MY DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS-
Okay so where do I even start?!!!! Let's start off by saying that leaving
Cartagena was quite possibly one of the hardest things I have had to do. The truth is one of the hardest parts
about the mission in general is all the goodbyes. Leaving every area ((well so far for me just the mtc and
Cartagena)) is like leaving my own family all over again and we all know that
I'm a baby when it comes to goodbyes so
I've done my fair share of crying. Anyways, leaving Cartagena was tough but
I feel so blessed to have had my time to serve there and it will forever have a
special place in my heart.
Now let's get to the part where I am literally THE WORST at
traveling by myself. Add on to the
fact that I'm traveling alone in a foreign country, and you may as well just
send a child onto an airplane alone.
Same thing. At first I
wasn't worried at all because an elder in my district was going to the same
place as me-so I knew I had someone to travel with. But the night before I left, he told me that he was actually
on a different bus so we wouldn't be together. And let me tell you, it only
gets worse from there. Wednesday morning, I say goodbye to everyone and get on
a bus at 10 AM to travel to Murcia.
It's only about a 45 minute bus ride so I get there safe and sound and find
the other missionaries that are waiting there. Everything is fine and dandy and I'm just chatting with one
of the elders and waiting for my next bus when I realize something. I LEFT ALL MY SUITCASES ON THE BUS. Help. We run back to the bus and luckily it's still there so I am able
to get my things and make it to my next bus on time. This next bus was 6 hours and thankfully I was with a couple
of elders and we had a fun time talking and laughing and everything. We get to Sevilla and meet with the
other missionaries there and take a tram to the train station. We get to the train station and it turns
out I'm in a different car than the other missionaries so I'll be all alone in
this 2 hour ride to San Fernando. The
train was a little scarier because it had a lot of stops and I had to pay
attention to my stop specifically.
Halfway through the train ride, the elder from my old district came and
sat by me so that made my feel a little better. We got to San Fernando and I said goodbye and went to leave
but by the time I got to my suitcases, the train doors closed and it started
moving again. Help. I saw Hermana Villamar waiting for me
and we made eye contact as the train kept moving and the stress was evident in
both of our faces. So yeah, missed
my stop!!!! Go me!!!! THANKFULLY I had elder Osguthorpe and
he was getting off at the next stop so I got off with him. I had to buy another ticket and take a
different train back to San Fernando and it was a mess because I got there and
couldn't find anyone. Let's not
forget that by this time it's about 10:30 at night. I'm basically torn between just sitting there and crying and
walking around to find someone and ask for help. But what's the best thing to do in times like this you ask?? Well, the answer is to PRAY. I said a little pray in my heart that I
would know where to go and that I would be able to find someone and finally, I
found Hermana villamar and a couple of elders there waiting for me.
Needless to say it was a long and crazy and stressful day
but I am officially here!!!! I've been here for a good 4 days but I'm already in
love with everything. Hermana
villamar is my new favorite person and I LOVE her with all my heart. I have never seen someone that is so happy
to be a missionary or so excited about the gospel. She is always singing and smiling and talking about how much
she loves the mission
and it's my favorite!!!! This is her last transfer so she's a pro missionary and she
wants to work super hard to finish off strong. I have already learned so much from her and I'm super excited
to keep working with her. She
makes me want to try a little harder and be happier as a person in general.
The members here are AMAZING. Super nice and willing and ready to work. We've been working a lot with them on
this "area card" which is a missionary work card that they have out
here in Europe. I'm a huge fan of
it and I want to go to America too so that people can really get excited about
missionary work. I'll attach a picture but it basically has 3 parts. 1-bring a
friend 2-become spiritually and physically self reliant and 3-find an ancestor.
It's great because it allows the
members to work a little bit harder and become better in the process. I invite you guys to do the same. For
the next 20 days, pray to find an opportunity to share the gospel and really
look for the opportunity. Choose a
friend or a neighbor to share the gospel with. Find something in your life that you can make better whether
it be scripture study, pray, service, being kinder, or forgiving something. Then get on your computer and do a
little bit of family history work!!!! Because that's missionary work too :)) if you're not a member
of this church, go talk to someone that is or find some missionaries-I promise
it'll change your life for the better.
We don't have a lot of progressing investigators out here
but that'll happen SOON. One of our investigators is a 20 year old girl named Iris.
I've only met her once but I
already love the heck out of her.
She reminds me a lot of my sweet friend Anais :") anyways, she's
been taking the discussions for a few years but never had a baptism date or anything
BUT GUESS WHAT. We had a super powerful lesson with her on
Thursday and invited her to baptized July 9 and she
accepted!!! ((Special day for me
already because it happens to be my sisters birthday and the day of my best
friend's wedding-so shoutout to them)) anyways we were super excited and we'll
be working with her on that.
Other than that, I am just loving life and soaking up
everything. This week truly has
opened my eyes to how fun a mission can be and how truly lucky I am to have the
restored gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I know without a doubt that this is the true church and I
invite every one of you to find that out for yourself. Ask Heavenly Father. Pray about it and either renew your
testimony or gain one. It's worth
it, I promise :-)
I love you all more than I can say. Thank you for your love and support and examples, I couldn't do it without
you!!!!!
Your favorite SPAINgler,
Hermanita Spangler
No comments:
Post a Comment