¡Feliz Nuevo Año!

Dear family and friends,

It is always so good to be able to email you and let you know how I have been doing and to be able to share the amazing experiences I have had. I can officially say I came out last year and have around a year left, and it is very weird to me! I hope everyone had an amazing New Years and that you really took the time to set some good/reachable goals! 

Here is how my week went for me!

Week December 28-January 3 2015-2016

Monday:

So today seemed to have flew by really fast and I didn't get everything done that was necessary, but so is the life as a missionary! I really hope that life after the mission slows down just a little bit so I can catch my breath!

So today as we were doing emails a man came up to us named Bruce, who is a man changing to a women because he said God told him too. So he wanted to tell us why were wrong, but as he was starting and talking about somethings so many bells started going off in my head on how he was wrong so I just began asking questions and he would answer them and realize how it contradicted himself, so he asked me my age and I told him I was 19. He told me I haven't experienced life and so I didn't know anything about the scriptures. It was really sad that he just couldn't see past his feelings and realize how lost he was. But I didn't want to completely bash the man, so he walked away a little upset! After this we went to the mall where I bought me some new work out shoes with my Christmas money and it was worth every penny to have shoes that can last me the whole mission if I take care of them! 

We then went to the institute building where we played a lot of fun games like ping pong and pool and fosbol with the whole zone! I was having a blast with everyone when my zone leader Elder Peterson brought out his Christmas toy, a fun quad copter that was a mini and as he was going to let me borrow it, it broke, so he asked me if I would fix it for him! It made my whole day, because I love anything RC and he wanted me to see if I could fix it! I hope I can!

So tonight we did some finding by knocking more doors in an area of over probably 100 apartment complexes. It was very cold and not a lot were interested in a deep message, but we got 3 appointments set and even 2 lessons in the hour that we were there! We definitely planted some really good seeds in the complex and we hope that as we go back we can nourish those seeds! 

So today I learned that testifying can take away the argument of any person. They may not agree, but they can't argue against your soul beliefs! And they can feel the spirit if you truly testify! It was a very successful day!

Tuesday:

Wow! Today was such an amazing day! Today we started off the day by having an amazing district meeting! I feel like every time we have one I learn so much and don't know how to apply it until I go to work! So we learned a lot about the importance of language studies and maybe how we could improve them to be able to do more than just speak simply to the people around us. A language when spoken correctly can touch the heart perfectly. I feel that a language is so much more than just saying words. As I have learned Spanish and thought about it I take for granted that I can speak English with the emotion and defining words. And as I learn Spanish more in depth that is what I try to learn and today was a great way of learning how I can have more effective studies. And tomorrow we plan to meet as a district to have a big study session together and learn from one another! So today I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with the district leader, Elder Parkin. He is way awesome and has a lot of good insight on how to be a good missionary! As I spent the day with him I thought, "he reminds me so much of my brother in law Tyson." He is the more quiet type that only says the really eye opening things and is is a little witty with his remarks, but super fun and goofy! We had an awesome time getting to know each other and we had an even better time finding a few of his investigators last night to set appointments. I think one thing I for sure learned from him was how to have fun and work hard and also that it is alright to take a little time to get to know each other and visit and then get hard to work. As a missionary I would say that most missionaries here think that you have to always be going to be a good missionary, but Elder Parkin helped me see that every time I went on exchange with the Spanish training leaders it was really relaxed and they still got things accomplished! So my goal is to find the happy and successful medium! It was a great day and I know that every day will keep being great!

Wednesday:

Holy cow today was a really fun day! So today Elder Parkin and I started the day off with a little bit of studies and then decided to go and see if we could get ahold of a few people before we hiked over to the church. As we got to the church we met up with all of our district and we had a 2 hour language study and I felt like it was very overwhelming, but at the same time very helpful! I learned a lot of new things and am hoping to be able to remember them to be able to apply them to my everyday talking and teaching. So we switched back with our companions and left for home after our study to get planned for the day! So today we had a full day planned with lessons and as we got close all of them one at a time fell through the cracks, but God had a plan for us and always does have a plan for us, because we still got an amazing lesson in with a man we had been trying to get into for awhile. So we had a member from the ward go with us named Hno. Corona and we talk this man the first lesson of the restoration of the gospel and about the Book of Mormon, and it was so amazing to see how he opened up as he began to understand! We now pray he keeps wanting to learn more and let's us in his house to teach! We also we able to set over 3 more return appointment with other contacts, and I just felt like today the lord was showing us that really we have no say, but that he is in charge and we follow his plans to see true results. God does love us and I know that! I know that because of his loving son, our brother, who suffered and died, and rose again for us! As we follow his steps we will never be led astray!

Thursday: Happy New Years Eve!

Today was a bit of a crazy day for us! We started out with really good plans, but after a call from Elder Saaga and Hooper we changed our plans completely! We went over to give service in a place called Our Daily Bread, a soup kitchen, where food is prepared and given to the needy that come in! It was really an amazing time being there and seeing how happy these people were! I would ask them how much and they would say, "as much as you are aloud to give!" It was a more eye opening experience for me to see how many are without homes! Also I had a chance to meet this 16 year old girl named Haylee who has been volunteering her whole entire Christmas break, because she was more of a nerd and didn't like to hangout to much, but rather give service! It was kind of cool to see how she had a desire to serve everyday! While I was sitting there I had a chance to teach her all of the lessons just by talking with her and she asked me a lot about a mission and I hope that she will check out the website I gave her! So we went strait after this to the Library to plan for the week and be ready for the transfers. We had the best weekly planning we have had as a companionship and I think the best part was our companion inventory where I finally just let out what I felt was holding us back and we finally worked together to figure out how we could work better together! We also had enough time to sit and talk about the way we would set goals as a family and then set our new year goals together. I feel like it really strengthened us as a companionship! As we finished we were called saying our dinner was moved up and so as we got there they were still cooking, so we helped and we didn't actually eat until around 8:30! It was way late, but the food was so good and simple and the family was nice to give us food! I actually talked for a while with the father of the home and just got to know him, and he kept telling me how well my Spanish was and how much of a desire he could see I had to speak better! It made me feel so good! And I was also taught where Honduras was and the many things I should do as I apparently will be going there after I mission. The lady showed me so many pictures, and I have been captured into the beautiful views of Honduras! Tonight we were not able to teach to much, but I believe my teaching today was thought the example I was while giving service and showing my love for others! 

2016 New Years Resolutions

Long Term:

1. Doctrinally Smart. Monthly goal of Scripture study with Specific Question.

2. Better communication with my companion.

3. Be fit/healthy eater.

4. Be mentally clean in every situation.

5. Write in my Journal daily.

6. Perfect my Spanish by better studies.

Short Term:

1. Read from the Book of Mormon or Bible everyday.

2. Take pictures everyday.

3. Have a good work out.

4. Eat less sweets.

5. More Spanish outside the Apartment.

Friday:

So today was a really good day! We were able to start off the day by having some amazing studies separate and even together where we talked more about our goals and how we can reach them, but now we just need to stop talking about them and work to reach them! So as we finished our studies and were a little stressed from sitting all morning we had a way fun nerf war where I will have to say I won! Our apartment is not very big, but I have found the hiding spots and I have found myself to be pretty good at slow motion Parkour to dodge the darts! After our long nerf war we went over to give service at the Valentines house! We went and finished cleaning their leaves and as we finished elder Parkin taught me how to do all of a Rubixcube (not sure how you spell it?)  and it is a lot more thinking than I thought, but I love how I can relieve a lot of stress by doing it! So after our service elder Otuafi had the chance to go and teach a man named Manuel Guillan the First lesson. It went pretty good, but not as we planned and were pretty upset, however, we will be going back and he said the prayer tonight and it was amazing! And directly after the prayer he said, " I plan on being at church this week!" It was kind of a shocker but a good shocker for us! We hope he will hold to what he says! It was a really tiring day for me and it took all my energy to try and talk in Spanish today!!

Saturday: 

So this morning as I woke up and got ready for the day I went in and was talking with Elder 'Otuafi and apparently last night as we had our nerf war I shot him and the bullet skimmed his eye. He told me he can't see to the left of his left eye, but he didn't tell me that he could see last night so I could sleep good. I feel so bad, because I wasn't even trying to go for his face, the bullets kind of just go all over! So he called the Mission Doctor and he will have an eye appointment this week to get it figured out. I hope that he will be okay.... Well we found out that it is mostly just bruising and will just take time to heal, but he will be okay thank goodness! So today was a very crazy day for us! Both Elder 'Otuafi and I felt a little little under the weather today, so after studies we took a nap to see if we could both feel a little better, and it helped a lot! He didn't have a headache anymore and my chest and head congestion loosened up! So we woke up and went to the church where we had the chance to teach an investigator that we have had for a few years that is not quite ready, but she wants us to teach her son who is old enough to be baptized and wants to be! We have big plans for him and will always keep working with her so she will one day be ready as well! So with the time we had left we went and put flyers up around the square to help find people to teach, and then we had an amazing time this evening going on an exchange with Hno. Artega from the ward and we went and knocked a few doors before we decided to go over and teach Jesus. As we got there he shared his whole life story with the Hno. And then we shared a small message before we had to leave. His desire to change his life has multiplied and it is killing him that he is so sick and can't go to church. He helped us so how much we and our Heavenly Father have helped his life and we hope we can keep doing that! He still has a desire to be baptized and just can't wait for the health to do so! As we asked him what he thought he could do to become closer to Christ he said, "I need to read more and I want the members to come visit me! I feel they are my family!" So we are going to help him with that idea to become better! As we left his room tonight his neighbor that lives in the room next to him said some pretty rude things to us and it really hurt to see such persecution when we ourselves have never done anything to him. He looked at us and said, "freakin Mormons! Don't come back ever!" And I just looked at him and said, we hope you have a great night!" And I walked away. As we got home we got a text from Jesus saying that he chewed his friend out for the things he said and he apologized! Today was a great day being able to change one life at a time through our savior Jesus Christ.  

Sunday:

So today was an amazing day for me! So we woke up and got ready for the day really fast to have our ride come and pick us up to take us to our coordination meeting and we were able to get so much figured out in the meeting this morning! We talked openly about the investigators we have and how they are doing. As church started we had high hopes for investigators coming as we got 3 responses the night before saying they were going to come, but all of them failed to come and it was kind of hurtful. However life goes on and the things I have learned made it so worth it. So today was the first time I have borne my testimony in Spanish since the CCM and it was so wonderful! It made me feel so much more confident in my Spanish, and I feel that the members were able to really see who I am so that they can ,ale better connections with me! So after church we finished our studies at home just in time to get picked up by the Hno. Tryon to eat dinner at their house! We had a wonderful meal, and the best part about it was getting to take home their cello to practice for a mission fireside I have been asked to play in! I will be playing come thou fount and I can not wait! As they gave me the cello I was a little in shock by the case, but the cello sound is worth the crazy hippie case! So after dinner we headed home and I had to pull the cello out to make sure it was okay and it was so wonderful! So we went to teach Jesus our investigator when we called and he said he had to go back to the hospital to figure out his bowl movement problems. We plan to go visit him tomorrow, so tonight we just did some finding close to our house and come to find out we did find a few family to go back too!! So today was a tiring, but wonderful day!

I have learned so much in my mission, and I thank Heavenly Father everyday. I also am so grateful to have such wonderful family and friends to support me through a hard, long, learning and ever so worth it journey that changes not only the people, but me and you. Never forget you are loved by someone who died to know you and know that I pray for you everyday!

I will end with an amazing quote by Spencer W. Kimball.

President Spencer W. Kimball – “If only you could see the vision as I have, I wish I had your bodies to do the mission work, I would run to every house to teach the gospel and when I could no longer run then I would walk, and when I could no longer walk, I would crawl on my knees, and after my knees were so bloody that I could not use them, I would use my arms to drag myself, and once every muscle in my body was gone I would begin to yell! Oh that you could see the vision that I have."

I hope you all have an amazing week!

Con Amor,

Elder Spendlove