Hello Hermana Staker's family!
This is her favorite companion, Hermana Ross. She said she didn't know
how to start her letter, and because she thinks I'm so great, she
asked me for ideas. Instead, I told her I would write it for her! So
now you're stuck with me. Anyway, You've got a pretty great daughter.
We were companions a year ago, and it's cool to see all the
progression we've both made. She's a really great missionary, and I'm
definitely learning a lot from her. Fun fact: my mom is from Idaho
Falls! Have a great week and I look forward to meeting you all some
day!
Well that's Hermana Ross.. She is not quite as good as a Hermana
Rossberg at giving me email ideas.. But she's cool. We are now in a
bus on our way to Toledo. For p-day. It's an old Spanish city in the
south of Madrid and I'm pumped. I've always really wanted to go.
This week was awesome. The last two weeks we have received 97 member
references. So we are just going and trying to make contact with all
of them.. Little by little. They are almost all from the same lady,
and she is awesome. She is always sharing the gospel with everyone she
meets, and we have found a lot of newbies thanks to her.
On Tuesday we had the leadership council. It was fun seeing past
companions, and being at the mission home for the day, but really I
just love how much we learned. I feel so spiritually edified after
that meeting, more than just about any other in the mission. We don't
have zone training this transfer because of a world wide mission
broadcast, so I felt like a lot of the meeting I really could just
enjoy and think about how I can be a better missionary, example, and
leader instead of only things our zone needs. One thing we are doing
differently now is our exchanges. Before we always had one of us leave to
the other hermanas's area and brought one Hermana in, but now we are
bringing both sisters to our area, and only working in our own areas
(unless we feel otherwise). I think this changed is really inspired
from president. You learn so much more leaving and going to another
area during intercambios and I think we can more effective do our
training.
So Thursday we had intercambios, and I went with Hermana Bingham. She
is a champ. I love her so much. We served at the same time in
Alcobendas together. I learned a lot together. Her and her companion
are a breath of fresh air. They are really obedient, they get along,
and they work really hard. During the intercambio we were teaching our
friend Caroline from the Dominican Republic (who is awesome!) we teach
her at her work and I started talking to this man who went there to
buy some things and invited him to English class. Well this guy is
awesome. He came to English Saturday and stayed for the ward family
night after. He loved it! He is from the south of Spain, Valencia and
we are going to try to have a good lesson next week with him.
Friday we had so much to do, so we went on splits. I went with a
couple sisters in our ward to go teach a man named Juakin. He is from
Spain and an old investigator we picked up. He has come to church with
us the past few Sundays and really is progressing. He has a testimony
of the Book of Mormon, but he feels like he doesn't know if our church
is the church for him. We are working with him though, and every time
we meet he is more and more receptive, and with less and less doubts.
I think in his time he will make the decision to be baptized.
Sunday we went with our bishop and his to give the sacrament to a
member we teach from Spain who needs a little extra help. This man is
so adorable, he is like our grandpa. He loves the sisters. He has a
lot of faith, but he grew up Catholic and still goes to mass almost
everyday, as well as our church. So he's a little confused. He had a
big operation though so he hasn't been able to go to our church in
awhile, it is just too far, and he is so sick. But we had a really
powerful lesson on the sacrament, and when bishop and another man
blessed it and gave it to him I felt the spirit really strong. It is
such a blessing to have the authority to perform ordinances like the
sacrament in today's age. The sacrament is the ordinance we do most
regularly in the church and I think it can be easy to take for
granted, but I have learned in my mission the power and strength the
sacrament gives us when we worthily take it every Sunday, and the
difference it makes in our lives. Sacrament meeting, like elder
Holland has stated, really is the most sacred meeting we do in the
church.
Love you all and have a good week!
This is her favorite companion, Hermana Ross. She said she didn't know
how to start her letter, and because she thinks I'm so great, she
asked me for ideas. Instead, I told her I would write it for her! So
now you're stuck with me. Anyway, You've got a pretty great daughter.
We were companions a year ago, and it's cool to see all the
progression we've both made. She's a really great missionary, and I'm
definitely learning a lot from her. Fun fact: my mom is from Idaho
Falls! Have a great week and I look forward to meeting you all some
day!
Well that's Hermana Ross.. She is not quite as good as a Hermana
Rossberg at giving me email ideas.. But she's cool. We are now in a
bus on our way to Toledo. For p-day. It's an old Spanish city in the
south of Madrid and I'm pumped. I've always really wanted to go.
This week was awesome. The last two weeks we have received 97 member
references. So we are just going and trying to make contact with all
of them.. Little by little. They are almost all from the same lady,
and she is awesome. She is always sharing the gospel with everyone she
meets, and we have found a lot of newbies thanks to her.
On Tuesday we had the leadership council. It was fun seeing past
companions, and being at the mission home for the day, but really I
just love how much we learned. I feel so spiritually edified after
that meeting, more than just about any other in the mission. We don't
have zone training this transfer because of a world wide mission
broadcast, so I felt like a lot of the meeting I really could just
enjoy and think about how I can be a better missionary, example, and
leader instead of only things our zone needs. One thing we are doing
differently now is our exchanges. Before we always had one of us leave to
the other hermanas's area and brought one Hermana in, but now we are
bringing both sisters to our area, and only working in our own areas
(unless we feel otherwise). I think this changed is really inspired
from president. You learn so much more leaving and going to another
area during intercambios and I think we can more effective do our
training.
So Thursday we had intercambios, and I went with Hermana Bingham. She
is a champ. I love her so much. We served at the same time in
Alcobendas together. I learned a lot together. Her and her companion
are a breath of fresh air. They are really obedient, they get along,
and they work really hard. During the intercambio we were teaching our
friend Caroline from the Dominican Republic (who is awesome!) we teach
her at her work and I started talking to this man who went there to
buy some things and invited him to English class. Well this guy is
awesome. He came to English Saturday and stayed for the ward family
night after. He loved it! He is from the south of Spain, Valencia and
we are going to try to have a good lesson next week with him.
Friday we had so much to do, so we went on splits. I went with a
couple sisters in our ward to go teach a man named Juakin. He is from
Spain and an old investigator we picked up. He has come to church with
us the past few Sundays and really is progressing. He has a testimony
of the Book of Mormon, but he feels like he doesn't know if our church
is the church for him. We are working with him though, and every time
we meet he is more and more receptive, and with less and less doubts.
I think in his time he will make the decision to be baptized.
Sunday we went with our bishop and his to give the sacrament to a
member we teach from Spain who needs a little extra help. This man is
so adorable, he is like our grandpa. He loves the sisters. He has a
lot of faith, but he grew up Catholic and still goes to mass almost
everyday, as well as our church. So he's a little confused. He had a
big operation though so he hasn't been able to go to our church in
awhile, it is just too far, and he is so sick. But we had a really
powerful lesson on the sacrament, and when bishop and another man
blessed it and gave it to him I felt the spirit really strong. It is
such a blessing to have the authority to perform ordinances like the
sacrament in today's age. The sacrament is the ordinance we do most
regularly in the church and I think it can be easy to take for
granted, but I have learned in my mission the power and strength the
sacrament gives us when we worthily take it every Sunday, and the
difference it makes in our lives. Sacrament meeting, like elder
Holland has stated, really is the most sacred meeting we do in the
church.
Love you all and have a good week!