Lyrically Fluent

Fluent- The ability to communicate, to understand and be understood.
Song lyrics- mostly what I'm fluent in. (; Can connect perfectly to a moment in time.

On Wednesday I went to the missionary training meeting for the 3rd time in a row and really enjoyed it (I could probably conduct the next one, I'm so familiar with the subjects and Hermana Pace's "skrift" story). There are three people from my MTC group training new missionaries. Hermana O'Neill and I are training 6 weekers and Elder Stratton is training a new missionary. This meeting marked the end of my semi-awkward old/new companion tripanionship, and I sent Hermana Manotas off to Bilbao and I couldn't get these words out of my head "Only know you've been high when you're feeling low. Only hate the road when you're missing home, only know you love her when you let her go." Guys, I've gone soft.

Thursday was the first "real" day I had with my lovely new companion, Hermana Terrazas. Her name is Spanish... but she's not native. As the day went on I taught lessons with her, I carried on conversations in the bus, and gave a somewhat complicated testimony and... for the first time in my life, I felt like I could speak this language. I didn't have to pause awkwardly to think of a word or nod in a conversation and pretend to understand because for the first time (in forever) I could understand and be understood. And it was glorious.

This week we were late to a lot of things (lots of roads are closed and buses are re-routed because of fallas) but the things that DID happen were good. I talked about Bea last time, right? Well when we called her on Thursday to see how she was doing she said that she got kicked out of the apartment and was now living in a nearby catholic nunnery. (Get thee to a nunnery!... wait, people actually DO that?) I didn't know quite what to say to that, but she said she'd come to church.
And she did.

The bishop gave us the number of a menos [less] active/recent convert, and we called her and set up a visit for Sunday night. We had a nice visit and asked her how we could help her come back. She said she just needed a little "animo" (um....to feel excited) to get to church and asked if she could come with us on visits and to lessons. Which is GREAT. It'll help us a lot and it'll help her too.

Silvia called us this week and said that she doesn't want to keep choosing between us and her church and asked us to stop visiting her. I convinced her to let us have one more cita [appointment], and we're going to bring a member who is PERFECT for her (Used to be Evangelico, has a son about her same age, and is a recent convert.) I'm praying that everything will go well. We've been working with Silvia for as long as I've been in Valencia. I love her and don't want to lose her. (Cue "I won´t give up" from Jason Mraz.)
[I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up, I'm still looking up.]

I haven't had a "normal" Sunday in a long time: last week we had 8 investigators in church and EVERYONE wanted a photo with Hermana Manotas, this week was ward conference, we sang, and a lot of new people came. So it's been a little crazy, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Let's just say that it's very smart to have Preparation Day on Monday so that we can rest from our "Día de Reposo." [Day of Rest]

Hermana Terraza's favorite Scripture to share is Mosiah 24: 13-14, so that´ll be my spiritual thought for now.
[Mosiah 24: 13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
 14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.]
Sometimes at the end of the day, I have the words to the song "Have I done any good in the world today" run through my mind. And I can honestly say, "yes." And I think that's the definition of true happiness (or a good one, anyway).
I love you guys.
Hasta luego.
-Hermana Een

Summary: Our investigators are all awesome... but some of them are struggling. I had an aha "I-can-speak-this-language" moment and it was glorious.

MY NERDIEST MOMENTS—a geek update and other SnailMail included

-At least every other day we take the bus to get to one area or another.  As you get on, scan your card, and head to the seats, the driver starts going again and it feels like you’re walking ‘warp speed”.  I LOVE it.  Only none of my companions have seen Star Trek, so they don’t get it.

-One day I saw someone rolling an R2D2 carry-on and just about died (too bad they’re probably not mission appropriate, otherwise I would be sorely tempted).

-The metro (subway) stop for the church is called “Aragon” as in LOTR, which always makes me smile.  (Another reason I’m always glad to go to church.)

-I have legitimately contacted people just because of the book they were reading.  One—my most awkward-contact ever was a girl with a Mockingjay necklace reading “The Hunger Games”.  I said “Este libro . . . me gusta.”  Stopped awkwardly, dropped a pass-along card in her gook, and got off at the next metro stop.  Another was reading “El Juego de Ender” and we had a nice chat about the book, the movie, and the differences between them.

-On the way back to Valencia from getting my residency I spent an entire 3 hour train ride passionately geeking out with Hermana O’Neill.  I explained the Weeping Angels, the Doctor-River plotline, the differences between the old series and the new series and how it’s gone on for 50 years.  She mentioned “Once Upon A Time” and I explained how and why I’d only watched the first season.  I raged about “Agents of SHIELD” and correctly guessed her other favorite “Nerd” show

—“Merlin”.  We commiserated over the ending.  It was a total geek fest.  And I loved it.

-There was a little stand (Comic-con style) of Geek Stuff in the mall and I found it physically difficult not to go in.  There was a Harry Potter T-shirt at Primark that made me supremely happy (I would have gotten it if it had been for Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor)

-Pretty much every spare moment with Hna. Stilson was a geek fest.  She loves Harry Potter more than I do (a near-impossible feat) and we spent hours contacting/doing a deep character analysis of Snape, Neville, and Sirius.

          These are my most recent nerdy moments, though I’m sure there will be more.  I’m still a nerd.

After all this time?

Always.

Okay?    Okay.

<3 Hermana Een

The not-at-all annual Alayna health Update!                                     23/2/15 (European Style)

(I know you’re excited)

            At the close of another transfer, you guys should know that I’m still alive and kicking.  I no longer go running in the mornings (that was a rare tripanionship--speared by New Years resolutions and a dying missionary’s desires to not be fat—that has gone the way of most New Years Resolutions at this point).  Hermana Lamerouax—the Sister Training Leader here, and our piso-mate AND she just happens to be IN the picture from the Deseret News Article you sent (so that’s funny)—loves running and was on her college track team so although I went with her once, I don’t have the stamina to make that a frequent occurrence.

            My current exercise regime is to turn on “The Best Two Years” soundtrack (Thank you Elder Matheson) and do sit ups for the first song, bicycles for the second, planking/push-ups for the third, wall sit/read a Spanish dictionary, awkward dog kicks, and then collapse and enjoy the other 3 songs I like on the sound track.  But hey, it’s better than nothing.

            I’m eating well-ish.  There’s still that never-ending chocolate hunger which is just part of being a sister missionary.  The members feed us well and when they remember to pass around the list our days are FULL.  There was a week (full of member eating citas) where the only “grocery shopping” I did was to buy milk, yogurt, and cookies.  (I have my priorities straight.)

            I found out that Valencia is famous in the mission for two reasons.  1) BAPTISMS, AWESOME members and miracles, and I can testify to all three of those.  2) For making missionaries gain weight L.

            I haven’t stepped on a scale for a while (both because we don’t have one, and I don’t WANT to) but I can feel a little “Mother Gothel”  “Plus, I admit you’re getting kind-of chubby.”  But we also found out that the metro stops are a lot closer than we thought so we’ll be walking a lot more.  If I stay.

            I’ve only cried . . . 5 times on the mission. And most of that is more “tearing up” then actual crying, but this past week especially has been emotionally difficult for me.  But I’ve also had a lot of things bring me joy.  So we come out even.  I don’t think I’m a very good trainer and Hermana Manotas is much better in some ways and still struggling in others.  Although I sincerely want to stay here and it makes sense that I will, I’m trying to be prepared for any eventuality.

4/3/15 (European date)

And one more for good measure . . .

Transfer calls have come and gone, I spent one very potentially awkward evening being a tripanionship (a word that’s catching on in the mission) with Hermana Manotas and Hermana Terrazas.  We left the piso and met up with two Elders in our district (half of which were different because of transfers) to give a blessing of comfort to Genoveva (who’s brother died on Sunday).  ELDER KEEN IS IN MY DISTRICT NOW!  This is cool for many reasons:  1) He’s a 24-year-old sarcastic British male and a 1-year convert to boot.  I can’t help but enjoy his company 2) He was in my same MTC group so although no one is in my “same boat” (training with only 6 weeks in the mission kind-of isolates you that way), he’s pretty darn close.  And that’s downright comforting (especially since I’m losing Hermana O’Neill to Lleida).  3) Our names are strikingly similar, which is just fun.

            This morning we went to the training meeting and HERMANA STILSON WAS THERE!  She’s going to train a girl from Tennessee (Hetrmana Ingram) which is perfect because she loves faking southern accents.  It was just SO good to see her again, reminisce on good old times in the tripanionship.  Man, I need to email her more.

            The training meeting is exactly the same as it was last time.  And the time before that.  Hermana Manotas is going to Bilboa with Hermana Vance—a seasoned missionary whose Spanish is very good, who was also “Born” in Valencia, and who has received council from President on what specifically Hna. Manotas needs and struggles with.  I had expected to feel like a little bit of a failure if we were separated in this transfer (even though I sort-of suggested it in my letter to President) but I honestly feel like it’s all for the best.  And, seeing how I’m still training, I know that it’s no fault of mine.

            Hermana Terrazas is 20, the 8^th of 8 children, and very sweet.  From the little comments she‘s made about her mission experience so far I can tell that her trainer let her down in many aspects.  In his response to my letter President said “Hna. Terrazas has great desires to do the work and needs your help and guidance.  Once again, you are the answer.”—not like that’s intimidating or anything.

            And it hit me who she reminds me of.  Eliza, she’s the SPITTING IMAGE of Harriet Smith from “Emma Approved”.  It’s a perfect comparison in all aspects.  And I’m her Emma.  (Hopefully with a bit more wisdom).

<3Hermana Alayna Emma Een

Fallas and Forget-me-nots

Fallas*: A Valencian tradition that takes place in March, almost the whole month from what I can tell. Activities include a daily firework show in the Center at Mediodía [noon], muñecas (Spanish women who dress in elaborate antiguo [old] garb and intricately woven braids that put Princess Leia's side-buns to shame), and the actual fallas are where they build giant, beautiful, and expensive statues... and then set them on fire.
Forget-me-nots: A little blue flower, often overlooked, and the title of a fantastic Uchtdorf talk that you should look up (and maybe my mom will put in a link for the blog.) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/forget-me-not?lang=eng

This week has been great. It's also been really hard in some ways. Funny how those things always seem to work together.

I'd like to talk about this week but, to be honest, everything worth talking about started on Saturday, so I'll just say that we had some good days and some bad days. The bad- Souad (our candle-lit miracle Muslim) was progressing to baptism (fecha [date], lessons, heck, we even found a dress) and then one day she stopped answering our phone calls, won't answer the door, and called Mama Africa to tell her that she's moving to France and doesn't want anything more to do with the Church or with us. So. That was fun.
The good- Genoveva´s progressing well, and loves our visits.

When Saturday came around it was a little hard. We finished the first half of the 12 week training program including the "stress test".... and she got red. (Green is good, yellow is ok, orange is bad, red is "call the president immediately, because you need help." Just to give you some perspective). Hermana Manotas hates the metro (which we use a LOT, and will use more, now that the fallas cause daily complications to the streets), and keeps running into family members and friends here which... complicates things. I had a candy-bar bet with her that IF one of us left (that's a big if, capital letters and all), it would be me. But we were surprised once again on Saturday night when President Pace called (which is starting to seem almost normal for me) at 10 en punto [on the dot] to tell us that Hermana Manotas is being transferred to Bilbao to finish her training with Hermana Vance (a MUCH more experienced missionary) and that I will be finishing the training of a 6-week non-native missionary, Hermana Terraza.) How crazy is that?

The next few days were chuck-full of miracles, with surprises at every turn. This week (last two days especially) has been so chuck-full of miracles that I don't know where one ends and another begins or how to choose just one to talk about. We were able to see not only almost ALL of our progressing investigators and menos activos [less active], but kept re-running into old contacts in the street and were able to set citas [appointments] with many of them for later in the week. Probably my favorite miracle was with Bea. On Sunday morning we were planning to pass by some of our menos activos that were really struggling, and somehow decided to pass by Manuel first (we've always visited him at night because of his work schedule, but we decided to give it a try anyway). When we rang the timbre [bell] a woman answered and we were a little confused at first (I'm notorious for forgetting which puerta [door] people live in) but she said that yes, Manuel lived there, no, he wasn't there at the moment (sleeping), but that we could still come in if we wanted. It was a little strange, but we went up and as the door opened Hermana Manotas gasped and said, "I KNOW you!" It turns out that she (Bea) was an investigator in Hermana Manotas's home ward 3 years ago. She moved here a month ago and is renting a room in Manuel´s piso [apartment]. And that whole morning she was feeling lost and alone, praying for someone to come to her and comfort her... and then two sister missionaries knock on her door. I don't know that I particularly felt GUIDED by the spirit in this occasion, we were just doing our best and following our plans, and were there to be an answer to prayer.

And as it turns out we got to have one last preparation day together... so we went to the Fallas at Mediodía. Basically, we were crowded shoulder-to-shoulder while patriotic Valenciana music blasted from speakers until the fireworks started. The booming of fireworks shook the ground, echoed in my chest cavity and off the surrounding buildings in a never-ceasing torrent of sound as the streets filled with smoke. It was awesome. And slightly scary.
And then we also went to a tower, climbed a LOT of steps, took a LOT of pictures, and really enjoyed this last extra day together.

The Valencia Girls, Hermanas Lamoreaux, Birch, Een, Manotas, Jimenez, and Walker

Other surprises?
I'm going to the training meeting.... AGAIN (That´s 3 for 3, my friends. A record, for sure). Also, I just picked up my new companion from the train station, and we're going to be a trio tonight and then we'll all go to the meeting tomorrow. (I sure love 3 hour train rides...)

These last few days have been some of our best together, Hermana Manotas and I. But I know that this transfer is just what she needs.
(Spiritual thought/tie-in, is coming up!)

Hermana Manotas loves flowers. Every time we pass a chino (like... a dollar store?) she points them out.
She asked me not to forget her, and I never will.

1

And neither will our Savior forget us.
"Neither will I forget you, for I have engraved you in the palms of my hands"   Isaiah 49:15–16
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”
1 Nephi 21: 13. Sing , O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted .
14. But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
15. For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget , yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

I'm Hermana Een. I'm starting my fourth transfer on the mission with my 5th companion. I've trained and been trained (sometimes at the same time). I've seen many, many miracles, and I know there's more in store.

Summary: Still here in Valencia, still training... but it´s a different sister. Lots of miracles, lots of cool Spanish traditions, and lots of work still to do.

*Fallas is a Valencian celebration of the feast of St Joseph.  In the week of 19 March (the feast of San José), Valencia honors its patron saint with a spectacular fiesta called las Fallas. Fallas is the name given to the huge papier-mâché, cardboard and wooden sculptures depicting politicians and other well-known public figures which, amidst a deafening display of fireworks, are put on bonfires and set alight by members of competing groups, or falleros, who will have spent the previous year creating and building them. Only the sculpture which is voted best escapes the flames.  More about it at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falles  What an exciting month to be in Valencia!

Laundry y la Luna

Laundry: Everyone's least-favorite chore (though I actually don't mind it). Your clothes are agitated, drenched, lathered, rinsed, and spun dry. Eventually they come out clean (if you think you see a gospel parallel coming on, you're right.)

La Luna: The moon. An interesting paradox, always there, but always waxing, waning and changing.

Laundry, la luna, life comes in cycles. You know what else comes in cycles? The mission. I'm about to complete my second transfer (12 weeks, in total)  in the mission field which means that I'm technically out of training!!! I say technically because I've been so busy working on training Hermana Manotas (reading in Preach My Gospel and such) that I never really finished my own. I plan on finishing our training together (reading the other parts of Preach My Gospel and finally getting around to taking those online language tests), but as we get transfer calls this Saturday, all bets are off. Sure, NORMALLY I would stay to finish her training but NORMALLY they don't call a 6-week-old missionary to train, so I'm mentally preparing for any eventuality.

The miracle of this week (well, a carry over from previous weeks, but a higher focus now) is Genoveva. She's a live-in nanny of sorts, and when our cita [appointment] with her neighbor fired we decided to stop by and try and share something. She was hesitant to let us in but Mamma Africa (a member, bless her) insisted, "just for a moment". We shared a bit of the first lesson and answered her questions about the Resurrection and by the end of the visit, she was like a totally different person. She was open and loving and invited us back. We've been back to visit her a couple of times since then and each time she seems to radiate with greater happiness. This week she came to church because she said she WANTED to almost before we could extend the invitation. It's the first time that missionary work has seemed so effortless, and I honestly feel that I can't take credit for any of her progress or anything that has happened. She's been prepared from on high, fellowshipped/loved/welcomed by the members, and we're almost in the background. And I LOVE that.

We're getting her ready for the "rinse cycle" (BAPTISM).

We had an AWESOME cita with Margarita (I think I wrote a bit about her before) and planned to start at square one because she hasn't had contact with the church for almost 20 years. Once we got there, she sat her granddaughter down and told her to listen to us. So... we taught, testified, and used the video of the Restoration (It's AWESOME). One of the best lessons I've had on my mission so far.

I lost my companion and went on splits with an Elder.

Ok, so not exactly, but it's a great start to the story. We had a lesson planned and had called for Abrahm (our Ward Mission Leader) to come with us (more people to testify=better lesson.) but as we were getting off the Tramvia (an above-ground train) a flock of midgets (children) separated my companion and I. I made it off the train, but the doors closed behind me and we had a frantic moment of trying to get the doors open again as the train sped off sending poor companion away as I frantically tried to signal for her to get off at the next stop. I could have freaked out (should have) but I felt calm. I walked to a nearby bus stop where Abrahm was waiting and I had to explain to my ward mission leader (2 months off of his OWN mission) that I'd lost my companion. We started walking in the direction of the train and before long we saw Hermana Manotas BOOKING it towards us. All was well. We laughed. A LOT.

One thing I've come to learn on the mission is Love. ("Hermana Een," you say, "You're a little late. Valentine's Day was LAST week." But hear me out.)  Going to church every Sunday and seeing who's there-- which of our investigators showed up, our favorite member, menos activos [less active]-- I feel filled with joy, real JOY to see them there. And at the same time my heart aches for those who I don't see, for those who aren't there. And I think I understand just a small part of the love that our Father in Heaven has for each one of us. He wants us to come unto Him and be happy, and has given us the Doctrine of Christ as a guide in how to life a happy life.

Faith in Jesus Christ

Repentance

Baptism (renewal of our covenants)

The Holy Ghost (the gift and presence of)

And Enduring to the End (the hardest and most important, in my opinion)

Lather, rinse repeat.

We're good. We do our best, but we always fall short (there's always laundry to do). So we start the cycle again. It's better not to wait until the last pair of socks, but stay in a continually cleansing cycle.

And that's my week.

As I mentioned, transfers are next week, so don't freak out if I don't email until Tuesday or Wednesday (Love you, Mom.)

Stay awesome!

Keep us in your prayers!

-Hermana Een

Summary: Life comes in cycles, like laundry. We should be continually cleansing. I lost my companion and went on splits with an Elder (you´re going to have to read that one for clarification). Mission work is going well.

Con Tiempo

Con: a Spanish word meaning "with"

Tiempo: time (also, weather. Spanish is weird), as in "everything gets better with" and "flies"

The life of a missionary REVOLVES around time. We have a strict schedule of when to wake up, study, proselyte, etc. Time is crucial. Sometimes you wander the streets contacting and it just crawls by. Sometimes you're running to get from point A to point B without stopping and you realize that you slept with your watch on... again... for the fourth night in a row. (And then there's that week that the battery cuts out and you feel like you've lost three hands or something.)

We've had a good week. (Thought I'd get that out of the way for those of you who were worried about my well-being and that of my companion from my last letter) Although neither of us can pin-point exactly what we did differently this week from the last, it felt so much... better.

Hermana Een is now an official Spanish citizen!!!! (For a year) All it took was 20 minutes in a police station that was oddly similar to the Las Vegas DMV... that, and two 3 hour train rides. The ride there was almost first-class (!) so we slept/watched the sunrise over the ocean. The ride back was longer and less comfortable but I spent the majority of it geeking out with Hermana O´Neill (from my CCM group). I still know a LOT about Doctor Who, as I am going to prove shortly.

We met with Margarita in a Valencian pueblo (a little town on the outskirts, connected by metro). We'd contacted her a couple weeks ago and got her number and then Elders from ANOTHER pueblo contacted her this week and gave us the reference (Apparently God really wanted her to meet with the missionaries). A few minutes into the visit we found out that she was actually a MEMEBER. She was baptized in Chile over 20 years ago after being touched by the service missionaries performed for a town torn down by an earthquake, but hasn't been to church since. We shared a message of hope and invited her to return.

And she did.

We also met with Julie. She had a fight with her roommates, packed a carry-on to blow off steam in Madrid and was just feeling lost, angry, and upset ... and we contacted her as she was walking down the street to the station. We had a lesson later and she said that although she hadn't thought much of it at the time, at the very moment she needed comfort... two Mormon missionaries gave her a message of hope.

People think that time is a direct progression from one point to the next when really, from a non-linear point of view, it´s more a ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff. Blessings come in the Lord's time. And it's SO much better that way. We're on this earth to be tested, so there are hard times. But He also knows us perfectly, and knows what we need in a MOMENT.

And somehow our lives collide so that you get what you need when you need it, and are able to give to someone else.

And it's only possible when we are willing to serve, too.

Alma 34:32  For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Summary:  Everything gets better with time. The Lord knows His children and how to give them what they need. We had a good week and we're going to have another one.

Bonus: "con tiempo" is also how you say "eventually" in Spanish.

That's sort-of deep.

LOTS OF LOVE! (And a Happy Belated Valentines Day!)
-Hermana Een.

Hermanas Manotas and Een on Valentines Day
"We ate cake with Pamela."

She said "Happy Valentine's Day!" and then stabbed it. (Hanging out with single women on Valentine's Day is always a treat)

Dar

Dar: To give.

Dar un luz [literal translation to give a light, but as Alayna previously told us it is how they say “to give birth” in Spanish]: Sister Pace called me at nine am one morning to tell me that I'm the AUNT to a newborn, slightly red-headed, currently nameless niece!!! I´m thrilled for my family and excited to hear more about her.

Dar un bendicion [to give a blessing]: This week was specialized training which is a great, spiritually uplifting two days where we talk, share, and grow. It was enlightening and humbling (So everything I'm doing now is wrong? Ok.  Just checking.)  and I shared my favorite story of Christ in the last part of the training with the hymn "Master, the Tempest is Raging" and my testimony of how Christ can calm our personal storms.

Speaking of personal storms, my companion is struggling.  A lot.  With adjusting to missionary life. So President Pace gave her a blessing at the end of the meetings, and while he was at it, gave me one as well. A blessing is a sort-of prayer given by someone who holds the priesthood authority of God, and is able to (through the laying on of hands) voice the blessings of heaven upon you and give you knowledge and comfort or peace and healing (depending on what you need). And I personally am a huge fan of them, though I've always been a little hesitant to ask.  It's amazing how the desires of your heart and preoccupations of your mind are so clearly perceived and addressed.

Dar comida [give food]: Last week we passed around a "feed the missionaries list" and... well we haven't really eaten in piso this week, so I guess that means that the members love us. I'm a fan of Colombian food, and being in a real HOME really helped Hermana Manotas feel a little more tranquilla.

Dar Consuelo [give comfort]: Did I mention that my companion was struggling? She came on the mission with a mountain of emotional baggage that she feels like she can't unpack and can no longer carry (that's the best way I can think of to describe it.) We've talked a lot. And I've tried, summoning all the wisdom a  studious 19-year-old can accumulate, to help her but it's hard. It's hard when someone is trying to confide in you and you are trying to listen and understand but you have to ask for clarification because she's upset and talking REALLY quickly in a language you haven't mastered yet. But we tried. And we'll keep trying.

Dar un discourse [give a talk]: This Sunday I was assigned to give a 10 minute talk on missionary work (a subject I'm fairly familiar with, so at least that's good.) and although I wondered why they would ask the missionary with the least language experience and second-least mission experience I did my best. I wrote it all out and had Hermana Manotas read through it on the metro to the church (feeling like a kid and a teacher). I'm sure my face was beet-red most of the time, but I know that at least SOME people understood what I was trying to say. It wasn't bad, which is good enough for now.

To give up: (I don't know how to say that in Spanish) [Darse por vencido]
My companion has decided to leave. Her bags aren't packed yet, but her mind is home.  In the past few days we haven't had a single conversation that didn't end without a mention of her home or family.  She stopped saying "if" and started saying "when" and the thought of leaving at the end of the 6 weeks training period turned into "If I leave tomorrow."

I want what's best for her (your companion is the most important person in your area) but I'm not ready to give up on her. I'll try my best to make this next week great, to help her focus on the good that she can do instead of the hard truth of endless rejection. And I'm not giving up.
James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

and some other phrase that I´m pretty sure is Scripture, but I don´t know where
..
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I GIVE unto you. Not as the world GIVETH GIVE I unto you, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." [John 14:27]
Tomorrow I go to Barcelona to get my residency which means I've been in the field for 60 days. A LOT of things have happened in that time, good and bad, but I'm hopeful and full of peace in spite of it all.

Summary: Give. Live. Seguir adelante. [Go ahead, press forward, carry on]

Love you guys! (Pray for us!)
Hermana Een

A sort of P.S.  I guess this letter was a bit of a downer, so I just wanted to add that really, this week has also been a really good one in many aspects. Ignacio (a recent convert) blessed the sacrament for the first time... and had to say it three times but it was SO tender and I was so proud of him. Edith (an investigator) has read up to 2 Nephi and although she doesn't understand everything says she feels something when she reads and that she loves us. Even in trial there is beauty to be found. And I can honestly say that in spite of- and because of- the things that are happening, I'm happy and I have (for the most part) peace. I can't really explain it. But I can feel it. And I'm SO grateful.
Ok. Love you guys. :D

Valencia District

Light of the World

Darkness: the absence of light. That´s it.
If there's one thing I've learned on the mission (and there's more than one, but here we go) it's that you have to do hard things and that your comfort zone has to expand pretty rapidly or else you're going to have a rough go of it. Who should be the first to train a new missionary while still in training? Hermana Een. Who should we ask to give a 10 minute talk on Sunday (IN SPANISH)? Hermana Een. Who should share a spiritual thought in the next Zone Conference (specialized training... I'd try and explain it but I'm not exactly sure what it is either)? Hermana Een. Who has lost all ability to say no? Hermana Een. Es una cosa de la misión. [It is a thing of the mission] (My companion thinks I say that a lot.)

You know that old TV show, Dragon Tales? Remember Zach and Wheezy? (The two-headed, green and purple one?) Sometimes that's what a companionship is like. You take two VERY different people and tell them to work as one. There's bumps in the road. There's a lot of adjustment.   It's weird being a senior companion/trainer to someone who is above me both in Language and in years and the only thing I have going for me is "mission experience," and not much of that either. But we try.
Ustedes son maquinas! [You are machines!]  I hear that a lot from well-meaning leaders in the mission regarding my companion and I.  In a way it's true. We're doing hard things, never before done, and we're giving it our best.  We're not quite well-oiled yet. We still get lost, take the wrong metros and have to ask where the bus stop is...but we're getting there.
This week I had my first first intercambio (when the Sister Training Leaders come and spend the day with you), so Hermana Boyer joined our companionship for a day. We worked through winds worthy of the Wizard of Oz, prayed a lot, and had one of the best days I've ever had on my mission. Part of that was due to the members we visited and the lessons we taught, but above all of that was when Souad accepted a baptismal date.  Here's her story.
       We were knocking doors (a necessity of missionary work, though not one Hermana Manotas enjoys) and a woman answered. Her hair was disheveled, her doorway was dark and she looked...well... a little scary. She told us how she didn't have power, didn't have light, and wasn't very interested in our message... because she's boarderline muslim (whatever that means).   But we left our card and encouraged her to call us if she ever needed help.   About 10 minutes later we got a call simply saying, "I found a candle. You can come back."
I was a little hesitant (Dang it Saratov Approach) but we went back, sat in her humble piso (sharing a chair because she didn't have 2), and listened. When the time was right I shared my favorite scripture, John 8:12 (I [Jesus] am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.)  We bore testimony.  We tried to comfort her.  And when the time came, we left.

This is the "Willow Tree" figure we got
for Alayna about 9 years ago . . . when we
first named Alayna, we didn't know that
 it is a form of "Helen" which means
"Shining One" or "Torchbearer".
We got her this after we found that out.
 She is living up to her name!

She called a few times in the following days, once saying "I have light. You can come back." So when we were in the area again, we stopped by.  It was a COMPLETE change. The light was on (she'd talked to the landlord).   She was more alert.  Her hair was more tame, her glasses were on, and she looked like a different person.  This time we were able to share a little bit more of a lesson, of our message.  After a while she said, "Oh, you guys are the Mormons?"  And told us how she had visited with Elders before and really liked it.  So we set up another appointment.
The three of us went to Souad's house again. She had found another chair so we could all sit and was SO different.  We hadn't even gotten very far into the lesson, simply talking about this and that about the church and she said "Take me Take me, Baptize me!" So we set a date.
I've always heard that people could change.   And I've really tried to believe it.   But now I know.   Now I've seen it for myself, and that changes everything.  So everything that's hard in mission work is worth it because we really ARE making a difference. We didn't do anything with electricity, but we brought a light, and it continues to grow and glow. And I'll never forget that.
Summary: People really CAN change, and the light that the gospel brings is SO REAL. Having a new companion is different in ways that are both good and challenging. But we try.
Love you guys!
Hermana Een

Hermana Manotas and Hermana Alayna Een