another weekly update

HELLO MY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE-

This week, I had the opportunity to do intercambios with two different hermanas that are in training.  I learned SO much.  I just love these brand new missionaries and their fire and I would seriously do anything to take their place.  Both of them just went and talked to EVERYONE and we had so much fun.  I've learned that I'm just so much happier and have so much more fun when I'm working hard.

Okay CRAZY MIRACLE:  So a little while ago, Hermana Burt and I contacted a really cool guy named Eduardo.  He didn't want anything at first, but after talking to us for a while, he opened up and gave us his information.  We've tried to set citas with him, but have never ended up meeting with him.  WELL, the other day I saw him on the bus but he was talking on the phone.  He was on the other side so he didn't see me, but when he got off he left his wallet in his seat!!!!!!  And guess what??  I HAVE HIS NUMBER.  So I called him and we planned to meet up so I could give it back to

him.  He wasn’t able to come but his parents came, invited us up to their house, AND accepted a Book of Mormon!!!  TALK ABOUT A MIRACLE.

God's been really nice to me lately.  Not necessarily in blessing me with what I want, but in blessing me with what I need.  One manifestation of that is in my sweet companion who just inspires me to be better.  I adore her.  I also LOVE the ward here and just all the people.   The mission is just so great!!!!!!  I'm sorry that my emails are slowly getting worse.  I know I should put more thought into them especially during this last transfer but I just have no desires to sit down and write :/ Just know that I love you all lots and lots!!!!!!!

Hermana Spangler

*spam of consejo pics*

families can be together forever

MY LOVELIES,

So today is consejo!!!!!  I am so excited but that also means 2 things for you guys: short email and picture overload next week hahahahaha sorry about that.

In good news though, I love Hermana Mckeown!!!!  She's a doll and we are having a great time together.  She has the cutest English accent, has crazy art skills, loves to play the piano, and is actually moving to Provo!!!  We get along just splendidly.

I'm not gonna lie, it was sad saying goodbye to my lovely Hermana Burt but I am with her right now so no pasa nada!!!!  At consejo, I will be with 5 out of my 10 companions, HOW COOL IS THAT???

This week was a week of FAMILIES.  We searched for families and I have to say, we saw some miracles!!!!!!  We found some really really cute families (as in mom, dad, kids) that are interested and hearing more about the gospel!!!!  One cute mom actually told us that she didn't believe in God and didn't really care and then we started talking about eternal families and asked if she wanted to know more and she was like, "actually, yes, I love that and I wanna know more."  IT WAS SO COOL :-)

I'm so blessed to have the knowledge that families can be together forever.  Do you guys realize what I'm saying??  If you follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, and do your part, you can be FOREVER with all the people you love the most!!!!  What an incredible blessing.  I'm a lucky gal because I have the BEST family ever and I’m happy to know they're stuck with me hehehehehe.  I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ and his atonement and the hope I have to be with him and my father in heaven and all my most loved ones.

The gospel is true and I am a happy missionary,

XOXO

Hermana Spangler

This baptism is from Cartagena!  My first investigator ever, I think!

                                                                Hermana McKeown

                                                       The fish are eating our dead skin.

time flies when you're having fun

MY LOVED ONES,

Soooooooooo the time has come once again to have a change.  This has officially been the FASTEST transfer of my mission.  But, I'm staying in Malaga!!!!!!!  But unfortunately, the prayers didn't work and my companion is leaving me ): She's actually been assigned to be the super SHE so she'll just go to the other side of Malaga to be with Hermana Taggart.  I've accepted my calling of being the SUSHE preparer, but I'm actually really happy to be staying in Malaga.

Hermana Burt has honestly been SUCH a blessing to me and I am so grateful for the time we've had together.  I've never met a more dedicated, diligent, driven person. She taught me so so much and it's just evidence of how well God truly knows me.

My new companion will be a cute girl from England named Hermana Mckeown.  She will be my last and 10th companion, and actually my 6th foreign companion.  I've met her once and she's really sweet so I'm excited to see miracles with her!!!!  She comes in on Wednesday so I'll send pictures next week :))

A while ago, I mentioned that we found an Arabic/Christian girl named Sara.  Well, we met with her this week and turns out her name is actually Saida and she's a lot more Muslim than we thought.  We taught her about the restoration and it was one of the most spiritual lessons I've ever had.  She's very, very open to listening to us and even praying to know if it's true so we're hoping to help her recognize the spirit. She is seriously one of the cutest people I have ever met, I adore her :')

Hermana Burt and I started teaching the cutest Peruvian lady and she loves meeting with us!!!!  She's readily willing to accept basically anything we teach her.  She's a little confused on what a bible is though because she calls anything that talks about God a bible, including the Book of Mormon and those little pamphlets we pass out. We're working on her with that one :)) Her name is Eva if you want to mention her in your prayers.

This area is pretty hard, not going to lie.  But it's so fulfilling to work hard and see little miracles every day.  I'm still going strong on my joy journal and I've seen the hand of God SO much throughout this transfer.  I'm sad the time is passing so quickly but I'm so excited for this last transfer and all the miracles we are going to see!!!!  Thanks for all the love and support, it really means a lot.

XOXO,

Hermana Spangler

PS there's still time to send me letters :):):):):)

Spain Malaga Mission

AV. Jesús Santos Rein N°2, 1°C

EDIF. Ofisol, Fuengirola

29640 Malaga

Spain

                                                                 Cute little Erik

The greatest district 

                                                         Yummy food with members

preachin' the good word

MY LOVELY PEOPLE-

Is it just me or are the weeks FLYING by??  What's really crazy is that we get transfer calls this week!!!  ((What?!?!?!?))  Fingers crossed that I get to stay with my girl Hermana Burt again but chances are pretty low considering I only have 1 transfer left and she has 2.  I'm excited to see how I'm going to stretch and grow in these next 2 months.

This week was a lil complicated because an Hermana had to go home early so her companion came and stayed with us for the week.  Trio life is so crazy but so fun.  So we had Hermana sigcha (from Ecuador) stay with us and we saw MIRACLES.  Also, it was crazy because our water heater broke and flooded our whole laundry room.  Our landlord couldn't come til like the end of the week so we invented this thing with a bag and straws so that the water went straight outside instead of dripping on the floor.  We spent a good hour trying to fix it and we finally came up with a genius thing to save the floor.  (video attached)

We met with Alberto again (the less active) and had a really good review lesson about the restoration.  He served a mission like 3 years ago so he still remembered a lot (including, he still had the first vision memorized). We talked a lot about the blessings that have come from the restoration and it just helped me see, once again, that I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of Christ's church. We tried really hard to follow the spirit in the lesson and ask inspired questions and we had a really good discussion.  He didn't come to church on Sunday but he's been reading and praying every day so that's a start!!!!  I love watching him make these steps again but you can really see how it's affecting him.  I've only seen him 3 times but he's doing so well and is just so much happier.  I love how happy the gospel makes me and how much joy it can bring into the lives of others.

I've been studying a lot about the atonement lately and I just wanna share some of the beautiful scriptures that I've read recently:

"2 Nephi 2: 5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered."

Basically, because of the fact that we are imperfect humans, we already lost our chance of getting back to God.  BUT Christ, who was the only perfect human to live, made it possible to be clean and start over.  What would we do without His perfect atonement.  I, for one, am extremely grateful for what he did for me and I am even more grateful to be here in Spain preaching the good word to all my new friends and family.

I love you guys A TON.  Thanks for all the love,

Hermana Spangler