June Updates!

Hola queridos afeccionados de mí!                                                                            11 de Juno 2013        
   This has been a good week. First off for the news, I am staying here in Valencia with Elder Schindler! Not much changes with us, but they've opened two new areas in our zone, and almost every companionship is either training or will begin this transfer. Us, the zone leaders, and the other 3rd ward elders that live with them are the only ones not training right now, but I think our turn comes in September with the tidal wave of new ones. Elder Pérez in our piso will be training, he's excited and we're excited for him. These last two transfers were a rough companionship for him, for the piso as well. His companion that left is a different kind of unique...from what I've heard he's had quite a few different companions and areas if you know what I mean. Hopefully he likes the new one. Elder Pérez will be a great trainer. He's hoping to get an American so he can practice his english more! (We've been teaching and helping him these last couple months ).                                                                                                                              
   That's super funny how Grandpa ran across one of the missionaries I knew in Ogden! And that they still remember me! Also that they were able to contact some old friends from the mission! That is so neat! I hope I can do that someday with someone here in Spain...hooray for technology!
   Oh, and just a random thing. It's starting to get super hot in Valencia...maybe all those people weren't overexaggerating after all! Pero he aquí, tenemos aire condicional en nuestro piso!! ¡Qué bendición! Working during the day is a little more discouraging then the usual woes though haha. At least everyone offers us water in all the visits! I think it's just the super humidity though, because in the pueblos further in it's not so bad.                    
                                                                                                                                       17 de Juno
   Hola qué tál a todos! How goes things on the stateside front? First off, happy late fathers day! They celebrated it a while back in Spain, if they even celebrated it all haha. Here everybody is a father and yet not at the same time if you know what I mean haha so they don't really celebrate a fathers day as big as there.                                                                                                            
So, this last week we had Zone Conference. It was really good. I always love any opportunity to listen to Pres and Sis Pace, and the ayudantes are just fantastic as well. The zone and district leaders gave a good little message too. The zone leaders kind of cheated because they used a clip of an Elder Holland MTC talk, but they still gave a good tie in/application  They talked a lot about following the Spirit, using personal study time, and using love to cast out fear. It was all really good and super inspiring.
   There were a couple of good miracles we saw. The first one: We were teaching the Plan of Salvation to a family. The husband is receptive and always animated, but doesn't talk much during the lessons. The wife is a little more questioning, and always has a question or few =) We were going along, teaching and answering questions, and it was going fine but with a few bumps. As we were teaching about the Atonement she asked us about what it is like for us to share the word, to be rejected a lot (ever since we met her she has been really interested in what we do as missionaries and why we do it). As we talked about how even though it is difficult to be rejected, we have our testimonies and that doesn't change anything about why we are here. We shared about how even though Joseph Smith was persecuted, he was faithful. We talked about how the path of discipleship is never easy. As we started to talk she had a change in countenance, but neither of us thought much about it. As we finished she told us about how she felt something, like a deep guilt or that she had been contributing to some of our opposition, but then as we talked about the Atonement she said about how she felt a change, and felt calm and peaceful and interested in our message. From there she told us a few stories that had come back to her memory about some experiences in her past. It was neat to see how the Spirit works with each of our investigators in unique and different ways tailored to them!
  Another story. We were on the bus, standing in the aisle. A lady sitting in one of the chairs pointed to us and said something. We thought she was pointing to something on the wall or behind us at first, but after a little realized she was pointing at my agenda. I had put one of the Faith in Christ pass along cards to the back of my agenda so that Christ's face would appear above my chapa. She said the picture caught her attention, and that when she saw us she felt something special, different. After talking with her for a little bit she told me that she always sees the youth of today running around obnoxiously or doing things that she doesn't like, but she sure noticed and felt a difference with us! I left here with one of our cards with Christ on it and invited her to church or to call us. We hope and pray that she will have the desires to come or to call us!
So yeah, that's our week! Elder Pérez's new companion is Elder Shelley, from Salt Lake City area. He's really funny and a neat guy. It makes me smile to see how I probably used to struggle with the language like all of these new missionaries haha. They will catch on though. They all have their firey spirits and faith! Well, have a fantastic week!
                                                                                                                                       24 de juno
  We've  been trying to contact more, which has been good. We  have talked with a lot  of people and placed a ton of Book of  Mormons to people. Funny story  though, a member actually found one on a bus stop bench after  the activity on Saturday. We know  exactly  who left it there too, that punk. Oh well,we did our part! Hopefully nobody else ditched their free books.
So I mentioned an activity. We did a Puertas Abiertas(Open house) activity of our church building and invited tons of people to pass by and walk through,  and they had little posters and people to talk about the various organizations and beliefs of the church. It was really neat,and everyone who walked through seemed to like it. The members liked being a part and walking through the streets and getting a little taste of what we  do as missionaries! And getting rejected too...builds Christlike character!
  Tell  everybody thanks for the birthday wishes! I'll let you know how it rolls over I guess. First one away from home! I think I heard dad say once after a while they just start to blow by like another day.  I guess once the numbers get big they're harder to keep track of and less significant,because they don't  bring any changes like the younglings' do.  But now I can say I've lived a score of years though!
Well, I'm not a man of many words and it appears I've run dry. Have a great week,  keep working hard, thanks for the prayers and wishes! May the Lord bless those who have blessed me!  Hasta la proxima.