Sister in Spain: The Hardest Thing :)‏

18 November 2013

Good morning to all of you in the US :) Family, I loved hearing those stories about Amber and Aaron; it is nice to know we are missed. I love that you had the missionaries over and signed a contract! Yes! We started doing that my first transfer and I want to start doing it again. Will Amber be feeling better soon? Mom and Dad, you sound so busy, I hope you get a break soon!! Good job Aaron with wrestling!!! Is it getting chilly there? Goodness, it is starting to get a bit chilly here, and I am sooo grateful that I bought that coat. Is it snowing there yet? Can you believe that it is the middle of November?

Well, this week has made me think a bit about home, and how I won't be home for the holidays. That will be so strange! But after reading Conor´s email I was thinking about how I feel my family´s love ALL THE TIME. I feel the prayers of family and friends and that makes it okay. Every day is hard in one way or another on the mission, but it was never easy for our Savior, and he is just trying to shape us every day. I wanted you all to listen to "The Hardest Thing" by Nashville Tribute Band, because this explains my feelings of the mission better than I can.

I am beginning to realize what Moroni meant when he said that he could not write a hundredth part of his feelings in the Book of Mormon. Haha that is how I feel every week writing home, but I try. First of all, I didn't tell you much about Toledo!!!! Oh it was really spontaneous! The elders were supposed to come with us, but ended up not being able to the last minute, and so Hermana Aagard and I just ended up getting on a train and going ourselves!!! It was a fun, exhausting adventure. It was like we walked into a dream of castles and knights and swords in this medieval town. We toured the Cathedral with a little audio tour (Dad, you would have loved it, I kept thinking of you) and walked these cobblestone streets that were thousands of years old. Ah it was like a 4 hour fairy tale. Preparation days are only so long! And we were sooo exhausted afterward!!

We began meeting with a new lady from Venezuela named Veronica. She loves reading and is a psychologist, so she really reads deep into things doctrinally. I love teaching her! She tells us how she used to be so happy and smile so much, but she just hasn't for a while because she is worried about her family and out of work. So now she is looking closer at her relationship with God and trying to make plans to go to the US where things look a little brighter for her. I love seeing her smile when we tell her that she is a daughter of God. I love hearing her prayers after we visit with her, because she thanks God for the peace that she feels when she reads and meets with us. What a blessing it is to be a missionary!!!!

I love the temple. I feel such a spirit overcome me every time I go and just sit in there. I feel so blessed to be able to go to the temple here in Madrid and feel the incredible peace there.

We also found a fun little Medieval Festival here in the center of our little town this week! It was so fun to listen to some bagpipes and look at all the little knickknacks and see people in costumes dancing around!!

Oh we there is also a lady in our ward who is a cancer survivor and just recently completed her final chemo treatments. She has a powerful testimony and we love visiting with her. She also has a lot of friends who still have cancer, and we have been visiting on of them in the hospital. They have told her that she has about 2 weeks to live, because her breast cancer has metastasized to her brain. So we have been visiting her in the hospital. She is from Cuba and actually speaks quite a bit of English. Her face lights up every time we talk to her in English. Her best friend is with her there every day and sure is having a hard time. So we try to cheer her up and share scriptures and last time we even sang Christmas songs for them. Eli (the lady with cancer) sang along :)

Last of all, Mervin received the priesthood on Sunday!!!! I COMPLETELY agree with Wade (and I think any missionary will agree) Sundays are so stressful. The investigators that we were hoping for didn't end up showing, but of course we see Mervin walking, without an umbrella, in the pouring rain, right up to the chapel. We call him our little rock. There was such a peace in the room as they ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood. My favorite part was that right afterwards, he was able to help set apart a man in our ward for his calling. All of the sudden, I felt tears running down my face.. I couldn't stop crying! I saw him standing there with his hands on this man´s head, and I pictured him giving priesthood blessings to his family. I was thinking of Dad, and what a comfort it was to have the priesthood in our home, for blessing before the school year or when we are sick. I vividly remembered when Nathan and Dad gave me a blessing after I had my wisdom teeth taken out... and I was reminded of how grateful I am for worthy men that hold the priesthood that have blessed my life. And now Mervin is THAT MAN for his family. Or he will be when they are reunited! Ah... Alma 27:8 describes how I felt :)

Well, I hope I finally filled you all in a bit more. I love you and pray for you!!! p.s. I can´t wait to talk to you for Christmas! do you think there is any way I can talk to Wade too?

I love you!!!
Love, Hermana Mather