9-15-14

Hello Hello!!!!!!

Wow!  So much to say!  Hermana Mather is the BOMB!!!!!!!  We just got back here to Gijón!  I can´t believe I´m area training!  THAT is crazy!  There is alot to learn, but wow am I excited to learn it with Hermana Mather!  She is so great!  She is from Colorado and she came into the mission with my trainer, Hermana Nydegger, so she´s almost finished.  It is going to be a good transfer!

This week we experienced some incredible things.  First of all, the Dominican family that we have been teaching committed to a fecha (a date) to be baptized!  It has been really interesting teaching them.  Antonia, the mom, is very interesting to talk to....sometimes when you are talking to her, she just kind of stares at you and you wonder if she could understand what you said, but we think that it is more because she is just lost in her thoughts.  She thinks that she expresses things, but she doesn´t really express things, so we have to ask her alot of questions to check to make sure she understood.  But her and Aarón have been feeling good about all of the things we´ve been sharing with them and this last week, when we were teaching them the Plan of Salvation, we had a member come with us (Elana, the wife of our ward mission leader).  She helped tremendously!  She was able to explain and expound on things that we didn´t even think about, that really helped Antonia, we felt like.  As we were setting the fecha with her, she even said to us that she is really starting to feel like this is true, and that what we are teaching her makes sense to her.  Aarón is just so cute.  He understands what we teach him too and always makes comments about everything and loves it!  Fran is incredible too, but has more doubts about things.  He has been taking religion classes at school and knows alot about religion and so he seems more hesitant.  But we committed them to prepare for this date, so now we´re going to move forward with that!  They´ve been coming to church the last 3 weeks and Antonia came to the Women´s Conference for all of the Women in Europe and Elder Bednar and Elder Ballard came to speak....it was broadcast from Germany.  She loved that too!!!  We think that that is what clinched it for her.  And well, when you hear the prophet of the apostles speak, how can you not feel the spirit!  We are excited for them and excited to keep helping them. 

Also!  BIG EXCITING NEWS!!  The family we have been teaching English too (well, there kids)...Marta (the mom), and Alba and Diego (the kids) came to church on SUNDAY!  Ok....the reason this is A BIG DEAL is because they are TOTALLY ATEO!  The Dad (Pablo) does not believe in God, and Marta, the mom, supports her husband.  I think she is more open to it though then Pablo.  We had invited them to come to Church to say good bye to Hermana Endicott, when we found out that she was leaving Gijón.  We had planned to play a violin/piano duet in church and invited them to come here us play and to say good bye.   DO YOU KNOW WHAT A BIG DEAL THAT IS?!  Almost an entire Spanish family who is Atheist CAME TO CHURCH!  We know that we can´t force anything upon them, and they´ve made it pretty clear that they don´t want to really learn about the church, but I KNOW that they have felt the Spirit.  I felt an incredible spirit as we played in church, and as I watched Marta´s face, there were tears in her eyes.  She doesn´t know it, and doesn´t identify that feeling as the Spirit, but I know she feels it and felt it.  And even if we might not be able to help them get baptized any time soon, they will always remember the feelings that they felt with us.  And they want to continue to keep in touch with us after our missions.  They are the sweetest family.  So good and so prepared!  I know with time, they will know for themselves that God does exist and that he loves them.  I am so grateful to know them and we are going to keep trying with them.

Speaking of them....here are tons of PICS that we´ve taken with them!  This is of when we went with them to eat real Spanish, Asturian food.  The ceiling of the restaurant was decorated with bottles of Sidra (beer) and they served us the typical jamón y queso (ham and cheese)...they pride themselves on their meats and cheeses here.  Diego is the oldest boy....he bought a big hamburger because he doesn´t like the Spanish food....and then there is Alba and then Raul, the cute little boy who smiles SUPER big!  He is SOOO adorable!  He is always running around and giggling when we go over and teach them English...they are the CUTEST family!  And then we went to the very top of Gijón, Pico del Sol...I think is what it was called.  I can´t remember if I told this to you or not, but we got stuck up there!  The car battery died and the dad of Marta had to come all the way up there to jump start the car!  But it was so fun!  We got to talk with them more and we talked alot about what we do as missionaries.  It really is so interesting to them......they can´t believe that we would leave our families and everything behind for a year and a half to come out here and serve voluntarily.  I know it´s getting them to think alot.....little by little.  They are so generous with us too!  Before I came to Gijón, I guess Marta had tried to pay the other hermanas for always coming to teach the kids English.  Anyway....here are the pics!  That is the news for today, and here´s me with my new companion, Hermana Mather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  SHE IS THEEEE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!  

Have a wonderful week!  The Church is TRUE!  I know it with all of my heart!  Everything is conditioned upon our faith.  Do the things that you need to do to strengthen your faith and the Lord will bless you and give you that assurance that he really is there to help you.  I love you all!

Hermana Carroll