Some Pictures

1. Writing in journals after district meeting.  It's a tradition for us to write a little note and leave our contact information with the other missionaries.

2. Elder Seely and me.


3. Hermana Letendre and I.  Firmly opposed.


4. But friends in the end.


5. Elder Triana and me.

January 30, 2012

Hola,

Transfer week is always interesting.  Many emotions, as usual.  I will miss Elder Seely a lot.  We went to Ciudad Real for transfers - all of us met there because that's where the bigger train station is in our district.  So, after a delicious, nutritious lunch at McDonalds (heehee), Elder Seely left at about 2 p.m.  Hermana Vega, who I met on her first day in the mission becuase I was in the office, arrived a little bit after that.  The Hermanas went back to their apartment for mediodía and the rest of us, the Elders, we went to the chapel.  At 5 p.m., Elder Triana, Hermana Letendre, and Hermana Collett left.  Hermana Letendre also came into the mission while I was in the office.  She's from Connecticut and she's a Red Sox fan, so we always gave each other a hard time about that.  But anyway, Elder Barney and Elder Rodriguez didn't arrive until 8 p.m., so we spent the afternoon contacting people in the street and knocking doors.  When we met up in the train station again at 8, we gave the Hermanas the information of the people we had talked to that wanted to learn more.


Elder Barney is great, and yes, he is from Boise, Idaho.  He's a big Boise State fan too.  He went to the MTC with his sister!  She's serving her mission in Texas, also speaking Spanish.  There are seven children in his family, and he is the second oldest.  He's a great missionary and I'm really grateful to serve with him.  Unfortunately, the first few days with Elder Barney did not go well because I came down with some sort of a mix between strep throat and the flu.  So, we stayed in the apartment for a few days while I recovered.  I feel better now but Elder Barney appears to coming down with it as well.  Hopefully he won't.


Despite all of that, I learned a lot this week.  I used a lot of the time I was sick to study and think about things.  It really is important to take some time to ponder and reflect.  I feel so grateful for the many, many, many blessings that I have received.  I know that the true gospel and church of Jesus Christ have been restored in their fulness.  The Book of Mormon is powerful evidence of that restoration.  Families can be together forever.  We can have hope and peace in our lives.  The opportunity is ours.  The invitation is extended.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.  I love Him.  And I love all of you!  I hope you're all doing well.


Love,
Elder Fagersten in Spain

January 23, 2012

Hola,

Elder Seely is leaving!  I'm really sad.  He is an incredible missionary and I have really enjoyed the time that we have served together in Puertollano.  This has been one of the fastest transfers of my mission.  Time is flying!!!!  Get this, he is going to Huelva!  I have already started telling him the people he needs to meet and say hi to for me.  I am so grateful for the things we have learned and experienced together.  My new companion is Elder Barney, from Boise, Idaho.  I'm pretty sure he's from Boise.  Either way, we will tell people that he's from Idaho and I'm from Iowa - they will have a fun time getting that straightened out.  He was in the Sevilla Zone with me before I went to Fuengirola.  He's a great missionary.  I'm pretty sure he has passed the year mark in the mission, but not by too much.  He comes on Wednesday - that's the travel day for transfers.  Elder Ferreira is finishing his mission!  He goes home on Thursday.  I'm gonna miss him a lot.


Puertollano isn't a huge city, as far as square miles, but there are 50,000 people, which gives us a chance to meet a lot of different people.  No matter who they are, or where they're from, they are children of God.  We are all children of God and we need His gospel.  It is the plan that He has created for our happiness.  No other way will give us the same blessings and the same fulfillment.  He wants to give us the highest of all blessings, and the only way to do that is through the Atonement of Christ and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.  Like Elder Fagersten in Arizona said last week, if our minds are firm in the faith of Christ, we will enjoy all of those blessings.


The gospel is beautiful.  It is eternal.  It is true.  It was restored in its fullness to the prophet, Joseph Smith.  Every authority, doctrine, ordinance, and power necessary for us to receive life and salvation was once again given to man through this prophet, seer, and revelator.  The Book of Mormon is evidence of this.  If the Book of Mormon is indeed the word of God, which I know to be the case, then Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, Joseph Smith was His prophet, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah.


Love,
Elder Fagersten in Spain

January 16, 2012

Hola,
Time is flying by!  We are already in the last week of the transfer!  On Friday or Saturday we will probably know if Elder Seely is being transferred or not.  He has been since I went to the office in August, so it is very possible that he will leave, but there is also a chance that he will stay.  We will see.
Puertollano is a wonderful place.  On Saturday, we went to Ciudad Real and had a little tournament of "futbol sala" which is played on a concrete court and five players on each side.  The other branches in the district, Ciudad Real, Valdepeñas, and Alcázar de San Juan came and we enjoyed it a lot.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary, and I am so grateful for each of you for supporting me during this time.  I have never experienced something so challenging and at the same time so wonderful as a full-time mission.  President Clegg has often said that salvation isn't cheap, and it's not easy.  This work never has been easy for anybody, it isn't easy for anybody now, and it never will be easy for anybody.  When I have felt sad or frustrated because people reject the message or because they don't listen to us, my thoughts have often turned to the Savior, who loved and taught so perfectly and was still rejected by so many.  His faith in his Father's plan never wavered, and His will was swallowed up in the will of the Father.  I know that He is our perfect example and He is so happy when we try to follow Him, even if we slip and trip along the way.  I have slipped and tripped on my mission more than once, but when I have looked to Him, He has always helped me get back up and keep going.  He's with us every step of the way.
Love,
Elder Fagersten

January 9, 2012

Hola,

On Saturday we had Specialized Training with President and Hermana Clegg.  The La Mancha Zone is the biggest in terms of square kilometers, or square miles, however you want to look at it.  The Hermanas in Badajoz and the Elders in Cáceres, which are over in Extremadura, in the west near Portugal, came all the way over to Ciudad Real.  The other areas in our Zone are Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Valdepeñas, and Alcázar de San Juan.  We have an amazing Zone and I love the missionaries so much.  Half of us were in the Sevilla Zone at one point or another, and the other half we have gotten to know very well also.  I feel so blessed to have met so many wonderful people during my mission, members, investigators, and missionaries alike.


With the New Year, President Clegg talked to us about 10 things that, during his time as mission president, he has observed and felt will help us draw closer to and become more dedicated and powerful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Hermana Clegg talked to us about setting goals, and the Zone Leaders talked to us about prayer, and especially helping those we teach to pray with faith.  I love President and Hermana Clegg so much!  They are incredible.  They also came and visited our branch yesterday.  The members felt grateful and excited to have them there.  There were 32 people there!  It was great!


I am really grateful for the constant invitation that the Lord extends to us to come unto Him.  That is how we find peace and purpose in our lives.  I know He lives and loves each of us individually and perfectly.


Love,
Elder Fagersten

January 2, 2012

Hola,

Happy New Year!  I can't remember if I told you this last year, but to welcome the New Year, everyone watches the t.v. (kind of like what we do to see the ball drop in New York City) but the scene is the Plaza de La Puerta del Sol in Madrid.  When the clock strikes 12, the tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one with each ring of the bell.  Someone once explained to me how the tradition came about, but I don't remember.  Either way, that's the Spanish new year.


Elder Seely had a nasty bout with the flu this past week.  He stayed in bed for about 3 days.  I was able to study a lot and do some extra cleaning around the piso.  We also listened to Truman G. Madsen's lectures about the prophet Joseph Smith.  Those are wonderful!  We enjoyed that a lot.  It hasn't gotten me yet, and I hope it doesn't.


Elder Seely is a fantastic missionary.  I love him so much and we get along really well.  We continue to grow and improve in all aspects of life.  I'm really grateful for each of you and I hope that you always remember how much the Lord loves you.  Set some new goals for the new year.  The future holds many, many opportunities.  We can be what we want to be.


Love,
Elder Fagersten

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