Marratxí – Week 3…Giving it all to the Lord

Hey Mom! How's it going today?! 

Wow, it's been a pretty average week, but I'm glad that it's Monday again. I have had some good and interesting experiences this week, so I guess it wasn't an average week, lol. 

The miracle of this week was that we were able to get into contact with one of our investigators and we were able to talk with him and his mother as well. So that was pretty nice! 

Answers to questions...

How many investigators do you have at the present moment?

We have about 4 investigators that we talk and visit with. We could always use more of course. 

How are you feeling this week?  Tummy still sick?

I am feeling better. I don't have diarrhea anymore. But I'm surviving. My stomach is still a little week so I'm taking it easy. But I can't wait to be fully healthy again. 

Is there anything that you need?  Anything we can send you?

Not that anything that I can think of right now. Which is pretty interesting since I thought I would be more needy.  When it gets to being the season where everything is on sale for super cheap, I want to buy a new suit, a solid blue one, ya know? 

Are you wearing your retainers at night?

I am still wearing my retainers at night, but I could be better, sorry.

Is there anything specific we can pray for for you?

I could really use prayers with being more focused on the work, and especially finding people to teach. It's really slow in our area so we could use your prayers and the Lord’s help in this matter. Also, to be stronger right now. I’m in a very weak moment right now and I'm scared and I need some help and comfort. I'm afraid of failing and making mistakes.  It’s hard being away from home for so long, but I do love it here. 

Do you know when you are going to sing again?

I did sing again this Zone Conference. I did not think it was good whatsoever, but you can be the judge of that. I'll upload it to the drive. 

Was this last Zone Conference your last with President and Sister Dayton?

We did have our last Zone Conference with the Daytona. Wow, that was a bit hard. We made a song up with the chorus of Brightly Beams Our Fathers Mercy. It's our mission song. We also bought them some sandals which are famous from being here and we signed them for President and Hermana Dayton. 

For Preparation Day today, we did tourism basically. We went to this giant Cathedral and toured it for 7 euros. And we did a little shopping at Tiger and I got a thing or two. I'll be sending some things home in the mail soon, yay!!!! 

We took a lot of pictures and it's been pretty fun. I am trying my best to listen to the Lord. I noticed that I have been slacking on that lately, so I am trying to fix it. It's a lot harder to get back to the Lord once you've left. It's very easy to leave. Always do your best to be with the Lord every single day. That way you won’t ever be leaving him. 

A couple of days ago, I realized something was holding me back. And it was my family. Well, not in the sense that it sounds like.  Let me explain... Ever since I found out that my uncle died, I've have been so worried about my family that I couldn't let you all go. I couldn't serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength because I wasn't focused on who I should be giving it too (meaning, my burden). So, I tried giving you all to the Lord, and I prayed about it and the question came to me, "Are you sure you want too? Are you willing too?" And I wasn't.  I had fear come to my mind that something would happen to you all while I was away. Then I heard the words, "You are not ready yet." So that caused me serious reflection. And so, I went to the Lord the next day, and I tried again, and I was ready to give you all to the Lord. And I heard God say, "Well done. You are ready to hand them over to me. They are in my care now." And I can honestly say that I have felt a burden being lifted off my shoulder. And it feels good. I told God that "they (you all) are in Your hands now." And I have perfect confidence and trust in Him.  It was a good experience for me and I needed to let go of my family, so I could focus on the work.  I love you all.

I love being with my companion. I just love messing around with him. It's really fun since he is like a little child. Hahaha! 

I feel really blessed to be in Marratxí right now. Of course, I could be in another area in the islands or have another companion, but I feel at home here and I feel that this area can grow so much. So, I am counting my blessings here. 

I will send all the pictures now, Hahaha! Love you all, keep the Faith! 

Love Elder Maybury 

Elder Salazar and ME! 

The beautiful scenes of Marratxi

The Baleareas District - P-day Activities

Cathedrals, Art and Artifacts in Marratxi

(an old scripture book)

Selfies! 

I LOVE that my son loves to sing.  I LOVE that he has found opportunities to sing.  I can see and hear the difference and it brings a HUGE smile to my face to hear him sing.  Here is him singing with some other missionaries at Zone Conference (opens in Youtube)

Each Life That Touches Ours for Good

What a wonderful update from my missionary this week!  Mostly because I loved seeing him take his burdens to the Lord.  He recognized that they were weighing him down and that he was not focusing as he should on missionary work because he was worried about his family back at home.  And correctly, he took it to the Lord.  I am so grateful for these testimony building experiences that he is having.  Mostly, I am grateful that he is allowing himself to learn and to be molded into becoming a much stronger person. 

There are too many people in this world who feel entitled, who feel that they should get something without working for it and earning it.  That is the farthest thing that I could want for any of my children.  I want my children to learn the value of work, an honest day’s labor, and feeling the sense of accomplishment that one gets from their own efforts.  Serving a mission is an honest labor, day after day.  And beyond that, working to earn the relief of one’s burden is an accomplishment that is hard to describe.  I am so proud of my son for working through these issues on his own with the Lord. As a mother, I want to solve all of his problems, but by not being able to speak daily, this left him with the space and the desire to find a way to unburden himself and he went to the right source.  The Lord.

I think it is so sweet that he was so concerned for his family, but this is who I know him to be.  Alexander always puts others before himself.  Always.  He gets that from his father.  But my report from us over here on this side of the Atlantic is this: we are fine, and we are being watched over by the Lord.  We still have trials and difficulties, but the hand of the Lord is palpable in our lives.  We are so grateful for Alexander’s service because it blesses and benefits us in untold ways. 

As you read, he needs your prayers.  Please pray for him to be strong.  He is hard on himself and any mistakes he makes weigh upon him.  Even ones as little as “not being focused”.  Please pray that doors will open for him and his companion.  Please pray that his tummy will be better.  Please pray that he will find his focus every day and retire to bed each night exhausted from working hard each day.  These are my prayers for him and I would love it if you would add your voice to them. 

As always, thank you for supporting our son in the ways that you do.  He could use your prayers and he would love some letters or a card if you have a few minutes to send one.  Being 5,200 miles away for almost a year now can be tough.  He has never been away from home before.  He does lament that he doesn’t hear that much from people, but he is always understanding.  His ONE YEAR MARK is approaching in just 12 days and this would be a great time to send him a card, encouraging him to keep going and letting him know that you are thinking of him.

If you would like to write to him, you may do so at the following address:

Elder Alexander J. Maybury

C/ Calatrava 10-12, bajos

08017 Barcelona

Spain

Each letter costs one international stamp = $1.15 / up to one ounce.

Emailed: May 28^th  

Marratxí - Week 2…The "Island Life" changes you :oD

Hey everyone, how are we doing today? 

So, this one might be a shorter one than normal because I'm sick. (Bum, bum, bummmm!) Yeah, I think it was the Dominoes that I ate for district meeting. So I won't be eating Dominoes on the island again. That was last Thursday. I'm taking diarrhea pills now. I haven't eaten solid food or any food for the past two days. (I'm dying). 

Anyway, it's been fun here, if I can say that. I love my new companion. His name is Elder Salazar. He is a good fella. Pretty funny, too.  Small, wears glasses, and [very kind and friendly]. It can get hot here so fast. It’s cold, as well. We can walk over into the other Elder’s area and it will be the exact opposite of what it is in our area. Crazy!  Haha. 

I'm in a rama (branch) here. It's pretty small. My companion and I pass the sacrament, the others bless it. Wow, I had on some squeaky shoes this Sunday.  Me dio vergüenza, ¿sabe?  Jejeje. (It was embarrassing, ya know?)

It's actually smaller than what the Hurley ward was, lol. I was going to give a talk, but I didn't have the strength to do it. I was able to share my testimony only though, so that was nice. It's a really nice branch. And from what I have heard and seen, it's one of the best/most faithful. Yay!!! 

For preparation Day today, we went roller skating by the shore line. It was pretty fun! My companion got a scooter because the last time he fell too many times with roller blades. Another Hermana wanted a scooter but there weren’t any left, so she got a long board. And she couldn’t use it. She didn’t know how to use either one, so she just ended up walking, but the poor thing tried though. And another elder who had a long board was trying to teach her. I ended up using the long board because I wanted to see if I could do it. And I did and I wasn't too bad. Sorry mom, but I had to try it. Hahaha! Love ya! 

Answers to questions: 

How are your provisions in your new area?  Were you able to buy some food and supplies?

We basically have everything we need close to us. There is a KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, and some other shops around where we live. We have several grocery shops by us as well. 

How many other missionaries did you travel with during your transfer?

There were 7 others who traveled with me so 8 in total. Pretty big group! 

How long was the ride from the airport to your new area?  How did you get to your new area?

About 55 minutes but our plane got delayed so we arrived later, hence last week's email was late. Sorry again! 

What are the DEETS about your new companion?  Name, where from (where in Ecuador)?  How long on his mission?

Elder Salazar is from Ecuador. A city called Río Bamba. He has this transfer and the next one left and then goes home. So I am going to "kill him" as they say on the mission (meaning, I will be his companion when he goes home). But he has lived most of his life in the south of Spain.  It is just me and Elder Salazar in a Piso, and we normally only speak Spanish. He can understand English pretty well, but doesn't speak it too often.

What are your impressions of your new ward?

I do like my new ward, it's small, but good.  As far as the work out here, we don't really have a lot of appointments, but when we do, they are solid. 

Did you have to get up and introduce yourself on Sunday?

I did, and it was good, it's basically teaching seminary, not a whole lot of people. But I feel great about all of them. 

Well that's about It! I love you all and I hope you have a good and safe week this week. Please pray that I can feel better, so I can do more of the Lord's work! Keep the faith! 

Love Elder Maybury 

This is the "Island Life" for me! 

With my wonderful companion, Elder Salazar

Our District on P-day

A giant cathedral

Selfie Time - it's so beautiful here

(ps: we only wear sunglasses on P-day during our outdoor activities)

Well, I am SO glad that my son is doing well and enjoying the "Island Life", as he calls it, except for an assault from the Dominos pizza.  I have tried to tell him to not eat that pizza, but...perhaps he will learn now.  Haha.  Poor kid.  I did give him some tips for dealing with his "issues", including using his lemon oil (in water) and eating graham crackers.  Don't worry, in anticipation of this very type of event, I had sent him with some proper provisions, so he should be okay.  *giggle*

What I love the most is that he loves his companion.  I think some of the maturity of being in the mission for 346 days (today), helps him to be able to adapt to these new areas and companions and personalities.  Trust me, prior to the mission, my son did not like change at all.  He always wanted things to stay the same.  Thankfully, he is learning this ever great principle of "going with the flow" that comes from serving a mission.  This is just one of the many life skills that these wonderful young missionaries develop while serving for 18 months to 2 years.  

For those who may not realize, I served my mission in Ecuador and so his past two companions have been Ecuadorians and it has thrilled me because I have been able to tell my son a little bit about their work ethic and I have been able to give him some words to use in conversations with them that are specific to Ecuador.  We even got to speak with his companion for a couple minutes on the Mother's Day call.  I love this fun circle of life events that we get to experience and I am honored that in some small way, my son gets to experience pieces of Ecuador and thus see why I love those people so much.  

We continue to add his companion, Elder Salazar and the area of Marratxí to our prayers for Elder Maybury.  I know that the Lord blesses his missionaries all over the world, but when you take the time to humbly ask for a specific blessing to be upon these missionaries, the Lord will hear these prayers and will answer them.  Our specific prayer is that the doors will open for Elder Maybury and Elder Salazar so that they can spread the beautiful message of our loving Father in Heaven and about our Savior, Jesus Christ, so that others can feel of the unending love and hope that this gospel can bring.  If you could add Elder Maybury and Elder Salazar to your prayers, I would be most grateful. 

We, as a family, are grateful for our son's sacrifice to serve the Lord.  We feel so blessed by his service.  This does not mean that we don't have any trials, but we have found that the greatest blessing that we have received is a closer connection to the Spirit and thus a closer connection to our son.  We feel an overriding sense that "all will be okay" and believe me, peace in times likes these is a welcome feeling.   

As a reminder:

On June 13^th, he will complete his 1-year mark in the mission. Yay!!!  

I would like to ask everyone (especially family) to take a few minutes to send him a card.  It could be a card of encouragement, a funny card, a 1-year-anniversary card, or a “way to go” card.  

As you may remember, he only gets mail every 4-6 weeks and so Zone Conferences are pretty big deals as the missionaries hope for some mail.  Due to his transfer to his new area, his Zone Conference is this week, so, let's get some cards in the mail so they will be delivered at the end of June.  It will make his day to hear from you all!

You can send cards and letters to the following address:

Elder Alexander J. Maybury

Spain Barcelona Mission

C/ Calatrava 10-12, bajos

08017 Barcelona

Spain

All cards and letters require one international stamp = $1.15 / up to one ounce

Have a great week!

Emailed: May 21st