencia -- 28 missionaries returned home last transfer, so 16 mini missionaries are serving for 6 weeks to help fill in for full time missionaries until new missionaries arrive next transfer

Personal testimony is the strongest tool

7/12   Another great week to be here in Valencia! Unfortunately, Manuel and his family were busy yet again all week long, and we were unable to visit them. We keep contact with them though, and they are anxious for us to come visit this next week. On the more positive side, we found another golden investigator!! Her name is Virginia. We actually found her and her son David on the streets a few weeks back, but this week we finally had our first visit with them. She is so prepared! In our visit she said that she felt like God had sent us to visit her at the perfect time in her life. We agreed!  She mentioned that she had been baptized in an evangelical church about a year ago, but she didn't fully agree with all the things the church did. She also admitted to being very confused over the doctrine of the trinity. She didn't understand how God, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit were all the same person. I was more than happy to explain to her that that's not how it really is. At the end of the lesson she accepted a baptismal date for the 30th of July, and we are going to work with her to make sure that baptism happens!

Alexia's baptism is happening for sure this weekend. We had to do the interview on Monday because she is going to girl's camp this week and won't get back till Saturday. She passed the interview with flying colors. We have already been working to prepare the program and the service so that it is something very special for her. She has been waiting a very long time, and everyone in the ward is very excited for her!

Elder Lightfoot and I have had a wonderful time together here in Valencia. We've found a lot of people with a lot of potential and had many fun experiences. It's a shame that our time together has come to an end, but it was bound to end some day. I am really thankful for all the things I have learned from him and hope I can apply them with my new companion.

One thing I learned this week is the power of personal experiences and testimony in lessons. I was doing an intercambio with Elder Gonzalez, and we had a really powerful lesson with a very less active member. Elder Gonzalez first shared a personal experience and his testimony of the Book of Mormon, then I shared how I received my testimony of the Book of Mormon. By the time we had finished testifying the spirit was so strong!  And then, just as we have been counseled, we ended with a prayer and got out of there while the spirit was still strong. I know that this member felt it, and I know he'll note the difference when it's not there. As missionaries and members, our testimonies are literally the strongest tool we have, and the interesting thing is that it grows stronger and stronger every time we use it. There's a reason missionaries return with undeniable testimonies, and it's because we are constantly strengthening them by sharing them with other people. If there is one thing that has changed most about me over these last 20 months, it's my testimony. It is such a blessing to serve the Lord and in return, He grows our testimonies.

My burden is light

7/4  Yet another marvelous week here in Valencia! Manuel and his family are doing better that ever! We had a wonderful lesson this week about reading, praying, and coming to church. Manuel really took it to heart. He is definitely the strength of the family. Unfortunately his wife seems a little standoffish at the moment. She is opening up little by little, especially when she sees how important it is for Manuel. Manuel has gone through a lot of bad things in his life, so I can tell he recognizes the difference learning about the gospel is making in his life. His progression is slow, but he has come a long way since we first met him.

In church yesterday we were given a huge surprise!  We have been teaching a woman named Mary ever since I got here. She is pretty interested, but she works taking care of elderly people every Saturday and Sunday and can't leave the house the whole weekend. As such she has never been able to come to church. But yesterday, just as the sacrament was finishing, she walked in and sat next to us. It was totally unexpected, and it was so good to see her there!  She really enjoyed it and said she would do what she could to come more often. That was a huge blessing to have her in church. We honestly think that that was the one thing impeding her progression, and now we are excited to continue teaching her and bringing her to church!

Elder Lightfoot and I are having a great time here in Valencia. We have seen a lot of miracles together, and have worked and made progress with a lot of people. Alexia is one of those people. We have worked so hard with her, and we finally got her mom to say yes to baptism. She is still super happy about the 16 of July. We are already getting the program all worked out. This is going to be a very special baptismal service for Valencia. Alexia has been waiting for years for this moment, and we want to make sure it is as special as we can make it for her.

Yesterday in elders quorum, Carlos gave a really good lesson about our hearts. He started out giving a lot of scientific facts about our hearts and how they can receive information (or feelings) and transmit it to the brain. He taught that in order to find God, we have to have a prepared heart. He then explained how we can prepare our heart. He taught that we need to be meek and humble just as little children. We need to forgive others and throw out all the things of the world. We need to study the scriptures and pray. We need to come unto the Savior. One scripture that he used is one of my favorites: Mathew 11:28-30 which reads: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. I love this scripture because it teaches us that if we humble our hearts and center them on Christ, He will make our burdens light. I know that that is true. He has certainly made my burdens light, and I know He will do the same to all those that come unto Him. I love having the opportunity to help those with heavy burdens find rest in the Lord. It is one of the greatest blessings to see the relief in people's eyes when they receive divine help.

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

Christ-like charity

6/27  This week we had a very spiritual experience with Sandra. We had a visit planned with Manuel and his family, but as soon as we got to the pueblo, they told us they weren't at home. We decided to pass by Sandra because she lives in the same pueblo. We went and sat on a bench outside, and she opened up to us. She told us about all of the trials she is going through with sickness, economical stress and feeling alone. She told us that she doesn't have work, and there is no income for food or for rent. As she started to cry she said "but I know that we aren't alone, and that the Savior is helping us. I know that everything will be alright". When I heard the faith of this recent convert of only 1 month, I could hardly hold back tears. Even when she is going through a near impossible situation, she still holds firmly to her faith in the Savior.

Later this week, when we had commented about her situation to our ward mission leader, he called us and told us he had a large bag of food for Sandra and her family, and asked us when we could take it to her. It amazed me how quickly and selflessly he prepared that bag. That may have been one of the most Christ like demonstrations of charity I have seen my whole mission. Our ward mission leader isn't in the best economic situation either, yet he was so willing to buy all of that food for a family who was in need. My testimony of charity was increased by that experience.

Manuel and his family are doing good. They were busy this week and didn't have time to visit, but we will be visiting them tomorrow. Also, a little update on Jorge, he and his family ended up moving to Logroño, which is really far away. I'm sure the missionaries up there will do a great job teaching them. We visited with Dario and his family in the doorway, and have another visit with them this week. They seem promising. Alexia is as good as ever. She is really excited for her baptism on the 16th of July, and the whole ward is excited too.

This week, my testimony about the importance of having the spirit with us as we teach was reinforced. Every time we try to teach a lesson in an environment without the spirit, it reminds me of how insignificant we are as teachers. In the worldwide mission conference a few months back I remember Elder Bednar commenting that our role as missionaries is to give way for the spirit to enter into the hearts of the people we teach, and that is how they will learn. In D&C 42:14 it says; "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." That really emphasizes the importance of having the spirit in our lessons. If we don't have it, we shouldn't teach. The spirit is the true teacher. Even if we can teach with all logic and clarity, without the spirit, our investigators will never gain a testimony.

After all we can do

6/20  We had another great week here in Valencia!  Manuel and his family are progressing so well. We had a few good visits with them where they asked a ton of questions. I love it when investigators ask lots of questions because it means they are interested.  We were able to arrange things for them to make it to church yesterday as well. It was so good to see the whole family sitting in a row in sacrament meeting!  They really enjoyed it. They had to leave after the first hour, but said that they would love to keep coming back. We are really hoping to set a baptismal date with them this week and help them with the Word of Wisdom. They are a wonderful and humble family, and the gospel is just what they need in their life right now.

Unfortunately, Jorge and his family are still out of town. We got ahold of them on the phone and they said that there is a possibility Jorge may get a job in another city, and if he does, they will be moving there. We are hoping to continue teaching them when they get back, but if they do end up moving, I'm sure the missionaries there will baptize them. Also, we saw Dario and his daughter in the street the other day. We hadn't been able to get ahold of him since we contacted them and, as it turns out, we wrote down his number wrong. He was happy to see us and wondered why we hadn't called. We have a visit set with him this week and are also really excited for his family!

One thing I learned this week is the importance of our works in our own salvation. Many Christian faiths teach that it is only by the grace of God and our Savior that we are saved. Some say that it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we say we believe in Christ, he will save us. There's a scripture in 2 Nephi 25:23 that explains this subject very clearly. It says; "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." While it is true that we would have absolutely no way of reaching the heavens without grace, our own works play a big part in our personal salvation. There is a reason God gave us commandments and guides us through living prophets. It's because He knows that in order to return to His presence, we have to exercise our personal agency to follow Him. We have to show by our works that we accept the atonement of Jesus Christ and that we want to follow him. As missionaries, it's our responsibility to help people understand this principle.  I love teaching the plan of salvation because it helps people understand how important it is that we submit ourselves to the will of the Father in this life.

Following spiritual promptings

6/14  This week we had an amazing experience. We were contacting for a while one day, and then I had the thought to try and reenact the situation in which we found Jorge and his family last week. So we went to the same street at the same time of day, and walked the same direction. What I at first thought to be a childish desire for an experience similar to the one we had last week turned out to be revelation from the spirit. When we reached the same block that we had found Jorge and his family on, we found Dario and his family. They are a wonderful family from Ecuador. Unfortunately we were unable to visit them again this week, but we are really excited for them.
I think the biggest miracle that happened this week happened on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, we showed up to choir practice and a member had brought someone she had met on the train that day. They were going to some classes they had in the chapel. The man later asked us if we could visit with him and his uncle's family the next day. The next day, we went out to the pueblo where we had set up to meet, and unfortunately Hector, the man we were suppose to meet there didn't show up, but the member who was with us, Maria Concepcion, knew where his uncle's family lived because she had visited with them the day before. So we went to their house and found the mom and the daughters outside the door cleaning the lobby of their building. We all went up together to meet the father Manuel, and taught a good lesson on the Book of Mormon. This family has a lot of potential. They are a very humble family, and likely don't have means of transport, but I think they have a desire to know the truth. We are really excited for these three new families we have found over the last few weeks! I love teaching families!

The one thing I learned this week is the importance of following spiritual promptings. The scriptures teach us that the spirit will show us "all things that we] shall do". Especially as missionaries, seeing as though missionary work is literally done by the spirit, it is absolutely necessary that we follow spiritual promptings that come to us during the day. Sometimes we worry ourselves questioning whether what we are feeling is just our own thoughts or if it is a prompting coming from the spirit. Elder Bednar gave a wonderful talk on that He said; "be a good boy, and stop worrying about it". In essence, if we are living the commandments and doing what we are suppose to do, we can be certain that the good ideas that come to our mind about what we should do is the spirit. Imagine if I had blown off the idea to try and reenact the situation in which we found Jorge. Although it seemed unrealistic, had we not done it, we wouldn't have found Dario and his family. I am a firm believer that the spirit is always guiding us. If we follow his promptings, we will receive them more often, and we will see miracles.

Teach the word of God with all diligence

6/6  We found an amazing family this week. Many of our visits had been falling through, so we were spending a lot of time in the streets. On Thursday, we were on our way back to piso for lunch, and decided to do one more contact. It was a family from Bolivia. They stopped and talked to us, and were really receptive to our message. When we asked when we could pass by to teach them more, they invited us back the next day! We went the next day with a member, and taught a wonderful first lesson. The spirit was strong, and they could feel it as well. At the end of the lesson we invited them to be baptized, and after thinking about it for a few seconds, they accepted! The three of them, Jorge, Liliana, and Mateo are now preparing to be baptized for the end of this month. We are super excited for them!

Elder Lightfoot and I are teaching much more in unity now. We are both participating equally in lessons and contacts. Even with the recently divided area, instead of having less work, it seems like we are getting more. Elder Gonzalez and Elder Miller are tearing it up, and we have found more people with potential this week than any week before. Valencia 1 is growing so fast! It will be incredible to see what we can achieve between the 4 of us these next few months!

This week, there was one scripture that really stood out to me in Jacob 1:19. "And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." I think many times I have taken for granted the importance and seriousness of my calling as a missionary. My companion and I are literally the only two people in our assigned area that know the truth and are charged with the responsibility of spreading it. If we don't fulfill that calling to the best of our ability, who will? The Lord has put us in charge of this part of His fold, and we need to do everything in our power to share His truth with everyone, because if we don't, we will be held responsible. The call we receive as missionaries can't be taken lightly. That really spoke to me this week.

Eating Paella at the ward barbeque

At a local park with other missionaries from his district

How great shall be your joy

5/31  We had a great week this week! We worked hard to prepare Sandra, Gloria, and Ana for their baptism, and it all paid off. Although everyone got there late, the baptism was great! The spirit was so strong, and afterwards the 7 year old daughter kept asking when she could get baptized. This is a wonderful family that we have really come to love in the past few weeks. It's incredible how fast you can get to know people and grow to love them while teaching them the everlasting gospel. The message we carry truly is a message of love and happiness.

Even after the three baptisms, our area is still full of potential! We have been looking at our teaching records, and it looks like there is potential to see another 3 baptisms in the coming month. Two of those baptisms are for sure going to happen. The work here in Valencia is moving forward at a fast pace. It is such a privilege be able to be here and witness it progress seemingly on its own.

Elder Lightfoot and I are working well together. We seem to compliment each other very well. Where one of us is weak, the other is strong. We are working hard, and finding joy in the work. We are really excited to receive 2 new missionaries here and to see the work progress even more with their help and inspiration.

This week, the privilege of taking part in three baptisms really taught me about the reality of the joy that missionary work brings. As missionaries, we are so blessed to be able to take part in the saving of souls. Sometimes it is easy to forget about how much of a blessing it truly is when our visits fall through, or when we are rejected in the streets, but the truth is all of the good things we see as missionaries far outweigh the bad. It's like Doctrine and Covenants says in section 18 verses 15-16: "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" Those verses explain perfectly the lesson I learned this week. I am so thankful for the wonderful opportunity to be a missionary and to have taken part in teaching that wonderful family!

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

Preparing for baptism

5/23  This week was fabulous! We had a few really good lessons with Sandra and her three daughters Gloria, Ana, and Wendy. Ana has been taking notes while we teach and then reviews them with us after the lesson. Wendy is only 7 and has so much energy, but she's been getting better at sitting still and listening. We had a great visit with them on Sunday with our ward mission leader. We taught them the law of chastity, the word of wisdom and the law of tithing. During the lesson, Ana made a comment about how her mom sometimes mixes wine with Fanta. Sandra then told her to bring the bottle of what she was referring to. When Ana walked back in the room she was holding a bottle of Horchata de Chufa. Everyone was laughing so hard! Sandra assured us that she has never smoked in her life, then her 7 year old daughter supported her by saying "me neither!" Haha. We really have come a long way in our relationship with this family and are really excited to see their baptism this weekend!

We are also working closely with Alexia and her mom. Alexia said that she is 100% certain that she wants to get baptized either this weekend or the next. Now all we need is the green light from her mom, and she can get baptized the next day. Our ward mission leader Hermano Bufoni said he was going to take care of things, so I guess we'll see what happens.

This week I was studying a lot in chapter 38 of Alma. I really love the advice he gives to his son Shiblon. Verses 3 and 4 really relate to what we do as missionaries and bring me a lot of comfort: "3 I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the Zoramites.

4 For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee." The Lord really is with us through our challenges, and He always helps us overcome them. As missionaries we face a lot of trials, but if we are patient and diligent, we will receive blessings. I'm so blessed to be seeing some of those blessings now.

The Lord is aware of our needs

5/16  This week was we saw such a huge miracle! We had a very important visit with an investigator and her mom, and at the last minute, the man who was going to help us with the visit told us he couldn't come. We were in a panic to find another member who could help us, so we called everyone, but nobody could help us. We decided to go pass by another member's house nearby to see if he could come, but he wasn't home. We finally decided to go to the visit and hopefully teach in a park or something. Right as we got to the front door, a member drove by and asked us if we needed help. He parked his car and came and helped us with the visit. We had an excellent lesson with Alexia and her mom who won't let her get baptized. They are going to set some goals and pray together to figure it all out.

We also had a really good visit with Sandra and her 3 daughters Gloria, Ana, and Wendy. They are a great family from Nigeria, and they have a baptismal date for the 28th of May! We are really excited about them! When we first talked to Sandra she told us that she really wanted her kids to grow up in the gospel and get baptized. When we asked her if she wanted to get baptized she said "why not!" I'm really excited to work with them and help them prepare for baptism.

It was incredible to see the Lord's hand in the work!. That experience I had this week really strengthened my faith. The Lord knew that we needed a member for that visit, but we needed to do everything in our power first before He put someone in our path. Had we not spent that time trying to call everyone we knew, and had we not passed by the other member's house first, we wouldn't have been where we needed to be when the member drove by who helped us. I learned this week that the Lord is very aware of our needs, and He always has a way for us to meet those needs. Our part is to do everything in our power to obtain what we need, then move forward with faith.

Having fun at an escape room on Preparation Day

The importance of hard work

5/9  This week was incredible! Although it had a really slow start, we had a super good week. We had a ton of set visits, and we ate a lot with members the whole week, but we didn't have a whole lot of time to find. On Saturday and Sunday, we went to work really hard in the streets, and we found 7 news in 2 days! The Lord blessed us so much this week to be able to meet our goals. There was no way we would have been able to meet those goals if it weren't for all the blessings we received.

Elder Lightfoot and I working well together, and we are seeing a lot of miracles. We get along really well, and work really well in unity.

The one thing I learned this week is the importance of hard work. As missionaries if we set high goals, then don't do the hard work necessary to achieve those goals, we will almost never achieve them. When we set inspired goals, that means the Lord will always prepare a way to achieve them. However, if we don't do our part to reach them, we can't expect the Lord to do everything. When we work as hard as we can, it shows the Lord our faith that the goals we were inspired to set are achievable, and the Lord will help us. We experienced that this week.

Recognizing answers to prayer

5/2  This week was a little crazy. Mostly just because it was my first week here in Valencia with Elder Lightfoot. I have a good idea of the area now, and I'm excited to get to work this week! We visited with an investigator named Sylvester who has been investigating for a while now. The hardest thing with him is that he is convinced that if God is going to answer him, he will do it through visions and dreams. We've had a hard time convincing him otherwise, but at the end of the visit, I challenged him to kneel down and ask God if Joseph Smith was a prophet, if the Book of Mormon is true, and if he should get baptized in this church, then told him to stay on his knees and wait for a few minutes. When we talked to him on Sunday after church, he admitted that he did feel something. He described it as a peace in his heart. When we asked him if he thought that could have been his answer, he thought about it for a while, then said no. The important thing is that after we explained that that is the way we receive answers, he thought for a while and then told us he was going to try it again, and if he got the same answer, he would consider it. I think he will be baptized very shortly.

Elder Lightfoot and I get along great! We help each other out with our weaknesses, and work really well together. He is a really funny elder, and has a great relationship with the members of the ward, and people in our area. I can tell he has worked hard to get our area to where it is now, and there is a lot of potential here. I am sure we will see a ton of miracles.

The main thing I learned this week was that God answers our prayers. Although sometimes he answers them in ways we don't expect, he will always answer us. Sylvester was a perfect example of that this week. The feelings he described to us were very clearly an answer to his prayer. Sylvester is very sincere, and we can tell that he has true intent to know the truth. The only issue is helping him recognize his answer. I know that if we pray in faith, and do everything in our
power to obtain an answer to our prayers, God will give us that answer. One of my favorite quotes is by President Gordon B. Hickley: "Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work".

A visit to the aquarium in Valencia

 

 

Welcome to Valencia!

4/26  So as you know this week was transfer week and as sad as I was, I got transferred from Tarragona. I'm writing all of you from Valencia now. There are three wards here and I am in Valencia 1 with Elder Lightfoot from South Jordan Utah! Of the little I have seen and heard of Valencia, I feel like I am going to love it! There is a lot of paella here, and it gets super hot! I'm excited to get to know the area, and make new friends with the families here. It was really hard to leave Tarragona though.

The lessons I learned in Tarragona will never be forgotten. There is where I truly learned the importance of having a good relationship with the members. I learned what it means to work hard. I learned the importance of diligence and perseverance. I learned that when things don't always go the way you planned, it's because the Lord has better plans for us. I will never forget the friendships I formed, and more importantly, the changes I have seen people go through. Saying goodbye to Pamela was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in the mission. She has grown so much and it is truly incredible to see how much she has progressed since her baptism. I know that she will be a very strong member.

Anyways, I love you all! Don't have much time thanks to travel, but I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

Sant Jordi in Tarragona -- over 120 Book of Mormons given out!

The powerful testimony of a 9 year old

 4/18  Yesterday I had two of the most incredible experiences I have ever had my whole mission! The first one happened in the Hospitalet stake conference. It was super good to see all of the members and people I got to know in my second area of Vilafranca. Right as the conference was starting, Monica and her kids walked in and sat in the front. Monika is an investigator who Elder Jonson and I found and taught a year ago. She progressed a ton, and her son Esteban was just about to be baptized when I was transferred to Burgos. Well in the middle of the meeting, the stake president invited a few people up to bear their testimonies, one of which was Esteban! He is only 9 years old, and bore the most beautiful testimony I have ever heard, encouraging all of the members to invite their friends to church and thanking the first missionaries who came into their home and helped them find the gospel. I always thought that I had left Vilafranca without making that much of a difference, but when I heard this 9 year old's testimony, I almost cried. After the conference, Monika and Esteban came to greet me with the biggest grin on their faces. We spoke for a while, and I came to find out that ever since they have been baptized they have done a ton of work with family history and have a super strong testimony of it. That was definitely one of the most emotional experiences I have had!

After the conference, to make a long story short, Tortosa had a potential baptism in the chapel in Barcelona. After waiting around for a while, Dani, the investigator who was going to be baptized, told us he was on his way. Unfortunately, due to other people pressuring him and telling him not to get baptized, he came not so sure that he was going to do it. Despite that fact, I felt impressed to send the zone leaders a text telling them to fill the font. Dani came, we gave him a tour of the beautiful chapel in Barcelona 1 and then I did the interview. The interview went very well. I helped him understand that Satan was trying really hard to stop him from getting baptized, and shared a few scriptures that helped him. After the interview, despite the fact that he passed with flying colors, he made it clear that he wasn't going to be baptized that day. However, I still felt the distinct impression that he should see the baptismal font full of water all ready to go. So Elder Barton, he and I went in to look over the water. He went down the stairs and felt the water. We must have been in there talking with him for over 30 minutes. The spirit was so strong as we sat there staring over the waters of baptism in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, and he admitted that right then he had received an answer that he needed to be baptized. He commented that he really wanted to "get dressed in white and get baptized". The only thing that was stopping him is that his wife is totally against him being baptized, and he doesn't want to cause problems. We agreed that he would talk with her and fix everything so that he could get baptized next week. It was a very spiritual experience, and I believe whole heartedly that he will be baptized next weekend.

If there is one thing I learned from my experience with Dani this week, it's that we can always receive answers to any question as long as we are willing to show that we have real intent. Dani had been praying, reading and going to church, but still claimed he hadn't received anything telling him he needed to be baptized. It wasn't until he was practically in the font that he received the spiritual confirmation he was looking for. I remember Elder Bednar saying that circumstances like that are a perfect example of the water parting when your feet are wet. When we show by our works that we are willing to do whatever it takes to get an answer, God will always give us that answer. Sometimes, the answer doesn't come until after the trial of our faith. Just as Ether 12:6 says, we can't expect to receive a testimony until after the trial of our faith. God will always answer us, but it's up to us if we are willing to act in order to receive it.

A year and a half of practice is finally paying off ...

4/11 We had a good week this week. We found a few people with a lot of potential this week, one of which is named David. He is a super nice Peruvian who invited us in to teach him while he was hanging up laundry. He is very open and receptive. We hope to be able to continue teaching him and seeing him progress in the gospel. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to us, Jose sent us a text this week saying that he doesn't want to continue with the discussions. We suspect it might be the family that doesn't approve, but he did say he would continue reading and call us in the near future. He'll get baptized some day, that's for sure. We also had a good visit with Ana in which we invited her to pray and ask for a specific date that she could be baptized. We are excited this week to see what her answer was.

Elder Cullimore and I are working well together and we both continue to grow more every day, both spiritually and physically (lots of eating visits...). Our finding and teaching skills have really been fine tuned, and we work very efficiently now. We are teaching a ton of lessons in the streets, and when we manage to get into a visit, we teach and testify with power. I feel like the year and a half of practice is finally paying off, and now is when I need to thrust in my sickle with my might. I have seen a lot of miracles and blessings in the work here in Tarragona, and have seen many people's lives changed due to the gospel. It is so marvelous being a missionary here!

This week my studies seemed to have a similar theme: repentance. I really learned a ton about the miracle of repentance and forgiveness. There truly is nothing in the world that brings more sadness and guilt than does breaking the commandments and sinning against our Heavenly Father. When we do so, the spirit departs from us, and we are left feeling empty and alone. The miracle is that there is a way, and only one way, that we can get rid of that empty feeling and regain the presence of the Holy Ghost. That way is through true and honest repentance. Mosiah 26: 30 teaches us the mercy our Heavenly Father has for us: "Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me". I came to realize this week that there truly is no other way that we can get rid of the sadness that comes with sin other that repentance. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to become clean and correct every mistake we have made in our lives. It isn't always easy, but because of our Savior it is possible. That is the miracle of forgiveness.

The importance of eternal families

4/4  We had a rather successful week this week. We didn't have many set visits, so we spent a lot of time in the streets. Normally spending as much time in the streets as we did is rough, but we saw a ton of success this week in contacting. We were able to talk to and teach several people every day. We found a lot of people that would actually listen to us, several of which actually have a lot of potential to progress. By the end of the week, we had taught a total of 27 lessons just in the streets. That is a lot more than I have seen before. We were also able to find several news in the streets. We worked hard, and made sure no time was wasted, and the Lord blessed us for it. I definitely recognized a power outside of my own at hand in the work we were able to do this week.

Our investigators are doing very well. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit with Ana this week, but are excited to visit her this week. Jose now has a baptismal date for the 23rd of April, and continues to study and read the Book of Mormon faster than I can keep up with him.

The main thing that stuck out to me from general conference is that the family is the most important thing in God's plan. There were countless talks given on the importance of families, and how we can work to strengthen them. As I was reflecting on that, I came to realize just how important having an eternal family is for me. As I think back on all of the memories I have created in 20 years on this planet, the best memories were always made with family close by. Really, I can't imagine what this mortal life would be like without strong family relationships; furthermore, imagine what eternity would be like without them.  That would be very hard for me. Reflecting on that helped me realize just how much our Father in Heaven really loves us. He cares about us so much that He has prepared a way to make these relationships that are so important to us  eternal. As long as we are true to sacred covenants made in the temple, our families truly can be together forever. That knowledge alone is a huge building block of my testimony of the restored gospel. What a beautiful belief!

The view in Tarragona every day -- never gets old!

 

 Elder Male & Elder Cullimore

Semna Santa in Catalunya

3/28  We had a marvelous week this week with the mission wide goal of finding 8 news each companionship. At the beginning of the week, we were having a really hard time getting anything to work. It seemed like all of our visits failed, and nobody wanted to talk to us in the streets, however, we kept working. By Wednesday, we had only taught a handful of lessons, and hadn't found a single new. That's when everything started to turn around. Thursday we had a couple good visits, and were able to find one new. Friday, we had several great lessons and found two. By Saturday, I figured we would reach the goal, but I thought it was going to be a last minute thing. I was figuring we would find 3 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday, but I was wrong. Saturday, we had a few visits fall through, but we had a ton of success finding. By the end of the day we had found 5 new investigators and achieved the goal of 8 in the week. Sunday we were able to find one more to finish off with 9 in the week! It was so amazing to see all of those blessings pay off! A rather humbling experience!

Elder Cullimore and I are teaching very well together. We have several investigators who are likely to get baptized really soon. One of which is Ana. She is very intelligent, and understands and remembers everything we teach her. It's really incredible. We are also teaching a man named Jose, who before meeting with us had read all the way through the gospel principles handbook along with many other church manuals. He is very interested in the church, and is constantly researching and studying about it. He has a lot of potential as well.

On a cultural note, Semana Santa is really big here in Tarragona. Tarragona actually has the largest celebration in Catalunya. On Friday, we were able to get a real close look at the largest procession of the week in the old part of the city by the cathedral. It was super cool to see the traditional robes and cloaks that they wear and see all of the floats and drums. It's really cool that each float they carry represents a specific event that happened in the last moments of Christ's life. For example the last supper, the suffering in the garden of  Gethsemane, etc. it was by far the coolest experience I have had yet in Spain! I hope to one day see it again.

In celebration of Easter, I thought I would share a little on the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Almost 2000 years ago, the most important event in the entire history of the world took place. Almost 2000 years ago Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, pains, and afflictions in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was betrayed by one of His chosen apostles. He was spat upon, beaten, judged, and scourged. On the cross He was crucified and gave His own life. In His last moments He even forgave those who tortured Him. Then, miraculously, three days later, with His infinite power, He broke the bands of death and rose from the tomb. The most miraculous thing of all is that by doing this, He made it possible for every human who has ever lived, and who will ever live on this earth, to be resurrected. Everyone, no matter what they do in this life, will be resurrected and live forever. His suffering before His death made something else possible. Something even more glorious and magnificent than immortality. His suffering for our sins makes it possible for every human being to receive forgiveness of our sins and be clean once again. This gift, however, is not free as was immortality. To receive forgiveness of sins, we have to show that we love and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, not in word only, but in our actions. We have to follow His teachings and His commandments. If we do, not only will we live forever, but we will live forever in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Semana Santa procession

Blessings of obedience

3/21  We had a wonderful week this week! We had a couple of really great lessons with Ana, the other neighbor of Corina Pacheco and good friend of Pamela's. Pamela has actually been helping us with Ana quite a bit.  Ana has a ton of support now from Los Pacheco and Pamela, and she is progressing very well. We taught her the plan of salvation, and the whole time she was asking the perfect questions to lead us on to the next point. When we had finished and testified, she commented that this plan is perfect. We also taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ, and she understood all of the principles. We invited her to be baptized and now she has a baptismal date for the 9th of April! We are really excited for her!

Elder Cullimore and I are working great together. Every day we find new stuff to improve and we are working very well with the members. We work as a great team and always support each other with each one of our weaknesses. I have seen a lot of improvement in him and myself in the time we have had together, and we have seen many miracles. I am looking forward to how much we can grow and improve in the next couple of weeks we have together!

I learned a lot about the principle of obedience this week. The dictionary defines obedience as compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. As I see it, obedience is a concept of respect. When we obey a request or law, we generally do it out of respect for the one giving the request or law. For example, we generally respect our parents "law" of a 10:00 p.m. curfew. Why? Because they have more experience than we do, and they know the dangers that staying out late can bring, therefore, we obey them. In a similar manner, we are to obey the laws of God. He has given us certain requests, or commandments, to protect us. Why do we need to obey them? Because He has more experience than we do, and He knows the dangers that come when we don't follow His guidelines. Sometimes as a rebellious child we may catch ourselves saying "I can stay out later than my curfew. If I'm careful, nothing bad will happen," but the moment we step outside the guidelines that our loving Heavenly Father has set for us, we are no longer worthy of the protection of His spirit. Although sometimes we may not understand the rules placed by the Lord, we can always be sure that if we follow them, we will always be blessed.

A surprise baptism!

3/14  This week was absolutely one of the best weeks I have ever had on my mission! As you know, Pamela had a baptismal date for the 26th of March. Well, in our first visit last week we taught tithing. She loved the lesson and understood and agreed with the whole concept of tithing and committed to live it after her baptism. After the lesson, we were talking a little about her baptismal date and mentioned that if she wanted to she could get baptized sooner because she had already been to church twice. She looked at us and asked "can I get baptized this Saturday?" I had somewhat planned on moving it up just one week sooner, so I was astonished at her urgency. She told us that she felt that there was something trying to persuade her not to get baptized, so she wanted to get baptized as soon as possible to get rid of that feeling! We all agreed that if we could visit every day during the week, she would be prepared for the 12th, and so that's what we did. We had a visit every day and were able to teach all of the commandments and get her ready for the 12th.

On Friday we did the interview with the zone leaders. It was a really crazy morning and we had so many things to do, but somehow everything ended up working wonderfully. The interview went great, and as we were getting ready to leave, we heard Hermana Corina from the kitchen saying "now I understand! It all makes sense now!" When we asked her what she was talking about, she told us that in her patriarchal blessing it says that she will be like Joseph of Egypt. She said that it all made sense now that she had helped Pamela understand several of these dreams she was having, and now she is getting baptized.  That was a really cool connection there.

On Saturday, Pamela was baptized by Julio Pacheco. The baptismal service was perfect. Nothing went wrong, it all went very smoothly. At the end, Pamela shared her testimony, and the spirit filled the room! It was such a great experience to take part in! We have formed such a great relationship with Pamela and Los Pacheco, and it is a perfect handoff to the ward now. She already has an entire family to befriend her, and a ton of other friends in the chapel.

The thing I have learned from my experiences this week is that the Lord knows His sheep, and they hear His voice. The Lord knows each and every one of His sheep, and He knows which ones are prepared to receive the gospel. Pamela was clearly one of the sheep the Lord had prepared to hear His gospel. From day one I could tell that she really understood the gospel. Almost every time we taught her something new she would say "this seems really familiar to me". Before we even taught about tithing, we asked her what she understood about it. She answered us and gave us a word for word response from Preach My Gospel. It almost seemed like all of the lessons were a review to her. The Lord is preparing people in every part of His vineyard, and the best way to find them is working through the members.

Elder Male & Elder Cullimore with Pamela, her children, & Julio Pacheco