Hi
momzee!!! How are you doing today?!
Wow, what
a week it has been, this whole transfer has been flying by really. It's quite
amazing.
Let's
see, so this week we had our district fast for the mission. We fasted as a
mission that the hearts of the people would be open to the gospel, we could see
more baptisms and the work would progress greatly. Every district has their specific
day and ours was this past Friday. We saw some miracles after this fast. We
were able to have [investigator J] accept a baptism fecha for this coming Saturday.
His family are members, I believe, but he is not. He is Peruvian as well. He
seems really excited and happy now for his baptism. Some other miracles were that
we got a lot of food from people and we were able to set another fecha for an
investigator form the other Elder’s area. We did an Intercambios these days
with the fechas so that’s why I am recounting both of them.
(intercambio = exchange/split with other missionaries / fecha = date)
(intercambio = exchange/split with other missionaries / fecha = date)
For
preparation day we didn't do too much. We did a split so we could get things
done faster. I got a ukulele case and a haircut as well. It's much better now
that my hair is shorter. It feels cleaner, more well-groomed, and more like a
missionary as well. Haha! We went to the center to this fort. It was pretty. I was able to take some pictures as well. We
then went back and played some cards, black jack and 3's. Some elders want to
put in 3 euros for chips, but I don't like the idea of 1) playing for money, 2)
losing my money PERIOD, and 3) I was always brought up saying that betting is
not looked upon as well or accepted by the church, and 4) mom and dad say no so
I always followed their advice, (try to at least). I would much rather buy some
chuches (candy) and play with those. Anyway, I'm pretty against it.
Answers to
questions...
Are you excited to call
home in a few weeks?
1. I am
super excited to call you all again! Will Dad be there?
How do you do your laundry?
2. We
have a washer at our piso, but we have to dry them outside on a rack
Are you healthy, including
vegetables?
3. I am
trying to eat healthy. I am making different things to eat. My vegetables could
be better but I do well with the fruits.
Do you know how much I love
you?
4. Of
course I know how much you love me. I feel it every day! 😍🙌
It's
interesting to know that I will have 10 months on April 13th. It doesn't feel
like I've been out that long. It's just that this transfer has gone by so fast.
Right now, Pamplona is a little hard because no one is wanting to meet with us.
So, we contact (going out to meet people
on the street) a lot, we get people and set up visits, and then they ditch
us. And it frustrates me a lot because I want to talk to people. I want to meet
with them and share the gospel. But, it's much harder if we can't get into
people's houses. But we keep trying. We keep showing up. It's what we as
missionaries do.
Some
little spiritual insight that I received from reading my scriptures. The word
Testament means 3 witnesses. So, if the Book of Mormon is another Testament of
Christ, then there must be 3 witnesses to the Book of Mormon. I have decided
that they are Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob. Well there are the 3 witnesses and their
testimonies as well. I just realized that. But I read it in 2 Nephi, towards
the beginning. And Nephi and Lehi came before Jacob, so I count them as the 3
witnesses. But, I could be wrong as well. I think that Jacob saw or conversed
with angels or Jesus in his childhood. Or at least heard the voice of the Lord
as well. Lehi tells him that he has seen glorious things in 2 Nephi before Lehi
dies. I looked at the footnotes and it goes to Jacob 7 and talks about
confessing with the Lord and His angels. So I imagine that Jacob came to know the
Lord pretty early on in his life.
Well,
that's it for today. I will send some more pictures of course. I love you all
and I hope everyone is healthy. I thank you for your prayers as they are always
needed. I continue to fight the good fight as it is the fight of eternal life.
I cannot desert the Lord's army. He needs all of us because He wants all of us.
Keep the faith. I love you all and will talk more next week!
Love
Elder Maybury
Cannons and Scenes from the castle
The
squad
My selfie for my favorite sister because she asked for a picture just for her!
I love her so much 💕
Well,
it is always good to hear from my son.
It is good to see that things are progressing, in that they keep moving
forward. Sometimes slowly and sometimes
more quickly.
Each
week I ask him what his “miracle of the week” was. A moment where he saw the hand of the Lord in
his life. I do this to help him train
his perspective on being able to see all the different ways the Lord is present
and active in his life and in their labors while in the field. Some weeks they are small and simple and
other weeks they seem like specific answers to prayers. My favorite is when he can see the Lord
working through other people.
Here is
just a little bit of my response to him on a couple of the things he wrote
about. One, playing
cards/poker/blackjack:
“I am
glad you said what you said about the “poker” playing. That’s a little
too close to the line, for me. I know it might be hard to speak up about
it, but when you do, you show the Lord that you will stand for true and correct
principles, even if you are the only one doing it.”
This is
important because, as members of the church, we are admonished not to
gamble. Playing cards for money, of any
sort, mimics the action of gambling and is therefore, not something that should
be engaged in. I appreciate that my son
had enough knowledge – from his parents teaching him and his upbringing – as well
as being able to pay attention to how this made him feel (not good) and that he
responded accordingly.
Two,
the difficult work that they are encountering in their area:
“As for
the work being hard in Pamplona…sigh, well…it is requisite that it is hard at
times. Why? Because it requires you to change your muscles, change
your goals, and change your approach to the work. Believe it or not,
missionaries can get REALLY complacent, especially when the work is easy.
So, look at the hard work as a chance to recharge your skills as a missionary.
I know you would love to talk to people - because that is what the
mission is all about. So, I guess this is your seed planting phase of
Pamplona. You had some great time reaping the work of others. Now go to work and plant the seed for those
who will follow.”
This
really speaks to how sometimes, as missionaries, our opportunity is to simply
plant a seed – or spark an interest – that will be developed and reaped later
on. No matter the work, it matters and
it is necessary.
It
continues to be a beautiful thing to watch my son grow and develop each
week. I love seeing him happy. We received a letter in the mail from him
this week and he was able to acknowledge his own growth. He said that he can see it. Not just as a missionary, but as a
person. He no longer desires the worldly
things (nice car, money, etc…), but rather he is most happy about being in conscience
with the Lord. He noted that the other
things will come – after hard work – but that right now, he enjoys being
connected to the Spirit and connected to the work.
As a
parent, I could not ask for anything more.
He is gaining his own insight. He
is making good decisions. He is working
hard for his personal growth and development.
And above it all, he is humble enough to know and acknowledge that
everything he has is from and is for the Savior.
10
months down and this is his growth! I’m
excited for the remaining 14 months!
Thank you
for supporting our son in whatever ways you do.
Through your letters, emails and prayers, he feels uplifted by those who
love him.
If you
would like to write him a letter or send him a card, please do so at the
following:
Elder Alexander J. Maybury
Spain
Barcelona Mission
C/
Calatrava 10-12, bajos
08017
Barcelona
Spain
All
letters require one international stamp = $1.15 / up to one ounce
Emailed: March 26
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