CH-CH- Changes

   There have been quite a bit of changes since I last wrote. On Wednesday night, President Hinckley called and told me that on Friday I would be receiving a brand new missionary! It was a big surprise. A little bit of sadness-mostly because Hermana R and I got along so well. Plus we had just had the most amazing miracle filled day. But also excitement mixed with nervousness. Hermana R left quickly-Friday morning for Pamplona(again!) and I went to the office to be trained.

   My new companion is named Hermana S- she is from Sandy Utah and is hilarious. I am glad that the Lord blesses me with funny companions. She waited for three weeks in Salt Lake, until she got her visa. She rides unicycles and knows how to speak with an Irish accent. We may have told all the Elders that she is from Ireland... But most important she is is excited to work and has a strong testimony! We are already having a great time!

   I have had some funny experiences this past week. On Wednesday we went to a visit with the Bishop- the man had stopped some other missionaries on the metro and told them that he needed to be baptized. He lives in our area, so off we went! It turned out he lived in an abandoned warehouse...and there were a lot of shady looking people there. We had our lesson by candlelight and half way through the lesson, a HUGE rat ran across the floor. I am so surprised that I was able to hold in my screaming! He is a nice man but from now on we are meeting him in the church!

  We are teaching a man named Jesus who has a baptismal date for the 12 of November. His friend brought him to church last week- and when we invited him to be baptized, he said he would prepare to do so. It is amazing how there are people being prepared everywhere to hear the message of the gospel!

I love you a million lessons where rats run across the floor and the bishop has to hold in his laughter!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful 

October 17

Hello!

   I am doing wonderful today. The weather is gorgeous and I finally got stamps for about 15 letters I have not sent...so everything is great. I took some pretty pictures up on our roof- from the top we can see almost all of Barcelona.

 

We had some pretty funny happenings this week. We accidently left our keys in the apartment, and we really did not want to pay 50-80 euros to have it opened. We tried asking our neighbors, that have a kind of patio that connects to ours, if the Elders could climb over but they were not too keen on the idea...muy peligroso. So, we called the office Elders and they sent over Leo. He is from Argentina and knows how to repel down things- he has a harness and everything. So he repelled down from the roof onto the patio and rescued our keys. As he was going down, one of the people a floor down from us saw him and he was like 'It´s okay I am not a robber, I am just helping the missionaries.' Then he pointed up at us on the roof and we waved down to her. It turned out to be quite the hilarious adventure.

  

This week we also performed in the Ward TALENT SHOW.  I would like to call our talent Hoedown Showdown. Hermana R has an amazing talent with the violin, which just happens to involve fiddling! We decided to that she would fiddle and I would dance- all while wearing masks. One of the Queen of Spain and the other George Bush. Everyone knew that Hermana R was going to play her violin...and everyone assumed that I would be singing. Bahaha. I get up and introduce us, saying that we have prepared something very special for the ward. Then we run out in our masks, Hermana R starts fiddling like mad and I start doing some crazy footwork. It was good we were wearing masks because I was laughing so hard that I could not breathe. Then Hermana R played the Spirit of God (without her mask). It was hilarious. We are still laughing about it. I think the ward members were a bit confused but I got lots of compliments on my 'dancing'. Hopefully they will want us to teach their friends now!

  

We have quite a few investigators right now, just most of them are struggling to commit. We are always looking for people who are prepared! We got a reference from some other missionaries and when I called him he told me that he has been wanting to be baptized, that his grandma is a member and wants to know what he needs to do. Miracles!

  I love you a million Hoedown Showdowns where people go wild over my dancing

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Roof top pictures

 

All the leaves are falling and the sky is gray

October 10, 2011

All is Well here...the weather has finally turned a bit cooler...until we walked out the door today and it was as hot as ever! Just when I pulled out the winter blankets! I have never been so excited for Fall in my life!!

   This week I went on exchanges with HERMANA P!!! It was a blast because we haven´t served together since the MTC. It was great because we both now speak Spanish. She is amazing missionary plus just a riot. It is funny because everyone one always accidentally calls her Hermana Roberts...even though we have never served together in the mission and we look nothing alike. I feel so blessed to have met so many amazing people. I really feel that I was here at this certain time for a reason. It is incredible.

Right now we are working...to find new investigators.. haha I feel like I write that every single week. We have been seeing lots of miracles. Yesterday, we were waiting for our investigators, and no one was showing up. Sacrament meeting started and I was feel ing kind of sad because no one had arrived, even though several had promised. Then as the opening song was starting, 3 of our investigators walked in! Miracles, Blessings!  We are teaching the cutest young kid from Honduras. He just turned 13 on Saturday and he is amazing. His father is a member and he wants to be baptized. He has amazing faith, and has recieved answers to his prayers. I love seeing his desires to learn and to come to church. He loves it so much!

I love you a million days of fall...with nice cool breezes!!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Mission Pictures!

Hermana Roberts and Hermana R

Sagrada Familia

Hermana Roberts, Random Elder, Hermana R

Hermana P and Hermana Roberts
(switching tags because everyone mistakes them for
each other. They look nothing alike!)

September 26

I am copying my presidents letter because there were some things I thought you might like...

Miracle. I feel like the miracle this week was the help that we have recieved from our Bishop. More than any other Bishop I have worked with, he truly seems excited about missionary work and truly desires to help us. We had a little meeting with him on Sunday- we talked about our recent converts and he made plans right then to go visit them. Then he was telling us about a woman he had given a blessing to and went to find out her address so that we could visit her. He is just excited about everything missionary related. He told us that we are needed at ward council...which is true because the last 2 that I have been to have been about the missionary efforts! I love this ward! It is true that when you have the confidence of the leaders of the ward, things run smoothly and miracles can happen! I hope we can spread this excitement to the whole ward!
   Hermana R. She truly is an amazing missionary, she speaks Spanish so well and has an incredible faith. I love that she is not afraid to open her mouth and speak, even when she thinks she doesn´t understand and everything she says goes right with what I am saying. I am excited to work with her and see lots of miracles!
   There were just a few investigators I wanted to talk about. We have been teaching a young man named Francis, who is from India, for about 3 months. He studied to be a Catholic priest, but then decided against it. He is probably our most consistent investigator-he has been to church about 7 times, read and prays- I just am not quite sure how to help him get an answer. He does not understand much Spanish but he continues to come to church. But everytime we ask him what he is feeling when he reads and prays, he does not have an answer. Just regular. I know he is feeling something but I just am unsure on how to help him recognize it.
  Juan Carlos, Lina and Ernesto. I am worried because their finicial situation has been keeping them from church. We finally talked to the Bishop and he is going to visit them this week, so it should all be sorted out. They are amazing though and every time we meet with them, they have more desires to learn about the gospel. Lina's sister Rosy has desires to learn as well. She currently works on the weekends, but we are working with her as well.
 
   I am trying to focus on the blessings that I have. I am a little sad about Hermana S going home, and just sometimes missionary work is hard-emotionally. But I was reading the part in John, where Jesus Christ goes to raise Lazurus from the dead. In 11:41 he says, 'I thank thee that thou hast heard me'. Jesus Christ, a perfect person, thanked his father in everything. I need to thank my Heavenly Father because I know that he has heard me, in every moment. I love Jesus Christ and I hope I can be more like him.
Have a lovely week!!

It kind of gives a good run down of my week! I am trying to be a strong senior companion. Being with a new missionary has help me realize how much I have learned...not just Spanish wise but in the spirit. I truly love being a missionary. I don´t think I want it to end. Even though I am tired pretty much all the time, and sometimes it is just heart breaking but there really is no other joy like serving the gospel. I can not believe I almost let my opportunity pass by. I am so glad I didn't.

I love you a million service activites that build more than just playgrounds!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful