Hola Familia y Amigos!!

Hola Familia y Amigos!!

     Today was a great week!!! Yesterday was so so so fun to skype my family!!  I'll be honest, I stressed out about it just a little because I didn't want to feel homesick or what not. But it ended up being just perfect!!!  The lady's house we skyped at made us super yummy fajitas, couscous, tabouli, cream cheese brownies and ben and jerry's ice cream.  SHE IS THE BEST.  The 3 of us had a good conversation about the blessings of serving a mission.  (She served one too)  Although it is SO SO DIFFICULT, the good things always compensate hard times!!  It was fun talking to her about her mission.

     Speaking of food, two days ago I ate seafood. NOT SEEFOOD, BUT SEAFOOD.  Fish, octopus, clams, and shrimp.  Yes I suffered through it, and the generous Elders taught me how to de-shell shrimp, as in how to rip the head off.  It was an interesting comida we had. haha.

     On Thursday we had a HUGE meeting with all of the missionaries from Madrid!! They even flew in the ones from the Islands and the North!  It was super fun to see everyone!!  We are still waiting for our iPads because of an Apple back order, but we still received instruction from some members of the 70 for being "digital missionaries".  It sounds like it is going to be awesome and really affect mission work in amazing ways!!!!  I can't wait to share what happens when we receive them soon!!

    On Tuesday we had a lesson with a 13 year old girl we contacted on the street.  She is so so sweet and after our lesson about The Young Women's program, she called us her angels!!  I really hope that we can continue to teach her, she is an incredible girl with a lot of faith.

    On Friday, Hermana Finch went to a meeting at the Mission home with other leaders because she is our Sister Training leader.  So this meant that I had to "area train" for a day.  Okay, I was actually pretty scared, I'm not gonna lie... But!  Hermana Brumble was a sweetheart and it was fun to talk with her especially because she is actually going home in a week.  I was able to take ourselves to the lessons and found the pisos just fine!!  It was cool to see that I can do scary things!

     I hate to sound so redundant, but like I've been saying: Missions are so hard, but everyday I see the blessings and I learn something new every week.  It's incredible to think about how much my mission will help me after I come home.  I love this gospel, and I love doing the Lord's work!!

I HOPE ALL OF THE MOMS HAD A GREAT MOTHERS DAY!!!!!  I LOVE YOU ALL, AND HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!

Love, Hermana Berry

        

Pictures

Hola Familia!

Hola Familia!!!

     Happy first week of May everyone!!! Wait, what? It was just barely January wasn't it??  Well, I don't know how time is for you guys, but mission time is possibly the weirdest thing!!! Things go by so fast yet it feels like I have been here forever!!!!  It is really starting to warm up here!!!  But Spain weather likes to change its mind a lot.  Some days it's freezing and raining and others it is sun shining and humid. haha, welcome to Spain.

     I want to start off by writing some of my happy thoughts this last week:

     LUNES: We went to a recent convert's house and learned how to make tortilla de patata!!! YUM.  I love this stuff.  It is potatoes, onions, and eggs all cooked up into a big thing of deliciousness!! 

     MARTES: I am starting to get good at reading the map!! Hermana Finch makes me lead our way to someone's piso we want to pass by. I did and I am learning how to follow directions!! Wow, THIS IS A MIRACLE FOR ME. haha.

     MIERCOLES: In the morning, these 2 cute old Jehova Witness men came to our door and said "By the picture of Jesus on your door, we can tell that you are people of faith...."  And then we told them that we were missionaries too and then they left.. haha.

     JUEVES: I finally received my residency card!!  I am now officially legal in Spain!  Oh also, this crazy old Spanish Lady chewed me out for supposedly not speaking Spanish (we were talking to her friend for like 10 seconds).. like she literally yelled at me.. (but I didn't really care) and then the lady next to her told her that I am here learning Spanish.. and then the old lady apologized and said "Oh sorry I am just very Spanish so I am very direct.." haha it was pretty funny. 

     VIERENES: Today wasn't very good... but! In the morning we met with a menos activo (less active) at a place called Bread & Co (very yummy American food) and we had delicious smoothies!!

     SABADO: We had a really fun ward activity!! We played fútbol, and yes I actually played and then I got sooooo sunburned.  oops.  My face is still red. haha. We had a picnic and ate lots of Spanish food: paella and tortilla de patata!!! yum.. (not paella).  Later that night we had arepas made by a Columbian.. I don't really know how to describe these but they tasted absolutley incredible!! They are like this cheesy flat bread thing, YUM.

     

DOMINGO:  We had a lesson with a Brazilian man, but once we sat down to have the lesson he plainly told us that he actually refuses to listen to our message.  It was actually pretty hard because we thought he was very interested but ended up just being super hard-hearted.. Later that night we had a lesson with a man from India.. It was good, but honestly it is hard to teach someone that does not have a christian background!!  I don't know how other missionaries do it!!

This last week was actually pretty tough for us.  We learned a lot of things though.  This week we really want to work harder!!  We learned what happens when you are afraid to contact a lot of people on the streets.  Well, this last week we felt the consequences!!

Spanish is still hard yet I still learn more every day!! Learning a new language is definitely strange!!! But awesome!! I am developing a stronger relationship with my Father and Heaven and Jesus Christ.  Even though missions are so hard,  I am so so grateful to have this opportunity for so much growth in my life.  I love learning why I am apart of this religion.  I do believe that this is the only true church with the restored priesthood.  This knowledge brings me happiness every day!!  My testimony on scripture reading and prayer has also been strengthened!!

I am excited to Skype my family this Mother's day!!!  I want to wish every mother a Happy Mother's day as well!!! HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK!!

Love, Hermana Berry

Hola! Week 14

Hola!!!

     GREAT NEWS THIS WEEK!!!  We are getting iPADS!!!  President and Sister Jackson went to a conference in Germany where Elder Bednar presented things about incorporating tools such as i Pads into missionary work.  We heard about getting iPads soon, but didn't think we would be getting them until much later!!!  But we will get them May 7th!! The other half of the great news is the whole Madrid mission (including the North and Islanders) will be meeting by the Temple for this meeting.  I am so excited to see some people I miss!!! YAY. :)

     Every night we come home to our Piso and plan for the next day, we write down happy thoughts for that day.  I love this because even if we had a hard day we can laugh about little things that happened.. SO... some of the happy thoughts of this week are:..

Lunes-

We ate some delicious berry ice cream with a family in Alcala that Hermana Finch knows.  They were super sweet and fed us good food!!  We went to a Brazilian smoothie shop that just might be the chillest place ever.  And We also bought candied nuts from some Nuns.

Martes-

We showed up to an investigator's house for an appointment but when we said it was the missionaries (on the speaker of the apartment), someone said "No quiero" meaning I don't want.  Being Confused of who said that, we decided to pass by a members house.  The member's less-active sister was there and it ended up that we were really supposed to be there at that time!! I shared the same scripture on my missionary plaque: Nefi 27:23.. talking about a God of miracles.  And it was a miracle that we were able to be there and comfort her when she was going through a really hard time.  The cool part is the lady we were supposed to talk with still met with us another day.  She said she didn't know who said that in her speaker.

Miercoles-

We had a great time at the Temple!  Hermana Finch went to get her haircut at this cute Spanish girl's salon.  This was a girl we tried contacting but didn't want anything to do with religion.  We made a hair appointment because Hermana Finch need to cut her hair but mostly so we could teach this lady.. haha. So Hermana Finch gave her the first lesson while getting her hair washed. (and I was studying Spanish, lol, because It would've been awkward hovering over them) When we left, we gave her a pamphlet and then she put it by her magazines so other people could read it too!! AHA!!! Best thing!!!

Jueves-

Thursday was really hard.  I felt very overwhelmed with things!!!  But things got a lot better when I really prayed to have more faith!!!  

Viernes-

We ate some killer gofres con caramelo at the local Churreria!!!

Sabado-

We got 3 baptismal date this week!! We are starting to get a lot more investigators!! They are all so great!

Domingo-

We had to walk in the freezing cold rain to visit a less active family.  When we got there they made us herbal tea and lemon cookies!!! How cute!! It was super sweet of them.

When I was on the phone with my district leader giving him the numbers and weekly report, he told me that he could tell my Spanish has improved a lot!!! YESSSSS I thought I still was terrible.

This week was great!!! I learned a lot of things and I can't believe that it is already the third week of the 2nd transfer!! Holy cow!! This last week I have been focusing on having more faith and patience with God's timing.  This week my goal is to focus on diligence.  I know this church is truly the restored church of Jesus Christ.  I love sharing this knowledge with people when it sometimes is scary!

Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Love, 

Hermana Berry!!

First Week of Transfer 2.....Check!

Hola!!!!

     Spanish is comin' along and so is the missionary work!! Every day is hard but there is always a reward in every day.  I'm starting to understand the Spanish words.. BUT I don't necessarily know what they're talking about.  But hey, you got to start somewhere, right?  This week started off with us being a bit nervous.  We realized that we were down to no investigators and we had to do something about that quick.  Well, we ended up having a couple days of miracles!!  We had first lessons with several new people!! There is this one lady that we had contacted several weeks ago in the street who is very sweet.  When we went to pass for her house, I just prayed that she would be there.  We ended up teaching here lesson 1 and she seemed so excited!! I really felt the spirit and hope that she will continue to see us!

This week was just the week I needed.  It was filled with challenges and also days of joy!! I love Hermana Finch so much!! We have so much fun together.  She is a perfect example of a diligent worker and is very very knowledgeable.  (I think that is a word..) I love feeling peace when I read the scriptures and study the lessons every morning.  There is a special peace that I've felt only on my mission, being away from a lot of worldly distractions.  Although I am no where near the person I want to be yet,  I am so GRATEFUL for this opportunity to really understand what this gospel is about and really understand how to have a happy life!!  My testimony and love for my Father in Heaven and Savior grows every week.

I continue to try new food every week and for anyone who knows me knows that is a miracle itself that I am eating chicken off the bone.. But hey, more protein for me!!! It's fun to try different things from so many different people.  Spain is filled with people who are from many different countries in South America.  We are very lucky to be able to know people from all of these different countries!! We always say how Madrid, Spain is literally the best mission in the world!!!

Sorry this one is very short!!! I hope everyone is having a great month of April!!! Things are warming up here and the sun is shining A LOT!.  This week we get to go to the Madrid Temple!! My favorite place ever.  I am reading in Alma in the Book of Mormon.. It is so awesome! I encourage you to read chapters 5-12!!! I love that everything makes more sense to me now. haha.  I love to see the Temple, and read my scriptures.. and I am so happy that I am at a point in my life they have a whole other meaning.

Love YOU ALL!!!! 

Love, Hermana Berry (Fresa)

Roller Coasters, Baptisms and Transfers, OH MY! (Week 12)

HOLA!!!!!

Yes, transfers were today, and yes I survived my first transfer!!!! They say it is the hardest one so I am so excited that it is over!!! It was good, but it's just about to get better!! I am of course staying here in Alcorcón because I am still being trained.  We are not in a trio anymore though!! Hermana Finch and I are staying here and this morning we sent off Hermana Marsh to the Islands.  She is going to Las Palmas and finishing training Hermana Rossberg who I became good friends with in the MTC!! I am so excited for the 2 of them!! It was really hard for Hermana Marsh to leave here and us.. but she will do so great... and I think it is time for us to have to more responsibility as just a two person companionship.

Last week for P-day we went to an Amusement Park!!! hence the subject, roller coasters!!!  It was super fun!!!! It was about the size of Lagoon.. and I would never have thought I would go on roller coasters, in Spain, as a missionary, but hey, YOMO (you only mission once) haha.  One of the rides I went on were these swings that took you really high and I got to see the forest by the palace, where the king would go hunting!! What, that is legit.  Today's P-day we went to Sol (which is like downtown Madrid) We went to a Cathedral and the Crypts. The Crypts is basically where they store the dead people.. under the Cathedral.  Whenever I go to Sol, I can't help but think how lucky I am to have the best mission in the world!!

Okay, so this week we did a missionwide fast to become better missionaries.  I fasted specifically for courage.  Because Hermana Marsh had been here for 6 months, we knew she would probably leave, so we were planning on just being two this transfer.  I knew I had to STEP UP MY GAME ASAP.  As much as I loved being a trio, there were times that were really hard to push myself.  I have been scared to do a lot of things, and I know that this is the transfer to just let loose, and be courageous.  I am scared to death BUT SO PUMPED.  Fasting really made me feel like I will be able to do it!! So pray for me, like I know you do!!!  I am excited to really push myself to learn more Spanish.  I just need to stop being so scared, because honestly, I know that I can!!!

This week my testimony really grew on the Book of Mormon!! I always knew that it was a true, amazing book but I never understand all of its importance.  The other day we were talking about it in companionship study and then applied what we learned in a lesson we had that day!! The Book of Mormon is living evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  And when we read and pray to know if it's true, then it will us help gain further knowledge that this is the restored church of Jesus Christ and why a restoration was necessary!!

So this weeks challenge is to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon and also 2 Nephi chapter 29! Go! do it!!

Love you all and good luck with school and such!!!

Love, Hermana Berry!!!

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Gracias a que Él vive

 "Gracias a que Él vive" is a very very special video that the church made for Easter.  I encourage YOU ALL to look up this video.  We have been showing it to a lot of people this week.  Even though Easter is over you still need to watch it!! It is so great. Ah!!

So speaking of Easter, we had a great Easter!!! It first began with croissant french toast that we made together. YUM.  And then for companionship study we watched Finding Faith in Christ video. I loved it.  So since I am in Spain, where the majority of people are Catholics, our week started off with a musical filled street for Palm Sunday.  We could hear all sorts of instruments when we were trying to sleep.  But hey, it's Spain, and Semana Santa.. so it's just how things are. Haha. The week continued with Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Passover, and Easter Sunday.. but I am actually not sure what exactly their tradition for those are. It was cool though to be in Europe during a very traditional Catholic Holiday.  We had cards with #gracisaqueelvive on it and passed them out while we contacted people this week. Even though we are a different religion,  we still love to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! :) 

We were so pumped for General Conference!!!  I loved the talks so much!  My companions and I started becoming Future Trunky when the theme was on the Family!! Of course we miss our families back home, but we could help but picture our future families as well!! Easter Sunday, we went to a Spanish member's house and ate dinner with her and watched Conference.  Although it was in Spanish and I didn't really know what was going on, it was a really fun night!

Mission life is still hard but still so great!!!  Watch this video and conference if you haven't yet!!! I know that the words they say are from God and can really help us in our lives!! 

Today for Pday we are going to Madrid!! Yay!!! I am very excited!! Have a great week everyone!!

Love,

Hermana Berry