Bones Festes!!!

Hola!! Espero que todos tienen un feliz Navidad!! I am so grateful to be on the mission right now. I really love being able to focus on others this time of the year. I have seen that as we try and help others they end up helping us. We have gotten really close to our amigos and members and I love it. We feel so much love for these people. 

I love this time of year. I'm so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He lived his whole life for us. We have hope for the future because of him. Christmas is not only about his birth but also about his life and knowing what he did for us. Thanks to him we can repent. Through repentance there is hope to change into a better person. Thanks to him we can live again. Thanks to him we can be with out families forever. Thanks to him we have a perfect example of how we should treat others. Thanks to him there is hope and joy.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas with family and friends! I hope we can all focus on the blessings in our life thanks to Jesus Christ. Love you all!! 

Pics: Day in park Güel

Palm reading, New Friends and Temple Surprises!!!

Hola mis queridos amigos! Mucho tiempo! Sorry, I've been a bit busy. This past few weeks have been good! We have transfers this week but we are staying here in good ole Hospitalet!! Im stoked, I love it here. We have met a lot of new people and have really been working with some less active families. We have some solid amigos. I've been learning a lot. Ive really seen how important it is to go after the one. I've felt so much love helping those people come back and remeber their faith. It's been beautiful to hear the testimonies of these people expressing their desire to strengthen themselves and their families through the gospel. 

        

So these past couple weeks have been pretty busy. Weve had some fun/ interesting things happen including meeting a drunk guy who read our palms jaja. We also bought matching Pjs for Christmas which was super cuteee. Also cool story...we also were waiting outside the church one Sunday waiting for an amigo to show up and a man walks by and asks if we are Christians and asks if he can come investigate our church and of course we said yes!!! He is awesome. He is Colombian and works at a Colombian restaurant and he wants us to visit! Score!! 

Ya I'm really happy here. Our ward is great!! We had our ward choir program and it was so great! All the little kids got nametags that said future missionary and one kid ran up to me so excited to show me! I asked him where he wanted to serve and he said he wanted to go to the moon. So cute! 

Also one thing super exciting is that we can go to the temple in Madrid now!!! I'm so excited to be able to have the opportunity to go and see the blessings that the temple brings to families and individuals!! Well I dont have a lot of time this week but I love you all!! I hope you have a great week!! Le quiero! 

Hermana Ross 

Mis Hermanas

Mi Mamita (trainer)

Fun Times

White Elephant with my Zone

Mi Distrito

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hola mis queridos amigos,

I'm so thankful for every one of you! Thanks for your prayers and thoughts and emails. 

This week has been good. My companion and another hermana in our piso got sick the beginning of the week so that was a little rough but we are alright now!! We also got stuck in the rain one day without coats or umbrellas so that was an adventure jaja. 

We have been getting to know our members in our ward better and I love them. They really take care of us. We met this awesome family who is trying to get back to church and they are so fun! We also met the friends of a member. They are living in the same house while they find a job and they are super interested in learning about the gosple. They are great. We really have been blessed with so many milagros!!  

I've loved being in Barcelona. Everything is in Catalán! Before, everything was in Valenciano when I was in Catarroja. And now everything is in Catalán. I dont understand it at all but its ok cause everyone knows Spanish jaja. 

Being on the mission during Thanksgiving is different but it's been really nice to reflect on my blessings while I'm away from my family. I am so grateful for them and for the gospel and how we are strengthened by learning about Christ's gosple together. I know Christ lives and he loves us. I read a beautiful scripture in 1 nephi that says, " And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture." I know that in Christ we can find pasture and he will watch over us. Have a great week everyone!! 

Germana (in Catalán) Ross

Preparation days are about to get Wild!

Hola!! 

Ok sorry for 2 emails this week. Last week my phone wasn't working so I didn't have a chance to send my email. But ya, I'm in Hospitalet!! Its definitely interesting because we are opening an area so we are starting from scratch. It's been good getting to know the members here. Our ward is super united and super happy to have hermanas. There are a ton of Latinos here so you know what that means...we have eaten reallllll good this week! 

It's been different being in Catalunya. We are super close to Barcelona so that is awesome! I saw the Sagrada Familia today and it is amazing!! Its HUGE!! I cant wait to see everything in Barc!! My companion was frustrated with me cause I was walking really fast today. I just get so excited to see everything!!! 

My companion is hilarious. She loves making jokes, singing, and dancing. Its a party every night. She is from Mexico and speaks really fast so pray for me jaja. 

Ok so cool little miracle this week...we were contacting in the streets (cause we dont have any amigos) and we saw this lady with a bunch of grocery bags and offered to help her. She said she was fine cause she lived close. We started talking and started talking about her country and family and stuff. We told her that we are missionaries living here and we are new to the area. She wanted to keep talking to us so she told us to walk with her. We got to her piso and she invited us in. We decided to go and we met her sister and the daughter of her sister and a kid that was living with them. We gave them a book of mormon and they told us to come visit soon.  It was so weird but such a blessing!! I dont recomend going into someone's house that you dont know but hey, it worked out. As we were leaving she told us that we have a new friend now! I know God has people prepared to hear this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so happy to be a part of it!! 

I love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Ross 

Mi nueva compañera: Hermana Lugo (de México)

Barce

Barce

Barce

La Sagrada Familia

Voy a HOSPITALET!

Hola a todos!!

Well im off to Hospitalet! I will be opening g a new area with my new companion! I'm a little nervous but I know it will be great! Hospitalet is 5 minutes away from Barcelona in metro so you already know I'm gonna make it a goal of mine to see a barc fútbol game!! 

Saying goodbye to my amigos and members was rough! I love them so much!! I have learned a TON from them. I have learned to love people WITH their flaws. I learned to be more patient with my Heavenly Father. I've learned to do all I can do and then put the rest in the Lord's hands. I've learned to not stress as much because if we are doing the right things, everything will work out in God's timing. I've learned a lot about faith. I've seen people trust in the Lord when everything seems to be crumbling down around them. We really don't need to fear when we trust in the Lord. Ive learned we can do hard things and come out from trials stronger! 

Quick cute story! We went to visit our good friend María Luisa. She is a little old lady who has a lot of health problems. She loves when we visit her cause she gets lonely. She asked us to bring some pictures of Jesus for her. Before my mission my aunts and grandma got me some pass along cards with beautiful pictures of Jesus on them. I decided to bring some to María Luisa. She got this huge smile on her face and as she looked though each one she kissed the cards one by one. It was so sweet. It really made me think how much my Savior means to me and how much I love him. 

Well hope you all have a fabulous week!! I'll keep ya updated on my new adventures in Hospitalet!! 

Adiós,

Hermana Ross 

María Luisa

Sweetest Fam

My idols! Pepi and Ángel

Our Good buddy John

5 Meses!!

Hola a todos! 

This week was good! Our amigos and our ward is great. I love our members so much, they make me so happy. Pray for our amigos that they will keep making those steps towards spiritual progression. Gracias!! 

This week I have seen that as we are one in purpose we can see miracles. Our mission took a day to try and find new people to teach. We also fasted this Sunday as a mission for our amigos. After this day of trying to find new people the mission as a whole found 400 or something numbers of new people. It was amazing to see that when we work together with one purpose we can see great things come to pass. 

This week was my 5 month mark which is crazy! Time is (usually) flying by! I have loved being a missionary and seeing little miracles everyday!! I am so grateful for the goodness of my God and my Savior Jesus Christ. I love them and know they live. They are always here for us. They are aware of us and will help us. I'm so grateful for this knowledge that I have. 

Espero que tongan una Buena semana les quiero muchísimo! 

Hermana Ross 

Alicia and the White Rabbit for Halloween!

Me and my amigo

Jirafas at BioParc

El puesto de sol!  God is so Good!

Our District

Oct 2019 Week 4 update

Hola a todos!! 

Espero que a todo esta bien!! 

This week was good! Our amigos are good, our barrio is good, the weather is good, life is good, God is good! 

Ok so a quick cool experience I had... we were meeting with our amigo John to do some family history work. He had his tree filled out until his grandparents. We started looking for family on his grandpa's side. We looked through records of baptisms, marriages, births and couldn't find anything! We started looking on his grandma's side and we found part of a tree with the same last name as his grandma's. We clicked on it and IT WAS HIS FAMILY!! This tree had 4 generations of his grandma's side filled out! This tree was just missing the part that John had. We were able to combine the trees! John was so happy and so was I! I know his family was happy too. 

Ok kinda funny story. So yesterday I was taking a shower and when I got out I go to open the door and its stuck like really stuck. I don't know how to explain it but it wasn't opening. My companion tried opening it with butter knife and even taking the door knob off but guys, it was not moving. After 30 minutes my companion starts ramming the door while I turned the handle and finally it opened. It was a good team building activity that's for sure. 

Guys, God loves us. He knows us and out needs. I've said this a lot but it's so true. I've seen some of our amigos struggling with things at home and feelings of dealing with these things solo. Chirst knows exactly what we ate going though and we can ask him for anything. He is there. As we follow him, he will bless us with the strength we need to press forward.

Love ya all. Thanks for sticking with me throughout my crazy all over the place emails. Have a great week! 

Adios, venga, nos hablamos,

Hermana Ross 

People are AMAZING

Hola mis amigos!! I hope you all had a semana fabuloso! 

This week was good. We had zone conference which is always amazing! We talked about becoming more holy. This means to endure and do the things of a disciple of Chirst and develop a personal relationship with God and submit ourselves to his will. He knows what is best for us and if we humbly come unto him, he will bring things to our attention that we can change in our lives. 

I see examples of people doing this every day!  I love the people here. They are so strong and full of faith and such great examples to me. I learn something from the people here every day. 

We had a baptism of our good friend Abel this Saturday! He is so great! When we first started talking with him we asked if he believed in God and Jesus Christ he said he believed in "something". Three weeks later he told us he had been reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church and he wanted to be baptized. His parents weren't too keen on the idea of him being a member of this church but he told them it is something he wanted and they agreed to support him in his decision. His baptism was beautiful. He shared a simple but powerful testimony of the restored gospel (which in and of itself was a miracle because he is SUPER shy like superrrrr shy). Its been amazing to see him change his life. You can tell he is happier now. He is such an example to me of walking with faith. Not many people supported his decision but he knew it was the right thing to do and he trusted in his Savior to help him in his journey. 

We also have another really good friend. She is a mom of 2 kids and she has been taking our English classes and inviting us over to talk about the gospel. She is so sweet. She started talking about her husband who is in the hospital right now. I thought that he just worked a lot but actually he was in a tragic accident. She said he can finally come home in a month. It's been really hard on her and her family. She says she has a lot of faith in her Savior and prays to him everyday for strength. She is amazing. She teaches me that we can get through anything when we rely on the Savior. He knows our circumstances and will carry us through the hard times because he loves us. 

I've really seen here on the mish that everyone has their thing that they have to deal with or go through. It's a part of life. I also know that our trials can be a lot easier when we look to the lord and press forward in faith. Its easier said than done but we've got a while to practice jaja. 

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  Keep them coming please!! Have a great week! Hablamos pronto.

Hermana Ross 💛💃🏼

A Whole New World

Hola a todos! 

Que tal!? Espero que a todo esta bien! 

This week has been good! It's been different adjusting to a new companion and leading the area but everyday gets a little easier. I'm hoping my Spanish gets a lot better with my native companion! 

We've seen a lot of success recently! We have a lot of new amigos and some old amigos that want to meet again! It's been great! My favorite thing to experience is seeing the change that the gospel can bring to people's lives. I can see the difference in people when they focus their lives on Christ. They are happier and brighter, its beautiful to see. 

I am happy to announce that the weather has become bearable! 🎉🙏🏼 Oh happy day! Its definitely made park contacting much easier. We have some people that we meet with for English class and they live ON the beach and have the prettiest view!!  In the coming weeks I hope to go to the beach and play some volleyball! We are allowed to go to the beach during the winter months so bring it on moderately cool weather!! 

This week I was studying a little bit of philippians in the New Testament and one scripture really stuck out to me. It says,

 "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" 

I love this because Paul was writing this while in jail. He suffered much and lost much but he says that the things he lost are as to dung compared to the knowledge and love of Christ that he received. Sometimes we have to give somethings up to make Christ more of a focus in our lives but it is SO worth it. Through Christ we can have eternal peace and joy and literally be redeemed through his sacrifice for us. I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my Savior. He can truly turn all the negatives in our lives into positives through his atonement. I know that I've had to give up some things to be on the mission and serve the people here but I wouldn't change this experience. I know that as we come unto Christ he change us for the better and through him we can be happier than we ever thought possible.

 I love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Adios, venga, hablemos pronto,

Hermana Ross 💛💃🏼

Update/Transfers

Hola a todos! 

Its been a minute. A lot has happened! I went to Barcelona and got my residency so now I'm a legal woman here in ESPAÑA💃🏼!!

Ok so some AMAZING news: Franco got baptized! It's been a long time coming but wow, it was so great. The spirit was so strong! He bore strong testimony that he found the path that will lead him back to his Father in Heaven. It was amazing to feel the spirit present in that moment.

Ok so for some sad news: mi madre Hermana Bates got transferred... It ok cause we will stay in touch. Now I have a new companion and she is a nativa!! Hermana Vaca is from Boliva and she lives in Madrid. She is súper sweet. It's been really good Spanish practice for me! She is super patient with me trying to lead our area. It's been a lot of responsibility and un poco stressful but it's going good. Our amigos are doing good and we are busy so that has been a good change. 

General Conference was great!!! I only watched it in Spanish so I will definitely be reading the talks for personal study jaja. Everytime I watch conference I am reminded how blessed I am to be a member of this church and be able to feel the peace and love from our Heavenly Father. 

There is a scripture in Ether 12:6 that says, "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

I have truly seen this these past couple weeks. We have had to work really hard and sometimes see no success. After we show God all that we are willing to do, then we see the success and the miracles. I know that if we press forward with faith, we will be blessed. This life is hard, its a time of learning and progression so we will be tried and tested in all things. I know that trials can be for our good if we endure with faith. I hope you all have a great week!! 

Love, 

Hermana Ross 

El bautismo de Franco

Mi compañera nueva: Hermana Vaca

Paella in the Parking Garage...

Hola a todos!! 

I hope all is well! I love getting your emails and hearing about what is going on so thank you!  

Last week we went to Gandilla for preperation day so I didn't have much time to email. It was super fun though! We went on a hike and visited a palace of some dukes of Gandilla. The architecture and history that is in Spain amazes me everyday! 

This week has been good! Our amigos are killing it! We are also teaching some new people and they are so fun! We have also been able to teach the kids in our ward a mission prep class and they are such good kids, I love them. I am continually inspired by our amigos and how they are so willing to change because they want to come closer to our Savior. They are such an example to me of strength and humility! 

Ok to explain my subject line a little... Saturday me and my compañera were in the church doing some studies and two old men from another ward show up saying they need to make paella for a niño activity in Valencia. We let them in to the kitchen but it's too small for their HUGE paella pans so they decide to go into the parking garage. We weren't too sure about it but they seemed like they knew what they were doing so we went back to our studies. A couple minutes later we hear a huge bang and one of the old men rushes all frantically upstairs and tells us to come downstairs. We see the other old man on the ground grabbing his leg. The garage door also is being propped up by a piece of the garage door that is now broken. We are freaking out! We asked what happened cause we thought this guy was gonna die and ther other guy tells us that something happend with the van and it crashed into this guys leg and the garage broke. (We couldn't really understand him cause he was freaking out) the man on the ground starts trying to get up and we just tell him to wait and we ask if we need to call an ambulance but he refuses so we just grab some water and help him sit up. Then he continues to give us directions to bring all the ingredients down and help him make the paella. Guys it was crazy. This guy was just like "Los niños necesitan la paella!!" He felt a little better after a couple minutes so he stared to make the paella and he was just limping around throwing ingredients everywhere and saying that the niños needed their paella. This guy was determined to make this paella. We helped as much as we could but this old man was pretty controlling. Needless to say, it was a crazy morning. We still dont really know what happened jaja. 

Ok for something a little spiritual I wanna just share a scripture from El Libro de Mormón. 

"And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

-1 Nephi 17:13

I love this scriprure! Christ has our backs. He knows what we need and is so willing to lead our way if we follow him and keep the commandments. He lives and loves us. He is our older brother, our savior, and reedeemer. I am so grateful that he suffered for me, as imperfect and stubborn as I am, he took upon him my sins because he loves me. Wow. How lucky we all are to have Christ on our side. 

Well I love you all! Have a semana maravillosa!! Adiós hablamos pronto! 

Love,

Hermana Ross 

The best District!

Palace in Gandilla

Palace in Gandilla

Our Jóvenes

¡Vamos a Alicante!

Hola a todos! 

This week was a good week! It has been RAINING!! ITS A MILAGRO!! We have been needing to find some new amigos so we have started trying diferent ways to meet people. We started offering free cooking class where people can learn how to make American desserts! We already have 2 students, a tiny Spanish lady and a big urban Hungarian man (the kind a man that wear scarfs and sits in Starbucks reading a book) I'm so stoked jaja. Our amigos are doing good! It was a little hard in the beginning cause Alexander "broke up" with us saying he doesn't have time to meet anymore which was really rough but we've seen some other amigos progressing so well! 

Along with the work coming along, we got to go to Alicante for a zone conference with the 3 zones in the south. Guess who I saw?!?! Hermana Heitonga, Elder palmer, and elder harbor!!! Some of my old district! It was so fun to see and talk to them!! Zone conference was SO good! We talked a lot about church history and family history! Super interesting! 

One of my favorite things I heard was that there is power in finding out more about our ancestors. They are part of us, they are cheering us on, they love us. We need to do our part to find out more about those who have passed on so we keep remeber their legacy. We were challenged to write a favorite memory we have with a grandparent, aunt, uncle, great grandparent, parent, anyone! We were challenged to write it down so we can remember it and that story won't be lost. I challenge you all to do that too. I know that there is power in knowing where we came from and who were are. I can testify that we are all children of God and have the families we do for a reason. I know that when we feel alone and weak we can look to our ancestors and our father and heaven and they will help us along. I've seen this in my own life and have felt so much love and peace as I do my family history work,  it's amazing. 

I love you all! Have a great rest of the week! 

Hermana Ross