Transfer 8 Week 1
Gran Canaria- Canary Islands
Hermana Maza

So.... So much has happen since the last time that I wrote. Last week I forgot to tell you about how the mission week activity went down. So on the last Sunday that I was in legends we had the mission day where all of the young people went out as missionaries for a day, and taught a family from the ward, that were "investigators." So we weren't 100% sure about how many people would go, or if they would be able to get there, and back on time, but lots of people came, and and we did start kind of on time. Okay like 1 and 1/2 late, but that's pretty good for Spain. Then afterward we had a really awesome testimony fireside. They all more their testimonies and a lot of the leaders, and us did as well. It was super cool because I think that it really blessed the ward, and also all of the youth who weren't really sure if they wanted to go missions or not. It sure blessed me. I could not have asked for a better day to end my time in Leganes. 

So then that night I finished packing and stuff, and then we went to the hermana of albendas' Piso. That was an adventure, let me tell ya. I have never been so tired, and sweaty before in my life, not to mention the countless times that we were lost... Then we got there, and I slept for like 3 hours and then had to get up. The office elders picked me up with all of my stuff. Then I went to the airport. So for the first time in my life, I didnt get patted down, or have to take my shoes off, they didnt have to check my bags, or did I get wanded. MIRACLES, MIRACLES, MIRACLES. Okay so the  I flew to the island, which was like a 3 hour flight, and the time changed also. So it is 1 hour behind Madrid here. So that's cool. It is so different here. People don't speak with the theta, also known as the lisp. Also if you were wondering I definitely speak with the lisp, with the theta...  I like it. But the didn't even use it here. Not to mention, the People are so kind and open to the gospel. I feel like I'm serving in South America. These are not Spanish people, these are Canarians. I mean, not complaints, but it's just like serving in a different country. It is so pretty here. The island is not super green but it is very mountainy. I mean there are a lot of palm trees, and lots of cactus. Also the whole islands is covered in different kinds of trees, and plants and gussied just cover with beautiful flowers! It is so pretty. The buses here are these big yellow things called guas-guas. Which is pronounced as (waw-waw). 

Okay, well my companion is amazing. I have known her my whole mission actually and we have done lots of intercambios together, and so I am so blessed to be with her for her very last transfer in the mission. So she is from Ecuador but has lived in the south of Spain, in a town called Murcia for about 4 years. She is what's called a "maquina," which being interpreted is meant to mean "machine." It just means that she is an amazing missionary. Now don't get me wrong, I miss hermana Jarman like nobodies business, but I am super grateful to be with hermana maza. She is awesome. We are working a lot on her English because she really wants to got to BYU to study. But to get in she has to take an English test or evaluation or somethingmlike that. So we are speaking lots of english.. I mean it's okay with me, but she is definitely helping with my Spanish, and english:) 

So I have lots of plans for this area. We have a big ward, and there are 6 missionaries just in our ward here. The zone leaders, and a set of elders, and us. So we have a good calender that is completely full. Like the only free day is Monday. So I just really feel like there is so much that we can do to better work with the members. The really want to share the gospel, and are doing it, but I just want them to do it a little bit more, and step out of their comfort zones so that they can receive all the blessings of sharing the gospel. I think that we are going to start doing the "Famous Family Plan," to help the members do the three main things, which are to share the gospel, set goals for self-reliance, and family history. I mean the family plan mainly focusses on the goals, and sharing the gospel, but family history is and important part of that as well. 

Okay, so in the first email that I got from my parents, the told me to put on sunscreen because they just assumed as I walked off the plane, that I would crisp. They weren't wrong. I really didn't get sunburnt until Saturday morning when we went and played volibol on the beach. It wasn't hot. Actually the weather is perfect, like 75 all the time. At night it gets kind of cold because we live at one of the highest points of the island. But is wasn't cold, but when I left the beach after 2 hours I looked like a piece of bacon. My legs got super tan, and my watch line got worse. My face, actually all parts of my body that weren't covered by clothes got super burnt, so then that night hermana maza told me that we had so Aloe Vera at the piso. The way she said it led me to think that we had the big blue bottle of the coconut flowered aloe Vera, like back at home. Oh boy was I mistaken. So we get home, but before we walk in we walk over to an aloe Vera plant and cut off a few leaves, and then we go inside and like carve it a little bit, then she rubs this goopy aloe Vera spit on me. (She said it's called siliva, in Spanish so...) It smelled like old French fries, but then it dried and my face was super soft, and my sun burn was way better. It was crazy. 

That's about all that happened....  

So I was reading a little bit in the book of Mormon like always, and something struck me. The Lord can do all things, and will do all things for us, even destroy our enemies if we are faithful in keeping his commandments. The Lord just wants us to do the little things, the small thighs that we often times skip over, but praying,a fn reading the scripture daily, as well as going to church on Sunday are all commandments. How can we expect the Lord to bless us and help us with the big problems (enemies)  in our lives if we are not willing to do the small, easy things that he asks us to do everyday? All we must do is put our faith in him by doing these small and simple things and he will bless and protect us. 

1 Nefi 4: 1-3

1 And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?

2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.

3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.