Its Monday once again! Wow these times fly! It is incredible!
This week went by super fast. Probably because we were SUPER busy!
So yes, Transfers came a little early to the city of Vitoria! My new companion arrived on Wednesday! His name is Elder Tyler and he is from Ogden Utah. FINALLY! Another American! hahaha It has been good to have him here! Elder Rios is still here as well for another week. Elder Tyler has been working in the office for 9 months! Crazy right! Nearly half of his mission! But President Pace wanted to get him out the office as soon as he could so he put him here with us two weeks before transfers! Like I said it has been super nice to have him here to speak some english, but at the same time I dont really like it because I feel like in just 3 days my spanish isnt as good... Kinda weird! I dont know too much more about him... He seems like a pretty cool guy, but I dont want to make any judgements too early! haha I say he is a cool guy one day and then the next day he is going to be super weird. So I think I will just hold my tongue for today! haha But because he came we have been trying to visit as many people as we can with in the Branch. (Members, Recent Converts, Menos Activos, Investigators) Just everyone! We have been on the run everywhere! I am dying! This week was the first week where it has been hard to lift my head from my pillow in the morning! Not good! haha It has also been a lot of fun working in a trio! I love it! I am sad to see Elder Rios go, but I am excited to get working with Elder Tyler! Elder Rios was a stud and a pretty good trainer, I am glad I had the opportunity to work with him! So Elder Tyler is in one of the pictures I am sending! The one we are all sitting at the table eating.
So some sad news as well... Juliet stopped progressing and decided she "wanted soem time to figure some things out" Kinda sucks, but it is what it is! She had a ton of faith and a lot of potential, but in the end she wasnt reading the Book of Mormon, and if your not going to read the Book of Mormon there is no way your going to know if its true or not... So in the end we wrote our number in her Book of Mormon... She tried to give it back to us but we just told her we had plenty and she could keep it! haha We fasted for her and hopefully she will show back up in the future. We are going to keep in touch with her and keep praying for her. Please do the same.
Mom I will get on the favor you asked me! I will get it to you next week. I cant really remember one of the top of my head so I will think about it and then let you know next week! Thanks!
Dad about pictures... Ya, I should probably take more! I will work on it! I am sending 3 today! I will explain them really quick to you guys!
One of the pictures is all of us sitting at a table eating Lunch. From left to right. Rosalva (Member) Helps us out a ton with the work and has an amazing family. It was her birthday and she fed us like crazy! So good! Francis (Member) from Hondurus! Super strong member, She doesnt live in our area so she works with the other missionaries all the time. Elder Castillo, from the Dominican Republic. Has crazy swag! He walks like he is a gangster! Hillarious! Love the kid! ME! Elder Tyler! You already read about him. Elder Olaya, Not sure if I have told you much about him... He is from Columbia, Super Femy and really annoying! I hope he is tranfered this transfer haha BUT he is a child of God so I am nice to him! haha (As long as he doesnt touch me!) 2 investigators! Rosalvas friends who just started taking the lessons from the other missionaries last week. The lady talks like you wouldnt believe. We tried to have a 5 minute lesson... We talked for five minutes and she talked for 25...
Next... The photo with the 2 little black boys! Maswell y Mice! Craziest kids in the world. Take Johnny times 5! And then there are 2 haha The mom is also pregnant with a 3rd... She wanted a girl... She is having another boy! Good Luck!
And last... The one with the little girl, Atanie. The cutest little girl in the country of Spain! She is I think 2! I die everytime she comes to talk to me!
Well family! Love you lots! Hope everything is going well at home! I miss you guys tons and love hearing from all of you! Thanks for everything you do for me!
Lots of Love!
Elder Carrigan
Familia!
Mom! Thank you for the Package! I loved every second of it! The beef jerkey was gone REAL fast! haha Elders Rios, Castillo, and Olya were amazed that in the United States we sell meet in bags! haha I was dying. Trying to explain exactly what it was and how that little freshness packet you cant eat keeps the meet fresh! It was a great moment! haha The CD is exactly what I wanted thank you and the lyric book was a great suprise! I hadnt gotten the Ensign yet. It is a great read. Thank you tons! Love you lots!
So the BYU... Ya that sucks, but I guess we will live! How are they looking this year? Is there any chance of them doing anything good or is it just going to be another average year?
Bilbao was fun! We didnt do much site seeing but almost all the elders from the zone were there so it was really fun just to do something together! We all went to the park and played basketball, football, alll kinds of good things! The best part was speaking english with the American missionaries! haha Dont get me wrong, I have learned a ton of spanish this transfer and it is a lot better, but I always love a break! haha It was a really fun day. Mom to answer your questions. All the cities are pretty close. We take the bus and everything is within 1 or 2 hours of Vitoria. Vitoria is in the center of everything.
So it sounds like the week was pretty average at home. It was a pretty average week here as well. Juliet is somewhat progressing. I can tell the teachers at her church are influencing her a ton! Or at least trying, they are doing everything they can to make it so we cant talk to her... It is frustrating. In almost every lesson we have with her, she brings just a list full of scriptures that her teachers have given her and tons of questions. We always take the time to answer them, she understands and then she comes back with a brand new list the next time... Its tough but I kind of like it! haha Ty sent me a quote last week from Elder Holland that said, "We dont always try to Bible Bash, but when we do, we ALWAYS win!" haha Its so true! Sometimes it is hard to find the scripture, but there is ALWAYS a scripture! Always an answer! It has strengthened my testimony a lot! When you have and know the truth, it is easy to disprove (Is this a word haha) wrong doctrine! Please continue to pray for her!
So Saturday we had another baptism with a man named Victor! I think I have talked about him... I cant remember! haha sorry! It has been an interesting story with him because he doesnt live in my area so I "cant" teach him, but I am the only one that speaks english so I taught him everything! We had to do intercambios everytime. Really stupid, but whatever... So he was baptized on Saturday. I had the opportunity to baptize and confirm him! It has been great teaching him. Before we started teaching him he told us he was never interested in church before he met us. He believed in God but wanted nothing to do with a church. He had problems Drinking, Smoking, and the law of chastity, but he has changed a lot! It has been great!
I attached photos of both the baptism of Katy and of Victor! Enjoy.
One Question... A lady from the Branch here in Vitoria is going to conference in October. She offered to bring anything I need or take anything to you guys. I couldnt think of anything. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks for everything. Love you all lots
Talk to you next week
Elder ¨Carrigan
Hey everyone!
This week has been crazy! The Lord has helped us in so many ways this week! I have experienced Miracles!
First, Juliet! Remember her? She is the girl from Nigeria! The daughter of the family of 7. Well we went to her house for our second lesson and before we even said the pray she sat us down and said, I want to get baptized! My companion and I just looked at eachother and didnt even know what to do! haha so we were stoked! More on this later!
Next, Katy, was Baptized on Friday! It was great! The service went really well, and lots of people from the ward came to support her! Elder Rios baptized her and then Katy asked me if I would confirm her. I was scared out of my mind! haha I had no Idea what i was going to say or anything! But the thought just kept coming into my that the blessing comes from the spirit so you dont even need to know what to say... Right now I have no idea what I said, but it either went well or really bad because when she shook my hand she had a huge smile on her face! I like to think it was because I did a good job, but it could have been that my spanish was just really bad haha! Who knows! :) So that started off the weekend on a high!
On Saturday, and Sunday we had Stake Conference with all of Basque country! I love when there are conferences becuase everyone comes from everywhere and it is an awesome sight! So we invited our investigators and Juliet came! At first she wasnt going to come but she changed her mind last second becasue she said she wanted to talk to us. Elder Rios and I were a little nervous about this. Turns out that during the week she went to her bible class with the testigos. She told them she was gettign baptized and her teacher ripped into her with all this stuff and so she was pretty hesitant about talking with us on the bus ride up. She was writing all these things in her note book on the bus to the conference like "I am sorry God, I dont know what I am doing" or "Soy Testigo" and all these things... I was super nervous! So I began to pray in the bus! And I prayed hard! Just asking God that something said in the conference would touch her heart and she would feel the Holy Ghost with her in the meeting! I had a feeling to promise her that if she wrote a question down on a piece of paper and put it in her pocket. By the end of the meeting, she would have an answer to that question. Well... Every speaker in the conference talked about Temples and the importance of Temples... And I am not going to lie, durign the conference I was really nervous thinking of all the questions she was going to have, this and that. I was scared haha. Well, we experienced miracle number 2 with Juliet in the same week! At the end of the conference she had the biggest smile on her face and loved the conference. She didnt have a single question about what was talked about. She said that when the lady talked about how our families can be eternal and forever, she knew this is where she was supposed to be. On the way home she called just about everyone she could and told them about her baptism on the 22nd! It was the greatest thing! The Lord works Miracles here! It is amazing to be able to see them every day!
So P day is today because we had Zone Conference yesterday. Unfortunately I dont have time to write about it because we decided to go up to Bilbao for P Day! we are going to go hit the town and experience the North today I am stoked! Because of this I dont have my camera with me so I cant send Pictures of the Baptism today. I will next week! But, I do have a couple of questions.
1. Did Trevor Montgomery recieve his call yet?
2. Did Brady Homer decide to join the Army?
Please update me on these! Thanks
I love you guys lots and I am excited for the package from Mom this week! I am sure it will be great! You guys are the greatest family in the world and I am so greatfull for everything you have done for me and the support you continue to give me! Love you all
Love
Elder Carrigan
Good Morning Family!!!
First off, A huge shout out to my boy Ry Guy! Turning 14 this week! That is crazy! I saw the picture dad sent me and you are taller than nick now! From the looks of the picture you might even be taller than me! That is absolutely crazy! I was just thinking by the time I will be getting back, you will be learning how to drive! haha DONT DRIVE MY CAR! haha no es una broma! Crazy! Well anyway, I hope it is a good one! Go buy something nice for yourself from me with Mom and Dads money! haha Love ya bud!
So this week as been really good! Lots of work and then again not alot of work! Katy continues to progess towards her baptismal date for this Saturday! She is great and really prepared! Unfortunately, her mom has been busy working and hasnt been able to come to our lessons for the past week. Despite this, Katy still has a strong desire to be baptised and we are hoping that with her baptism, her mom will also see the importance of baptism as well! Please keep them in your prayers!
The other elders have been teachign Victor and as far as I know he is doing well... I dont know how much he understands or if he knows what is going on, but he came to church yesterday so I think he is progressing haha!
Ernest, is the man! haha Honestly he was a blessing placed in my hands! he started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning the other week and has read quite a bit! He also asked me how he can get a copy of Preach My Gospel and other books of the church! Amazing! O! haha and he also accepted his first calling as a nursery teacher! haha I have no Idea why the President of the Rama decided to assign the biggest guy in the branch to the nursery, but we will see how it goes! haha
Elder Rios and I decided to focus a lot on contacting this week. A lot of our visits have fallen through this past week due to just flaky investigators... So we went on our search. The Lord blessed us. Yesterday we had our first lesson with a family of 7. It was great. the whole family are all part of different religions and the mom really wants to go to a church with the entire family. We explained what we do as missionaries and presented the Book of Mormon and they seemed pretty interested. The funny part is we called the house before we came and the dad found out we were coming so he left in a hurry. In the visit we asked when we could come again and the mom set a date with us and said dont call before you come. I dont want my husband runnign off again. You need to be sneaky. haha She is a HOOT. It is great. I am excited to start teaching them. We have our second lesson with them tomorrow. Please keep them in your prayers as well.
Mom, I dont think I need anything else. Just the CDs and maybe some more Peanut Butter haha. I will work on what you asked for this week and then send it off to you next Monday! What kind of picture are you looking for though? Please give me a little more info on this... In a Suit? Just of me? Companions? Members? Please tell!
Well thats it from Spain this week... I love you all! I will talk to you guys next week!
Love
Elder Carrigan
