I am doing well and loving life! It is still
hot here in Zaragoza but I decided that I love the heat! Haha… (…getting used to it)
It is still the three of us; Hermana Reeder
and I, and our amazing mini Missionary-Hermana Yabeta. But, we are so sad
because she is leaving this Saturday to go back to Bilbao. We don´t want her to
leave because she has helped us out so much.
We love the Churches, who are the senior
couple here. They are always serving us and are even driving us to Lleida
tomorrow for our special training with the President and our Zone. So as a
thank you we made them lunch yesterday between the two Branch meetings. We set
up a nice table in our apartment. Hermana Yabeta made rice with chicken
(popular dish here) and I made a salad and Hermana Reeder made oatmeal
chocolate chip cookies (Hermana Church loves cookies) and we ate them with ice
cream. It was wonderful and I love learning from Elder Church and love them so
much and you will definitely get to meet them someday. I even offered to give
Hermana Church a manicure-French tip. J
We eat well. Hermana Yabeta has taught us
neat meals to fix. I wrote down the recipes and am excited to make them for you
someday.
We go running every morning by the river,
across bridges, etc. It´s a beautiful city and we are really taking advantage
of being here. We run anywhere between 15-35 minutes.
I get to play the piano a lot and am getting
a lot better at it...little by little.
I don´t want to leave Zaragoza. Everyone thinks I will. The next transfer is
August 21st which is coming up. I will let you know what happens.
This is the Lord's work and it is wonderful
to be a part of it! He knows what is
best for us. Just when you feel comfortable and feel like you´re on the right
track, plans change and He is ready to stretch you more so that you can grow.
He trusts us and we just need to trust Him more. J Something I'm
really learning on my Mission.
A couple miracle stories from this week are
that our most recent convert Engracia paid her tithing all on her own. Then she
helped us teach her friend. We watched the Restoration video in the chapel with
our Ward Mission Leader. Engracia bore testimony about her feelings about the
Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. She
said the main thing that helped her decide to be a member of the Church was the
Book of Mormon. There is power in the Book of Mormon! J Then on
Sunday in Gospel Principles class, our teacher called on her to answer a
question. She answered and told of an experience. In Relief Society she said
the opening prayer and then bore her testimony. It was incredible! People came
up to us at the end and commented how strong she is and the Relief Society has
really welcomed her. They are so sweet and seem to really care for her! We are
SO excited and she is SO happy.
Another miracle story, Javier who is inactive
that talked to me on the bus, came to Church again yesterday. He got up and
bore his testimony in Sacrament meeting. It was wonderful! He talked about how
he has been inactive for ten years and talked about the power of prayer; how
Heavenly Father is always watching over us and will always answer our prayers.
While riding home together on the bus he told us that the Branch President
asked him if he would be willing to accept a calling. He joyfully said yes that
he was ready for a calling. It was amazing. Tears come to my eyes as I think
about the importance of bringing a less active back to Church. Generations will
be affected. The work is moving forward and we are the Lord´s instruments. We
love this man so much and we often cry together when we talk to him. I am so
happy that he is back in the Church and ready to serve the Lord again.
Esther, who has been inactive has come back
(we had helped her daughter, Helen, get baptized back in April.) She is so ready now to prepare herself to get
her patriarchal blessing and to someday go to the temple. She is setting a
wonderful example for her daughter as well. Generations will be affected, once
again!
Even another family returned at the beginning
of this year. Sashy and Douglas told me that it was thanks to their young
daughters that they returned to Church activity because the girls wanted to
learn more about Jesus. They have been coming faithfully every week and one of
the little girls even gave me a drawing of the star and the baby Jesus
yesterday in Sacrament meeting.
The main theme in Sacrament meeting yesterday
among the testimonies was the amazing example that children set for adults and
the importance of becoming more like little children with unshakable faith. It
was incredible.
Another miracle was that yesterday a Spaniard
woman named Ana came into Church and said she found the location of the capilla
online. She lived in St. George for 10 months studying to be an English teacher
and was introduced to the Church there. Things didn´t work out and she´s ready
to learn more now. I introduced her to the YW President who also went to Utah
to be an English teacher and is now back here. They ended up exchanging phone
numbers!
Then the second counselor in our Branch
Presidency found a Spaniard woman named Isabel outside of McDonalds crying and
had an impression to talk to her. He learned that the woman lost her son a few
years ago. He was able to give us her information that night when we visited
his home. We invited her to Church and we met with her early Sunday morning and
then took the bus together to Church. A member just happened to be on the bus
as well. He bore his testimony to her and gave her good advice on reading the
Book of Mormon. When the second counselor in the Branch Presidency was
conducting he welcomed her. I noticed during Sacrament meeting she had tears in
her eyes a few times during the testimonies. After Sacrament meeting, many of
the members came up and greeted her. She loved all the classes and we had a
great conversation after Church. The Relief Society President bore her
testimony out in the hall afterwards, also, and told her what she needed to do
to gain her own testimony. We gave her a Book of Mormon and set up another
visit with her
Also, Dad is there any way you can e-mail me
some phrases to say to the Chinese people here? They are so nice and we have
made friends with some. They don´t speak Spanish very well. I don´t know how
they live here or have these successful stores when they don´t know the
language!
Hermana Reeder´s grandpa died this last week.
She took it really hard. Her great grandpa on her Mom´s side is President Ezra
Taft Benson. It was his son Mark Benson (2nd of the children) who
passed away. I felt so bad for her. She is still trying to get through it. She
read to me her Dad´s email that he sent to her last week explaining what
happened. He just had a sudden illness. The Prophet visited him when all of
Hermana Reeder´s family was there at their grandpa´s home in Salt Lake. The
Prophet and Hermana Reeder´s Dad gave her grandpa Benson a blessing. It is an
incredible story and maybe I will tell it to you someday. She got a letter from
her Mom today with his obituary and she said that the Prophet and Richard G
Scott spoke at his funeral...as well as her Mom...who was super nervous. J
I love you so much. I am so grateful for your
support and prayers. I can´t wait to tell you about these neat experiences I'm
having here when I see you! The time is really flying by fast and I am trying
to enjoy every minute of it and be an instrument of the Lord and help these
people.
I love you.
Love,
Hermana Laura Johnson
