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