Compartiendo Calories: The Day We Were Hermanas

Compartiendo- English translation is "sharing," and as we all know, "sharing is caring."

Calories- Those pesky little numbers in all the best foods that add up and make you fat (I'm sure my dietitian-mother could add onto that definition if needed).

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Hermana missionaries are known for their brownies. Chocolate-chips aren't really a thing here, so cookies are out, and our secret brownie recipe is just so easy, that we just do it all the time.

One day this week (Sunday) we set out with one goal in mind: To scatter sunshine, to "compartir calories", to visit as many people as we could, and make them feel LOVED.
They were... surprised. And we saw little miracles along the way.

This week we both saw a bit of sickness, ie, we're making "I barfed in Barcelona T-shirts" (just kidding. But it's a fun idea). It's hard to do missionary work when you feel sick. After a rough day, Hermana Wiseman asked for a blessing from the Elders in our District and although it was short and simple, I was struck by a phrase that said (mas o menos [more or less]) that feeling this weakness or this fatigue will give us greater power to understand and succor others in similar circumstances. And I just really loved that.

We've had trouble meeting with and maintaining contact with some of our most promising investigators, which is always rather frustrating, but this week we've also seen Kevin (an average street contact) follow through on his own. He even came to church with nothing more than a reminder text (which when you're church starts at 10:30 am the night after a major Barcelona soccer game.... is a big deal).

And today, today we hiked a mountain.

And it was the HARDEST, most physically taxing and situationally dramatic thing I've ever done. But it was fun, and surprisingly... I'm not dead-tired or anything. So that's nice. It's an experience I'll never forget, and the Monastery at the top of the mountain was INCREDIBLY beautiful.

This has been a fairly scattered email, ( I guess we all have days like that) but to close, I want to extend a spiritual challenge (a little bit more of a commitment than a spiritual thought).
I shared my testimony in church for the first time in ... well, it feels like a while. As missionaries, we share and bear testimony FREQUENTLY throughout the day, and it becomes almost second nature.
I would like to challenge each of you (within the next month, the rest of June and first part of July) to share a sincere testimony.
In church, on Facebook, with a good friend, to your family, or to your Father in prayer.
I know that when a sincere testimony is borne, all participants benefit.
And if you could just send me a quick email about your experiences, I think that would be something truly terrific.
(That and -guilt trip-- it would make a great birthday present.)
So... Yep. That's my week! On to another great one!
-Hermana Een

In other email responses:

As iPad missionaries we are able to access and read emails as if they were letters (snailmail) so don't be shy about emailing earlier. I'm still not totally.... sure how much I will use that privilege, but I've at least thought that I might look them over on Sunday night. Still a growing process.

We're doing gifts for President and Hermana Pace and it makes it a whole lot more real that they're LEAVING. I'll be doing my first intercambio [exchange] as a Sister Training Leader this week (maybe two, actually) so wish me luck!

Other things I've forgotten: in another email you mentioned a fireside from the woman who helped write "Daughters in my Kingdom." Did you know that that book is now on the approved missionary library? (aka, we can read it) YES. They use it a lot in Spain. This past RS lesson was basically reading a chapter from it.