April 17th
Hey, hey, Hey! How is it going everyone?! I am sorry that I didn't
send an email last week. Super busy and without Wi-Fi. We were in Andorra, but
I'll talk about that in a bit. So, I am very happy that I can write and email
this week.
So, the news is that I am getting transferred. I am going to
Cartagena. My new companion will be Elder Benedict. He is in Elder Peck' s
group, so he is one transfer behind me. I am pretty excited. I don't know what
to expect but whatever comes, I will be embracing every part of it because the
mission is too good to miss!!!
Answers
to questions...
When
was the last time you cried?
The last time I cried or about to cry was when I was saying
good-bye to the members. Saying good-bye to a youth was really hard. And then
in another moment, I was sitting in a visit saying good-bye and I was just
looking around and I got emotional because I have been treated so well here. I
have felt and received so much love and I have been so blessed to be serving
here in Lleida.
Last
week, you worked on the characteristic “faith”…how did it go?
Working on faith went well. I thought about it a whole lot more
than what I was thinking. And it's helped me shape my actions according to my
work on faith.
When
was the last time you gave a blessing?
We gave a blessing of comfort to a member. I love giving blessings
so much.
Will
you please stop drinking Coke? Haven’t I
taught you better? *LOL*
Yeah mom. Your right. I'll stop drinking it. If it's the only
thing that members have, then I will drink it. But I will drink juice or water
first. Promise.
How did
you see the hand of the Lord in your work this week?
We saw the hand of the Lord by helping us get to our train on time
(for transfers). We woke up late didn't finish packing, but still got to our
train on time. I always have the Lord with me, and I'm a fool if I don't thank
Him for it. Not a day goes by that I don't feel his love.
Saying goodbye to the members was really difficult. Well, I mean
you get used to it, and I don't really cry any more. But when I got here, it
was winter time with a whole lot of fog, coldness, and occasional rain. If any
of you know me, I prefer the summer. So, I was kinda miserable and not enjoying
it. As I tried to be a trooper, I came to see a beautiful city with lots of
opportunities for me to grow and try new things. Members are like another family
to me, and a part of me will stay here when I get on that train to leave
Lledia.
So last Tuesday we went to Andorra for preparation day and
district council. We had the meeting in the Southwicks home who are the senior
couple serving in the city called La Seu d' Urgull. Then we all got changed and
went on a fun adventure! We saw the people practicing for the Olympics. They
were kayaking. It was really interesting to watch. We then went to another part
of town, we visited a park where there are sculptures of animals, dinosaurs,
mermaids, statues of people and building, and the birth of Jesus. It was all
really neat! We then went to a higher place up in the mountains and could see a
whole lot of Andorra. The view was breath taking. We got a lot of good
pictures!
We then went to the church and wrote for only a little bit. Well
better said, we all did video calls home. So, no one was writing, lol! As we
went back to Andorra (us elders), we were passing through the border and the
man stops us. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. We pull over. The ask us
why we are coming to Andorra, and where did we come from, and that sort of
stuff. One elder didn’t have any documentation because he lost his wallet. That
was BAD! So, there was the risk of going
into Andorra, but not coming out. We would be stuck. Long story short. We drove
through, spent the night there, and thankfully got back into Andorra. We had to
go to the police station so he can get his papers underway again. Or something
like that.
Then we went back to Lleida had exchanges, and Elder Miller and I
had to go to Andorra again to pack the elder’s bags. It's a 2-hour and 30
minute car ride. Snap! I did that several times in 2 days. But thanks to a
loving Heavenly Father who knows us personally and watches over His children,
we were protected and everything went the best was possible. Thank you
Heavenly Father! I love you!
Hermana Delange invited me to sing in her song. It's really good.
She needed a male voice, so she asked me, and I felt honored. The thing is that
she can sing SO GOOD! So next to my voice I sound like a bear who's got a cold.
But it turned out really well so I'm glad I was able to have that moment.
Packing my bags was a nightmare! I didn't do it until the night
before I left. The night turned into the morning and I was so tired. I don't
know how but I keep acquiring more items than I want. I didn't go to bed until
4:30-5:00 am. Then I woke up at 7:15. Decided to lie down for a moment which
made me fall asleep for another 30 minutes. I woke up at 7:45 and still had to
pack the final items. My train left at 9:00am and we had to drive over there.
We didn't leave piso till 8:30, had a challenging game of Tetris with the
suitcases, and one of the elders sped us over there in the car so we made it on
time. But wait, the fun doesn't stop there.
As I was passing my items through security, one of my bags got
stopped because of a small sword I bought in Logroño almost 1 1/2 years ago. I
don't know why they decided to stop me now since I have always taken it with me
without a problem. Sigh. Whatever, I'll pick it up later.
Oh, then we almost missed out train to get to our areas. I am with
another elder right now who is going to Murcia. We have to travel from
Barcelona to Madrid, then get on another train to get to Murcia. Then I have
catch bus or something to get to Cartagena. I'm sure my companion will be
waiting there for me though. But anyways, we are on the train to get to Madrid,
so we are doing good so far.
I am so tired right now, it's not even funny. I'm going on about 3
hours of sleep right now and I definitely feel it. I didn't get to say good-bye
to everyone I wanted to, but I will be back before they know it, lol.
Oh, on Monday night, Rene and his family made his Picce Machu
(Pea-kay Mah-Choo) and it was huge and so good. We all got big stomachs after
that and one of the hermanas burped out loud by accident! It was so funny! My
companion and I laughed so hard that we almost threw-up our dinner. The moment
was priceless. Then we played a little UNO and called it a night.
I almost forgot to say that we went to the bowling alley for my
going away party. It was fun, we played some games, won tickets, and enjoyed
ourselves.
Well that's about it for these two weeks, or what I can remember
of it. I have loved being a missionary and I can't believe that time is almost
running out. It is truly one of the greatest blessings I have received from
Heavenly Father. I don't want to waste a single moment of the precious time. I
love you all! I hope you have a great week and remember to keep the
faith!
Con Amor Elder Maybury
April 22nd
Hey everyone! What a week it has been. We are on the countdown now
on the mission, but I hope to make every minute count.
So, as you all know, I got transferred to Cartagena to be with
Elder Benedict. AND I LOVE IT HERE! I got here and I could just feel and good
presence and that this is where I am supposed to be.
The miracle this week has been that we were doing calls to try and
find people and we were able to set a visit with a man named Emmanuel. He is
from Ghana and is very nice, we have already meet with him twice and he is
going to make us fufu! I'll explain what that is later below. 😉
This week it started to rain! I'm in the south! How is it gonna
rain HERE! Bummer. But we learned to carry on like we do as missionaries. Well
one day, we contacted in the street for 3 hours while it was raining! Man, did
we get wet. Haha! But the nice thing is that the piso (apartment) has a not
only a washer but a dryer as well. Score! That is SUPER RARE to have a dryer. It used to be the hermanas piso but when they
got taken out, the elders moved in here. So, I tossed my shoes in and they got
dried like I wanted. Only somehow it undid the shoelaces and made the soles
start to spilt , but afterwards I put glue on them. The padding fell off too. Haha, time to get
some more glue.
Elder Benedict is a beast. He knows the area well and the members
are good friends with him. He is a good leader as well, and one transfer behind
me so he is close to finishing the mission. We sometimes feel trunky but we
don't dwell on it. We work hard and do what the Lord has asked us to do.
Yay!
My first Sunday at church was nice! I was able to present myself.
I find that the more and more that I do this, I leave stuff out about myself
and get quicker to share my testimony. It's almost as if I have forgotten what
I did before the mission. I guess when you testify so much, it becomes natural
to you instead of saying things about yourself. Now that I think about it, I
like it. 😄
We are cleaning out the member list here. They split the wards so
when they did that, all the members that were taken off because they moved or
something and then came back on the membership record for this area. So, we are
just cleaning the blazes out of that sheet and have gotten over 200 hundred
names cleared. There are a lot of returning members here which I like, because
it's one of my favorite things to do on the mission; meet with them and help
them find their testimony again.
We are signing up for a gym here. I am super excited because I
need to get back in shape faster than normal. Besides, I like the gym as well
and will be a big motivator for me to eat healthier. Oh! And speaking of
eating, we get fed so much here! We have an eating visit about every day, and
sometimes it's more than one on somedays! One of those days was Sunday. We went
to the house of a friend that we were teaching, and he made us fufu. Oh man I
got stuffed! It is like mushy bread that you pull apart and roll into a ball.
Then you dip it into a sauce and eat/swallow it. It's normally good, but it can
be nasty sometimes on the account of who you eat it with. So, everyone picks
from the same giant ball of fufu. Then everyone dips their little ball in the
same bowl of sauce. Then you repeat. It's gets nasty when you see other
people's hands go into their mouth or touch their face and then touch the same
food as you. It plays a game on your mind, which happens to be the case for me
and am immediately lost my appetite. Blah 🤢.
We then ate at the house of a member who made and decent amount of
food, but we were already full. Oh, and this members daughter is serving a
mission. And I know who the daughter is because she was a member in the first
ward that I served in, Mataró. So I know his entire family!! BLESSINGS!!!
We then had a FHE at a members house where there was food as well!
Man, I was dying. But better to die from being full than from starvation.
Answers
to questions...
How do
you like your new area?
I love it HERE!
Deets
about your companion?
Elder Benedict is from Layton, Utah. He is 20 years old and is a
beast! He also plays the guitar really well and can play the ukulele as
well.
How
long did it take you to travel to your new area?
Basically, all day. I didn't get to Cartagena till about 12:00 at
midnight
Is there
wifi on the trains when you travel?
No Wi-Fi on trains.
What is
the best and hardest thing about your new area of Cartagena?
The best thing about Cartagena is that it is beautiful, and the
people actually say "hi" back to you. The hardest thing has been the
constant rain so far.
What
treat can I get you? Whatccha like?
I would love a Hershey chocolate bar and a Milkyway.
Do you
think it might be possible to send me something from your new area? A letter or post card? Might be the last one. I’m collecting them!
Of course, I'm working in them right actually. I must-have to get
them in the mail.
Do you
know what is special about this upcoming week?
Well uncle's birthday was on Friday, Easter just happened. So I
would have to say that it would be the 1 year anniversary of Uncle Warrens
passing OR..... Your 22nd wedding anniversary!!!! Wow, has it already been 22 years? I will
celebrate with you all by doing something. I'm not sure what. But I will also
do something for you both when I come back, Haha! It will be a little late, but
you can cash it in when you want. I love you both! Thanks for getting married
to each other. And for showing me that mission marriages are possible. I can't
wait to follow your example. LOL!
I didn't take too many photos this week, but I will make up for it
by taking a lot more this next week! I love you all and I hope you have a great
week! Keep the faith!
Love
Elder Maybury
On my way to my new area!
This is after 3 hours in the rain.
Me and my companion, Elder Benedict
This is not the KKK...It's a Pascal (Easter) celebration/parade
Some of the city and graffiti
Elder Maybury will be returning home on May 28, 2019.
He will be returning to Salt Lake City. Hugs will abound!
He will be speaking on two separate occasions.
- UTAH: He will speak in our ward (Riverside 2nd) on Sunday, June 9th at 11:30am. We will be having an "Open House" here for visiting, as well. Details TBD.
- CALIFORNIA: He will speak in our "home" ward (Hurley) on Sunday, June 16th at 9am. Yes, that is Father's Day weekend. What a treat!!!! There will be an Open House for visiting with him later that day at the Juarez/Peterson residence (1332 Rowena Way). 4pm to 7pm. Drop by before or after your Father's Day lunch to visit, give hugs, and wish Alexander well on his next adventure! College! He would LOVE to see you!!
My son is definitely eager to finish his mission STRONG and to
work every day that he has left. He LOVES his mission so much! So,
I would continue to ask of each of you...PLEASE WRITE
TO HIM. He NEEDS to hear those encouraging words from
those that love him and have been cheering him on from home. I asked him if anyone wrote to him this past week. He got a couple from family *Thank you* Sadly, that was all. Hmmm....let's see if we can do better this week, mmkay?
All the missionaries got new email addresses, so please make
sure you use this new one: alexander.maybury@missionary.org
He may or may not respond to you, but he reads them
all! And he is grateful to receive them.
Right now, he is so far from the mission home, that he will only
receive mail one more time (around May 11th). So, if you would like to
mail him a card, you may do so at:
Elder Alexander J. Maybury
Spain Barcelona Mission
C/Calatrava 10-12, bajos
08017 Barcelona
Spain
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