***Land of the Free, Home of the Brave***

Hi and happy 4th of July!!!

Man I love America. Hands down my favorite holiday with Christmas. I hope you all spent it well, and if you didn't I would admonish you to repent and re-celebrate it. I'll be celebrating it again for real in October when I get back and you are all invited! #bleedingredwhiteandblue.

This week was well hmmm we worked with and visited the members a lot this week. I think I mentioned this before, but we have the goal as a mission to all be able to teach clearly and powerfully the message of the restoration in under 4 minutes, then to share that message with every single member in our mission. It's been really awesome so far. As I have learned to teach this important message quickly but thoroughly I've been able to teach it more effectively in normal lessons as well. The coolest thing about it is that we are getting to know all the members! We have about 180 members coming every week and not going to lie, kinda hard to keep track of all of them. Respect to the missionaries serving in the states who are over stakes. But when we went to visit a dear friend Sandra (member) this week she welcomed us in as if she had called us and invited us over and had been waiting like a week for us to come. She started laying out a plan with her husband about how we are going to teach her sister the gospel and also how we were going to keep her recent convert friend active. Wow. I'm grateful for the revelation that President Pack has received for the mission. 

We have a cute friend Isa Mar that I think I wrote about before, well, she's doing really good! She has the best questions! She came to church last week but wasn't able to get much out of it because her son didn't let her leave. This week we just let him run around the Gospel Principles class and she had so many great questions for the class, like, "How can I know what the spirit feels like?" And others similar. It was awesome! She's progressing really well and although her mom isn't too into the Mormons, she has a baptismal date for the end of this month! Please send your prayers her way!

Guess who else came to church..... SANDRA!! It's been like 5 weeks I think without her in church. I thought for a second that we may have lost her, but our dear members have continued to reach out to her. She told us that she knows she needs to go to church and that she is so much happier and less scatterbrained when she comes. We are moving more slowly with her but I know that when it's her time she'll make the covenants she needs to to have the fullness of happiness she's looking for.

This week we also had an awesome intercambio with Hermana Tang and Leong. They are both my favorite. It's super cool, they are the first Chinese speaking missionaries here! They teach in English, Spanish and Chinese. It's crazy and it's really difficult, but they are rock stars. I was with Hermana Leong. I wrote about the time I was with her and she prayed that we could meet with another investigator, and this week another tender mercy occurred. We needed to get into our piso but didn't have a key to the portal so we were kinda just left in the street waiting for someone to let us in. We waited for a good few minutes and I remembered the experience we had with prayer last time so I suggested we pray in front of the martial arts gym across from our Piso that we would be able to get in. I prayed this time and to what shouldn't have been my surprise, we walked across the street and made it to our door at the same exact time as our neighbor who had a portal key. It was so simple but it was important to us in that moment. Still just so grateful for prayer.

We also had intercambios with the awesome Hermanas of Aranjuez but I'll save that for Monday so I have something to write about. (: Happy Temple day to everyone! I hope that you friends in Utah are taking advantage of the blessing to have so many temples so close. If you aren't going every month I would invite you to do so.

Have a great week!!!

Hugs and besos!

Hermana Warner

Hermana Tang and Leong

"You're a brat." --Hermana Tang

This transfer is just flying!

¡Buenos días queridos míos!

What a week! This transfer is just flying! Anyway, last week I talked about the activity we had and how it was a huge success... that is until the after effects. One of the sauces wasn't prepared properly and the whole ward got sick who ate it. Luckily I declined the kind offer to smother my potatoes in it, but there were many others who unfortunately didn't, including many new friends and my companion. (When I say "friends" I am usually referring to people we have plans to meet with teach them about Christ and His church) So the start of the week was a little rough in that aspect. But Hermana Snyder has been strong and the members have allowed her to choose her portion of food #blessings 

On Monday we bid farewell to our cute friend Cecilia, she no longer lives in our area and has plans to move back to her country if she doesn't find a job in the next week. The lesson was centered completely in Christ and His Atonement. I'm so grateful for the blessing it is to have a testimony that I know Christ knows exactly what I'm going through. He knows how to help me and make me stronger than I am. He has lead me and guided me through His perfect example, revelation and through His faithful servants. I'm grateful for His Grace, patience and love for each and every one of us

.

In my last email I talked about our friend Evelyn, well we were able to meet with her again this week and she is incredible. When we met with her last week we were on intercambios with the Barrio 3 Hermanas, I was with Hermana Leong and Christensen. I feel like I learned so much from that intercambio about faith, patience, diligence and just using common sense. So I said we found her in the street again and set up an appointment for Friday. Hermana Snyder and I were kind of running around because we had a lunch appointment and then needed to pick up the B3 Hermanas we had the lesson written down for 4:30 but because of all the craziness, we got there a little late. We rang her doorbell (the little box outside the gate of the apartment building) no answer. We rang it again 2 more times and I started to feel a little discouraged. I then tried calling her and her cousin who wanted to meet with us as well. Neither of them answer. I began to think, "Are they even interested? Why do they never answer us?" The three of us (Hermana Leong, Christensen and I) sat down to make a plan. We figured we should probably just leave when Hermana Leong offered to say a prayer. In her cute broken Spanish plea, she helped Heavenly Father understand our situation. She also explained how important it was for us to teach Evelyn so that she too could have the truth and happiness that the gospel brings, we also wanted to give her a little jar of goodies we made for her birthday. As she closed, we decided not to give up and at least drop off the goodies on her doorstep.(not as easy as it sounds) 

Someone went to the gate and we were able to get in with them to wait outside the actual apartment building. We went to the entrance and to our happy surprise someone was exiting and allowed us to enter. We then hiked up the 4 flights of stairs to her door we were placing the jar of goodies on her place-mat when the phone starts to ring. I answer and it's Evelyn! She explained that she was taking a nap and asked if we were close I told her we were at her door mat an she opened the door. 

We were able to teach her in unity about he importance of prayer, reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church. It was perfect and I felt pretty good, we taught her the lesson, all is well. But instead of closing Hermana Christensen decided to teach me a lesson. She turned to Evelyn, looked her straight in the eyes and asked her, "Evelyn, why did you decide to meet with us?" Evelyn really opened up as Hermana Christensen continued to ask her questions and truly listen to her response.

At times I get so caught up with the to-do lists that I forget even why we have them. I wasn't there to teach a lesson I was there to teach Evelyn. Hermana Christensen recognized that and helped me to recognize that as well. I'm so grateful for her example and for the opportunity I have to work with her, Hermana Leong and so many other incredible, faithful individuals.

This week we went on two other intercambios back to back. I worked with Hermana Storheim from Grand Junction and Hermana Webster again from Houston. They are both just fantastic sisters and it was such a blessing to work with the two of them. 

I'm learning so much everyday. I am so grateful for the mission. It's nothing I ever imagined it to be but it's more amazing than I could have ever hoped for it to be. I'm so grateful for Hermana Snyder, her example to me and her 100% dedication to serving the Lord. Every week we have our ups and downs but the ups always out shine the downs. I wouldn't trade the time I have here for the world. 

Thank you all for all the support, love and prayers! I am truly just so grateful. I hope you all have a wonderful week full of tender mercies and smiles!

All the awkward besos!

Hermana Warner

Hermana Leong, me, Hermana Tang, Hermana Snyder, Hermana Christensen😍

Muumuu sleep over with Hermana Storheim and Kletzli👌😴

Hermana Jarman and Hermana Webster 😘

Oh yeah, heads up, transfers are next week.

I got to see my cute sister

Hello fam!

     Wow I can't believe it's only been like 4 days since I've written. This week has been really good :) I got to see my cute sister at the CCM (shout out to you Brook) we had intercambios with the sisters from Barrio 3, last Sunday I got to see my favorite family (hi mom) and to end the week we had an awesome cultural talent show for the Relief Society and my ward killed it they were so great! 

     So Sandra is on vacation right now in Amsterdam. We will see how she is doing on Wednesday :) the lesson we had with her last week went really well and we'll see how we can help her :) 

It was so great to be with Brooklyn on Wednesday. After going to the temple (Hna Snyder and I), we went to the CCM and ate lunch with her :) it was nice to just sit down and relax instead of having another frantic re encounter. She's such a light and is going to be a fantastic missionary in Malaga. 

     So for intercambios I went with Hermana Christensen. She is one of the best. She's so focused and really works so hard. She is an example to me and I look forward to continue to serve with her. Right now she's serving with Hermana Tang and Hermana Leong :) Hermana Tang is from Malasia and Hermana Leong is from China just north of Hong Kong. She said she even knew Sister Barbara Woodruff!! (Shout out) So cool! Small world :) Anyway while walking around and talking to people we stopped and talked to a college kid from Madrid, believe it or not we talk to more foreigners than locals, and it was really cool. We are hopefully meeting with him this weekend, I'll let you know if anything cool comes if it.

     Yesterday was a well needed Sunday. I'm so grateful for the strength and animo that comes with partaking of the Sacrament and renewing my covenants with my Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for clean slates and being better today than I was yesterday. I feel refreshed and ready to take on this next week.

     Today we had interviews with President Pack in the  mission home. I really have been blessed with the best mission president. He and Hermana Pack have helped me so much in my mission and I'm so grateful for them :) we also got to spend some time with Hermana Snyder's trainer Hermana Freestone and went to Sol. All I can be is grateful, I really can't complain.

     I hope you all have a fantastic week! Prayers for those of you who have tests and finals! 

Love and be happy!

Hermana Warner

Thank you for the Mac&Cheese!!!! Whoot whoot with Sloppy Joes (: