GOLF!!!

Driving Range!    = )

Hey family!

Another amazing week here in Madrid! It's super awesome that we are having success because its keeping Elder Anderson nice and focused!

Veronica and her two children are still amazing and working towards their baptismal goal. We sadly didnt get to meet every day this week but we did on the weekend which was nice. Veronica has gone from drinking coffee every day to only drinking it once this week and it's because she had to work super late but shes doing really well! We finished up all the teaching yesterday. We just have some final preperations to do before their baptism. They have so many great friends in the church and just feel like they belong. It's absolutely amazing! such a great family. :)

Gabi is still doing super well accepting everything. We just have to wait until she can come to church and then she will easily get baptized. She already has baptismal clothing ready! It's so amazing. She is super awesome.

We were able to set a date with Marta this week. We set her for the 24th of May and shes progressing well towards that. She has been really stressed lately because of some problems and weird dreams she is having but she says that every time she meets with us she feels calm and so that's good that she senses the difference. She came to a baptism on Saturday and absolutly loved it so that was great to hear. Everything still really well there! 

We set one more baptismal date this week, yesterday in fact. One of the best lessons I have ever been in, to be honest. Elder Anderson and I taught extraordinarily well. We had great unity and the spirit was telling us the exact same promptings. The lesson was with a man named Maverik, who is from Free Town, Africa. We were walking to the metro with some members right after the chapel tour with Veronica and this man comes running across the street with a huge bottle of beer in his hand yelling, "MISSIONARIES! I LOVE YOUR CHURCH!" He then talked to us about how he had been to church and felt the spirit there. We got his number and set up an appointment. The day before the lesson, we saw him in the street once again with a large beer. And it made us nervous for Sunday that he would show up drunk to the lesson, but no. He was there in the church ready for us sober and humble really wanting to find the truth. We had a great restoration lesson like I said with the spirit really testifying to him. Elder Anderson and I both felt impressed to invite him to be baptized so we did and we both felt to put it on the same day as Gabi´s. We did an he gladly accepted. It was such a great lesson!

We are now at 6 baptismal dates that will happen in the next month. We are super excited and happy for the people. We can really see their lives being touched and blessed because of this message and the decisions they are making in there lives. 

This area has changed so much for the better. The members are getting more animated about missionary work. We have had more member present lessons these past few weeks than we have had in any other transfers. It's a great area to be in. I absolutely love it!

On p days (preparation Days), we go to cool stuff in Madrid. There are tons of things to do and in the outside citys of Madrid there is more to see. Today we were thinking about going to Parque Europa which has stuff from every cool place in Europe but we are going to play basketball with one of our investigators instead. We are trying to think of something super fun next week because it's Elder Anderson's last p day of the mission! The next one I will be taking him to the mission home. Super crazy!

 

Looks like every one has had a good Easter and week. Take care this week. I'm excited to talk to you in 2 weeks. I didn't even realize it was that soon until Dad mentioned it in the letter he sent. It's a weird situation for my companion because his parents are coming to pick him up the next day. So he's not even going to call. 

Hope everyone has a great week!! Love you!

-Elder Stevenson

BEST WEEK EVER!!! and Easter!

Our Easter activity! We taught how to decorate eggs!

Hola Familia!
I cant even begin to describe how amazing this week was! Miracles left and right and so much missionary work done.

First I will start with Gabi because I shared a little bit about her last week. We had a baptismal date with her but work was a problem. Sunday we prayed and fasted a ton for a way she could come to church. We meet with her on Tuesday and she tells us that she told her boss that she wanted to go to church on Sunday and so he fired her! We felt pretty bad but the Lord works in mysterious  right. Anyways she has to work until the 21st of May so she cant make the 10 but she did her own baptismal calander and said she would be baptised the 7 of June. We were totally fine with it! She is very prepared and will be baptized that day no doubt! SUPER BIG MIRACLE!

Now Veronica, Natalie, & Carla. They originally could only meet on Sunday but since it was Semana Santa she had off work and so they met with us every day! They have been taught everything now, gaining a stronger testimony each day, and already started dropping coffee. Things are looking very well for them. They have a date for the 10th of May and are rapidly progressing towards it! They are seriously so great. They came to church Sunday and everything. SUPER BIG MIRACLE!

Now Wednesday, we did studies at the church because my companion and the other zone leader had to plan a conference they have Saturday for the ward mission leaders and ward missionaries. Anyways I was doing companion study with Elder Fonseca when someone rings on the church door bell. It was a lady named Marta, her friend in Switzerland gave her the church address and so she came and found it. We had a tour of the church then a small lesson about prophets and the Book of Mormon. We had a return lesson with her on Friday and had a great Restoration Lesson. She liked it a lot and has been reading a lot too. She also came to church. We are looking to set a date with her soon. SUPER BIG MIRACLE.

I got the opportunity to go on a comp exchange with one of the Assistants this week and we had so much success! It has been really warm lately so we went to a park to find people to teach and had great success! We found 4 new investigators just in those 2 hours in the park! Great experience. SUPER BIG MIRACLE!

Tons of people are being super receptive to us lately. We got a lot of references. We have been stretching our goals and are hitting them. It's super amazing!

This has honestly been the best week of my mission so far. Huge miracles and great work being done.

Sean and Hillary... CONGRATS!!!! I freaked out when I saw that you had your baby!

Hope everyone had a great week and Easter. Love you ALL!

-Elder Stevenson


P.S. On Wednesday at the temple, the office workers brought our mail. I got the Easter package and the shoes. They are great! The shoes are soooo much better than my old ones and the package was great! Love the  super cool ties in there and the girl scout cookies are seriously divine. For Easter there is a breakfast that is like your Creme Brulle French Toast and that was really good. We had that Saturday. Then for dinner we went to an investigators house of the Sister missionaries and she just made us Dominican food. They do not paint eggs here sadly. Elder Anderson's mom sent a dye set. 

Plaza De Torros

Plaza de Toro (Bull Fighting Ring)

Hey family!

We have had an alright week. We've been working super hard with Marco to get him ready but the baptism didn't happen and he didn't want us to keep wasting our time with him. Even though it's not a waste of time but he was not open to us continuing to visit him. So that's it with Marco for a while we are definitely going to pass by some time in the future. 

We did find some one super prepared though this week. She actually contacted us and has met with missionaries for 7 years! Her name is Gaby and she's 25. She has already read all of the Book of Mormon and said she knows its true. We found her info in the area book later but no missionary has taught her anything! We taught her the restoration as outlined in Preach My Gospel and she said it was the first time she had heard it. So we asked what the other missionaries taught her and she said they would just come by and share scriptures about a subject or watch one of the church movies. We were a little upset because that means missionaries just want the number for a lesson. Super annoying. Well anyways, we set a baptismal date for the 10th of May and she happily accepted. The only problem is she works on Sunday and she talked to her boss to change her schedule and he won't let her not even to go to church for an hour. Super lame. She is going to keep asking and if not hopefully she will do as Tristian did and quit and get a different job. We hope all goes well with her because she really is prepared. 

We worked really hard with a less active named Hestrobel this week. He is a super great man but is having problems with the leadership in the ward. We were with him a lot and it worked! He came to church on Sunday and said he just loved it because every one was super happy to see him. Then after church we went to eat at his house for Elder Anderson's birthday (he makes the best food because he is a chef and he's half Dominican and half Italian, super good mix) but he invited the sister missionaries too. In order for them to enter the house he invited one of his friends who is a woman and now she is going to start meeting with the missionaries. Then later that night, we passed by really quick because there was a surprise he wanted to give us. We get there and he invited a 3 less active people over to his house to meet with us! And he gave us morir soñando (die dreaming a Dominican drink that is SUPER good! Ask Matt to make it when you go there this week. He probably knows how) So much fruit has come from the less active this week it was awesome!

We met with Patricia and Rosa again this week. Patricia is super golden and accepts everything. But Rosa just can't do it because she is so set on her beliefs. It makes some of the lessons super hard because Rosa will go off about how her belief is right but then she hasn't  been reading the Book of Mormon or been praying. On the other hand Patricia is and is receiving an answer. These two things along with coming to church are soooo fundamental in the conversion process.

It has been super hot here in Madrid lately and since my comp goes home soon its most likely that I stay here during the summer months. In the other parts of Spain it's not that bad. But Madrid gets super hot for some reason.

This has pretty much been our week. Lots of fired appointments which is lame but it's missionary work. And it doesnt help that it is now Semana Santa (Holy Week) which is basicaly like spring break but everyone leaves madrid so we are scared. The Easter traditions here are just like mass and stuff even though only the old Spaniards are the only practicing Catholics here. Everyone will probably go to mass.

Hope everyone has a great week and Easter! LOVE YOU ALL!!

-Elder Stevenson

Plaza de Toros de las Ventas

 

La entrada de los toros

 

Matador- Monumental de Toros de las Ventas

 

Have you read the Book Of Mormon?

 

 

The one true King? Can he pull the sword from the stone?

 



 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”



 

“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost”                                                                                                       
(Moro. 10:4).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madrid Bus Tour

Hey family!

We have had a great week!

I don't know what it is but when the ward mission leader chastises the entire ward during sacrament meeting on how they are not doing missionary work. Suddenly everyone starts helping! It's amazing!

On Tuesday, we took a member with us to a couple of lessons but they all fired.  So while with him, he tells us to follow him and he takes us to some of his friends houses! It was super cool! Because it was just a casual. "Hey, it's Agustin," and so they let us in and we were able to share our message. He led us to a super cool Cuban family. Super old but super nice. That same day we went over to Ricki's (ward mission leader) house and had a family home evening. We listened to President Monson's talk about obedience and he liked it a lot. He was able to go to the Saturday morning session of General Conference. We were listening in English and when we heard Elder Eyring's talk, we were super excited. Then we go down and find out that he could only stay for an hour. We are going to meet with him tonight and see if we are having a baptism on Sunday. We fear his doubts are getting in the way.

´´Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.⁸ We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.´´ Deiter F Uchtdorf-Come Join With Us
 
We didn't have the chance to meet with Joy and Tristan this week sadly. They were busy during the week and didn't come to conference :(


We had a super amazing morning on Saturday right before heading to conference. We were just passing by some old investigators and people were just throwing themselves at us. We saw like 3 investigators and a couple members. Everyone was where we were! The first guy stopped us and told us that he had been meeting with missionaries but then they got moved and whoever filled the place never called. We are meeting with him now. Then, a lady stopped us and asked if we had a Book of Mormon I could give her so of course i had one right there in my hand for her full of pamphlets and all. I gave it all to her because she is from Madilla, a tiny part of Africa that Spain owns. There are no missionaries there and there used to be a tiny branch she went to but then the branch got closed. She was super amazing. I hope she can find a way into our church!

Another member helped out a ton this week. We were out working and our 7:30 visit failed us so we were wondering what to do. Just then we get a call inviting us to a FHE. We had no clue if there would be a non-member or what but we gladly accepted the invite. We get there and there was a non-member! It was super cool because the family that invited her they joined the church by being invited by a member to a FHE! She was super cool and we had a great lesson about the preisthood and tying it into General Conference and then the non member came to conference! It was so great. Sadly to say she lives in Parla, which is out of our area, but the Elders over there will do well with her. It's so great when the members are the ones that invite and we just teach the lessons!

This has been our great week. We hope we can have the rest of ours like this because if so there is going to be a lot of succsess here!

Hope every one had a great week and enjoyed conference. I love how last week I talked about every member reading preach my gospel then Elder Ballard talked about it. Elder Anderson and I were super happy. We may or may not have high fived right after... we totally did!

LOVE YOU ALL! Have a great week!

-Elder Stevenson 

 



On P-Day We took a Bus Tour of Madrid

 

Plaza del Sol

 

 

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Puerta del Sol