Week 42

Merry Christmas again!
I just didn't want yesterday to end. It was such a GREAT day. Which is fitting...because it was christmas! Between Fulgencio giving us peanut butter, Dima and Rossi crying in church, our missionary christmas party at Josefina's and calling home...I was in heaven. Also, Hna Capener got Reese's for Christmas. That was a good time too.

It was SO good to see you guys and talk to you! Although I don't really even remember what it was we talked about...I guess that isn't the point. It was just good to hear your voices. I wish I could have talked to Curtis and Whitney too...but I at least got to see Caden for a bit :) and I got to see his cool new watch. haha It seems kind of unreal to call home...but way good. It looked like everyone is doing well...or at least you look how I did when I left you...and you looked good then...so all is well. haha and I loved seeing those two little babies! They are so cute. I hope they are always best friend cousins. Kind of like me and Lisa...but maybe cuter since they are babies. Luckily, right now until May is a lot shorter than it was from May until now. Plus my time is flyyyyingggg...NO BUENO.

So I don't think I've told you guys about this yet...but last month President Clegg gave each one of us a book of mormon (and it even had our names on it! it was great) and asked us to read it while marking everytime Christ is mentioned. So, as a mission, we read the book of mormon together in one month. I finished mine last wednesday...just before the deadline! haha but it was the first time I had read it so fast...and so focused on the Savior. I loved it. The best part about finishing is that we can start back over! The Book of Mormon is true!

And, yes, I am a rather happy camper. I love being a missionary. I love it SO much!!

Well, short email...but I feel like I just talked to you. Happy New Year! We are going to be eating a lot of times this saturday too...sheesh.

I love you!!!

con amor,

Hermana Ross

Week 41

Hi Dad!

I'm so excited to talk to all of you next week!!! It will be so nice to see you.

I definitely don't have the address of where we will be. sorry. but I do know yours. And I am planning on calling at 6 our time in spain. Sounds like you have lots of crazy traveling and work right now! Luckily you will get to go home this week.

So this week was crazy, full of changes and things. Hermana Woodward left on tuesday morning....but Hna Capener didn't come in until tuesday night. Obviously, just one hermana misionera in Murcia just can't be. SO...I got to go to Cartegena! Really it is only 40 minutes away but it was super fun...I just spent the whole day with the hermanas there going to their citas and district meeting and such. Cartegena is a beach city and super pretty. It was weird not being in my own area though...I could totally feel that it wasn't under my stewardship. That may seem like a really missionary thing to say...but i'm a missionary. and it's true :) I'm supposed to be in Murcia right now. So coming back was just as fun as going! I got off the bus here just a few minutes before Hna capener tuesday night. I am so excited to have her here!!! I love hna capener! She is super fun...we have a lot in common and get along so well. She only has two transfers left....which is crazy but it is also nice to be with someone who has more experience than me.

Anyway, wednesday transfers were still going on so an hermana from Torrevieja had to come to Murcia to spend the day with us! So I had a great couple of days being in a trio again :) we just enjoyed it and kept working!

Yesterday, Dima and Rossi (our bulgarian investigators) came to church finally! But the schedule was all changed around so our meetings were in the afternoon, at 5 (because the other ward had ward conference...they needed the whole builing all morning? classic.) So everything was a mess. Not to mention they don't speak or understand spanish incredibly well. I was so worried the wholllllle time. And it was the primary presentation in sacrament meeting...haha oh jeez. They aren't like the ones in the states. I've never heard a more off key primary...hahaha it was so funny. But, through it all...they still loved it! It probably helped that they had no preconceived notions of what it should be like....you guys would have thought that sacrament meeting was a hoot :) also maybe it does help that they don't understand everything. and...they had studied with the testigos de jehovah for a year in bulgaria (jehovahs witnesses) so maybe they just loved that we like to party. Either way, Dima was writing down the schedule for christmas so they could come next week and they were just so happy to be there! It was like a miracle!! haha I love them. Also, Rossi has totally quit smoking and they are super excited for their baptism :) they have even been asking us about what they need to wear :)

This week we are going to try to pass by all of our members houses. It will be fun! I'm making enough snickerdoodles to feed all of africa. Snickerdoodles are a new concept for spain.

Well...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you!!!!!!
talk to ya sunday :)

con amor,

hermana ross

Week 40 - The halfway point!

Hey fambam

yeah...I'm insanely aware of my halfway point this week. not a fan.

it goes by too fast!

so big news this week. we have transfers tomorrow! but I get to stay put :) phew.

hna woodward is leaving though...she is going to jerez (close to cadiz for anyone who knows spain geography...which i'm guessing isn't many haha) I am sad to see her go. We had a way great time together. But the good news is that Hna Capener is coming! yay! I know her from the hermanas conference over the summer and she is super great and funny. and a byu-i girl...so obviously we are going to get along :)

I have to say too that I sooooo don't envy Hna woodward right now. This was her first area so it has been hard to say bye. that is just the worst. I'm so grateful to be in Murcia a little longer....i loooove it here! I love our ward and we have a fun christmas ahead of us.

last wednesday we went to lorca for a zone meeting. If you remember, Lorca is where that huge earthquake was earlier this year. I didn't really think about seeing the damage from it but....boy was I surprised. The capilla (church) is totally unusable. We went there for our meeting...but the branch there meets in a hotel because their church got trashed. It was so crazy. There was debris everywhere and huge cracks and holes in the wall. The primary room still had a poster of the 13 articles of faith up...but the ceiling was caved in. And there were a lot of buildings and stores that had major damage too. welcome to the last days!

also, fun fact about murcia :) Murcia is a big citrus growing place (pretty sure there is a word for that but I can't remember) anyway, there are lemons and oranges EVERYWHERE. we have lemons coming out of our ears because everyone gives them to us. (speaking of oranges, I have a cold. it's terrible. but could be worse) and even on the streets there are tons of trees lining the roads and in parks and things...just like any other city in the world...but these trees are orange trees! They are all over the place. I've never seen anything like it.

So last year, the missionaries of our mission set a goal to get at least 300 baptisms this year. I don't know about other missions, but for the history of the span málaga mission, that is HUGE. This mission has never even come close to it. Especially for how small the mission is and how young all the missionaries are. But, we did it! We all have been praying for this goal every day for a long time! and guess who was the 300th baptism? PEDRO! yay!! :) so now we will have well over 300 baptisms for the year...it is pretty exciting! We are seeing lots and lots of miracles.

Pedro is doing super great still. Yesterday he got confirmed, received the priesthood, and got a calling (ward missionry) all within like an hour of each other :) haha it was great. The picture is of us after church yesterday. he's really somethin.

Also, we had a ward baptism on saturday...an 8 year old boy in our ward. He was so cute. After his baptism he bore his testimony and while crying his eyes out, said that he knows the church is true because he prayed about it and has felt the holy ghost :) I cried too. It is amazing the faith that the little kids have...way more than many adults! They just get so underestimated. Anyway, it was wonderful. Heavenly Father answers prayers.

Sounds like everyone had fun taking family pictures...about as much fun as we usually have. bahaha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAXEN!!!! i love you!!!

Have a good week! Good luck in st louis dad! And that time should be fine to call...I'll get an hour to talk.

I love you family!!!

con amor,

Hna ross

p.s. if anyone wants to send candy canes....that would be cool. but if not, don't sweat it. They just don't have them here and it would be fun to give them to people.

Week 39

Ohhh what a week!

so, as you saw on the blog...Pedro got baptized!

First investigator of my life to move their baptism date FORWARD!

actually, my first investigator ever to get baptized. Let's just say I'm a happy camper.

Ok, so what happened was his original date was for this next weekend...but he was flying through the lessons! Like, really flying. I've never met anyone like Pedro in my entire life. Anyway, on thursday night we went to pick him up and were walking to our Bishop's house to teach a lesson and he said, "Hermanas, I wan't to get baptized this saturday." I laughed. That really was my reaction. I just laughed and was like oh good I'm glad you are so excited to get baptized. But, turns out he was serious. He said that the Lord told him that he need to get baptized this weekend. Hey, I can't argue with that! Although I did pray about it. Because we have only known Pedro for 2 weeks! That's crazy!! But it felt good...so we just went for it! But we told him the soonest we would be able to get everything together was sunday. So our weekend was a roller coaster of preparing for the baptism. By thursday night we had taught all of the lessons...except all of the commandments. No biggie :) haha so on friday we taught him the 10 commandments, keeping the sabbath day holy, law of chastity, word of wisdom and tithing...all in one lesson. Listen, for anyone who has served a mission (or anyone who hasn't for that matter) you will know that is insane! You just don't do that! But we did. and he loved it. He ate it up and then testified of it after. amazing. A person doesn't get any more prepared than that.

Of course, lots of things went wrong...and I had a constant stress headache all weekend. But that is just because satan fights baptisms, especially with people like pedro...he fights so hard. Not to mention, our musical number was a disaster. haha but it's fine. (it was me, hna woodward who is sick and two elders...ha. so much talent.)

Last night was the baptism and tonssss of people came! It was like a party! The ward is getting so excited about missionary work because of Pedro. He is such a miracle for Murcia. Not to mention, he is young, single, spanish and rather good looking. So is is a one of a kind type of baptism :) Lots of young girls in the ward came too :) hahaha

Anyway, I just don't have the words to describe the day we had yesterday. It was a happy time. I'm so grateful to be here and to be a part of miracles like this. God is a God of miracles. His miracles have not ceased! But isn't it amazing...this miracle came through a MEMBER! It's so simple.

Basically, the church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. I love the Lord. I love being a missionary. Iz tha best.

I love you family!!! I almost get to talk to you really soon!!! yayyyy! Plus we already have a member's home that has offered us skype christmas day. I just need to know what time you guys will want to do it so I can tell them at some point. It is starting to get cold here...it isn't windy like vegas...but it is humid cold.

Well I love you again! Have a good week!

con amor,

Hermana Ross

p.s. here is hna woodward and I with pedro and then us after the baptism doing a thumbs up...it all worked out!