Abanicos

Hey! So this week started out great with a surprise birthday party for one of the elders in our district. It was great except that I discovered that here in Spain normal cake doesn't really exist it's usually made out of some kind of mousse or cream but let's be real I'm always happy to eat anything sweet. On Tuesday we decided to try one of our menos activo friends that we hadn't been able to see in a while so we went out and pressed her timbre and nothing. We waited for a little bit and hit it again because I remember her telling us that sometimes you have to hit it twice or she would just think that it was someone trying to sell something. This time she let us in and we went up to her floor jut the door bell and nothing! We were a bit stumped because why would she let us come up if she didn't want to let us in? we waited a couple minutes and went to the elevator, the doors opened and there she was. We talked to her and she said that she had been visiting her sister of on another floor and she hadn't buzzed us in. She let in and we had a great lesson with her about forgiveness. Some people call that chance but I don't. I think it shows that Heavenly Father is going to make sure that He gives His children as many opportunities as possible to come unto Him. That day we also received a call that Hermana Viglione was going to go in to do residency and if Hermana Anderson could spend the night with us so they could together the next day. So we went to the train station and found her and an elder chatting it up with this guy. He told us that he wanted to know more about the church because he only knew things from what he had seen on TV. We all had an awesome conversation with him and gave him a Book of Mormon that he said he would read on his layover and train ride. I wish that everyone would just have the desire to know more! We made home and the next morning I went with Hermana Giler and Hermana Vederjo while Hermana Viglione  and Anderson went to Fuengirola to do their residency. We had the chance to be part of a cosecha, which is basically where a bunch of missionaries go to one area and contact as many people as the can. It was great but also intimidating because Hermana Giler and Verdejo are both native and would just fly with their Spanish when talking to people. We were all sweating and dying when we made it back to the church building took a small break and then headed to the train station to get Hermana Viglione. That evening Hermana Viglione and I did something magical, we bought abanicos(fans). They are fantastic and we feel more Spanish because walking down the street the past few days all you could  see were Spanish lady's fanning themselves with their fancy fans. We also had the chance to have an adventure of try to find the house of a member who invites us over to eat and lives out in a pueblo. Let's just say after 4 hours and  taking the bus 5 different times we finally made it back home. Before you judge the member said that we actually had the least amount of trouble finding everything then most of the missionaries they invite over... Man my public transportation skills are getting stronger everyday! This week was also the week that we had been planning to have an activity to show Meet the Mormons in the capilla. It actually went super well, the spirit was so strong and we had a pretty good turn out even though we were a bit disappointed because our investigators didn't come through! I know that these emails are always a bit jumbled and in reality to try to fit everything that happens in one week into one email would be crazy but I know that I have the chance to see miracles every week and that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us. I'm so blessed to be out here and I know that I will continue to see His hand in my life and the lives of others.

Hermana Evelo

 

 

Cookies from our investigator who works in a panaderia

 

 

As close to the beach as we can get when we went to have lunch with some members

 

 

Our crazy district with our ward mission leader and his wife

 

PB & J

Heat heat and more heat! I´m trying to get used to the fact that I am constantly sweating because air-conditioning is not a very common thing here. On the plus side I am now super tan well I don't know if that´s really a plus but hey it is what it is. So, This was our full week with our new area and it was great but let me start from the beginning. On Monday we had our last Pday together with our district so we celebrated by going to taco bell yeah I know we´re super fancy. Then we rushed home jumped on a bus to the Palo which is our new pueblo. We got there and we were thrown off guard by how huge it was. The Palo alone is probably twice as big as our area. The problem is that it takes us an hour to get there and we have to take two different buses so we can only go about once a week or we´ll run out of money. Tuesday, we had district meeting and the Elders gave us a lot of food because they had to clean out everything from their piso, one of those food items being peanut butter! So, I have been making some killer PB and J sandwiches! So some awesome miracles of this week! To start off once upon a time Hermana Viglione and I were walking up what seemed to be a never ending hill  because we wanted to knock on some doors and we knocked and knocked and do you know what happened? Nothing! So we tried some more until a lady opened the door and said that she was catholic and didn't have time but we ended up talking for a while until her daughter came up to the door and when she saw us she told us that she actually had a Book of Mormon. By this point we had been sweating on her doorstep for a while so they let us come in and man did they have a ton of questions. We´ve had the chance to teach them and her sister three times this week! They are so sweet and amazing! I love when I meet people that are just filled with questions because it means that they want to know what God really has in store for them. We´ve also had the chance to start teaching a guy that owns a locotorio (Internet Café)  and he speaks English! But to be honest teaching in English is crazy and I had a hard time not slipping back into Spanish. What else? Well, yesterday we were on our way to visit a Menos activo that had failed us a lot or when he was there we couldn't go in because we needed another girl because he was alone(rule of the mission for safety reasons) So, we called a member and miracle number one is that she was able to come with us and so we were praying so hard that the lesson wouldn't fall through because she was with us. So, we went to his piso and hit the timbre and nothing.... hit it again waited a good 5 minutes and still nothing! We were pretty disappointed and were started to head back down when the phone rang and it was him! What? He told us that he had just woken up and that if we gave him 10 minutes we could come up. So we went up and had a great lesson with him and he said that he wants to start trying to read the Book of Mormon more and praying. Man I wish that I could fully describe how great it is to be a missionary. I love that I have this time to really study the gospel and address the concerns that people have had their whole lives. I am so blessed to have been raised in such a great family and surrounded by amazing friends. Thank you all so much!

Hermana Evelo

 

 

Octopus! Yum!

Transfer week! Man another transfer has come and thankfully I get to stay with Hermana Viglione for another transfer. I personally think it's because I still have so much that I need to learn from her! So this week was a bit crazy. We got to meet our new mission president and his wife! Our district were actually some of the first to meet them because we were at the church late for a correlation meeting that started late because some of the Elders were teaching an investigator but it was ok because we had ice cream while we waited. So right as we were leaving the AP'S pulled up and out came our new mission president. He was great and we could feel how much he already loved us. We the got to meet them again at a zone conference that we had the next day. They are amazing and though they can't replace the Deere's I know that they are supposed to be here with us. Then Hermana Viglione and I were given the news that they were white washing(taking out a pair of missionaries) in the area next to us, so our area is going to double this week and we now have a pueblo(small town) on the outskirts of Malaga. So we are going to be super busy this transfer trying to figure everything out but I'd rather have too much work than not enough work. Hmmm, anything else... Well I had the pleasure of trying octopus and I have to say that it tastes exactly how it looks. Well, as I'm sure you all know I love being here in Spain and each day I get to learn a bit more and just when I think I have it all figured out I learn that I really don't. My companion and I had the opportunity to teach a 10 year old girl how to pray and even though she didn't always have food to eat and has a really hard home life all she asked for was for her grandmother to get better. I hope that one day I can be as self less as that little girl. I love that I have the chance to help people and even though it's hot and people reject you everyday it's all worth it, it really is.

Hermana Evelo

 

 

 

Gaby, her zone, and President Andersen

(new Mission President) 

 

Gaby and Hermana Viglione

 

A yummy plate of octopus