What We Do

On Saturday afternoon we dropped by the Barcelona 2 chapel to attend the baptismal service. A couple of weeks ago Elders Corbitt and Johnson visited with a less active family who, as it turns out, were anxious to come back and well prepared for the visit! They have three daughters who had never been baptized, so the Elders have been busy teaching them and preparing them for baptism.

It was a wonderful service and the girls were so happy to finally be baptized! All three were confirmed in sacrament meeting today, and the ward now has a wonderful new family!

101 Interviews Later...

Today we finished the first complete round of interviews of 2011! Interviews actually began nearly 3 weeks ago on January 31, but were interrupted by the arrival of 5 new missionaries whose visas had been approved and the visit of Elders Causse and Paya of the Seventy.

Valentines Day treats in Bilbao
Hnas Roberts, Bennion, Hinckley, Boone and Rodruguez

Waiting for interviews:
Elders Southwick, Awerkamp, and Taylor
Hnas. Roberts and Rodruguez

This last week of interviews began on Sunday night when we flew to Bilbao and interviewed the 5 missionaries in the city. On Monday we completed interviews with the rest of the Vitoria Zone, then flew to Palma in the evening and interviewed the elders serving on Mallorca on Tuesday (along with some member interviews, as this is a mission district). From Palma we flew to Valencia and began interviews on Tuesday evening in Valencia, finishing the interviews there on Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon we took the train home to Barcelona to begin working on transfers, and spent the day on Thursday working on transfers.

Then on Friday (today) we finished the remaining interviews (most of the Lleida Zone as well as the Menorca elders).

While I conducted interviews the zone leaders did training. It was a great series of interviews, and we were impressed again at how wonderful these young missionaries are!

Waiting No More...

Last week we received five new missionaries who had been waiting for visas. We were fortunate to receive them in just two groups on the same day (rather than one at a time which is very often the case). They are incredible missionaries: prepared and eager to work!

Elders Bronson, Reeder and Farley arrived on the 11:22 AVE from Madrid and were met by the Ayudantes and Hinckleys. The Hinckleys took their luggage back to the mission home, while the Ayudantes took the new Elders down to Plaza Catalunya for an hour of contacting!

Elders Bronson, Reeder and Farley at the station.

After a quick lunch, the new missionaries were each taken out proselyting by a pair of missionaries in Barcelona, then came back and spent the night in the small dormitory located in the office.

In the meantime, the Ayundantes and the Hinckley's trained the new trainers. Then the Hinckley's made a second trip to the station to meet Hna. Fernley and Elder Keyes who arrived on the 9:22 p.m. AVE.

Elder Keyes and Hna. Fernley at Estacio Sants.

At the station.

The next morning we all met for some training and orientation, the new missionaries met their trainers (or at least one of them, as all will be working in trios for at least a couple of weeks), and by noon everyone was on their way to their new assignment!

Elder Keyes and Elder Greenburg pointing to Las Arenas.
Elder Jimenez stayed up north to keep the work going!

Elder Southwick and Elder Reeder point to Pamplona.
Elder Matthews met them upon arrival.

Elders Rasmussen and Hughes show Elder Bronson the location of Cornella!

Hnas. Culverwell and Fernley point to Barceona 1.
Hna. Fuentes joined them a few minutes later.

Elders Farley and Egan find Manacor, Mallorca on the edge of the map.
Elder Farley consolidated down to one bag, and then flew to the island to meet Elder Greep
who is the third member of their trio.

It seems that purple is this year's color!

Interviews

Last week we began interviews in the Barcelona area, which means that missionaries from the Barcelona and Hospitalet Zones were coming and going throughout the day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It makes for some lively days around the office!

Elders Krasnoselsky and Raban pick up their mail
and a new supply of Books of Mormon

Elders Rasmussen, Roos, Castro, and Araujo prepare for interviews
while Elder Corbitt goes about his work...

Hnas. Kline and Ruz... just being Hnas. Kline and Ruz!

On Tuesday afternoon we took the AVE to Zaragoza and interviewed missionaries there. Then we had the opportunity to set apart Elder Kevin Barahona Franco for a mission. He left the next morning for the Madrid MTC and will serve in the Spain Malaga Mission.

Elder Franco and his parents in Zaragoza

A Work of Miracles

A couple of weeks ago a pair of missionaries was meeting with an investigator who said she had been having a recurring dream in which she saw her mother who passed away a year ago. She asked the missionaries what the dreams meant. They had not yet taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and simply told her that she needed to pray and ask God herself what the dreams might mean.

When the missionaries returned for their next visit she said, "After your last visit, I prayed that night and asked God to show me why I was having dreams about my mother. That night I had another dream. I don´t know who was talking, or where the voice was coming from, but I heard a voice that said to me 'Celestial Kingdom.' Can you tell me what that means?" The missionaries then taught her about the Plan of Salvation.

She is preparing to be baptized on February 26th.

In Moroni 7, Mormon explains that angels are sent "to minister unto the children of men" and that the "office of their ministry is... to prepare the way." We are grateful to be able to teach people who have been prepared by angels!

Zone Conferences - Part 2

This past week we had three more zone conferences. Monday we were in Bilbao with the Vitoria Zone; Tuesday we held our first zone conference in the new Barcelona Stake Center with the Barcelona Zone; and Thursday we were in Valencia.

The Vitoria Zone in the Bilbao Chapel

The Barcelona Zone in the new chapel - carpet, pews, and behind the folding wooden doors at the back, a basketball court with wood floors!

Valencia!

Thus ended a wonderful series of zone conferences to begin the new year. We are excited for what lies in store. We were blessed with a very successful year in 2010, and we are confident that as we rededicate ourselves even greater blessings are in store!

First Baptism in New Barcelona Stake Center

The new Barcelona Stake Center opened last Sunday; and today we had the first baptism performed in the new building. Hno. Alfonso was baptized by his new friend, Hno. Jorge. Jorge was baptized just two months ago.

Alfonso had had some contact with the missionaries some time ago, but on January 2nd a friend of his brought him to church on Sunday. After church they invited him to come to an open house at the mission home (for recent converts and investigators), and we met him that Sunday afternoon at our home. Over the next three weeks he was taught by Hnas Johns, Fuentes and Culverwell. Hna. Johns completed her mission last week and returned home, so was not able to be here for the baptism, but it was a joyous day for all involved!

Hnas. Culverwell and Fuentes with Alfonso; Jorge is the second from the left.

Standing in front of the font in the new stake center

The stake center itself is a beautiful new building and finally provides us with a good presence in the city of Barcelona. On this particular Saturday night there was a primary activity in the Primary room, a baptismal service in the Relief Society room, and a large group of young single adults playing basketball in the cultural hall (a full court with a wood floor!). The building is being well used just a few days after opening!