August 20, 2012 - Family Email

Hey family,

Me and Peterson brushing our teeth

 

Well this last week was really fun and I got to go to the mission home and see friends!  I got to see Elder Manning and Elder Peterson which is always good.  I love those two with all my heart.  Yes mother make sure that we don´t schedule mine and Elder Manning's homecoming the same day because I have to go to his.  So the trainers training was great and we learned a lot.  After that the next day which was Thursday I got to do a 24 hour split with my father Elder Shaver!  It was so good and we teach really well together.  It is almost like he taught me how to be a missionary.  It was really fun to teach and do missionary work with him because I can speak Spanish and he told me I really surprised him how much I have grown.  I am no where near perfect and not a perfect missionary but I can say I have tried my hardest thus far in my mission.  I plan to continue like that and even harder until I die.  It was really good to see you all together with Rachel she looks great.  That little smile on her face makes me feel a lot better, but I am still torn up inside.  I know Elder Manning is really sad as well. I got to talk to him the next day I found out and he gave me a big hug.  I really love that little girl.  Elder Manning and I both fasted this last weekend for her and she is in all my daily prayers.  I ask God "que protejas a mi hermanita Rachel y que la consueles por favor" and I say more stuff but I always ask him that.  It means to protect my little sister Rachel and console her please.  I know she is doing good and there are many people praying for her at home and here in Spain.  I also put here name in the temple in Madrid.  You can call and give names I didn´t know that.

 

Me with a catholic cathedral in Granada

So this week we weren´t here very long in our area but we saw some miracles.  A less active family came to our baptism last week and we taught their little kids that want to get baptized too.  So two new people that can get baptized.  Their names are Rocio and Miguel Angel.  I really don´t know a lot about them because I was in Granada with Elder Shaver.  Also we found like 8 ladies from Paraguay and my companion is pretty excited.   Their names are Nancy, Nancy, Blanca, Emi, Gladis and I really can´t remember the rest of them because we have only taught them once.  They are good though and made us food!  Blanca was out of town this weekend, so we didn´t teach her.  However we have been keeping in good contact and tonight we are going to teach her with Rosana and Sebastian in their home.  It will be a great lesson and I am positive that Blanca from El Salvador will get baptized.  She is another really special spirit.  

 

Yesterday was an interesting day because we gave over 10 blessings and blessed two homes.  There is a family here that has a lot of problems and is kinda a rough family in the terms of smoking, tattoos and so on.  So we blessed every member of the family and the mom loves me and the 18 year old daughter.  The mom asked me to bless the home so that was a first for me; and then I blessed the dad, a little boy and the 18 year old daughter María.  We have been teaching her here and there because she isn´t a member.  She is really cool though and I really feel bad for the direction of her life, it worries me.  

Our little zone of Granada missing one companionship.

So that is about all that has happened this week.  I am doing well and things with Elder Rojas are a lot better.  I am not sure if it is me being more patient or him changing.  I hope it´s a little of both.  Oh so Elder Banbury is the new comp of Elder Shaver as a Zone Leader.  I am super EXCITED.

 

CODY

August 13, 2012

(For those who don't know; Cody has a girlfriend, Heather Stratton. Cody is very close with her family, especially her younger twin sisters Jordyn and Rachel. Rachel was just diagnosed with cancer-a brain tumor they can not operate on because of where it is located and because of the type - it is very serious. The survival rate is 6 to 9 months after diagnosis. We are all praying for a miracle and we know that Rachel can do it! Cody has been aware she has been sick since June but doctors couldn't find out why, because she had different symptoms. Cody just found out it was cancer. He loves Rachel like a little sister. Rachel wrote him and told him about it, and this is his response. We also had told Cody about our Lake Powell trip)

 

Family,

Wow that was a really sad and good email.  I cried and I laughed.  Thank you for taking pictures and telling me about the trip.  Rachel.  I love that girl, I cannot believe that.  Sorry I am kinda speechless right now and I don´t know what to say.  I hope my email will be some what lengthy.  I will pray and fast for her don´t worry.  I have been praying for her the past two weeks after Heather told me that she was sick.  WOW, I am sorry I am really speechless.  All I know is that the Lord works miracles and is a God of miracles.  The only reason he would not work miracles around us, is if we don´t have faith.  Mormón 9: 19-20 I believe.  I need to study some scriptures for her and send her some stuff.  She literally is a little sister to me and I know I will see her when I get home. 

The young girl is Neyera. The boy is Sebastian

So I am doing great.  The baptisms were unreal.  The spirit was so strong and it was one of the best days on my mission.  So me and the zone leaders picked Elder Rojas to baptize Sebastian because he really didn´t want to choose who to baptize him.  I think Elder Rojas needed it and it was his first baptism ever.  I am really close to Sebastian's family I love them so much!  They are the best.

 I am so jealous of Matt, he is going to Peru.  I love Peruvians more than anything.  I think they are my favorite people in the world.  So I am going to attach some photos here.

Elder Rojas and Sebastian

Sebastian and his Mother, Lolo

Elder Rojas and Neyera

We had a really great week.  We had to travel up to Madrid and back and that took from 8:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night.  So that made me tired.  My companion had to do his residency up there so that
was kinda fun to go up to Madrid.  Tomorrow we get to go to the mission home in Faungirola, where we have a follow up trainers meeting.  I am stoked I need to give someone a hug right now so I get to see Manning and Peterson tomorrow.  I am sorry I really don´t know what to write right now I am just nervous.  I love you all and I love you so much I hope you know that.

We met a new lady named Blanca.  She is from El Salvador and is so good.  She came to the church Friday morning and we taught her and at the end she told us that no other message in the world has touched her
heart like ours and started crying.  She also came to the baptism.  The thing is that her husband is an old Spanish guy who controls her and he gets mad if she goes to church and all that.  She still goes behind his back and I am positive she will get baptized.  Antonia and Alba are good and stubborn.  The whole family didn´t come to church and our ward mission leader didn´t show up to the baptism.  The ward missionaries sang a musical number with us in the baptism it was super good.  The baptism song from the primary hymns.  The one about rainbows.  Well I am doing good don´t worry about me!  I would love the wedding pictures soon haha.  I hope you all had fun at Powell and the next you go I will be there!!  I am excited for ya´ll to come out but no worries I am not trunkie and you won´t make me trunkie.

I love you all.

CODY

August 6, 2012

So I have a ton of cool pictures but I left my converter cord home.  This morning we hiked up a mountain and there is a castle there and you can see all of the city of Jaén.  So I promise to get some pictures to you soon, the next week for sure. I need some photos because it has been awhile.  When do you get pics from the wedding?

So things are going great here in Jaén.  We have the last lessons to teach to Sebastian and Nereya.  We need to teach Nereya like 3 lesson and interview her, and Sebastian has like only one lesson left to be taught.  So Sebastian's mother is named Rosana and she bore her testimony yesterday in sacrament meeting and just cried.  She is an amazing woman and I love her so much and her son!  We haven´t talked to the husband yet but in her testimony she said she wants her husband to be baptized soon.  Gosh she is just such a good lady!!  She always gives us drinks and is so happy to see us all the time.  We are teaching a new lady named Ursula that is really good.  She studied with the missionaries like a year ago.  She has a lot of hard stupid questions when all she needs to do is ask God.  She is from some country in Africa but amazingly smart.  She studies here in Spain and works.  She speaks French and perfect Spanish.  She is really cool and I feel the spirit a lot when we're teaching her.  We are also teaching our ward mission leader's wife and daughter.  They came to church!!  They need a lot of work though.  The mom is named Antonia and the 13 year old daughter is named Alba! We have taught them twice now and the mom says no because she hasn´t received her answer.  In testimony meeting it was the best thing in the world.  A lady that is really good friends with Antonia bore her testimony straight to Antonia and thanked Rosana for sharing her testimony.  So hopefully it moved Antonia a little.  I am not sure why but Alba is super nervous about baptism or something.  We are going to work with her super hard and I am not going to give up.  I am going to be praying for a miracle there with them. 

So training Elder Rojas is the hardest thing I have ever done on my mission.  He is the weirdest person I have met and I love him to death.  However at the same time I want to rip my hair out.  He is unteachable and I can never give counsel.  Elder Shaver tried to talk to him this last week and they ended up fighting on the phone.  He is really special.  Pray for me to have patience please.  I really never have problems with people but this kid is really something else.  I am doing well though no worries and I am happy.  I get to do splits with Elder Shaver this week because Elder Shaver and my companion can´t do it haha.  So things are looking good here in Jaén and we are working really hard.  I am so tired you have no idea how hilly it is here.  I am also working out everyday not because I have six months to be sexy!  I just want my body to be in a little better shape so I can start working out hard when I get home.  I love you all so much and you are great.

REMEMBER PHOTOS

CODES