Barcelona Mission: (Hospitalet) Week-10 2013

This last week went by so fast! Time is going by so fast!

We have mostly been working with our two fechas that we have and preparing for their baptism this weekend. We are so excited for them! Especially my companion-it being her first two baptisms in the mission! It has been a breeze to teach these two women because they are so prepared.

Fausta is about 65-70 years old and is scared about being put under the water. We brought a member with us to teach the lesson, which we don´t usually do, (her daughter is always there to help us teach). In fact this was a miracle story in itself! The member´s name is Ruben and he called us the other day and asked us why we haven´t called him yet to use him in visits. We apologized (this is not the first time this has happened...we are still trying to get to know the Ward so we haven´t been calling as many members to help us out yet). Good thing he called us! We invited him to come out with us to teach our two fechas that night. MIRACLE. He is from Peru. Fausta is from Peru. The same part of Peru. Fausta had a cleaner in her house for many years in Peru and it turns out the cleaner´s son worked with Ruben for 14 years in Peru!  Plus, Ruben speaks Ketchuwua just like Fausta so he was able to help us teach her the principles. Then, she decided she wants him to baptize her and he resolved all of her doubts and fears about being baptized. It was perfect!!!
As a side note, the daughter, Cristina, has been  trying to find her records back in Peru because she has been less active for many years. She mentioned to Ruben that she tried emailing someone in Peru to ask about her records. Turns out her and Ruben were in the same Stake!!! Ruben is still friends with the Stake President and offered to contact him for her! It was such a coincidence.  Cristina was worried that if she couldn´t find her records, she might have to be rebaptized; which she was willing to do if she had to. She also received her endowments. Lately she has been trying to come back to full activity in the church. She wants to be a better example for her atheist daughter and her 7 year old son who wants to get baptized this year. This family is really progressing!!

Lupe is the other fecha. She is SO prepared and has been the easiest to teach on my mission. She is so great. So another miracle. We took Ruben with us to that visit also. Turns out they are also from the same area and Ruben knows people related to Lupe´s husband. It is such a small world! Lupe also asked Ruben to baptized her, because her husband, unfortunately can't do it.. But he is recently coming back to the church, though. It is just amazing that all these people were brought here to Spain at this time to meet each other and help each other into the Gospel, and that my companion and I could be apart of it. The hands of the Lord are in every aspect of His work.

More miracles happened this week. Sunday we had a wonderful consejo de barrio! The Bishopric gave us just about the whole time to go over our informes.  The leaders in the Ward were pleasantly surprised with all of our work that we had done with the less actives in the Ward...people that they had been trying to get a hold of and had lost contact with.  It was wonderful! I have never been to a more successful consejo de barrio in my whole mission...not even in Salt Lake. The Bishopric continually expressed their gratitude for our work and they expressed their complete support. It was perfect. We were able to give information needed for every auxiliary organization and they were able to help us in many ways as well. It was just like a District video!

When Hermanas Dalton and Oslund from Valencia stayed with us, we also saw miracles Monday night when they helped us work in our area and gave so much helpful information about some of the recent converts who are now less active. They were also able to visit with some people that we have not been able to contact. It was wonderful.

Ruben once again helped make miracles happen as he suggested that we try to visit a less active family that Hermana Rivera and I have been trying to contact. He said why don´t we just stop by to see if they are home? So we did and I asked Miriam, who lived there if we could just talk for a quick ten minutes. She let us in!!!! A miracle. She even gave us some hot chocolate...definitely a plus on a coooold night. We shared a scripture, set up a return appointment, met her children (one who is not baptized and is of baptismal age!), and then as soon as we almost started to end the lesson her husband walked in the door. It was great meeting him and seeing the look on his face when he saw the missionaries in his home...definitely confused. Hermana Goodman, Ruben, and I gave our  testimonies and I asked if we could pray. Miriam of course said yes and I asked if we could kneel. The whole family was shocked, especially her husband, as we all knelt on the floor in a circle and I offered the prayer. IT WAS WONDERFUL!! We thanked Ruben for his help and ran home to make it before 10:00pm planning. I called Miriam´s Mom, who is an active member and told her about visitng Miriam. She started crying over the phone and couldn´t stop thanking us. She offered to help us with anything at all. She told me that she loved me at the end of the conversation. It was AMAZING. What a blessing it is to be a missionary and have the opportunity to help families come together and be strengthened in the Gospel.

During a three day conference, I gave a short presentation on what I have learned on my mission. I spoke about Charity. I will have to tell you about it sometime. It was an amazing conference and an amazing experience. But for some reason after my presentation I kept shivering as if I was cold. (It was around 12 P.M.)
Hermana and Pte Pace gave me blankets and a heating pad. I fell asleep on their bed and didn´t wake up until 6 P.M.!  I was so sad because I missed Hermana Jorgensen's presentation (my last companoin in Zaragoza). They gave my companion and I a ride home and I went right to sleep until morning. I am feeling a lot better now. And the great food the Elders brought over helped. Now we are running to an appointment.

Hope you are doing well. I love you a lot.

Love,  Laura