A week full of success

2/22  This week was truly amazing! We had so many amazing lessons and found a few really good new investigators, one of which is Julia. We found her in Milady's house. We were passing by to see if Milady was at home, and she wasn't, but her mother Julia was. She listened to us and was really kind and receptive. We taught her about the Book of Mormon, and she told us she would read and pray about it. We are really excited about her, and to help her progress. It was really nice to have a full week of success. All of our efforts on finding new people have finally paid off, and we are super excited for all the people we have to teach now.

Elder Cullimore and I are still doing great. I learn more from him every day. We really work great together, and because his Spanish is so good, we teach in unity as well. We have had countless experiences when he has received and followed spiritual promptings, and a miracle has always followed. It is so great to have a companion who is so in tune with the spirit. He helps me every day.

The district is doing very well as well. We taught a lot of lessons this week and found a decent amount as well. The one thing we are all focusing on this week is setting fechas. We truly have a lot of people we are teaching, but the most important step in helping them progress towards baptism is inviting them. We will all be working on that this week.

As I was reflecting over the things that went so well this week, I kept thinking about a saying that at first didn't seem to make sense: 'The grass is always greener on the other side'. Normally when we use that phrase, we mean to say that we always want what we don't have. That phrase gained a whole new meaning to me this week. I learned that the grass is always greener on the other side of our trials and challenges in life. Sometimes when we are passing through some of these challenges, we loose sight of the reason we pass through them. We pass through them to grow and progress, and always when we reach the other side, we are blessed beyond measure. It took a while for us to get things going here in Tarragona, but now I understand that it was necessary to pass through a few difficult weeks in order to fully appreciate the success that would come after. I am so thankful for the difficult times the Lord has given me on the mission because I know that they have helped me become the missionary I am today.

 

A long awaited baptism!

2/15  This week was marvelous! We finally saw the baptism we have been waiting for ever since I got here. We have been working super hard with Ferran and his family, and it finally paid off. He was so prepared. The service was incredible! We literally didn't have to do anything to prepare for it. The ward did all the work together with the family. All we did was fill the font with hot water, and they did the rest. It was so great to see the ward take charge and prepare everything. Although the service was in Catalan, there was a great spirit there, and you could tell that it was a moment the family had been waiting for for a long time. Now all we need is to help the other son make the decision to get baptized!

We also saw a huge miracle thanks to Elder Cullimore's ability to recognize spiritual promptings. We were knocking a building one day, and had almost made it to the bottom when a young woman passed us on the stairs and walked into a door on a floor we had already knocked. At first we didn't think anything of it, but a few floors later, Elder Cullimore said he thought we should go knock her door. So we did. We didn't know what floor it was or what door it was, but we took our best guess and knocked it. The young woman that passed us on the stairs answered the door, and was really nice and open with us. She knew a little bit about Mormon missionaries, and told us we could pass by any day after 5. She was super nice, and we think she has a ton of potential. That was an incredible experience to take part in.

The main thing I learned this week is that the spirit is the true teacher. As missionaries and members, our only job is to invite the spirit into our lessons, and the truth is, he does the rest. There's a scripture that I love in 2 Nephi 33:1 that says: "And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." When we truly testify by the power of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost carries it to the hearts of those we teach. His role in this mortal life is to testify of truth, and the feelings people get from the Holy Ghost can't be denied. I have seen so many times in my mission where the entire attitude of the investigator changes when we testify and invite the spirit. I know the spirit teaches, and without the spirit, even the most logical explanation won't find place in the hearts of those we teach.

Ferran was baptized by his father

Ferran and his family

 

If at first you don't succeed ...

2/8  This week we saw an incredible miracle. Elder Cullimore and I were spending a lot of time one day in the streets trying to contact people. After hours of no success, Elder Cullimore had the idea of trying to knock a building just to switch things up a bit. We got into a building nearby, and went all the way to the top floor. We walked out of the elevator and I pointed to the door to our right. We knocked, then heard a few shuffles towards the door. A woman answered the door, and at first mentioned that she had never really believed in anything. As the conversation went on, she mentioned that she had read the bible before. We took out a Book of Mormon, and asked if she had ever seen it before, and before we could ask the question she reached out and snatched it out of our hands and asked, what is this? We then began to explain a little about it, and she let us in for a few minutes. We had a wonderful lesson on the Book of Mormon with Milady, and she accepted the challenge to read and pray about the introduction before our next visit. It couldn't have been a coincidence that the very first door we decided to knock after hours of contacting just happened to be a golden new. That was a humbling experience.

Elder Cullimore and I seem to work very well together. He is a magnificent missionary. He is very focused on his purpose, and teaches with power and simplicity. Every day his skills in the Spanish language blow me away. For only having 5 months in the mission, he has an incredible potential to grow and improve. I am very excited for the opportunity that we have to work together, and the chance I have to learn from him. I have no doubt we will see miracles here!

This week I really got to understand better the phrase 'if at first you don't succeed, try and try again'. Truly, this week followed that model perfectly. It's like I said last week, diligence is key. We had to give it everything we had to meet our goals this week, and just when it seemed like nothing was going to work, that is when God blessed us with miracles. I know that if we continue to push on, and try and try again, we will eventually find success. It's like the sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. Alma 26:31 outlines the success they had after pressing on, even through the most difficult of times: "Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us." If the sons of Mosiah would have quit the first time they were thrown into jail, none of those miracles would have happened. I hope that someday I can have the courage they had to endure even the hardest of trials.

A trip to Tortosa on Preparation day to see a castle (but no picture of the castle)

Blessings always follow diligence

2/2  We had a good week this week. On Saturday, we had a few plans that had fallen through, so we were contacting for about an hour or so. After a while of contacting and many rejections, we were feeling a bit less than animated about the night. I was a little frustrated and kept asking myself why we couldn't find anyone who would listen to us. As the night was coming to a close I felt the clearest impression to stop a man. At first when I did, he said he wasn't interested and immediately I thought it was just another failed contact, but somehow or another, he stayed to talk with us a little. When he found out we were Mormons, he said he had heard of us before. I asked him what he had heard just to clear up false doctrines and stuff, but he mentioned he had heard of our beliefs about marriage and that families can be eternal. He told us that he really liked that, and he shared that belief. We taught him a bit more and gave him a Book of Mormon, and although he didn't agree to a return visit, he promised to read and pray about it and said he would call us when he gets an answer. It was such a needed blessing to talk to him and a rather humbling experience too.

Elder Cook and I have had such a great time in Tarragona together. It's a shame our time together is over. We get along very well, and work well together too. I will definitely miss him here, and so will many members and investigators. In our short time as companions, I have been able to see so much growth and change in him. He really does have the desire to improve and become a better missionary every day. I'm sure he will see many miracles in Mancor. I'm excited to get to know and work with my new companion, Elder Cullimore! I'm sure we will have a great time together as well.

The principle I learned this week is diligence. Diligence is absolutely essential in missionary work. As missionaries, we are called to share the gospel with all the world. This can be a difficult and stressful task, and more often than not, we will face challenges as we go about sharing the gospel. It's part of the work. The one thing we can never do is give up. As soon as we give up, Satan has won. Missionaries (and members) are the only hope our lost brothers and sisters have in learning the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can never give up no matter how hard it gets. The thing I learned from our experience on Saturday is that blessings always follow diligence. Always. If we push through the difficulties we face in life, whether they be physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental, God will always bless us with just what we need. Although sometimes it feels like we are alone, He is always taking care of us and watching over us.

Adrian & Jorge Giron with Elder Male & Elder Cook

The blessing of repentance

1/25  We had a wonderful lesson with Julio Cesar last Monday. Unfortunately, he can only meet right in the middle of preparation day, but we are willing to sacrifice a little time to teach him. Last week we taught a wonderful first lesson on the restoration. He participated and was very interested the whole time. Near the end of the lesson, I testified of the Book of Mormon and told him that he could receive an answer too. I looked to Elder Cook, and he invited him to be baptized. I wasn't even thinking about the baptismal invitation yet, but he tied it in perfectly to receiving a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Julio then looked at each of us quietly, looked at his wife, smiled and said that that was something he would want. We set the date for this Saturday, the 30th of January. It will be really hard to get him prepared, because he doesn't have much of any time to visit with us during the week, but we will get him ready some way or another.

I was able to work with Elder Barton on another intercambio this week. We spent more time with Jordi, and did a lot of street contacting. We also had several good visits. From the short time we had to work together, I can tell that Elder Barton is an excellent missionary. He speaks Spanish incredibly well for the amount of time he has in the mission. He teaches very clearly, and seems to teach just what is needed. He has a sincere desire to be obedient and constantly looks for ways to improve. He has so much potential. The work in Tortosa is still progressing very quickly. They have a very large pool of investigators, many of which are very close to accepting baptismal dates. I'm excited to see what Tortosa can accomplish in the coming months.

Elder Cook and I are still working hard to find new investigators. We do have a few people with baptismal dates. Ferran finally has one, and will be baptized on the 6th. He is the son of a previously less active family. I can tell Elder Cook has improved a lot since I got here. His Spanish is better, and he is more excited about missionary work now. It's such a cool experience to see how the mission molds and changes new missionaries. It makes me think back to when I was new, and how much the mission has changed me in so little time. Incredible to think about!

Well, thanks to the world wide mission conference we had on Wednesday, what I learned this week has a lot to do with repentance. We learn from the 4th article of faith that repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel. We read from countless scriptures the call to repentance. We know that repentance is a necessary step to receive forgiveness of sins, and as such, is of utmost importance in our lives. As missionaries we often don't put the emphasis that repentance deserves in our lessons, and as members, we can often take for granted what a blessing repentance truly is. Preach My Gospel outlines the importance to repent daily and gives a promise that if we do, we will receive much more joy as we enjoy the full blessings the Atonement of Christ brings to us. I know that Christ suffered for our sins, and He wants to forgive us of our trespasses. Our responsibility is to repent every day, even the days we don't feel we have sinned, and He will bless us with peace and joy in our day to day lives.

¡Un abrazo querido amigo!

Every member is a missionary too!

1/18  This week I was able to do an intercambio with Elder Streadbeck down in Tortosa. We had a very busy and successful day. Our ward mission leader, Jordi, goes down to Tortosa once a week to spend a day with the elders and help them with visits. I had heard the legends and stories of Jordi before, but I had never seen him in action. I lucked out to be there when he came down! We spent the whole day with him. The first thing he wanted to do is contact. So we hit the streets hard contacting literally every person we saw. Jordi would contact in very creative ways that I had never even thought about, and most of the time they would work! We saw a ton of miracles out there in the streets with him. One such miracle was when we decided to sit down for just a few minutes while waiting for a visit across the street. A woman approached us and asked if we could answer some questions her friend had. We followed her to a bar, and sat down with them both. It turns out the woman who invited us had investigated the church in her country, but was never baptized because she moved away. Her friend was very interested as well, and both were crying when elder Streadbeck quoted the first vision. Both of them now have a baptismal date. It was such a great miracle to take part in!

The work here in Tarragona is progressing little by little. Every week we recognize small miracles that the Lord has given us. This week we had another walk-in investigator in sacrament meeting. We talked with him for a while afterwards and taught about the Book of Mormon and set a return visit. We also had a visit with Ferran, the nonmember son of a previously less active family. We taught about baptism and confirmation and we just need to talk to his dad to get a baptismal date set for the 30th of January. We are still really excited about Julio Cesar. He came to church again with his wife, and stayed all 3 hours. He has a rough work schedule so it's hard to visit with him, but we have another visit set, and we are excited for it.

The main thing I learned this week through my experiences with Jordi is the difference members make in missionary work. Too many times we think that missionary work is, by definition, work for missionaries. I myself am guilty of having such thoughts. While it is true that us as missionaries have been called, set apart, and given authority to preach the gospel 24/7 for 2 years, members too share the sacred responsibility of sharing the gospel. More than a responsibility, the missionary work needs members. Take Jordi for example, he was able to stop and have a connection with people on the streets that us as missionaries would never be able to have. I don't want this to sound like a call to repentance or anything, but missionaries need the help of members. I'd dare to go even further and say that the Lord needs members to help in His work. I know that everyone is blessed when we try to share the gospel, and I know that we can bless so many more lives when the members and missionaries work together.