Week 68 in Spain! (15th Week in Mostoles)

3/16/15

Things have been good this week. It started out pretty slow, it usually does, and then it picks up.

It’s been hard meeting with our investigators lately, which is sad because then they can't progress! But they are doing good. We are visiting this one woman named Mirium. She has been taught everything and comes to church every Sunday, but is convinced she isn't ready to be baptized! I'm not really sure what else to do, it all comes to her testimony of the Book of Mormon though. I think we just need to help her realize the importance of the Book of Mormon and what it means if we have a testimony in it.

The Elders are teaching a Menos Activo who has been inactive for a while. He has a testimony, he just doesn’t really recognize that Heavenly Father is speaking to him. He also has a fear of speaking to people! He can sit in a group of people talking all day long and not say one word. The elders couldn't make it to their lesson one day so Hermana Spencer and I went to talk with him. He is so sweet and wants so badly to talk to people and to speak in church and to have a calling. He is such a good person and I tried so hard to just ask him questions and let him talk. I think it helped him a lot. He left the lesson a lot better and asked me to bring him an English Book of Mormon on Saturday when we come to play Fútbol. He asked me to write in it, and then on Sunday he brought Hermana Spencer and I Oreos:) The Elders were jealous....The ward is helping a lot too. I have seen a huge difference in the ward since I've been here. They are all trying really hard to make church a better experience for the investigators and members, they do so much for us. This Sunday Giacomo, our 9 year old investigator who lives in a pueblo outside of Mostoles with his mom (an inactive) came to church! They can’t come because they don't have the money and sometimes the mom has work. This Sunday ward members went and picked them up. I was so thankful. It was a miracle.

Today we had to go to Aluche to do Hermana Spencer’s residency card things! I remember when I had to do that! It was sooooo long ago, but it felt like it was yesterday! That was frustrating. She flew to Germany instead of going to Spain right from the United States, and so unless you can prove that you flew straight to Spain that same day, they won’t let you get your residency card. The only way you can prove is with your flight ticket and Hermana Spencer threw it away! NOOOO! Elder Bonnie told us that we can use the baggage tags, so we went. Hermana Bennett and her companion were there too. They walked by and told us they had just been rejected because on the baggage tags it has the date of when you left and not when you arrived. We decided to still go. We got to the desk of another lady and she started checking everything. When she started looking at the baggage tags these other guys started to talk to her and she got distracted and put everything through anyway! What a relief and blessing! Now I don't have to worry about it. Thank goodness. It still wasn't as bad as when I got mine, but stillsooooo stressful. I'm so glad I don't have to worry about anything else anymore.

Other than that things are good. I finally got my "5 months left" email. Hermana Chappel called me and said that they didn't know I was going home because I wasn’t on the list. Then they got emails from the church travel department saying they needed my travel plans and where I wanted to go. She felt so bad, but now everything is take care of. She said she would send it to you as well. I don't know much else yet. I had to send them where I wanted to fly to, but that’s it! I hope we get more information soon!

I love you guys! Have a great week!

Hermana Brumble