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.