Elder Maybury's Adventures in Spain: Mataró - Week 4 ...Terrorist attack in Barcelona

Hello everyone!!!

I am so sorry that I did not send out an email to everyone last week. 2 hours was not enough to read and respond to everyone, although it should be enough. Anyway, missionary work in Mataró is missionary work. Every day is an adventure! I think the best days as the ones that fly by. I like it when we have appointments scheduled because I know the time frame and I can see the end in sight. But when everything falls through and it's just passes by and [then we spend the whole day] contacting (aka: door knocking)...ugh. That's is the worst for me. But every day is a blessing!

I recently went on an intercambio* with one of my Zone Leaders Elder Harris. Amazing missionary! Hard worker and super fun to be around. It was different traveling to Badalona and tracking in another area but with a great companion like Elder Harris then the day gets better. He really taught me a lot of things and I am grateful for his example as he is a diligent worker. Me and my companion Elder Graham, are doing great! We have found some new investigators and it is really fun to teach them. But it's also difficult because we haven't been able to get in contact with them. But, I have faith that the Lord will help us as we continue to do our best in the field and get in contact with them.

I have noticed that I have been less and less focused on the end of my mission and rather focus in the amazing opportunities ahead in the mission. Sometimes it's nice to think about how great it will be to come home after 2 years but that's just a distraction. I need to be focused on what I can do now to better help the saints here and find those lost souls who need some light amidst the darkness. Missionary work is such a joy to do. Almost 3 months on the mission now! Time flies by when we are focused on our Purpose.

I am having some great experiences here. I am always learning. Always trying to be A better missionary and person than I was the day before. The members here continue to be just flat out amazing and Dominoes and Kebab are always a need to eat every now and then. If they don't have Kebab in Madrid or Malaga then I am so sorry. But I know everyone is enjoying the work. So, I have not been able to play fútbol at all while I am here! Not because we can't, because we defiantly can, but there are not enough people to play. So, we have a ping pong activity every Saturday. Yay! Not as good as fútbol, but it's something to do at least.

So, some interesting news. On the night I was doing intercambios* with Elder Harris in Badalona, there was a terrorist attack in Barcelona. It was in the Plaza de Catalunya. There were 13 confirmed dead and more than 100 injured. One or two vans were running over people in the plaza. Really sad. Fortunately there were no missionaries in the area so that was a blessing.

Sometimes it's hard to recognize the good amongst the bad, and this makes it hard to see the Lord's hand and blessings in all the turmoil, but I know that the Lord watches over his children. I don't know why this happened, but I do know that the deceased have moved on to a much better place. And the wicked who do evil in this world will surely have their reward. And they will answer for actions.

But I hope everyone is doing well and I constantly pray for your safety. Missionary work is so amazing!

With love always,

Elder Maybury

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Well this week was a difficult one for me. As my son mentioned, there was the terrorist attack in Barcelona. I remember that morning, opening the headlines in my news feed and seeing those words…”Terror attack in Barcelona”…my heart stopped. It just hits you. Your child is there somewhere and you don’t know where and you just hope and pray that things are okay. I remember scanning all of the pictures that I could online and I actually looked for my son. I looked for someone in missionary clothing.

To put this in better perspective, my son’s normal area is Mataró, which is 18 miles from Barcelona. As I mentioned in my post on Facebook, he and his companion often go through Barcelona to visit the mission home and pick up mail for the other missionaries in his area. The mission home is just 2.8 miles from where the van struck the terrorists.

However, as my son mentioned, he was on “intercambios” *(or exchanges – where they switch companions) that day and he was in Badalona. This area was between 4-7 miles from where the van struck the tourists. For me, this was FAR TOO CLOSE. Yes, I know that missionaries are prayed for daily. Yes, I know that the Lord watches over them and that they have angels round about them. But NONE of that stopped me from worrying. I could assume he was okay with all my heart, but assumptions do not bring peace to a mother’s heart.

So, I emailed him. Twice in 2 days. Asking him to please tell me that he was okay.

Mission rules dictate that missionaries only use their email on their preparation day (Mondays) and so it was a stretch that he would even read my request, but I hoped that he would. Nothing. I got no word. In the email, I said, “Just respond ‘I’m okay’…that will be enough.” Nothing. Day after day. Nothing. On a positive note, this meant he was being obedient and I know that blessings come when you are obedient. So, I tried to just assume that “no news was good news” (a horrible saying, by the way).

Then, I received this: “Hi mommy, I’m okay.”

That was it. Four short words.

5 days I had to wait. 5 days I had to scour pictures in the news. 5 days I had to wonder if the Mission President would be calling to say one way or the other that our son was okay or not. 5 days of watching headlines that said, “American killed in Barcelona”. 5 long days. 120 hours.

But, just those four words brought me an immediate sense of calm and love for my son and at least a few gallons of tears from my eyes. 💜

I want to share with you part of an email that the Mission President sent to the missionaries of the Spain Barcelona mission. He wrote:

On a sadder note, Hermana Dayton and I have mourned with all of you the savage and brutal attack on innocent men, women and children in this beautiful city that we love so much—Barcelona. We love her warm and gracious people, the supportive and kind members who do so much for our missionaries, her beautiful buildings and art, the fascinating history that has played out in its streets, and its temperate and pleasant climate. You should know that we have heard from many, many El Faro alumni who send their love and their thoughts as they recall with fondness their unforgettable experiences in this city that is a jewel by the sea. You all know by now that at least 14 people were killed and over 100 injured by an ISIS terrorist intentionally driving a van at full speed into a tourist-packed Rambla at about 5:00 PM. People from many nations were killed or wounded and the only American killed was a member of the Church from northern California. Shortly after the attack, we received notification from the Church Security office of the attack. At their request, within 45 minutes we had contacted every companionship in the 3 zones in the Barcelona area and confirmed that no one was injured. I cannot tell you how grateful Hermana Dayton and I were to learn that ALL of our missionaries were safe.

So, this was a tough week. I felt a significant weight upon my shoulders for my son this week. Knowing that your child is near danger and you are not there to render any kind of support is TOUGH. But parents do it all the time and my hat goes off to all of the parents and loved ones of military service members and other missionaries. This is a labor of love. I needed to feel connected to my son and so I found myself replaying videos of him just so I could hear his voice.

But, he is safe and all the missionaries are safe. The work continues and our love and support for all the missionaries who are far away from their families continues.

Our prayers are with the families of the victims, especially those from the church and from California. He was on his honeymoon. 😢

THANK YOU for loving and supporting our son and our family. 💖

Please feel free to send him a card or a note at the following address:

Elder Alexander J. Maybury

Spain Barcelona Mission

C/ Calatrava 10-12, bajos

08017 Barcelona

Spain

Now, a few pictures: