St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia (and some other parts of Spain), and April 23 has evolved into an interesting holiday. Men give a red rose to their sweetheart, a reminder of the red roses that sprang from the blood of the dragon slain by St. George. But because April 23 is also the anniversary of the death of Cervantes and Shakespeare, it has become International Book Day, so women reward their men with the gift of a book.
President Hinckley presented Hna. Hinckley with this red rose...
Nearly 50% of book sales in Spain take place during the week of Sant Jordi. On April 23 the cities are filled with flower vendors selling roses, and every plaza is filled with tables and booths from booksellers. Our missionaries and members take advantage of this occasion to offer free copies of the Book of Mormon to those in need of a book!
We had booths in at least a dozen cities, and by the time the day was over we had distributed 844 copies of the Book of Mormon! Equally significant, we obtained the names and addresses of over 200 people who said they would be willing to have a representative of the Church visit them and explain more about the book!
A ward member writes down the name and address of a passer-by who accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon. This table was set up at the entrance to the Hospitalet Stake Center.
Elder Groves and a ward member get the name and address of man in the plaza near the Hospitalet Stake Center.
Missionaries and members man the table on the Ramblas near the statue of Columbus in Barcelona.
Ward member Enrique Catala mans the table while Elder Bowers and a ward member talk with a passer-by on the Ramblas.
What a cute tradition! I love how the missionaries took advantage of the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteOK this is a great tradition....how can we start this in the US? A giving of books, and flowers? Magnifico! Amazing the number of books they gave away! Miracles! super love.
ReplyDeleteLove the missionaries in action shots! You don't often have that sort of keepsake.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. Thanks for sharing. We love seeing pictures and hearing these missionary stories. It's so nice to find out what wonderful things are happening all over the Mission. Thank you for these BLOG undates. Jere Diehl (Hermana Diehl's Mom)
ReplyDeleteI check this blog everyday and I love reading about the happenings in Barcelona Mission. What wonderful opportunities the missionaries have there. Miracles do happen....
ReplyDeleteElder Wedemeyer's Grandmother.
What a great event! It's so fun to have contacting action shots!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I want a U.S. holiday where we all give each other books. That's pretty much my dream holiday!
Great example of taking advantage of the culture to share the gospel! What amazing results!
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