Transfers

Helloooo Familia! :)

How are you all doing? How is the weather? I hope you are still enjoying snow capped mountains because WE ARE!! I love it so. :)
 This week was kind of a bitter sweet one because we did a ton of good work and found and taught but I have some sad news.... My companion is leaving me :( He is an awesome kid with very little time on the mission. We have a ton in common and we had so much fun in these past two transfers, it was incredible but it is time for him to move on. My new companion is Elder Navarro from the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain. Native, baby! I am really happy about that :) But President told me I am going to need to be patient.... That is never a good sign :P But I feel like I am going to grow a ton as a missionary in this transfer. It is a good feeling :)

This past week was really fun because we went to a lot of members! Like 4 haha. I know that may not sound like alot but member lessons are scarce in our area. We have 8 missioanaries in our ward so we have to divide up lessons with everyone, but that was really fun to eat and be with them :) Spanish people are so funny haha. Every day they are just so lazy from 2 to 5 in the afternoon. We would get there at two, eat, and then leave at around three or three thirty. I woild then ask them as we were leaving what they had planned for the rest of the afternoon and they would say nothing. They just sit around their table and do nothing. Haha it is hillarious! I know they aren´t that lazy of people but during their "nap time" they take resting pretty seriously.

We also had a zone conference in Malaga and I got to talk with Lucila, the first person I baptized and it was great! She is now living in Malaga again and she is doing so well!! I was so happy. It was also so fun to see alot of missionaries that I haven´t seen for a while too.

We received alot of direction from President about obedience and the power that comes from obedience. I love obedience because it is one of those things that you see the blessings of. Well at least for me. When I am obedient I feel good. I feel the Spirit stronger. I feel like a succesful missionary!
 We were also taught many things of great value that I can not explain at this time, for the screen that I write on says that I have five minutes of time left. I will use these precious minutes to write concerning the power of God.

There is no greater peace that comes when we are living the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have felt and seen the many blessings that come from the Atonement. Peoples lives are changed and put into order. Families are made stronger and problems are made right. I wish everyone could learn of and accept this great gospel. It really is so amazing. But really I am so happy all of the time :) I know that god listens to and answers our prayers. He guides us through the whisperings of the spirit. We are children of God. We have a divine lineage. I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I know who I am and what I need to do to become like my Father in Heaven. It is only possible through Jesus Christ. He is our brother and friend. As we confide and trust in him everything will be made whole. I know that God exists and we lived in his presence.

And these things were written for the convincing of men according to the things of god.

I love scripture language too ;P

I love the mission! It is the greatest.

Elder Powell

Baptism!!! ;D

Hi Family! 

Well spring has started with an awesome rainbow! We were blessed with the baptism of Francheska! It was so great! We started the week though going around teaching and inviting a lot of people to her baptism and she came with us to teach and invite. It was incredible Everyone she invited came and everyone we invited.... didn´t.... but at least It strengthened my testimony on the power of an invitation from a member or future member. :) Friends, members and investigators were there to support her and it was just a great service. This was only the second time I have baptized but the feelings were incredible as the first. There was such a powerful feeling of fire and peace and love and forgiveness. Baptism is a real covenant that we make with our Heavenly Father and I could feel and see the power of the atonement leading up to her batism. She was confirmed on Sunday and is a great example to everyone.

Afterwards she bore her testimony with power and boldly invited everyone there at the baptism to open there hearts, listen to the misisonaries and follow the example of Christ to find peace and happiness. It was great! She really is a miracle.

We also went bowling as a district and it was crazy fun! I got the high score so that felt good haha ;) But it was just good to be together as a district to have fun as missionaries but also work hard during the week in unity! That guy in the american shirt was one of my first zone leaders and is going home next week. That is pretty crazy! He is a great missionary.

Anyway, this week I have been focusing on studying with the spirit. I have been kind of slacking off with my studies and I needed to get better to have the spirit more and to know what to say to our investigators. There is a difference between studying and studying with the spirit. As we study with purpose and follow the spirit in our studies we receive more revelation. The things we read in the scriptures as we study will be applied to us through the spirit. and the Spirit will reveal to us our answers that we are looking for. It was kind of interesting because I have read the first five chapters of nephi in the past five days and I have received answers for things about geneology, temple work, missionary work, the power of the priesthood, the holy ghost and just everything that was needed for the people that we have been teaching.

I know that this is the work of the Lord. I am a witness to it. I could never do what I am doing right now without the help of the Lord.  Our Heavenly Father is aware of us and our needs. He is all powerful and all knowing. I hope everyone can feel of his divinity and know of the truthfullness of this gospel through their own actions. Study and Share the gospel. It´s the best! :)

The mission is great and still bookin´ like always! Lots to do and lots of smiles.

Love, Elder Powell

Hello family! 

This week was awesome! Kind of tiring but great at the same time. We focused this week on talking to everyone! It was more of a goal to unite our district and work hard together and it was great! We saw some amazing miracles as the lord placed people in our paths :) We taught more, found more, set more baptismal dates, and we felt great! We talk about contacting like tithing haha. It is more to show the lord our faith and obedience and the lord will bless us :P

For example the sisters in our district hardly ever get good futures but as they set the goal to talk to more people the lord placed two girls right in their path who were prepared to receive the missionaries. they now have baptismal dates! :D

Elder Sykes and I also just started talking to this man and he wasn´t that interested until his wife walked up. We were talking for a while when she finally admitted that she was baptized in our church. She just said it really casually. But when she moved here over ten years ago she just lost contact. It was so cool to see how when we talk to everyone, people are ready! We will now be teaching her husband and two kids who aren´t members. Part member family Baby!!! :D

Franchesca is all set to be baptized! We had her practice interview and she is super excited. We are now going to try and work with her whole family. We´ll see how that goes. :) 

I had intercambios again and it was awesome. My first zone leader that I had in Malaga came to work with me! It was a blast. He goes home in two weeks so it was fun to be able to work with him and teach with someone else with experience! I love my companion and everything but sometimes it is good to teach with others :)

Today we studied about personal revelation and I just love it. The simplicity and posibility to receive revelation from our Heavenly Father is so comforting. We talked about how we receive revelation and then what we should do when we receive it. As we have questions we ask in fervent prayer. then we study it out. Then we return to converse with our heavenly father. As we pray we may not receive any answer. Once we have made a decision though we should then prayer to know if we need to go in another direction. As we make our decisions it is important that we confide in the Lord. "everything is for our benefit". As we trust in him we will feel confident in our decisions. 

Pray. Listen and act. Don´t falter when it is time to act on an answer. If we want to continue receiving revelation, show the lord that you can be trusted with HIS knowledge.

The mission is so rewarding and I love it! I´m always tired and I wouldn´t have it any other way.

Love Elder Powell

MOTRIL

Hello family! This week has been one of the most awesome weeks in my Entire mission!!

Yeah. that good. :) 

Well it actually started out really hard because we don´t have a lot of investigators right now so we are contacting a lot. But we will be finding a ton really soon. We just need to stay faithful and keep working really hard! People will come :)

This week though I was able to do an intercambio in Motril to interview someone for a baptism. I think I have told you about Motril but it is like a tropical paradise! Anyway the interview went really well and it feels so good to see and talk to someone who is about to be baptized. As part of the intercambio I got to stay there for her baptism!

Yes, she got baptized in the Mediterranean Sea!! It was flippin awesome! :) The sea was perfect and it was so calm. When she was baptized you could just feel the joy and afterwards you could tell she felt clean. Just in the way she acted it was prominent..

We also took a ton of pictures! But here is one of them :)

I still like pushing the limits ;)

On Sunday Franchesca came to church again and she loves it. The ward has just taken her in so well. On the way home we were walking with her and she told us, "Well I´m set on being baptized. I told my mom and she feels happy for me. So I´d like one of you to baptize me, is that ok? "

Elder Sykes just looked at me and then we both said that is great! We are so happy! We then talked to her about her baptism and everything is planned out. She is such a good Girl! So ready and prepared for the Gospel :) 

Just a really good week filled with good news. Oh we also had a baptism in our ward on sunday. So thursday I had an interview. Friday, baptism on the beach. Saturday, another interview. Sunday, more awesome news from Franchesca and then a baptism that night!! So awesome!

This week I have seen the power of the Spirit! The way it teaches. The way it comforts. The way it reprimands and disciplines. And every time I saw or felt this it was after something so simple. Like a testimony. A prayer. Or someone giving direction. The Holy ghost is something that we should always live worthily to have. It is one of the greatest gifts of God. It´s ability to cleanse is real! As we keep our lives in order and strive to live the Gospel it will be our constant companion.

I love the mission! I love being a missionary of Christ! I Just love it.

Elder Powell (Almost an uncle)

Gostho-Gozo-Joy

Hello greatest family in the World! :)

Well this week was incredibly awesome! It is so good to here that everyone is doing well! :D I am doing great here in Granada too. Lots of cold freezing rain..... but I love it!

Our Investigator is doing so well. Franchesca came to church for the second time and we are going to go teach her again tonight. She is so binded to all of the young adults and that is helping a ton! She was in Malaga on Saturday visiting her family and she said she was awake until 2 in the morning thinking and worrying about how she was going to be able to come to church! She came straight from her trip to church. She is awesome! So prepared and succeptible to the spirit. :) She is getting baptized on the 15th or 22nd. It depends on her schedule. Ahh it so great!

 

We also found MORE Cubans! I swear we are like magnetized to them. I think it is just because they are so prepared. They don´t have any stable religion but just a strong belief in God. In our first lesson with Yuleydis and Elida we taught them how to pray. It was so rewrding to see their reactions as they felt the spirit and the love of God as they listened to us. As we finished Yuleydis promised us that she was going to learn how to pray! Such sincerity and innocence, it was incredibe. They are about 35 years old. We are relly happy to be able to teach them.

 

We also had interviews this week with President Deere. Good experience as well. I love how he is so focused on Christ and that helped me to do the same. Sometimes I get caught up in all the things that I need to do and teach and remember but it helped me to just go back to the basics and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He taught me a few things about Christ and his growth. He taught me how Christ passed through the Veil as well as us. But through his obedience and dilligence he was able to regain his knowledge and ¨remember.¨ We know that Christ was the Son of God and was sent to this earth for one purpose as a perfect person obviously but we can learn or ¨remember¨what we have learned before. The process is through dilligence and obedience. As we Diligently obey and seek to follow Jesus Christ we wil become more like him. We will become pure of heart. Meek. Kind. Charitable. Loving. So much other things. But obedience is the First law in Heaven (PMG).  

 

This is the work of the Lord. I see miracles every day. I feel the Spirit every day. I learn every day. I cry every day.... ok that last one is not true. But through the Gospel we are changed and humbled to be as Christ was.... Obedient to the Father.

I love the mission!! Stay obedient and diligent in all things. Blessings will come. Challenges will also come to try our faith. But NEVER doubt. This IS the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is alot closer to us than we think and very close to President Monson. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

 

All is well in Zion.

Elder Powell

Feb 24th - An Uncle ?!?

Hello family!!

I am writing this letter so you can Stop Jared and Tori from from doing anything else important until I get home ok! :)

But I am going to be an uncle! That is so awesome! If it is a girl she should be named  and if it is a boy he should be named

Anyway this week was transfers week and everything stayed the same. So I am still in granada and I am with Elder Sykes. This past week we have been doing good with finding but we didn´t have a lot of lessons. That was a bummer :( But our number 1 investigator came to church and is doing awesome. She is 22 and from Colombia! We really need more young adults in our ward so this is going to be great to work with her. Franchesca is her name. We are also working with a ton of brazillians right now... and two cubans! I am super excited! I love cubans! 

Oh and my ward mission leader from malaga wrote me this. It is for you mom and dad :)
¨Por favor cuando le escribas a tus padres, diles de mi parte (tu padre español) que gracias por haberte dado la vida, por haberte enseñado el evangelio, por ayudarte a servir una misión por hacer de ti uno de los grandes siervos del Señor. ¨

He is a great guy and I call him my spanish father :P He was one of the first members I met here in spain and he is awesome. 

The concert on Friday was great. It was mainly a whole lot of senors that were actually really interested in the Book of Mormon and other stuff, and we handed out a lot of things afterwards. It was awesome because we talked to a member the day after and they said they were getting on a bus when they saw all these people with book of mormons and pamphlets on the bus. They said it must have been a success. The only thing is that they were all about 70 years old or older.
 As some of them were leaving they told us how nice we were and some of them even said to Elder Sykes and I that they wished we were their grandchildren. We just smiled and laughed along with them. But I really just wanted to tell them it would be okay if they fed us as if we were their grandchildren.


But this week I was reminded through the scriptures of how truly blessed we are to be in the church and to know of the true gospel of Christ. As a missoinary you really get to see of how people´s lives are affected negatively by sin. The blessing obedience to the gospel and the commandments truly brings happiness to the lives of those whole live them. The gospel is something that has been given to us out of love by our Heavenly Father for our happiness. We must study the scriptures to remember that and to know what we must do in this life, otherwise we forget those things and are more prone to slip into sin. The truth of the gospel truly is eternal life and happiness, and there is no other way. It is light, life, and love to all those that accept and live it. I would just like to invite to live the gospel and listen to the words of King Benjamin, who asked us to consider the ´´happy and blessed state of those who keep the commandments.´´ 
This spiritual thought is from my companion but I also Testfy the same!
It is great to be a missionary in Spain! I love you guys!
Love, Elder Powell (Future Uncle)

Feb 17th - Wonderfully Hard

Hello family :)

Yeah sorry about last week mom. I really was planning on writing you but then dad and I got carried away so today I am writing to you guys first! But that doesn´t mean it is going to be twice as long or anything like that haha :)

This week I titled my letter ¨Wonderfully Hard¨ because we saw the miracles that come during hard times in the work. We have come to a point where we have very few people to visit so we have very few plans. Normally you have 3 or 4 plans every hour but we had 1 plan (if you could call it that) every hour. Fun right! We spent a lot of time praying and searching and we saw the hand of the lord. Any time we taught or something failed we would find someone new to teach! While we were in the street we talked to people who were ready to here the gospel and were willing to listen to us. A week that normally would have been hard was personally rewarding. It was still flippin hard!! but it ended up being a good week :)

Lately I have been reading in Jesus the Christ and I am learning so much about the personal ministry of Jesus christ but, I am learning more about the trust he gave to his disciples! The trust he gives ME. I have a strong testimony of the reality that Christ lives and the importance of His Gospel for us. I love being able to testify of that! Jesus Christ has restored his gospel for YOU. That you can live with your families and Father in Heaven eternally. You can find comfort in trials, rest when you are tired, peace in tumultuous times, happiness when you are surrounded by doubt. This is his message! Matthew 11:29-30. Well, part of his message :)

It is so great to be able to share it every day! I am a missionary. I will work as a disciple to proclaim this gospel. I will stand when others will not. Sin is imprisoning while repentance is liberating. Doubt is darkness while faith is pure brightness. I love to be a missionary and I know that everyone can know of the truthfullness of the gospel through prayer to our heavenly father and Dilligent Study of the scriptures in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well I will talk to you all next week :) It is the start of a new transfer and I am super excited!

The mission is the Greatest.

Love, Elder Powell.