Happy March! Happy week #4 of this transfer. As we are getting into the groove of being in a trio :), I am learning a little bit of Norwegian. God morgen familie [Good morning family]. Just kidding my companion typed that. I love speaking Spanish 24/7 with them!
Well, it has been a P-day and a week full of adventure! We just got back from Segovia (we left early this morning and caught a few speed trains) and saw the amazing aqueducts and castles and cathedrals there! It’s nice to get out of the usual schedule sometimes :) And we saw Hermana Aagard!!!! Oh man, was it good to see her again :) I miss that woman; she seems to be doing so well. I love that we make forever friends here in the mission! So anyways that was fun! Hermana Chapple, one of the senior missionaries (from Payson, Utah!) came as well as Araceli, the return missionary that served in Washington D.C. It was a blast! I will send some pictures!!
This week, we celebrated Gustavo's birthday with some good-old American style brownies freshly baked from our oven! Yum!! He turned 21 (This young man will serve a mission someday, I sure hope.) He never fails to amaze me. He really takes everything we say to heart, analyzes it, thoroughly reads scriptures, and applies everything to his life. WOW, sometimes I try to imagine myself in his shoes, since we are basically the same age, without the gospel, feeling like he did, like he was missing something and finally everything makes sense and his life is full. He amazes me in the way that he has accepted to live the law of chastity and the word of wisdom (even though he may not even fully understand the WHY, and even though he may not have lived accordingly before). This last week and the following week will be a bit stressful trying to get all of the lessons taught to him so that he can get his interview and be baptized on Sunday! I love him though, he says: "cuantas lacciones me faltan? puedo quedar este dis este dia, cuando puedo tener mi entrevista?" ["How many lessons are left for me to take? Can I keep up with this day after day? When can I have my Baptismal Interview? "] PHEW sometimes I think my brain will explode, and that’s when I know I just need to get to work, taking everything one step at a time. The next email will include pictures from the baptism!
I love seeing Agustina, Pablo, and Mervin just involved in their callings and really accepted by everyone at church. It has been different to teach someone like Gustavo, so much younger, but he is so, so talkative and friendly to everyone. It is a comfort to know that all of them are "in the fold" and God will take care of them!
We had Zone Training this week in Alcala, and as Sister Training Leaders, Hermana Hansen and I had to give a 15 minute talk (all in Spanish of course) in front of our whole zone. Eek! I was nervous! But it all turned out well. We emphasized Acts 4:19-20, 13 how we need to be BOLD in a way that we cannot resist sharing with others what we have seen and heard:
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
I love this. I learn so much for myself personally when I am asked to teach, I really enjoyed preparing and speaking with Hermana Hansen!
Also, our investigator Gerson is back! It was so good to see him again. I still love teaching him, as he is open about his doubts and concerns. We had a very inspired lesson. I have no doubt that the spirit was guiding it. We had already read through 1 Nephi, but we asked if he had prayed yet... He said no, and said most likely out of fear that it is true. He realizes the changes that he has to make and knows that he needs to act on the answer that he will receive. It is so true! This gospel is ALL about change. Like you said Mom, making bad men good, and good men better. I love that! He committed to read AND pray. AH I am so excited for him. He also brought us snow globes from where he traveled in Portugal!
Like I said about our companionship last week, we are sooo different, different countries, languages, backgrounds, personalities, but we sure have a good time. We all love to laugh and balance each other out very well. I LOVE training, I love doing the twelve-week program with her and we both learn new things. Hermana Sanchez is so great, haha so practical and to the point about everything, takes everything very literally. Hermana Hansen is calm and sure about everything, and I really need that when I turn into a stress-ball. I can already tell it will be hard to see her go home after this transfer, both saying goodbye to her and knowing she is going to see her family again and all. I still get little spells of homesickness, missing my family and home sometimes, especially thinking about my companion going home. BUT I feel so blessed to have a home and family to miss :) I love you all!
Have a great week!
Love, Hermana Emily Marie Mather
 |
| Temple trip! |
 |
| We luff cooking together!!! |
 |
| MY BABY! Hermana Sanchez! |
 |
| Our squishy study room, nightly planning :) |
 |
| Crazy night drive in the center of Madrid! |
 |
| Hermana Hansen, Hermana Sanchez, Hermana Mather |
 |
| Hermanas Sanchez, Hansen, Mather |
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment