11/24/14
Hey Guys!
Sorry about the short e-mails lately. I don't think Hermana Clements and I have had any time to write anyone this whole entire time we've been here. There is always something weird going on. But finally! We have time to email:)
This week has been HARD. On Monday President sent us an email saying that our numbers weren't like they should be and that he was a little confused why. We have both been so tired and we've been working so hard, it was a real bummer to hear that from President. I hate feeling like you try and try but nothing comes out of it or others can't see how hard you've worked so they don’t understand. We felt terrible, Elder Parkinson our district leader was there and talked to us a bit and helped us a lot. He told me to watch this Mormon Message and I almost cried. It just talked about how sometimes we are on a journey moving forward and for some reason we just stop. We can either sit and wonder why, or we can go back and change something and try again. We all talked and he asked us how our street lessons were. We have been focusing so much on just getting numbers from people that we haven't really focused on trying to teach a lesson. It was working really well for us until now so we didn’t quite know what to do. That night him and his companion took the time to help us practice street lessons. We were really excited to go out and try and then Hermana Clements got really sick and we had to stay in for a day. That was hard and then we've had nonstop meetings all this week. But the time we have had has worked really well and we're really excited to work more. We aren't down, we just had to take a step back and re-evaluate some things.
The Zone Conference went really well!!! We were really nervous because we found out that our musical number was one of three! Ours was chosen to be a part of the AP's talk. It was really, really cool because the AP's right before just told us that during their talk they were going to have us sing. So we were sitting there and they just ask us to come up. So we are up there waiting while they pass out little bookmarks with the lyrics to the song on it. We started singing and the spirit was so strong. Everyone was crying! It was really funny, everyone was looking at their bookmarks crying and then we would do something different in the song and their heads would shoot up with excitement. It was really neat and everyone said it really made the Zone meeting special. I really wish we could have videotaped it. President took a picture and sent it into the boletìn this week.
The rest of the week got better. We have some new investigators that are really nice and I'm really excited to teach them. One of them is an MA and his wife. We just started teaching them. They had a baby in the hospital who just died today. It's really sad and we are so worried about it. I hope everything will work out fine.
Today we went to Pavones with a bunch of missionaries and we played American Football, Fùtbol, and Frisbee. It was really fun. I think that will be our Thanksgiving activity:) I'm going to miss thanksgiving dinner, but I'll probably try to make something special for Hermana Clements.
This week has been really hard, and I'd be lying if I didn’t say I was frustrated. But I've learned a lot and I think we are getting the hang of things. I think more than anything time is bothering me. I feel so weird turning a year. I'm proud of what I've done, but at the same time, I feel like I don't have much to show. I hate thinking I only have 6 months left. I have two options. I can feel bad about myself and slow down my work, or I can take these feelings and turn them into tools to help me work harder these last 6 months. I think I'd rather chose the second option. I know this work is hard, but it isn't an excuse to work less. I'm here in Laganes for a reason going through these experiences for a reason. I just need to keep moving forward with faith that we'll be blessed with what Heavenly Father has promised. If I do my part He'll do his.
I love you guys and appreciate everything you've done for me. I know it's been a sacrifice for everyone and I just want you to know how much I love each and every one of you. You each have played a huge role in who I am today and I am so blessed to be a part of this family. I love you and am praying for you! Have a great week!
Love Hermana Brumble
PS Joseph's really good at sending pictures! I'll do better...
Monday, November 24, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Week 52 in Spain! (4th week in Leganes)
11/18/14
I was so happy to hear from you. Everyone always says, eventually you family forgets and you get less and less from them. I'm proud to have a family where that doesn’t happen. I know you all are always thinking of me. Thanks for sticking it out to the end.
This week was so hard! We have nothing! Angel dumped us and Victor went on vacation for a little bit. We were stuck contacting in the rain all day! Terrible! And this weekend Hermana Clements and I got a little cold/24 hour flu. But we got blessings from the elders and we are on our way to recovery.
There are a lot of stuff coming up this week and I'm so excited! On Wednesday we are going to the temple! On Thursday we have zone conference! SO excited. Hermana Clements and I have to sing and it’s in front of all the Madrid zones! I'm really scared, but every time we practice it sounds great.
I love you guys and I'm always praying and thinking of you! Have a great week!
Hermana Brumble
I was so happy to hear from you. Everyone always says, eventually you family forgets and you get less and less from them. I'm proud to have a family where that doesn’t happen. I know you all are always thinking of me. Thanks for sticking it out to the end.
This week was so hard! We have nothing! Angel dumped us and Victor went on vacation for a little bit. We were stuck contacting in the rain all day! Terrible! And this weekend Hermana Clements and I got a little cold/24 hour flu. But we got blessings from the elders and we are on our way to recovery.
There are a lot of stuff coming up this week and I'm so excited! On Wednesday we are going to the temple! On Thursday we have zone conference! SO excited. Hermana Clements and I have to sing and it’s in front of all the Madrid zones! I'm really scared, but every time we practice it sounds great.
I love you guys and I'm always praying and thinking of you! Have a great week!
Hermana Brumble
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Week 51 in Spain! (3rd week in Leganes)
11/10/14
Well, I survived yet another week of opening in Leganes. It was just as hard as last week. We had our leadership meeting this Tuesday at the President's house. Elder Shwenke and Franson and HermanaCostagliola and I all went together super early by Renfe (Spain’s train system) (definitely not my favorite). But we got there and everything was really good. It was really fun seeing other missionaries from my last area again like Hermana Shill, Elder Gentry and Elder Giforos. We finally got a phone at my leadership meeting, so now we can at least call people. We are just lost all the time because we don’t have a map and everyone fails on us. Opening is hard, but I know that you just need to work hard, stick it out, and blessings will come. We are laying a ground work so this area can be ready for those golden investigators. We do have one that is from Bulgaria. His name is Angel and he doesn’t speak very much Spanish or understand everything. He loves coming to church and hasn't failed on us once. We also got him a Book of Mormon in his language and is already in 2 Nephi. The spirit is crazy! I don't know how we are teaching him, but he's progressing. We'll see what happens there.
We were practicing singing one day in our elevator and I really just wanted to rock out, so I was singing this song super loud in the elevator and the door suddenly opens and this girl is just standing there. I get embarrassed and walk out of the elevator thinking it is the right floor, but nope! We're on the wrong floor so again I get embarrassed and get BACK IN the elevator. It was the longest ride down. Hermana Clements was just chuckling. Then we got out of the elevator and outside. Hermana Clements is laughing like a crazy and I'm just upset when all of the sudden this guy stops us and asks if we're missionaries. His name is Victor and apparently he was getting lessons in Malaga, but he just moved. He was being taught by Elder Nyland who was in my MTC group! Crazy! It's weird how small the world seems on the mission. I'm going to e-mail Elder Nyland to find out some more information about him. He seems really great though and he came to our culture activity. He said he always went to all the activities at the church, he just never came to church....he was playing Futbol. That’s going to change! I hear that all the time!
Our activity was so much fun at the church. It was another nations night. So Hermana Clements and I made brownies. Everyone loves brownies here! It’s crazy. The first thing people ask when you tell them you are from Utah is, "So are you going to make brownies sometime?" They also ask if Hermana Clements and I could sing for the talent show. So our district leader was like "You should sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Hermana Brumble can play the ukulele. Do I look like someone who plays the ukulele? Well anyways I made a quick phone call to my zone leader Elder Schwenke (also from Utah) and asked if we could borrow his ukulele, I learned Somewhere Over the Rainbow in one day and played it with Hermana Clements at the talent show. Everybody thinks I'm Polynesian. It was super cool, we took videos of everyone dancing. Columbia is my favorite.
Something really funny happened to us this week. We were sitting on this park bench making phone calls when this band of Gypsy children walk up to us and shout all at once, "This is our bench you need to move!" We played along and moved to a different bench. Then 15 seconds later they come up to us otra vez, "this is our bench you need to move!" And so the war begins. I was not going to move for anything! There was no way I was going to let them win. There were four of them just bugging us. All in our faces jumping on the bench asking us questions eating and spitting sunflower seeds everywhere (I'm never eating sunflower seeds ever again). Finally they calm down and just start calling us guapa and asking why we were dressed like old women. SO Hermana Clements gets annoyed and starts calling Elder Parkinson to see if talking in English will bug them and they'll go away, but they just stared at her and mimicked what she said, so she gave the phone to me and I start talking to him and he's telling me to tell them we're going to call the cops, but I'm not going to do that. So Hermana Clements pulls the (we have really important things to do and if you're not going to leave us alone I guess we'll just leave) and it works because they get all sad and say, "No its ok, we'll leave we're sorry!”Haha, it took forever but we one! So we hurried and finished our calls and waited till they were gone to leave. It was crazy, but I felt satisfied that we won.
Church is great. It is a ward and they are just cute and wonderful. The bishop is this super crazy tiny Spanish man. He is always joking around, but he scares me because I can never tell when he's serious.
Other than that this week was just contacting and trying to crecer our area. Opening is hard work, but I feel like I'm growing and hopefully I'll be here long enough to see some success.
I love you and pray for all of you every day! If there is anything you need let me know!
Love ya! Hermana Brumble
Well, I survived yet another week of opening in Leganes. It was just as hard as last week. We had our leadership meeting this Tuesday at the President's house. Elder Shwenke and Franson and HermanaCostagliola and I all went together super early by Renfe (Spain’s train system) (definitely not my favorite). But we got there and everything was really good. It was really fun seeing other missionaries from my last area again like Hermana Shill, Elder Gentry and Elder Giforos. We finally got a phone at my leadership meeting, so now we can at least call people. We are just lost all the time because we don’t have a map and everyone fails on us. Opening is hard, but I know that you just need to work hard, stick it out, and blessings will come. We are laying a ground work so this area can be ready for those golden investigators. We do have one that is from Bulgaria. His name is Angel and he doesn’t speak very much Spanish or understand everything. He loves coming to church and hasn't failed on us once. We also got him a Book of Mormon in his language and is already in 2 Nephi. The spirit is crazy! I don't know how we are teaching him, but he's progressing. We'll see what happens there.
We were practicing singing one day in our elevator and I really just wanted to rock out, so I was singing this song super loud in the elevator and the door suddenly opens and this girl is just standing there. I get embarrassed and walk out of the elevator thinking it is the right floor, but nope! We're on the wrong floor so again I get embarrassed and get BACK IN the elevator. It was the longest ride down. Hermana Clements was just chuckling. Then we got out of the elevator and outside. Hermana Clements is laughing like a crazy and I'm just upset when all of the sudden this guy stops us and asks if we're missionaries. His name is Victor and apparently he was getting lessons in Malaga, but he just moved. He was being taught by Elder Nyland who was in my MTC group! Crazy! It's weird how small the world seems on the mission. I'm going to e-mail Elder Nyland to find out some more information about him. He seems really great though and he came to our culture activity. He said he always went to all the activities at the church, he just never came to church....he was playing Futbol. That’s going to change! I hear that all the time!
Our activity was so much fun at the church. It was another nations night. So Hermana Clements and I made brownies. Everyone loves brownies here! It’s crazy. The first thing people ask when you tell them you are from Utah is, "So are you going to make brownies sometime?" They also ask if Hermana Clements and I could sing for the talent show. So our district leader was like "You should sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Hermana Brumble can play the ukulele. Do I look like someone who plays the ukulele? Well anyways I made a quick phone call to my zone leader Elder Schwenke (also from Utah) and asked if we could borrow his ukulele, I learned Somewhere Over the Rainbow in one day and played it with Hermana Clements at the talent show. Everybody thinks I'm Polynesian. It was super cool, we took videos of everyone dancing. Columbia is my favorite.
Something really funny happened to us this week. We were sitting on this park bench making phone calls when this band of Gypsy children walk up to us and shout all at once, "This is our bench you need to move!" We played along and moved to a different bench. Then 15 seconds later they come up to us otra vez, "this is our bench you need to move!" And so the war begins. I was not going to move for anything! There was no way I was going to let them win. There were four of them just bugging us. All in our faces jumping on the bench asking us questions eating and spitting sunflower seeds everywhere (I'm never eating sunflower seeds ever again). Finally they calm down and just start calling us guapa and asking why we were dressed like old women. SO Hermana Clements gets annoyed and starts calling Elder Parkinson to see if talking in English will bug them and they'll go away, but they just stared at her and mimicked what she said, so she gave the phone to me and I start talking to him and he's telling me to tell them we're going to call the cops, but I'm not going to do that. So Hermana Clements pulls the (we have really important things to do and if you're not going to leave us alone I guess we'll just leave) and it works because they get all sad and say, "No its ok, we'll leave we're sorry!”Haha, it took forever but we one! So we hurried and finished our calls and waited till they were gone to leave. It was crazy, but I felt satisfied that we won.
Church is great. It is a ward and they are just cute and wonderful. The bishop is this super crazy tiny Spanish man. He is always joking around, but he scares me because I can never tell when he's serious.
Other than that this week was just contacting and trying to crecer our area. Opening is hard work, but I feel like I'm growing and hopefully I'll be here long enough to see some success.
I love you and pray for all of you every day! If there is anything you need let me know!
Love ya! Hermana Brumble
Monday, November 3, 2014
Week 50 in Spain! (2nd week in Leganes)
11/3/14
I love Leganes! I am learning so much. It is a great area with a ton of potential. It is HARD opening an area. I don’t think I have ever had this hard of a time on the mission. We are constantly contacting everyday all day because we literally have nothing! But we received so many people this week and someone even came to church. His name is Angel and he is from Bulgaria. He doesn't talk much but he's our first investigator here. But we went all through this week without a phone! It has been so hard. Everything we have gotten has literally been a miracle. I am never going to take anything for granted ever again! Church was great! The ward is really nice. Our mission leader Jason is so young! He's in his 20's and going on a mission in January to Barcelona. I'm so excited for him!
My Companion is Hermana Clements. She is such a hard worker and is always working constantly. She is from Spanish Fork Utah and such a cutie! She is 19 and sings so good! We are going to sing a duet for Zone Conference, I'm so excited! It’s, “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”. It is a super pretty version and we sound great! She is such a great example. I have never worked so hard, been so tired, or so happy in my whole mission. This area has changed my life and even though I am devastated about not being there for Maria (I think I could go to the baptism) I know I'm here for a reason.
Tomorrow we are getting our phone, por fin (at last)! I'm going to the leadership meeting (I'm still Sister Training Leader) So I'll get it there. I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm opening an area, I don't have a phone, and I'm the only Sister Training leader in our zone so I have to talk at Zone meeting by myself and do all the intercambios(exchanges). But I'm learning a lot and we are getting a lot of help from the Elders and the other Hermanas here. I'm really thankful.
One night Hermana Clements and I were finishing contacting and we had five minutes left before we could go into the apartment building. We looked for someone to contact and there was no one in sight. So I took the book of Mormon I was holding and opened it. This is the verse I read: Alma 15:16 “Y sucedio que Alma y Amulek- yAmulek habia abandonado todo su oro, su plata y sus objectos preciosos que sehallaban en la tierra de Ammoniah, por la palabra de Dios; y habia sido rechazado porlos que antes eran sus amigos, y tambien por su padre y sus parientes.” (And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;) It talks about Amulek and all the things that he had to give up after he was converted. I felt so bad afterward. I was complaining about how hard it was without a phone, how hard it is to open and contact all day, how hungry I was.....I realized how selfish I was being and how blessed I am. We need to be more like Amuleck and give everything to this work. That’s my goal for the rest of my mission - sacrifice and gratitude. I am thankful for the time I have been given here and I am going to make sure that every single second of every single day is a sacrifice to my Heavenly Father.
Leganes is beautiful PS:) I love it. We have Leganes and Getafe. There are some ghetto areas, but most of the time I feel like I am in Harry Potter land. The members are really great too, a little crazy, but so willing to help us. There is a huge graffiti mural of Mr. Bean by our piso! It's legit! And there is Modern Art EVERYWHERE! I love it. There is this huge park right by our capilla (chapel) with all Modern art! So cool.
I live with the other Hermanas, Hermana O'keef and Hermana Davis, in a really nice piso. We never see them. We have everything we need downstairs and they have everything up stairs. It doesn’t feel like I'm living with them. :) I like the Elders here a lot. They have helped us a lot. They took all our baggage for us before we got to Leganes and put it in our piso so we didn’t have to travel with it. They’re great!
Well I love you. I think about you guys all the time! I can't wait to tell you about all my fun opening stories.
Love Hermana Brumble
I love Leganes! I am learning so much. It is a great area with a ton of potential. It is HARD opening an area. I don’t think I have ever had this hard of a time on the mission. We are constantly contacting everyday all day because we literally have nothing! But we received so many people this week and someone even came to church. His name is Angel and he is from Bulgaria. He doesn't talk much but he's our first investigator here. But we went all through this week without a phone! It has been so hard. Everything we have gotten has literally been a miracle. I am never going to take anything for granted ever again! Church was great! The ward is really nice. Our mission leader Jason is so young! He's in his 20's and going on a mission in January to Barcelona. I'm so excited for him!
My Companion is Hermana Clements. She is such a hard worker and is always working constantly. She is from Spanish Fork Utah and such a cutie! She is 19 and sings so good! We are going to sing a duet for Zone Conference, I'm so excited! It’s, “If the Savior Stood Beside Me”. It is a super pretty version and we sound great! She is such a great example. I have never worked so hard, been so tired, or so happy in my whole mission. This area has changed my life and even though I am devastated about not being there for Maria (I think I could go to the baptism) I know I'm here for a reason.
Tomorrow we are getting our phone, por fin (at last)! I'm going to the leadership meeting (I'm still Sister Training Leader) So I'll get it there. I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm opening an area, I don't have a phone, and I'm the only Sister Training leader in our zone so I have to talk at Zone meeting by myself and do all the intercambios(exchanges). But I'm learning a lot and we are getting a lot of help from the Elders and the other Hermanas here. I'm really thankful.
One night Hermana Clements and I were finishing contacting and we had five minutes left before we could go into the apartment building. We looked for someone to contact and there was no one in sight. So I took the book of Mormon I was holding and opened it. This is the verse I read: Alma 15:16 “Y sucedio que Alma y Amulek- yAmulek habia abandonado todo su oro, su plata y sus objectos preciosos que sehallaban en la tierra de Ammoniah, por la palabra de Dios; y habia sido rechazado porlos que antes eran sus amigos, y tambien por su padre y sus parientes.” (And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred;) It talks about Amulek and all the things that he had to give up after he was converted. I felt so bad afterward. I was complaining about how hard it was without a phone, how hard it is to open and contact all day, how hungry I was.....I realized how selfish I was being and how blessed I am. We need to be more like Amuleck and give everything to this work. That’s my goal for the rest of my mission - sacrifice and gratitude. I am thankful for the time I have been given here and I am going to make sure that every single second of every single day is a sacrifice to my Heavenly Father.
Leganes is beautiful PS:) I love it. We have Leganes and Getafe. There are some ghetto areas, but most of the time I feel like I am in Harry Potter land. The members are really great too, a little crazy, but so willing to help us. There is a huge graffiti mural of Mr. Bean by our piso! It's legit! And there is Modern Art EVERYWHERE! I love it. There is this huge park right by our capilla (chapel) with all Modern art! So cool.
I live with the other Hermanas, Hermana O'keef and Hermana Davis, in a really nice piso. We never see them. We have everything we need downstairs and they have everything up stairs. It doesn’t feel like I'm living with them. :) I like the Elders here a lot. They have helped us a lot. They took all our baggage for us before we got to Leganes and put it in our piso so we didn’t have to travel with it. They’re great!
Well I love you. I think about you guys all the time! I can't wait to tell you about all my fun opening stories.
Love Hermana Brumble
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