Zaragoza - Week nine

HI family!

First off, congrats Mom and Dad on your half marathon. I'm way jealous. Let's do one together when I get back. Speaking of, Hermana Findlay and I are running 4 miles every morning here. We wake up early to do it. We have to get skinny before we see you on Mothers Day.

Life here is good! We had another rough week, but things are starting to progress a little at least. So Kleber, one of our investigators, is ready to be baptized but, lives with his girlfriend. She has two sons who have been coming to church with Kleber every week for a while now, so we've started teaching them. The mom is less interested. She is catholic. I can understand why she's a little hesitant, she's been catholic all her life, and it's not very easy to just one day drop everything and change. So I think  she will come around with time. But the boys are so great! They read and come to church and are making friends and everything! Both boys and Kleber have the goal to be baptized on the 26th of this month! So cross your fingers. They remind me of my Peruvian family in San Sebastian. I'm excited for them.

So this week we had interviews with President Pace! It was super fun, I always love interviews. Afterwards, they drove us about an hour and a half back to our apartment too. It was SUPER fun to ride with them and get to know them better. They bought us ice cream too. I feel like I've gotten to spend a lot more time with them lately which I really love.

In my interview I told President how we have been struggling to find new people to teach lately. We have been contacting like crazy, as always, but we've been struggling to find people to listen. Hermana Findlay and I weren't really sure what was going on because five weeks ago we found 13 new investigators in a week doing the same stuff we have been doing for the last three weeks. But we have had a struggle of a start to our second transfer here together. But President told me that maybe the Lord wants us to work in a different way. So Hermana Findlay and I decided we were going to try and work more through the members, we had done a ton to try to find through our own efforts, but we were going to try a different approach and see what would happen  if we made more of an effort to visit all the members more frequently in our area.

So this week, three of our less active members that we visited told us about friends they have that would be interested in meeting with us. How cool is that? One guy, Leonardo brought a friend to church yesterday. He said his friend is really interested and wants to start meeting with us the week after next. It's so interesting how the Lord works. We work and work to find people to teach in the street, and then randomly, members bring their friends for you to teach! It just goes to show that if you're working hard, the Lord will provide you with people. I am excited to see what else will come during this transfer. I really love this area.

Oh also funny story. So I know there's some of you out there that think that people wouldn't ever reject cute little missionaries like us (like how that happened to the girl in Elder Hollands talk in conference with being spat on). I would just like to invite you to rethink your ways..  haha.

The other day, we were knocking doors, and there were some fierce people in this building, let me tell you, FIERCE. Anyway we knock on one, no answer. We knock the next, and a very old sounding lady shouts from inside "Yes? Who is it?" over and over again until she made it all the way to her peephole. All of a sudden, the other door on the floor (the one that didn't answer when we knocked it) opens up and an old woman appears and starts shouting "Gladys, DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR, DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR" and gives us a glare and slams the door. She started talking to her husband about calling the cops on us. So we walked down to the next floor haha.

Anyway, wild things like that happen on a daily basis. Sometimes to start a conversation in the street all I will say is "hola..." all cute and nice and people shake their little finger and walk past. So what I've started doing is saying, "oh, you don't know where this street is?" and then they respond and feel all bad for rejecting me. It's really funny actually. Oh the life of a missionary. It gets wild.

So this week I'll only be in my area three days I think. I'm doing an intercambio and then Hermana Findlay and I get to go to the islands for the weekend for a conference with the executive director of the missionary department for the church. So we're PUMPED about that. I'm loving the work here! It's super warm here, it makes the work easier. Love the sun! Anyway, Love you! Have a great week!

Hermana Reid


They are backwards, but they are cat balloons for hermana porters birthday. who doesnt like a good hanging cat?

I know I'm not as funny as I think I am. it says "why not?"

Zaragoza - Week eight

Hiii Fam!

So first off, not to make you all sensitive, but it's gorgeous weather here lately. I love it. It's been so nice all week. Gah. The best.

Anyway, this week was good! I LOVED conference. So much. It's like Christmas for all the missionaries. We got to watch it in english too, which I was really glad about, it's better in english haha. The only bummer is that we only got to see the Saturday sessions and the womens conference (which was SO good). So were gonna have to figure out how to download all of Sunday cuz we missed it while traveling to Barcelona.

So basically, we had another really humbling week here. It's good for us. It was a pretty rough week contacting, but it's really good to help us remember that this is the work of the Lord. I know the Lord is just trying our faith. Sometimes you have better weeks than others. All that matters is that you keep working hard and push through until you make it to the good weeks. Every hard day that happens just means we are that much closer to seeing some miracles.

So Friday, we took Jessie contacting with us. She told us she wanted to see what our life was like. And let me tell you, she was a MACHINE. Holy cow it was wild. We would be talking to someone, and she would already be off onto the next person. She was incredible. And people really listened to her! So I think she had fun with it. She would not let anyone walk away from her without taking our card first.

This Saturday, we got to watch the Womens conference, which I loved! I cried during one of the songs haha. I've become real sensitive on my mission. I just cry happy tears all the time. Haha. It's fine. Then right after, we saw Saturday morning session and then on Sunday we saw the Saturday afternoon session before we left for Barcelona. I really loved it so much. It's interesting how much it talked about building your foundation and keeping covenants. It's so true though. We see people struggle all the time and it's because their foundation isn't strong in Christ. The gospel is such a blessing. And its so easy to live, you just gotta do it ya know? I can't wait to hear the rest of conference, I'M DYING.

Anyway, Saturday night we went to Barcelona! It's always fun to travel. We got to sleep in the mission home that night. It's suuuppper nice. A couple other Hermanas stayed there as well. That night, we got to see a little bit of conference with President and Hermana Pace, it was fun to be with them!

Then the next day, all the zone leaders and sister training leaders came for c oncilio. I'll be honest I was nervous! I feel so young and new haha but luckily I had Hermana Findlay with me. We talked about how we can help the mission grow and different things that the mission struggles with as a whole that we can improve on. It was a really incredible experience. I love all the meetings in the mission, the are always super spiritual and uplifting. Also guess what?! The cook in the mission home MADE CAFE RIO SALADS. I WAS DYING. Gosh. Literally the best. I've been craving that ever since the last time I ate it. It just felt right, ya know?

So there are 10 sister training leaders. Hermana Findlay and I are the only ones that are companions. President told us they are testing to see how it goes with us haha, the ayudantes called us last night and told us they want our feedback with how it goes working together. It'll be fun. We have 5 intercambios this week, one every week this transfer. All the other ones have 3 I think. So it'll be a crazy transfer! I'm up for the challenge though!!

Anyway, there's not much else about this week, I love you family! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Reid

Zaragoza - Week seven

Hi Family!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW ROCKSTARRRR!! You're the best. I hope you go absolutely wild on your birthday. I know you will. Love you! Your letter is in the mail :)

So let's get real, this week was kinda rough haha. I don't know why, but literally no one wanted to talk to us this week. Haha really though, no one. But you know why? I'll tell you. Just hold on a second, I'll explain it all.

Ok so first off, this week we got transfer calls. All week Hermana Findlay and I were going back and forth guessing what was going to happen. In fact halfway through the week, I decided we were being split. But then we figured we would stay together cuz we've only been here one transfer, but you never know, crazier things have happened. All we knew that was if on Saturday night, we got a call from President, it meant something big was happenening. He only calls if we are training or if we are opening an area or something like that.

So Saturday night we get back to piso and the phone rings immediatley, assuming its our district leader, I looked at it and realized it was PRESIDENT. We were both freakin out. So my companion talked to him for a little bit and then he asked to talk to me. Right off the bat, he told me that we were both staying together. But then he asked if I would be okay with being called as a Sister Training Leader!! I was pumped! Hermana Findlay was jumping up and down. He told me that they wanted to see what would happen if they put two sister training leaders together, like they do with zone leaders because right now all the sister training leaders don't have a sister training leader companion. He said he was going to call me as one anyway, but it just worked out even better that my comp was already a leader too! So we are the guinea pigs I guess haaha. I am super excited about it though! It means I get to go to a meeting with all the leaders and President once a month in Barcelona in the mission home and I will get to do intercambios with other Hermanas throughout the mission every week!

I feel really young still though, I'm the youngest one in the group, and Hermana Findlay and I are the only sister training leaders that haven't trained anyone ever. So I am kind of nervous about it, I hope I do it well. I am SUPER excited about it though. It gave Hermana Findlay and I so much animo about the work. We are so pumped to work super hard this transfer and see some miracles.

Anyway, that's why I think this week was rough. Satan knows that we are ready to work super hard, so this week was an extra challenge. I feel like our faith is being tried, to see if we have the patience to endure. I have never had such excitement to talk to everyone. Even though no one, and really, I mean no one, wanted to listen to us this week, I am grateful for weeks like it because it makes you realize how good the good weeks actually are. It's weeks like these that remind us to be humble, and that this is the Lord´s work. All the miracles we see, are a result of His hand in our life. Every time there are hard days, it's just because really good ones are up ahead. I've learned that a lot. You just have to develop the patience to endure.

I really love this work. I know it is the work of the Lord. I have really learned how the only way to actually find lasting peace and happiness is through this gospel. God´s plan is so perfect, and we are so blessed to have a knowledge of it.

Anyway, sorry that was long. But life is good. It's warm here, I'm excited for conference!! We watch it at really weird times here, I haven't seen the women's one yet, but I cant wait to see it!! Also I'll email next week on Tuesday again I think. I have my first meeting in Barcelona next Monday, so I don't think we will write till Tuesday. Anyway, I love you all!! Have an amazing week!

Hermana Fry Fry

PS this week I read about King Noah and that whole story, (Book of Mormon Chapter 11, 12, and 13 and I couldn't help but laugh the whole time haha. It always reminds me of pageant "fifty nephites can stand against thoouussaanndsss of lammaaannnites.." Good times.  I just wanted to act it out the whole time that I was reading it. My companions always think I'm weird for how obsessed I am with pageant. It's fine, over it.

For the scriptural account about King Noah read the following chapters in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)

Zaragoza - Week six

Hi FAMILY!!

JESSIE GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!! We literally had an incredible week. I don't even know where to start. So we saw Jessie Wednesday, and she had had the goal to be baptized this weekend but hadn't given us a definite no or yes yet. But on Wednesday she officially decided she would go through with it. We were PUMPED OUTTA OUR MINDS. Anyway, so things got willllldd cuz we had to plan the baptism in like three days haha. We called all the members to invite them and give talks and all that and got everything all figured out super nicely actually, we didn't have any issues. Annnndd after she told us the water was perfectly warm, gooo us!

The baptism was super incredible. Jessie really needed that in her life. One of the other elders baptized her, it was his first time and he totally nailed it. She bore her testimony afterwards about how she has been reading and praying a lot and how she has just felt a lot of peace about being baptized. I was so so happy! We met her only a couple weeks ago, and just like that, she was baptized. It just proves how much God is preparing people to be baptized. And Hermana Findlay was a genius and decided to do a voice recording with Jessie, so I'll send those too. You'll love to hear them.

Also another miracle this week.. so a few weeks ago I told you about a man named Carlos that we met in the street. At first he didn't want to talk to us, but I asked if we could pray with him and he let us. Afterwards, he let us take his number. Well on Saturday he showed up for english class! We talked to him afterwards and helped him a little bit more and then asked if we could share a scripture with him. He was super accepting of everything so we invited him to church the next day too. We got there right as the meeting started, and as I looked around, I couldn't see him there, I was way bummed. I sat and prayed and prayed to God that he would come. But then after the meeting ended, we found him! He had been there the whole time! We just didn't see him when we walked in. He stayed for all three meetings and he LOVED it. You know how much I would love to baptize a 60 year old spainard? I would die. It's happening. We're meeting with him again this week too, so we're super excited about that. It was such a miracle.

So I feel super blessed to be in this area, I know I always say that, but it's true. This area has really changed who I am as a missionary. When Hermana Findlay and I got here, we had nothing going. But we've worked and worked and worked. Five weeks later, we had a baptism, 7 investigators at church, and found 7 new investigators. We literally keep seeing miracle after miracle. I've learned how to really truly give my all to the Lord. When this week started, we had high hopes, but we thought there was for sure no way we could get many people to church. We have only had 2 consistently coming since we've gotten here, and one was Jessie. But we prayed really hard, and were super obedient, and we picked up two, and were blessed with 7 total that showed up. It was incredible. We have never been so happy!! So life is good. I love this area. It's really shaped me into the missionary I know I can be. I've learned that God is willing to show us miracles if we will just act, and show our faith. If you're obedient, and willing to be an instrument in His hands, He can do so much. Life is so good. Thanks for everything family!

Love you all!! Have a great week!


Love Hermana Reid

Zaragoza - Week five

hi faaammmm!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW NICK!

hows everyone? thanks for all the birthday wishes. YOU'RE THE BEST. Tell Kelsie and Grandma that both their cards made it, they are SO sweet for thinking of me. PS: Kelsie, I'm on the hunt for blueberries. Ill send you a picture when I get some :)

So this week was good! Ive been kinda sick all week though which has been a bummer. Yesterday I lost my voice haha I couldn't talk at all. But I think I'm getting better finally. Gah I feel old though. 21 is like the oldest ever. Haha. jk. I know all you are mad at me for saying that cuz youre all older.. sorry.
Anyway, my birthday was good! I woke up to tons of balloons and decorations all over. The other hermanas bought me a purple wig and made me wear it with my party hat. They made me super yummy crepes for breakfast too. They are so sweet. Then after, we had to do weekly planning for the week.. wooo.. it was so good.

But after that, we went to a members house for lunch! The mom, Ines, is the sweetest woman ever. Shes from Spain but her husband is from Germany. They are fluent in spanish, german, and english. So she told me she wanted to make me a super spanish dish for my birthday so guess what we ate... squid in its own ink! Haha. Basically it was bits of squid in a black sauce with white rice. Ill be honest, it wasn't that bad! I'd eat it again. I mean who can say they spent their 21st birthday in Spain eating squid in its own ink? Probably just me. Ines made me a super yummy chocolate cake cuz she knows its my favorite. Also she bought me a scarf for my birthday, shes the sweetest. (you'd be bffs with her, mom)

After that we had a lesson with Kleber. Hes doing so good! Hes preparing to be baptized this weekend, so keep him in your prayers. Hes really ready for it, he just needs to get in that font already.

After that, we grabbed our stuff and headed to Barcelona! Its about a two hour train ride from here, it was super fun. Our hotel was really nice. I was pretty sick though, so we just went to bed. The food was good at the hotel though. You know I love hotel food.

The next day we had a conference with Elder Kearon.. the first counselor of the Europe area presidency. It was really incredible. He talked a lot about our worth, and the importance of realizing that we are special in God's eyes. He was an incredible speaker. On top of that, we got to see a ton of old missionary friends, I got to see Hermana Benson, it was SO fun to see her. Shes as cute as ever.

The rest of the week was good. Jessie is also doing so well! Shes hopefully going to be baptized this weekend as well. Shes reading and praying a ton. Shes so cute, yesterday at the end of church she left relief society a little bit early, and when I came out, she was standing there with a cake and 21 candles. How sweet! She bought enough to share with everyone. I felt so loved!

Anyway, I'm really loving it here still. Its been warm lately, which is the best ever. Except it'll probably mean it'll be brutally hot this summer. But better hot than cold. I'm really glad I've been put in this area; its really helped me to become the missionary I need to be. We have been working so hard and have had a lot of fun. Time is flying so fast! I can't believe its almost summer time again!  Life is so good! Thanks again for all the birthday wishes!

PS my package came! I got it a day after my birthday, I LOVE THE CLOTHES. you know me so well. gah. mint. and cadbury eggs are all I could ask for!! I got the credit card as well, don't worry. THANK YOU THANK YOU! I love you family!!

Hermana Fras

PS every woman over the age of 60 here has purple hair. for real. so strange.

Cute sisters that planned a surprise for me. They hung paper and filled it with balloons so it exploded when I opened my door.

 Some of us girls at the conference.

Jessie and the cake she brought me.

My birthday cake from Ines!

They bought me this purple birthday wig and cute hats...totallly rocked it!

Zaragoza - Week four

Hi everyone!

How’s everyone? This week was pretty good! Time is flying here, were already halfway through this transfer in Zaragoza. We are really loving it. Also it’s getting warm here. So were loving it a lot more! Hopefully it starts warming up for good. Also we've been running too! We run 3 miles every morning to the Pilar and back. It’s the best. And its real dedication too cuz we have to wake up early. Count it.

Anyway, this week was good! Hermana Findlay had to do a two day intercambio so I was with the other hermanas for a few days. It was fun to be with them, but it was hard to be out of our area. I was definitely glad when she came back. President and Hermana Pace came up this weekend too! On Saturday, Hermana Pace came contacting with us and to a visit with a menos activo. It was fun to have her! We don’t get to spend much time with them, so it was nice to have her for the afternoon. They came for church as well! Super fun.

So I don’t have a whole lot to say about this week since we didn't get to work a whole lot in our area. But Kleberg is doing well! He came to the baptism the other hermanas had Saturday night. It was good for him to see it. I heard somewhere that 80% of the people that see baptisms end up getting baptized themselves or some super high number haha like that... He has a goal now to be baptized on the 22nd. We had to change his date cuz we won’t be here this next weekend. But he’s progressing well; he even brought his girlfriend and her two kids to the baptism! Super cool.

Also Jessie is doing super good! She’s our cute friend from Ghana. She came shopping with us last preparation day. So fun. She also came to the baptism. She accepted a baptismal goal for the 22nd as well! She’s progressing a ton. We ate at her house one day this week  and in the course of the conversation she told us she doesn’t drink or smoke, or even like coffee, so that makes our job even easier.

Other than that, there’s not a whole lot else new this week, sorry. The work is going well here! We have been finding a ton of news lately. I don’t think I have ever seen so many miracles. We are literally teaching in every opportunity that we have. We teach a ton in the street, it’s been a really different experience from my last area, but I love it. This area has been really good for me because it’s helped me get over any shyness I had about contacting. I've got no shame. Come at me world.

Also we have a conference this next week in Barcelona with an area 70. We are really excited. We’re heading down Wednesday night (my birthday actually) and we will stay in a hotel down there. So it’ll be a party. I’m excited. K sorry this email was kind of boring. Buttt I love you all!


Love Hermana fry

Zaragoza - Week three

Hey Fam!

How are you all? It sounds like it was a good week for everyone, I really miss you all!

So this week was a week of miracles. I don't think I've ever seen so many miracles in such a short span of time in my mission. Hermana Findlay and I worked so, so hard this week.

So you know how we decided to put our area into five zones to plan out passing by members and such? So this week we got to work and started visiting less actives along a few of the routes. My goodness, we saw great stuff. Basically we got off the bus in our area (we live 30 minutes away from our area) and we started contacting every single person on the street. Hermana Findlay got wild and tried to contact a man on the phone. It was hilarious. But we saw some incredible miracles and had a ton of lessons in the street everywhere we were. It was amazing to see how when God knows where you are and where you're gonna be, He puts people in your path. I've never had so much success contacting. In fact, at the end of the week we had 13 new investigators! The thing is with news, not all of them keep interest all the way till baptism. But the more news you find, the more quickly you CAN find the ones that are prepared.

We talked to this one old Spaniard in the street one night and started testifying to him what we believe. He thought it was nice, and took our card, but wasn't interested in giving us his number to set up another visit with him. He just said we would run into him again on this street sometime.. haha.. so I said to him, "well can we at least pray with you before we leave then?" So, I said a prayer and asked God to bless him and his family. After the prayer, he looked at me and said, super sincerely, "thank you, that was really kind of you. Did you want to write down my number?" I sat there stunned! It's really incredible what happens when you let the spirit work on people. I love to pray with people, we try to do it as much as possible to let them feel our message. The spirit really works miracles.

Also we met a Spaniard woman named Rosita this week, she was a reference from the elders. She's about 70 and has about 6 teeth. When we met her she was wearing some sort of nightgown with an apron on top. Well at least I think that's what it was .. anyway she LOVES Americans. Oh gosh she was obsessed with us haha. She wants to learn English and loves to hear us speak it.The first time we visited with her she asked if we could come dance at the discoteca with her haha. She's wild. We saw her again yesterday and she gave us strange stuff to eat. She told us it was only chicken and flour (some fried circular thing) but I couldn't identify any chicken.. so who knows. I eat weird stuff here. But anyway, we talked to her about baptism, she's read in the Book of Mormon and has really liked it. We asked her how she'd feel to be clean of all her past, and she said she would love that. But for some reason she has it in her head she's not worthy for baptism. But we're planning for the end of the month as a goal for her. I would just die if I could see that woman get in the font.

Also Kleber, he also has a baptismal goal for the 15th. He's doing so well! He's all the way at the end of Alma in his reading. In church he answers questions like a member. He's so golden. So keep him in your prayers that he will get baptized.

Oh also we met a girl from Ghana (but she's been living in England) the other day on the bus. Her name is Jessie. Way cute. She loves us. I think she's coming shopping with us today too haha. She came to church yesterday and all the members were way sweet to her so hopefully next time we meet, we can set a fecha with her as well. Miracles!

Also Hermana Woodbury told me that my Peruvian family are all being baptized on the 8th of March. I about cried when I read it. When we met them, the dad was so not into the church, and now they are all being baptized as a family together. I'm so heartbroken I can't be there, it's really hard to know I'll miss it. But, nonetheless, it'll be incredible.

Anyway, I'm really loving Zaragoza. The members here are absolutely incredible. We have seen so many miracles and we are finding so many news to teach. We are really working so hard. I don't think I have ever contacted so much in my entire life haha. It was an exhausting week. But it's good for me. I feel blessed to be white washing. It's hard, but I feel so accomplished every night, knowing we literally talked to everyone we could have. I'm excited to see more miracles!

Hermana Findlay is an incredible missionary. We are really having tons of fun together.

Love you all!

Love Hermana Fras