Out with the old, in with the new...or something like that

1) Hermana Giler and I celebrating our last days together by eating ice cream...Hagen Daaz style. 

Duh.

2) Mi nueva Hermanita, Hermana Norton :) 

Yes, she's the cutest!

Besitos!!

 xoxo

What a Week

Hi loved ones, 

Can I just tell you how much I love my family? Every single one of you. This week, through a multiple of experiences, I was reminded yet again of how blessed I am. I am thankful for my loving family and I pray for your health and safety daily. 

This week was a bit eventful, to say the least. I am not sure what you have all heard, but there was a devastating train accident in the North of Spain earlier this week. One of our new Elders in our mission was on his way to his first assignment when the train crashed.  

Here is an update that was sent out to all of us missionaries. 

Dear Missionaries,

In our recent Zone Conferences, we talked about miracles 

being part of the work of The Lord.  In our mission this 

week, we have truly seen the hand of God, protecting one 

of our missionaries.

You have all heard about the horrible train wreck in 

Galicia on Wednesday, and that one of our new 

missionaries, who arrived in our mission on Tuesday, was 

involved.  Elder Ward was on the train to A Coruña, final 

destination El Ferrol, when, just as it approached Santiago 

de Compostela, the entire train derailed. He was 

unconscious for a short period of time, then was helped 

from the train. 

One third of the passengers on the train were killed, and 

the rest were injured, most of them very seriously.  Elder

Ward was taken to A Coruña by ambulance. After a long 

24 hours in the hospital, he was released late Thursday 

night. We brought him back to Madrid, where he will 

receive more medical attention, and recuperate. 

We feel so blessed that he has been protected and will be 

able to recover fully.  His injuries were less severe than 

almost everyone else on the train. 

Our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to those who 

have lost loved ones in the accident. Many do not have a 

knowledge of the plan of salvation. Imagine not knowing 

that you would see your loved one again! They are 

thirsting for the light and knowledge that we can bring 

them. 

Thank you all for your faith and prayers on behalf of Elder 

Ward. He expresses his gratitude to each of you and to 

many, many others who were praying for him to be all 

right. He even received a call from President Uchtdorf to 

wish him well and thank him for his service. Elder Ward 

was faced with an onslaught of reporters from all over the 

globe over the 48 hours that followed the accident. He 

has been a true ambassador for the Church and 

represented you and all missionaries as a witness for Jesus 

Christ. 

We wish him well in his recovery and look forward to

having him working full time with us in a number of days.   

Moroni 7:29 ...Have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto 

you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the 

children of men. 

30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister 

according to the word of his command, showing 

themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in 

every form of godliness. 

D&C 84:88 ..For I will go before your face. I will be on 

your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in 

your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear 

you up. 

We love each of you dearly.

Love President and Sister Jackson

This week was full of a lot of prayer and gratitude. I have no doubt that the Lord watches over us and that He is a God of miracles. Hermana Norton and I were filled with a new desire to share the Gospel and the message of the Plan of Salvation. I love being a missionary! 

I miss you and hope you are all doing well!

Love you to pieces. The church is true. Heavenly Father loves you. 

Hermana Scheu  

New transfer. New companion. And a whole lotta love.

Hollaaa, 

So, today is the first day of my 2nd full transfer here in Madrid! Hi, time FLYS here. I still haven´t gotten used to the time warp...

Yesterday was rough. I tried reallly hard to keep it together when I had to say goodbye to my trainer. I actually had a harder time with it than I thought I would. We´ve had amazing two months together and saying goodbye to her meant saying goodbye to everything that was normal and comfortable. I knew that this next transfer would be full of trials, prayers, and whole lot of growth and I didn´t think I was quite ready to face it all on my own. I don´t think I have ever felt so inadequate or afraid of stepping up and into something new.

However, last night, after a long day of tears and paparazzi  (erryyybody wanted photos with Hna Giler. It was great/I thought my smile was going to break) I humbly knelt down at the edge of my bed and I said a prayer. I was immediately blanketed with the Spirit and so much love from my Heavenly Father. Giant tears rolled down my cheeks as I offered up a prayer of thanks and pleaded with Him to give me the strength I needed to make it through these next few weeks. I asked for the strength to be an example for my new companion and the inspiration to continue to teach all of our wonderful investigators that I have come to love so much. I knew I would need the power to soften hearts of stone and the humility to learn how to listen to the promptings of the Spirit. 

Also, it was in these few precious moments when I was reminded that I am not alone and that He will always give me the help that I need as long as I do my part. I was reminded of the words from my Stake President the night before I entered the MTC when he counseled me to be exactly obedient and stay close to my mission president. 

It´s moments like these that fill me with gratitude for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission. I know that I´ve had some trials this past several weeks, but I honestly couldn´t tell you what they were. The hard times always come to an end and the good times are always more than worth it. I´ve never been happier and I am so excited for this next transfer! I woke up excited and ready to work hard. I met my new companion this morning! She´s a gem. Love her already. Obviously. Her name is Hermana Norton and she is from Colorado. We´ve already made it through possibly our biggest challenge of the transfer haha we had to carry her luggage across the city. Wow. I actually thought I was going to die haha She had a ton of stuff and it took us forever, but eventually we made it. All is well. The church is true. I love being a missionary. 

I love you all! I have the best family ever!

xoxo

Finals Week

Well, I am a little glad this past week is over. It was a tough one. It was difficult, yes, but I learned SO much. I am beginning to realize that I learn the most during the hardest times. Looking back I wouldn´t change a thing.

So, lets just jump to today. Today is my very last P-day with Hermana Giler. I try not to think about it...because when I do, I cry. I don't want her to leave me!!! We have transfers next Monday and she is most likely moving to a new area and I´ll get a new companion. Yes, it´s sad and I have NO idea how I am going to survive without my trainer in a new area, but on the other hand I know this next transfer will have a lot of room for growth (and a lot of room for sincere prayer.) In reality, Hermana Giler and I had an incredible transfer. Anddd to celebrate we are going to Ikea. Yes, as in the furniture store. We´re stoked about it.

But this week was great, even though it was a little more difficult. I say it was great because I did learn a lot. I say it was difficult because it was crazy busy! We had two intercambios this week, so we did a lot of traveling and I did a lot of relying on the spirit to help me with my weaknesses.

Yesterday was a great day, though.  I am sooo thankful that Hermana Giler didn´t have to leave for Barcelona last night. I was worrying about that all week and last night we realized that she needed to be here for a couple specific reasons. We were talking about how our Heavenly Father knows all things and how important it is to have trust in Him. In the end, things always work out the way they are supposed to.

This transfer has been amazing. We were blessed so much and we have a lot to look forward to in our Ward and in our area. This next transfer we have baptisms planned for almost every weekend and a lot of people who are willing and accepting of our message. Our area really has transformed these past several weeks and we´ve witnessed the Lord´s hand in this work. I love seeing the changes in people as they invite the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their hearts. It´s been beautiful and I only pray that I can continue to see this change move forward. I´m ready to put exercise more faith and work hard.

Also, we are seeing a lot more trust in our ward members. Yes, we have a lot of work to do, but we are definitely progressing and moving forward in the right direction. I have some ideas in my mind that I want to implement these next couple months. And with the help of my new companion, here come the referrals.

Have a great week!!

Hermana Scheu

"Wait, Hermana, what just happened?"

Hi Family!! 

K, I reaalllyy don’t have time this week. We have a lesson to get to and a homemade "Testimony" game to finish for our FHE lesson tonight :) Ohhh the life of a missionary...

Here are a few exciting (and not so exciting) updates from this past (amazing) week: 

1) WE HAD A MIRACLE BABPTISM!!! Jaimeeeee. We love him. We invited him on Friday to be baptized the very next day and he accepted! haha At first he was all, ¨Tomorrow? No." But we kept our cool and resolved his concerns and his baptism was amazing!! Honestly. There are no words. 

2) We found 8 new investigators this week. 8! 6 of them are families and the two others have already started reading the Book of Mormon on their own...solid. So excited to teach them. 

3) I made Grandma´s Honey Chicken recipe for Hermana Giler and she loved it! Needless to say, it´s our new favorite dish and we´ve already had it for dinner twice. 

4) People loved us this week. Loved us as in they fed us SO much! They fed us a ton, but it was all superrrr good and surprisingly healthy. Hermana Giler and I make a great team. Things that I don´t care for, she loves and vice-versa. We´ve gotten really good at trading food/drinks to each other when our host isn´t looking ;) 

5) Just in case you haven´t checked the weather lately over here in Madrid (because I know you all do on a regular basis) well, you should know that it is HOT. I have never been more hot, sweaty, dirty, and so content all at the same time. I´m embracing every aspect of missionary life. Let´s just say I have never appreciated showers as much as I do now. Mom, you would be so proud. 

6) So just a little fun fact about Spain: Water bottles, as in the hard plastic ones with a straw, are unheard of here. People LOVE them. I never knew a neon green BRITA water bottle could attract so much attention. (Great for contacting opportunities!) 

7) I love letters. I got theee best letter from an old friend from school. It was such a great surprise. He served his mission in Madrid too! I am overwhelmed by the amount of support and love I´ve felt. Loveyouall.  

Oh you all know I could go on forever. Long story short. Hermana Giler and I are SO incredibly blessed. So many times this week we walked out of lessons saying to each other "What. Just. Happened?" The Lord is carrying us. He is guiding us. He is with us every moment. And at times I don’t have the capacity to comprehend it all. All I know is it´s the best feeling in the world and I never want it to end. So many times this week things just feel perfectly into place and there is no other way to explain it. I am not quite sure why we have been so blessed, but I am not about to question it. I am so thankful. La la la life is wonderful. 

LOVE you. Thank you for the emails and thank you for the prayers!

Have an awesome week!

Ps...pictures!

Joanna´s first time at the temple. So tender. She was baptized almost two years ago and recently moved here to Madrid. I have never seen someone light up they way she did when we turned the corner and she saw the temple for the first time. Pure joy. 

 

FHE homies

Jaime's Baptism. Aka...best day ever!

Tan lines and Testimonies

Hola!

Wow. What a week. Can I just tell you how much I love my campanion? She´s a rockstar and life just keeps getting better. 

We had an amazing week! Miracles, I tell ya.  Hermana Giler and I work super well together and we are really started to figure out how to work effectively. It´s been soooo much work, but worth every second. My awesome  "missionary" tanlines are getting sweeter and sweeter by the day and my ability to testify through the spirit is getter stronger and stronger. Loving it. 

This week has been a huge trial of our faith. We had an incredible 4 hour (yes, 4 hours) zone meeting on Tuesday and it changed our lives. It was so inspirational. We talked a lot about goals and how to set goals in faith and trust that the Lord will help us after we do all we can do. We were reminded of our purpose as missionaries and I was reminded that success in the mission doesn´t come from luck, it comes from hard work and relying on the Spirit in all things. 

Anyway, we left the meeting with tears in our eyes (happy tears) and a determination to be better. Although this week wasn't easy, Hermana Giler put a lot of what we learned into action and we saw amazing results. We exeeded almost every single one of our goals this week and experienced miracles along the way. For example: Sunday morning we were walking to church when a man stopped us in the street. He came up to us and introduced himself and told us he wanted to be baptized. Turns out he met the missionaries in Peru (where he´s from) almost 16 years ago. He knew right away that the gospel is true and wanted to be baptized. However, before he had the chance he moved to Spain and lost contact with the church. Well, this particular day he happened to see us, "angels" walking along the street and stopped his car and jumped out to catch our attention. Literally, he just stopped his car in the middle of the street. Sooo, now we have a new investigator andddd a baptism date for him for the 20th of this month. He is super sincere and so prepared. 

God works in the most amazing ways. Every day I am amazed and each day my testimony of the power of missionary work is strengthened. I hope you all can feel how much I love being a missionary. I love the hard times just as much as the good, but only because each day I am blessed with the Spirit. Happiness comes from the Spirit and I´ve learned that the Spirit comes from hardwork and diligence. Also, I am learning that miracles and fulfillment comes when I align my desires and wishes with God´s will. 

Oh, there is so much more I want to share, but I am running out of time! I love you all and I am so grateful for your prayers! The church is true and there is nothing more powerful than a sincere prayer and a desire to know the truth. 

Be safe and I´ll talk to you next week! Oh, and I´ve attached a few photos from our mini 4th of July get together earlier today with other missionaries! It was a lot of fun :) The girl in the picture with me is a sister from the MTC in Provo and she is the bestttt! Love her and we love America... haha 

This is from an activity we had on Saturday (the little girl is from our new family we are teaching).  

This is one Hermana Giler snapped of me sleeping...haha we had 5 minutes before we had to leave for a lesson and I was OUT. Good times. That couch loves me.

Oh, and also we have a new family to teach!!! They actually live right next door to us...there is more to the story that I´ll share next week! They are amazing. 

Love love love YOU all, 

Hermana Scheu