Stay Tight, Don't Crack

TRASLADOS! Today we had transfers! Wow, time is seriously flying! Every single week, month and transfer is getting faster! Sadly, Hermana Moser will be leaving (she is going to Logroño with Hermana Stilson). I have been so blessed to spend these past 6 weeks with Hermana Moser. She has taught me so much and I know she is going to go on and continue to be an exceptional servant of the Lord. I just got my new companion, Hermana Steinfeldt! She just seems so great! I am excited to get to know her and work with her!

Last Monday when we had preparation day, the hermanas in our piso and I went to PARK GÜILLE! It is a very famous place in the city that looks out over Barcelona! It was breathtaking! We loved it and took tons of pictures! It was so fun! The week was a good one and we had a lot of funny stories and neat moments with people.

Do you remember Rafael? We met him on a park bench about a month ago? He has been in the hospital, and we were finally able to see him. We met him in the church and gave him a little bit of tour. He really seemed to like it. We taught him in the sacrament room with one of our members, Nestor. The Spirit was so strong as we talked about how we partake of the sacrament every week, that there are talks, hymns and prayers, and how everything worked. We sang, read and prayed with him. He is excited to come back!

Imilse is doing a lot better. She had been sick for a while, but she is finally to the point where she can walk around and do different things without being in pain. I feel like our relationship with her has been strengthened a lot. We were able to see her this week and she told us about her two daughters that live in the Dominican Republic. They are members of the church and want to serve missions. I think their father is a little against it, because he doesn´t really understand what it all entails. She invited us to come over this next week to talk with him and give our perspective. I´m excited! We are a little biased, but that´s the mission!

She, along with many other of our investigators, actually came to church and different activities this week. We had a stake talent show, and it was awesome! People of all ages participated and they did all sorts of stuff from Frozen, Lion King, Thriller, Grease, High School Musical, Annie, Tangled … you name it! It was so fun to be there with all of them and see how much they loved it!

It was crazy trying to see all sorts of people in our area, but while Hermana Moser and I were going around to different people´s houses to say goodbye, she shared this scripture which really hit me. It is in The Book of Mormon and says:

 "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

 And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.

 And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

 And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.

 And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord." - Ether 6:5-9

As I read that I thought about how many times in our lives, when we have trials or problems, we are figuratively under the water or "buried in the depths of the sea”. But our Savior will ALWAYS lift us back up again. He will direct us to our promised land … a better, more fruitful and joyful life. Our part, while we "under the water”, is to keep our vessels tight … sealed tight! We must leave no room for harmful water to seep in and eventually sink us. It is in our times of trial that we need to show our faith, show our strength, and let no crack or weakness show. We just need to hang on for a little bit, trust in the Lord, and before we know it, we will be back on top. We need to be patient, stay tight and give thanks for our salvation through Christ. I know He loves us and wants to help us.

Hermana Vance

Our Greatest Super Hero

HI! HELLO! HOLA! KAIXO! BON DIA! I hope you are all doing well! I´m going to try something a little different this week, going day by day.

Monday:

I absolutely LOVE the hermanas in our piso (Hermana Moser, Hermana Bastidas & Hermana Arauco)! They are just incredible! We have all become so close. We really do feel like sisters (hermanas)! We had preparation day and we all just hung out and had fun walking around different parts of Barcelona and shopping. They have become great friends and I love them! At night we were able to meet with a lady in our ward named Yennis. She is so sweet and has two little kids, Marjorie and Markel. We were able to talk about the importance of families and what we can do together in our home to strengthen one another and build our faith. Yennis actually shared her conversion story with us. The Spirit was so strong, and we saw the joy in her eyes when she told us how she felt when she and her family were sealed in the Madrid Temple. What an adorable family!

Tuesday:

Today we had a TON of eating appointments with members! It was fun, but I literally thought I was going to die! I was having flashbacks of Valencia over the summer when we just got fed so much! We had about 3 dinners today! The food was great, but just a little much, haha. But I have loved getting to know the members more here, because they have such strong testimonies and incredible stories (conversion stories, mission stories, life stories, you name it!). We saw Luis, one of our investigators, today as well. He is interesting, and we love him so much, but he has a lot of problems. He is from Barcelona and is about 45 years old. He lives alone and his mother died a few months ago. He is constantly falling back into his drug and alcohol problems. It has been an ongoing battle for him throughout his entire life. But he has made a lot of improvement, and he wants to change. We strongly testified about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that none of us are perfect, but that through Christ we can be made perfect. He can change us. He can strengthen us. He knows and loves us, and wants to lift us up. I know Luis will come around one of these days. Please pray for him.

Wednesday:

Today was MY 1 YEAR MARK in the mission! Time is soaring right before my eyes. It honestly is a pretty weird feeling! The hermanas are so funny, right before I woke up they surprised me with music, balloons, posters and tons of confetti to celebrate! Haha, they got me good! This has honestly been the best year of my life. Full of endless memories, life-changing experiences and heaven-on-earth miracles. I am so blessed to be here and serve these wonderful people of Spain. I love them so dearly.

Wednesday = Miracle Day! We saw so many great things today! We met so many great families and people in the street who are so prepared! We visited a member named Maritza. She is so great and just cracks me up! I love her! One of the first things she said to me was, "You are just sweet! It´s like you’re covered in honey! But you also have a lot of character … you tell people how it is, and you don´t mess around! That´s one good combination!" She´s hilarious and blunt and I just love her to bits! Her daughter, Natalia, is not a member and she is about 20 years old. We have really started to gain a great relationship with her and we hope to meet with her more often! We shared this scripture with them and a few other people today … it’s amazing and in The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:26.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

I know this to be true and something we should strive for in our lives. People should be able to recognize each of us as a disciple of Christ and a child of God at all times and in all things and in all places. We need to be examples for our children, family and friends, and all of those around us. We need to teach them and show them, that it is through Christ that we can gain the remission of our sins and feel that happiness.

Thursday:

I was able to go on a companion exchange with two hermanas in The Islands of Spain! Talk about incredible and gorgeous! What an amazing opportunity! It was in Palma de Mallorca, and was such an amazing opportunity and a phenomenal day! 

Friday and Saturday:

Long story short … I don´t know if we got some kind of food poisoning or if there is some type of bug going around … but Hermana Moser and I had to stay home for two days because so were sooo sick. We had a lot of stomach problems, cramps and threw up for two days straight. I had yet to get sick on my mission … I guess I was due! But I did get a lot of cleaning, organizing and journal writing done (and a little bit of sleep)! The other hermanas were so sweet and took good care of us! The elders also came over and gave us a Priesthood blessing. The Priesthood is so real. I think it was the first time I had ever asked someone, besides my dad, to give me a blessing. It was so powerful, and definitely a testimony builder for me.

Sunday:

We FINALLY had enough strength to leave Sunday afternoon to go to church. We had a few people that came that we were not expecting at all! It is so funny, I always end up playing the piano for things. I can hardly play! I haven´t practiced in forever, especially sight reading! In Sacrament, the talks were given by the young men. They all spoke and it was just the cutest thing. They all talked about being missionaries someday. At the end, the young men´s president spoke, and it really touched me. He talked about how, when he was younger, he LOVED comic books and superheroes, and that he loves Batman and Spiderman, etc. He was talking about what a hero really is; that they don´t just have cool costumes and names and special powers. They are brave, selfless, fearless, kind; and they never give up. They do all that they can to help those in need … the lost, the afflicted, the struggling, the downhearted … those that need to see the light and hope in their lives. He gave examples of modern day heroes that we see all around us. We see them in our role models, our parents, our best friends, and those that are always there for us.

But he said that aside from all of that … there is One, who is the greatest and most perfect superhero this world has ever seen. That hero is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He came to this earth to save us; to do the will of the Father and to redeem us from the "villains" and evils around us and in this world. He came to save us from ourselves. He was the only one who could have done that, as He showed and performed the greatest act of love known to man … His atoning sacrifice. Because of this, we too can defeat the things that are impeding us. We can battle, fight and conquer our weaknesses and imperfections. He knows us perfectly and is always there to help and to save your day, every day. Never doubt His power and love. He watches over you and protects you. He is your Savior and best friend, and always will be. Trust him … he is right there.

I love you all! Have a great week! Be superheroes and conquer your “villians” with the Lord who is on your side!

With all my heart,

Hermana Lydia Pamela Vance