March 19, 2012

Hola,

I love being a missionary!  Elder Card and I had a great week filled with a variety of experiences.  We live across the street from an animal park that has goats, ducks, roosters, hens, peacocks, and an ostrich.  Over the past two weeks or so, I have learned that the time of day has NOTHING to do with when a rooster crows.  They crow at 3 in the morning, at 4 in the morning, at 5 in the morning, at 6 in the morning - in short, they crow all the time.

Not the Saturday two days ago, but the Saturday from the week before, we went to a town called Vera, and a member told us that she would take us back to Huércal rather than us taking the bus.  We had knocked doors at one end of town, but we needed to be at the other end pretty quickly and meet her at the Mercadona (that's the name of a grocery store).  While we walked, we weren't exactly sure as to where to go, so we thought we would stop someone and ask for directions.  We were passing a lady with a little dog and all of the sudden it went nuts and bit Elder Card's leg!  Haha.  It wasn't bad at all, and we laughed about it afterward.

On Wednesday, we went to see an English couple that we are meeting with, and as we arrived, a couple of their friends were leaving.  A member who had served his mission in Australia came with us and the greetings and introductions were a mix of Spanish and English and all sorts of stuff.  Then, as he was leaving, the friend said, "I speak three languages: English, Irish, and Rubbish!"  I was laughing pretty hard.

On Friday we passed by to try and visit a lady that had told us to come back.  I had never met her (Elder Card contacted her with his former companion, Elder Marchello, before I arrived), so I asked Elder Card about her, how old she was and stuff, and he described her as "a young, middle-aged adult..."  Haha!  I still give him a hard time about that one.

Apart from all of that, we also experienced miracles, as well as many dissapointments.  One thing that I learned this week is that the Lord is not a fair weather friend.  He's with us through it all.  Think of how much we have going for us!  True, there are things going against us, and they are very real, but we have all the help of heaven to lead us and strenghten us on our journey back Home.  The words of the prophets, both ancient and modern, prayer, personal revelation, Church meetings and activities, families, friends, priesthood blessings, and covenants which give us access to the healing and enabling power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  The Savior said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  He loves us so much.  His greatest desire is that we enjoy all of the blessings of our Heavenly Father in their fullness.  His atonement makes that possible, and because He has restored His gospel, His Church, and His authority to the earth, we can enter into those covenants that, if honored and lived by, will bring us back to His presence to live with Him in families forever.  That's worth working for!

Love,
Elder Fagersten in Spain