DECEMBER 16, 2013

Well we had another good week out here in Gerona. Things feel like they´re going so well and we are always so busy, but then sometimes we look at our numbers and feel like we haven´t done anything at all, but we know we´re working hard and giving it all we got. This week one of the greatest things we saw was from one of the active youth in our branch. We had been taking him out on visits and what not and just working with him and he´s been such a great help. He´s an active kid but just hasn´t had the desire to serve a mission... he told us it was because the missionaries before have been too much like robots and he felt like a mission was just all serious and no fun but when he met us that changed his mind. So one day we went out with him, on his birthday, had a visit and just doing the Lord´s work and all went well just a good day. Then, at the end we went back to the chapel and the first counselor in the Branch Presidency was there and Moroni asks him,¨hey where can I start my mission papers?¨ I just looked at Elder Cabanas and was like no way. Now he has started his papers and is always asking me things about the mission and it just makes me so happy. It makes me so happy to see the youth change for the better and now he is changing and will be leaving to go change other peoples lives.. That is such an incredible blessing to see.

My companion is just a flat out great person. He just loves everyone and always has everyone just wanting to talk to him and be around him. Just says a whole lot about someone's character when people are so attracted to someone and it just constantly impresses me. He always shows lots of patience as well. We had a visit with this family and they would get really off track and a little bit rowdy but everytime that happened he just had this power to bring back the Spirit to the room and change everything. It turned out to be such a great lesson and now the only problem is the travel for this family. It all just starts with how much he loves these people and how they love him. Just so great.  I´m always like hey let´s go contact in the street! And he´s like ehh nah let´s not. But then I have to think to myself like would I really want to go do street contacting if I were serving a mission in St. George? So I can understand that. When it comes down to it that´s about the only problem but it´s understandable. 

So the funny story of the week... Elder Cabanas and I are walking through the street and we see this dude and Elder Cabanas goes, Morrocon? And I go now dude he´s from here or Romania and so we contact him... First thing he does, in Spanish, is say ¨By the blood of Jesus Christ I cleanse you from the devil that dwells inside you¨. Sooo weird then he asks us to go sit on a bench and talk to him.. So we did. First he tells us how he had a dream one night that God told him that Jesus was coming and he asked God when.. Then he woke up. The next night the same thing happened then God told him he was coming at the end of the year. So Jesus is coming at the end of the year but he told us yanno since the time of God is different than ours he is either coming the 30, 31 or the 1st. God told him that all people must read the Bible, listen to good Christian music and pray. We asked him he you believe there´s a prophet today in the world and he said... Yes, I am the prophet of God. Then he blessed us two more times from evil spirits. Hahah and we are meeting with him again tonight! Whoo

One thing I learned this week was just  about humility. Humbling ourselves to the Lord is one of the hardest attributes to develop but I´ve seen that it can change anything. The Lord is so much more likely to bless us with the things that we need. He sees that we are willing to accept our challenges and still be faithful to Him. One of the greatest things we can do for our Savior... Become like Him. Well that´s all my week! 

Elder Matthews

December 9, 2013

Well this week we saw some great things happened and it was a great blessing --but one of my favorites is about our investigator Sami. She is from Honduras and her husband is a member of 14 years and he´s super great and they have two kids that are 5 and 3. So this women Sami is super good, she knows everything and sometimes I just feel like she´s teaching us. We had one day planned to teach the Plan of Salvation and we asked her what she knew about it and she told us everything perfectly. It was incredible, we asked her, "how did you know all that,"  and she asks us, "well don´t you remember giving me the pamphlet?" So that was our first lesson with her. The next we had challenged her to read the Book of Mormon because we know that was what she was missing. So she said she would every morning ... so for our next visit we came back and before we even asked her she just says,¨I´ve read the Book of Mormon every morning!¨Just so excited, it was so great, then we were like, "wow tell us about it" so she recited everything to us perfectly. Then we were kind of like hmm... should we continue and teach lesson 3 now or what... then she asks us if we could all read together so we read another chapter with her and her husband and it was so great.  We tied it into lesson 3 and invited her to baptism.. She said "yes," but she doesn´t feel prepared enough yet... So she has these great desires but doesn´t feel ready. Still such a miracle though just to see someone who truly is prepared, just needs the push.

I´m loving Elder Cabanas and things are going well. He´s a great missionary and the people all love him, partially because he speaks the language, that´s what I always tell him to kid, but I always tell him how impressed I am that he connects with all the Rama so well. He´s just a great happy Elder. He´s got that special talent with people that not everyone has. He connects with people I couldn´t and that´s how I know we needed to be together at this time in the mission. Aside from that I finished the Book of Mormon on the 2nd and just wow, the power that comes from it. There is no way to deny that book. Every ounce of it is so true. After finishing it and praying about it I just felt spiritually enlightened. Now I am reading Doctrine and Covenants and have all ready come across many interesting things. It just proves how true and real our God and Savior are. One thing I loved was D&C 38:30, we just can´t have any fear because we need to be prepared for our Lord. I love that. 

Well, Mom, there's no where to eat here.  No, no, no place like Walmart to grocery shop or anything...just like corner stations like gas stations.  Nobody at all feeds us here.  I eat a lot of chips and salsa from the gas station because I use all my money for travel.  Tomorrow I will be going to France because a little pueblo in my area is on the border.  Today I am going to see the ancient city with the Elders...I am super excited.  The packages I got from you Mom are the greatest thing ever...I mean the greatest ever...every letter makes me so happy...I love hearing from everyone it is sooo neat.  The Christmas tree is just wow.

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

 Love Elder Matthews

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Well first off I´m just freezing hahahh. It´s so cold here. But let´s see, where to start.. My comp... hahaha he´s sick. He doesn´t speak English so at times it´s just a struggle because I´ll be way tired and not wanna speak Spanish and he can´t speak English and so I´ll mess with him and speak Catalan because he doesn´t know it.  He speaks Portuguese and Spanish so I am trying to learn that for fun.  But hmm… our ward isn´t even half as good as our old one but hey es lo que hay. It´s still really good. I have a new girlfriend though.. She´s 5 years old and just loves me hahahah her name is Andrea.  She comes from the best family in our ward. Hmmm my area is sooo far away. I may have been in France yesterday... jealous? It´s a lot prettier than Hospitalet but I miss my home ward…a lot. A lot of Spaniards do live here but now there are tons of people from Honduras hahaha.  All the people from my home ward wrote me this week.  They told me they are all coming to visit me on Christmas Eve!!!  It is like a three hour drive for them…I love them so much.  They said they are bringing gifts and my little girls sent me a letter…I almost cried.  No Christmas here in Girona but back in Hospitalet where they are from South America, they do celebrate Christmas.

I am near a Dominos and a kabob place….nothing else hahahah. I think the food is even worse here. Funny thing is I came from the dense city where I could walk it in 20 minutes and now I have to take a train an hour and a half to get anywhere hahaha.  We contact in the street but we don´t live in our area. There are a lot of people in the city but probably not even half as much as were in Hospitalet.  We do not get fed here at all ... AWFUL!  Today we are gonna play basketball.   We’ve got a Hermana that´s like 6’ 2” and plays college bball and her boyfriend who is serving a mission will be playing at BYU he´s 6’ 11”!

Well first off the change here has been really hard but I think I´m starting to get back into the swing of things. I never thought I would grow to love people the way I have. I can´t believe how hard it was to leave people that I only knew for three months, but now I could never forget them. That ties into what I have learned this week… I feel I´ve really come to learn, or better understand, the true love of Christ. There are all these people that I barely even know or am just starting to get to know and I hear their situation and I just feel this true sadness within, I truly feel their pain, I truly want to help them. The thing is sometimes I just don´t know how.  You see a sad older lady who is telling you her life story through tears and you just want to hug her but can´t... so you resort to the only thing that you can do and is share the comfort that this gospel brings. It has truly amazed me the way that sharing a simple scripture to someone like that just changes the entire atmosphere of the situation. All the sudden you feel this love, this warmth and their tears turn from sadness to tears of joy because of a feeling they can´t describe, but we know to be the Spirit. Just something I´ve learned this week.

This was truly a miracle to me. So we went to our ramas noche de familias and there was this lady there, pretty old, that everyone said comes super often but isn´t a member. So anyway, we decided to go around a circle and tell what we were grateful for and when it got to her she said, “no skip me,” but we all insisted she go… so she just said that she truly wasn´t grateful for anything, that her family had abandoned her, she felt so alone, no one loved her, that she was honestly just waiting to die. So after she said that everyone just sat there and said nothing so after some seconds of silence I just said Hermana I want you to know that I´m grateful for you, that you´re still alive, and that you´re with us right now. Just know that I love you and that our Heavenly Father loves you more than you could ever imagine. And that was basically it no one said anything more and we just carried on. So on Sunday we walk into the chapel and first person I see sitting in the back is her, all alone. So I go over to her and say hello and all she did was say Elder, thank you so much. And that was all. For some reason that´s just a miracle to me and I just felt I don´t know…different. 

Anyway everything is going super duper great up here. So I hope everyone is doing well! I love you all!

Elder Mateos

November 25, 2013

I am going to freaking Girona... Jolin!! I leave in a few hours… It’s supposed to be the prettiest place in Spain I guess and it’s got snow.   But one downfall is my comp -- straight up native, not a word of English so I´m a little scared. His name is Elder Ca. and he´s from Madrid!

I was SOO sad to leave all the people oh my gosh…my little family here all the little girls.. it was soo sad…

I´m actually really sad to leave ma . . .  I do not know my address yet.  Ahh the worst…so there´s this family, N___ the mom, K___,  V___ and D___, and I reactivated them and they´re my FAV!!  But I spent all yesterday with them and everything like the dad abuses the mom and all this awful stuff and I helped a lot with that and with the daughters too . . . I would walk them to school when they needed it and help with homework and all that, but last night I was sharing my last message and everyone started crying.  Elder S  was with me and so after the message we got on our knees to pray and I started praying.  Both the little girls, 14 and 12 were holding my hands, like our fam used to, and they were bawling. Then we stood up to go and they charged me with hugs…you are not to hug but they literally attacked me and wouldn’t let go and she was crying like crazy saying porfavor no se vaya no se vaya porfavor... so sad. Then V____  ughhh she was my favorite and she was just dying in tears and saying no se vaya no se vaya lo quiero por favor se queda aqui... and she just literally attacked me with a hug and then the mom, who has been like my other mom -- always feeding me and helping me… she was saying good bye and just grabbed me and squeezed me too they just were crushed. They told me no one has ever changed their lives like I have.  Ugh I didn´t want to leave mom... It was so hard for me… so many tears.  I love them.  It was so sad... that whole family just crying and telling me lo quiero lo quiero elder por favor no se vaya... You just don’t want to leave you don’t want them to go backwards. They´re gonna come all the way up to Girona to visit me on Christmas though!!!! Whooo! And one kid I reactivated is going through the temple on the 14th... I might get to go with him to Madrid!

Where I am going will take three hours to get there. You can see France from our piso hahah!!  Elder  C and W are both natives.  In Girona I’ll speak Catala.  My Spanish well, I am nearly fluent I’d say.  Of course, here and there I’m like “what the heck did you just say?” but I get 95% of everything and I speak it fluently.  My Catala needs work now.  I haven’t been practicing but now I will!  Got a new diccionario and everything.  I will need to learn French too! 

No Mama there’s no Christmas here… Its Los Dias de los Reyes. The days of Kings. Legit no Christmas. Just kinda like yay Christmas, it's weird.   So it's not too weird that Ryker's French teacher didn't know what candy canes were when he gave them to her!  Hahaha  Well, here there’s no first week of January we truly celebrate. And in Barça it´s like 70% Athiest the rest Catholic. Crazy right? But yeah we are baptizing like crazy over here. Ok not really but kind of…!

Well, I love you very much and will let you know where I am as  

soon as I can. 

Elder Matthews

November 18, 2013

Another week in the concrete jungle,

Well this week we saw some pretty great miracles. We saw one lady, Miriam, she is from Mexico and had contacted--yes she contacted-- Elder Beaton and Oliviera the other week during intercambios. But after that we couldn´t find her or get a hold of her or anything. So a few nights ago Elder Beaton and I had a visit in thirty or so minutes and had already been contacting all day so we were thinking if we could go visit anyone and we both thought of Miriam... then Elder Beaton said that if she wasn´t there we would just give up because we couldn´t find out if she really lived there or if it was her number or anything.  So we went to her house, rang the doorbell, stood there and waited and just nothing... so we went to walk away then we here, Hola? We just looked at eachother like are you serious? Then we said our little somos los misioneros.. And she got so excited and was saying suba suba suba! So we went up and talked to her and scheduled a visit for the next day.  The next day we went there-- Elder Streiff and I, and with Saray and Oscar and taught lesson one. She honestly just sat there and said you´re right, that´s so true, I believe it! It was incredible. She is so prepared that it is beyond words. I loved every second of it!!

So that was a pretty great experience to have.. hahaha I enjoyed that immensely. This week we also went to Monserrat... Whoooo that was crazy. We hiked this mountain in the pouring rain for 3 hours! Then the temple up there was incredible.. So much fun. hahah we did it as a ¨ward activity¨but we just wanted to go have some fun as missionaries hahaha! We saw lots of success out of it.

So I don´t think I´ve told you about Marcos. He´s this kid from the Dominican Republic that was inactive when I got here.  We slowly started working with him and he started coming back to church and everything. He sits next to me every week in church and comes to all of the activities that our church has. He´s now thinking about serving a mission but isn´t sure yet.  He´s 19-- forgot that part. But this week he heard I might be leaving and he got way sad and started to cry a little bit... I asked him why and he told me it´s because I´ve been the best missionary he´s ever met and one of his best friends ever... He is such an amazing kid. I freaking love him! He always comes and plays basketball and football with us. The dude's amazing. I just get worried about what will happen when I leave. I have reactivated 5 people and I´m scared that they´ll leave now. But I´ll have faith.

Well, to any guy my age this is what I say if you are contemplating a mission...You GO on a mission, it is a commandment of God, put some chest on your hair (haha), work hard, cry in the shower, sometimes have comps that are difficult to say the least, that is how it goes...at the end of the day you eat a popsicle with Elder Streiff and talk about how much you love your mission! Well, I find out about my transfer on Saturday...probably no email until next Tuesday or Wednesday. 

I live for letters everyone.  And Ma, I don't get much here...candy and packages are better than a little money in the account when you can't find anything to buy hahaha.  Anyway, that´s my week! Hope all is well! 

Love you all! Elder Matthews

November 11, 2013

I´m so glad to hear about everyone's football! That´s so great to see everyone back home doing work! Hahah!  I miss baseball so much. I played it last week actually it was super fun. So I´ll start off with my week here...because of a lot of things my patience is drastically improving. Back home I would have thrown a few guys out the window, but here I just try to control what I would like to do and repent about my thoughts later.  I can feel the change. Ok, so Mom you asked about lessons and stuff. Well, if we taught more I could tell ya.  No just kidding. We teach the way preach my gospel tells us too and truthfully I LOVE teaching.  I´m, saying it in humility, a pretty good gospel teacher.  My favorite is teaching about Joseph Smith.  I love it.  Just reciting the  First Vision... Whoo, the Spirit knocks you off your feet I´m serious.  It´s incredible. Funny thing is like no one really asks questions. We always ask nos entiende? And they´re always like oh yeah perfectly hahah but then after a few lessons one of our investigators, who has now disappeared, sometimes I can't believe my life, said honestly-- I had no idea what you guys were talking about that first lesson. I really don´t think anyone understands what we teach, they just feel good and later on understand more. 

So here´s kinda my daily routine... 

630 wake up play ball with Elder Bozarth, love him, Datwyler, love him, and Streiff who I love too. We play til 8 then we go home eat and shower then 9 - 10 is personal study... I´m in 3 Nephi and reading Jesus the Christ.  Then 10 to 12 is comp study...difficult Then 12 to 2 we go contact people like madmen and people just say no (along with a lot of other stuff) then at 2 we eat then at 3 we study the language then at 4 we go to whatever visits we do or don´t have, we knock doors, street contact, call people, the occasional dinner visit, stuff like that then at 10 we return and plan til 1030 then I get into my g´s with Elder Streiff and eat a mother of a popsicle like a champion and talk about our days. Hahaha!!  It´s pretty fun. Then at 1120 I pray then at 1145 I sleep like a rock. So that´s pretty much my day. 

You asked about any holidays here?  Like every other week is called fiesta where no one works. It´s crazy. Everyone goes and gets drunk. Aahhh I gotta tell you about Halloween. Gosh I´ll add it in my letters I´m sending.  Send more pics of the fam this week. Always a treat. Or send them in the letters too. That´d be nice. I need to watch as Dad gets old and that muscle turns to fat.

Well I love everyone! Have a good week! I´m so excited. 13 days and counting!!! YES!

Love Elder Matthews

NOVEMBER 4, 2013

Well, this week was another one to put in the history books fellas!

We had an interesting week with interesting people. Funniest thing was we went to an iglesia evangelista! Whoo they really know how to apostatize from the truth! It makes you truly understand that we have the restored Gospel.  I don't know where they get that doctrine from Mom.  That ain't in the Bible. There is no other church that brings the same happiness we do. I know that for darn sure. Also, in Spain, testimony meeting is interesting. Hahaha we had a guy go up and tell everyone they must repent for celebrating Halloween, which in some ways I agree -- all these teens just go out and party it´s seriously so stupid, get on the correct path people, partying brings zero happiness just sorrow for what you do. Hahaha but he, from the pulpit, told us Elders we need to start contacting homeless people and people without money.  I was like dude we live in Hospitalet, pretty much everyone is homeless. But yeah, really interesting. Anyway, it´s getting pretty cold but there isn´t any snow. Other than that nothing much has happened! 

 

Today we are feasting at a buffet with some members.  Last week we went to Tibidabo.  It was incredible.  An ancient temple.  Well, I am still really sick.  Don't worry Mom -- little bit of danger this week but nothing big.  We have had some good solid lessons with nuestros investigadores.  

Elder S's companion and I are transferred in three weeks!  Wow - crazy!! I am soo happy.  I will miss Elder S a ton!  I will find out where I am going on the 23rd!!  You ask me how I feel, if I feel like I have changed...I have a greater understanding of everything and I get the importance of certain things.  But do I feel like a spiritual giant?  No, I feel the same.  I just KNOW things now.  Hard to explain.  I just know.  Vi una columna de luz, mas brillante que el sol, directamente arriba to mi cabeza, gradualmente descendio sobre mi la luz, al reposar sobre mi la luz, vi en aire arriba de mi dos personajes cuyo fulgor y gloria no admiten descripcion, uno do ellos me hablo, llamandome por mi nombe, senalando al otro y dijo ¨este es mi hijo amado, escuchalo!¨

 

Love you all! 

 

Elder Matthews

OCTOBER 28, 2013

Well this week was just crazy.  Change is hard. My last comp and I loved eachother and were crazy.  My new comp is so serious all the time. Ya´ll know me... free spirit and big personality. So it can be hard. He gets mad at me whenever I say dude, awesome, cool, or sick.  We are very, very, very, different. Well, there´s that update...

I have still been sick but I will be o.k...coughing, headache, throwing up...and no it is impossible to see a doctor here...they are socialist America!!  Looks like the Dear Elder letters are just not making it here...the mailman can't read the address...something doesn't work right so they are all going to the mission office.  My comp is getting everything for me today.  So mailing letters make it here, but not Dear Elder...

Elder S. is dying too because his companion has like given up because he knows he´s being transferred. So it´s been hard for the both of us BUT THE LORD ANSWERS PRAYERS! The Streimiester and I will be companions every single Thursday and friday and Saturday of this month!! WHOOOO HE LIVES! They have intercambios so it´s soooooo good for us. This week we will be comps and we were so happy. That kid has become one of my best homies. Everyone keeps joking with us that Legends are born in Hospitalet.. I believe it.  Everyone says this is the hardest part of the mission without a doubt hahah. Elder S. and I just living in the concrete jungle. 

Sooo let´s see good stories... Well, spiritually we found this lady Luz, she is goldennnnnn. She is just such a good investigator and loves everything. We found her on the street one day then two days later we taught her in her house with a member named Oscar, who´s my favvvvvv, and it was sooo powerful. Like the Spirit lit up the room. Everyone felt it.. There was no denying that feeling.

Don't worry Mom, BUT o.k. interesting story. We were at Dominos with a bunch of our district this week and 3 gypsies came in a stole everything and started trying to take our stuff and we ended up getting into a fight... then one of them came in with I don´t know what--like a knife and pfft game over so we all stopped and then cops walked by and they bolted. Hahahahah welcome to Spainnnn. And yeah we have that happen a lot but that one got heated and serious. I´ve been jumped 3 times but jokes on them, I´m outta money this month hahah.  As far as serving in Spain, well
no one in Hospitalet is Spanish! I´m serving in Ecuador. 

Today I get to go to Mount Tibidabo.  It is supposed to be gorgeous!  I got up at 5 to play basketball hahaha! Oh I love oysters!! Nothing else really! Keep my updated on everyone! Love you guys! Keep writing everyone...thank you!  

Elder Matthews

OCTOBER 21, 2013

Hah ok so first off I have been deathly ill... Like soooo bad. So I wasn´t able to get outta bed on Saturday but Sunday I had a talk so I went to give it and it was on how to find people to teach. It was going really well but then I just lost my voice and I was saying how we can help these people overcome their sins through Jesus Christ.. So podemos ayudarles con sus pecados but I said podemos ayudarles con sus PESCADOS... Pecado sin... Pescado fish hahaha probably cause I hate fish so bad!

Today is my pday and I have slept.. slept off feeling like death. I´m super sick still. I don´t know what is wrong yet. Ugh... After I email I will go back to my piso and sleep until 7 then I have a visit.  As to your question about what Halloween is like here?  Well, Halloween here means girls wear no clothes and we stay inside hahaha no lie.

Well, I have a new comp from Atlanta and he has six months left in his mission.  He is very different from my last companion...you know like anybody would be...just completely different.  Nothing really all too interesting this week.... nothing good or bad.  And ya I love good ole Elder S. ...he is a great friend.  

You asked me if I ever get to see anything beautiful or if the beaches are beautiful.  Well, beaches are all nude here ma. And it´s uglier than anything. I´ve been having dreams of Disneyland mom... Please email Elder S.'s mom...she needs pics too.

Thanks to Tom, Ash, and Addie for my package!  Thank you everyone for your letters, I love them.  And now i´m off so I love you and til next week!

All is well in Zion mama, everywhere.   

Elder Matthews 

ELDER MATTHEWS IN HIS NEW BIRTHDAY SHIRT!!!

BEST BUDS!

October 15, 2015

Ok so this week has been crazy and weird without a whole lot of stories...It was a very difficult week...the only thing that got me through was having my Patriarchal Blessing...thank you I don't know how you knew to send it but it was the best part of my birthday package...I have been sick most of this week.  And you asked me why I am parting my hair on the wrong side...nobody can cut it...miss mom's haircuts.

I got in a fight this week.  It was terrible.  I was on splits and my comp was on the phone... I placed a card then boom some guy starts yelling at me and my comp keeps walking... he was cussing me out and everything then he spit his beer on me and I just smiled and tried to give a card--then he yelled more, spit on me again and I was trying to keep calm because I´d had such a bad day...(this was Monday) so I walked away and he just slaps me and I just put the card on his chair and walked away.  You may begin to understand how awful my week went.

Our schedule goes basically like this...730 wake up, 9 study, 10 comp study, 12 tract, 2 mediodia, 4 tract, 10 return, 1130 sleep.  I got the Halloween package and put all the decorations up. We celebrate Halloween here.

So my comp had his last week here and it was super sad...his last week on his mission. You would have thought that the profeta himself was leaving. We decided that if the profeta came and Elder Cerqueira were there everyone would rather talk to him. He was worshipped by this ward. 

The Bishop got up and said to everyone that there wasn´t an Elder that could fill his shoes better than me hahaha so that was nice. So this week I will be talking in Church. How fun... I´m not all too worried because my Spanish is rather good at this point. I´ve progressed so much. My catalá is not where it needs to be but that freaking language is so hard and I hate it!! All the mission makes fun of Catalá because it´s soooo ugly and all old people speak it so when you see an old catalan guy in the street you tell your companion hey old catalan and then you go contact him and they just scream at you so loud in catalan!! I am starting to understand it better which probably is a curse more than a blessing because I know what they´re saying to us hahaha.

This place is just straight hood, like this week we saw a woman just getting beat by her husband like jolín it´s crazy. We tried to help then police got there. The popo just patrols our streets all night because of all the crime. It´s just nuts here. Pero, pues mira, es lo que hay. hahah. We had our baptism but I didn´t feel like I had done much because Elder Cerqueira baptized him, Elder Ferrer confirmed him and all I did was invite him to be baptized...but it was great. Sorry I´m working on hand written letters to everyone right now! So I love you all!

It was transfers yesterday so I wasn't able to email yesterday.  I was supposed to pick up my new comp yesterday but he's kind of like Reece and got lost so I am getting him today.  (But if he's at all like Reece then he will be one awesome guy cause he's the nicest kid on earth.)  The people in my ward on Facebook, hah they all love you and talking to you. They make me translate everything so they can understand then they have me translate their message for you.  Tell everyone I love and miss them.

Love Elder Matthews

 

LOVE THE CAKE!!!

 

 

MISSIONARIES ARE AMAZING!!

WOW KADE DOES LOOK THIN!! WE LOVE YOU ELDER!

WE LOVE YOU KADE!

SO HAPPY KADE HAD A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

 

 

 

 

 

September 30, 2013

Hey everyone! 

Hahah well I love hearing that ya´ll are freezing cause today it´s 93 and all week it was over 90 hahah. But I live in the ugliest place in the world to be honest. So the language is coming great, it´s clicking so much better. I´m trying to learn Catalá but it´s so hard.  I don't know what happened last week but now I can just understand everything.  It's coming along better and I'm learning Catala and Andalucia.  I like the southern dialect more and everyone thinks I'm native until they speak Catala -- hahaha!  Ryker would understand it pretty well I bet. Bevinguts! Buen dia. L´Eglesia de Jesucrist de Darres de dias. Hahah something like that, i can say it NOT write it. It´s french, italian, spanish and portuguese mix. So hard. Haha. 

So my comp is at the mission home and he got my package, whooo yes! Can´t wait for my birthday package!!!! Umm anything I need...Kool aid. 

Stories... well I´ve learned every bad word there is this week. We were teaching someone and it was a husband wife and their newborn... The lady was so interested and we were like wow this is great!... then we ask the husband if he was happy with his life and he looks down for a second and then goes, No, pero no necesito este en mi vida, no me importa. (I wanted to hit him first but kept calm).  He looked us in the eyes and said you are f'in idiots, wasting two years of your life for this.. Wow how sad. He just went off at us and then we had to leave so we could be on time. We got home and I was just dying...missing home, wondering why I was here, wanting to come back-- both of us just in tears pretty much. So I figured my comp was thinking the same thing, but then he came over and said I´m so sorry Elder... I asked why and he said, I don´t want you to think I´m a bad missionary, I don´t want you to think that this is what it´s like, I don´t want you to hate the time you had with me... I just want you to have success and I´m failing you, I´m so sorry. It hit me of just how Christlike he is... I was feeling sorry for myself and he was feeling all the pain of the world for me...just wow...what an amazing guy. But yeah other than that we´ve just been yelled at and had zero success.

I gave a talk in a baptism this week and I guess it went really well. I speak very well in Spanish so I feel confident with that. Umm what else. Oh I need some BYU updates, Dodgers updates like something please. how´s Ziggy doing in the NFL. Like someone please!! Me and Elder Streiff, he lives in my piso, have become great friends and we will be forever because of these experiences that we have shared. We both are a bit homesick but it´s getting better.  I met with the President again for some reason (probably because of the ghetto place I am in hahaha) and he´s just a great guy, gives me so much hope. Nothing else is really going on here. But I miss and love you all! send me questions so I can answer them! And yeah mom I got your letter (at my scary location it worked) and loved it! no better feeling!

So love you guys so much!

September 23, 2013

Ok here we go... I´m gonna try to knock out all your questions and see if I can finally send these pictures! Ok, so we buy our stuff at a little mercado by our piso.  It´s so weird and gross there but it´s all we got! Soooo expensive they really don´t give you enough money to live out here hahah oh well -- we are in survival mode this week eating my package  (thank you so much by the way I love it) this week of peanut butter and crumbs hahah. Yes, we have a microwave and oven. They are awful and we do not use them!! We have weights in our piso so we work out or run in the morning. I must say I´m looking rather sexy!! Weighing about 181 and I've gotten bigger in a good way. 

Did you get the pics one of our families said she would facebook to you? They are so funny. I hate everyones food still and they all know it so they sneak pics while I eat.  Yeah they all know so now they never cook fish, just beef, it´s getting better. The lobster is pretty good.  They all work at restaurants so they will feed us seafood.. mostly fish. Sometimes good stuff usually gross fish, sometimes crab and lobster though and its so fresh and good.

Is this place safe.... I don´t want you to be worried but no, not at all safe. Very scary to be honest. We almost died this week...hahah nothing bad we just ride in the back of our ward mission leaders truck thing and yeah it´s scary. The language is getting there but it´s freaking hard. I can understand 75% of what´s going on and speak just about anything I want. The problem is understanding. We walk pfff like... 10 miles a day.. at least. Bare minimum. No there is no fast food by me, there is barely any food by me. Next week we will be going to the Sagrada Familia, but other than that not really gone anywhere. 

People are veryyyy poor but not humble at all. They live in like a 10 by 10 piso with four kids usually. About 80% of Spain is Atheist so no one I mean no one will talk with us put no pasa nada. I´ve taught a few discussions but not many. They´ve been great. We had a family set for baptism this week but they decided not to because the mom had some freak out so we are back to ground zero with no investigators.

Church is soooo weird. It's in a building in the middle of the hood. It´s decent but weird. We have 100 members but like 45 active maybe. 

We have a washing machine then we hang them to dry hahahah. We have meals from members decently often. One of the moms here took pics and sent them to you on facebook so look for that. 

As far as getting the packages you send to the mission home...we get them whenever we go to the mission home which is an hour or so away and we have to walk close to ten miles. I see him once in a while but he´s awesome. 

 

Mission President is awesome and my companion is too. I get so tired because all we do is speak in Spanish so my brain is just dead at the end of the day. I live with Elder Cerquiera, Elder Ferrer and Elder Streiff.  Elder Streiff is from Montana and was in the MTC with me and we have become great friends, I love him to death we keep eachother sane. I sent you guys my address but here it is again. 

Carrer Provença 15 Bajos 2º

L´Hospitalet de Llobregat

(Barcelona) 08901

only send letters there though not packages! hahaha scary.  You said you google mapped my address and asked if there was a workplace or something at the end of the street and a bar in the other alley.  Yeah we have a huge warehouse hahah and bars at every corner.  K one thing I was gonna ask was please send my Patriarchal Blessing. Other than that nothing really exciting going on here... Hmmm nope haha. 

Hey B - you are taking Spanish so make sure you actually pay attention.. you´ll need it... and when your teacher says you will never use the Vosotros form stand up and tell her she is a filthy liar hahahah and that´s the only form you hear in Spain and Spain is the purest of all Spanish.  What does Hospitalet mean?  Means nothing...maybe it translates to Hell but nothing else. But pay attention to Spanish you will need it. I speak Catalan here so it´s way different. 

Well thank you everyone for everything! I miss and love you all! 

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY ELDER MATEOS!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

 

AWESOME ZONE CONFERENCE SEPT. 16, 2013

September 17, 2013

So my first two weeks in the field have been interesting. Not all too great. I have learned that I am in the place of the Devil, not even kidding this is a modern day Babylon. It is the land of iniquity. We seriously are laughed at every single step of the way. No one cares to hear our word. No one takes us seriously. About 80 percent of this place is Athiest. I live in a super poor area, everyone is from Ecuador and South America...I haven´t taught a single Spaniard. We are laughed at, spit at, yelled at...we almost get in fights.  It is not what I thought a mission was. I am here and I feel like we are in the times of old in the scriptures. These people are so wicked. We have some faithful members but not many good ones. You wouldn´t even be able to comprehend what I see daily. This place has us because Satan has won here, and we have to conquer it again. Almost daily my companion and I come home close to tears because all we do is fail. There is no success. We street contact over fifty hours a week because there is no one to teach. Everyone, give missionaries references because without member references this work cannot go on. Help them please! 

This is so hard you have no idea. I have taught three lessons out of complete miracles though just enough to keep my companion and I going. We have one baptismal date on the 28th -- a nine year old who isn´t a member his dad is and his mom is not. The mom does not want to be baptized but we finally taught her and the Spirit was literally shouting during that lesson. You wouldn´t even believe it. I asked her to be baptized as we are instructed to... She said no. She won´t listen to us now and it´s been almost a week or so. How can you deny these feelings? It was so strong. My companion and I were dying and struggling because she flaked on us one day and we were standing in the street murmuring so my companion said let´s pray and repent so we did and after we said "amen" I just said "Elder we need to contact everyone we see" so some little punk kid walks by and I was just like not him (though in my mind) but my companion said, "una pregunta usted una persona que cree en Dios?" and he said, "yes" and wanted to hear more, this never ever ever happens. We taught the first lesson right there and invited him to baptism and he said yes. We have to teach him the rest before we can truly set a date but wow, what a miracle. That has been our only true success so far. Having to report our numbers every week just really gets me down. This is the hardest thing of my life. I have never felt so discouraged. But one night while walking home after hours and hours of working I just had this overwhelming feeling in the street then I heard my name... No one was there so I shook it off then it happened again. Then I remembered a quote that Elder Perkis always says, Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. The words just made me feel so much better and I could feel the angels around me. It´s not all like that though. It´s hard. It´s so hard. I wish I were better prepared. The mission isn´t all these amazing miracles. There are many but that´s not a mission. Be ready for trials in this life. And learn that money is not everything. Money is of Satan. Truly. I have been so humbled here. Be grateful for everything you have back home. You will never understand how blessed you are until He takes it all away. So be humble like unto a child. 

So a little update on weather, well it rains like every day and when it doesn´t rain it´s about 110 degrees so its hard hahah. All we eat is rice I swear. Some of the food is pretty good but mainly rice hahaha. I am serving a third world country mission I kid you not. Hahaha but everything is going along well.. half decently. I´m very homesick and miss everyone sooo much. But I hope all is well. I pray for you all so hard every single night. I love you all.

September 9, 2013

Hahahah so the field is very hard I have to say. You know in the best two years how he says,¨that ain´t the language they taught me in the MTC.¨  Well, guess what, they really did teach us the wrong language!! They speak Catalan here and I do not understand a single word of it.  Thankfully most of them speak Spanish but they speak with the craziest accent in this area so it is very difficult for me...

So cool story... Where I am serving they hate Spain, how great huh??  Not suppose to wear the pin (of the Spanish flag) because here they are trying to split from Spain and be their own country. All the people have these Catalunyan flags everywhere -- it is insane. Ok, so they said don´t expect dinner appointments... not true at ALL. We have had six in four days. Yeah its insane and I am loving the people, just can´t always understand them which is veryyyy hard.  I speak amazingly, but can not always understand. I´ve learned lots of naughty words from not saying them right. hahahah.  I tell everyone I´m from Africa too and they get a kick out of it. 

So where I live is the total hood of Spain. Like seriously, it is Rose Park I learned, but it´s awesome. A lot of immigrants from South America so they always feed us rice and chicken. It is awesome food. But I love it seriously it´s awesome but SOO hard. I have had a hard time. We have no one to teach because we opened this area, no one will listen to us, we are rejected and yelled at multiple times a day. It is the hardest thing I have ever experienced. Then Sunday was awesome -- to finally be wanted somewhere and have people listen to us. And Pday is now so we will go hang out and then nothing else really hahah. We can do what we want. So when my companion leaves (his mission is over shortly) I´ll stay here and get a new one. The temp is beyond hot, well not hot, but so humid. It has rained almost everyday I´ve been here. But it feels way good. 

So tell all the little ones I love and miss them! Tell B to keep doing well at football and work hard. You´ll never be able to relive those years and they were the best years of my life. If I could go back I would.  Tell Jax I miss and love him, work hard during those open gyms, they will make or break the player you can be. And make sure you´re going out and having fun with everyone and really experiencing high school. Make it fun. Every night before I go to bed those are the memories I can reflect on and laugh about. Ruffles make sure you´re being smart out there, pick the right kind of chocolate. I miss all of you guys. Be sure that you guys write me every week because I love being able to see it all. And lastly all I want is candy to snack on hahah, we only get one meal a day so I am starving. I love you all!!

Third day of transfers:  Everyone is excited for their new companion and new area!!..and one last photo with this historic group
 
 

He Has ARRIVED!!! 
E-mail dated September 5, 2013


Hey! I hope you´re awake but if not oh well! So I just got to my first area.. I love it!  So we were here for two days doing our residency and getting set up with a temporary companion. I got Élder Ferrer. He is a ZL (zone leader) and such a champ!! So we hit it off way well. Everything was beyond solid and we contacted people and got references like no other. 

So then came today... I was getting way nervous i´d have a dud companion. I was beyond worried --  like you have no idea. So there were two people I liked a lot... Elder Ferrer and Elder Cerquiera who was the other ZL. I was praying so hard to get one or the other. So we were sitting in a room and they would call you up one by one and tell you who your comp was in front of everyone, a rather long process...so I was freaking out...just so scared. I waited for forty minutes then finally it´s me and one other kid... I walk up and President Pace says, "how do you like Portuguese?"  I just looked at him and he says, "well your companion is from Portugal so you better love it, it´s Elder Cerquiera!"  I was so relieved you have no idea.  HE RAN AND HUGGED ME AND IT WAS HILARIOUS!!  He´s been out 23 months and I´m his last comp. He said he was praying to either have me or Elder Jennings as his comp. Looks like both of our prayers were answered. 

So the train ride to Barca was 2 and a half hours on the bullet train, those are freaking sweet btw!! But yeah that was just nuts and then we got off and went to our capilla, chapel. And let me tell you.. The food is amazing!! Good thing is my piso, room, are a bunch of gym rats. I love it. So it´s me, Elder Streiff - new, Elder Cerquiera, and Elder Ferrer. I love it so much. Hahaha!!!  They´re so cool. Our piso is sick too, I´ll send pics soon. But yeah this place is crazy. Just barely Elder Cerquiera and I went to a member's house and had a way good meal.  Then we went tracking and started talking to some guy in the street after, and well, now we have our first investigator. I´m so excited for that. We teach him Domingo at 12. Well there´s just about everything. 

Today is my first day so I don't know my schedule really well but it looks kind of like this.  

7:30 wake up and work out
9:00 study
10:00 companion study
11:00 practice language
12:00 head out
1:00 lunch
2:00 siesta til 5:00 then go out and work until 10:30
10:30 personal time 
11:30 bed

You asked for the address to mail letters and packages... just mail to the mission home for now.  My companion is on splits right now so I can't ask.  I am in the area Hospitalet.  It is so pretty at the beaches.  Wow.  I love it and I know we will all be blessed for me being here.  Catalan is very hard to understand here so hopefully one day.  


Tell B and Reece how sick it is that they´re doing so well. Tell B that though his size may never come, it doesn´t matter. What matters is how big of a heart you have when you play. Reece, well, he´ll be a big boy hahah. Remember, day by day, we get stronger and stronger, til we can´t be beat, we won´t be beat. I love you all!

FINALLY ARRIVED IN BARCELONA!!

What do 43 New Missionaries look like? Angels! Welcome to El Faro!

What do 43 New Missionaries look like? Angels! Welcome to El Faro!

September 1, 2013

So I can´t even tell you how excited I am to get out of here! I need a new place.  Things have been hard but they are looking up! I get up at 5:45 tomorrow to head out to Barca! There are 41 of us heading by bullet train going 160 mph for four hours. I cannot even describe how excited I am! Sorry not to respond about all the kids and sports but I want updates and will handwrite those to you! 

So this week was so solid. I loved it.  The worst food I have had here is called Gespacho - yuck. Elder Harrop Landinez and Dougher dragged me out of the dumps and made it what it was. I loved it. We went to Sol on Thursday and got all our shopping done! It was so fun. I´m gonna miss them so much so we got a little pin that we can mail around and take pics with and send to eachother. 

But yeah it is summer and you´re all complaining about 95?? It is 116. So ha! It was sooooo hot I cannot even take it!  But they say Barcelona is way cooler. So I can't wait! I will be getting my new comp tomorrow and more time to email so I will tell you all the details!  I wish the kids would all email me a little more...but tell them I love and miss them.  Tell Bridger to be a good missionary with his new friends.  I wished I would have been a better missionary with my friends that I love.  Te quiero mucho! Echo de menos! Tenga un buen dia.

I love you all!!

August 29, 2013

OFF TO BARCELONA!
Well nothing much has really happened. But I had a few good spiritual moments with all the guys. Elder Harrop, Elder Landinez, and Elder Dougher. Every night we just stay up and share the most spiritual moments that we had from the week. It´s so cool and really has made my testimony grow so much just from those things. The other day it was really late and we were all still up and Elder Dougher just says "hey guys I really feel like I need a priesthood blessing.."  Elder Harrop and I were the only ones with clothes so we got dressed and said a quick little prayer on who we thought should be the one to say it.  We both felt impressed that I should. So we got dressed up went out and gave the blessing.. I can honestly say that I spoke through the Spirit not a single word was a word of my own. When I closed the blessing we all just felt so overwhelmed everyone was crying and it was just beyond amazing. Those three guys have changed my life, I know that. I will be friends with them til the day I die. We were in the pre-mortal with eachother and I know that without a shadow of a doubt. We have all grown so much. I can feel the Spirit through them and without them I´d be lost. God put them here for a reason. I´m loving this and can not wait to get in the field. I´m ready to get out. My next email will be while I am in Barcelona!
 
Alright so on Monday I will be getting a little extra time to email you guys! I will be leaving the MTC and heading out on a train to BARCELONA! I´m way excited I can´t even wait. I had a really tough week. Really felt the adversary pounding on me. I know it´s because I´m doing exactly what he doesn´t want but the Lord always provides away. He will get me through this and reassure me. So I had an amazing experience at the park. I went with a native and we tore it up! We placed three copies of the BoM and got three references! How freaking amazing right?

I find out where I go when I get to the Mission Home on Tuesday!  I cannot even wait!! I could use some candy or something. But I need a tide to go stick, and some shoe smell odor!! The laundry thing...it works wonders for a missionary. hahah 

I am going to Sol today.  I leave in three hours. My Spanish is perfect ahahah...almost.  I have a harder time understanding than speaking.  I am learning Catalon too, not just Spanish.  Catalon is Spanish, French, and Portuguese mixed.  It is very different.  To answer your question about what I eat ... breakfast - yogurt, lunch - bread, dinner - pudding.  I left the house 196 and now I am 179.  We work out more than we probably should hahah but we look good haha!  

I went to the temple this morning for the last time before I leave for Barcelona.  I love you all and can not wait to hear from all of you!