Reason For The Season

This was our Merry Christmas! Brielle surprised everyone except Darren and Darrick.
She skyped us after she said she wasn't going to since she was coming home in 2 weeks anyway.
Best Christmas present!

Hey y'all I, sending out a very quick and very short email today about
this week. Apologies but it's Christmas so I assume y'all are in a
forgiving mood today.

This week basically what happened was craziness. Tuesday was Hna
Sigcha's birthday!! There was signs and secret texts sent to everyone
to wish her HBD so it was great!!

Birthday Girl

Also we went to Elche for their district meeting (my last time
in that beautiful place #tears) and then brought Hna Nelson and
Hna Brinkman back with us for intercambios. I was with Hna
Nelson for the tarde and she's super awesome I love her to death.
It was a crazy night but long storyshort, God is super cool and
put us in a situation where we ended up teaching 4 potential
investigators and getting the information of
three of them in the house of an inactive. #WAT

Elche

Hna Nelson and goodies

Wednesday I don't 100% remember what happened but ''twas a good day.
Thursday we had district meeting and then Hna Malcom and Hna Smith
came for intercambios. I was with Hna Smith that night and once again
we saw lots of milagros and she is just a máquina. I'm so grateful for
this opportunity to work with these new missionaries and see their
faith and get them pumped for the rest of their missions.

Friday the poor Crevillente Hnas got stuck in the parking garage with
no working cards to pay for parking so we went and bailed them out.
Friday was a great rest of the day I don't completely remember what
happened either but it's fine. Oh right it was the ward Christmas
dinner and baptisms of a family that has been waiting 6 years to get
in that font!! Such a cool day.

Saturday was a good day with weekly planning and making calls. Sunday
was a really cool joint sacrament meeting with both wards and musical
numbers and just made me a little emotional about my timetable here in
Spain. I love these people soooooo much it's ridiculous. We ate that
night with Marisol y Juan our great Bolivian family and they fed us
Picana AKA sooooo much food. Nothing like la Nochebuena without a ton
of food right??

CHRISTMAS IS TODAY!!! We went and had lunch with the elders at our
fave members house and once again ate a ton!! Then I got to surprise
skype my sweet family and that was awesome!! Y'all though I wasn't
gonna skype....#GOTCHA

Basically I just want to express my gratitude for the birth of our S
Savior. Had He not come down to earth, I wouldn't be here in Spain, I
wouldn't have a shot at an eternal family, the gospel would not be a
part of my life, and Christ would not be my Friend who suffered and
died so I that I might know JOY!!! I love my Savior and I'm so
grateful for this season to celebrate Him. May we all look for ways
EVERYDAY of the year to celebrate Him and give thanks for all He has
done and continues to do for us.

Love you all

Feliz Navidad
Kia Kaha

Hermana Twede

Samantha stole my chapa

Surprising the mum #SheCried

Merry Christmas to me. Ruben and Eva came to see me!!!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"I think if I were any more tired I'd be dead."
- Anonymous


HI FRIENDS THIS IS GONNA BE A QUICK EMAIL IM REALLY SORRY BUT ES LO QUE HAY.

Ok so Monday was awesome with some fab Noches de Hogar!! Tuesday we
had Zone Consejo with all the District leaders (was that really this
week?) and it went well. Then we had a great lesson with one of our
investigators, the ward Noche de Hogar, then Hna Garcia and Hna
Mckeown got to spend the night with us. Fun stuff.

Wednesday was INTERCAMBIOS!! Spent the morning with Hna Aguilar and
the night with Hna Reed. We saw some killer miracles, found a long
lost menos activo, found another menos activo, helped a dizzy old lady
find her bus, ate some pan de bono, then sang Christmas songs with
some old Spanish grannies. Good time. Love those Hermanas and the
miracles that come from intercambios.

Thursday was CHRISTMAS CONFERENCE!!! Sooooo fun. The talent show was
soooo fun and funny. Basically all you need to know is Elder Stewart
could beat a BYU football player in an eating contest and that Vikings
are really hard to train. LOVE MY MISSION!! Awkward moment when you
have to say bye to everyone and then you sing the mission hymn and
everyone sings it wrong. JAJ #LaMish

Everything else was a breeze and I don't remember all of it so I'm
skipping to Sunday when we had 3 future investigators come to church
and then went and sang at an Old Folks Home and it was a good time.
Spanish villancicos are really fun to sing.

Ok I'm really sorry this is lame but I just hope you all know the
significance of the season we are in right now. Had Christ not been
born, the entire Plan of Salvation wouldn't be possible. Because of
Him, we can be together as families. Because of Him, we can overcome
sin, illness, sorrow, and all injustice in the world and in life.
BECAUSE OF HIM I AM HERE!!! I love my Savior. Remember the reason for
the season.

Love you all have a great week!!

Kia Kaha


Hermana Twede

Spanish Christmas ft. Me

What happens when you don't wear a coat so Marisol gives you her vest and scarf.

HOMIES. Bye Elder Liza.

Intercambios with Albacete

Conf squad

I got glasses. (No she didn't)

Pan de Bono with Hna Reed

The nice lady we helped. She was lost, but we found her!

MOOOOOOOOO 🐄

What do you call a cow with one leg?
Leen Beef
What do you call a cow with no legs?
Ground Beef
What do you call a cow in an earthquake?
Milkshake

Ok well this is gonna be a lame email so I decided to start off with some jokes to make up for it. Lame email, lame jokes, ahí vamos.

Monday and Tuesday were SUPER great because consejo and that was just super spiritual and learned a lot. And I got to chill with a bunch of my mission buddies. Although Tuesday was sad bc I had to say goodbye to a bunch of my best mission friends as well as give my last testimony. Dying in the mission is the worst.

Tuesday night I had intercambios with Hna Pickett! Oh my the best ever. We literally just cried laughing all night, taught a bull fighter who is GOLD, met two Americans, and then met a guy from Africa named Jocelin. 'Twas a great night reliving the Elche dayz.

Wednesday morning I had a great talk with Hna Torjeson and then we met a nice lady in the bus station who was ready for the gospel. Then we had a great long trek home on the bus. BUS TRAVEL. LOVE IT.

Thursday was district meeting and Kebab. Aka bad day for my stomach. Pero bueno.

Friday and Saturday we had INTERCAMBIOS! We had the awesome Hna Lake and Hna Dillon over and I was with Hna Lake for the night and it was SWEEEET! Loved it. She's the bomb.com. Then Hna Dillon in the morning and it was awesome we found a new investigator! Basically it was just awesome.

Sunday was super awesome. This new family came to church and they just moved here from Mexico and were affected by the earthquakes and lost a lot of their things. I had the opportunity to sit and talk with them after and I just told them it wasn't by chance that they were here in Spain and in the church and had the glorious opportunity to testify of the gospel and how much it blesses our families. I just watched as the mom started crying as she felt the spirit and then gave her a big hug.

I love this gospel that gives us hope in times of trial and pain. I love this gospel that focuses on families and gives us hope to be with our loved ones for eternity. I love this gospel that gives us hope of a Savior who came to the earth and suffered and died for us so that we could have someone who understands us. I love this gospel that gives us hope of a merciful and loving Heavenly Father who we can communicate with wherever and whenever. I love this gospel of hope. It's given me hope in my times of trial and pain. Hope in my eternal family. Hope in my Savior. And hope in my Heavenly Father who is merciful and loving. I love this gospel. That's why I've been spent the last 17 months of my life sharing it.

Love you all. Sorry for the short email. Have a great week.

Hermana Twede

Consejo Squad

Admiring our grandchildren ft. Elder Tabilo

Saying goodbye to Hna Johnson

Hermana Pickett

Awww had to say bye to my best Elder friend, Elder Wilding 

Spain in pretty!

When someone reminds me how cold Utah is even though I'm "suffering" here in Spain.

LONELY

Hello friends. Here we are again. Another Monday. I'm currently
sitting on a bus to Málaga with my fave half Mexican previous comp, my
current Ecuadorian comp, and my CCM British roommate. So you could say
we're having a good time.

Ok so this week was REALLY interesting I don't even really remember
what happened. First off, I've had about 5 different companions this
week. Before I get to that though I need to start with the struggle
that was Monday night. So since Hna was leaving, EVERYONE wanted us to
come to their house. So we had 3 Noches de Hogar!! THREE!! TRES!! The
first house gave us a full course meal of pique machu. Delish but for
some reason my stomach decided to shrink that day. Then we had Cola
Cao and Pan de Bono with Alejandra and fam. Then we showed up to the
last NdH at Rossana's and my stomach was already crying and so was I
on the inside and we walk up and I'm praying for like a little snack
and we walk in and see........FULL SIZE HAMBURGERS!! As a citizen of
the United States of America - Land of the French Fries, Home of the
Hamburger - I've never been so horrified to see a hamburger. Hna
Bailey just looked at me with an almost pitiful look and after the
spiritual thought I literally went into the bathroom and said a
prayer. I needed actual Heavenly help to fit the Hamburger in my
stomach. Well Hna Bailey was the answer to my prayer with the excuse
of packing her suitcases. #BLESSED

Tuesday was a sad day for it was the day my beloved Hna Bailey (now
returned Macey) left me for home. So I got to be comps with Hna Aase!!
We had a good time together. And then she left me on Wednesday morning
and I was with......no one. I went from the bus station to the train
station by myself. #weird and met the elders there. Then they left to
go study and I waited for almost an hour for my train to Elche......by
myself. #AlsoWeird #Lonely Then I rode the train to Elche and talked
to two Muslim men......by myself. #CouldItGetWeirder? Then I stood by
a JW stand while I waited for Hna Lake and Dillon to come retrieve me.
#StraightUpAwkward but I spent the day with them and then headed back
to Alicante where I was retrieved from the train station by the elders
again and then waited for everyone to come in including my new
companion!!

Lonely on the bus

And pretty much it's been a normalish week since!! Kinda slow but
normal because it's the beginning of the transfer.

I just want to end with my testimony that God listens to our prayers.
I've had some really great experiences the past few days of that. When
I don't have energy, I pray and I suddenly have energy to finish the
day. When I get discouraged I pray and hope is shined into my heart.
When I need comfort, the Holy Ghost is there to comfort me. I know God
loves and loves me. I know He listens to my prayers because he shows
me in many ways that He is listening, even if I don't get all the
answers immediately. I am so grateful for prayer. I will never cease
to have a prayer in my heart for the rest of eternity.

Love you all. Have a great week.

Kia Kaha


Hermana Twede

Lunch with Arlex and Edilia (Arlex tried to hug Hna Bailey...'twas funny.)

Recording our voices for Zoilo's radio.

Travel time with Hermana Sigcha.