Spanish Wedding~

WEDDING PREPARATIONS w/these 2 cuties!

Candy? Who knew!! He did :)

Those Sundays when the relief society president makes an announcement to feed the missionaries and everyone comes up to you and invites you over! We had a fulllllll week of eating citas:))) blessings! Haha or
cursings....we were sooo full everyday! But it's better than being hungry right? Thursday we had 3! Not sure how we made it out alive on that one..

It was a great week! We great lessons with a lot  people, but I'm going to talk about one young man specifically,  He is from Ecuador, he is 18 years old, and the missionaries have been teaching
him a little while before I got here to elche. He had been to a few baptisms and met a couple members from member present lessons, but had never been to church in the three months that he has been receiving
the charlas.....until YESTERDAY! My comp and I gave him a church tour on Friday and introduced him to family history work. His parents aren't very interested in the church...yet!...they are always working
except Sunday's and so they always go out of town for the weekend and that is one reason why he's never been to church. I told him a few weeks ago to talk to his parents and plan a Sunday in the future to
leave free for the morning so they could all come, well they didn't but he did! anyway, like PMG says-family history work would be a good way for people to to be brought closer to their families and to the
gospel. So he took the papers home and we told him to work on them with his mom and dad and then we can put it all in the computer. They started working on them so we will see how far they got this week! Did
I mention he came to church!? Satan was at work too, the sacrament water was salty and we were one of the first and only to take it when the bishop jumped up and told everyone to stop drinking it haha.
Thankfully it was blessed, but really!?. Never in my life has something like that happened haha, so they changed the water real quick and re did it. Super funny. Anyways, another funny story! We gringos thought we were going to a "capilla limpieza" (church cleaning) on Saturday and we showed up and it looked like a big party. Eventually we asked someone because we were so confused, but it was the olimpiada de los niños. (Kids Olympics activity!) Hahahah.  So we helped out with that and it was so  fun:)
Yesterday this old man we know said hi to us while we were walking the street and gave us a handful of candy, one was strawberry, one was mint, one was lemon, and the rest were coffee. My comp threw all the
coffee ones away immediately and ate the strawberry so I was left with mint or lemon...neither sounded good so I didn't take one. Then a lady was walking behind us, and for some reason I asked my comp for the
mint candy even though I didn't want it, wasn't really sure why but the question just came out of my mouth. So I was struggling to open it and I finally got it, then it dropped and broke all over the ground:(
sad day...but it was the perfect conversation starter! Haha. We started talking with this girl and ended up really connecting with her and shared our beliefs and why we are here. She said what strikes her so much is how young we are and we are sharing the gospel for so long away in a foreign place. I said that this was evidence of our testimonies of the reality of our message and the blessings it brings to people and families. Then of course we got her numba:) pray for her. I know this church is true, and that we have to fight upstream constantly, but that it is worth it! There is so much more in this life than what the world has to offer. There is a solace and peace and an indescribable happiness that can be found and treasured In the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It isn't just for a few people, it is for every one of us, as heavenly fathers children. And it is available, today. The Book of Mormon is evidence of this message and we each need to find out for ourselves if it is true, through reading and praying and then listening to the spirit. I have done this
personally and testify of the happiness and joy that is found within living the commandments, making and keeping covenants with the Lord in His temples, and putting others before ourselves. I love the gospel- the more I live it the more I love it! And my family!! I love you all, but man do I love my family! Xoxoxoxox
Hermana cook

It's sooooo HOT!

One of us is working ha ha ha

I stand all amazed ! 

We love the work we are doing together~

Inspiration and listening to the Still Small Voice

Today I was kind of having a rough morning, just sad and missing home and the people I love, we taught this guy , he is from Ecuador. He's super cool. He told us about his spiritual journey, started when
he was twenty and a party guy but one night he was in a party and felt bad and the scriptures were coming into his mind and he knew he shouldn't be doing what he was doing. I'm excited to help him finally
find truth and answers to his questions. I had the feeling to grab a restoration video on the way out the door today and I gave him one to watch! Yay, he said he is not too much of a reader so hopefully he
watches it and understands a little better with the video :) this it made my day, knowing I'm able to share this light and knowledge with people and there's people out there sincerely searching. He had so many good questions, and it's cool because I don't have to make up an answer or be unsure. I know this church is true. I know we have a Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers. I know we have a Savior, even Jesus Christ, and because of Him we can let go of the past and have a brighter more fulfilling present and future. "The Lord doesn't expect perfection, but He does expect improvements" and because of and only through Christ we can change and receive divine help at any given moment. I love the gospel, I love my family, and I love my Heavenly Father! Xoxoxoxoxox

I feel like it's Christmas up in here!!! Thanks for the package family :))) I'm in heaven! My comp got a package too with Spanish CDs, Cadbury eggs, and the movie MEET THE MORMONS! We know what we will be doing for next p day:) I still haven't seen it yet...so I'm excited.

Gorditas and their Napolitanos'

Christmas in July in Espana'

I'm shoving this whole cookie in my mouth!  Watch me do it :)  

Well merry summer mish-mas and have a great week!(: I love you family ❤️

Meet my Twinnnnnn?

Meet Jocelyn Clark....whoa right!?  We followed each other in insta before the mission and we finally met!
She just barely got out of the MTC, she's super sweet:)

New beginnings; New President; Changes in Elche'

Ah I have so much to tell you family! It was one of the best weeks of
my mission this past week!(:

So Monday- we had a noche de hogar with this cute little family! They are members and they just moved into the ward about a month ago, two girls, the oldest is 5 I think, and then a little four month old. Both converts from Colombia I think.. Such an amazing family! One of the greatest examples to me of teaching and adhering to gospel principles to set a firm example for their daughters :) he has a noche de hogar book that they record all of them in and he directs, they take it for real I loved it!! we played a little game, we made cards of random acts, either good or bad, and whichever one they drew determined if they took steps forwards or backwards, bringing them closer or further away from the picture of  Christ (we had a pic of Christ as the "finish line") and then we shared a scrip, and of course the little girl d there was a surprise behind the picture of Christ, because when we obey and keepwon;) an trying our best we are blessed! <3 such a simple, but powerful concept portrayed throughout the scriptures.

We have been teaching this one lady- and her husband. They are Romanian and her faith is insanely great! She is so cute, she is always saying how she is just a baby in gospel stuff and she needs us to teach her so she can know more like us, and we always tell her no way we are still babies too, we are learning
constantly everyday, haha. But she has basically read the whole Book of Mormon! The problem is that she has really bad health problems going on and hey are dirt poor and speak very broken Spanish so they
don't understand anything the doctors are saying and it is so sad to see her suffer...but she loves when we come over and right away she always says talk to me about God and the Book of Mormon to make me
feel better :) the elders gave her a blessing last week, but she is still unable to come to church just because she is always in so much pain. :(( we met her little grandson he other day, she was so proud to
introduce us to him and he played he piano for us, their whole family is very musical, it's how they get money right now..they play music on  the street. She has a beautiful voice too! But she hasn't been working
for awhile. Williams is this 16 year old whose family is not in the church and he never comes but he was baptized last year...so we are focusing on being his friends and examples to him, we have been reading from the strength of youth with him whenever we meet. He is just at the age where it's cooler to be cool, but he will figure it out with time :)

We contacted lots this week!! Found some really cool prepared people, one lady named Maria Esperanza just moved to Spain, but she left this weekend for a vacation for about three weeks so it will be awhile
until we get to teach her. I also had an awkward encounter with this Chinese guy trying to give me besitos hahha, he full on took his sunglasses off, cradled my head ready to slap a fat kiss and I'm sure
my face had the look of terror as I tried to spit out no podemos como misioneras! lol. If I got a euro for every time that happened....$$$$
One of our recent converts is not always very clear in what she wants from us or needs help with and it's confusing sometimes and when we're all confused it can turn into frustration, so I had been praying for
love for her and patience and understanding and the gift of tongues so we could all understand one another. And then we met with her the other day to see what we could do for her and it went so smoothly, I
know the spirit was there helping us all communicate, milagro!

Then Friday night was the surprise party at the capilla for the mission president and wife who served in Argentina for the past three years and were coming home.  So fun! And cool, an antiguo
investigadora came. I was so surprised! She is Russian but has lived her for many years. She has kind of a rough exterior, but my comp and I just love her:) the other day after English classes I went to give her a hug and said abrazo! And she said no no, I smoke and I don't want to hug you for that because I know
smoking is against the church. And I was basically like give me a hug woman, I don't care if I smell like smoke after we love you. And she just broke down in tears. But anyways she was there! And she acts all
tough, but she tells us how much we mean to her all the time and we do as well to her:)
Then SATURDAY!!!!! HAPPY FOURTH! I hope everyone had a safe fun super American Fourth of July with lots of American food:)))) haha My fourth was insanely awesome, we welcomed our new pres and his wife! Whom are amazing and sweet and courageous. And then we had the baptism of the lady who got married last week, we invited president to it, and my comp and I ended up riding in their car while all the other missionaries had to take the bus and they came and MY COMP AND I SANG AT THE BAPTISM!!!!! You all know I DO NOT SING. I wanted to record it, but I was so nervous I forgot, but I'm okay with that because you can't record he spirit, and that was the important part of that experience. My prayers before (I said countless) were not to sing great or sound amazing, but for the Abu,it's to express my testimony through singing this song, to invite the spirit, and fill the room with the love of our Heavenly Father. So many people were crying, mission accomplished? I think yes!💪🏼😇 "hija de un Rey" YouTube it
:) so pretty, it's also in English so you can understand the lyrics! But it is one of her favorite songs so we surprised her with it:)) ah so many great things family:) I love the gospel!

At the conference we had on Saturday with president Andersen, he said to concentrate on the spirit and what he says to us and then we were going to take few minutes to share later. So when that time came my
hand shot up, just on its own, yikes haha the first one to speak!? But their son had prepared a video of pics of their family and while we were watching it of course I thought of my own family and how hard it
was to leave (sis Andersen said that is the hardest part for her and then the language next) and the thought that came to me was - knowing how difficult it was to leave my earthly home and family, I can only
imagine how hard it was to leave our heavenly home, so why'd we do it? Well, I left my home for an important cause, we must have left our perfect celestial home for a pretty worthy cause as well. I testify
that we did, that we knew coming here and enduring the things we would have to endure would not even compare to the joy and glory we will receive once we return, and not return on our own, but with our
families and loved ones. We are here to be messengers to the world of this divine truth, that we will one day return to a loving Heavenly Father. I love you for eternity family and I'm bringing you all with
me back to the celestial kingdom, but for now we have to fight to maintain our faith and roots in the gospel in a world that wants to tear that down, we are here to support and to love each other and to protect our homes as heavens on earth, sacred and safe away from the things of the world. I know there is more than what he world has to offer, and it's the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings us peace happiness loyalty love joy bliss, 2 nephi 5:27
Love you forever and always
Jaycee:) ❤️