Para Siempre Dios Esté Con Vos

And Before I Go: LONG LIVE THE BARCELONA SPAIN MISSION. THE BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD. EL FARO!!!

Lots of love, y un abrazo muy grande
Hermana Birch 🇪🇸Hola a todos!

This is my last time writing to you as a full-time missionary for The
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. As much sadness as that
brings me, I know that God will continue to guide me and direct me in
my life even though I won't be serving a full time mission. I want you
all to know that I know that the church is true. This is the true
gospel of Jesus Christ. We are on the right path. We are led and
guided by a prophet and apostles, bishops and stake presidents who
hold the priesthood authority. I know that as we heed to the teachings
of them we will be blessed and happy.

Spain has been good to me. I've talked and connected with lots of
different people from all over the world. I've ran through these
cobblestone streets to get to a visit, meeting, church or piso on
time. I've endured drunk Catalans, tiny elevators, cigarette smoke in
my face, and alcohol odors, Jehovah's Witnesses that want to prove us
wrong, crowded metros, gypsy children, sore feet, seafood, crazy
singing ladies....and learned that nothing can stop the work of the
Lord! But I've enjoyed the Spanish bakeries, the many different
cultures I've experienced, the amazing missionaries, Ward leaders and
companions I've worked with, the Spirit that's often accompanied me in
my moments of need, the many opportunities to learn about the gospel,
how to serve others and give your all to the Lord, the peace I've
received from prayers and prayerful study of the scriptures.

I love you all so much. It's been a great year and a half of writing
you all as well!

Pan!

Hola!!

So this week was pretty great! Except there's a flu going around and all four of the hermanas, we all got it! So it's been pretty low key, we've stayed in piso for like 3 days all covered up in blankets on the couches, sleeping, drinking Aquarius, the most delicious thing ever. It's like European Gatorade. I went to the first hour of church though and played piano :) but I was just so sick everyone was like "go home and get in bed!!"

Our investigator, Sebastian, from Bogota, Colombia came to church and he has told us that he thinks that the Book of Mormon is true! So now we just have to invite him to be baptized, which we haven't done yet because we want to invite his whole family at the same time we just haven't been able to have a visit with all of them in a while because they cancelled last week which was super sad because we had the Bishop all set up to come with us! Pero bueno. Esta semana lo haremos. 

Being sick and in bed for so long has really helped me appreciate my health. I have been thinking about how lucky and blessed I am to have a body that can do so amazing things. I am so grateful for this body. I know I'm going to be better soon and I just feel super grateful to say that!

A scripture I really liked this week: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 15:16

When I first got out here I though I was on my mission because I wanted to be here, because, of course, I was the one who submitted all the papers. But then I realized The Lord has been there every step of the way. Who planted the desire in my heart to serve a mission? Who has been guiding and preparing me my whole life for my mission? I didn't choose this, the Lord has chosen and ordained me. 

Love,

Hermana Birch

P.S Next week is my last Preparation Day......!

Fotos:

We made homemade bread! (Pan)

And croissants with Maria!

Also my trainer came back to Spain to visit with her parents and stopped by our piso right as we were getting home at the end of the day, about to ride the elevator up to our room!

Falling asleep on the train

Us on preparation day last week at Tibidabo

Got to see my members from Granollers at stake conference yesterday!

Tibidabo!

Hola! This was a great week!

We are seeing lots of good things, I love my companion so much. We are
seeing so many miracles.

I went on an intercambio to Vic, a super Catalan pueblo. It was super
great except I took a train at 7:30 in the morning and was pretty
tired....so yeah I fell asleep and missed my stop back to my area! So
I wandered through Barcelona Sants and rode the metro back to my area
all by myself! Haha, it was an adventure. And my companion was waiting
for me still, an hour later...whoops.

We are still teaching our two great families! The Assistants made a 2
week reading schedule for the Book of Mormon, so we gave that to our
one family, and the other one we gave them a children's Book of Mormon
to read with their kids.

I love the mission, I love this gospel, and I'm so grateful for my
Savior, Jesus Christ. As I read from the book Jesus The Christ by
Elder Talmage every day I feel the Savior nearer and I make His life
more real in mine.

Love, Hermana Birch

Golden Family!

Me and my favorite Andaluza

Our district las week on Mont Juic. Apparently the Elders didn't get the memo that we were going on a HIKE. Awkward.Hello everyone!

It was transfers week, we are staying together!! We are so happy!

We are teaching some great people! We are so excited! One, is the
family we teach. We went and picked them up to go to church and we got
there and they were getting ready! So we waited and played with their
pet bunnies! Then we walked to church with the dad and two of the
young sons. During sacrament meeting I taught the 10 year old son the
story of the Book of Mormon with pictures, to keep him entertained :)

Also, a lady started taking to the elders in the grocery store, and
she wanted them to come over to her house like right then, so they
went and she was so excited to have them in her house, and she showed
them her Book Of Mormon. And she said she wanted the missionaries to
come over and teach her whole family when they get home from work and
school!!! Turns out, she lives in OUR area, so we went and visited
them last night and they are GOLDEN. They dad and the son and the mom
were there. They are from Bogota, Colombia and they have heard about
the church and been a few times but they still don't know that much.
As we talked to them, I just felt like I was at home. They already had
this light and spirit in this home. It was a really cool experience.
They are super open and receptive. The son is like 21, doesn't smoke,
drink, party. (So rare here, teenagers so many times get corrupted by
Spanish culture) He's studying to be an engineer. The dad is an
electrician. He asked us if we could share a favorite verse or chapter
from the Book Of Mormon with them and explain it. I was like floored.
I was like "right now?? You would like me to share a verse with you?
Like right now? Like you're ASKING me to do it?" It was so funny.

When we are in the service of others we are happy! I'm so grateful for
the chance to testify of my Savior everyday! It's the best!

Love, Hermana Birch 🇪🇸

Press Forward

Also we did a 3k with two of the wards

Hermana Birch 🇪🇸Hola!

This week was awesome! We finally got to have a lesson with a woman I
contacted one of my first weeks here. She is American and lived in
Florida for a long time but now has been in Spain for awhile. She's
funny. She came to church, but didn't really like it! It was long for
her, also she was hungry and she said it was boring. I felt really
bad. I hope we can get her to come again soon.

Also a Pakistani came up behind us in the street a few days ago
wanting to learn more about Jesus. So we had a visit with him in the
church on Friday and he wants to be baptized! We gave him a Book of
Mormon in Urdu. He took it home and his roommate saw it, then his mom
called him all in a rage that he can't change religions. So that's
really sad for us.

But we are working still with the family of John and Lucia! We brought
a member with us to the visit and when they said they couldn't come to
church because it would be too difficult with the baby, the member
came in and said that he would personally make sure that his wife
helped her with the baby, and promised them that there are many other
mothers of young kids that manage just fine. Then they said, well I
guess we'll come!! Which was a big step for them! It was awesome!

So, all in all, a great week! Sorry, no time!

Love, Hermana Birch

Spaceships

Our ghetto area. This isn't even the bad part.Hello!

This has been a crazy week, from bible bashing with Romanians to
Christian Pakistanis contacting us in the street, to a member asking
us if angels travel by spacecraft to crazy old Spanish ladies
singing...it's been a great week.

We are seeing so many miracles! Our investigator came to church on
Sunday! His name is Diego and he really has a strong desire to learn
about Christ and what we believe in our church. Also we are teaching a
family, the mom is Ecuadorian and the dad is Peruvian. They are super
cute! Also we are working with a Chilean lady and her Spanish husband.
She's a member, but he's not. It was a miracle because he usually
hides when we come over, but he stayed and knelt with us for the
kneeling prayer!

I really wanted these two Romanian boys to just accept the Book Of
Mormon, but it didn't matter what we said, they wouldn't read it,
because they were afraid that it contradicted the Bible. It was really
really hard to let them go, because I could just see how much the true
gospel would bless their lives. But, we did everything we could. I
remember that Christ was rejected, and people even that walked with
Him and saw Him perform the miracles, wouldn't accept Him as the Son
of God.

I know that God truly loves His children. As missionaries we get to
see that so clearly, I believe that so strongly. If we have the
Spirit, we can see people how God sees them and our love for them
grows and we don't judge them.

I love this crazy area and I love this church!

Love, Hermana Birch 🇪🇸

Me and Spanish "pan"

Bike contacting

The Sagrada Familia! My first time going inside! And we got in for free because we told them we are a religious group. So they gave us free tickets and let us skip the line!!!

Me and my companion :) she changed her name to LarSON.

Hello everyone!

I am just super exhausted today and honestly don't know what to write.
But it has been an incredible week. I feel the Spirit so strong
sometimes, it's like how I feel when I'm at the temple. I love it. I
look forward to church and sacrament meeting like I never have in my
life. I really have felt like I'm coming closer to my Savior and it's
hard to describe but it makes me so happy.

This week we were walking at night in the ghetto, and I saw a guy
about to ride past us on his bike and I stopped him and he screeched
to a halt! We shared with him our message about Jesus Christ and set
up a return visit. He was a great young guy from Guatemala. We even
said a prayer with him. It was so funny to stop someone on their bike.
I know that the Lord puts people in our path and we have to be bold
enough to open our mouths and find them!

Also we had a ward activity this week because everyone had the day
off. We went to a park and had a barbecue. I bought two huge jump
ropes and we did double Dutch with everyone, it was super fun! This is
a great ward.

Please continue to pray for the missionary efforts. There are so many
people that are being prepared to accept the gospel, but they struggle
with temptations and difficulties and we need to pray for
opportunities to help them come unto Christ. I know that the Lord
works through us if we make ourselves available to it :)

Also, other super funny thing about this week: apparently it's a thing
here to have pet birds. But not only do you have a pet bird, you put
it in a little portable lunch-box looking thing and carry it around
the city. And when you reach a nice park, you unzip the flap on the
lunchbox and let your bird get some sun. It's so funny. I'll have to
get a picture sometime. Yesterday we saw an old man with three!

Lots of love,
Hermana Birch