Sad Grapes But Happy New Year!

Wasn't a very busy week given the holidays, but the lessons we did have were awesome!


We taught Melissa about the Restoration a few days ago. While we talked about prophets, Elder Quintana mentioned President Nelson's background as a heart surgeon, which isn't something we normally bring up (cool as it is) and it totally clicked with her! The idea that a doctor/scientist type, whose job it is to help people and discover truth, was called as a prophet to do the exact same things by the power of God, is a powerful truth that she loved. She's so open to learning more and it's awesome.


We had a lesson with Elisa and talked about the Plan of Salvation. Several times we explained a point in the plan, and her immediate response was "I love it". When we understand the plan of happiness in its perfect fairness as the blessing that it is, it's something beautiful to discuss and share.


Yesterday Carmen invited us over for cake, which was cool because no one else was open on New Year's. She told us that the holidays falling on Sundays this year and having church to look forward to helped her a lot. She's so consistent in coming to church and always trying to bring her family. We have finally met all her kids and grandkids, more or less one at a time. We're trying to see how many we can involve in lessons. 


Slice of Life
Last P-day we had zone conference on Tenerife. That's my fourth Canary Island and the closest I'll get on the mission to "Island Bingo" because La Palma is a sisters-only zone. We arrived in time for a zone P-day, and the conference was in a chapel where my dad served for a wile so I replicated some pictures. Conference was fire, and we had a Christmas party afterwards. Really fun!


A Spanish New Year's tradition is to eat 12 grapes right before the stroke of midnight. I saw a can of twelve prepackaged grapes a few days before New Year's so I snagged it. Kind of a weird idea, because I probably could have counted out twelve grapes myself. Anyway I paid for that decision because at the stroke of midnight I opened it up and found a bunch of juice I had to dump out so I was late eating the grapes. Also they were like skinless transparent grapes with veins. In the future I'm going to the produce aisle and trusting in my own ability to count to twelve. Check in with me next year.


Weekly dose of "Cool Thing from the Book of Mormon"


Mosiah 5:2
"And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually"


Mighty change.


The object of the gospel is to help us to change and become better people. This is a time of the year when we set goals to improve ourselves, so I'd encourage each of you to set goals that don't only change what you do, but what you become. I hope that you can all effect "mighty change" in yourselves.


Pictures
Carmen and her 3 grandkids
12 grapes 
New Year's dinner


Tenerife zone conference:
Elder Clausby
Soccer crew
Gingerbread temple
Big shoes to fill, but I have more chairs than he did


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