Week 58 - Conference

2/16/15

Buenas!  Hi everyone, this week has been really fun! 

 

This Thursday and Friday we had a Specialized Training meeting for missionaries.  Both days the conference was 6 hours long more or less.  It was rather long but it was so spiritually uplifting.  The highlight of this week was actually when Elder Cluff and I had to put together the class for the Elders Quorum in 5 minutes for church.  The lesson was about being happy through difficult times.  It was a very good reminder for me.  The biggest thing that impacted me from the lesson was the fact that being happy is our own personal decision. 

 

A great example of this is one of the members in the ward here in Vilafranca.  He is the Patriarch and is the owner of a Nescafé factory (a coffee making factory, ironic huh?) and but is very humble.  A couple months ago he showed up to his work with his wife and they were both late.  The employees (several of which are members here) asked him what had happened and his wife shakenly replied that somebody had set their new car on fire.  Now without a car they had made it to work and without missing a beat the Patriarch kept on working like normal and was even singing Hymns with a big smile on his face!  His example impacted many people in the ward and reminded me that the best way to be happy in this life is to keep an Eternal Perspective. 

 

So for all of you back home, I'd like to invite you all to be happier this week.  I'm definitely going to try and change it up so I know you guys can as well!  Have a great week!

Tarantula!

Tikal didn't send any explanation with this picture. 

Maybe he figured it didn't need one. 

We can only hope it's someone's pet and not an intruder!

If you're wondering where the Utah snow is, it's in SPAIN!!

Week 57 - SNOW!

2.9.15

Hey everyone!  This week in Vilafranca was great!  I've been a bit sick the past week but the work still goes on.  To give a recap of the week last Preparation Day we did something really fun!  We went to Barcelona and rented bikes and rode around the port and tourist area.   I had a lot of fun!  Lately we have been going to the park during the week and have been playing basketball with some teenagers there.  We do pretty well and we got a member to come with us.  Now every time we come, they send out a text to all the guys who normally come to play that says, "Los Mormones vienen, tenemos partido." Which translated means "The Mormons are coming, we've got a game."  We are getting the word out little by little here in Vilafranca.  This week I also got to show one of the Recent Converts here how to play keep-away in soccer...He and I are pretty good friends now.  So not this week but next week we are looking at a baptism of a Bolivian lady named Rufina.  She was going to get baptized this week but can't come to church to get confirmed on Sunday so we are going to help her get baptized on the following weekend.  So that’s pretty much been my week and I'll finish it off with some pictures.

Oh also referring to the subject line, it SNOWED in Vilafranca!!!!  I thought I wouldn't see it during my mission but there it is!

Bike Tour in Barcelona

What a fun thing for the missionaries to do on their Preparation Day!

Ward Mission Leader in Vilafranca

Tikal's sportin' a new suit! He was told to just buy one there, but he waited a year to do it.

(6 months on islands didn't give him many options) 

I'm sure he's thrilled to finally have TWO suits to choose from. 

Week 56 Two weeker

2.2.15 

So I kinda forgot to write about last week so I'll sum it all up in one email.  So these last two weeks have been super good, filled with companionship exchanges though.  I have been out of my area for 3 days....not very fun but still entertaining.  To start off though, we had a pretty cool experience about a week ago.  After church on Sunday, one of the members came up to us and asked for a blessing to help her with a headache she had.  So we gave her a blessing and right after we finished she stood up and said, "thank you Elders, I don't have a headache anymore.  Right when you put your hands on my head the pain went away."  All I can say is the power of the Priesthood is awesome!  

 Well, during this past week we did our companionship exchanges and I went to work in a different city for a day.  It was pretty fun but I think I'm getting sick again because of it...ah well.  The best part of this week was when we got to go visit this Peruvian family we found in the street a couple weeks ago.  We took them brownies and taught them about the Book of Mormon.  They really enjoyed the visit and when we asked if there was anything we could do for them they said, "keep visiting us."  It was so great.  And on top of all that, when we left they sent us with a Peruvian food that was this creamy sauce with chicken....super good!  

This week I also learned the power of being friendly and happy.  When I was on a companionship exchange we went to an eating visit with a member family and there was a less-active member there.  I didn't know he was less-active but I just started talking to him about soccer (something not too hard for me....).  We kept talking basically the entire night.  At the end of the visit, my companion for the night asked him if he was going to come to church that Sunday and he replied, "I'll go if Elder Jonson is there!"  I felt pretty special. ;)  So this week I'd like to invite you all to be happier and/or more friendly to someone. It will help them see the blessings that come from living the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I hope you all have a good week and love life!

Week 54 In for the kill

1.20.15

In for the kill.

Well this week was transfers, and I'm going to be staying here in Vilafranca with Elder Cluff for his last transfer of the mission.  To use mission slang, I will be "killing" him.[Tikal will be his last companion before he goes home.]  In other news, we got to see a huge step in the growth of the church here in Spain.  Yesterday at church we received the news that as a ward here in Vilafranca our request for permission to begin progress on constructing a church building here has been accepted!  We are currently meeting in the bottom floor of an apartment building, it's a good size, but sacrament meeting gets rather crammed when we have more than 75 people in church....we have an average of 80.  The work here in Vilafranca is progressing and we'll see success in the next month or so.  For the picture of the week, it is Elder Cluff and I eating African food.  Serving in Spain is the best, it’s like I'm serving in every part of the world at the same time!  Also this week I had to speak in church.  The topic I was given was very directed at the members.  It was the Work of Salvation.  It was a super solid topic and I hope it reached the members so they can help us with the work.  Now for all of you back home, be sure to help out the missionaries in your wards by sharing the gospel with your friends, family or coworkers.  It’s something as simple as saying, “Oh hey I know this guy who's on a mission in Spain...”  Then they will obviously ask why he is there and then you can start a conversation about the church.  This week I invite you all to take the opportunity to share the gospel with someone, and you can do it without talking about Elder Jonson if you want.  Anyway hope you all have a great week and see many miracles!  

African food in Spain with Elder Cluff

"Serving in every part of the world at the same time."