WISHING I HAD LISTENED TO MOM ABOUT PRACTICING THE PIANO MORE!

September 16, 2013

Hey Family and Friends!

How is everyone at home? Things are pretty great here in Spain. It rained for the first time this week and that felt so good! It cooled things down a little bit! Did you get those pictures I sent last week? My card isn´t filled up yet, so I will wait until it is I guess before I send it.

September 9th (Monday)

It was a pretty FAIL P-day today! It was a holiday in Spain (like usual) so everything was closed. On a side note... I also do not like medio dia (siesta) ughh everything and I mean EVERYTHING closes from about 2 P.M. to 5 or 5:30. It´s a little frustrating, especially on P-day when we want to get things done! But all is good!

September 10th (Tuesday)

Today wasn´t very successful. We were a little bummed with being denied all day, so we got churros and hot chocolate. It made things a lot better! I´ll try to send a picture!

11th (Wednesday)

I got called ´´guapa´´ today in the street. It was a shock for me! I said, ´´hola´´ and smiled to this old man, and the mumbled something in spanish that I couldn´t understand and then smiled and said ´´guapa´´... I wasn´t used to that at all, but since then I´ve been called it 5 or 6 times by random men on the street. Today was also our first REAL lesson! It was to a couple named Matthew and Joy. They are from Nigeria and were baptized about 3-5 years ago. They have 3 of the cutest kids. So our lesson was in English, and I could not think! It was scary!!! But I am definitely getting better every day!

12th (Thursday)

Today we went to get some post-its for studying. There is a little Chino (chinese store with random stuff in it) right next to our piso. We were there and a man from Holland, named Bjorn, started to talk to us. He was in his 20s and is going to University here. We told him about sports on Saturdays and he gave us his number so we could contact him. Later that day, the Elders told us that we would be teaching a Spanish class. I called Bjorn and started telling him about it, and he said he had already heard and he is coming. He also asked if he could bring a friend! I was very excited and said YES OF COURSE!!!!!! We had lunch with Rosa Marie and Antonio and they fed us some yummy food, except I did not feel good afterwards. When it was time to go back out tracting, I told Hermana Johnson we should still go. I started to feel better, and then we played basketball with an investigator. Then we went to the Spanish class and Bjorn was there with his friend! It was great to see him. I hope he continues to come and we can start talking to him about the gospel. Tonight we went to Maria Angel´s house (member) and ate dinner. For our lesson, we played a game like Telestrations. You know how much I love that game?? Well... in Spanish you can probably guess how well that went! Haha I was a nice laugh for everyone in the family! I had no idea what the phrases said, and when I looked at the pictures, I had no idea how to say them in Spanish. So I made them up! It was great, and everyone had a good laugh at my expense! (: The lesson that went along with that was that the bible was written by so many different people and words are translated very differently throughout time, but the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God through a Prophet! It was a really good lesson and I think everyone had a good laugh!

13th (Friday)

Friday the 13th!!! It wasn´t too bad though! We passed by Lexie´s store (she is one of our investigators) and she wasn´t there, but two men from Nigeria were. Their names are Osa and Kingsley. We began talking to them, then Kingsley left. We talked with Osa for quite a while... but when I say talked, I don´t really mean a lesson! HE wanted to tell us a bunch of his ideas he had about the world. He talked about Aliens and UFOs and many different crazy things. One phrase that Hermana Johnson said, (that she thought she would never have to say) was ´´Yeah, Jesus Christ isn´t an alien´´ He was pretty set on the ideas of the world. Hopefully we can get in touch with him again, and actually TEACH him this time! Later today we went to Mariella´s home. She is a member with a non-member husband. She laughed a lot at how I don´t understand Spanish. I started to feel really unqualified (don´t know if that is the right word) to be teaching the Gospel, but then I remember what I was taught in the MTC, and that was to never get offended! I shook it off and listened some more to what she was saying!

14th (Saturday)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRETT!!! I need your e-mail to send you a letter, but I don´t think I have it! Personal Study was great today! I opened up my scriptures, and then decided to read my Patriarchal blessing. I was immediately filled with the spirit and it was exactly what I needed! Later today we visited Isabel. She is a less-active and was very kind to us. She is originally from Peru, so her Spanish accent is much easier to understand for me! I was able to contribute so much more, and that made me so happy! (: We visited Matthew and Joy again, and they were having quite a hard time. But we invited them to church and they said they will come.

15th (Sunday)

As we were doing our personal study this morning, I had a feeling to study a certain passage in both the Book of Mormon, and the Bible. I ignored it because it had nothing to do with what I was going to be teaching. When we had our comp study, Hermana Johnson brought up both of those passages. They actually did fit in perfectly to what we were planning to teach. I need to pay attention to those spiritual promptings when they are given to me! So in church, Hermana Johnson and I were sitting in Relief Society for just a few minutes, when a woman came and asked us to go out into the hall. She brought us into the primary room so I could play the piano! So NOW... I am the pianist for primary as well, and that makes me SO SO HAPPY!!!!! I love being in there with the kids and I actually learn on my Spanish level in there so that is nice too!! I had been practicing the 3 hymns I was planning to play in sacrament all week. When I got there, Rosa Marie, the chorister, gave me three different hymns. It went fine, but I asked if she could let me know in advance so I could practice!! After church, a woman in the primary presidency came and asked me if I could play for the program in November! I think it´s so funny that you told me I would probably be playing in church! I honestly didn´t think I would, but I´m glad I´m getting better for sure! After church we were also talking with a family and the elders, and we brought up that we had been visiting Isabel. All of them say ´´MILAGRO´´ we were a little confused. Then the elders said that they have been trying to see her for months and she just didn´t want to see them. It felt really good to know that we are making progress and helping people! (:

I love you all so much! I´m so grateful for you and for the support and prayers from you!

Yo tengo un testimonio del Evangelio de Jesucristo. Yo se que Jesucristo es mí Salvador y mí Redentor. Se que Él es el Hijo de Dios y nosotros tambíen. Se que Dios nos ama. Yo se que José Smith fue un profeta y él restauró el Libro de Mormón. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

Oh I wanted to tell you a little bit about Saturday. Every Saturday we play sports with potential investigators or friends of the members. We usually play fútbol and we did this Saturday, but after, we played basketball. These three girls in probably mid-twenties came and played. They invited us to play and I was the last pick for the team. I got put on the team with the three girls. For the first little while, no one would pass me the ball. I was getting a little frustrated. .. haha you know me! So I took the ball and drove in and made a lay-up. The girls were all a little shocked, and believe it or not - they started to pass me the ball! It was really funny, and hopefully they´ll decide to come again next Saturday!