Baptism in Dos Hermanas!

yesterday, I witnessed one of my own investigators be baptized for the first time on my mission! It is going to be difficult for me to describe all that I want to say. Yesterday evening was one of the very best experience I have ever had. 

Last night, his baptismal service was something really special. The members of the ward really come out to support him. The baptism took place in Sevilla at the brand new stake center-- it was so beautiful. We had the chapel almost full of people! My companion and I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost, and we also did a special musical number right before the baptism-- one of the elders played guitar while we sang I am a child of God.  The baptismal service itself was so spiritual. After Carlos rose up from the water, there was a huge smile on his face and he just looked over at us all and waved with all the excitment he had! After baptism, Carlos bore his testimony. This was the best moment for me. He said how the scriptures have changed his life and that every since he started going to church that he has felt so good. He expressed how proud he was of the step that he took, and said all of this with such sincerity that tears filled my eyes. This is what it is all about-- helping others come unto Christ by making and keeping covenents with God. I love this work. I cannot wait to keep helping others-- and finding those who are waiting for me. I cannot wait to find those other people who Heavenly Father is entrusting me to bring into His fold. After the baptism I asked Carlos how he felt and he said GREAT!!! I am finally a member!!!  I couldnt have asked for a better experience. This baptism was definately worth the wait! Remember that each of us can have this experience--- the joy that comes from bringing souls unto Christ is waiting for all of us-- see D&C 18:10-16.I love you all and miss you!  

I have attached a few photos of the baptism! I hope you enjoy them!! 

Back in Dos Hermanas!

So I am back in Dos Hermanas with a permanent companion! it feel so good! I traveled to malaga this week to pick up my new companion. It was so fun to go to the mission home again!  I just love going to the mission home. President and Hermana Clegg really are like my parents here on the mission (dont worry mom and dad, I still miss you! haha). It really feels a little like being home when I am there.  Thursday night, just the missionaries who were going to be training were at the mission home-- we had a trainers training meeting, which was great. I love this work, and I am so blessed to be here. 

It was great to be there in Malaga, but it is also great to be back in Dos Hermanas. We have a baptism coming up on Sunday!!!!!!! I cannot wait! Carlos and Kevin will be getting baptized. We have worked so much with them preparing them, and they have so many righteous desires to follow christ. i will tell you more next week.  i miss you all so much!

 Hermana Collett and Hermana Letendre at Setenil.  A pueblo blanco in the province of Cadiz.

 Hermana Letendre, Hermana Sturgess and Hermana Torres hanging out in Malaga.

 Valerie in Plaza de Expana in Sevilla!  It is soooo beautiful!

 A family that Val and her companion are teaching in Dos Hermanas.

 Relief Society Activity Celebration for the Anniversary of Relief Society.

 All of the missionaries that will be training new missionaries this transfer as they were waiting for their new companions!

President and Hermana Clegg, Valerie and her new companion Hermana Roderick.

Another Week in Sevilla and Dos Hermanas

The american restaurant last week was good but a little pricey. I had a burger, which was actully pretty good, and a banana split! haha. it was pretty fun, and the inside looked like a 50s style diner.. it was really fun!

the best thing is that the 13 year old boy that I have been teaching  is for sure getting baptized!I cannot wait!! He is the most spiritually mature 13 year old that I have ever met.. He has so many wonderful thoughts about thigns, and he just loves church, and he just wants to do the right thing! His baptism was supposed to be the 18th, but we have decided to postpone it one week so that his grandmother, which has been traveling, will be able to be there. His grandmother has been taught  by the missionaries a few different times, and I really think that when she sees her grandson getting baptized that she will want to as well! I just cant wait! He has already been to a youg mens activity and he will be going to another this coming weekend! how great is that???!!!  I feel so blessed to be themissionary that gets to teach him. I cant just see him being a great leader in the church one day... and a missionary! I really think that he will stay strong and will serve a mission! I cannot wait!!!!

So this week has reallly been focused on him and preparing him for baptism. It is so amazing how the Lord prepares people. Carlos is so prepared. The spirit has taught him so much, and he has such a thirst for knowledge. When I first met him, he didnt really seem to have interest.... but when he watched the film about the restoration, everything changed. He all of a sudden began to understand. He is so amazing! I wish you call could meet him!!! 

This week I will be going to Malaga on Thursday and Friday to pick up my new companion! I will be training again, like i said before. This will be great! I really like training. You have the chance to really work with someone and help them to grow intot he missionary that they want to be. I feel so blessed to have the chance to train again.

Today for P Day we are going to go inot sevilla to see the cathedral there. google it. it is either the 2nd or 3rd largest cathedral in the world!!! it should be great!!!

I love the work that I am doing, and it is so amazing to see such grteat changes in peoples lives! thanks for your love and support!

Back to Do Hermanas Tomorrow!

so things are going well here. it has been a strange week because i have been living in sevilla with the hermanas here and traveling in to dos hermanas by train a few evenings a week to do some lessons there.  i CANNOT WAIT to get back to dos hermanas. i will receive a temporary companion tonight and tomorrow morning we will be back there. it has been rough to be here in sevilla because i feel like i am just watching things happen a little bit. it is amazing how as a missionary you really come to love your area. you come to love the people, the place, everything.  i just want to work!!


so today for pday we are going to an american restaurant!!! it is like a 50s style diner with burgers shakes and stuff.... we will see how authentic this is!!! hahaha... sevilla is nice, but it is a really big city! i am glad I am serving in dos hermanas!!! ttoday i got my hair cut a little and went to corte ingles, which is like macys here in spain. it is wonderful!!! i have been wanting to go there for  so long!!


ok, well i really need to go. cant think of whether there is anything else that i need to write. i love you all and i miss you all!!! 

Dos Hermanas y Sevilla

I feel so blessed to be teaching these people!!! right now, since i dont have a companion in dos hermanas, i am going to be staying with the hermanas in sevilla for this coming week. I will be traveling by train three times this week to dos hermanas to teach some lessons to these three investigators with members. then next monday or tuesday another hermana will be coming to be my companion for about week.... then after that week i wil get my permanent companion. it looks like i will be training again! wow!!!!! ahh. i keep being challenged by the Lord to work harder and harder. I know that I will continue to be blessed!!! Even thoug hthese last few weeks have been really hard, I am still happy, and I am still feeling good. Thanks for your support and for everything. I love you all so much. 

So, one thing that you might be interested in knowing is that the office elder called this week to ask me about when i would be going home. my normal release date is 7 feb. 2013. however, i told him that i need to come home early to get to school. he told me that he thinks my new releae date will be 6 december!!! it is not set in stone, but thats what it looks like! so, i think ill be home next christmas! we´ll see though. we have a new president coming in, so things might change, but it looks like that is it!!! wow! crazy, huh? the real date that i would be going home is dec. 27, but the church doesn't want to send people home two days after christmas, so looks like ill come home then! we´ll see!!!

7 Months!!!?!?!

So! How was everyone´s valentines day??!! We hada relief society activity where we decorated heart shaped cupcakes! haha it was pretty fun! So this week was pretty good. Kind of tough as far as the work goes--However, we have some great things happening thisweek and we are going to work hard to find new people to teach!

So today I complete 7 months in themission! can you believe it??!!! Time fliees by soooo quickly!! It is funny because in the mission sometimes it really feels like days go by slowly but that weeks and months go by really fast!!!

This week we ate with members everyday!! sometimes two time a day! uggh. I think the newness will wear off soon and we will not have so many eating citas... however, a few of these eating appointments are worth mentioning! First, Ricardo and Juanita are fromBolivia and Argentina. They live out in the campo in the middle of an olive grove!!!!! ricardo takes care of the olive trees for his job. It was soooo cool!!! unfortunately, it was night time and i could not see much, but they invited us to come back during the day sometime so that we could walk around the olive grove andall.. there are over 1000 trees there!!

Another great eating cita that we had was with the Black family.... AMERICANS!!!!!!! Brother Black is in the military and works on the base closeby. They are about the age of Crystal and Jess, and they have a 10 year old, 7 year old, and a 1 year old!!! how perfect! I felt like I was in crystal or Jess´s house!!! it was soooo amazing to have dinner and just talk to americans and just enjoy our culture! and our food! we had excellent ribs!!!! also, sister black offered to buy us whatever we want from the american food store on base! we already have a list of things that we want... for example: pancake mix, lucky charms, kraft mac and cheese, peanutbutter cups, root beer..... etc. hahaha I cant wait!!! i had SO much fun being in their home!!!

things are going great. im happy. i really like it here in the Sevilla area. everything looks more like what I imagines spain to look like. Also, there are Flamenco dresses EVERYWHERE. I amso happy I am here on my mission.I cant imagine my life without this experience already. What a blessing that I am here.

Hermana Letendre's Birthday Week!!!! :)

So things are going great here. I cannt believe that it is my birthday this week! i am getting old!!!! I found a member in the ward who has the same birthday as me! how cool! we are going over her house this week, so ia m going to bring her a little chocolate or something as a birthday present! The ward here is great. we took time this week to go over to a lot of members houses, it was really great to get to know them. There are a bot of great people. The ward here is about 60% inactive, so there are a lot of les active members that we need to meet. The Bishop here is really great, and is willing to help us a lot. THere are also a few sets of Americans in our ward! it is really exciting.... but the sad part is that they all live in Utrera, which is the Elder´s area, so we probably wont see them tooo much. But i Really like this area. It is letting me see a different side of Spain. I love La Mancha, and really miss the members there, but I really love the feel down here in Sevilla. It is more of what you imagine Spain to look like and be like. Here in the summer is gets SUPER hot, so hopefully I will be out of here by then! it gets to like 40-45 degrees celcius, which is soooooo hot! look that up to see that it is in F.

We are actually headed off to Ikea today! since the piso we live in used to be the elders, we dont really have very much kitchen stuff, so we are going to go buy stuff and get reimbursed by the mission for it! i am excited! anyways, i have to go...