Challenges and a Miracle - Desafíos y un Milagro

As ever, all goes well, although they haven't had the success they were hoping for due to some people rejecting them.  However, that's what happens and Elder Read and his companion are looking ahead. They have a lesson with the husband  of Eva who is being prepared to baptise her shortly, so they are very excited about that.

On Sunday Elder Read and Elder Orr had the opportunity to practise improvising stories and jokes.  There is a shaggy dog story that takes about an hour to tell and which Elder Read heard about 7 years ago.  In fact, on Sunday he dragged it out to almost two hours, during the time they were going home and preparing to go to bed as they had no planning to do for Monday, it being P-Day.  It was very entertaining, he says, and if we have the patience he'll tell us the story when he comes home.  The face of his companion was something to behold as the story was recounted to him, says Elder Read.

Last week they had a miracle!  They were calling on "old" investigators and were about to knock on the door of a house where Elder Read had forgotten that the person no longer lived there.  However, he remembered that next door the man said they could return sometime and they discovered a young man there by the name of Daniel whose birthday is just two days after Elder Read's: 4th January 1994!  Almost his brother, he says!!  It transpired that half Daniel's family are members of the Church in Bolivia - and he attended Church on Sunday.  Wonderful!

So all is well, but he says that - like many missionaries - he's so tired that when he returns home he's going to sleep for a week.

Elder Read dice:
Pues todo va bien. pero no hemos visto tanto éxito como lo habíamos planeado porque unas personas nos rechazó... PERO, es así  y conseguimos un futuro y tuvimos una lección con el esposo de Eva, la chica que se va a bautizar pronto. Él se está preparando para bautizarla :) Estamos muy animados. 

Ayer tuve a oportunidad de practicar improvisar historias y chistes jaja :P Hay un chiste que dura mas o menos una hora que escuche hace 7 años. Lo hice durar casi dos horas en total , duro la caminada a casa y hasta le tiempo que tuvimos ir a dormirnos. Tomamos un descanso para planear para hoy claro jaja :P Pero fue divertido jaja :P Quizás les contaré el chiste después de la misión si tienen la paciencia. Pero la cara de mi compañero fue precioso jaja :P

Pues tuvimos un milagro esta semana. Estuvimos pasando por antiguos y pasamos por una casa que se me había olvidado que la gente en la casa ya no viven allí. Pero me recordé que él hombre el otro lado del timbre nos dijo que podríamos pasar otro día. Pues alguien abrió la puerta entonces pasamos. Tocamos la puerta. Sucede que el hombre de llama Daniel y nació el 4 de enero de 1994 jaja :P Casi mi hermano jaja :P pues sucede que la mitad de su familia son miembros de la iglesia en Bolivia ¡GUAY! Pues vino a la capilla y le gustó mucho :)

Pues todo va bien. Solo tan cansado que dormiré por una semana entera cuando voy a casa jaja! :P Ha pasado con algunos misioneros :P

.

Too many investigators - Demasiados investigadores!!

An investigator told Elder Read and Elder Orr that there is a library where it costs nothing to use the computers, sob that's where they went on Monday.

The last week has been very good except for the fact that Elder Read is a little tired and his knee hurts a bit.  However, he has the knee support although he wasn't using it on Monday as they were hardly intending to walk this P-Day: a quite P-Day, listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and watching Church videos. Aah - and eating popcorn!  In the evening they were going to a Family Home Evening with a recent convert and his girlfriend.

They are really excited that Eva is going to be baptised.  On Sunday she told them that the date would be 16th February, so they told the bishop and he announced it. They are now arranging to teach the few remaining discussions.  He asks whether we knew that.there is a new film about the pioneers.

They had to take Elder Simon to Seville for a doctor's appointment and they ended up walking from the station at the Plaza de Armas all the way to the Seville football stadium - really quickly -and it took them just under 45 minutes.He thinks that damaged his knee a little. Look at Google Maps.

They have a problem, but it's a good problem.  They have too many investigators! When Elder 'Read arrived they had hardly any, maybe 7 or 8. Now they have 39 and there just isn't enough time to see them all in a week.   There are also a lot of less-actives and recent converts they have to visit; so they miss a lot, but they have spoken to the ward mission leader with the result that ward missionaries are going to be called to help.  They're really excited. There'll be thousands of baptisms.

President Deere is very concerned about his missionaries for which I admire him a lot,  He gives us counsel and ideas.  We went to see some investigators but they weren't there and then we went to see others - and they weren't there either - so we went up and down the hill for nothing.  President Deere told us we must keep on doing what we're doing and one day it will bear fruit.

Elder Read dice:

Holaaaaaa! ¿Como están? :)

Una investigadora nos dijo que hay una biblioteca donde se puede escribir gratis, Entonces aquí estamos :) Esta semana ha sido muy buena la verdad. Un poco cansado y me rodilla me duele un poco... Pero la rodillera me está. aunque ahora no la estoy usando porque casi no vamos a caminar este p-day. Un p-day tranquilo, escuchando el Coro del Tabernáculo Mormón y mirando pelis de la iglesia, ah, y comiendo palomitas jaja :P Vamos a tener una noche de hogar con un converso reciente y su novia.

Estamos SUPER animados para que se bautiza Eva. Ayer nos dijo que el 16 sería su fecha, lo dijimos al obispo y lo anunció :) estamos MUY animados, hemos quedado con ella para miércoles para enseñar lo que queda, (muy poco la verdad) ¿Escuche que hay una nueva película de los pioneros?

Tuvimos que llevar a Elder Simon a Sevilla para tener una cita con el medico. Terminábamos caminado desde la estación Plaza de Armas hasta donde está el Estadio de Betis. Los hicimos en un poco menos de 45 minutos, y super rápido también. Creo que me daño un poco la rodilla... Mirad lo en google maps...

Tenemos un problema. Pero es un problema bueno. Tenemos demasiados investigadores. Cuando entré casi no tuvimos nada, quizás 7 o 8. Ya tenemos 39 investigadores. ¿No hay tiempo para quedar con todos en una semana! Además hay muchos menos activos y conversos recientes que hay que visitar también. También nos fallan mucho... Pero hemos hablado con el líder misional y van a llamar a misionarios de barrio para ayudarnos. Estoy SUPER animado :) ¡Bautismos por miles habrá! :

Presidente Deere se preocupa mucho por sus misioneros Lo admiro mucho.  Y luego me preguntó que tal el día y nos dió consejos e ideas también.     Quedamos con algunos investigadores para recogerlos pero no contestaron la puerta... Y luego otros tampoco contestaron. Entonces tuvimos que subir la cuestasa, que acábamos de bajar, sin investigadores... ¡UN DÍA! Presidente nos dijo que debemos seguir haciendo lo que estamos haciendo y un día vermos frutos :) ¡Confío en esa promesa!

Pues la verdad es que todo va super bien :) os quiero un montón y deseo lo mejor para vosotros :)

Haircuts and Baptisms - Cortes de Pelo y Bautismos

Elder Read y su nuevo compañero Elder Orr

Elder Read and his new companion Elder Orr

Last week Elder Read was unable to send any photos as the computer in the internet café wouldn't accept his camera, so on Monday they went to a different one, although it costs a bit more - and sent lots of photos.

Paquete de cumpleaños 

Birthday parcel

He and his new companion, Elder Orr, are getting on really well.  He's excellent and really funny.  And he's 2 metres and 4 centimetres tall!  That's nearly 6ft 8in.  When they went to the post office to collect the parcel we had sent Elder Read for his birthday, Elder Orr had to "bend double" to enter.  A woman said "How tall that boy is!" 

This last week has been really excellent and yesterday they were going to Sevilla Capital to play "pingpong" with other elders. Yesterday morning while they were cleaning the flat they received a call from an elderly sister in the ward asking for a blessing. They changed really quickly and left running - arriving somewhat hot and sticky. 

On Sunday they went to see an investigator whom they met in the street with her brother and invited her to pray about being baptised on the 26th.  They were going to visit her again today, while yesterday evening they were going to see Eva, the woman who wants to be baptised.  She is the bishop's sister-in-law and has been attending church for over a year, so she's well prepared.  She will be baptised by her husband.

Rodillera - Knee support

Elder Read has bought a razor for cutting his hair!  And also a knee support which is very good and he's now using it to prevent his knee from getting too hot.  He cut his companion's hair yesterday morning and then Elder Orr reciprocated by cutting Elder Read's hair.  It was the latter's first attempt at cutting someone else's hair and he says it turned out really well.  

There's not much else to say except that they are continuing to teach and soon ...............BAPTISING!!!!!!!  He's most anxious to have another baptism as it's been 8 months since his last one.  And,Neftaly's sister now has a date for her baptism.  He phoned Elder Read to greet him and said that she wanted to hear the missionaries, so he gave Elder Read her phone number and he passed it onto the missionaries in her area.  Then the other day Naftaly told him she had a date for her baptism.  How wonderful!!!!

Recently  they went to Seville where they saw the cathedral and Elder Read took these photos.

Hace poco fueron a Sevilla donde vieron la catedral y Elder Read tomo esas fotos.

Elder Read dice:

Hoy - lunes - fuimos a un diferente locutorio, pero cuesta un poco mas... entonces ya no vamos a venir aquí jaja. Pues Élder Orr y yo nos estamos cayendo SUPER bien! Es muy bueno, muy gracioso y MUY alto. 2 metros con 4...  Entramos a correos para recoger el paquete por mi cumple; el tuvo que agacharse para entrar jaja.   Una mujer dijo "¡Que alto el niño!" Jaja :P 

Esta semana ha sido muy buena. Hoy vamos a ir a sevilla Capital para jugar pingpong con otros élderes. Hoy mientras estuvimos limpiando recibimos una llamada de una hermana mayor del barrio pidiéndonos una bendición, nos cambiamos super rápido y salimos corriendo. Llegamos con mucho sudor jaja :P 

Ayer vimos una investigadora que tenía fecha hace tiempo. La enseñamos en la calle con su hermano. La invitamos a orar acerca del 26 para se bautizada. Vamos a ver si podemos visitarla mañana. Hoy tenemos una lección con Eva, la mujer que se quiere bautizar. Es la cuñada del obispo y a asistido a la iglesia por mas de un año. Está bastante preparada :) 

Pues, compré una maquina para cortar mi pelo. y también una nueva rodillera, es muy buena, la estoy usando ahora mismo :) Es muy buena y mi rodilla se mantiene calentita :) Hoy corté el pelo de mi compañero y luego me fui al baño para cortar el mio. Fue mi primera vez cortando el pelo de otro y salió super bien :) 

Pues no hay mucho mas para contarles, seguimos enseñando y pronto. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡BAUTIZANDO!!!!!!!! Estoy ansioso para tener otro bautismo. a sido 8 meses mas o menos desde mi último. ¡La Hermana de Neftaly tiene una fecha! Él me llamó hace algunas semanas para saludar y decirme que su hermana quiere escuchar los misioneros. Me dio el número de ella y la pasé a los misioneros de su área, me dijeron el otro día que ella tiene una fecha :D ¡Que guay! 

Elder Orr

Elders Read, Nunez, Miller and Metcalf and I enjoying a DATE on a mission.   (only funny in English--sorry!)

Disculpame pero solamente gracioso en inglés

Elder Norton wondering:  is it a clinic of delicious pie or a clinic for delicate feet?

Las sombras de Elderes Read y Orr

The shadows of Elders Read and Orr

With Elder Metcalf

Elder Aviles says, "Elder Read no es el verdadero, soy yo!!!"

Birthday and Baptism - Cumpleaños y Bautismo

It's time you all knew.  Elder Read has a secret.

Es la hora por todo a saber. Elder Read tiene un secreto.

Elder Read says they're going to have a baptism - just as his companion is being transferred!! "He's going, the poor thing," he says.  But they're very excited about the baptism and, what's more, it's sure and certain.  It's the wife of a member, she's been investigating the Church for a year and has now taken the decision to be baptised.  At the moment there's no date but it'll be this month and her husband will baptise her.

The 2nd January - Elder Read's 20th birthday - was a normal day.  They did their weekly planning and then they went to see a Romanian family they're teaching.  They had to teach using pictures because the family don't understand Spanish very well; and then they went to see the bishop.  Elder Read had told no-one that it was his birthday but his companion told the bishop who gave them a birthday cake.  It was lovely and he took a photo.

The following day he had a phone call from Élder Castillo, one of the senior missionaries who work in the mission office, and he sang Happy Birthday. This was followed by a phone call from Sister Deere - and she, the president and the assistants to the president all sang Happy Birthday to him!! It was actually quite poignant as 3rd January would have been his sister Abigail's 40th birthday, but she died from a brain tumour in 1990 when she was just 16.

He's going to have a new companion by the name of Elder Orr - and he's the tallest missionary in the whole mission. He's over 2 metres tall, so over 6ft 6in. However, it means that Elder Metcalf is going.  President Deere said to Elder Read: 'It seems like that's what you do Élder Read, you teach young missionaries.' Elder Read says he thinks that he is the one who learns most.

Elder Tudela is headed to Alcoy with Elder Orr. 

However, they've had an excellent week, although Elder Metcalf has been Elder Read's favourite companion and it will be very difficult to say goodbye to him.

Monday was the Festival of the Three Kings when they throw sweets into the crowd - and one nearly hit Elder Read in the head. But they collected some so they were happy.  And the Kings painted their faces black.

Unfortunately Elder Read wasn't able to send any photos this week as it wouldn't work, so I've put up some from the Mission.  He'll send them next week.

Sevilla Conferencia de la Zona

Elder Read is on the right hand side of the table almost at the far end.

Elder Read se encuentra al derecha al fondo. 

Sevilla Conferencia de la Zona

Elder Read se encuentra al fondo a la izquierda.

Elder Read is at the top left hand corner.

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡VAMOS A TENER UN BAUTISMO!!!!!!!!!!!! Justo cuando mi compañero  se va, el pobre. Pero estamos MUY animados. Y además es seguro, seguro :) Es la esposa de un miembro que ha estado investigando la iglesia ya por un año. Y ha tomado la decisión del bautismo :) Aún no sabemos la fecha, pero será este mes :) Su esposo la va a bautizar :) 

El día dos fue un día normal, tuvimos nuestro planeamiento semanal, luego vimos a visitar una familia Rumana que estamos enseñando, tenemos que enseñar con imágenes porque no entienden muy bien el español. Luego fuimos a visitar el obispo. Yo no dije a nadie que era mi cumple pero mi compañero  lo dijo al obispo y luego el obispo nos llevo y me compraron una tarta jaja :) Son MUY buenos. Tomé una foto :) 

El día siguiente me llamó Élder Castillo, uno de los misioneros mayores que trabaja en la oficina de la misión y me cantó 'feliz cumpleaños' jaja :) y luego me llamó la Hermana Deere y ella, el presidente y los ayudantes también cantaron jaja :) 

Voy a recibir un nuevo compañero, se llama Élder Orr, es el misionero MAS ALTO de toda la misión España Málaga :) Mide mas que dos metros. ¡Vaya!  Lleva el mismo tiempo que Élder Metcalf, Presidente me dijo 'It seems like that's what you do Élder Read, you teach young missionaries' Creo que yo soy el que aprende mas. 

Elders Orr, Salmeron, Neira and Proctor in Alcoy, with Elder Pascua.

Pues, hemos tenido una semana muy buena, Élder Metcalf ha sido mi compañero favorito entonces es un poco difícil despedirme de él. 

Hoy - lunes - es festivo por causa de Reyes, los 'reyes magos' tiren dulces por las calles, casi me dieron en la cabeza jaja :P Pero cogimos algunos entonces estamos contentos :) También nos atacaron con pintura y nos pintaron la caras negras jaja :P (es normal, siempre los hacen jeje) 

P.D. El locutorio no me deja enviar fotos.... Entonces la semana que viene :)  

Christmas and Another Week of Miracles- Navidad y Una Semana mas de Milagros

 

Elder Read at Plaza de España, Sevilla last Monday

Elder Read el lunes pasado en la plaza de España

 

 

Otra vista de la Plaza de España, Sevilla    Another view of the Plaza de España, Sevilla 



Last week was another week of miracles! Although Elder Read and his companion Elder Metcalf had three entire days without working, due to P-day, weekly planning, District Meeting, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, they still managed to find four new investigators - three of them on Sunday afternoon.  And they had 17 discussions in all.  MIRACLES, MIRACLES and more MIRACLES.  The work there is growing massively, he says.

 

 

 

Talking by Skype (Our webcam gives a better picture than the Spanish one) - see below.

Hablando por Skype (nuestro webcam da un imagen major que el otro) - ver abajo.

 

El día de Navidad, despues que Elder Read habia hablado con nosotros (sus padres) fue con Elder Metcalf abajo y comieron un poco, ya habian comido la familia. Pero Elder Read trajo su guitarra y Abraham (el padre) también toca la guitarra, Entonces estuvieron ahí cantando, y tocando juntos :) Era super guay!

On Christmas Day, after Elder Read had spoken to us by Skype he went downstairs with Elder Metcalf to have something to eat.  The family they were visiting had eaten already. Elder Read had taken his guitar so he was able to sing with Abraham, the father, who also plays the guitar.  It was fantastic, he says.



On Sunday, there was a visit from the family of a missionary who had served in Seville 25 years ago.  He comes from Alabama and visited with all his family.  The mission home at that time was in Seville and in fact it was the Seville Mission.  The elders pass the old mission home every day but the can't go in as it's in a private residential area.  They'd like to knock on the door, though!!

Elder Read can't believe that he's going to be 20 tomorrow!!  His companion is calling him old.  Grrrr!

When he wrote on Monday he didn't know what they were going to do for the rest of P-day, but today they are having a talent show as part of their Zone Conference - and he was hoping that all would go well.

Elder Read and Elder Tenney at the Plaza de España in Sevilla. 

Elder Read y Elder Tenney a la Plaza de España a Sevilla

 

Elder Read dice:

Nosotros hemos tenido una semana mas de milagros. A pesar que tuvimos casi tres dias enteros sin trabajar (por causa de p-day, planeamiento semanal, reunión de distrito, noche buena y navidad) Encontramos 4 nuevo investigadores (tres ayer por la tarde), y tuvimos 17 lecciones en total. ¡MILAGROS, MILAGROS Y MAS MILAGROS! :D ¡la obra aquí está creciendo un montón!

Ayer vino la familia de un misionero que sirvió su misión aquí hace 25 años. Es de Alabama. Vino con todo su familia. La casa de la misión antes estaba en sevilla. Era misión Sevilla. No dimos cuenta que nosotros pasamos por la antigua casa de la misión cada día jaja :P pero no se puede entrar porque es una urbanización privada. ¡Queremos tocar la puerta! Jaja :P

Elders Metcalf and Read bundled up for studies...

NO puedo creer y voy a cumplir 20 ya - jueves... ¡QUE RARO! Mi compañero me está llamando viejo... grrr.

Bueno, NI IDEA lo que vamos a hacer hoy - lunes. Pero Miércoles vamos a tener un show de talentos como parte de nuestra conferencia de Zona. Espero que todo vaya bien jaja :)

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas presents

Regalos de Navidad

 

 

No es un regalo de Navidad!

That's not a Christmas present!