27 de Mayo Weekly Update

Hola! I loved the emails this week! Full of lots of great surprises and fun stuff!
First off, I agree that it is wierd that Kadin is almost graduating the ranks of elementary! I feel like I will get home and my brothers will all be super different or something. I guess you can say that that is one of the strangest parts about missionary work, the family changing and growing up! It will be especially wierd to see all the "little" cousins all super big too. Addie is probably way different than the last I saw her! It makes me glad to hear that you are spending a lot more time with them these days. I was also really happy to hear the other news about the temple too! This last week we shared a couple Mormon Messages about temples (Temples are a Beacon by Pres Monson and the San Salvador temple dedication in the Youth Messages) and they are both super great. I love giving messages about the temple. It always brings the Spirit into the lesson, it always makes me think about how much I love the temple and my experiences with it, and they are always a topic that people who have seen one are interesting in learning more about. That, and what happens in a temple like families being sealed together forever and endowments and work for our ancestors is just flat out cool to anybody!
It sounds like they made a bajillion changes in the ward! Like every leadership position was shifted a little it seems! Also, I'm super excited for Dad! Elder's Quorum is great =) I do remember feeling wierd when I got the calling. It was wierd because just about everyone had some sort of calling in the first 3 or 4 weeks and I didn't, and we were lacking a counselor in the Elder's Quorum and the stake guy hadn't been there for a month or so because he was out of town, so I kinda had my hunches. It was still a little overwhelming though, to think that a little freshman like me who had never been to college would have to be in the Presidency of the Elder's Quorum! President Monson's promise is real though: Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies! He shapes our backs to the burdens we are called to bear. Teaching classes is fun too, it sounds like mom is doing well enough with that! I love that quote too. Just the other day this week, I actually used my semi-memorized paraphrased version of that quote! So it was neat to read it in your email! I think people can't help but to depersonify God a little bit since we never see Him and we always talk about God in a way that would make Him seem as some great eternal Judge with all power that helps us in our lives if we ask for it, but then we really take a step back and think: He is my Father. I know Him. He knows me. He loves me. He is eager to bless and help me. He is sad when I choose to rebel or disobey the things that He tells us to bless and protect us, not punish or limit us. At the contrary, they make us free! All of the other past church leaders and our family I'm sure are working anxiously and praying on the other side of the veil for us! The Gospel takes on a new special magnificence and beauty in a very simple way when you change your way of thinking about it.
That's a bummer to hear about the games. Better luck next time, eh? You can't always win! That's why Barcelona started to stink it up lately. After winning, either by pride, other teams analyzing your strategies/playing, flat out bad luck, or some way or another you lose! Losing makes winners out of losers, because it motivates them and inspires them to change. So keep on winning/losing! Haha.
Same kind of idea with the school. If you change your perspective, it doesn't seem so bad! Just pretend that there are other kids with twice as much homework as you and you already will feel blessed! Try to imagine how all those classes and learning will bless your future! Think of it more as opportunity than chore =) Idk, that's all I got. I just like to study, and some people just don't like to!
I'll keep my eyes out for the letter and let you know when I get it. As for the package, that's fine. Just knowing there is one coming makes any missionary happy! I don't know how big of a package it will be...if it is big enough I would appreciate if you sent my white frisbee disc. Spain's got nothin here, at least that I've seen. I don't know if my stuff is long packed away or if my brothers have been raiding it every day or something. If it's too much of a hassle to find it or if you would have to upgrade the size of the box don't worry about it. We'll just settle for a cheap flimsy one to play with for preparation days =) If I think of any stuff I need I'll let you know too.
I was eager to see what Sam said about the crazy tornados, we heard a little bit of the scary side here in Spain. It sounds like he was just living it up and watching them like a movie on TV with popcorn or something. That does sound like him though =) I'm sure the real effects of it will come in the following weeks.
Serving with Elder Schindler has been great. He knows how to make people laugh! We have lots of fun and we teach really well together I feel. The only downside is that we both are terrible with contacting people! A lot of people hate knocking doors, but it's a lot easier for me. It is harder to get people that way though...oh well. A missionary's got to do what a missionary's got to do! I always hate when transfers start getting close, because I hate how people obsess over the politics and try to predict all of the transfers, and the stress that always goes along with them as well. We'll see what happens in two weeks though. Everyone "predicts" that I will be leaving, but I don't feel like it (maybe because I don't want to, who knows...). I've only been here like almost 2 transfers, it just seems like more because I've had like 3 companions during it all, and the our area has had like 4 or 5 missionary changes in the past couple months. Usually missionaries stay 3 or so in areas it seems.
Pues, ¡seguid siendo buenísimos! I hope you have a fantastic week and have lot's of fun, now that school's winding down and everyone will be home all day  Thanks for all your prayers! I always pray for you all too!

May 20th

I echo what you said to me in your letters...I can't believe a week has passed! Time is just flying on by! It is wierd to think about it all! Especially how things are wrapping up for school for everyone! It was fun to skype and see everybody. A familiar face or few =) It was fun to talk to everyone too. It would be fun to do it up at USU too. It was sad to have to push end. The family we were with had to leave and church waits for no mortal man! I always love to hear news from the home ward, I don't know why. I guess I just miss everyone there too. There are lots of great testimonies there. I would love to take some of them to visits with us here. The members here are just great though, so we get along just as well. There are so many miracles that happen in the life of each disciple of Christ.
I'm glad you received my package! What happened is I wrote it all on Saturday and went to send it, but the Correos closes early on Saturdays, so I had to wait until Monday to send it. It doesn't matter where you send it. We get stuff from the office every first week of the month when the zone leaders go up for concilio meeting with President, or when we have conferences or interviews, or if someone needs to go up to Barcelona to renew a residency card or something. Transfers too. We are in week 4 now, so only 2 more weeks. But usually once a month. It doesn't matter too much though, I can wait =).
Thanks for all your inspiring comments and prayers and faith. I am also glad that you liked the card. I wasn't sure if it would be dumb or a hassle to send, but then I thought anything is better than nothing, and really, it doesn't matter to the moms. They love anything that they get from their kids! So there you have it =) I hope it was a good day!
I did hear about Sis. Monson. Funny story (now that I tell it), the member we were eating with said "Did you hear that President Monson passed away this morning?" We were like "QUUEE'?!!" our hearts just about stopped haha. I had like 50 different thoughts about him and everything. I thought no puede ser. He looked so young and vigorous! I've always thought that after being apostle since just about forever, that he would be the prophet to welcome the Savior back to the earth or something haha. That or Elder Holland or Bednar haha. But it didn't feel right to us, just didn't settle. No Holy Ghost to testify of it's truth! We didn't even get any messages from the office! So we had them look it up and then they saw it was his wife. I don't know his wife as much, so it didn't hit me as hard, but it was still kinda sad. I hope that he does well though and presses forward! I was trying to imagine what a prophet would say to his wife as she was passing, with his family all there. Nothing came to me, but I'm sure it was profound =) We always keep the prophet in our prayers though!
We had a Special Conference this last Thursday, where the President over the Europe Area came and spoke to us, Elder Teixeira. He is from Portugal and speaks like five languages, and had super great English. It was so inspiring!
I was really touched by something Pres. Teixeira said, about how the Lord knows His General Authorities (and His servants in general, i.e. us) before He calls them. I thought to myself of all the preparations he makes, like where and when we are born, what family and friends we will have, the experiences we have, where we serve a mission, where we will study or go after, and then throughout all of this process He is preparing those who He would have be His leaders in the Church, who were actually even foreordained and chosen before even coming to the earth. The lives of the Apostles and Prophets are great examples of this to me. Also, on a more intimate scale, God knows each of us as missionaries, who we are, our faults and weaknesses, our strengths and where we could best serve in what situations, and how we will react if put into a certain situation. I have felt the Lord's hand in my life in preparing me for my mission, and His hand here in my mission. I liked what President Pace said in the beginning about how the Lord will not send missionaries who are not prepared to the field or to missionaries who are not prepared to train them. I already can sense that the new missionaries we will be receiving will be a powerful and important contribution to our goal to baptize 20 of God's prepared elect a week in the Spain Barcelona Mission. He had all of the new missionaries stand up and said he will need their help to train in September! We have lots of fun stuff coming up!
We saw a neat miracle yesterday. A man who was baptized who knows how many years ago and has been inactive came to church. After introducing ourselves and getting to know him a little, we asked him what had made him decide to return. He told us he had just been thinking one day and felt that he needed to go back. He came all by himself, something that shows a truly humble heart and courage. We asked as Pres. Teixeira asked us to do about his family (he told us to pray for the family and friends of inv. and try to get to know them to teach them. Gold digging! When you finally find gold, you don't pack up your bags and head 40 miles downstream, but you keep digging!), he said he has a daughter and his mother that are living with him right now who are not members. We have a visit with him tonight where we will hopefully meet his family and we are praying that it be a spiritual and uplifting experience for all! President Pace also testified how the Lord is working with us to find and invite people, I started thinking about that, and it touched me pretty deeply. He doesn't just send us to do the work and invitations, and then wait to see if they accept or not, and then pour His spirit on them. He is pouring out is spirit and preparing them already and as we invite them it is as if He were doing it Himself by the Spirit through weak mortal tabernacles of clay like ourselves. And then we come to love and care for them and grow ourselves =)  President Teixeira shared his conversion story about two missionaries knocking doors, seeing a light on in an apartment building next door, and then feeling like they should knock it. So they went, found the mother at home, but set an appointment later that night for when the father would be home too. They went and knocked more doors until the visit, then went back. Long story short, the dad and mom converted, as well as Pres. Teixiera and his sister. Eventually, 40 members of his family were baptized in the following 3 weeks. He said he thought about why he wasn't the first, and why it was his dad. But he said that the Lord knew that in order to get to him, he would have to convert his father first, and then look where they all are now! It was super neat.
Alas, I have no time left. I hope that you have a great week! Keep being faithful and saying prayers! They do more than you think! He who asks receives one way or another! Say hi to everyone and the fam!

Photos May 2013

First Monday of May 2013

Buuueenos días! Qué tál todo? I was happy to receive your emails. I'm glad that things are well, that you are all so faithful and diligent!

Elder Schinder is great. I do kind of miss working with Elder Dayes, and it is wierd to see him at church with the other ward, but Elder Schindler is a special missionary! He has a way with the members and winning over the hearts of them with their trust. He is a good teacher too, he explains things with boldness but in a way that makes sense. Super conductive to the Spirit! We are both kind of neutral and  impartial, so I've kind of had to practice being more assertive and decision making. Which is good =) We didn't teach as many lessons this past week, but we set a few fechas. We have 2 for this weekend, 1 for thursday the next week, and 1 for the 25th. There are like 5 others who we can and probably will set a fecha with soon. 

This last week we had a special meeting in Catarroja with the bishoprics and missionaries in the stake, to talk about an upcoming activity, and also how to work more unified between the wards and the missionaries. It was really inspiring and I saw even more about how great the stake leaders are. In Utah the leaders are always great, but there are lots of great members too, just a few "slots" for leadership. Here the leaders really stand out as something special. There are great things about both perspectives, and it has really inspired me in a new way. President Pace was also there, and gave a great message about unity. He also answered a question from the stake president about how our numbers were about a 100 at the beginning of the year, now were are 130ish, and by the end of the year we are supposed to have 200. The stake president then told the bishops, if you want some of those missionaries to be sent to Valencia, you need to have work in your wards! You need to be giving the missionaries references and work! That's what animates them, which helps them work harder than their own efforts, that's where success will come, and where there is success there will be sent more missionaries, and with more missionaries there will be even more success! It was an interesting insight. Joy (the mother of the two baptisms we had last week) told us in one of our visits last week about a story they had. They said when they went to be baptized (her and her husband) like 5 years ago, all they had left was 5 euros. Thats it. The bus pass was 5.05 euros. They didn't know what to do. They decided to use it, found 5 cents, payed the bus and went to the church thinking they'd just walk home or something. After their baptism, someone went up and congratulated them, and after shaking his hand left 40 euros. He tried to excuse it, but the man said they needed it. He said they hadn't told anyone about their situation. On their way back, they found a bus card laying on the ground, kind of new. (There are tons of abandoned bus cards on the ground, usually empty) They thought it had nothing, but they picked it up and tried it, and it was brand new with 10 trips on it. They said they knew without a doubt that the Lord lived, and that this was His Church, without a doubt. They have the greatest miracle stories, and their family is so great! 

This sunday was mothers day in spain, so they had the special sunday service combined with testimony meeting. It kind of went from a worship service and testimonies of the Lord to a mother worship and testimonies of moms and family, which is good I suppose, but with a couple I felt like it wasn't too focused on the Lord. What can you do though, it's one day a year and moms are really special. It was a good sunday. 

Thats about all I have. I look forward to talking on Sunday! That should be fine, around 4 or 5 here maybe. Just keep your eyes peeled =) Have a great week!

30 de Abríl

This was a great week for us in Valencia! We had 2 baptisms, the two kids from that family. They are so great! Their family is already one of the strongest in the ward haha. It turns out that the dad didn't get his name presented so he couldn't receive the priesthood in time. Elder Dayes baptized one of them and I the other, a neat experience. Victor the Ward Mission leader did the confirmations on sunday. There was every companionship set up for the 27th with a baptism, but a lot of them fell through, so it only ended up being us, the elders from barrio 1, and the pueblos like castellón and such. It was a good week for the mission, we had 25!!! baptisms and 23 were confirmed. We reached our weekly goal for the first time this year! Woo!! We had a super great lesson with them yesterday and watched the full version of the Joseph Smith video, and they loved it. My testimony of Joseph Smith as a true prophet of the Lord was strengthened and felt the Spirit bear powerful witness to us all. It was a great experience! One of their friends who we've been teaching said she'd come to church and didn't (because she slept through the alarm she said) but when we stopped by later in the day Clemxynn and Joy had already been there for a few hours to see why and had been talking about the message which the youth we brought along with us shared, all uncoordinated. We all saw the Lords hand in this and they were pretty convinced that God wanted them to keep following this path!
We've had lots of 'heated' scriptural disscussions with the Testigos, 7th day adventists (who believe the sabbath should still be on saturdays) and some who knows whats. It motivated me to study pretty diligently in the Bible and I've been compiling lots of scripture lists. Things like that drive me crazy, people teaching that the scriptures say this or that when its a bunch of balogna.(Hows that for English spelling?) We had a referral to visit a family of Testigos who the member says he works with and would accept us in. Well, he accepted us in his house and was super nice and friendly, just that he wasted like 2 hours of our time in a pueblo that takes 45 min to get to trying to convince us that Jehovah is God the Father and Jesus is different, and that He doesn't have a body, and the whole 144000 saved thing, etc. So we tried to explain a few scriptures, but he wasn't really interested in changing, so we kinda just gave up and left. So we try not to be too hard on those children of God, because this guy was pretty nice, just pretty deceived by slights of men. They avoid missionaries like the plague though, and always give us weird looks. The seventh day Adventists basically agreed with a lot of what we teach, except they are so caught up with the Sabbath on Saturday that they don't care to talk about anything else, and don't really believe in priesthood or prophets. So I guess you could say I've been gaining lots of cultural experience.
Elder Dayes is being transferred to Barrio 3 as a zone leader, so I will be getting a new companion today, Elder Shindler. I was a little disappointed to hear because we've been doing great together and having fun, but I hear good things about my new companion too, and I'll still see Elder Dayes a lot. I'm out of time now, but I hope you have a great week!