Father's Day

  I am doing good today. I just sent you a couple of photos...I hope you like them! My week was okay. We had zone conference, which was of course amazing. I gave my testimony in SPANISH! It turns out I have learned some things while I have been here! As usual when you baptize someone, and you have been focusing all your attention on them, then you realize that you have not been looking for other investigators...AHHH! So we are again on the hunt for people who want to listen to our message!

We had an activity on Saturday near our apartment. We took our giant Book of Mormon out with lots of pamphlets and our bright, smiling faces. There are always a lot of people out on Saturday, shopping and such, so it is the perfect time. We had decided only to talk about baptism and how we have the authority from Jesus Christ to baptize! That kind of talk always stops people in their tracks! It turned out to be a lot of fun, we talked to quite a few people and even got some references. The member who was with us also had a great time. He thinks we need more young men in our ward, so he was stopping all the young men he saw and giving them pass along cards. It is true...sharing the gospel is fun!

Last saturday we got to help with the young women´s activity. They made us this giant flower headbands, representing the different values. I was Faith! Which is good because it is the Christ like Attribute I am focusing on this Month... 'I am a daughter of my loving Heavenly Father. I have confidence in his plan of happiness, which is centered in Jesus Christ my Saviour.' I loved being with the Young Women. They are so amazing and working so hard to be good examples!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIDEON!!!!

And Happy Father´s Day to all the incredible Dads out there! Your work is not unnoticed!

I love you a million young women's activities, dressed in flower headbands and being faith!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Ten Month Pizza

To Baptize Is To Have Fun

The best news of the week....OVIDIO WAS BAPTIZED!!! My heart literally wants to explode from the happiness and joy I feel. I might even write a haiku, that is how happy I am. We actually made a whole event of his baptism.. Yesterday was stake conference so our whole branch rode in a bus to Valencia, enjoyed stake conference, took lots of photos, got back on the bus, drove to Gandia, ate delicious food, Baptized Ovidio, back on the bus once again for Benidorm. It was possibly one of my favorite Sundays ever.

Ovidio is incredible. He came up out of the water just smiling. He bore his testimony about how the Book of Mormon has answered all the questions he ever had, how the branch is like his family and how he has come to feel the love of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I love him. The Gospel changes lives. Words can not even express how beautiful amazing wonderful lovely this baptism was.

This week I am doing exchanges once again with the hermanas in Valencia. It should be a good time. I love being able to learn from different sisters. Plus we have a new hermana, and she is darling, so I am excited to get to know her!

One quick hilarious story...we went to a members house to eat. The member had a whole chicken that needed to be cut up, that Hna. N offered to cut up. It was kind of making me sick because I could hear the bones snapping, so I was making faces. The member asked me what I was going to do when I was married and my husband wanted chicken. I said 'well if he wants a whole chicken cut up, he can cut it himself'. They all stared at me in disbelief and then started laughing. The member told Hna. N that she would probably be the one who gets married because she has these domestic skills... Bahaha apparently knowing how to make oragami hearts, knowing all the songs to the Music Man, and making a mean carrot cake do not make for good marrying material. 

I love you a million Sundays of traveling and baptizing!

Love, Melissa the Beautful

Same Jersey

Melissa asked me to post this for her
-Karen

May 16 2011

We did have an earthquake...but we did not feel it! Some Elders in our district felt it and called to see if we had felt it. Sadly we had not. Then President called to make sure we were all safe. We were kind of disappointed. Possibly the only earthquake I will ever be a part of!

No baptism for now, sadly enough. There needs to be a little more preparation but we are praying that it will happen in the next couple weeks. I am still praying that we will find a family! We need a family!

The work is good. We had quite a few investigators progressing but then they have stopped progressing. It is sad especially when you work with people so much but we are again on the hunt for new people to teach. I am becoming a contacting machine and I love it. Bring on the eye contact. Weakness become Strength!

Paella is rice but it has some kind of sauce that makes it yellow...then it has chicken and some of these red peppers that are not really peppers but I can not remember their name. The President of our Branch is known far and wide for his paella. It is delicious!

Well it is the end of another transfer...and Hna. Reed got transferred. I am very sad because we only got one transferred together. She was amazing and we had a great time together. We had to buy her a new suitcase because her other one broke(Benidorm is very hard on suitcases). So we bought another at a chino just wanting it to make it to Barcelona...but it did not even make it to the bus station in Benidorm. A 15 minute walk turned into a hour long battle of me dragging the suitcase without wheels. It was hilarious. In Woman Vs. Suitcase, Woman always wins!

 The other news is that I am now Senior companion. President Hinckley called and said 'Are you ready for your new assignment as Senior companion?' and I said 'NO' and He said 'Well you better be by Tuesday!' Oh President Hinckley, he is such a jokester.

I am a little stressed and nervous, I have not really slept the last couple of nights. Mostly because I do not know Benidorm as well as I would like to, or all the members and such. But my new companion is an incredible missionary. She is from Armenia but has lived in Spain for 13 years, so she speaks Spanish perfectly, which is a blessing! Her name is Hna. Nabanlygan.....yeah I can´t spell it...sorry.

Keep praying for a family. I know they are out there just waiting for us to find them!

I love you a million suitcases with wheels(honestly one of the best inventions of my life, I decided)

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Pictures!

First day in Benidorm



View from near our house




Paella!




Eggs with Luz!



I'm just a little black rain cloud

April 25, 2011

 

The sunny weather has disappeared! It has been raining here, in the land of sunshine and beaches! I can not believe it, I must protest! But things are well in the land of missionary work! We still have our baptism scheduled for May 7. She has a lot of things to change but she wants to be baptized. Faith and the priesthood power work miracles!!! I am so excited to see her baptized. Baptism is the GREATEST!! We see Luz every single day, ususally for just a short period of time. We even dyed easter eggs with her, which she loved because she loves the United States.

   Easter is a little different here in Spain...no Easter Beagle for one. They celebrate from thursday until sunday-semana santa. There are lots of processions, but we did not get to see any. We made little easter cards with a scripture and thank you note for every family in our branch! We had a lovely dinner of pizza and fresh strawberries with one of the members-plus we spent the day talking to people about the gospel, so it was amazing!
  

We are still looking for our family!! I want to teach a whole family so so much. I just keep praying that I will find one. I know it is possible.

One hilarious story...yesterday as we were walking home to our apartment, we contacted this old man and his wife. When we asked them who Jesus Christ was for them, the old man just started singing about how Jesus Christ gives us hope and love. It was the best thing ever!

I love the gospel. I love Jesus Christ.

I love you a million singing contacts  'Cristo nos da la esperanza!'
Love, Melissa the Beautiful

What I am up to

  I am doing so great. I love Benidorm already. I was so sad to leave Pamplona, you know how attached I get to places.  Benidorm is a completely different world. We can see the ocean from our apartment... The branch here is small, about 30 people on a good Sunday. But they are all amazing and I am so excited to work with them.

 

My new companion, Hna. R- she is great. I am already learning a lot from her. She is so good at talking to everyone, and I mean everyone. And she is hilarious which I always appreciate. Plus she has this calming voice, that pretty much stops people in the street. Good phone voice she calls it.  

 

 We set a baptismal date for May 7 with a woman named Luz. She is from Columbia and she is a little crazy but I love her. And she wants to be baptized and change her life! And we has 6 investigators in church! It was a miracle.

 

I love it here...I do not have to wear a coat, which is just lovely. Benidorm is full of old people and tourists but it is lovely as well. I am so excited to be serving here. I really love being a missionary. It is a miracle to me that I love being a missionary. But I do I love it!!!

 

We actually live in a little pueblo just outside of Benidorm Villa Joyosa. 

 

I love you a million beautiful beaches that I can not visit in BENIDORM

 

Melissa the Beautiful

Nothing Compares to YOU

  It is going to be a combined letter this week because I got transferred! I will now be serving in the hottest part of the mission BENIDORM! Yep all the way from the North down to the most Southern part. Right now I am in Valencia with my new companion Hna. Reed. We well be staying the night here and then going to Benidorm after district meeting. It was hard when I heard I was leaving Pamplona...I cried. I love Pamplona like my first love. But I am excited to be here and start this other part of my mission. Hna. Rodriguez was so excited for me because she served in Benidorm for 6 months. BEACHES AND OCEAN!

  I am pretty tired from all the traveling and saying good bye. It was hard leaving my recent converts and the ward, but I know they will be in good hands with Hna. Rodriguez. She is training again...her companion does not know how lucky she is to start in Pamplona!

 

This is my new address...

C/Aitana 4, 4 C

La Villa Joyosa 03570

Alicante España

 

You know how I love some cards...I actually recieved a package from the ward Beehives...but I accidentally left it in Barcelona.

 

I love you a million crazy days of dragging my suitcases all across Spain!

 

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

San Fermin shirts

I can not believe that Easter is not until the end of April! But this week is General Conference...I am excited except I think it is going to be in Spanish...luckily I know Spanish! 7 months...almost 8. I can hardly believe it. All the members were telling me how much better my Spanish has gotten. I have a lot more confidence, I can not always find the words, but I try.

  I am not so excited about transfers. I really really REALLY want to be here for another transfer! But I will try to be happy about anything that happens. I just really love Pamplona. Hna. Rodriguez and I bought San Fermin shirts...from 2009. They were 2 for 3 euros! What a steal. I will have to send some pictures.
   We are still looking for new investigators but really focusing on working with the members-  I am glad to hear you are marking the Book of Mormon to give away. I have realized more and more on my mission that I had many opportunites to share the gospel that I did not take. Little by little- and there are even people in Idaho who need the gospel. We had lunch today with a family who was here in Pamplona when there were only 10 people- now there are over 300 in this ward! It is amazing the change and happiness the gospel brings!

 

I am copying my letter to President Hinckley- It has a little more information that I do not usually have time to write in these emails.

 

President Hinckley,
  I wrote a beautiful letter but it looks like it got lost in the vast expanse of the internet. I will try again!
  We have a couple of investigators, but it has been rather hard to set citas with them. They all have crazy work schedules which makes it a bit more complicated. This week we are going to set at least two firm citas with each of them, so that we can have more constant contact with them! Lusia and Patricia, a mother and daughter, are great. They have agreed to read in the Book of Mormon...plus they both said that when they read they feel a peace in their hearts. Exactly.
  I think the moment that most stands out to me this week is when we were teaching the Restoration to one of our menos activo families. The daughter, Melany, is 11 and does not much like the world right now. One week excited to see us, the next no. We had decided to teach the first lesson because we realized that they did not remember much about the basics. Start at the beginning. I have been teaching more and more with Hna. Rodriguez, so I started with 'God is Our Loving Heavenly Father'. I talked about how God is the Father of our Spirits, how he loves us, how he gave us prayer so we could communicate with him. This is not new to me but Melany was looking at me so intently, I focused in on her. And I realized that maybe she did not know this or did not understand,that she had a Heavenly Father who loved her. I could feel the love that Heavenly Father has for her, that he loves her so much. I am think she felt that love for just a moment. I want that feeling to be in every lesson. I want her to know, not just this once, but all the time that God loves her. I am going to work harder on having the Spirit so that every person I talk to can feel the love of God.
  I feel like our relationship with the ward is getting better and better. On Sunday, I decided that I was going to try and talk to more people. I still have a little bit of fear when talking with people in Spanish. But I talked to many people and was able to carry on conversations! Without Hna. Rodriguez to save me. Everyone I talked to said how much better my Spanish has gotten and one even commented on my accent...that it was good. And the love just keeps getting bigger! One of the members approached me and told me that we could have a noche de hogar with our investigators, whenever we wanted to, at their house. Another member asked for a pamphlet and said she was going after church to give away a Book of Mormon!!! YES!! I love this ward, I LOVE these people. I am so happy to be serving here. They are incredible!
  I am a little worried about Isabel, our recent convert. She is struggling because she has not had work in over 3 months. She thought that when she joined the church everything would be fixed. But it did not exactly work like that. She has not come to church for the past two weeks. We are going to be visiting her more, reading in the Book of Mormon with her, to help her with her testimony. I know she has one, it just needs a little help.
 I love serving in Pamplona. Hna. Rodriguez and I are getting working hard together, working hard to find investigators, strengthen our recent converts and menos activos and improve the relationship with the ward. I learn something new from her every day. She helps me so much- to have more animo and love for this work. I love her.
  I have been reading in Alma. There is a verse I love about how God uses those small and simple things to bring about great and marvelous works. I do not feel like I have much power but I am seeing as I work on the small things, being more obedient, working more with the members, having more love for everyone, that great things are happening. Little by little. I guess sometimes we have to wait for the great things. But I am learning to be an instrument in the hands of God, even if I am weak by myself.
I love Pamplona! Here is to another great week in the beautiful miraculous PAMPLONA!!
-Hna. Roberts

 

I love you a million San Fermin shirts...for an incredible steal!

 

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Spring, lovely, snowy, spring

 This week we had zone conference, which always comes at exactly the right time, right when I need a boost. I realized during the conference that I have been focusing on the negative, not on the positive. So this week I have been working hard to see the miracles and there they are!

  

Right now we are focusing a lot on working with the members of our ward. We went to church a half hour early, so that we could greet all the members of our ward as they came into the chapel. I realized as we were greeting everyone how much I have come to love this ward. I still don´t understand a lot of what is being said but I love these members and they love me right back. It is going to break my heart to leave!

 

 On Monday we had a visit with one of our less active families. There is always this girl named Patricia there... she is 10 and a friend of the family. Well on Monday she said to us ´you need to meet my mom!´ So we walked her home and met her mom, set up some visits with her! Patricia is probably the most hilarious 10 year old I have ever met. She told us last week that she did not want to offend us but she did not like our work. She woud preferr that we worked in an office building so we did not have to be in the streets! Bahaha! I love her.

 

  I also have been baking quite a few things...brownies and cookies. But I have to say that my luck has not changed...I burnt the brownies and the cookies are...interesting. But everyone thinks they are delicious because they have never had real cookies before. 

    

I love you a million girls named Patricia who love the Book of Mormon and think Americans only eat hamburgers!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Winds of March

Yes, the weather is crazy pants here...snowing one minute, the next sunny. I want Spring!!!

We are still looking for investigators...I am trying to learn patience because it has been a pretty discourging week. But hopefully those miracles are just around the corner.  We set a bunch of little goals for our big goal of finding a family! A real family. So we are talking to everyone about families, contacting families, talking with the members about the Proclamation and praying all the time to find our family! We got a reference for a family from one of the members in our ward...hopefully it is our family!!!

I love my mission. It is hard a lot of times. But I love Pamplona, I love our recent converts and this ward. It will be hard to leave.

I love you a million references from members for our family!!!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Reply: Happy Birthday

  I am still in Pamplona, so you can send those cards right along! My birthday was interesting...kind of  like Christmas, it didn't really feel like my birthday! But I did recieve your package and I loved it!!! You don't even know, I just wanted to kiss it! And then I did! But Hna. Rodriguez made me some delicious food, spagetti and cake, and several people sang to me. In Spanish of course.

 This week has been a bit rough, to be honest. Hna Rodriguez received some news that one of her recent converts had died. It is pretty hard because she spent a lot of time with this lady and loves her so much. But Hna R is amazing and strong. We have also been working hard to find new investigators. Meeting with lots of members to encourage them to share the gospel with their friends! 

I am excited to be here in Pamplona for another transfer. I love it here. I love this ward and the people. The other day I talked to this lady from Spain on the bus! Which may not seem like much but I talked to her without the help of my companion. I understood her and she understood me. It is a miracle, more then a ten minute conversation! Ahh and I understood her! I still can not believe it. It is so amazing!

I love you a million conversations that I can finally have in SPANISH!

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

Happy Heart Day!

  The baptism went great. He told us that when he was baptized he felt something hug his heart! He will be confirmed and receive the priesthood this Sunday. He is excited to receive both on the same day. He is such a goofy kid but I just love him.

  

  In my interview yesterday with President Hinckley, I talked with him a little about some worries I have. He told me I need to have more faith and talk with people, so that I can feel like a missionary all the time. Then I won´t have any regrets! And this week is my 6 month mark...can you believe it!

  Thanks so much for always writing me. It is a such a strength! I love you so so much!

I pray for you every day.

I love you a million days of February

February 7

 I am doing great! We dropped all our investigators this week, except two, because they weren´t progressing! It is a bit sad but when people refuse to commit or come to church after months of teaching, it has to happen. We have a baptism this Sunday!!! With a kid named Edy- he is 17 and from Columbia! This will be the first baptism that I have been teaching the entire time! And I am seriously so excited! I will definitely send pictures!!!! Edy is amazing and he loves learning about the gospel. Plus he is a little goofy which makes me love him even more.

My Spanish is improving. I have been making an effort to speak more with members with investigators etc. And it has been helping. All the members keep commenting that my Spanish has gotten so much better. I even bore my testimony is Relief Society...I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest.

I love you a million confusing Spanish streets

Love, Melissa the Beautiful

January 24

Things are good here. It is now freezing. I have been wearing a hat and like three scarves. I wish I would have brought my kniffty knitter, so that I could knit myself a huge scarf. My Spanish is getting better, we speak mostly in Spanish but she knows a fair amount of English. She is helping me teach a lot more, which is good. Plus we just laugh...because communicating in two languages is crazy.

We have zone conference tomorrow, I am excited for a boost of spirits. I have a lot of questions that I am praying will be answered. I have been trying to make my prayers more meaningful. Sometimes it is hard because I am so tired at night. But it is worth it. I am loving the talks from Conference. I feel like they are speaking to me personally. I especially love Elder Holland´s and Elder Eyring´s from Priesthood.

 

I love you a million scarves in the freezing cold!

Where Do I Start

I have not wrote much since Christmas, so this is just a little run down...(most of it may involve food)

-I ate rabbit on Christmas Eve

-I ate 12 grapes on New Year´s Eve...apparently it brings good luck in the New Year

-I took a bunch of pictures of the youth outside our window the next morning...they were singing, dancing and all dressed up in Halloween costumes. Apparently a New Years tradition. Hilarious. I was just amazed that they were still singing at 7:30 in the morning

-Set three baptismal dates for Jan. and Feb....YEAH!!!

-Got a companion...who only speaks Spanish. She is hilarious. We have a good time trying to understand each other.

-Made it to five months in the mission!!!

-knocked doors on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year´s Eve and New Years

- decided that knocking doors is the best. Seriously. People are so funny when you bring up religion. Especially when you are standing on their door.

-realized that I love being on a mission! 

I love you a million days of knocking doors...believe me. It is hilrious

Transfer Week

Well I am still in Pamplona! My new campanion is Hermana Rodriguez. She is from Argentina but lives in Italy. And yes, she speaks very little English. But she is great I can tell. But I know it is going to be a little rough at first with the language barrier. Especially trying to explain about our investigators. We did not meet all the mission standards this past week, not for lack of trying. We do our part and everyone has their agency. But we did see miracles...and we have another baptism date¨.

 

Sorry this is not very long but it has been a crazy day. Next week will be much better. And probably full of crazy adventures.

I love you a million words in Spanglish.

One sweet cookie

Christmas cookie decorated to look like Melissa, by her dear friend Melissa.

Happy New Year

 This week has been pretty good. We finally have a baptismal date with a woman named Mirly. She came to church and pretty much told us she wanted to get baptized. So we are preparing her for the 22. Transfers are next week, so I don´t really know what is going to happen. Most likely I will be staying here, but one never really knows.

  Our goal this week is to reach all the mission standards. It is going to be crazy trying to do it, but amazing. I am pretty excited especially since it is probably our last week in this companionship. We are finally teaching some people who will set some firm citas, which is the best. I don´t know I am just excited for this week. Plus it is a new year, which is awesome

 

i love you a million stamps from Spain

MERRY CHRISTMAS BEDFORD FALLS

Merry Christmas!...Well in a couple of days! We have been trying to get in the Christmas spirit here...we bought a couple of strings of lights at a chino. Unfortunately they only have about 20 lights in the two strings combined. But we have been listening to MOTAB Christmas songs something fierce. And making jokes about the Basque Santa, who is always dressed in black. How would you like that climbing into your window?

  

At the beginning of all our lessons, we usually sing a hymn. Sometimes the investigators sing with us, but most of the time they just listen. We opened one of our lessons by singing a Christmas song, and when we finished they started clapping. ´You should hold a concert` LAS HERMANAS En CONCIERTO. I almost died laughing. Especially since my voice is always cracking when we hit the high notes, but our investigators love it. 

One great thing about the mission, is how we are always running for the bus. Always. I can not think of a day that we did not run for the bus. Last week, we saw our bus coming as we were leaving our apartment. We darted across 2 lanes of traffic and dashed down the street. The bus was full of people, who were definitley laughing. It did not help that I had a pocket full of change that kept jingling as I ran¡ I love giving the good people of Pamplona something to brighten their days. Nothing like seeing the Mormon nuns running for the bus!

I love Spain. I am seeing little miracles everyday. Even though it is hard being out in the cold trying to find people to teach, I can see how God is blessing my life. And this Christmas is going to be full of miracles. I am grateful this Christmas for Jesus Christ. For his example and for his sacrifice. Without him I am nothing. With him I am everything. Merry Christmas!!! I love you all.

I love you a million Basque Santas dressed in black!