June!!

Baptism of Carolina & Margarita with their parents & Elder Call

Hello everyone!! I am so happy and excited right now :) Things continue to go incredibly well out here and I'm just constantly amazed at how the Lord truly prepares His children to receive our message, and how He leads us to them or them to us. This past week we saw just another example of that. We got a phone call from the mission office and they told us that they had a reference from the church website of a man who had been looking for the church here in Badalona for about a month or so, and we finally got his contact info and so we called him that same day and set up a visit. Well, the first visit we set up didn't actually go through because he couldn't because of work or something but we set up another one and that one went so well. It was incredible! We just talked a bit to get to know him and asked him what he expected from us and how he even came to know the church. He told us that he has a girlfriend in Mexico who is a member and he was out there and went to church, met with the missionaries a few times, and just felt that it was meant for him. He felt that this is what he needed in his life and that it was what the Lord wanted for him. And he said that he wanted to be baptized and how he could do that. We just sorta sat there a little bit stunned because normally that doesn't happen, ha-ha. But we told him that we would love to help him do that, and we set a baptismal date with him for June 23! He's an incredible man who already has a testimony of the church and the restored Gospel. It was a really neat experience for me and strengthened my faith and testimony that the Lord is always preparing His children in so many different ways and that He will always lead them to us or us to them as long as we are worthy and actively doing our part to do His will.

This past week we also had the baptism of Carolina and Margarita :) It was a really great experience and I'm so happy for them! They're two twin girls who are 13 and their mom is a member who is getting reactivated and we're also helping the dad to learn as well. Their family is so special to me and I love them to death! They love having us over and they say that we can come over any day and any time, ha-ha. But obviously we don't do that :). It's been amazing to be a part of their lives and to help them grow and learn and come closer to Christ. We're going to keep visiting them because we're still teaching other members of their family and I can't wait to see their entire family come to the restored Gospel!

On a little less of a missionary work note, summer is here and it's getting pretty warm, ha-ha. I've definitely had my share of sweat and it gets pretty warm outside. But it's good I guess. I've lost another kilo already and I love it, ha-ha. Things are going really well with my new companion, Elder Call. We get along really well and we're working hard together.

Oh! Funny story, ha-ha. So we had district meeting in the stake center the other day and we usually always stay for a little to eat lunch together and then go back to work. So this time we decided to make a joint lunch and we were using the stove top to heat up some water. Well, I'm not sure what happened but while the sisters were making the food, something started smoking and set off the fire alarms in the entire building, ha-ha. And then they couldn't figure out how to turn it off and we were just there for about 10 or 15 minutes with the alarms blaring but eventually someone figured it out and got it turned off.;) But lesson learned: probably not a good idea to cook like that, ha-ha.

All is well with Elder Mathews. Badalona is great. The ward and the members are incredible. I couldn't be happier :) I love you all and miss you lots!

New Transfer, New Companion

Clarisell's baptism!

Poor Elder Corbitt flies home tomorrow :(. I served with him for two transfers and we were blessed with so much success and miracles. I don't know how the Lord does it but he continually pours out His Spirit upon those who faithfully seek and serve Him. I've learned a lot from Elder Corbitt and I'll miss working with him. He's got a funny sense of humor that's unique to him and he's such an effective worker, planner, and just knows how to be a great missionary. I just hope I can fill those shoes.

My new companion is Elder Call. I've known him for quite some time here in the mission and I'm really excited to work with him. He's a great missionary and loves to work. I'll keep you all updated how things go :).

This past weekend we were blessed to see Clarisell be baptized and confirmed. She is such a special lady and it's been amazing to see her change and accept the gospel. The members are doing great with her and I'm so happy for her. This next weekend we have two more young women preparing to be baptized and they are really excited and so is the ward. Carolina and Margarita are their names and their family is one of the very special ones that I've been able to meet out here. I'll send pictures of that next week too :).

This weekend and yesterday were great days but also some of the hardest, ha-ha. They were great because we taught a lot of really good investigators and we also had a little surprise farewell for Elder Corbitt. The members thanked him for all he has done and there was a bit of food and pictures, etc. But then Monday, yesterday, was great and terrible at the same time, ha-ha. The only bad part of the day was that we ate with almost everyone we met with yesterday, ha-ha-ha! That's one of the worst things about transfers! We ate at 1:30 a hugeeee lunch, then at 4:30 another family gave us some desserts, at 6:00 some more desserts, at 7:30 another surprise dinner that we did not plan for, and then at 8:30 another surprise dinner, ha-ha. Let's just say that the three of us were beyond full and I have no idea how I was able to eat in every visit. We got out of our last visit a little late and we didn't think we were going to make it home on time because we couldn't run at all since we were all way too full of food, and we were a little ways away from our apartment. But right then a member drove by and waved at us and we, without even pausing to think, asked if he could give us a ride and he said yes! Talk about a blessing, ha-ha.

Everything here is going great and I'm loving every minute of it. The heat is finally starting to arrive unfortunately but that was expected. Time to sweat off all the weight I just gained yesterday from eating so much, ha-ha!

I love you all so much and thanks for your incredible examples. Until next week!

Last week of Transfers

This is the last week of the transfer...which also means that it's my companion's last week in the mission. :( Next Tuesday is his last day and Wednesday morning he flies home. It's been a great two transfers with him here in Badalona. I've learned so much from him and it's been incredible to be a part of the work of the Lord in this area. We've been blessed so much and it's been the busiest but also happiest part of my mission probably. So, next week I'll have a new companion. I'll let you know who it is, what he's like and all that good stuff next Tuesday so don't worry :).

This Friday Clarisell is getting baptized!!! She's so excited! And so are we of course, ha-ha. She's truly been a miracle story. We met her because some members told us that we should pass by and teach her a little. At first I honestly didn't think that she was going to progress at all because of the way the first two visits went. But that's why members can be so powerful in missionary work. The members who gave us the reference see her a lot more than we do and they've been talking with her, answering questions and everything, and then the next visit she seemed different and totally committed to learn and progress. It was incredible. And now she's preparing to be baptized this Friday :) It's always amazing to see the way that Heavenly Father prepares his children and how he touches their hearts. So moral of the story: share the gospel with your friends! And then support them and be there by their side when they have questions or just to help them progress. Your support goes a longggg way.

This past week has been a bit different than normal, too, ha-ha. It started off normal like every other week. But then Tuesday night we got a phone call from the mission office and they said that I was asked by president to go to Menorca to do a baptismal interview of a lady who was getting baptized that weekend. Menorca, just so you all know, is an island that pertains to the group of the Balearic Islands of the coast of Spain. So when I heard that, I was so excited! Ha-ha. I had to go on a plane from Barcelona to Menorca alone and met up with the Elders there. I knew both of them pretty well so it was great to see them again. It was really weird being on an airplane again to be honest, ha-ha. And even more so doing it alone, ha-ha. I sorta got lost in the airport on the way back in Barcelona. I just couldn't find the exit to the upper level! I followed the signs and even looked at the map but it took me about 15 or 20 minutes. But I eventually did get out and back to my area :) But it was a neat experience and the lady got baptized and everything!:) It was great and definitely something I didn't expect, ha-ha.

This week we also had an exchange with other Elders in the office and I got to work with one of my former companions again!:) It was great to see him. And then this week we have another exchange to do with the Elders in one of my previous areas, which will be good. So, lots of stuff going on this week as well. I'm excited for this week and the coming weeks and I'm sure that things will continue to go well as the Lord continues to bless us.

I hope that you are all doing well back home and enjoying the oncoming summer. It's actually quite cold today so it's not as good weather as normal. But I'm sure it'll be here in no time. I love you all lots and talk to you next week!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day!...yesterday. I hope all you mothers back home had a great and special day :). I know that it was for me. Yesterday I got to skype with the family which was fantastic! I was so excited all day, ha-ha. Luckily I was able to focus at least during church and everything still :). With permission from the mission presidente, we coordinated with a member to go to their house to eat lunch after church and then they let us use their computers to skype with the family. It was definitely the highlight of the day to be able to see the family again and to talk to them.:) Even though the internet would act up a bit and drop the call, it was still the best part of the day :)

The rest of the week was great as always. We've been blessed to know so many great people and to help them come to the restored gospel. But even though we've been truly blessed and the Lord is helping us, that doesn't mean it's all easy and simple, ha-ha. There are times where we still have to work pretty hard to see the success. Sometimes during the day our plans fall through and we're left with some "free time" and we have to see what the Lord wants us to do. Sometimes we end up walking a bit and talking to a lot of people on the street. Sometimes we pass by a lot of our investigators and they aren't home. But the most incredible thing about this work is that every time we truly let the Lord guide us in His work, we are always led to the exact person or place that we're needed at. Without fail. Sometimes we just need to be more open and receptive to the promptings of the Spirit so that we can actually be guided and helped. The Spirit is a lot more willing to help us than we are willing to be helped.

On a more "temporal" note, things have been great. The weather has really turned out nice :) Sunny, a nice breeze, and just perfect! Obviously it gets pretty warm outside and when we have to run from one place to another (and I mean literally run) we end up sweating in our shirts and ties, ha-ha. But it all adds to the memories and the experience. :)

Today is our "spring cleaning" day which is always great, ha-ha. We took a bit more time this morning before and after our studies to clean and our piso is looking better. It's never been dirty to be honest but a deep clean every now and then doesn't hurt. So it's looking even better now. We threw out a lot of old things that previous missionaries have left behind and it just looks neater inside.

This week is looking to be a good one. We have lots of work to do, lots of people to visit, and just hope the weather cooperates, ha-ha.

Love you all a lot and miss you all! Talk to you again soon!

Spring! :)

I love being a missionary! :) It is by far the most satisfying, exciting, and fulfilling thing that you can ever do! This past weekend on May 5 we were blessed to see Franchesca and Brielly baptized! :) It was incredible to be there. You could feel the spirit and I know that they could as well. The whole teaching process with them has been amazing as well. And I've been so blessed to be here for the entire teaching process, from the day we first met them to the day that they got baptized! :) They are two very special young women and I'm so grateful that I got to meet them. Franchesca asked me to baptize her and it was truly an incredible feeling. The water was a little cold which definitely adds to the memories, ha-ha, but apart from that it was a day that I won't forget. You just can't put in words what it feels like. Brielly was baptized by Elder Escobar, my other companion. It was great to see him baptize his second week in the mission and to help him feel the excitement of missionary work. Saturday in general was just an exciting day! We ate with a big Bolivian family which was so fun and so great :). We brought the dessert and drinks and they provided the barbecue :) ha-ha. We went up to the roof that they have and they had a grill going and we ate up there. We ate ribs and sausage, salad, and then some great dessert provided by us. The environment with them was just so fun. That's one thing I loveeee about the South American culture. They are so open, friendly, family-oriented, and everything! And they always have get-togethers like that. There were about 10 or 15 of us there and we all ate together. Definitely something that I'll miss about the mission.

The area here is going great. We're seeing miracles left and right and we're still working hard. We have three more people who are preparing to be baptized. One is Clarisell, a woman from Ecuador who is a friend from some members of the ward here. She's doing really great and progressing really well. She's come to church and loves it, meets with us and loves it when we come, and she's planning on getting baptized on the 26th of this month. The other two are two young women named Carolina and Margarita and they are getting baptized June 2. They are the daughters of an Ecuadorian family whom we are teaching. The mom is a less active member who is getting reactivated and the dad actually is listening too and wants to be baptized as well. He just said he wants to think about it a little bit more first but he loves it and definitely wants to some day. It's so exciting when you see the Spirit of the Lord working in people and touching their hearts and helping them receive answers about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is by far the best thing about being a missionary! I get to see people feel the difference that the gospel makes in their lives and see them actually want to change in order to make it a part of them. I'm sure that there will be more incredible people to talk about next week as well :)

This past week I was in Barcelona on exchanges with another missionary named Elder Olaya for a few days. He's from Colombia and he's probably the most happy and excited and giddy missionary I've ever met, ha-ha! He laughs a lot, smiles all the time, and is just always upbeat and happy. Sometimes it's a little too much but I love that he's always happy because it's contagious :) It was a fun experience to be with him and I got to work in Barcelona itself :) That's always a great experience!

We finally got permission to take off our suit jackets. It's not even that hot to be honest but it still feels a bit better without it. Summer is on the way, I'm not sure when it'll actually get here because we've seen bursts of it and then it gets cold again. But I'm not complaining :) The work is going fantastic and I'm happy! :) What more can you ask for?

I love you all and I hope you all have a great Mother's Day on Sunday! Talk to you next week! :)