Dear Friends and Family—
Funny story! Last Saturday, my
companion and I were walking down the streets and came across los Testigos de
Jeovah (Jehovah Witness). Normally, they always stare us down or give us weird
looks. As usual, we are always prepared to smile and wave! Well, this time as we
passed them by they smiled and waved back!! A couple of minutes later, my comp
and I looked at each other and we were like HOW nice they were! Weren’t they? Then
my comp said, "¿Hermana, tiene su chapa?" (nametag) and I looked down
and realized it was inside my coat and then I looked at my comp and asked her: ‘Where
was your nametag?”.. It turned out that hers was also inside of her coat… Bottom
line, los testigos de Jeovah thought we were ‘testigos’ too… It was super
funny! It EXPLAINS everything.
I am officially in Elche,
España!! Where there are more palm trees than people!! Woo-hoo!!
However, it just got a lot harder. The ward is amazing though. Our ward, Elche
2, is very small barrio of about 50 members who attend regularly…honestly, we
should be a branch instead. That being said, our sacrament meeting goes real quick!
I have been able to tell the difference in the people from Malaga to the people
in Andulucia. But all in all, I know there is someone who is here in Elche that
is ready to hear our message. So, for now, we just have to keep looking,
working hard and being obedient.
Speaking of obedient, I have
been studying a ton about Obedience. You see, on Saturday night, el obispo (the
bishop) called and assigned us to teach gospel principals class on Sunday and the
lesson was on obedience (small world)… I loved it! The members really got into
the lesson and they bore testimony and all was super cool. It’s amazing to keep
so many different people coming from all different lives, different problems, and
different trials but at the end of the day the gospel is what changed their
perspectives. Having Christ being the center in their lives is what helped
them. I love the Book of Mormon, I talk about it every day. I study it, read it,
and apply it. Since this book is for us in our days, it is available so that we
can gain knowledge, keep growing and draw closer and closer to our Heavenly
Father. The Book of Mormon and the Spirit are keys to our change of hearts, minds
and ultimately to our conversion.
Let’s take advantage of this
and share with our friends and family what the Book of Mormon means most to
you. I talk about how the gospel has been restored in this dispensation and how
we have a living Prophet today, even Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides us
directed from our Father in Heaven. Brothers, Sisters family and friends, we have
so many things to be thankful for! One of my favorite quotes by Dieter F.
Uchdorf "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your Faith." Thank
you for the loving prayers and having a solid awesome week!
Besitos y Abrazos,
Hermana Arce!
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| On my way to Elche |
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| Back in Malaga..saying goodbye to Nubia! |