January 30, 2012 - Email to Family

Okay so don´t hate me! I have 5 minutes.  We ran out of time today!

So everything is wonderful!!!!!!

I am doing awesome, and soo happy because we work super hard here.  We have like 30 investigators, and Elder Waite and I found 6 new ones this last week.  I have a giant stake center that is the nicest church building I have ever seen.  My comps name is Casey Jordan Waite.  He dies in March from the mission.  We are going to have some baptisms this next month!  I love you all soo much!  I am awesome no worries.  I have to leave right now.  Please write me again next week and I promise a full email.  I will tell you more next week about SEVILLA.  Just like tortilla. SEVILLA.  IT is HUGE and there is a lot of people here.  Elder Waite is a sweet heart.  Zone leader is crazy.  Next monday I get to go to Málaga so hopefully I get to email next week.

Elder HAFEN

January 23, 2012 - Family Email

Hello Family I love ya'll.

This is one of my favorite families in the ward

Well this week was a little stressful and a little sad, but really good at the same time.  So Sonia, yes mom that it is how it is spelled.  So Sonia didn't get baptized, yet.  We are working with her; she had a horrible week.  We warned her that this week was going to be hard and she just said I got it - don't worry.  So what went down is that she got interviewed on Tuesday and everything went well and she passed.  So the next day she tells us that she doesn't know if she is going to be in town for her baptism because she has to go to Valencia the other side of Spain to go and pick up her friend that is flying in and doesn't know anyone or have any EUROS.  So that was stressing her out and she was trying to find flights and stuff to get back home in enough time.  So then Thursday we go over there and she is sitting on the floor in her house and looks like someone had killed her dog.  So we get in there and she tells us that her father is in the hospital and he can't speak.  She then tells us that her best friend that was living with her Vera had moved away on Tuesday and her family called Sonia and told her that Vera's father just died.  So Sonia had to call Vera in Denmark and tell her that her father died. So to do that Sonia called some friends over to help break the news to her.  So when some one in Africa dies they scream and wail and cry.  So Vera started screaming and crying and all the friends of Sonia and Vera got arrested.  So Sonia felt horrible and couldn't find another flight and had to go out of town on her baptism.  She has been telling us all her life that she has been waiting to get baptized.  So she came home late on Saturday night and came to church and the Stake Presidency was there because they just released our Branch President and the Stake President heard I was leaving so he asked me to bear my testimony.   I go do so and I cried a little bit because I love the branch of course. Well after sacrament Sonia was sad because she didn't get baptized and mad because I am leaving.  She started crying and told me I can't go and all that stuff.  It was sad and I told her she would be okay.  She told me that the other people aren't the same as me.  I told her the new missionary would be here and all would be okay.  So Sonia is up in the air right now.  She needs to relax and start reading the Book of Mormon more.  I will say bye to her and Tuesday. 

Soup Kitchen workers we help serve the homeless on Fridays

So speaking of leaving El Puerto I received a call on Friday night.  I picked it up and it was President Clegg.  He told me right away "Are you ready to leave Puerto?" haha so I said yes sir.  He told me I am going Zone Leader in Sevilla!!!!!  I am soo nervous!  My new companion is an old AP.  His name is Elder Wait.  I am so scared.  He told me I was going to make you district leader but that I didn't want to put you as a district leader for one transfer and I knew I wanted you as a Zone Leader soon.  So I am looking forward to Sevilla.  I will have the biggest zone in all the mission.  Also Elder Wait only has one transfer left and then he is done with the mission.  So that means I have to take over as Zone Leader in Sevilla in March as the senior Zone Leader!!  I am nervous but the Lord has called me.  I  am excited to serve with Elder Wait.  Of course he is amazing, he was an AP.  So that is where I will be heading off! 

Investigator her name is Pepi.  70 years old Spaniard

Lets see, we dropped Henry and Paloma like a month or two ago, I thought I told you that.  They were wasting our time, I was sad but they really didn't care or listen to us.  I told you that Betty didn't want anything to do with us anymore.  She told us that all we want to do is baptize people.  She thinks it's a game we play as missionaries to see how many people we can baptize.  How did she now? haha kidding.  Numbers don't mean anything.  So that is about all I have for you mom!  I got a boil again on my neck last Tuesday and I have been doing everything you asked me with the pills and nose stuff.  Am I eating something to cause it??  No idea.

Love you all - Elder Cody

Pictures!!!

Adrian and his Family

Patricio and Jhardelin 

Julio and Matilde

Investigators

One of his favorite families from the ward

HUGE parade in the city because it´s Christmas in Spain on the 6th when the 3 kings arrive

District Meeting

January 16, 2012 - Family Email

This is the grandpa and Adrian; the branch presidents wife and her daughter

Okay well cool ya boy Adrian got dunked!!!

So yesterday Adrian got baptized and confirmed by his grandpa.  The grandpa asked us of course to join in on the circle!  So that was super fun and very special for this family.  They have had a really hard time trying to get the kids baptized in this family with their father not wanting it.  Well Adrian is a sweet heart and he always has a smile on and has the goofiest personality.  He was super excited to get baptized!  Sonia came to the baptism with us as well.  They announced her baptism in church and the ward is super excited for her to get baptized.  In Adrian´s baptism they mentioned her getting baptized on Saturday like 3 times.  After the whole baptism and confirmation Sonia went up and gave Adrian a hug, it was cute. 

The District

Okay so I had a good week and it was kinda normal besides the baptism.  We taught Sonia a lot, she has been taught all the lessons now and is getting interviewed tomorrow for her baptism.  She is so excited, she likes to scream and dance when she knows she is getting baptized.  She kinda had a break down on Saturday because we were telling her that she can´t be baptized if she chooses to sin after her baptism.  She started crying and then we recommitted her.  So we told her this Saturday morning and then she prayed with us right before we left. It was the most powerful prayer I have ever heard someone say.  She was literally pleading with God, she started crying at the first of the prayer it was sad.  So we left her and told her she needs to figure out what she is going to do about her baptism.  Sunday morning came around and she was ready to go to church and she told us that after we left she told herself that she wasn´t going to read or go to church but she woke up in the morning and couldn´t sleep so she got up and turned the light on and had to read and pray and then came to church! haha.  She told us that she wants to be baptized.  So Sonia is looking good and hopefully all will go well.  She is going to go to institute this Friday, well every Friday with all the single adults.  A lot of them speak English because they served in England and United States.  So we did splits again on Friday because our District Leader had to come and interview Adrian, so I went with Elder Kirkham to teach Jhardelin and Patricio.  We taught her the word of wisdom and it was a really good lesson.  I love teaching with Elder Kirkham we do a good job together.  Jhardelin just loved us!  She made us bomb food.  We talked a lot about her getting baptized and she said she will be getting baptized super soon.  We went over the interview questions and she answered all of them perfectly.  She is ready, but she worries a lot about HOW big the decision is to get baptized.  She is doing well and really looks promising.  We are still just searching for a lot of new people to teach and baptize.  That kinda was a sum up of the week.  We had training in San Fernando and I got interviewed by President Clegg.  He told me that I have been in El Puerto for a really long time haha.  So I am pretty much gone!  He said he just looks at me and smiles haha I don´t know why!  Well I love you family and hope you enjoy the pictures.  Have a good week and I want to see pictures of the house.  

This is a cake that Marcelo's mom made for me and Elder Brown.  His birthday was the 10th so exactly a week after mine.

Marcelo's mom

This is the shipyard for the US cool huh??

Love you all.

January 9, 2012 - Family Email

The Jerez Elders made him a cake

Hello my beloved family,

So this week we kind of had miracles happen to us!!  Finally I am little more content with the work.  You will not believe what happened to us this week.  Well to start of I am running short on time because we weren´t here for P-day we were in Jerez with the district.  We were going to go bowl, but the place was closed so we hung out there and looked around at all the Christmas sales.  So I am glad you approve of the camera because so far I have loved it.  I haven´t received a Christmas package from Heather, that makes me sad and a little scared.  I got the birthday package on my birthday!!  But I was in splits so I was in Sánlucar with Elder Kirkham.  I got to open it on the 4th!  WOW!!  I am amazed for what you all do for me, maybe I should stay out on the mission a little longer. Haha just kidding Jude/Heather.  So the mission President could be the guy, that would be awesome, Elder Forrest is Elder Shavers companion, they are Zone Leaders together.  I got phone calls from Shaver and Elder Manning at 7:30 in the morning Tuesday.  I love them, and really miss them both.  I got to talk to Hermana Clegg too, she is a hyper lady, I love her to death.  I am sorry you missed the call from Hermana Clegg, I tried to warn you!!  Love you mom! 

Blanch, Kirkham, Hafen & Rodriguez at Zone Conf near their year mark

OKay so this week was amazing.  We go to teach Sonya, the African on Friday and something strange happened.  I have been kinda keeping her under the radar because I wasn´t so sure about her.  She has been progressing and really just doing well.  So we get in there and asked if she did her reading assignment, chapter 5 of Alma which is a rather strong chapter calling people unto repentance.  She then told us that she read it 3 times and told us that she is changing and wants to be baptized.  We had a really good lesson of the commandments and the law of chastity.  She said she wants to change and it´s because of this book.  But she has never really told us that she believes it or the church.  So that was that.  Sunday comes around and it´s 10:05 in the morning and we're running to her house to get her for church.  We told her that we were coming by at 10, so she asks us where we are and why we are late.  We laughed and told her we are running from a meeting (which we were).  So we get there and she told she has been waiting outside since 10 and she got too cold and went inside for a little.  So we walked to church and I asked her if she read the chapter I gave her (Enos 1), she said yes.  So right before we get to church Elder Brown told her today is testimony meeting so if you want to share your testimony you can.  She said NOOO WAY.  So we sit down and have a really spiritual meeting and there is about 5 minutes left and Sonya stands up and walks up to the pulpit.  She asks Brother Ortegon (the guy we send packages to) who is a counselor to translate into Spanish.  She starts off saying I have to two things to say to you all about the Book and Jesus Christ.  She said that I couldn´t hold it in any longer I felt like I was going to bust out of my chest.  She starts off saying that the Book of Mormon is true and that I cannot put it down.  Ever time I get some time to read I cannot stop, I have to go back and read and read.  She said that because I know this Book is true, I believe that this church is true.  This book gives me all the answers.  I read and every question I have ever had it´s right here.  She then talked about how she knows that Jesus Christ died for all of us and that through him we can be clean and live forever.  She said because I know that this book is true she just wants to tell everyone about it and she wants to send this book to her family in Africa.  She then ended her testimony.  She said a lot more but I don´t remember all of it.  All I know is that I have never felt the spirit so strong in my life.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true, it changes lives.  I don´t care what people say or think about this book because it´s changed my life and changed the lives of the people around me.  I feel the spirit so strong right now as I am writing this.  The Lord lives and loves me and Elder Brown.  He has worked miracles right in front of my eyes.  We didn´t changed Sonya the Lord did with His words in that Book.  Everyone READ IT.  Sonya is going to be baptized the 21rst of January.  After testimony meeting every single person in the ward attacked her!  haha it was so funny.  They ward loves her.  

San Fernando Zone Conf Jan 2012

So as for the week, it went well, we got 4 new investigators, but two of them left to Madrid.  They are a family of Bolivians, they are awesome and we are sending the missionaries there to go teach them.  Well I need to hurry along and write to Heather and President.  I love you all.  Sorry there is only a little story but it was an experience I will never forget.  The church is true. 

Elder Cody

January 2, 2012 - Email to Family

Hey how are all you??

So I am confused with all the packages.  So did Heather send one or two packages??  Because I didn´t get a Christmas one from her yet.   Hey I got my Birthday package!!!  That was my favorite one because of the calender!!  Wow Jude good job,  LOVE it.  So forgive me today if this letter is hard to understand or shorter because this keyboard is absolutely horrible.  It is driving me INSANE!  The key "i", I have to push it twice so it will work.  But anyways how was New Years?  Sounds like you all had a really good time!  So Damon seems super good.  He wrote me back and told me that he is a Zone Leader; good for him, I am not surprised.  He is tearing it up.  I need to write him back though again haha.  Haha no WAY DEVIN!  Good for him, that´s all my doing though, it was all because I wanted to date Montana that he met BROOKE.  WOW.  Haha crap I owe him 50 bucks, I told him if he dated her throughout all of High School I would give him 50 bucks.  Good for them.  Tell him to send me an invite.

So New Years was kinda boring we had to be back into the house at 6 unless we had a lesson set up. Well no one invited us over so we passed the night in the house and went to bed on time and slept through the New Year it was awesome haha.   I was super tired and didn´t even hear all the loud noises.  People were already partying at 6 when we were walking home; singing, dancing and being merry (just like Laman Lemuel and the daughters of Ishmael).  So yeah that was about it, it´s still Holidays until the sixth.  Here in Spain they celebrate the kings, they don´t do the whole Santa deal.  They have adopted the idea, but they just have a Holiday from the 6th of December until the 6th of January.  Everyone we talk to says "Si puedo hablar despues de los reyes"  so we have to wait until then which really puts a damper on the work.  But that's okay I am good.  So we haven´t talked with Jhardelin this last week because they are all the way in Madrid for the Holidays and really everyone else is gone.  We did a lot of contacting this week and talking with less actives.  We had a really good lesson with a girl that is 15 and got baptized almost a year ago.  She is a little inactive here and there.  Her parents used to come to church but they are totally inactive but this girl is a sweet heart  love her to death.  Good girl, her name is Maika.  She still reads every night and prays.  Petri is really messed up.  She is obeying the commandments and everything but she doesn´t remember a single thing we teach her.  She is messed in the head because she has had a tragic life and now she really is messed, but she feels it.  That is all that matters is that she feels the truth!  The Africans are doing really good but they didn´t come to church because they went to bed at 7 in the morning and Sonya called us on the way to go walk with them and told us she just woke up and could not make it because they went to bed too late.  But Sonya is doing well and reading all the chapters we give her.  We are going to teach her today.  Her friend Vera is kinda here and there, she is working a lot and it´s hard to teach her frequently.  Adrian got home from vacations sick so he will get baptized the 14th!  For sure.   So I am looking forward to that.  I contacted this girl one night and she just happened to be from Russia and I got her number and  talked to her the other night and she told us we can talk to her after the new year, so I am stoked because she is Christian.  I am more excited to teach her because Alona, the member from Russia is the BEST person in the world to teach with.  SO hopefully that will work out.  They are both from Russia so that will be crunchy toast.  Oh and Alona´s mother is here from Russia.

So bam, I go a new camera, I got 25 EUROS of reward with it too. I got a Nice case and a 4 gb card with it. It´s called the Nikon cool pix S4150. It´s super nice and 14 mega pixel.  I got it for 119.  So that is about all I have for you.  I can´t believe that I am turning 20 tomorrow!!!  I am sooooo OLD!  Well I love you all sooooo much.  

I am giving those shirts to the boy tonight and I will take pictures.  He may start crying, HE LOVES QUICKSILVER.  I am excited, thanks for doing that for him!  The hair cutting pictures are actually of the boy.  His name is Marcelo from Bolivia.