So great to hear all is well at home. My prayers are answered every week as I get on and see all is well. The Lord has his hand in all of our lives and I'm so grateful he just continues to bless you all back home.
Well it was a good week. On Monday we had a cool experience. We were contacting and were talking to this Spaniard who wasn't really interested but in the middle of the contact this lady walks up and says I'm so glad I found you!!! She was investigating the church over a year ago and since then had lost contact with the missionaries, they had also been kicked out of their house and were living in the street, and in the process of getting kicked out of her house had lost her Book of Mormon. As we gave one to her the smile on her face was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. I think she was about to cry. We didn't have any way to contact her and we set up a lesson for Thursday. She didn't show up but at least she received a Book of Mormon. It was another tender mercy from the Lord, and honestly, a miracle. She was so happy to receive it and it made me feel so good to be able to provide it for her. Sometimes we want grand results and grand miracles, yet it's the small miracles that we sometimes miss that truly mean the most.
We met with Ismael on Tuesday. We started talking about the priesthood but the lesson topic quickly changed to desires and then from desires to gifts and talents because he didn't really know what he wants. As we discussed what his likes and hobbies are we started to discuss the importance of goal setting and we decided to have some fun with him and teach him the principle of goal setting in a way that isn't too tough for a teenager. He is 18. After making a list of his talents, likes and interests we set the goal with him to post one foto a day on to instagram for one year. Now it sounds silly but it worked wonders. He completed it for this week and has put up a foto a day, and on Saturday after his sister's baptism we met with him and talked to him about spiritual goals. He was really happy he was fulfilling his goal. We had a member there and after talking about his goal and how he felt we switched gears to how he felt at his sister's baptism, and what he desires when it comes to his spiritual life. After a lot of discussion and testimonies he has now set the goal to read and pray every day. Something he wasn't really doing before and is really starting to think about how he really does want this. In the end using some little app to teach him that principle he now understands and is setting goals in his spiritual life. I am so excited for him. He is going step by step but he's coming along.
We still continue to meet with Joaquin. We watched the restoration at his house last week and he was so excited. He is getting so much happier and I love that family.
We met with Luis and Ines and taught them the law of chastity and the ten commandments. We had given them the law of chastity pamphlet to review during the last lesson and they said, "Well this will be an easy one. Our 40th anniversary is tomorrow and we have stuck together through it all, all the good times, all the hard times, and tomorrow it will have been 40 years. We have been faithful to each other and this law makes sense because it's a commandment that is about truly loving each other and staying with each other through it all. And that's what we've done and will continue to do." It was super cool. They are amazing and are progressing so well! We moved their date back to the 10th of January. They are doing great!!
Daniel and Melbi were not able to meet this week because they were out of town. But they are doing great. They are both reading and praying together and alone daily. We are going to meet again with them this week and I am super excited!!!
I went through 5 umbrellas more or less up in Galicia, and two here in Madrid. haha. The weather here in Madrid is just a dry cold. It gets pretty cold but it never snows. Just rains occasionally. It does snow in other parts of Spain though up in the mountains.
Thank you for the letters they continue to help and encourage me and I have come to understand what true success is. I know you will be proud of me because I'm giving everything i have to this work.
I love you all! Have an amazing week!!!!
Love,
Elder Jarrett Anderson
¡El reino de Dios o nada!
