Last Transfer: The Final Countdown

Hello everybody! So, I can't believe how time just slips away so quickly! I never thought my last transfer would arrive, even after being around a lot of missionaries who have been heading stateside now. This transfer had two from our zone, and this next will be me and one of the Zone Leaders. It has been kind of funny too, it seems like everybody is coming to Barcelona from Zaragoza and Sabadell. Elder Ballam came here to Barcelona (although to the other piso) and an Hermana, and a lot went from Zaragoza to Barç when I was still out there. So, kind of wierd but fun to see familiar faces too. I saw Elder Judd in the station today, and he goes home tomorrow as well. My new companion is Elder Dean, from California. He started in Ibiza while I was in Menorca so we were in the same district and so already kind of know each other. He's a great guy, so we should have some good weeks.

We had a good week. I think it helped a lot with Elder Rasmussen leaving, we were able to get a lot of visits in to say goodbye and to meet some other members and menos activos. We have been struggling lately with finding some new investigators, so I think really that is what we are going to focus on. I continue to pray that we can find news, especially through the members and this month as our goal. As we have been passing by menos activos, we have found that many do not live in our area anymore, so the number of members in our area went down pretty quick :/ I am excited to really start to work with some of the good people in our area though.

A miracle from last week: We were able to catch a menos activo family all together right at the perfect time, and normally it sounds like they have a busy schedule and are hard to meet with together. We knocked their door right after they had gotten home and a little before they had plans to leave again! They are a really nice family and I want to try to work more with them. They were super nice, I don't know why I haven't met them until now!

I enjoyed working with Elder Rasmussen. He is a fun and funny guy and was a good example at gaining the member's trust just with who he is. They were all sad to see him go. I am excited to work with Elder Dean for my last few weeks, he is a good guy as well. I'm thankful for the high caliber of people the Lord has put me around to learn from and just because the work is great =) That's probably where I have learned the most from on my mission, is the people, both those we preach to and companions and members and stuff.

Oh, so an embarrasing moment of the week... I know, you are probably all excited and sitting on the edge of your chairs now. It's actually not too embarassing. So, in our ward of 150 or whatever members nobody plays the piano, usually just some tourist passing through or acapella. Well, this month being the month of invitation, each organization signed up to do a special musical number on one of the sundays. We stayed after with a couple of the Elders Quorum to practice our song (parts of it, like the bass or tenor) and I played the notes on the piano for them, since that's easy cheese. Well, some lady from the primary saw that and thinks I can play the piano now, so she begged me to acompany the primary on their song, Army of Helaman. So I practiced throughout the week and played it for them. It wasn't anything great, but it worked I guess. It was kind of funny, one of the kids came up to me after and said "you play the piano baldy" (all of this in spanish of course) and I was like "Well, sorry...?" "Was that your first time playing this song?" "Umm, yes." "Oh, then you did really good!" "Uh, thanks..?" It made me laugh a little. So lesson learned: practice piano, especially hymns! *wink wink nudge nudge brothers...*

This week, especially last night and today are San Juan festivos, so there have been fireworks and those annoying street bomb firework things that kids have been playing with nonstop...it has been getting kind of annoying...So yeah, lots of craziness. It has also been starting to get super hot, and our dagon piso doesn't have AC Probably because it's a super old one...I think ours is probably one of the few left in the mission with one shower and no AC. But hey, I suppose I count my blessings that we have pisos and not tin shacks!

This week I am going to try to improve on my integrity. I recently listened to a talk by Tad R. Callister about integrity and there were a few new insights and perspectives I gleaned from it that I would like to put into practice. I feel like it is one of those attributes that has always been important to me and that I feel like I do demonstrate, but I always feel like I can be more =)

​Just as other random sidenotes, as I show our family picture to people, they always say everytime 1) Wow, your mom is so young and pretty! 2) Your dad looks like a movie actor ( I don't remember his name right now though) 3) I can't believe you have all brothers 4) You all look alike. So congratulations I guess!​ Also, a member here works in a watch factory thing and said that she could get us 70% off on watches! So I might be buying a few in the next couple of weeks =) They said the website was www.marea.es if you wanted to look and see one you like.

​The World Cup has been pretty interesting. There is a member here who updates us on all of the scores and we've drawn out the bracket and teams and stuff on a whiteboard in our piso. Ever since Spain got it's butt kicked they haven't really been super interested, and there aren't a lot of people who even go to the bars to watch the games anymore, unless it's a good one, and just look up the scores I guess. But yeah, it sounds like the US has been playing pretty well! To move on they just have to tie or beat Germany, or if the other teams tie we go on, and if one of them wins, Ghana would need to score 2 more goals than the US does to win on the deficit thing, and Portugal like 3 goals, so our chances are pretty good actually. I wish I could watch the games though. Maybe on youtube when I get home or something =) ​

​Well, that's about all for this week! Have a great week! Thank you for all of your prayers and inspiring comments and for everything. Always trust in the Lord and see what He would have you do for Him each day!​

16 de Junio

I can't believe it's already Monday again! It has passed by quickly. It was Elder Tigre's birthday last week so we had a lot of celebrations, and then coming up will be mine!

We've seen some good things this week. I was sick on Tuesday, so I've been a little under the weather physically, but I feel like I've grown a lot spiritually. I've had some reflecting time and it has been inspiring for me to feel closer to the Lord. I downloaded a bunch of talks by Elder Neal A. Maxwell and Tad Callister from lds.org and their messages have always inspired and guided me. =)

Our investigator Edilenia has been kind of avoiding us. We think someone might have been talking negatively about the Church to her, so we are still trying to meet with her to find out what's going on there. Isabel has been reading a little, but not very much, and I get the feeling it was just casually looking over and really not feeling the power of it. In our last visit we tried to help her liken the scriptures to herself with Nephi's experiences with his brothers.

We haven't been able to follow up with hardly anyone else either, it's kind of been hard...but hey, a new week with new opportunities!
Today we had preparation day as a zone and went to some park thing and had a barbeque and played some sports. And we just got back from everything which is why we are writing late today. Last week we went to part of park güell, but didn't have time to do all of it, so we did the maze park instead. It was pretty cool.

This week I want to repent and be better in asking for and expecting miracles and certain blessings. I feel like I have been falling into a habit of waiting and just expecting the Lord will bless me with what I want just because He knows I want it, when it requires my asking, (like in BD Prayer, blessings available, conditional upon our asking) and expecting answers "with no thought, save that ye asked me" (DyC 8/9). So I am going to work on my meditation and pondering a little more this week and ask for miracles in Barcelona =) It seems like we're off to a great start for our goal as a mission. We'll see how we do!

It sounds like a pretty crazy week and some more exciting stuff coming up. It seemed like a lot more hellos than goodbyes, which is good I guess =) I came to a sudden realization last week, that now all my friends are arriving home and I'll be one of the last out in the field still. How lucky  for me =) After-mission life seems daunting and almost as mysterious as after-earth life haha.

Well, I don't have much else to tell or even time, so I think I'll just end today with a testimony! I know that this is God's work. This is His "only true and living church". I know that we are led and guided by living prophets and apostles, and that Thomas S. Monson is called by God. I testify that the man Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He did indeed see God our Father and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ and he spoke with them face to face. I know that the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ, and that a man will see, feel, and recognize a special power come into his life as he reads from it's pages daily. I have no doubt that God lives and loves us. He knows us. He guides us. He prepares us. He changes us. I testify that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. Because He suffered the pains, afflictions, temptations, and sins of each one of us intimately and infinitely, He has perfect compassion, perfect empathy, and perfect love for us. He descended meekly and humbly below all things not only to overcome each one of them, but so that He could lift us above them as well. He will come again to the earth, and we and His established kindom will be patiently and anxiously waiting for Him =) I know that we have the potential to become like and to be with our Heavenly Father. Like President Monson stated, "may we all be aware of how close He is willing to come to us, and how far He is willing to go for us." It is by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can come off conqueror of all things, and this things I leave in His name.
Well, have a fantastic week!

26 de ¿dónde se ha ido mayo?

26 de Mayo

Hello! Another long anticipated preparation day! Mondays are one of a missionary's favorite days! And their family's too =)

It was a great week. We were able to narrow down some unknown MA's who don't live here anymore and some phone numbers and stuff. Now it's really just working with those that are here! I've really been inspired by these last few conferences and such focusing on working with the lost sheep of the Lord. He is concerned about their well being, and we really aren't building His kingdom if our fruits keep getting lost or swiped away by the adversary. 

I really enjoyed a fireside last night as well. I think it was obvious for all who were there the Spirit that we felt. It was really special and difficult to put into words how I feel and am still feeling about it! The Spirit was SUPER powerful and there were a lot of different "flavors" of it, or different ways it is manifested I guess I would say it. (Love, peace, tingly feelings, *almost crying, inspiration, etc. You get the idea). I just  feel inspired to go and be good =) And super greatful to be a missionary for such an amazing Church! It was a faith building and testimony strengthening experience =) It was based mostly on videos (Mormon Messages, Bible Videos, conference excerpts, etc.), musical numbers, and testimonies/talks, including President and Hermana Pace's. So much talent the Lord has given us! It was great.

2 de Junio

We have been seeing some good things. First off, we have been working with some less actives, starting to get to them (on my part at least) and we are hoping to find some new investigators through them this June! We also did find a new investigator this week through Antiguo Investigador registros. Her name is Isabel. Boy, does she have a rough life though. She told us about it for what seemed like forever. Her son is abusive to her, her husband doesn't do anything but watch television all day, she has to take care of her 90 year old bedridden uncle who provides their only income through is social ayuda and she has bad knees and health and has to climb to the attic of their building which isn't a real piso even, etc. Lots of really difficult things. She told us that she felt that if she had the courage she would take her own life but she doesn't. We had no idea how to respond to all of that, because "lo siento" doesn't cover it...

So we read the D&C section 122 I think, about "all this shall be for thy experience" and testified of how the Savior Jesus Christ descended below all things, and has felt her pains and more. He descended below them all so that you could lift YOU above them. We left her with a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it every day.

Another fun thing, we did intercambios and I was up with Elder Alder in his area. It was fun to work together for a day again =) We have lots of fun between the 4 of us in piso too. 

On another news front, we found out today that the king of Spain, Juan Carlos, has denounced the throne. That's something you don't hear about every day! So I suppose that his son will fill in his place now. I haven't heard too much of the details though.

There was an activity in the church this last week, a Flamenco dance production. There were a couple different groups from a Flamenco school that performed, and the church offered our facilities for their show, so it became kind of a community/church activity haha. It was pretty neat though.

Bon dia des de Barcelona! 19 de Mayo

Funny thing about church here: The ward is huge (well, both that meet in our building are...and they're super united! And tons of people come to activities...yess!! Take that Zaragoza!) Also, being Barcelona, there are tons of tourists that come to church here. Yesterday totalled like 18+ americans haha. Part of them were that couple that took our photo, a group of 6 BYU grads that are touring all of Europe, and a few on some cruise. It was kinda fun to get to see some people from Utah! And, there are tons of tourists here in general. And the beach is part of our area, so we see a lot of them...

Also, Elder Alder is training Elder Tigre, an Elder that was baptized by a RM in Zaragoza. He's a super great guy. So, we have a fun piso. It's also the one I stayed in  the first night when I got to Spain! Weird...

I am enjoying my service with Elder Rasmussen. He is a great ​kid. He is fun to be around and always keeps people smiling and laughing and he doesn't get discouraged. ​He's a joker and kind of a goober haha. Good ol' Tremonton boy =) He loves baseball too. I told him he'd get along well with my family haha.​

This week a miracle that I feel like I saw was how the Lord uses His servants to build upon the work of another. Not just with missionaries following the work of another, but also I felt that the conference with Elders Snow, Dyches, and Nelson built upon a few things that Elder Kearon shared with us. One example in particular was when Elder Kearon invited us to come to know who we are as children of God. Then in this conference one of them invited us to "Find the Master whom you serve" and to "aquiant yourself with your Advocate". So, it builds upon coming to know who we are in relation to God as His children and servants, and as we do so we should come to know Him for who He is. It's a process that improves the way we teach this relationship to others around us.

A few other things I liked from the Conference:

-They all work in the Church History Department, so they know a ton about the history and Joseph Smith especially. They said that they have records and know what Joseph Smith was doing on almost any given day. A lot of other churches can't say that about their founders! They also testified how the "real Joseph Smith" is the same one that the Brethren testify of and the one that we are sharing with the world, and that there isn't another Joseph that the church is covering up. 

-"Years teach much that the days never know."

-Coming to know what the Lord's will is for us and our circumstances, and coming to obtain a vision of what we can do. He talked about the stories of the athletes who broke the supposedly impossible 4 minute mile, but then after one did it, tons of others started to do it, because they saw it really was possible. 

Also, even though a flea has remarkable abilities to jump in comparision to it's size, if you put them in a shoe box with the lid closed for a couple days, after jumping so many times and hitting the lid, when you take it off, they can no longer jump out or don't want to. We should avoid limiting ourselves, because really that's our only limit! 

-We sometimes get caught up in our tasks a lot. We don't see the forest around us because we focus on the trees.

-We are establishing the Church in ways we can't imagine (future fruits of our current efforts) and we are blessing more people than we can imagine (future generations, other side of the veil, etc...you know the drill=) ).

-Excuses never correct mistakes and never get anything done!