#SENDCARROTS

GOOD AFTERNOON FELLOW BEINGS OF THE EARTH.

We've had a pretty solid week here in Alicante. To start off, we had
ZONE MEETING!! It was soooo awesome. We talked a lot about the Book of
Mormon and the spirit was so strong. We shared miracles that we've
seen together as a Zone and I just couldn't stop smiling. I love
seeing how the Lord blesses each one of His missionaries in their
respective areas. After the meeting, Hna Bailey and I made tacos for
the Zone and everyone left with full bellies so we were happy
Hermanas.

Wednesday we had some fuerte lessons. One with our investigator who is
going through some trials but you can literally see her glowing with
the light of Christ. Our other recent convert is also passing through
hard moments but his testimony is so rock solid it's amazing to
experience. I love seeing people here cling to the Book of Mormon as
their lifeline of hope. Because that's really what it is.

Friday and Saturday we had INTERCAMBIOS with the Hermanas May and
Brinkman and they went so well. I loved working with Hermana Brinkman
and seeing her be so positive about everything. Truly an example.
Saturday we had a missionary activity with the stake so I got to do
splits with Hermana Brinkman and my favorite Natalia from Elche!! So
fun!! Really cool to see return missionaries get so excited to do the
work again. Opens my eyes what an incredible opportunity this is to be
doing the Lords work here in Spain.

I just want to end off with my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I was
reading in Helaman 7 and there's a part where Nephi is lamenting that
he hadn't been born in the time of Nephi and Lehi where the people
were so easily persuaded to do good. But he says that it is his
"commission" that those be the days of his life. I think many times we
think the same. We complain that the world is so wicked and it would
be easier if we were born in a different time. Well people? YOU HAVE
BEEN COMMISSIONED TO LIVE NOW!! It's because the world needs good. God
needs His strongest players on the playing field and WE ARE THOSE
PLAYERS!! WE ARE THE MVP'S!! So get out on that field and play your
heart out. Share the gospel. We're in this together so we it's time we
do as Nephi did and just PREACH!! I'm so grateful for the opportunity
I have to do this full time. It will be a hard day when I am released
from that calling but until then......ITS TIME TO WORK!!

Love you all!! Have a great week!! Also pray for us and our
carrots.....#3MonthsToSexy:)

Hermana Twede

Happy Birthday to Maite

Taco Time

The Cute Zone

Played voleibol today

Chuks Y Nati

REAL LIFE

Hello world!!! I'm running out of cool things to say at the beginning of my emails......today we went and bought food for Taco Tuesday tomorrow so that was fun buying 4.5 Kilos of hamburger meat. IN OUR ZONE WE CELEBRATE TACO TUESDAY!

Ok so this week was super great. Monday we had two Noches de Hogar and they were both soooo awesome!!! I love this ward so much!! Tuesday was also awesome bc we had district meeting that morning and it was super cool. Tuesday's are also kinda hectic here in Alicante because we have correlación then English class then ward NdH. But it was such a good time and a good way to meet a lot of people from both wards. Also found out something very VERY disappointing during the ward NdH. So it was someone's birthday in one of the wards so they asked me to play. When they did, I came to the realization that, I DONT KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG??? I searched for it in the Children's Songbook, NADA. The words in my head: "REALLY HERMANA TWEDE? REALLY?!? 14 YEARS OF PLAYING PIECES LIKE MOZART AND BACH AND YOU CANT EVEN WHIP OUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY?!?!" So much disappointment. Kind of like that scripture, "6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." In my case, those things so small and simple were the words Happy Birthday.

Wednesday was super awesome because we had our first set of INTERCAMBIOS!!! We had them with the awesome Hermanas from Crevillente: Hermana Woods and Hermana Lindley. I was with Hermana Woods in the afternoon on Wednesday and she is sooooo fuerte!! I learned a lot about having confidence in my calling and loving the people no matter what. We saw some milagros, had a great Noche de Hogar, drank delicious black berry batidos, and got some really solid futures. Also she's a gem because she put up with me not knowing where to go and getting lost. The next morning with Hna Lindley was so awesome. We got some delish Spanish postres from a Spanish bakery and they were soooo good. Hna Lindley is so stinking cute I just love her.

Thursday we packed up and headed to Málaga and got to ride with our ZL buddies from Cartagena on the way down. Friday we had intercambios with the STLT's Hermanas Moore and Gentry and it was awesome. That morning we went and volunteered among sandwiches at a soup kitchen type of place. I LOVE SERVICE!! Then I contacted and taught a member with Hna Gentry and that afternoon I was with Hna Moore. We saw so many miracles of just being in the right place at the right time and talking to the right people. Teaching with her felt so natural it brought me back to our days in Granada.

SATURDAY WAS THE BEST DAY!! I've failed to talk about this in past emails and for that I apologize. But on Saturday we had a mission wide conference because we got a visit from an Apostle!! And not just my apostle....ELDER JEFFERY R. HOLLAND!! Oh there are not words for how incredible it was being with him. He came early to take a picture with him and so that he could shake our hand (he says those hand shakes are Mini interviews and he looks us in our eyes to see if we're doing ok). One of the things I loved from what he spoke to us about was when he talked to us about home. He was talking about missionaries who go home and just go back to the way they were before the mission. "You can't ask people to make all of these changes in their lives and go home and you not do the same......THERE ARE NO U-TURNS IN THIS CHURCH!!" That really impacted me. When I would imagine myself at home, I would see a stronger testimony, better at studying the gospel, better study habits, but other than that being the same. But that's not what my mission was intended to do. It was supposed to CHANGE ME!! And I believe it has. Now it's just learning how to let it really change me when the time comes to take my chapa off. I love this gospel. I can honestly say that I have built my firm foundation in Christ and it will NEVER fall.

Hermana Twede with Elder Holland

Malaga Mission with Elder Holland

Love you all. Read your scriptures. Say your prayers. Have a great week.

Hermana Twede

Can't cut onions without your onion goggles.

Dulces with Hermana Lindley

I love Hermana Bailey!! Coming home from Holland.

Alicante Bus=Best Bus

I SAW CHUKS ON SUNDAY!! Flashback to Elx dayz.

Typical Spaniards using our grandma cart to do compras.

Sunday phone calls

THE PROMISED LAND

HI FRIENDS!!

Soooooo I've officially arrived to the promised land of Alicante!! I
seriously LOVE it here! It's one of those places where I just think,
"Wow. This is my place. These are my people." I really love it.

But I'll back up.....Monday and Tuesday was saying goodbyes in
Cartagena. Monday we had a great Noche de Hogar/Dinner with Patricio
and fam and it was soooo good!! They are such a fuerte family. Tuesday
was District Meeting, lunch with Mamita, studying, packing, meeting
with JUAN(!!!!!), and a great Noche de Hogar with some of my favorite
ladies in San Pedro. We saw soooo many miracles those few days in the
trio it was awesome. The husband of one of our members joined our NdH
for the first time ever in my 4 months there and he's a nonmember and
because Hna Palmer is a máquina, she got him sharing about how he has
seen blessing of the gospel in his family's life. It was awesome. But
one of the biggest miracles of the two days was me fitting everything
in my suitcases!! S/O to Hna Stringfellow for the master packing
skills.

Wednesday I made the small trek to Alicante vía bus. Since then I've
been WALKING!!! Aw I cannot explain the joy that walking and using my
legs is. On Wednesday I almost died but it felt soooo good. I've just
been meeting the ward members and investigators and EVERYONE IS
SOOOOOO NICE!! Also, MILAGRO OF MY LIFE: PEOPLE HERE CAN PRONOUNCE MY
NAME ON THE FIRST TIME! THEY LOVE IT!! This has never happened.....not
at home, not in the mission, and probably never again. Everyone is
like, "Hermanaaaaa Tweedy?? Oh! Jaja Hermana Tweedy!" It's awesome.

Friday, we hopped on a bus and headed for Málaga for CONSEJO!! I think
in English it's Missionary Leadership Conference or something?? Oh my
it was soooo good. So much spirit and learning and it was soooo good.
At the beginning of the meeting I just looked at everyone and thought,
"Wow. This is a room full of INCREDIBLE missionaries." It was really
cool. That night we got to spend the night with the STLT's AKA Hna
Moore so that was cool. Love her and all the Hermanas.

Sunday was sooo good!! I LOVE THE WARD!! They are so awesome and just
feel like family!! I'm so excited for the opportunity to be here and
serve these people. We're gonna see soooo many miracles, we've already
seen so many.

Well spiritual stuff then we out. Mainly I just have a strong
testimony of God and His plan for us. I know that He had my mission
planned out A LONG time ago. I've gone through my mission asking why
when things don't go my way and why I was being put in certain places.
I've come to the realization over my mission that I am not here for
me. It doesn't matter how I thought my mission would go or how I
wanted it to go, Heavenly Father did His will. And for that I am
grateful. I know that I've been exactly where I've needed to be and
I'm so grateful for the opportunity to do His will. I love the
mission. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I love the gospel.

Love you all. Have a great week!!!

Hermana Twede

Noche de Hogar

Juan

Alicante Zone with our donkey friends

Me and Hna Bailey

THE LAND NORTHWARD

5 And it came to pass that [Hermana Twede], [she] being an exceedingly curious [missionary], therefore [she] went forth and built [her] an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land [Cartagena], by the land [Murcia], and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck [of La Manga] which led into the land northward. [And thus ended the ninth transfer of the mission of Hermana Twede in the mission of Málaga, Spain.]

Good evening lovely people of the earth. I just had lunch with a nice British man so now I'm just thinking in a British accent.

Well this week has been a wild one to say the least!! Yes....we have received transfer calls but I'll get to that later. So last Tuesday was district meeting and Hna Palmer gave a taller (talk/workshop thing) on working with members and did a REALLY good job. She was so nervous but she didn't need to be she did great. We also met with two new investigators and taught them the Restoration!! They were references from a member who called us on Sunday asking us to visit his daughter and we were MORE than obliged to do so. We had a really great lesson with them and set up a return appointment.

Wednesday was awesome. We had a KILLER lesson with a menos activa in the elder's area who they have us visit. We were talking about faith and when I got here, she didn't want to read the scriptures at all but now she's been reading and praying and even had questions about what she had been reading!! I asked if she feels different and she said yes and I asked in what way and this was her answer: "Before, I didn't believe that Heavenly Father even listened to me. But now I know because when I ask Him a question, He gives me an answer!" AAAHHHH HAPPY MISSIONARY HERE!! She has come soooo far since I got here and it's been such a blessing to see her growth. Also we had a really good Noche de Hogar with one of my favorite families ever. Taught a lesson on finding joy in life even when it's hard. It was really great.

Thursday was weekly planning and then we went to La Manga for an eating cita with a member. BEEEEAUTIFUL!!! Really though I could live there. Pics will be attached.

La Manga

But on our way home, I realized I needed to make a call and when I looked at the phone I saw we had a missed call. I looked at from who....it was from Pte. Andersen!! That was a shock. Well I called him back and we got chatting and then he talked about all the things I've learned this transfer and how now the Lord wants me to use that to help other missionaries. He then asked me if I would serve as a Sister Training Leader. Of course I accepted. He then continued to tell me that the new companion of Hna Palmer would be Hna Stringfellow and said she would be coming the next day!! So we got a taste of transfers almost a whole week early. At the end of the call I asked where I was going but he couldn't remember so i had to wait for a few more days.

Friday was crazy as we started getting the piso ready, went to lunch with our favorite Isabel, ran to a cita with our new investigators and had a killer lesson about the spirit and prayer and the boyfriend has been reading the Book of Mormon and had questions!! So happy!! Then we ran home, threw banana bread in the oven, cleaned up Piso, ran to correlación, sat down for 20 minutes to talk about our investigators and menos activos, then ran back out the door to go back to Cartagena and pick up Hna Stringfellow. Turns out she had gotten in an hour earlier but ended up sitting next to a girl on the bus who was going to be staying with Bishop's family so she was hanging with Bishop's wife when we found her. #Milagros God really watches over His missionaries. Then we went to a member's house to bring him banana bread before he heads back home to Madrid. In return he gave us yummy bocadillos and a whole bag of fresh peppers!! It was a crazy day but good.

Saturday was full of milagros. We visited with two investigators in the morning and had a REALLY good lesson on faith. Then later we went to the house of a menos activa and I had a feeling during studies that morning to invite her to have a NdH the next week. We got there and turns out her grandson had been talking about it and she had told him that they would talk to the Hermanas about doing one! It was a testimony to me that God guides His work if we're willing to listen. Then we passed by our investigator in this one pueblo and he wasn't home but instead watched the neighbors kill a snake in their yard. Sweet. Then we passed by an antiguo who the elders gave us and they were home, hadn't been visited for two years, and we set up a cita for Hna Palmer and Stringfellow for next week. Then we passed by another Menos Activa who I've only visited once and she finally let us in!! We had such a good lesson with her and shared a scripture about increasing her faith. We invited her to start reading again and she said, "Hermanas, don't you worry. I promise I will start reading again." So awesome. That night I found out that I will be going to the land northward of....ALICANTE!! I will be comps with the wonderful HERMANA BAILEY!!! I've done intercambios in Alicante and I love it. I've done intercambios with Hermana Bailey and I love her. Now I get to have both full time!! Stoked.

My spiritual thought is going to be about Sunday. Since it was fast and testimony meeting, I had the opportunity to bear my testimony. And since I was leaving it was expected that I would give it. Those who know me know I really don't enjoy speaking in front of large crowds but I had already decided to give my testimony. Also those of you who know me know I'm not a crier. I thought the mission would make me one but....nope. Well as soon as I get up there, I get out three words and a wave of emotion comes over me as I felt the love for this ward in full force. Many don't know, but this has been my hardest area yet and has taken longer for me to love it. But through my trials and difficulties in these last four months, I've developed a deep love for this place and for this ward. One of the biggest things I've learned here is that, just like Heavenly Father loves these people, He loves me too. It's taken me a long time to be able to say that and believe it, but bearing my testimony yesterday really solidified that for me. I know Heavenly Father loves me, no matter how imperfect, crazy, I am, He loves me. I know it. And no one can take that away from me.

Love you all. Thanks for the support. I'm excited for this new adventure. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

Hermana Twede

The Fam

Noche de Hogar with Jessica and family

#MorningExercise #TrioLife

Paella with Isabel

Uliana and Maria

Antonia. Love her!!

Our walk to the beach.

Sunset from the bus yesterday (Sunday).

The goodbye crew with Mamita and fam.