Chapter 37: I´m doing WHAT again??

What a crazy week! The last week of the transfer always seems to fly for me. This week we were definitely blessed with a miracle. We were continuing to have the worst luck with our investigators, and then my companion told me how she felt prompted that we should pass by an investigator that we found a couple months ago that seemed to have no interest. Well, we did, and we got the usual response, "I can´t today, but come back tomorrow, and I´ll be here." I just looked at my companion and thought ya right. I didn’t even know if we should waste the time coming back. Well, we did and it was incredible. She was completely changed. We taught her the Restoration, and she wanted us to come back. We had the Relief Society President come with us to an appointment to teach the Plan of Salvation, and she said she wanted to be baptized! There is always power in the Plan of Salvation. I love to see the look in people´s eyes when they find out for the first time that they can live with God and their family for Eternity.  Her name is Ana, and she is from Peru and she has a husband and son. She´s by far the most interested out of the three, but she is just learning so much. She really is asking questions and diligently seeking to find the truth. We came back the next day and she told us, "Before we start the lesson, I didn´t have an opportunity to read out of the Book of Mormon today; can we start our lesson by reading a chapter?" She is truly incredible. What´s even more incredible is she came to church! And the members just loved and accepted her. I am so excited. I think we may have some Word of Wisdom problems, but she has enough faith to overcome them. I am really excited to continue working with her and her family. Sunday night, the Relief Society President invited her over for Family Home Evening, and I think she had a good time. Have I ever said that I love the members here?  Which is why I am so glad that....drum roll please....I am staying in Castellón for another transfer! I was completely and utterly shocked. I knew that either me or Hermana Jarman was leaving, and it´s almost always the senior companion that leaves first when they open an area. In fact, I had pretty much begun my farewells, shed a few tears at one house (for the record, they started crying first, and I just couldn´t help myself) but then we received transfer calls. I was honestly panicking all day in anticipation of this call. I hate transfer calls.  Anyway, our district Leader finally called us, and he told us where all the Elders in the district were going first (He was trying to kill me, I am sure of it) and then he said, "Hermana Jarman, you will be opening the area Gerona with Hermana Benson (my MTC comp! lucky duck...) and Hermana Hopkins, you will be staying and training." WHAT??? Training again?? So yes, I am right back into the training program. I can´t believe I was called to train back to back, especially since only 4 Hermanas are coming into the mission. But, I know it´s what the Lord wants me to do at this point. So, we went around and let Hermana Jarman say her goodbyes. We visited our Spaniard family, Ana and Cristina. And the Grandma is about 80 years old, and just cried and cried. It was so sweet. Then she tried to teach us the pasa doble. hahaha I don´t think I will be making it on Dancing with the Stars anytime soon, but it was a sweet memory. It was definitely a bitter sweet weekend. I was grateful I got to stay in Castellón for the Holidays, but it was really hard to say goodbye to Hermana Jarman. I felt like her mom getting her ready to leave on her mission. She´s been trained, well, actually she trained me, and I know she will be so great up there. Maybe a little bit colder, but she will work miracles. As for me, I am nervous to train again, but I guess it´s what I signed up for.  I really do love being a missionary. Fernando has been really flakey this week, so we need to keep working with him, and Gris said she wouldn´t be able to meet with us this week just as a quick update. Happy Thanksgiving for real this week.  The Elders had us all convinced that it was last week, and we had a full out party! I even made a pie, and when we called the senior couples to tell them Happy Thanksgiving they informed us that we were wrong, it was next week. hahaha! We all had a good laugh. But hey, now we just get to celebrate it twice! So yes, I am so grateful for all the prayers and support, especially during this week.

Les Quiero,

Hermana Hopkins

Chapter 36: Hermana Hopsicle

Yes, this week I was Hermana Hopsicle. I don’t know what hit Spain, but it sure wasn’t the weather I was expecting—not to mention I am in the warmest area in the mission right now. People keep telling me that I should be used to this being from Utah, but I don’t think they understand that I have been living in Spain for the last 8 months, and have become accustomed to the warm, Mediterranean air not the bitter-cold, humid wind. However, it is starting to warm back up, slowly yet surely. Unfortunately, this weather report seems to be work report of our week as well. Every time we got some sunshine, we were hit with some rain. We taught Fernando this week, and it was an incredible lesson. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and my companion told me before the lesson that she would also like to teach the word of wisdom. I thought that was crazy! We already knew that he had a problem with drinking, and so I was thinking we would make sure that he had a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith before teaching it to him...but as the time came, I felt it was the right time to talk about it as well, and so we did. We taught the word of wisdom, and he just looked back at us like we were the craziest people he had ever seen. It was the biggest let down ever. I was just thinking, “Great, we just lost our best investigator.” However, then he looked up at us again, and told us, “Hermanas, I somehow knew all my life that smoking, coffee, tea, and drugs were bad for me, but I have had a problem with alcohol. I have been trying to stop. Last night, I felt a presence stand next to me as I was about to take a sip of alcohol that told me to stop. I know that I need to stop and that this is the right path for me.” I was shocked!! He told us he still wanted to talk to his son and his wife about his baptism, but he would try to stop drinking alcohol. It was definitely a bit of sunshine! However, the end of the week came, and we decided to fast as a companionship because he told us that he would tell us if he would get baptized this week on Sunday morning. A couple hours after we started the fast, we got a call from the Elders telling us that they found Fernando drinking outside. I was so upset. He came to church, but got an emergency call and had to leave before we really got a chance to talk to him. This one might take a little bit more power from the Heavens than I originally thought. We also started teaching this other women named Gris. She is from Ecuador, and she is so open.  We taught her the Restauración, and at the end we asked her what she thought, and she replied, “Well, I guess I need to be baptized.” You guessed right my friend!  However, she didn’t come to church like she promised, so it will be a little easier said than done.... It was, however, a very trying week. I think God had to send us little miracles to keep us going. One day in particular comes to mind. We had a really long day—everything cancelled on us, it was raining, and we were cold and tired—the perfect setting for a miracle. It was so tempting to just go back to our apartment a half hour early just warm up and make calls or something. However, we decided to be good little missionaries, and stay out, and God sent us a miracle indeed! We were walking, or splashing more like, to a little park inside of our area—it seemed fruitless since everyone was inside enjoying the cozy warmth, but then we saw a man walking his dog in the distance. Since he was the only person brave enough to face the cold, we thought maybe he was warm enough to accept our message. We walked up to him, and he was Hussain! Our lost Muslim investigator! After we had talked with him and made an appointment, we saw another one of our investigators that we had lost the phone number for, and hadn’t been able to contact him. It was such a blessing that wouldn’t have happened if we had gone back! So although we had some rough patches this week, we were definitely blessed, and the forecast for next week definitely looks a little brighter.

Les Quiero!

Hermana Hopsicle J

Chapter 35: Boomin´Brazilian Baptism

            This week, my companion and I were working on finding two new investigators everyday. It seemed like a really big goal, but we put our faith in God and got to work. So Wednesday, we had a day packed full of visits and potential new investigators, and every single one of them cancelled. Yes, every single one. It was awful.  We just roamed the streets, half heartedly contacting people. Yes, I realize this is not the attitude a missionary should have, but it was a bad day.  So, we had one cita left, and we were super excited for this young Spaniard that we found. So, we invited one of the young adults to go with us, and then we walked to his piso....and he wasn´t there. I was about ready to...I don´t even know. But then, the young adult said, “Well, I know that one of my friends used to live in this building. Let me call him and see if he would like to listen.”  Not only did he want to listen, but he said, “Alright, let´s go pick up my other friend and maybe he would be interested as well.” We were in shock. Just like any other Spaniard, we went to go get tapas and discuss the gospel.  It was really such a miracle. Although we didn´t meet our goal....or come close to actually, the Lord blessed us to have the faith to continue our crazy week. 

Oh and yes, Thursday morning we met with Aglaice,and it was the moment of truth. We talked about her goal to be baptized this Saturday and asked how she was doing with the Word of Wisdom. She told us, “I was with my friends one day, and they all went to a bar. They all were asking me, even more than usual to drink some beer. I told them that I had to go home and study something, and I couldn´t. The next day, I went out again and saw my friends outside the same bar smoking and drinking, and they invited me even more than the previous day to join them.” Then she just looked up at me with this sad expression on her face, and my heart plummeted. However, she continued, “I almost did, but then I felt this light or pull from God to help me resist. I told them that I was preparing for my baptism and that I couldn´t do that anymore. They told me I was crazy and that this church has way too many restrictions. And I told them that they only tell you to not put harmful substances in your body—that we need to eat healthily. And the bartender overheard and said he respected my decision to follow God, and will have a Fanta or Pepsi waiting for me whenever I needed it.” My jaw was about on the floor at this moment—just last week she was struggling so hard with the word of wisdom, and now she was an advocate for it! It was a blessing straight from heaven, and she had her interview that night, and was ready to go for her baptism on Saturday. Now, I knew that it was too easy...This never happens the week before baptisms. Yet, Friday came and went, and Saturday morning came. So far so good...her baptism was at 12:00, so we had to get to the church pretty early to fill the font. Now, the font is a blue little swimming pool thing supported by metal bars that the Elders have to put up and down every time there is a baptism. Plus, I learned from the last baptism that it leaks. So, we tightened all the corners, and put mops underneath the font to try to stop the leakage. Again, so far so good. Aglaice came on time, got her baptismal clothes on, and we took pictures. So far so good. Then we started the baptismal program, which was very sweet. So far so good. Then, it was time for Hermana Jarman and I to sing. We got up and sang “Where Can I Turn for Peace” since it was one of her favorite songs. We got through the first verse and started the second when we hear this BOOM coming from the font. Oh no. Everyone jumped out of their chairs, and one of the little kids there yelled out, “Did I hear a dinosaur??” One of the Elders went to go assess the situation, and by this time Hermana Jarman and I were just standing in the front dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was going on. Then, about a minute later, BOOM. The metal supports the held the font up were exploding because they forgot to turn off the water. The Elders sprinted out of the room to turn off the water, and the relief society president calmly says, “Hermanas, will you continue your song.” I was just trying not to laugh at this point. It could not have been a better song to be singing. We finished the song, and it was a beautiful baptism. We were so blessed! The next day she was confirmed a member, and it was so cute. As soon as she sat down, she said, “I want to pay tithing, where and how can I do that?” It was a hard journey, but it was so great.

            Also, we were teaching Fernando, our batman from the Dominican Republic. I just have no other words to describe his voice. Haha He sounds like batman with an accent from the Dominican Republic. He´s had a pretty hard life, and so we taught him the Plan of Salvation. I think it´s my favorite lesson to teach because it just makes sense! I love seeing the understanding that fills people´s eyes when you teach the Plan of Salvation—that their life has a purpose. At the end of the lesson, we had this grown man just crying. It was such a tender moment. He said he would pray about being baptized this month. I love Dominicans.  Most of our investigators were busy this week, so we didn´t get to meet with very many of them, but the lessons we had were so great, it made me realize how excited I am to be a missionary at this time right now. I love this church, and even though it´s hard sometimes, I know it´s true with all my heart. Thanks for all the prayers for Aglaice; I know it´s what was the difference in helping her overcome her addictions.

Les Quiero!

Hermana Hopkins 

Chapter 34: Happy Halloween

Chapter 34: Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!! I definitely missed the United States version of the spooky holiday, but we still tried our best to make it festive. It´s not really celebrated here in Spain. The day after is El Día de los Santos, which is the equivalent to Memorial Day in the United States. However, Halloween was also one of the Elder´s birthdays in our district, and I was bound to make it special for him as well. So, I made Halloween cupcakes! Complete with orange cream cheese frosting with “bug” sprinkles. And yes, I made the frosting beating it with a fork. I was pretty proud of myself.  Then my companion and I were scheming on how we could dress up by still following mission rules, and then it hit us! We were going to be each other! Haha So I dressed up like my companion, and she dressed up like me, and we switched chapas (name tags) when we delivered the cupcakes. I only saw about 5 children in the street wearing costumes because really here in Spain, it´s a holiday that gives adults an excuse to go get drunk. No trick or treating here. That morning, we taught Aglaece who was supposed to get baptized last Saturday. She told us, “Hermanas I thought I would let you know, that when you started visiting me, I was smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Now, I have gotten down to 2 cigarettes a day, and I promise if you give me a week, I will be baptized.” I´ll take it. We are really really going to work on her next week. For English class that night, we always give a spiritual thought at the end, and I thought I was being pretty clever by giving a thought about the Holy Ghost. After class, we approached this Brazilian lady about seeing if there was a time we could visit her and explain to her a little bit about the church. She has a friend in the church and said, “Sure! In fact, why don´t I come pick you both up on Saturday and you can come to my house for lunch!” I love Brazilians. Sometimes, I think I should have followed my brother and dad´s examples and served there as well. Haha Anyway, Saturday came and we talked on the way, and then we pull up to this little Spanish villa in the countryside of Spain. I was in awe!! It was the most beautiful little home I had seen in Spain yet. There were tons of palm trees and fruit trees, and she went to town on this lunch! She had a “princess garden party.” set up among the trees in her yard with these darling little decorations, and a feast prepared. I thought I had eaten a lot in my life...but I think if you add together all the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners I have had in my entire life, it might just maybe would add up to what I ate. I couldn´t move.  She served us this GIANT plate of rice and beans. I thought that was the main dish. Oh no. Then she pulls out the fist and potatoes....a HUGE fish, mind you. Then when I thought I couldn´t fit another bite in, she filled my plate. Twice. And there was no telling her no.  My companion just looked at me with her cheeks filled with food, and this panicked look in her eyes. I was stuffed to the gills. Then came the dessert. She brings out this big plate of fruit, ice cream, and chocolates. We shared the message and invited her to come to  church, and she drove us home, and we died. We had to lie on the floor, half laughing and half crying for about a half an hour before we could get out and work again. Also, we have continued to work with Fernando. Well, we taught him the restoration, and we asked him if he would like to be baptized. He was just like, “Yea! I´ll be baptized.” Ummm, what??  Not only that, but he actually came to church! I was so excited. I think he might have some word of wisdom problems, but after dealing with Algaece these last couple weeks, it doesn´t quite phase me like it did before. He had to leave Sacrament meeting early, and it was so funny, he walks out the door, and then sticks his head back in and in his deep, gravely, Dominican voice says, “May Jesus bless you all, see you next week!”  All the missionaries just bursted out laughing. We couldn´t help it. I love the people we are teaching. We have had a few nights this week where every appointment cancelled, which leaves us on the streets to do contacting, door knocking, etc. And those nights are hard. But, we also have seen the Lord´s hand in this work so much. Last night I was not in the happy missionary spirit that you see in church movies. Every cita cancelled on us, it was windy outside, and I was exhausted since we had to be up early for a conference. I was just walking grudgingly along, and I was thinking, “This is just a miserable night.” So, I said a prayer in my heart for a miracle. We were knocking doors, and no one would even let us talk. Then we found this Spaniard that seems to be prepared just for us. He talked about how he has been looking for the truth since he believes that the Catholic Church has changed too many doctrines from the bible, and how the bible needs something to complete it since so many truths were taken out. I am so excited to teach him! He is so open to our message. God really does answer prayers, sometimes not when we ask for them right away, and sometimes yes. This week is going to be really busy preparing Algaece for her baptism, so please pray for us here. I have a new testimony of the devil during the weeks before baptisms!

 In the words of Fernando, “May Jesus bless you, and see you next week!”

Les Quiero,

Hermana Hopkins