Instruments in His Hands

Mis seres queridos,

Well...we all knew this day had to come... The Hermana Tuttle-Noakes companionship has come to an end. She is off to Zaragoza to bless that part of the world and I am getting to work with the wonderful Hermana Ward who will probably be my last companion. I love it here in Sabadell. Saying goodbye to people these last few days has really helped me see why I felt I needed to come on a mission. I feel so humbled, I have so much left to learn but God has blessed me to be the part of so many people´s lives. Isn't it amazing! As not only missionaries but as anyone God puts his trust in us to be an example to people to help those around us, members or not. I wish I had time and space so that I could tell you all of the little miracles I see every week but I'll have to wait to expand them all in detail until then I have a couple of quick bullet points of people God has let me and Hermana Noakes to be a part of:

1) Joan Pau, he is still preparing for the 12th of July, we have been having daily contact with him (which is super easy because he's basically our best friend) but he just left to Italy for a two week long study thing. We didn't want him to lose his animo (excitement/fire) for the church so I thought of what my mom used to do whenever I left home for a couple of weeks to dance and the night before he left we gave him 14 envelopes, 1 for every day he would be gone with questions about the chapters he will be reading from the book of mormon. It was so fun. Hermana Noakes (being the creative one) colored the envelopes and I studied the chapters he would be reading and came up with questions and little things for him to do so that he could apply his reading. He was so excited. He talks about his baptism as a fact and is already asking us about who is going to give talks. I am so excited!

2) Orlando and Nair, a family who was less active because of some problems with other members of the church who I just couldn't love more. They invited us over to eat and Nair (who has been a member her whole life and who introduced Orlando to the church 3 years ago and has tried to keep him active but has been struggling these last 2 years) told us that she has lost her energy due to gossiping and other things and that she doesn't want to attend the church either. We shared 2 nephi 9:18 and told them that they need to be the examples that if there is any sort of contention in the church it doesn't mean they should leave it means that we need them more than ever. We were all crying by the end. They drove us all of the way to Barcelona station just to drove Hermana Noakes off. They are so sweet.

3) Andres is still coming to church and he says he really likes it and that he would love to be baptized one day. We are still working on a date with him but he and Kevin (his older brother) are both signed up for EFY this fall and we are so excited for them!

Wow, I still have so much left I want to tell you but I have a few members that I would like to write to before I get off. Just know that I feel very blessed over here in Spain and I am seeing miracles.

Con cariño,

Hermana Tuttle

P.S. oh and family I forgot to tell you how cool I thought it was that you watched the Madrid v. Madrid game. Made me feel a little bit closer to you :)