3 veces en blanco

HELLO MY PEOPLE-

You would think that Heavenly Father would give us a break from all the miracles but he just keeps them coming!!!!  Let's do a little recap for this week.

On Monday we went to Rota and visited an American Navy Base!!!!  We have some military friends that live in Jerez that just swiped us right in with their cards :)) We went to subway and then shopped around in a little American market and WOW I forgot how many things we don't have out here in Spain.  It's not like we're deprived or anything but the brands are just different from what I'm used to.  They had things like chocolate chips and goldfish and peanut butter and Mac and cheese!!!!!!!! Mostly just unhealthy things, hahahahaha its been a while :/ ((don't worry mom, I was careful with my credit card.))  I bought a few things like American deodorant and toothpaste and things that are just not the same in other stores.  Afterwards, we all went to Baskin Robbins so that was super fun.  All in all it was a pretty American day so I enjoyed it :-) However it was SUPER weird because everyone there was American and speaking in English and I promise I could literally not order or pay for anything in English.  Definitely going to have to practice that before I come home.....

On Tuesday we had a super great cita with Lorenzo, Reuben & Andi :)) They are SO great and SO prepared.  We taught lesson one and they just literally loved it all.  The only thing that might be hard right now is that Andi has already been baptized and doesn't see the need to do it again.  We're gonna work on their testimonies of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith so she can understand how the priesthood was restored.  They're a pretty golden family and I'm excited to keep working with

them.  Not to mention that Lorenzo and Reuben both came to church on Sunday!!!!! IT WAS SO EXCITING.  They stayed all three hours and loved it.  In fact, after Reuben left Young Men ((he's 12)), he said, "hey dad, can we come back every week?" !!!!!! I WAS SO HAPPY.  The members did a fantastic job welcoming them and making them feel loved so we're hoping to see them again this weekend :))

ON THURSDAY WE HAD OUR BAPTISM.  Ah, it was just such a beautiful day and experience for all of us.  After Maria came out of the water she was smiling so big and just gave me a huge, soaking wet hug. ((Those have become my new favorites)) She shared her testimony afterwards and it was so so sweet.  She was crying and she said, "I don't actually know why I'm crying right now because I really have never been happier."  It was so cute :")  I was sitting next to her during the closing song and as we were singing 'I like to look for rainbows,' she showed me her arm and it was all covered in goose bumps and she just smiled the biggest smile and then gave me a hug.  IT WAS SO SWEET.  Ahhhh, I'm gonna remember it forever.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching people make changes in their lives and being worthy to have the spirit as a constant companion.  Speaking of which, she had her confirmation directly after her baptism ((not how we usually do it)) because she wanted to go to the temple this weekend.

AND GUESS WHAT.  Both Iris and Maria got to go to the temple this weekend!!!!! They were able to do baptisms on Friday and Saturday and it was SO exciting.  I called Iris yesterday to ask how it was and she just went on and on about how beautiful and special it was.  I could literally hear the smile in her voice :-) Hermana Bailey and I were just beaming all day.  I have been so blessed to be a part of the conversion of these two sweet girls.  I think it's one of the main reasons why I was supposed to be out here in San Fernando, to meet them and partake of their special spirits and strong testimonies.

In sad news, this may be my last week ever in San Fernando ): President calls us next weekend to give us transfer news so nothing's for sure BUT I've been here for 4 months now so it's probably my time.  I'll be heartbroken of course, but I know that I was meant to be here for a reason and I'll go where I'm needed.

I love this gospel so much.  I know that this church is true and that it really blesses lives.  I am so blessed to see it happen every day out here in my lovely country of Spain :-)

Love and miss you all!!!!!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Spangler

look at this stuff, isn't it neat?

MI QUERIDA GENTE-

I think this has been about the fastest week of my entire mission!!!!  However, when I think about what we've done this week, it feels like a LIFETIME ago.  Heavenly Father has been very, very generous with his miracles this week.  Let me just give you a little glimpse into my life this week.  It's been hectic and stressful but it's also been one of the most rewarding.  I think that's how the mission really should be.

SO, to start things off, on Tuesday we met with a reference we got from the new elders.  They had contacted him a few days prior and said he was great.  And WOW was he golden!!!!!  His name is Lorenzo and he has a son named Rueben.  He's also married to a woman named Alejandra but we haven't met her yet because she works a lot.  We did a lesson with them talking a little bit about what we believe.  We gave him a Book of Mormon and he just ate it all up!!!!!  He was SO interested and

so prepared and so ready.  I'm so so excited to keep working with him and his family!!!  We have a cita with them on Tuesday.

So on Wednesday half of our mission went to Malaga to listen to Elder Zwick, an area 70. We all had set plans to meet at the church at 5:05 am for a private bus to pick us up and take us to Malaga ((yes, I know, it was early. I woke up at 3.))  Everyone from San Fernando arrived nice and early so that we could be on time for the train.  Well, 5:10 passed and still no train.  We called the mission secretary and he said it should be coming soon.  So 5:30 passes and then 6 and then 6:30 and still nothing.  Meanwhile, we are calling everyone and trying to figure out the problem.  By the time 7:30 hit we realize that the secretary actually forgot to call the bus in the first place and it's not actually coming.  The conference was starting at 9 sharp because Elder Zwick had to be on a plane by 2.  The whole thing was a mess and we weren't going to be able to go because there were no trains or buses that would make it there in time.  There were 8 of us missionaries in San Fernando, stressed and waiting to see if we would be able to go or not.  So I said, "wait guys, let's say a prayer."  And all 8 of us stood in a circle and said a quick prayer that we would be    able to figure out the situation and get there on time.  I can't even describe how much power I felt in that little circle of missionaries, praying with all the faith we could muster.  Not even a minute later, the secretary called us and said he had a solution!!!!!  We ended up taking a 3 HOUR taxi ride all the way to Malaga that cost us 1,000 euros. ((in total, we needed 6 taxis for our zone)) but we got there!!!!  Safe and sound!!!  And we got to listen to a chosen servant of the lord.  There were about 100 missionaries as well so I got to see a few people from across the mission :')) The zone conference was phenomenal.  Elder Zwick talked a lot about hastening the work and gaining the trust of the people around us, but most importantly from

Heavenly Father.

Saturday night we had a stake conference with the adults. We have a less active man named Antonio that hasn't been to church in 8 years.  We visit him about 2 times a week and he's such a good man, he's just never wanted to come back to church.  On Friday we passed by his house and basically just told him we were going to pick him up before the stake conference and walk with him.  He said he would be ready.  We got there Saturday night and he came out all done up with his suit and tie and I don't think my heart has ever been so happy :') he saw so many people he remembered at the conference and he said he loved it all.  We're hoping that he'll keep progressing into the church but as of right now, this was a HUGE step.

Sunday was a day of MIRACLES.  We had stake conference and the church was packed to the brim.  People came from Cadiz, Chiclana, Algeciras, Puerto, Jerez, San Lucar and basically just all over.  Not to mention, Lorenzo and Reuben came!!!!  We went and picked them up and walked together to the church.  The members and the other missionaries were so great and welcoming.  They absolutely loved it!!! Lorenzo kept saying, "this is so beautiful, I love how I feel." :):):):))::)):)  We introduced him to the stake president and mission president and bishop and he loved them all.  AND GET THIS: so while were picking our seats and everything, I told him that on Sundays, usually we have about 40 members instead of the 500 or so that were there.  He said, "don't worry, next week, you'll have 42 because we'll be here." ISN’T THAT SO GREAT?  I WAS SO HAPPY :-) needless to say, we're hoping to see some big miracles with this family as they start progressing and making the necessary changes to have the spirit in their lives.

AND GUESS WHAT ELSE????   Maria had her baptismal interview and passed it with flying colors!!!!!  This is actually a crazy story, too.  So Tuesday, we had a lesson with Maria that went really well.  Maria is MORE than prepared to be baptized but she just has a lot of fears of taking that big step.  She wants to feel sure and ready.  We've been trying to do everything to convince her that she IS ready and that sometimes you don't know you're ready until you actually take that step.  We decided to move her baptismal date yet again to October 1. It's been hard because she's just getting into the habit of moving her date and that's never going to help her progress.  Well, something in stake conference touched her heart and she came up to us afterwards and she wants to get baptized this week!!!!!!  We didn't want to kill her animo so we decided to do it as soon as we can.  We have permission from the president and we are going to do her baptism on Thursday!!!!  She's ready and excited and we have everything planned out.  Keep her in your prayers and pray that everything runs smoothly.

Sorry that was so so long but I just can't contain how much I love missionary work!!! We haven't had as much time as usual to find people to work with but God has somehow always placed people in our path whether it be in the grocery store or on a train or even in the taxi on the way to Malaga ((I gave that guy a Book of Mormon hehe)).  I love watching the gospel work in people's lives, but most importantly, I love the way it's working in mine.  I would not even be half the person I am today without this gospel and for that I am truly grateful.

Sending all my love and animo to anyone out there that needs it!!!!

Hermanita Spangler

PS-today, we are going to an American military base!!! So I basically

only have enough time to write THIS email and that's it :( just know I

love you all and I will write you guys next week!!!!

we're all in this together

TO ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD-

Well guys, here we are again.  Another week has come and gone.  Time is FLYING. I've heard it only gets faster from here, which makes me really sad.

Let's start off with some BIG NEWS.  Last week, president called us and told us that we were going to have some changes in our area.  In San Fernando we have 2 wards and 1 set of missionaries for each ward.  Well, the new change is that president sent us another set of elders!!!!  They are going to be working in between the two wards, which means they have a little bit of our area and a little bit of the elders area.  Crazy right?!!!!  SAN FERNANDO IS READY FOR SOME BIG MIRACLES.  The new elders are super fun and way ready to work.  We went to the bishop’s house and had a mini meeting and basically just pumped ourselves up with animo and went to work!!!!!!

This week, we were walking home from the church and found a guy just sitting on a bench.  I always see this guy out of his window and I've always wanted to contact him but he's just up way too high.  WELL, this day, he was just sitting right out in the open.  Perfect.  We started talking to him and he was super nice.  His name was Alejandro and he just totally let us talk his ear off!!!  He didn't believe in God and he had never prayed before in his life so we taught him how to pray and did a little practice with him right there in the street.  At first, he said, "there's no way to actually KNOW that there's a God."  Well, after a few minutes, I think he understood that it IS possible and that we knew because we had asked.  Really, there is no other way to know.  The only way is to ask.  I know with all my heart that we have a father in heaven who loves us and knows us and listens to us.  After talking for a little bit, we asked him if he would be interested in hearing more.  He said, "you know what, sure.  I actually feel really good sitting here and talking to you girls." !!!!!! He gave us his information to come back and sadly, we had to pass it to the elders ((because it's in their area now)) but it doesn't really matter where people hear the gospel as long as they can hear it somewhere :))

Hermana Bailey and I hit a record for finding a street with the LEAST amount of interest.  Out of 21 doors, 14 people said they didn't want anything and the other 7 weren't home.  Hahahahaha it was great!!!!  Pretty soon, we're going to have passed through everyone so that only the elect few are left.

Recently I've been studying in Jacob 5-the allegory of the olive tree.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Especially right now as a missionary.  I found a quote today that I want to share: "You have come to the earth when the foundation has been laid for this great work.  The gospel has been restored for the last time.  The Church has been established in almost every part of the world.  The stage is set for the final dramatic scenes to be enacted.  You will be the principal players. You are among the last laborers in the vineyard.  This is the yoke that is set upon your necks.  This is the service for which you are chosen.”  This doesn't just apply to me, it applies to all of you!!!  We are in the LAST DAYS.  We have been CHOSEN.  It's our duty to help bring the gospel to all the world; and what an extraordinary responsibility it is that we have.  I love this gospel and I love this work.  We are all in this together!!!!!  We are on the greatest team the world has EVER known!!!

Go share the gospel with someone today.  Go make someone's day.  Read your scriptures.  Talk to your Heavenly Father.  Don't let a minute pass by to soak in how WONDERFUL this life is and how BLESSED we are to have the gospel.

As far as culture differences go: I've noticed that when two people ride a motorcycle, the person on the back is NEVER holding on to the person driving it.  They're either texting, eating a bag of chips, putting on makeup, or they just have their arms awkwardly hanging on the side.  Also, the normal nap time around here is about 3-6:30 so if we're knocking on doors at 5 there isn't a single person in the streets or someone that will talk to us.  They say, "I'm busy resting right now, come back another day."  Resting just meaning that they're sitting on their couch or watching TV.

Okay, that's all for this week!!!!  Thanks for everything :-)

I love you all,

Hermana Spangler

service rocks!!!!

MY BEAUTIFUL FAMILY AND FRIENDS-

This week was exhausting but it actually FLEW by-I guess that's really how the mission should be.  We worked really hard with contacting, knocking, and trying to find any people that were willing to be taught.  We've had some great lessons with people in the street or in their doorways.  Not everyone always wants more, but now they know a little bit about what we believe and that's all that matters.  One day was particularly difficult and we weren't having any success so we stopped and said a pray together that we would see a miracle and find someone that needed to be helped.   We told Heavenly Father that we were dead beat but we were heading to a members house and we were willing to talk to everyone on the way to her house. We contacted just about everyone but nothing :/ I was a little discouraged because we had so much faith to be able to help someone and weren't finding anyone.   We finally got to the members house and we still hadn't seen anything.   We walked in and the member ((chani, our sweet old lady best friend)) was so excited to see us and said, "I've been waiting for someone to come in and help me."  Turns out she was cleaning and moving things around and couldn't do it on her own so she was just waiting for help.  That right there was a testimony builder that Heavenly Father ALWAYS has a plan and ALWAYS knows better than us.  She needed us so Heavenly Father basically cleared our path to be able to get to her on time and help her.

Iris is doing great!!!  For a little bit, I think she was overwhelmed with the loss of her mother and the new responsibility that she had but she continues strong in the gospel and with everything else.  She's doing MUCH better, but keep her in your prayers please.  We had a great lesson on continuing through our life with patience. Also, we went over to her house the other day and she did our eye makeup because she's SO good at it #justgirlythings  It was fun and we got to spend time with her and kinda relieve her of stress and everything.  We gave her a little jar with paper in it to write down something she's grateful for everyday so she's excited about that.

Okay story time:  We have an old investigator named Maria that's actually progressing with us!!!  She actually started listening to the missionaries with Iris ((our recent convert)) and at first she was progressing really well, but slowed down and got busy with school and kind of forgot everything.  She's been coming to church again a lot and we were finally able to have a lesson with her!!  It was my first lesson with her so it's been a while since she's had a lesson.  It went SO well and the spirit was so strong.  We read Moroni 10:3-5 and invited her to pray about everything with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith.  We invited her to be baptized and she accepted!!!  We're working together for the 24th of September!!  The only obstacle is that her dad isn't super supportive of all of this, so please keep them in your prayers!!

Norma and Gerrard are doing great too!!  It's been pretty hard recently because Norma is pregnant and has been really sick.  They came to church on Sunday but that's about the only time we saw them.  We're hoping to see them soon and continue teaching them.  She's probably going to have her baby this next week so we're excited about that!!!!

Sorry this one's kinda short, I have a million and one pictures from this week-so enjoy!!! :))

Love you ALL,

Hermanita Spangler