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I am serving a mission as a sister missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a period of 18 months. I am serving in the Spain Barcelona Mission and I am speaking Spanish. I reported to the Madrid Missionary Training Center on May 13th, 2014, and I will return home November of 2015. I love each of you with all my heart and I hope to hear from you throughout this life-changing experience and journey.


Thursday, November 27, 2014

Never Be The Same



Hey there; how is everyone doing!?! These past two weeks have been fun, but kind of weird! Hermana Mendez was sick for about 7-8 days! We were in our apartment on and off for about a week; it was crazy. First she had back pains, then a fever for a few days and then major pains in her stomach! In her own words, "it feels like a snake is eating me from the inside out!" Honestly, I was freaked out a little! We talked to Hermana Pace (President Pace´s wife) and eventually went to the doctor with the zone leaders. We got there at about 11:30pm and didn´t get home until 3:00am! It was so crowded and crazy there. She ended up being okay, and they gave her an IV to help her stomach, and she felt better. We are excited to really start working again!

I am really starting to just LOVE the ward here in Bilbao! The members here are incredible, and I feel like I am really starting to know the people and feel at home. For a while it was a little hard for me to remember names and areas and who was who, etc.; and I was missing Valencia a bit. But I am really just soaking up everything about Bilbao! The North of Spain is AMAZING, and straight up GORGEOUS!

I want to thank everyone for their birthday wishes! They were so great and special and really made my day! I cannot believe I am 20 years old!?! But honestly, I did a lot of reflecting because during the last week or so, I also hit my 6th month mark! I was thinking about what I was doing around this time last year, what I am doing now, and what I will be doing next year in the middle of November. Next year at this time, I will be finishing my mission. I was thinking about how different I am NOW than I was a year ago, and how much more I really want to change and improve in this next year. I want to be better in so many areas, and grow and learn so much! I know I will, if I continue to put my Father in Heaven first, and if my will is in harmony with His. My perspective of everything is changing, and my eyes are finally starting to open. I KNOW who I want to be, and HOW I need to change. I know WHY I want to change. I am discovering what I want and who I am … and when I get home, I want to continue on this upward climb. I know that through my Savior, Jesus Christ, I can change. Through Him, all of my weaknesses and imperfections, can be made strengths. Things that once seemed like walls in my life are slowly turning into bridges and opening more opportunities for me. I know that HIS wounds heal MINE; and that I can be perfected through Him. He is molding me into someone I always wanted to be, and into the person He can only know I am. I am excited to see what this next year has in store. This experience (my mission) has changed my life forever, and I will never be the same.


December is just around the corner and I am so excited!!! I cannot wait for all of the Christmas lights to be up! I have been listening to Christmas music since September (maybe I have a problem?)! But I just love it and encourage all of you to start getting in the Christmas spirit! For all of you Americans, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and take this time to really think about what you are thankful for in your life! My list is endless and I cannot thank you all enough for being such a huge blessing throughout my ENTIRE life. I love you all more than you will ever know! Have a great week and eat lots of turkey for me!

Forever,

Hermana Vance

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