Pics from this week :)

Fwd: Weekly report September 14-20, 2015

Hello everyone!

This week was awesome. We saw lots of miracles. There´s no such thing as an ordinary day. I love the mission, especially in this small town. We see people we know like at every turn. And it´s like miracles all day long because we run into someone, remind them to come to church, and then they´re there the next day in the chapel. 

One thing that I do not like about Spain is that everyone smokes. We don´t have any investigators right now that smoke, but we´re walking the streets all day and just everybody is smoking. It´s disgusting. I hate having to smell it everywhere we go. And people who don´t have anything, no money, no house are smoking. It makes me think that people will sacrifice everything they have so they can have the things they really want. They´re addicted to cigarettes so they do everything they can to get some. So when we´re in the streets and people tell us they´re too busy for God, I know that they really just don´t realize how important He is. They don´t know what they´re missing! All the members of the church, we´re busy too, but we make time for the things that are the most important.

We had an awesome Zone Enfoque with the President of the mission. He taught us about being Master Teachers and how important it is to get our investigators to church. That´s one thing we need to improve as a mission, getting investigators to church!

Well on Saturday evening, my companion told me to call Patricia. But we have two Patricias, so I called the first one that came to my mind. Which was the investigator that we have lost contact with because she never answers her phone. But she has told us in the past that she would like to come to church if she has the chance. Well I called her and she said she was too busy to meet up, and that she was going to go to her Catholic church on Sunday. And so I squeezed in the question, well would you like to come to our church at 10 in the morning tomorrow? And she was like well, ok. So we picked her up and walked together to church! It was so great because the members were really welcoming and nice to her and she ended up staying for all 3 hours of church! Hermana Manotas was flipping out, because she had meant for me to call the other Patricia, the less active one!

Love you all so much,

Hermana Birch

9 month mark!

I have hit my halfway mark on my mission! How crazy is that? When I was in training I thought this day would never come but time has been flying! You may ask if I am fluent in Spanish yet, and the answer is no. But I can understand and people can understand me so at least we're somewhere. I love Spanish and I love speaking it all day everyday. I don't speak in English ever because me and my companion speak Spanish and with the elders and in meetings we speak Spanish too.

Yesterday Benjamín was baptized! We have been teaching him the lessons and he is a really amazing kid. His whole family was there to support him, his uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents. All of them are members and all live here in Lleida! I was thinking that this is what it must feel like to be in the Celestial Kingdom, the Spirit was so strong. It was a really special baptism, and it reminded me of my own baptism. When his parents were bearing their testimonies together, it reminded me of Mom and Dad. And then we sang "I like to look for Rainbows" and I couldn't even sing because I was so choked up.

I am so grateful for the gospel. It really does bless families. I love you guys so much.

Right after the baptism, we hit the street and we contacted a guy with his nose in his phone. At first he wouldn't even look at us and was playing a game on his phone, but then he told us he was on his way to call his family in his country because his 11 year old cousin just died. I tried to testify of eternal families and that God has a plan for us, but already being emotional from the baptism it was kind of difficult. I just wish everyone knew what we know. Sometimes I feel so sad being in the street and seeing so many people walk by or sitting in cafes who don't know what they're missing.

I know this gospel is true. I feel my Savior's love so much. I am going to hit 4 1/2 months here in this ward and they have really become my family. It's going to be so hard to leave. I'm so grateful for the families in this ward that serve diligently in their callings and love the Lord. They are such examples to me and I love them with all my heart. I am so grateful to be able to see the testimonies of people who have not grown up in the gospel. There are people here who have a year or less, or just 3 years in the church and they just get it and they are super strong in their faith.

I love the work, I love the mission. It's finally getting easier. Not that it's easy, but now I know the ropes and the language. I am so excited for what my next 9 months will bring!!

Les quiero mucho. Gracias por todo lo que han hecho para mí.
Un abrazo muy grande,
Hermana BirchI am writing to you from a Colombian café.

Feliz cumpleaños

Mas fotos de la semana