Transfer 1 Week 3 [Letter 11 - Nerja, Spain]

Hi there Everyone!!

Just in case not everyone has heard. I am in my first area!!! I am in Nerja which is a town right on the coast. We have a lot of area too around Nerja. I learned that coast towns usually also have a town inland that has the same name. like Torrox costa and Torrox pueblo. So when someone says that they live in Torrox you need to ask if it is costa or pueblo. Really interesting and can be confusing sometimes when you talk to people.

 

It is really beautiful. It is called the bridge to Europe or something like that. I love it all. The people here are amazing. Most are really nice to you until you start talking about religion. The branch here has like 20 members. Many of them are from Paraguay. and all related. They are a big family and on Sunday I was welcomed into the branch with having the opportunity to bare my testimony all in Spanish of course. It was short but my companion said that I did a good job. We have a small teaching pool right now but that is because my companion has been in Málaga for the past week waiting for me. We have a really big pool of contacts to go through this week so we are hoping to increase our teaching pool. 

The night that I arrived here we had a cita (appointment) with a recent convert and some members. The members are hilarious and really fun to get to know. The recent convert is great!! He has decided to receive the priesthood next week. I'm really excited for him. The branch mission leader (who is from England) said that he would go through the sacrament prayer with him the next week so he will be prepared to participate in the sacrament. The members here are amazing.

We get around by walking and public transportation. Yay for the bus!! I am doing okay with the motion sickness stuff. My companion, Hermana Gibson, is very nice and understanding. We just sit and talk and try to study and such before hand so I don't have to read while on the bus. I hope the Lord understands and we will be working on a way to use our time for wisely on that front.

Okay I guess it is time because everyone I know is dying. MY COMPANION IS AMAZING!! We have been working very hard. She is from Kentucky/Texas. She is really helping me out. She is great at Spanish and is very patient with me about mine. We share lesson time. She of course talks more but she gives me opportunity to share my testimony and scriptures. My Spanish is getting better each day but I will be working on it continually for the rest of my mission. Can't figure out photos yet but I will and send some soon. 

Love you all!!

Hermana Petru

NEW ADDRESS!!!  Send all letters and packages here.

Hermana Petru

c\ Cruz 2, 1ºA

29780 Nerja (Málaga)

SPAIN

Last MTC Email [Letter 11 - Spain MTC]

 All caught up. As a note, check out the sidebar -------------------->

I have updated her mailing address, and included some links to a few services that ship to Spain. Check them out and send Hermana Petru some love!

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Hi there!!

Well this will be my last email from an MTC tomorrow we head to the feild. I meet my trainer and my mission president and go to work, the work I have been preparing for these past two months. Crazy stuff. From what I heard they have been holding transfers for two weeks waiting for us to come out to the field. Kind of crazy but we will see how it really works out. I leave tomorrow morning at 6:30 which is like 10:30 your time at night. Our train leaves for Malaga at 7:30. two hour train ride on one of those 200mph trains. First time to do such a thing I wonder how my motion sickness will like that train ride.

This week we were able to go to the park one last time on monday. To tell you the truth my companion and I were struggling to go. we had gone so many times and we felt like we weren´t really getting anything done. well we knew that we needed to go so we went. On our way there there was another sister, Sister Marshall, who asked if she could go with us because her companions didn´t want to be in a trio. We said yes because she had been out in the feild for three months before and her spanish was amazing. We were able to talk to several people on the metro. All of these people I started conversations with because after sunday I had had a great change of heart about being shy and such. I definately stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to talk to as many people as I could. 

Well as we got to the park Hermana Marshall went to work and set a great example for us as she talked with people. We gave out three copies of the Book of Mormon within the first 30 minutes there. These were all very nice people and I pray that they will call the missionaries because they wouldn´t give us there information. Well as we were finishing talking to these boy from the US and giving them plan of salvation pamphlets a gentleman walked up to us. He told us that he had questions for us about our church. This is completely out of the ordinary expecially in Spain. He went on to tell us that when he was younger he had been a monk going to school to be a preist but he left the catholic church because they did things that were not the same as in the bible and in Christ´s church. he talked to us about the belief of personal revelation and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. That Christ´s church need prophets and apostles. He then went on to ask us if we understood. We all smiled and said yes. We were all able to bare witnesses of out church, our prophet and the Book of Mormon. He took a copy and said he would read it. 

We asked if we could get his number but he wouldn´t give it to us because he said his wife was jealous and it wouldn´t be good to have girls calling and asking for him. We said we could send some elders. He said that he would just call the number for the missionaries in Madrid on the inside cover of his Book of Mormon. This wonderful experience changed my mission. But I think it had something to do with my change of heart and repentence process that I went through the days even hours before going to the park. The ability to realign my will with my Heavenly Father´s is a lesson I think that most missionaries even church memebers must go through if they want to draw closer to our Heavenly Father. Oh how great our Father´s plan. I have been studying about the Atonement of Christ. I can´t get over how perfect the plan really is. The endless love of our Father in Heaven. I am so excited to go out and share that love with the people of Spain. I don´t have much time to expound on this but I will give you my favorite chapters. Alma 5, 7, and 34. Happy Reading!!!

Love Hermana Petru

Siblings and Friends: I am almost out of time but them me say this. I love you all. Stay close to the spirit and follow its promptings. The Lord loves you and wants you to be protected. Pray always. and Be a good boy or good girl.

With love Hermana Petru

First Full Week in Madrid [Letter 10 - Spain MTC]

Hi there everyone!!!

Okay so it has been our first full week in Madrid. We are leaving to the field on the 16. But this is our only day to explore Madrid because next preparation day will be spent in a government building applying for residency. Fun stuff. Today we are planning to see a couple of sites in the center of Madrid. Most of them are over 300 years old. It is gonna be kind of cool to see such an old place. We leave after lunch which is in like two hours. I will try to get some pictures. :) I haven´t taken any pictures yet because we aren´t suppose to except on preparation days. So no pictures this week. Oh and I was told that I couldn´t put pictures on these computers because it boggs down the memory so I´m not entirely sure when or how I will get you pictures but I will figure it out. (sorry Karen). The weather here is nice. The natives say it is cold but it is like spring weather in Utah. We haven´t seen any rain and we were told that it hasn´t rained alot this year and it may cause problems later this summer. It is very beautiful here right now though.

Every Saturday we get the opportunity to go to a park here in Madrid and prosolyte. It is kinda of crazy and I find it hard because I am not really one to bound up to someone and try to speak a language I don´t know let alone try to start a converstaion about religion. It has been hard but with a lot of faith and some incouragment I have been able to do it on the Metro and in the park. We started talking to a family here and introduced the Plan of Salvation and let them with a pamphlet and the number of the missionaries. We ask for references like phone numbers and addresses for the missionaries here in Madrid but I have yet been successful at achieving one of those. I will continue to try and pray to the Lord for the opportunity and guidance to find the right person.

Last night we had devotional. They do it differently here we watch the already recorded talks from past days and such. Last night we watched Elder Holland´s talk on august 31. It was amazing of course and some of it was exactly what he said last time he spoke to us in the MTC provo.  But the end of his talk was different instead of talking about the BOM he answered some questions and I would like to share them with you.

Most important this Christ wants us to know right now?
He told the Truth. Everything He said is true. especially Doc & Cov 19:13-18

Best wasy to invite the spirit
1)Feast on the Scriptures Doc&Cov 18:34-36
2)Pray- find the time to learn hout to truly pray
3)Don´t lose it- Be worthy, don´t go where the Spiriti can´t follow you

Best Advice elder Holland was ever given
1)Go on a mission- let it change your life forever
2)Marry directly and honestly
3)Get as much education as you can get

Comparision between General Authority and a missionary
As close as you can get. Missionaries are little "a" apostles. we are both witness sent with a message for the world. Love you apostolic mission

Greatest Gift we can give to Christ
Our heart Joseph Smith History 1:19

Why does God love us?
There is not anything a father wouldn´t do for their children righteously here on earth. If an imperfect man feels that strongly about his children How could you explain the love of a Perfect Being?

I  don´t know how to explain why our Father loves us because I am imperfect and do things that makes Him sad but I do know He loves me. He loves you, yes that means you. don´t look over you shoulder. God loves you.  I know He loves you. He loves me. And I am so excited to share His love with His children, my brothers and sisters. I have to get over my doubts, my insecurities, my lack of faith and open my mouth with His love in my heart. I thank God everyday for this opportunity. And I thank Him for you.

I love you all. Christ Lives. and is looking out for you.


Love Hermana Petru

Friends: I everyone I love you all. If you have sent me letter I hope you sent them to Malaga. I will respond to them as fast as I can when I get there. Have a wonderful and Pray for you always.

With hugs and loves

Hermana Petru

Madrid [Letter 9 - Spain MTC]

Hello there everyone!!
So I made it here safely. The flight was forever long and oh my gosh I am so so so tired! They haven´t given us any time to sleep yet but we get to sleep at seven tonight. Pretty sure that won´t be a problem because I didn´t get any sleep on the plane. Spain is beautiful. I haven´t been able to take any pictures because we are only allowed to take pictures on preparation day which will be on saturday!! but probably won´t be many pictures that day because I won´t have a lot to share. But on preparation day we are allowed to take the metro into Madrid and go site seeing and stuff. I am so excited!! So I will take pictures this Saturday and send them next most likely. I won´t forget about you. I will see if I can send some pictures on saturday of the provo MTC. I am almost positive that I can on this computer where I couldn´t on the ones in the Provo MTC. Here we have so much freedom. We aren´t inside a campus all day long. The physical activity can take place on a city track which is across the street or on the football pitches down the way. Our shopping is done at one of two little markets that are very close. We go contacting at the city park once or twice a week also. The spanish here is so beautiful. The theta is amazing I can´t wait to learn it. I apologize for scattered thoughts. I haven´t slept but I wanted you all to know that I am safe here in Spain. It is so beautiful I can´t wait to share it with you throug pictures and experiences.

Next!!! ELDER HOLLAND came and spoke with us on tuesday night (holy that was two days ago). He is always so powerful and bold. I love it so much!! He really laid into us about honoring the missionary work that has gone before. My favorite quote was "we expect Super human qualites and we don´t apologize." The expect so much and when you know that you can´t do it anymore you fall to your knees and plead with the Lord to make up for you short comings, beg for forgiveness for falling asleep in class or not sharing the spiritual promptings to go to bed with wet cheeks and get up and do it again in the morning promising the Lord to be better and beseeching for that extra spiritual strength to become what He needs you to be. To have the strength to walk through the refiners fire steadfastly day by day. His talk was so inspiring and I got to leave on such a high note. It was great! Oh is was so great. I know that he is an apostle of God. I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that I am strengthed by God day by day if I give my whole heart to His purpose and will. Thank you all for you great faith and support.


Love Hermana Petru

I LOVE YOU ALLLLLL!!

P.P.S. typing on this Spanish keyboard is hard so :P if there are spelling or grammar mistakes.

P.P.P.S Double :P If there are English grammar mistakes I have heard only Spanish for the past 8 hours.

I STILL LOVE YOU.

Hermana Petru

Side Notes: Dayna's Mom

SO sorry we're so behind on the blog. we're getting caught up today.

This is a note from Dayna's mother, from the day Dayna arrived in Spain.

"Hi Everyone,

 

I just got off the phone for the second time today with Hermana Petru.  She flew out of the Salt Lake City Airport this morning about 11:00am.  The plane landed in Atlanta, GA about 3:00pm.  Her flight for Madrid is taking off about 5:00pm.  She will be landing in Madrid about 9:00am.  That will be 1:00am our time.  She is excited!!  There are 17 missionaries traveling with her plus the new Madrid MTC mission president and his wife.

 

Just thought you might like an update.

 

I am attaching a picture that the girls and I took at Temple square last Sunday.  Beth and I decided we didn't want Dayna to miss out on all the family picture so we made a stand in for her. 

 

Love you all!!"