When it rains it pours

Hola a tots!

I'm sorry I'm emailing so late! This week has been crazy and I haven't been able to find time to email. Monday we had concilio (leadership council more about that later) and then right after that I went up to Girona for an intercambio and then I got home late at night, yesterday was zone enfoque and then we had visits and helped a lady move for the rest of the night and basically it's just been a little tricky but here I am :)

So as I said, Monday was leadership council, as always it was amazing! And, as always, I'm going to say it's the best one yet. It was sweet because President Pace's parents were there and it made me miss my Grandma Tuttle like crazy and it was super inspirational because we were setting our mission goal for June. Now in case you don't know, June in Europe is called the Month of Invitation where they press really hard to invite people to church and that every member should invite either an investigator or a menos activo (less active) to church this month. Last year we set the goal to find 1,000 new investigators as a mission. This was CRAZY at the time because up to that point we were averaging about 500 and something and the highest we had had was 600 and something. I remember so clearly when we reached that goal. It was the most motivating and faith building experience of my mission. I remember coming off of that knowing that with the Lord ANYTHING is possible. Since then we have never dipped below 1,000 new investigators. At that point in time we had about 60 companionships, now we have about 100. In concilio we knew we had to set another goal that would do for the newer missionaries what last year did for those of us who were there. After a lot of discussion and getting on our knees we set the goal of 2,000 new investigators with an emphasis on finding these news through the members (because we have been told time and time again that that is the way the Lord wants his work to be done now). I am so excited. It felt so good when we set the goal and it felt even better when the zone leaders and I told our zone about it yesterday. I know we can hit it but it will take a lot of "work as if everything depended on you, pray as if everything depended on God."

The intercambio to Girona was great. Having just set this new goal in concilio and knowing that they were having a hard time finding new investigators I really was hoping to help them see that they can help the mission reach this goal even in an area that has only been getting about 1 new investigator a week. We worked really hard and we were blessed to find 3 new investigators in a matter of two hours! It was such a blessing. These hermanas are working so hard and I'm so grateful to have been there to help them see some of the blessings that are coming from their obedience, their faith, and their hard work.

Last night we had a whole run of tender mercies from the Lord, we were asked kind of last minute to help a woman move. She wanted us to get all of the missionaries (there are 4 elders and us 2 in our ward), 2 of the elders already had visits but luckily the other two didn't and were more than willing to help. When we got there we realized just how much work had to be done we worked as hard and as fast as we could and were able to get everything out of the apartment and into the van in an hour but Hna. Noakes and I realized we wouldn't be able to make a visit that we had planned. We were worried about canceling but right as I picked up the phone to call her she called us and told us that she was so sorry but she would prefer if we came over on Friday instead which was PERFECT so we were able to help unload the van but then it started to rain...hard. The new apartment was on the 3 floor (4th by how we number things in the States) without an elevator. It was 9pm and the elders had to leave, Hma. Noakes and I had no idea how we were going to be able to get home on time (at 10 or 10:30 if we're in a visit) and we knew we couldn't leave the mother and her husband to do it all by themselves. Then by a miracle the bishop and two members were able and willing to come help, then a cousin who doesn't know anything about the church came and helped to. We were able to finish getting everything into the apartment by 10 and the cousin offered to drive us home so that we didn't have to wait out in the rain which was also a miracle because at that time the busses come very infrequently and we wouldn't have been able to get home on time. So we were able to share a little message with all of them and even set up a return appointment with Jorge (the cousin) and we got home at about 10:15. We have been trying so hard to be exactly obedient lately and what I learned last night was that if we are trying to do God's will, if we are trying to serve others and we are trying to follow the rules which He has set for us, we will help us. This is His work, the people we are helping are His children, as long as we are fully invested in His work, He will provide us with what we need to go about it His way.

I see the Lord's hand in my life EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

If you aren't seeing it in yours, look a little harder. It's like my favorite quote from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.

I love you all!!!

Hermana Tuttle

P.S. I have pictures to send but this computer doesn't have a USB so you'll have to wait for next week, let me just say that if the "rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains" the people in the plains must be swimming because it sure pours in the cities.

Més que una misión

Dear Family,

I can't stop smiling! This week we saw one of the biggest miracles I have seen in my mission. 14 less active members that we have been working with came to church. 14! That's not including 3 small children of those adults that will also be effected as their parents continue to make their way back to activity. We have been really trying to work with members more, to have a visit with a member, active or inactive, everyday and we have seen miracles from it. I really feel like I am helping these people change their lives. I have been so blessed throughout my mission to see people let go of their old selves and follow the Lord but yesterday I had this overwhelming feeling come over me that the Lord LOVES His missionaries. We are His servants. We have been called here to change lives. I didn't see that miracle coming at all. We had been working really hard with several menos activos this week and so many of them said that they wouldn't be able to come for one reason or another. All day Saturday and Sunday morning we prayed harder as a companionship than we ever have. We were short of our goals in a lot of things and there was a little nagging voice in the back of my head that since we were only sure that two of those menos activos we had been spending so much time on these last couple of week would come to church maybe we could have used our time better. But we knew we had worked hard and we knew we had been inspired to use our time this week the way we did and focus on who we focused on and teach who we taught so with that we felt we could ask God for a miracle and we saw it. I learned this week to NEVER doubt in inspiration. We are His missionaries and we have been set apart so that we can be more receptive to the Spirit's whispering, as long as we are constantly planning with the spirit of prayer and acting on revelation we receive, we will see miracles. 

So real quick because I am almost out of time: guess who went to the Barcelona stadium! Woot woot! Finally! I have been wanting to do it since last October when I got transferred from Valencia to here. It was awesome and massive. I can't believe how into Futbol I'm getting! Kind of starting to freak me out a little (don't worry it doesn't even come close to the NBA, let's not get crazy, I've lived in Spain for over a year now but I'm still the Shannon we know and love). Oh and this morning because H. Noakes and I haven't had time to go grocery shopping for the last couple of weeks we had blueberry muffins for breakfast with the little food that we have. No stress we are buying food today, no stress parents it's not a money problem, and yes it is preparing me for the newlywed diet I will have one day I'm sure when you're basically living off of staples and rice (the rice thing is more Spanish but whatever). Anyway I love you all.

Hermana Tuttle

A week of working with members

Hello family and friends,

Transfers, I would give a drum roll and tell you about the exciting news that I am.... staying in Sabadell!!!!...but I won't because my family finally broke the news that you guys actually don't get as anxious about transfer calls as we do out here...something every missionary has to come to terms with ;) but yes I am staying in Sabadell (no surprise) but the exciting thing is that Hermana Noakes is staying too!!! We are rocking out one more together boo ya! Which pretty much puts the nail in the coffin that I am going to end my mission here since after she leaves in June I will only have a transfer and a half left which will really just leave me with enough time to show someone else the area. We'll see though. I'm stoked though if that's the case. I love it here!

So this week we had a great lesson with a member. It was her birthday and she didn't want to be alone so we came to help her with some stuff in her house. She then fed us and as she fed us she told us about her conversion story. It was so powerful! She talked about how she had been baptized in the catholic and evangelist church but that when she heard that we have the Book of Moses and Abraham she believed what the missionaries and her brother were saying and when she read the book of mormon she got only to the third page when she started crying because the spirit was so strong. The next day after zumba we asked if she could help us in a visit with Jean Pau who is catholic and still wondering why he needs to be baptized again. She shared her experience and it was INCREDIBLE!!!!

We also received an amazing referral from a recently returned missionary. His name is Kevin and he is 17. He is the most genuine kid I have ever met. As we taught him he just told us how much he wanted to know if God existed. He is so sincere and he started reading from the Book of Mormon that night. We met and taught him on Wednesday,Thursday he went to our spiritual activity we have each week, Friday we taught him and he went to mutual, Sunday he wasn't able to come to church because he already had things planned for school that he wasn't able to get out of but we are going to meet with him a couple of times this week and he told us he can for sure come to church this week so we are very excited.

Lastly, we have been working with the less active man I mentioned in my last email and his wife. We visited them a few times this last week and each time was so powerful he basically was teaching us. On Sunday he got called into work last minute (he was in his sunday clothes and everything) so he didn't come to church but he said he will this week. It's amazing how many obstacles come up when someone is on the right path.

It's been a beautiful week, Satan's been working on people and we're just trying to work harder. Definition of missionary work.

Love you guys a lot!!!!!

Hermana Tuttle

Preparation Days & Miracles

Hi Everyone,

Okay I just realized that I have neglected to talk about our preparation day activities here in Sabadell so I have to mention that now because they have been amazing!

Two of the mondays we were in concilio but for my birthday after the elders "surprised" me with water balloons we went to Barcelona to play lasertag, it was awesome!! We looked like the randomest group of people with some speaking spanish, others catalá, and others english but we went against a group of all Spaniards. We won, duh, we had the language barrier to work in our favor and we're awesome. (also duh)

Then the next week the circus came to Sabadell. I have never laughed so hard in my life. There weren't a ton of people that came to the day shows so we got front row seats and one of the Elders even gotten chosen to participate in a sketch and it was HILARIOUS!!! We were literally crying because it was so funny.

Okay now onto the miracles of the week. So last Tuesday on our way to our area. Hermana Noakes got in a conversation with an older women and I felt prompted to contact a girl about my age so I went but she wasn't all that interested so I mentioned english class and that sparked her attention and I was able to get her number but still didn't feel super confident that she was all that interested. But then a man behind me asked if he could have the same card. I figured it was because he heard me mention english class so I explained to him about the classes, got his number and then he had to go too. On Saturday he showed up an hour early to English class. I asked him if that's what he had come for and he said yes but he came early because he wanted us to explain more about the church. We took him on a tour of the chapel during which we found out that he has never stepped foot in a chapel like ours, he has been muslim his whole life but by tradition and has never really felt he agreed with it and now he is searching for something more. He said its forbidden to learn more about Jesus and that he knows it could really cause problems but that it is worth it to finally find where he will fill he belongs. When we took him into the chapel we explained the sacrament a little only to realize he knew little to nothing about Jesus Christ. We brought out the bible and he asked if he could hold it. He then apologized because he left a little sweat fingerprint because he had never held a bible before. He came to all the meetings on Sunday and he loved it. We have taught him twice (starting very basic) and he is taking everything in. He is incredible. He is so prepared.

I'm out of time but I just wanted to mention we had the most powerful lesson with an inactive man who was baptized 3 years ago and has become as he said "cold" to the gospel but as we taught his testimony showed through. We taught the difference between having a testimony and truly becoming converted and that conversion takes time, reading the scriptures, praying, and truly searching for that answer. We are going to start visiting a few times each week to read the scriptures and warm him up a little bit.

Anyway I have to go but I love all of you lots!

Hermana Tuttle