Bilbao Bound

Last Saturday night, President Pace called me and Hermana Gillette and told us to put the phone on speaker and said, "You two are just exceptional missionaries. You are literally angels and together you see miracles. You truly are one of the most loving and most unified companionships in this mission. But … we are going to ask you both to share that love and leadership a little bit. We are going to ask you, Hermana Vance, if you would be willing to be the Sister Training Leader up north in the Bilbao Zone.  Your new companion will be Hermana Mendez, who just got out of training and is from Guatemala. She doesn´t speak much English, but she is amazing. It is going to take a lot of faith and hard work from you, but we know how incredible you are and that you can do it … that is why we chose you. Hermana Gillette, we are going to ask you to climb the mountain one last time and train someone once again in Valencia for your last two transfers. Thank you for all your hard work! You both have blessed this mission more than you will ever know. Thank you for your faithful service."

So I began my mission months ago in Valencia, which is the most southern part of our mission, and am now being asked to serve as an STL in the most northern part of our mission. Tuesday, I took a 12-hour train ride from Valencia to Bilbao (pronounced bilb-ow). I thought I was going to pass out all day, I was so tired, but it was worth the trip. People kept telling me how pretty the north was, and it is GORGEOUS! I am here now with Hermana Mendez, and she is just precious! President Pace was right though … this is going to take a lot of faith and hard work from me, but I´m am so excited for the challenge and ready to get started with the work; it’s going to be great!

With love,

Hermana Vance

There Can Be Miracles, When You Believe

Hello everyone … I hope you had a phenomenal week … I know I did! Things are really starting to pick up here in Valencia! Hermana Gillette and I work so hard together and we are just completely in sync!

Some really good news … Monday and Loveth got a new apartment! It feels so good to see them so happy! Wanna know something else … MATILDE AND FRANK WERE BAPTIZED THIS PAST SATURDAY!!! I cannot believe it or even begin to express the exceedingly great joy I felt! I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest! IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.

The baptism of Matilde was last Saturday at 11am. We went to pick her up around 9am, so we would get there in plenty of time. As we were going to get her, our Zone Leaders called and said that they were having a problem filling the baptismal font, and that it was only filling with cold water! After picking her up from her house, we finally made it to the church. Hermana Gillette and I were the only ones there that early trying to set up. Miraculously, a member showed up and began to fix it the water issue. We were relieved, even though Matilde said "Hot or cold water, it is the same to me, I just want to be baptized!" Haha, we were glad it all worked out. We helped her put on her long white dress and slippers. She looked SO cute; like a princess! The program was beautiful and I felt the Spirit so strong. When it was time for her to be baptized, we led her through the bathroom into the baptismal font, where a member, Juan A., was waiting to baptize her. As she entered the font, she was just GLOWING. She kept saying "ooh que guay!" (haha "ooh how cool!"). When Juan led her into the font, she said "Wait, who´s baptizing me? Juan right? Where´s Juan the Baptist?!" He chuckled and said "That IS me, I’m Juan!" Haha, she just giggled and said "Whoops perdon!" As she came up from the water, tears just filled my eyes as I saw how happy she was. It was a beautiful service and I will NEVER forget that moment.

Later that night, Frank was baptized. His baptism was combined with one of the investigators the elders had been working with for a while, so it was in both Spanish and English! He has such a sweet spirit and he is just precious. Before his baptism, we went to go pick him up from his house, and he wasn´t there. We were panicked, and asked all of his friends where he was and they had no idea. We tried calling him, but his phone was off. We didn´t know what to do, so we said a prayer and asked God to help us find him. We searched EVERYWHERE for about 50 minutes with no luck. We felt prompted to check his house one more time. When we knocked, Frank answered the door. What a relief … apparently he had been in the shower and his phone hadn´t been working. Finally, we made it to the church, and the service began. After a few talks and some musical numbers, it was time for his baptism. When he was baptized, this overwhelming peace came over me. After he changed his clothes, and came back for the remainder of the service, he was completely different. He was a changed man. He was smiling ear to ear … it was INCREDIBLE. The next day at church, during sacrament meeting, he was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, was given the Aaronic Priesthood, and a calling to be a ward missionary! I don´t think I could have been any prouder of him in that moment. This past Sunday was also testimony meeting and, to our surprise, Frank got up and bore his testimony in English in front of everyone! He talked about how happy he is, how he knows God is with him every step of the way on this new journey, and about how he feels completely changed and just pure. He talked about how, after his baptism, when he went to lay down at night, during his dreams, he kept seeing white. He saw people and different things in white. This made me cry even more. I know that this decision has been a huge blessing in his life, and that he has become a part of God´s Kingdom on the Earth.

I know that ALL things are possible, if we believe. We have to have FAITH … as faith precedes miracles. I will never forget this past weekend. We need to ALWAYS recognize the miracles in our life, as they really do happen EVERY SINGLE DAY. Thank God always and have faith!

I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW,

HNA VANCE

“For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." - 2 Nephi 27:23

“And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God?

 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?

 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.

 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”- Mormon 9:15-19

 “Thus God has provided a means that man, through FAITH, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.” – Mosiah 8:18

 “For if there be no FAITH among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.” - Ether 12:12

"There can be miracles

When you BELIEVE

Though hope is frail

It's hard to kill

Who knows what miracles

You can achieve

When you BELIEVE

Somehow you will

You will when you BELIEVE"

Bringing These Things Back To Our Remembrance

Hello everyone; I hope you had a FANTASTIC week and weekend! Last weekend was General Conference and it was AMAZING! I loved it and I learned so much. If you haven´t had a chance to watch it yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. Juan, our Catholic friend, came with us to watch it and he LOVED it!

There is a movie coming to theaters called, “Meet the Mormons”, and it seems really neat. You all will have to go see it and tell me how it was! http://meetthemormons.com

I know I say that I love Valencia every week, but it is so true! We have so much fun, every single day, and we are also seeing some incredible miracles right before our eyes.

Matilde is still out of town, so we are trying to work with her this week on her baptism. Frank feels good about being baptized so we’ll see what happens this week. We had an incredible Zone Focus Meeting this past week, and it truly inspired me. I know that this is the work of salvation. I know that it is only through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, that we can return to live with Him.

One of the biggest miracles thus far on my mission happened to Hermana Gillette and me this weekend. It was interesting because my sister, Madeline, just sent me an email that read, in part: "Always remember that ‘prepared people don't need a lot of time’. GO FIND THEM! There are golden people out there. Often times they won't look like the golden ones, but when the Spirit prompts you to act … ACT … and talk to them! I promise you that the Lord will lead and guide you to those that are ready." She couldn´t have been more right! Last Thursday, we talked to this man on the street and started talking to him about our church. At first he didn´t seem like he would be interested.  He was on his phone and it was late, and he was kind of doing his own thing. But after we started talking to him, everything changed. His name is Filipe and he is 33 years old, born and raised in Valencia, and if I had to describe what he looks like, I would probably have to say a cross between Josh Groban and Jesus. He surprised us by starting to talk to us in English! He went on to tell us that he actually lived with a Mormon family in Utah for a month when he was 13 years old. He said he didn´t remember a whole lot, but he did remember going to church with them every Sunday. He really loved his experience all those years ago, and wanted to know more.

We invited him to meet us Friday night at the church so we could discuss more. When we were talking to him at the church we were walking around and talking about all the different things. The Spirit was SO strong there. It was incredible. We taught him and testified of The Book of Mormon and that it would change his life as it has changed ours. He just kept asking questions and wanted to know more. At the end of the lesson we asked him if we could end with a prayer, and if he would try saying it. He was a little nervous, but he wanted to give it a try. I asked him if we could kneel and as we did he said "Oh, I remember now. I did this all the time with the family in Utah. I love it!"

Long story short, last weekend he came to two sessions of General Conference! He watched them with us in English and said he knew these were men of God. After the final session, Hermana Gillette and I met with him and asked him how he felt. He said he felt great! Hna. Gillette said "You are in the right place!", and he said, "I know. I think I was in the right place Thursday night too. Why did you choose to talk to me out of everyone that night?" We told him, “because you are a child of God, and the Spirit told us to talk to you." He went on to say, "I have had the same questions for 33 years and no one to talk to about them. I feel like everything I have been learning over these past few days … it all just makes sense ... it´s like I´ve heard it before. I know these things are true."

Tears were welling up in my eyes as I was able to witness this man beginning to remember who he really is … a divine child of God. We all lived with our Father in Heaven before this life, and all He wants is for us to come back. We, as missionaries, are simply here to remind these people of that truth. Felipe remembers … and now he wants to prepare to be baptized this week! Keep him in your prayers!

Also, during General Women’s Conference, this part of Dieter F. Utchdorf´s talk really hit home with me. I encourage all women, young and old to read/watch this talk. Our Heavenly Father loves us SO much!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/living-the-gospel-joyful?lang=eng&media=video#watch=video

"My dear sisters in the gospel, whether you are 8 or 108, there is one thing that I hope you truly understand and know:

You are loved.

You are dear to your heavenly parents.

The infinite and eternal Creator of light and life knows you! He is mindful of you.

Yes, God loves you this very day and always.

He is not waiting to love you until you have overcome your weaknesses and bad habits. He loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles. He is aware that you reach up to Him in heartfelt and hopeful prayer. He knows of the times you have held onto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And still He loves you.

And God knows of your successes; though they may seem small to you, He acknowledges and cherishes each one of them. He loves you for extending yourself to others. He loves you for reaching out and helping others bear their heavy burdens—even when you are struggling with your own.

He knows everything about you. He sees you clearly—He knows you as you really are. And He loves you—today and always!

Do you suppose it matters to our Heavenly Father whether your makeup, clothes, hair, and nails are perfect? Do you think your value to Him changes based on how many followers you have on Instagram or Pinterest? Do you think He wants you to worry or get depressed if some un-friend or un-follow you on Facebook or Twitter? Do you think outward attractiveness, your dress size, or popularity make the slightest difference in your worth to the One who created the universe?

He loves you not only for who you are this very day but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential and the desire to become.

More than you could ever imagine, He wants you to achieve your destiny—to return to your heavenly home in honor.

I testify that the way to accomplish this is to place selfish desires and unworthy ambitions on the altar of sacrifice and service. Sisters, trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ; keep His laws and commandments. In other words—live the gospel joyful.

It is my prayer that you will experience a renewed and an expanded measure of the beautiful love of God in your lives; that you will find the faith, determination, and commitment to learn God’s commandments, treasure them in your hearts, and live the gospel joyful.

I promise that as you do so, you will discover your best self—your real self. You will discover what it truly means to be a daughter of the everlasting God, the Lord of all righteousness."

These talks really inspired me this past week! I LOVED ALL of the talks I heard, especially from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. I know they are truly men of God and are called of Him and communicate directly with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have a prophet and apostles, just as during the life Jesus Christ, because He established His church on the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith in the year 1830. I know these things to be true, and … So … Can … You. Ask for yourself … pray, and I promise you that God will answer.

Dieter F Uchtdorf Talk:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/receiving-a-testimony-of-light-and-truth?lang=eng

With all my love,

Hermana Lydia Vance