#62

So this week has been crazy. Full of joy and beauty and talks and other churches and I´ve loved it. Haha.

So for starters last week on Pday we went to a huge, beautiful Catholic Cathedral. It was big and gorgeous! It always surprises me that there are no pictures of Christ resurrected in their churches...they´re very dark and solemn,  but stunning.  I have to send you pictures!!!

So this week we got several surprise calls from people wanting to learn aobut the gospel. One of them was a woman who knows one of the members of our church. He talked to her about the gospel then gave her our number! We went and taught her in the church and set a baptismal date with her!...She happens to live in the elders area (ha, this always happens where the people live in the elders area not ours). Oh and i forgot to mention, Our mission had a goal this last week to set 250 baptismal dates, so we worked super hard, and as a companionship we got 7! We´re really excited. The mission as a whole got 252, and there were 14 baptisms this weekend! It was a good week. But yeah, one of our friends with a baptismal date, Johnny, he came to church for the second time yesterday and the youth were so good with him, and made sure he went with them to class and ah...it was awesome. 

Also, funny story. So last week a man in our ward spoke, and he said that as he has been a member of the church he has learned how to speak in public, and he doesn´t mind it. Well...i dont like speaking in public. In English or Spanish. But i was thinking, ´´wow, i want to change that weakness into a strength!´´ So, what do i do? Well that night i pray to be able to love public speaking. And, just as i said in my talk in front of our ward on sunday, I´m here to tell you that the Lord answers our prayers. Hahaha, two days later a man in our ward calls me to speak. I haven´t seen a missionary speak in this ward, i dont think they normally do...but yeah, the Lord was willing to arrange something for me haha. So yeah, i spoke on how the worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God, and He wants us to ask questions, and search and once we find the truth, through Jesus Christ, it changes our hearts (Alma 5:6-7). Then with that change of heart we recieve desires to share the gospel, and it converts into being a joy rather than an obligation. It went well, I think! Once i got up there i wasnt nervous, but it´s just been a long time since i´ve spoken in front of that many people! In Benidorm there were only ever like, 40 people in the congregation, and in our zone meetings we speak in front of like 34 ish missionaries! Haha. So 130 was bigger, but it was fine. 

I saw a lot of my weaknesses this week also. So that was...fun. No, but it was just a testimony to me of Ether 12:27, that the closer we come to God, the more we can see our weaknesses. But I know He gives us strength, and I found a lot of strength in the sacrament. I need to go to church, every week, to feel that strength. I depend on Him so much. 

Also, another cool thing! So I went on an intercambio this week in a gorgeous place called Fuengirola, and we worked in a soup kitchen! I seriously LOVED it. I really was working as hard as i could, and I would love to do that all the time. I loved being able to talk to all the people, from many different countries and serve them hot food, most of them dont get a hot meal except for that one time a week, and ah, it just filled me to be able to talk to them, hear about their lives, and try to serve them in the smallest way. I hope to do that more when I go back.

Then later in the week we got another call from a woman who got a pass along card from a missionary in the street, went to mormon.org, talked to someone who lives in the United States, and he searched for missionaries here for her, and she called us! So we went and taught her at the church too, and her friend! Set baptismal dates with them too! ...They live in the elders area, but it´s all good! Good thing the elders in our ward are literally the best missionaries I´ve ever met, so i love passing people to them! I´m like, these investigators are lucky to be taught by such good Elders. Haha. Really though.

We also started teaching the bishop´s daughter´s boyfriend. He´s been in a lot of our family home evenings we have every week, but just this last week we officially started teaching him. Things are going well, but pray for him, his name is Samuel and his baptismal goal is March 08!

Also, our other friend with a baptism date is Eugenia, and she´s wonderful! She´s the one who cried when she saw the Book of Mormon.  She is trying to overcome some hard things so she can be baptized, but she REALLY wants to, so keep her in your prayers, too. 

Thank you so much! I love you all!

Love, Hermana Miller

1 Nephi 20:11