December 26, 2011

Hola,
I hope you all enjoyed Christmas. I sure did! In the morning we only had sacrament meeting, no other classes. We did a special program where we read the Christmas story out of Luke 2 and had people share their testimonies. We also sang Christmas songs together as part of it.

Our branch president is from Ecuador and they roasted a pig, an entire pig, and we ate it. It was pretty good, but also pretty gross. There were times I had no idea what I was biting into and some parts were really chewy, but we enjoyed it.


The best part was talking with our families. It was wonderful to hear everyone's voices and be able to talk for a little bit. The time went by really quickly, but it was definitely the best part of the day.

We visited a family in the afternoon, on Christmas day, and we shared a message with them about the true spirit of Christmas and about how much we have been given. I feel so grateful for my family because it is such a huge blessing. Heavenly Father gave me a great gift when He put me in my family. I am also grateful for the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful that He loved us enough to come to the earth and provide for us the means by which salvation can come. He wants us to return to Him with our families. I am also grateful for the gift He gave me when He called me to serve a mission in Spain. This has truly been the greatest experience of my life. I know that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through the Prophet, Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is true. The plan for our happiness is laid out before us in plainness and purity. The atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ is central to that plan - it puts it all into affect. I know this is true.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

December 19, 2011

Hola,

I'm back to preparation day being Monday. Puertollano is a relatively small place - it's not a big city in size but somehow it fits about 50,000 people. The branch here is tiny, but they are great people. There is one Spanish family, and the rest of the people that come are from Ecuador and Peru. Elder Seely is an amazing missionary. He went to the MTC on April 27 of this year which, if I remember correctly, was the same day that the Elder Fagersten in Arizona entered the MTC - so it's like my litle brother is my companion! Haha. Elder Seely, however, is not little. He's not quite the 6´7" that Elder Taylor was, but he's 6' 3", from Hurricane, Utah, which is down by St. George. We have a really nice piso. It's about 2 minutes from the train station, 5 minutes from the grocery store, and about 10 or 15 minutes to the church.

Here's the address:
C/ Cooperación 5, Planta 2
13500 Puertollano (Ciudad Real)
España

So, with the change in location and companion and climate (it's a lot colder here!) there are a lot of new opportunities here to learn and grow and improve. I'm really grateful to be here.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I am thinking of you a lot. I hope we can all remember why we celebrate Christmas and that we will remember just how much God loves us.

Love,

Elder Fagersten

December 12, 2011

Muy buenos días,

Well, I have a surprise... I'm getting transferred this week! President Clegg called me on Thursday and told me that I will be going to Puertollano with Elder Seely.

I'm kind of sad that I won't be here for Christmas, but it's okay. On Monday, Elder Manning, my zone leader, told me that the choir in Málaga wanted to do a Christmas program as well, so we just decided we would let them do a program instead of us. We are okay with that because it would have taken a lot of work that we wouldn't have had time for. Elder Thornley, who I am training here in the office, seems a little nervous about taking over after only two weeks, but he will do fine. He learns really quickly, keeps things organized, and gets things done. Also, he can call me whenever he has a question about something, so, he won't need to worry about that.

Transfers always bring about a lot of emotions, a lot of reflection and meditation. I love the people here in Fuengirola. I have learned so much while serving here and have met some amazing people! The Lord has blessed me in so many ways and I feel so grateful for the time that I have served here. I know He lives! I know He loves me! Christmas time is a really special opportunity for us to feel that love and to come unto Him. I know that He appreciates every effort we make to live His gospel. His grace is sufficient to make weak things become strong (Ether 12:27). Because of His perfect atonement He can lift the heaviest burdens and heal the deepest wounds. He has drunk the most bitter cup. And He did it because He loves us. His faith in his Heavenly Father's plan never failed. He has prepared the way for us and He will never, ever give up on us.

I love you all so much.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

December 3, 2011

Hola a todos,

Well, the Christmas season is upon us. It's so exciting!!! President Clegg talked to me on Monday and told me that Elder Thornley is going to be the new secretary. He came this week and now I'm training him. I will be in Fuengirola for Christmas, but after that, I'm not sure. He's a great missionary, really nice and really smart - he's picking it all up fast.

I think I mentioned it before, but President Clegg invited each of us to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas. We are looking for and marking every reference to Christ. The Book of Mormon is FULL of them. It is another true testament of Jesus Christ. I know that with all my heart. If any one wants to feel a deeper appreciation for, and a closer relationship with the Savior, they should read, study, ponder and pray about the message of the Book of Mormon.

Keep smiling! President Clegg often tells us, "You're a lot better than you think you are." And it's true! Heavenly Father loves you so much. You're doing great.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

November 26, 2011

Hola,

We had two new missionaries come this week. They waited for their visas for quite some time, but they finally arrived. La Costa del Sol is staying warm - I think it was about 70 today. Not too bad. It has rained a few times, but not very often. The Primary in the Spanish-speaking ward asked me to accompany them for their program tomorrow. It will be fun.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at the mission home with Presidente and Hermana Clegg. The whole Malaga Zone came for the meal and we had a great time. There were a couple of missionaries from Ecuador and they brought rice, and they were the only ones who ate it. It was really funny. There was turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, green beans, carrots, and, being from Iowa, I brought some corn.

The former Elder Niebergall, now he's just Kyle Niebergall, came and visited with his family! He ended his mission in Huelva with me, and he was the mission secretary before Elder Stoner. It was great to see him.

We have seen and experienced some interesting challenges, but, as always, the challenges give us opportunities to apply the teachings of Christ and draw closer to Him. Elder Taylor continues to be a great companion. We are excited to be together and be in Fuengirola for Christmas (after that, we don't know what will happen).

We are doing well. I am really grateful for you. Thanks for everything. I know that this is God's work. He lives and He loves us.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

November 19, 2011

Hola,

Well, it's almost kind of getting cold here. It is definitely chilly at night time, but it's not as cold as it is there. However, the houses and apartments here are all made of cement and brick and tile, so there is no insulation and central heating is a luxury that few have. Because of that, it feels colder, especially inside the apartment. In Spain there are quite a few Chinese people, and they always have little shops just full of stuff - it's like the Dollar Tree. Anyway, one of our Zone Leaders, Elder Ferguson (don't worry, people never get our names mixed up, haha), showed us that the chinos (that's what we call the stores) have Jiffy peanut butter! That was an exciting discovery.

There is no such thing as Thanksgiving in Spain, but Presidente and Hermana Clegg have invited the Malaga Zone over for a Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. We might also celebrate Thanksgiving with our American friend, Brice, and his family. It will be fun.

President Clegg has challenged the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas. At Zone Conference, he handed out a paper-back copy to each missionary, in their native language, and invited us to underline or circle every reference to Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon. Then he said, "If you've already done that, underline every reference to the gospel - faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. If you've already done that, underline or circle every time the word "remember" appears in the Book of Mormon." We are all excited to do this study. I love the scriptures. I love the Book of Mormon. I know that it's true - every page, every verse, every word. The Holy Ghost has witnessed that to me, personally.

I am really grateful for my companion, Elder Taylor. He and I have learned a lot together. We've butted heads a little, but we have both grown and learned how to better communicate with one another. Communication and forgiveness have brought us a lot closer together, and it has made a difference in our teaching, in our contacting, in our studies and everything in between. The guidance and companionship of the Spirit is worth every effort we make to align our will with the Lord's and live so that we might merit that gift and promise.

I love my family! I love all of you so much! Love is the great motivating force behind Heavenly Father's plan for our happiness. It was part of the power that sustained Christ as He carried the massive load of our sins and sorrows in order to bring salvation to our souls. He did that because He loves us. He laid down His life and took it up again to provide the path that leads to eternal life and never-ending happiness.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

November 12, 2011

Hola,

Last Sunday we had Stake Conference in Granada. The Granada Stake covers a very large area - from Fuengirola to Huercal-Overa and all the way up to Jaen. It was a great conference and I was able to see a lot of the members from Almeria, my first area! The stake has a lot of missionaries currently serving missions, about 14 or 15 I think. During the conference, they gave time to the returned missionaries from the stake (those who had returned within the last six months) to bear their testimonies. We all felt the Spirit very powerfully as they shared some of the experiences that they had during their time as full-time missionaries. The Stake President, President Muñoz, spoke last. Between the speakers and the musical numbers and everything beforehand, he didn't have very much time to speak, but his message was very powerful. The chapel was full; the over-flow and everything; not an empty seat; probably over 1,000 people there. He began to speak, and after a few minutes he asked all of the primary children to stand up, and for the adults to be silent. All the children stood, and he again asked the adults to be quiet. A reverent silence filled the chapel, then he read, "And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God" (3 Nephi 11:38). The Spirit filled that room. He closed shortly thereafter, but he didn't need a lot of time to communicate that message. The Spirit that we felt filled in for the time that he would have spent talking to us.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true church. The fulness of the gospel has been restored, along with the authority to teach and administer the ordinances of life and salvation.

Love,
Elder Fagersten

November 5, 2011

Hola,

Well, the week of transfers was CRAZY! We were really busy this week, but it all turned out all right. I am continuing to feel the importance of our time and see the value of planning, setting goals, and filling our lives with worth-while things. Time is going by really quickly.

We visited Carlos and Alexandra this week and we talked about faith. The Spirit was teaching all of us as we read and studied the scriptures, asked questions, and discussed this basic but important principle. The gospel is simple, no matter how complicated we try to make it. Nowhere is the gospel taught more simply and more clearly than in the Book of Mormon. Heavenly Father does not want us to be confused about what we need to know, feel, do, and become. He loves us enough to give us a choice, and by exercising our agency righteously we can prepare ourselves to return to His presence and live with Him again. He has prepared the way for us. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us "the way."

Love,
Elder Fagersten

Pictures!

These are picture from Mijas

1) Brice's leather shop - Elder Taylor is in the red shirt, Elder Stevens in the hat, and Brice is there behind Elder Stevens

2) Suit of Armor

3) La Costa del Sol behind me. That's Fuengirola, over my left shoulder

4) Brice also took us up to his house - these are his two sons Kevin (on the left) and Noel (on the right). His wife, Krisztina is from Hungary, so she speaks to them in Hungarian. Brice is half American, half French, so he speaks to them in French. Brice and his wife speak to each other in English, so the boys understand that and they're starting to speak it a litte, and they go to a Spanish elementary school, so they will grow up knowing four languages.