Once there was a Snowman

Well... it was a good week!!! Lots of really good lessons! So President raised our standard of excellence for our member present, so we´ve been trying really hard to get more members in lessons!!  We got standard this week and it was such a blessing to have so many strong faithful members helping us out!!! :)

One cool thing- so we had a lesson planned in the church, so we had the member there and everything and then our investigator called and canceled.... so we´re trying to figure out who we can go see instead and we start talking to the member and realize pretty quick that she is the one who needs to feel the love of the Lord. So we sit down and have a lesson with her. I don´t know, it was just incredible to see how the Lord works in mysterious ways. He knows exactly the needs of every one of his children and then gives us the opportunity to serve others. 

Another time, we were in the general area of "C" and decided to stop by and see her... turns out she was really sick- so we called over some members and they gave her a blessing. In both cases they were so grateful and we were just so grateful that God is directing this work and knows exactly what needs to be done.

So "S" :) she is feeling really lonely... we met with her on Tuesday and she just started crying...we were feeling really bad and wanted her to understand how the Savior can help her... so on Thursday we met with her again in a house of a member and we watched some Mormon messages about Christ.  After we just bore testimonies of Christ and how He has helped us in our lives!  We could feel his presence and every single one of us testified how we know Christ is always with us... how he can help us in our lives. Our purpose is to bring others unto Christ and I love it when there are lessons that we bear simple, pure testimony of Him! That happened a lot this week!!  Like I said, it was a really good week!

Umm...I may or may not be speaking in Stake Conference this week... eeeek.... which may or may not be being broadcasted to Salt Lake to a General Authority. . . double eeekkk... I´m under direct orders to make all the young women in the stake want to serve missions.  haha... Wish me luck!

Well...random moments from my life?!

-We sang ´Once there was a snowman´ for our comp study song one day this week. That was fun!  Actions and everything... I think subconsciously that means we want it to snow:)  Hey it actually got cold enough for me to wear tights and a jacket this week!! I was really glad the next day when the sun came back out ;) Speaking of which, how is the Utah weather treating you?!

-Our investigator was watching a basketball game when we arrived... I had a conversation about the Jazz... in Spanish.  I would like to thank Nick Fowers ;)

- We were having a lesson on a bench... it started to rain... I pulled out my handy dandy umbrella (which I always carry because I have been caught in the rain one too many times :)) and all 3 of us squished under the umbrella. It lasted maybe 5 minutes. We moved the lesson to a cafe... and got hot chocolate! hmmmmmmmm

-So there is a part of Las Palmas called ´La Ballena´... I just thought it was a name.  Well we hear something about Jonah and the whale... and they called it la ballena. hmm so the next time we are in that part of town I see a big whale sculpture... I looked it up, sure enough- it means the whale. ¨Where do you want to meet?´ ´Oh you know.. IN the whale´  Oh Spain! 

Love you lots and lots and lots!

Hna Fowers

Area 70 in our lessons.... member present on steroids!

So we had a General Authority in two of our lessons this week. Talk about powerful!

So the Area 70, Elder RdM, came to the Canary Island and gave a devotional on Friday. On Saturday morning he met with the missionaries from the Las Palmas ward and then made some visits with us to some of our investigators. :) (insert a million smiley faces)  We spent most of the time with "Y"... we drove to her house, sat down and Elder RdM asks her if she has any questions. He listens to her, opens his scriptures and starts answering her questions.  Ummmm...I don´t think words can describe how I felt during that half hour period of time. I could feel God speaking directly to her. I know that this man is called of God.  As she was asking her questions I was expecting him to answer in some fancy complicated way... but what surprised me the most was how simple it was. He testified about the Restoration, about the Book of Mormon, about the power of prayer. He said nothing that we wouldn´t teach in lesson one.  But oh boy, did he have the spirit with him!  When he spoke you knew that God was speaking.  You could feel his conviction, his power, and his love. I learned so much about teaching and truly loving what you are teaching!

So that was quite an incredible experience!!! I know that "Y" felt something, all she has to do is pray!  Elder RdM also met with "A"... same experience, he is just a power house!! But it was just eye opening that Lesson 1... the lesson that we teach all of our new investigators... is the same lesson a General Authority would choose in his limited time. It is because there is power in our message. We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ and we have the same power and authority to teach... to convey our love, dedication, and testimony.  When we met with him before we asked him what he wished he would have known at our age... this was his response, ¨talk to people the way the Lord Jesus Christ would if He were here¨ :)   Alright, will do!!!

Well, hey guess what!! "F" got his answer!!! He knows the church is true!! Wooohoo!! So that was a great feeling!! The only thing is that he still has to stop smoking... we´ve been working with that, now he just has to stop completely. I tried to make him pinkie promise that he would stop... but he thought I was a little ridiculous but I really was completely serious. haha  He realized I meant business and we settled on an awkward promise handshake. But he got his answer! :)

"G" and his family made us rootbeer floats... the Spanish people hate rootbeer... but they were amused with how excited we were. Love them!

We might have interrupted a date... and taught them anyway :)  Best date night, right?!

Well that´s all I've got!   Love you. Love the Lord. Love this work!

Big hugs and besos all the way from Las Palmas.

Hna Fowers

Are we lost?

Mission of this week: Don´t get lost!  Dang...  the Lord knows our weaknesses... haha I think He is trying to make it into a strength. But I'm pleased to announce that we only got lost once!! ... We were late to basically everything... but there was only once where I had no clue where we were... hahaha

So Hna Schaumann se fue a madrid and now Hna Smith is my companion. She is super great!

Anywho this week was good... filled with lots of people, lots of miracles! Even though we were basically late to everything, we were always in the right place at the right time... proof that God is always there, directing us at all times!

So we fasted with "F" this week to see if he still wanted to be baptized on Sunday... So he had stopped smoking, he just hadn´t quite got his answer that this church is true yet... So we had a really good lesson about how we receive answers... lots of testimony... a lot of the spirit... so we met with him right after we fasted...  but instead of getting his answer he started smoking again.  Dang.

Having faith in God includes having faith in his timing. I just always thought that everyone would get an answer if they prayed... but God has His timing, He knows exactly what each and every one of His children needs... and we have to have patience with that. Everything is for the better in the end! :) But "F" is continuing to read and pray and try to quit smoking! 

We had a lesson about the baptismal interview questions and about faith... a member said a comment that I really liked... he said that the questions say ´´do you believe´ not ´do you know´.  Do you hope this is true... do you want this to be true... do you have a desire to know this is true.. that is the beginning of faith. You don´t have to have a one hundred percent knowledge that this is true. You just have to have the beginning of faith and the determination to endure to the end... the rest of your knowledge and faith can grow after.

So "Y" is really great!! She has a lot of questions and we had a really good lesson where we just talked about the basics. We explained that there is a reason we start with the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. They are simple, they are powerful, they bring the spirit.  When you feel that spirit and then act on that spirit and pray to know it is true... you can have a testimony. You can have that sure foundation in Christ and from there you can start to learn all the details... all the doctrine. But the Spirit is what converts and the spirit comes when there is simple powerful testimonies about the simple basic doctrine!

So an Area 70 is coming this weekend for a fireside... and he wants to go out with the missionaries in Las Palmas Saturday morning to visit a few of our investigators!!! Ohh I´m so excited!!!

Also we had a lot of people in church yesterday!!! It was just the best day!!

I love you lots!!! Have a great week!!!

Hna Fowers!

DÍA DE LOS REYES!!!

What a week!!  First of all my sister is married!!!  I would like to just declare this to the world.

So we had a fun New Year's Eve party with some members and member references!! Woohoo... nothing better than that.  Hey remember on Christmas when I told you I hadn´t really eaten anything Spanish.... well this was a very Spanish, fancy, traditional New Year's Eve dinner... complete with whole shrimp (heads and all... the members had to teach me how to eat it), fried octupus, turron... and much much more! :) haha  So we ended up having the opportunity to eat the 12 grapes at ´midnight´ except they made an exception for us and we celebrated at 9:30 right before we left for our piso... They played the midnight chimes and we stuck a grape in our mouths and made a wish for every chime of the clock... :) My year is going to be 12 wishes better!! :) haha I also felt quite ridiculous with a mouth full of grapes.  Come to find out you are supposed to be eating them as you go... haha they didn´t tell me this until I was on my 6th grape... hahaha soooo fun.  Definitely implementing this tradition.

I´d be ok without all the cannons that go off throughout the entire night... the grand finale was at like 6 am.... hahaha  We were both a little tired the next day.. :)

So let us see... "A" is sooooo sooo sooo awesome!!! We met with him again this week! At the end of the lesson he thanks us for the lesson (also... we were explaining something and he made a reference to the celestial kingdom... and remembered what it was called... ummm that never happens... he really is thinking about what we are teaching him throughout the week and it is great!)  Anywho... he thanked us for the lesson and then tells us that he feels something different from us... from the Bishop and the members... he was just like ´I don´t really know how to describe it but there is something different and I really like it´  Well thank you, we really like you too!!!!!  Oh man I'm so excited for him!!!!!!! :)

We also had another meeting with "Y"! She is soooo cool too!!!! She has a million questions and we´re trying to explain with the spirit and let her know that prayer is her first source of answers.:) She has incredible faith in God and it really is amazing to hear her story and why she has such a testimony. She was explaining to us all the things she has read and how she wants to understand everything and why she hasn´t felt an answer yet... I asked her if she has prayed about it... and she was kind of surprised by this...(well she hadn't)... we promised her that she would get her answer but only if she asks God for it.  Many times God is willing to give us everything we want and need... we just need the faith and the desire to ask him for it.

Well so whenever a member bears a testimony or gives a talk I always write them a note... so I was giving a man his note on Sunday and he stopped me and thanked me for the note I gave him last time. He told me that he was having a hard time that week and my little note made him feel like God was really aware of him. :)  There really is no better feeling that knowing you were in the right spot at the right time doing what God wanted you to do.  Every person has the ability to make a difference and God is there prompting us along.  There is a talk by Elder Bednar about how many times you don´t know (and don´t have to know) if you are following the spirit.  You just have to be doing the best you can do... be a good person and keep the commandments and you will be acting under the influence of the spirit.  You may not know it but God knows what He needs you to do, and if you are focused on him, you can become a more effective servant of him.

Anywho...I love you all!!! Have a fantastic week!Also HAPPY DÍA DE LOS REYES!!!! This is a Spanish holiday where the three Wise men bring gifts to all the children. (aka a second Christmas) so everything is closed right now! There is also a super legit parade that takes place throughout all of Las Palmas... the three kings arrive in ship to Puerto (one side of Las Palmas) and parade through the city on camel.... this is bigger than Santa and his reindeer for the Spanish people!!!!! EVERYONE was at this parade... and lucky us it ran past our street!!  So we got a little glipse of the Reyes magic! :)

Much love...Hna Fowers

       

Celebrating her Sister's wedding in the Canary Islands