December 8, 2010
Dear Family,
First off, thanks to Sharah and Shalese for the coolest Christmas Tree this side of the Atlantic Ocean. It is so great and it made me super happy!! (see pic) I hope the picture works this time.
Christmas looks like it will be pretty fun this year. People HAVE TO listen to us if we say anything about Christmas season and Christ. Last night we had the ward activity and it was pretty great. We had a lot of people come out for it. We also did a skit...I need to work on my acting skills but the Elders were pretty funny.
Hermana Bell and I are trying to find people that really want to act on what they learn and not just let us come over...that means we have been walking around searching a lot more than before... It has been a little exhausting which is how we know something great is coming. It is a little difficult starting over and learning an area again. In my last area Hna Smith and I had to learn the area together so I became a professional map reader and by the end I knew where most of the addresses that people gave us were located. The cool thing is that since I have already learned an area once I am learning this one double-fast. Contacting has also gotten a little easier...partly because Spanish has become easier and partly because the search seems to have become more part of me and more desperate. I am finally feeling that the responsibility is on my shoulders and it gives me more confidence to act. I figure that if I don't do it nobody will- so I should do it even though my approach wont be perfect, and the Lord will make it good enough. The real truth is that if I don't talk to these people, someone eventually will because Heavenly Father will get the message to them somehow, but I will miss out on the chance to be part of the process. Hope that makes sense.
Well, I better go but I love you a ton!!!
Love Hermana Shayla Moulton.
PS. Mom just so ya know, I am getting over being sick and all that jazz. Ya!! Also, My hand is better...the blisters are finally peeling off...gross ;)
I also have a special Christmas request...maybe Shalese can help out...Church music CDs...like single artists...singers or pianists or guitarist etc that play christian music or hyms etc. Thanks!!!
Love ya!!!!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Transfer 6 week 1
December 1, 2010
Dear Family,
So the big news: I have been transferred from Barrio 9 to Barrio 3. That means that I moved my stuff upstairs with Hermana Bell and Hermana Smith stayed downstairs (not much of a move ;) My address is still the same:
C\ Las Tintas 17, 3ºB
Madrid 28025
Spain
The pictures: The first one is with some girls from Barrio 9. Laura, the one hugging me teaches seminary and came with us on a lot of visits over the summer. Sheyla is next to her. She has become a good friend and it has been amazing to watch her spirit and strength grow. Gabby is on the far left. She is the one that showed me how easy it is to deep fry...which I learned was a mistake when the first thing I deep fried was my hand.
The second picture is of me and Hermana Bell. She is great...very happy and very excited to work and see miracles. There is a lot of adjusting to do in a new area but it feels like I am starting fresh again. It was a little sad to leave behind some of the people that I have been with so long. The nice thing is that we still attend the same chapel so if there is ever a baptism in Barrio 9 we will get to bring someone. The other nice thing is that I still live with Hermana Smith ;)
I still don´t know many of the investigators in this area but I am excited to meet them. We actually met Veronica the other day who is working very hard on her papers so that she can get married and baptized. The cool part about that was that Hermana Smith and I contacted her a long time ago and gave her address to the other sisters...it shows how important contacting is even if we don´t personally end up teaching the person. Veronica said she watched us contact another couple on a bench and hoped we would come talk to her. We knew that she had been watching us so we almost passed her by because it feels a little awkward talking to someone who just watched you talk to someone else (I know that is silly...I´m getting over it.)
I hope Mikayla got my letter. I have also had a letter sitting on my desk for Grandma C for a long time.
Yesterday I read in 1Nephi 3: 15 -16 about how determined Nephi was to do the will of the Lord. It reminded me of the council President Monson gave in a recent(ish) Priesthood session of conference. 1.Find out the will of the Lord, 2.Make a plan, 3.Do it. I feel like it is a great time to make goals and find out exactly what the Lord wants from me now as I start in a new area. Something I have learned though is that we shouldn´t wait for a big external change like that before we re-evaluate and decide to change. It just takes a little more effort if there isn´t that external change. Nephi did make a plan...he and his brothers gave away all the riches they had left...their whole life´s savings...and that plan failed. (Don´t feel bad when your first plans fail...) I bet that they felt that they had given everything they could give but Nephi went back and truly gave the last effort and that is when the Lord stepped in and gave him what was required. The Lord probably could have given the plates to Laman in the first place, but miracles happen after faith and obedience. Besides that, we wouldn´t have this inspiring and instructional story at the most-read part of the Book of Mormon...the beginning. Side thought: When we are passing through something really difficult, maybe that trial will become a story for the people we love in the future to learn from, just as Nephi´s hard life has become an honored and loved example for us.
I love you all so much. I am so glad to be on a mission. Shalese you are going to learn and grow so much it is crazy.
Love, Hermana Moulton
Dear Family,
So the big news: I have been transferred from Barrio 9 to Barrio 3. That means that I moved my stuff upstairs with Hermana Bell and Hermana Smith stayed downstairs (not much of a move ;) My address is still the same:
C\ Las Tintas 17, 3ºB
Madrid 28025
Spain
The pictures: The first one is with some girls from Barrio 9. Laura, the one hugging me teaches seminary and came with us on a lot of visits over the summer. Sheyla is next to her. She has become a good friend and it has been amazing to watch her spirit and strength grow. Gabby is on the far left. She is the one that showed me how easy it is to deep fry...which I learned was a mistake when the first thing I deep fried was my hand.
The second picture is of me and Hermana Bell. She is great...very happy and very excited to work and see miracles. There is a lot of adjusting to do in a new area but it feels like I am starting fresh again. It was a little sad to leave behind some of the people that I have been with so long. The nice thing is that we still attend the same chapel so if there is ever a baptism in Barrio 9 we will get to bring someone. The other nice thing is that I still live with Hermana Smith ;)
I still don´t know many of the investigators in this area but I am excited to meet them. We actually met Veronica the other day who is working very hard on her papers so that she can get married and baptized. The cool part about that was that Hermana Smith and I contacted her a long time ago and gave her address to the other sisters...it shows how important contacting is even if we don´t personally end up teaching the person. Veronica said she watched us contact another couple on a bench and hoped we would come talk to her. We knew that she had been watching us so we almost passed her by because it feels a little awkward talking to someone who just watched you talk to someone else (I know that is silly...I´m getting over it.)
I hope Mikayla got my letter. I have also had a letter sitting on my desk for Grandma C for a long time.
Yesterday I read in 1Nephi 3: 15 -16 about how determined Nephi was to do the will of the Lord. It reminded me of the council President Monson gave in a recent(ish) Priesthood session of conference. 1.Find out the will of the Lord, 2.Make a plan, 3.Do it. I feel like it is a great time to make goals and find out exactly what the Lord wants from me now as I start in a new area. Something I have learned though is that we shouldn´t wait for a big external change like that before we re-evaluate and decide to change. It just takes a little more effort if there isn´t that external change. Nephi did make a plan...he and his brothers gave away all the riches they had left...their whole life´s savings...and that plan failed. (Don´t feel bad when your first plans fail...) I bet that they felt that they had given everything they could give but Nephi went back and truly gave the last effort and that is when the Lord stepped in and gave him what was required. The Lord probably could have given the plates to Laman in the first place, but miracles happen after faith and obedience. Besides that, we wouldn´t have this inspiring and instructional story at the most-read part of the Book of Mormon...the beginning. Side thought: When we are passing through something really difficult, maybe that trial will become a story for the people we love in the future to learn from, just as Nephi´s hard life has become an honored and loved example for us.
I love you all so much. I am so glad to be on a mission. Shalese you are going to learn and grow so much it is crazy.
Love, Hermana Moulton
Transfer 5 week 6
November 24, 2010
Hello Family!
Happy Thanksgiving! We switched our preparation day to Thursday this week so that we could do a Thanksgiving celebration with the missionaries and mission leader in our ward. It should be a blast. We are going to watch the Joseph Smith movie. This morning I took a second to remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for all the blessings I have received. Every day we talk with people who´s life experiences make me realize how blessed I have been to have been guided by the gospel all my life. Principles like honesty, chastity, charity, faith, hope, trust, forgiveness, work, service, tithing, and prayer have shielded our family from so many heart aches and provided for our temporal needs as well. I am so grateful for so many things and my family above all.
As for excitement this week: On Saturday we helped a girl in our ward make lunch/dinner and we fried calamari. I saw how easy it is to deep-fry and I remembered something I had eaten in the CCM...Deep fried french-toast with a different name. I thought it was a brilliant idea...until a huge distraction caught my attention in the middle of my attempt. The next thing I knew the pan was smoking like crazy so I thought I should hold it out the window so the smoke would go out. Meanwhile the distraction continued in the kitchen and I stopped thinking...I dumped out the oil....onto my hand. Thoughts of how Bro. Stockard had to go to physical therapy every day including Christmas for his hand flooded my mind (over-reaction). I kept my hand in a bucket of water the whole night. It was just a second degree burn on part of my palm and index finger. It hurt a bit in the morning and I brought a bag of frozen peas to our morning lessons. Vanesa, one of our investigators, but some bee´s-wax on it....I didn´t think that was a very good idea, but between 10 hrs of submersion in water and the bee´s wax it stopped the pain completely and I just have a couple of cool giant blisters to show for it. The part that made me feel really NOT-SMART was the fact that we live on the fourth floor and I could have scalded one of our neighbors if they had stuck their head out the window...fortunately I didn´t see any clothes on the clothes-lines below us...but the puddle of oil was still there a couple days later...
Other than that, our whole apartment has been sick this week. Fortunately I uncovered a stash of medicine left by other missionaries and we have all been partaking. Mom, I did get the DSF! Thanks!!! I love that stuff.
This week has been crazy but great. A couple from our ward were sealed in the Temple and they invited us to explain some things to the groom´s parents in the waiting room. Very interesting experience. Then more of their friends came to a ring-exchanging service and the Stake president talked about temples. Hermana Smith played the piano and I led the music. at least half of the people there were not familiar with hymn-books so I felt like I was singing a bit of a solo up front...which wouldn´t have been so bad but I was already sick and couldn´t reach the high notes..not pretty. The important thing is that David and Paula seemed very happy and she looked so beautiful in a simple white dress.
We had a great zone conference with Elder Casse, a member of the Seventy. He is French but his English is great. I learned a lot of things that can help me be a better missionary.
On Monday-Tuesday, we had interchanges...which means I spent the day with Hermana Read in my area and Hermana Smith went to Barrio 8 for the day. Hermana Read is so great. I learned a lot from her.
Well, I have to run but I love you!
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Eat some turkey for me ;)
Love Hermana Moulton
P.S. Shalese: look up David Swenson on facebook ;) he is from UT...friend of Hna Smith´s family and he got your same mission call!!
Hello Family!
Happy Thanksgiving! We switched our preparation day to Thursday this week so that we could do a Thanksgiving celebration with the missionaries and mission leader in our ward. It should be a blast. We are going to watch the Joseph Smith movie. This morning I took a second to remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for all the blessings I have received. Every day we talk with people who´s life experiences make me realize how blessed I have been to have been guided by the gospel all my life. Principles like honesty, chastity, charity, faith, hope, trust, forgiveness, work, service, tithing, and prayer have shielded our family from so many heart aches and provided for our temporal needs as well. I am so grateful for so many things and my family above all.
As for excitement this week: On Saturday we helped a girl in our ward make lunch/dinner and we fried calamari. I saw how easy it is to deep-fry and I remembered something I had eaten in the CCM...Deep fried french-toast with a different name. I thought it was a brilliant idea...until a huge distraction caught my attention in the middle of my attempt. The next thing I knew the pan was smoking like crazy so I thought I should hold it out the window so the smoke would go out. Meanwhile the distraction continued in the kitchen and I stopped thinking...I dumped out the oil....onto my hand. Thoughts of how Bro. Stockard had to go to physical therapy every day including Christmas for his hand flooded my mind (over-reaction). I kept my hand in a bucket of water the whole night. It was just a second degree burn on part of my palm and index finger. It hurt a bit in the morning and I brought a bag of frozen peas to our morning lessons. Vanesa, one of our investigators, but some bee´s-wax on it....I didn´t think that was a very good idea, but between 10 hrs of submersion in water and the bee´s wax it stopped the pain completely and I just have a couple of cool giant blisters to show for it. The part that made me feel really NOT-SMART was the fact that we live on the fourth floor and I could have scalded one of our neighbors if they had stuck their head out the window...fortunately I didn´t see any clothes on the clothes-lines below us...but the puddle of oil was still there a couple days later...
Other than that, our whole apartment has been sick this week. Fortunately I uncovered a stash of medicine left by other missionaries and we have all been partaking. Mom, I did get the DSF! Thanks!!! I love that stuff.
This week has been crazy but great. A couple from our ward were sealed in the Temple and they invited us to explain some things to the groom´s parents in the waiting room. Very interesting experience. Then more of their friends came to a ring-exchanging service and the Stake president talked about temples. Hermana Smith played the piano and I led the music. at least half of the people there were not familiar with hymn-books so I felt like I was singing a bit of a solo up front...which wouldn´t have been so bad but I was already sick and couldn´t reach the high notes..not pretty. The important thing is that David and Paula seemed very happy and she looked so beautiful in a simple white dress.
We had a great zone conference with Elder Casse, a member of the Seventy. He is French but his English is great. I learned a lot of things that can help me be a better missionary.
On Monday-Tuesday, we had interchanges...which means I spent the day with Hermana Read in my area and Hermana Smith went to Barrio 8 for the day. Hermana Read is so great. I learned a lot from her.
Well, I have to run but I love you!
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Eat some turkey for me ;)
Love Hermana Moulton
P.S. Shalese: look up David Swenson on facebook ;) he is from UT...friend of Hna Smith´s family and he got your same mission call!!
Transfer 5 week 5
November 17, 2010
Shalese!!!!! I hope you get my letter soon! I am so happy!!! Barcelona!!! Hermana Watkins called me early on Saturday morning to tell me she got the email from Dad about where you would go. I started crying like a baby...just like when I opened up my mission call ;) Even Hna Smith was crying. And then we went upstairs to tell Hna Avellán that you are going to Barcelona and she was super excited too...(she is from Barcelona). You might meet six elders that I was good friends with in the CCM in Madrid E.Taylor, E. Moss, E.Waite, E.Parry, E. Egan, and E.Estrada!!!! I love them and you´re gonna meet some of them for sure. I´ve been making everyone guess where you got your mission call to....they never guess Spain! You are going to love it!
I bet when you got your mission call you got the New sister missionary dress code sheet....way better!!! Sister missionaries are allowed to be cute....without nylons!!
Parents: Matter of business...Is the plan still to come and pick me up at the end of my mission, or at the end of Shalese´s? Will it bother her if we are all in Spain while she is on her mission? Should all three of us come back at the end of her mission? Or is it better to do it sooner now?...and save on an extra plane ticket? I´m going to stop worrying about it...
I bet you were all so excited to get her call!!! It is really nice to know that Shalese will not be so far away!
We didn´t see the worldwide training meeting....what big changes did they make?
Tomorrow we have Zone Conference. Zone conferences are the best. We have them once every two months or so.
Cool story: Last night we talked to a guy that we had talked to before. He told us that he believed in a Supreme being because he has felt His help, and even more evidentetly, he feels the consequences when he does something wrong. He told us that he was really worried about a driving test that he would take in the morning. He said that the last time he talked to us he took the same driving test the next day and failed it. He said he would pray about it and if he passed this time he would call us. So we prayed last night that he wuold pass this test and call us...and he called us around 10:30 this morning. We don´t normally encourage people to depend on signs like that but hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Hopefully we can start teaching him soon.
The other day we were kind of down because it seemed that none of the people we are working with are progressing on their own, but the past few days we have been visiting them and we are starting to recognize changes that are happening in their attitudes and in their prayers. Things are going pretty well.
I love you so much!!!
Love Hermana Moulton
Shalese!!!!! I hope you get my letter soon! I am so happy!!! Barcelona!!! Hermana Watkins called me early on Saturday morning to tell me she got the email from Dad about where you would go. I started crying like a baby...just like when I opened up my mission call ;) Even Hna Smith was crying. And then we went upstairs to tell Hna Avellán that you are going to Barcelona and she was super excited too...(she is from Barcelona). You might meet six elders that I was good friends with in the CCM in Madrid E.Taylor, E. Moss, E.Waite, E.Parry, E. Egan, and E.Estrada!!!! I love them and you´re gonna meet some of them for sure. I´ve been making everyone guess where you got your mission call to....they never guess Spain! You are going to love it!
I bet when you got your mission call you got the New sister missionary dress code sheet....way better!!! Sister missionaries are allowed to be cute....without nylons!!
Parents: Matter of business...Is the plan still to come and pick me up at the end of my mission, or at the end of Shalese´s? Will it bother her if we are all in Spain while she is on her mission? Should all three of us come back at the end of her mission? Or is it better to do it sooner now?...and save on an extra plane ticket? I´m going to stop worrying about it...
I bet you were all so excited to get her call!!! It is really nice to know that Shalese will not be so far away!
We didn´t see the worldwide training meeting....what big changes did they make?
Tomorrow we have Zone Conference. Zone conferences are the best. We have them once every two months or so.
Cool story: Last night we talked to a guy that we had talked to before. He told us that he believed in a Supreme being because he has felt His help, and even more evidentetly, he feels the consequences when he does something wrong. He told us that he was really worried about a driving test that he would take in the morning. He said that the last time he talked to us he took the same driving test the next day and failed it. He said he would pray about it and if he passed this time he would call us. So we prayed last night that he wuold pass this test and call us...and he called us around 10:30 this morning. We don´t normally encourage people to depend on signs like that but hey, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Hopefully we can start teaching him soon.
The other day we were kind of down because it seemed that none of the people we are working with are progressing on their own, but the past few days we have been visiting them and we are starting to recognize changes that are happening in their attitudes and in their prayers. Things are going pretty well.
I love you so much!!!
Love Hermana Moulton
Transfer 5 week 4
Novemeber 10, 2010
Dear Family,
Another week to wait for Shalese´s call...pretty sure this is killing me more than it is her. Here is what to do: Email Hermana Watkins (Mission President´s wife) and ask her to let me know where Shalese is going and when she will leave the minute you find out, k? She can call me!
By the way, I am sending a letter for Shalese...as soon as I find a stamp. Happy Birthday soon!!!!
I am also emailing pictures of Segovia from last week!!
Things around here are pretty great. We had a good lesson with Alexandra this week and I walked home surprised at the love I have learned to feel and at the way I am learning to recognize the Spirit. She felt it too and she came to church for the first time in a month. This is a big thing for her because she is now babysitting her little niece and nephew every weekend and Jofre is working. It is hard to bring three little kids on the bus!! So this showed a lot of faith on her part.
Hna Smith and I are doing pretty well. Most people are surprised to learn that we´ve been in the same area for five transfers...especially since this is my first area! The great thing is that we know many of the members pretty well by now. That is a good start to learning how to involve them more in the work. Last night we visited a family who is struggling because the dad is addicted to alcohol, but their faith is so bright. We have seen them at some pretty rough times and helped them find someone who could give them a blessing. Last night it seemed that they are being healed. The daughter, Cristine (17) has such a strong testimony and a deep understanding of gospel principles. Seminary is really paying off for her. She is helping us by inviting and watching out for one of our investigators who is also 17. They are a strong example of how faith and obedience can carry us through even the hardest trials.
I read a great talk by President Eyring from the October 2007 Priesthood session of General Conference this morning. He had just been called to the First Presidency and he felt overwhelmed. He spent a few nights in prayer before giving this talk and he shared three principles that he learned: 1. He remembered all the times that God took care of him and trusted that He will always carry him through. 2. Forget yourself and start praying for the people that you serve. President Eyring says that always brings the Spirit into the prayer..."but be prepared to lose track of time in prayer" I liked that the best. As missionaries we run a tight schedule, (and I am pretty sure that will never change) sometimes I am more worried about getting to bed on time and getting in those 8 hours than I am about having a productive and sincere prayer. I want to lose track of time as I pray. It was clear that President Eyring has lost more than a few nights of sleep while in prayer...I don´t think 10 or 15 min will kill me ;) As we pray, the circle of people we pray for will get wider and wider and in the meantime our hearts will change.
3. Get to work. He says that faithful service will never be easy. It wasn´t easy for Christ and it wasn´t easy for His disciples. That is part of how we get a "broken heart" not just a softened heart. Accepting that fact somehow actually does make it seem easier. He says the most important measure of our success is how much we help others take a testimony down into their hearts. I really love President Eyring.
I sure love you!! I pray for you all the time.
Love, Hermana Moulton
Dear Family,
Another week to wait for Shalese´s call...pretty sure this is killing me more than it is her. Here is what to do: Email Hermana Watkins (Mission President´s wife) and ask her to let me know where Shalese is going and when she will leave the minute you find out, k? She can call me!
By the way, I am sending a letter for Shalese...as soon as I find a stamp. Happy Birthday soon!!!!
I am also emailing pictures of Segovia from last week!!
Things around here are pretty great. We had a good lesson with Alexandra this week and I walked home surprised at the love I have learned to feel and at the way I am learning to recognize the Spirit. She felt it too and she came to church for the first time in a month. This is a big thing for her because she is now babysitting her little niece and nephew every weekend and Jofre is working. It is hard to bring three little kids on the bus!! So this showed a lot of faith on her part.
Hna Smith and I are doing pretty well. Most people are surprised to learn that we´ve been in the same area for five transfers...especially since this is my first area! The great thing is that we know many of the members pretty well by now. That is a good start to learning how to involve them more in the work. Last night we visited a family who is struggling because the dad is addicted to alcohol, but their faith is so bright. We have seen them at some pretty rough times and helped them find someone who could give them a blessing. Last night it seemed that they are being healed. The daughter, Cristine (17) has such a strong testimony and a deep understanding of gospel principles. Seminary is really paying off for her. She is helping us by inviting and watching out for one of our investigators who is also 17. They are a strong example of how faith and obedience can carry us through even the hardest trials.
I read a great talk by President Eyring from the October 2007 Priesthood session of General Conference this morning. He had just been called to the First Presidency and he felt overwhelmed. He spent a few nights in prayer before giving this talk and he shared three principles that he learned: 1. He remembered all the times that God took care of him and trusted that He will always carry him through. 2. Forget yourself and start praying for the people that you serve. President Eyring says that always brings the Spirit into the prayer..."but be prepared to lose track of time in prayer" I liked that the best. As missionaries we run a tight schedule, (and I am pretty sure that will never change) sometimes I am more worried about getting to bed on time and getting in those 8 hours than I am about having a productive and sincere prayer. I want to lose track of time as I pray. It was clear that President Eyring has lost more than a few nights of sleep while in prayer...I don´t think 10 or 15 min will kill me ;) As we pray, the circle of people we pray for will get wider and wider and in the meantime our hearts will change.
3. Get to work. He says that faithful service will never be easy. It wasn´t easy for Christ and it wasn´t easy for His disciples. That is part of how we get a "broken heart" not just a softened heart. Accepting that fact somehow actually does make it seem easier. He says the most important measure of our success is how much we help others take a testimony down into their hearts. I really love President Eyring.
I sure love you!! I pray for you all the time.
Love, Hermana Moulton
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Transfer 5, week 3
November 3, 2010
Dear Family,
Bummer that Shalese still hasn't received her mission call! Hermana Smith and I can't wait. I thought we would know for sure today.
Shalese, thanks for the letter and the pictures. It looks like Mom had a great birthday!! And yours is coming up!!! Also, Thanks to Grandma C. I got her letter the same day.
Today our district all went to Segovia. It is a cool city with a castle. I was going to send pictures today but I cant plug my USB into this computer very easily. One day soon. We just walked around and talked and took pictures. We also paid two Euros to climb the stairs to the top of a tower. I think the best part was the bus ride because we drove through the country and it looked like Utah or California- Nice to take a break from the city.
So, we found a family and we think they are golden! The mother is called Alexandra (another Alexandra!), her marido Eric, and their ten-year-old son Eitan. Eitan just got here a few weeks ago after being in Ecuador for the past 10 years!! Alexandra is so happy to have him back and I imagine that it is a huge huge change for her. I think he is part of the reason that she is so open to the gospel right now. We took a recent convert named Sandra with us to visit them. Her testimony was on fire and she really helped. She is preparing to serve a mission as well.
Other cool story: On Sunday night the Elders planned a Family Home Evening for the young single adults to watch the Joseph Smith movie in the chapel. We invited a few people to go with us but it didn't work out. We ended up going for a few minutes and leaving because we didn't have someone visiting with us. I was pretty tired and it was kind of hard to make myself leave but we did...so I knew something really good would happen (that always seems to happen when we put out that last effort to be obedient). I was right. In the course of walking up one street, changing our minds and going the other direction to find a house, we ran into a guy (probably 27ish? and from Nicaragua) who was heading to a party or something for Halloween. He said he used to be Adventist but he lost his faith when he was about 18. He said he hadn't gotten into anything bad or drugs, he just lost it. He sounded like he had studied and read a lot of books on religion and he said that he had even been a missionary all his life until he turned 18. We gave him a Book of Mormon to read and marked a couple chapters for him, as well as a card with the Church web-site on it. He turned around and went to take the book to his house before he left to party or whatever. We felt pretty good about it. We have great hopes for him. The Book of Mormon can definitely help him regain his faith. I know that Book is true. I feel its power when I read and each time I open it now, I feel like I am searching for a treasure.
Other than that, we are still working with Victor and Vanesa as well as Alexandra and Jofre. Alexandra and Jofre found a homeless man a few months ago and he has been living with them ever since. He is from Cuba and came for three months to make a little money to help his family have a new start. With economic conditions the way they are in Spain, he is leaving with little more than what he came with. He is pretty disappointed but at least he will take a testimony that their are families in the world as kind as Alexandra's, as well as a Book of Mormon.
It is getting a little colder, we are eating a lot of soup.
Lots of love coming from Spain!! You are in my prayers all the time!!
Love, Hermana Moulton
P.S. just got your last minute chat messages. Good job on Scripture study. The droid sounds cool. I love you a ton. Cant wait to talk to you for real. I think I want to choose Sep 20 for my release day. That seems like it would work out better if you are coming to pick me up (then the kids would be adjusted to school again?). And about that, let me know how your plans are coming along. I will be happy however things work out just so long as I get to see you!!
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Transfer 5, week 2
October 27, 2010
Hola Familia,
Hola Familia,
I am sending pictures!! The one with the cowboy hat is from the Ward party where we taught everyone the line dance to Cotton-eyed Jo. The picture of the snails represents what was going on outside during the party. So cool!!!
I just barely got the letter you sent as I ran out the door to come write emails, so I haven´t had time to read them but thanks a lot!! Also, thanks for all the emails!
Cool story from this week: We had been waiting for someone to meet us at the metro to have a lesson....when she didn´t come we decided to try a person that lives on that same street. Their names were Marisa and Victor. The Elders had visited them a couple of times a few months ago, but they gave us their names because Victor couldn´t meet as often as she could or something like that.
Background: a few months ago we passed a woman crying in the street. We quickly slipped her a card with a picture of Christ and a packet of tissues and walked on. I didn´t know if she would call us but it was a neat experience all the same. So this week as we sat in her bedroom I noticed one of our cards sitting on her shelf in a noticeable place and it turned out to have my handwriting on the back. She told us how she had been crying one day and some chicas gave her that card. I mentioned the tissues and she was surprised to find out it was us. We hadn´t seen each other´s faces because her hands had been covering her face (or maybe I just forgot her face and she hadn´t been able to see because of her tears...can´t remember) Anyway, when Victor joined us, Hna Smith recognized him too. It turns out that we had contacted him and given his address to the elders in the first place. It is pretty crazy how what goes around comes back around.
Another cool story from this week: We were walking along and a guy said, "Mormons... Hola...Mormons." So he starts talking to us about where we are from...genealogically speaking. Then he goes off animatedly about the history of Spain and Columbus and Indians and the Brothers Pinzon (???) and how Spain is the melting pot of Europe....all in a hilarious friendly Spanish way. Finally we asked him if he had seen the Book of Mormon, and when he had been baptized (by then we had caught on that he must be a member). He didn´t answer the baptism question but joked around and recounted the story of Joseph Smith. All the while he was teasing us about our age and about not knowing about the Brothers Pinzon etc. He was pretty hilarious and just what we needed that day. He said he was from Mostoles and I said my dad had served there about thirty years ago. He said, "Your dad! Elder Moulton!"
Dad, he is 38 now and I don´t know if you will remember him, but he listed off a few family names that you might remember. His name is José Maria Benitez Carrasco and he named families: Clemente, Caso, Roberto, La Fuente (and calle Huesca?) He also gave us his email and number if we ever need anything. It was pretty crazy...he works as a security guard in the Airport and he recognized Hna Smith from when she arrived 9 months ago!
Thanks for all the emails...I will print them off to read later. I love you so much!!!
Love Hermana Moulton
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