Camp Nou!

Hey Everybody!

So yeah, I did hear a little bit about Boston, but not too much. Just that there was an attack and not much more... Thank you for informing me a little more about the events. I am glad that everythign seemed to work out and they caught the guys who did it. And of course, that Justin is safe! :)

Nick, Looking good in your prom pics! She is a cutie! I am with dad on this one that you need to ASK HER OUT on a date again! Girls like it man! And they are super fun! If your friends dont want to go on double and triple dates you need to find some that are willing to go! Some of my funnest memories I have from high school and my freshman year at college were on dates. Thats what you do! haha Hope you had fun! I would love to hear about it from you!

Mom, How did your talk go? Im sure you killed it! :)

So anyway, Highlights of this last week... How can I not start out with Camp Nou! Honestly, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! haha We walked in and I just sat on one of the chairs and looked at the field for like 15 minutes thinking of all the amazing things that have happened in that stadium. The incredible soccer players that have played there and the records made and broken! It was amazing! After we walked through the whole stadium and looked at just about everything! We went to the suites, locker rooms, press rooms, the tunnel, walked on the field (or Close By), the media booths, and then the trophey museum! Wow, I am speechless just remembering it... haha I got to Messi´s four Ballones de Oro, the Eurocup, Countless La Liga tropheys and awards! It was so great! Then of course soccer highlights everywhere I looked! They made me a little trunky, I wont lie! haha Anyway... Dad... Remember when I said that the only way you and Mom could come pick me up was if we went to a Barcelona game... Well... I hope that is still in your mind... cough... cough... Love You :) I attached some photos, I hope you enjoy them!

So other than that, it was a pretty normal week... We are still working with Roberto and Ayde, Mirko, and Magdalena. For some reason this week they all didnt progress too well. In fact they all didnt come to church... it was a bummer. We will have to reset some fetchas this next week and get them all to church next week! We did have a couple of miracles though! At church we had 5 investigators show up! 2 were old investigators that werent progressing too well and 3 were people we hadnt ever met! We were super excited and we know it was a blessing from the Lord! We are putting in our efforts to find new people to teach, and the Lord is blessings us with people to teach! It is the testimony I have gained here in the mission. The Lord will always do his part if we do ours! So we will set some visits with them and get to teach soem news this week, and then hopefully set some more fetchas with these children of God!

Other than that... Not much more to say. Tranfers are coming up this next week! Nothing to worry about, I will for sure be staying here, but I am hoping Elder Sutton and I can stay together for another transfer but I honestly dont see it haoppening... He is a great missionary and I think he will go open and new are and train! This transfer the mission is recieving 20 new missionaries and President needs every one to train! It is absolutely incredible what is happening right now in the mission field! The Lord really is hastening his work! He is sending more missionaries and the missionis finding new investigators like crazy! It is a great time to be a missionary! To Justin, Nick, Ryan, Mathew, and ALL other of my cousins who are future missionaries. Start preparing now! There is not a lot of time to lose and the mission goes by WAY TOO FAST!

I love you guys ton, and I hope you all have an amazing week! I will talk to you all next week!

Loves!

Elder Carrigan

1065 Messi´s 4 Ballones de Oro!

1071 Number 5! For some reason my jersey said Puyol... :)

1075 Benvinguts a l´Camp Nou

Same old Same old

Whats up!

 

So I guess my letter was super short last week because everyone said something about it! haha Sorry! Sometimes I just feel like my letters are super repetitive and I have nothing new to write! haha I will try to do a little better!

 

So this past week was a great week! We saw a lot of miracles and a lot of success! It all started last P day! Unfortunately we didnt go to Camp Nou because last minute we went with the other missionaries to this park. We will be headed to Camp Nou today! This park we went to last week was called Park Guell. It is filled with a bunch of arcitecture from a guy names Guadi. Not exactly sure who he is, but from what I have heard, he was an incredible man who designed a bunch of famous buildings here in Barcelona. He was the one who designed the main part of the Sagrada Familia. (Still on the list of things to see, but it is super exspensive to go inside!) But anyway... The thing I do know, is that he was hit by a bus and that is how he died... Just an interesting fact! haha So anyway, It was a really cool park and I will send some pictures next week as well as some pictures from Camp! I forgot my card reader...

 

After P day we got to some hard work! Our area is still laking people to teach and we are trying hard to find the elect here in Badalona. So we had a ton of visits with new potential investigators. We had two really great visits with two small families. They both are from Bolivia, and we were able to set baptisal fetchas with both of them for the 4th of May! we are really excited! One couple named, Roberto and Ayde are really prepared! I am really excited about them and they are pretty solid! They just need to start readding the Book of Mormon! The others are, Santos and Epinefia. They are great and have a little girl! They will be a little more work and we are hoping to land another visit with them this next week. We also have a baptismal date with a Spanish lady named Magdalena for this next weekend. She is super prepared to be baptized! She says she doesnt feel like she has recieved her answer, but then she always describes that when she prays, reads, and comes to church it makes a huge difference in her life and how she feels something good inside her that keeps telling her to come and to learn. We have been working with her to recognize her answer. She says she wants to be baptized, just when she knows. Im not worried, I am hoping this week, but if not this week. Im am pretty sure the 4th will be her day. We still have somethings to teach her as well. Oh yeah, we also found a great man named Mikro from Peru. He is great and more than ever, he is looking for change in his life. He came to us and told us of some problems he is experiencing right now and how he wants to be closer to his family! Well perfect!!! This is exactly why we have to gospel!!! He has friends, sisters, cousins, and all kind of family that are members and he said he wants to find, what they all have! It was an amazign miracle! He also has a fetcha for the 4th! The 4th could be an amazing day! :)

 

Other than that, it was the same old same old.. We had a couple more lessons with some people that tried to bible bash us... We knocked a lot of doors, all the old catalan men slammed them in our face like normal haha, and this week we also had someone shoot a noise tasser gun at us through the door! haha It was like those things the Japanesse fishermen us on Whale Wars!!! haha Elder Sutton and I just looked at eachother and started laughing way hard!!! A simple, no im not too interested would have worked just as well! haha!

 

Anyway, Sounds like everything at home is going well. Congrats to everyone on there big wins this week! Sounds awesome! Wish I could be there to see everyone play! Ryan looks HUGE in those photos! Dont worry, I will still take him! haha Keep up the good work everyone! Well I hope this letter was long enough... haha

 

Love you all tons!

 

Love

Elder Carrigan

 

P.S. I love the story about Ryan "having a talk" with that kid! Did Ryan make him pee his pants a little bit? Ryan looks so big, I think he could make me pee my pants! haha Honestly, it reminded me of out family scripture, "Tight Like a Dish" NOBODY, messes with the Carrigans. You want to mess with one of us, you get ALL of us! haha Love you guys!

 

Semana Santa

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!

 

So I dont have much time this week, because today we had a meeting with President about everything that is going on in the mission! So my P day today is about an hour long...

 

So Easter was pretty good, but really really different! The Easter Bunny doesnt come here to Spain. In the States, Easter is really happy and joyfull with colorful, but here it is actually kind of a sad time! Easter here is a full week long and it is celebrated during Semana Santa or Holy Week. They focus a lot on the death and suffering of Christ here rather than the resurrection. In some places in Spain they act out the whole story of Christ suffering and I have heard from other missionaries that in some places they even crucify people... Obviously they dont let them die on the cross, but they nail them to the cross!!! Crazy!

 

But other than that, it was a great week! Right now we are working with 5 baptismal fetchas. They are all so great! Wish I had time to right about them! Sorry! Most of the fetchas are for the 20th and we are super excited because we know conference will help them all a ton! I am super stoked for conference and I cant wait to watch them! Conference is the best thing in the world! I am super stoked!

 

Well, I got to go! Wish I could write more, but I love you tons! Next week will be a good letter! Next P day we are headed to Camp Nou! The stadium where Barcelona plays! I am stoked!

 

Much Love

 

Elder Carrigan

Badalona!!

Good Morning!

I hope everyone had a an amazing week! Thank you for all of the emails I got this past week from everyone, and for all the support! It really helps! Although the guy in Phils ward said that Badalona was the armpit of the mission, I am really liking it here! Yes, it isnt the most beautiful place of Spain, but the members and people here are great!

This week was a great week! Elder Sutton, my new companion, is the man! We are having a blast together! We are workign a ton but also having a ton of fun! We have a lot in common and it seems like this transfer is going to awesome! Right now, we are searching for new investigators! It is always the need! Right before transfers they baptized 6 here so we are working hard with them to recieve references and hopefully begin teaching some news... And then of course, we are knocking doors like crazy! haha This past week, I think I have knocked more doors than I have in my entire mission! And of course, we started with the biggest building here in Badalona, but here is the thing, we just had fun doing it! haha I cant even explain it... Elder Sutton is just hilarious. We get to this door and then all of a sudden he gets in this "Power Stance" I dont even know... haha He says watch... This person will want to talk to us, and there you go... They talked to us! I was trying so hard not to laugh!

We are also teaching like crazy! I would tell you about some of our investigators, but to be honest, I still dont even know half their names! I am still doing my best to learn everything... Kinda stressfull, but I will get over it! haha. But the miracle this week has got to be that we had 9 people come to church this past Sunday! It was awesome! We have planned to visit with all of them, and hopefully we can land some fechas pretty quick! I am pumped!

Other than that... Ther isnt much more going on. Just the normal missionary week! I loved hearing that Nick, Ryan, and Annie are all killing it right now it their respective sports! Not being home this spring to watch I think is going to kill me! Please keep me updated and LOTS OF PHOTOS :) Keep doing work Carrigan Family! I love you all so much, and I will talk to you guys next week! Im off to Barcelona for the day! :)

Love you all tons!

Elder Carrigan

Hasta Luego Tarragona!

Good Morning Everyone!

 

So the big news is yes, I got transfered! I am now serving in Badalona, Spain. it is just up the coast from Barcelona. (About 20 or 30 minutes in Metro) I am sort of in a trio... It is strange how it works, but my companions names are Elder Cuevas and Elder Sutton. Elder Cuevas is from Orem and Elder Sutton in from Idaho. They both seem like good guys and I am really excited to start working with them! The piso is ok... A little small and a little dirty but it is an average missionary piso. Honestly I dont really know what else to tell you about my area because I just barely got here... All I know is I have been here for about 20 minutes and I have walked up and down more hills than I have in my whole mission... haha So yeah... Im stoked!

 

It was hard to say goodbye to Tarragona, but it is always hard to say goodbye! Tarragona is an awesome ward with a lot of awesome people! I got to say goodbye to all of my converts, and on Saturday night, the ward had a talent show that was awesome! We, The Missionaries, did a little skit that was hilarious! I had a member take a video, but I am not sure if I can send it. I will just have to send some more photos and pictures home soon. But anyway, we put on a skit and showed what the average day of a missionary is like. It is kind of hard to explain exactly what we did, but I will try. Bear with me! Elder Magallanes and I stood at a table, we formed little people... My hands were the feet of the little person. Then my companion was behind me, and his hands and arms were the hands and arms of the little person. So basically I was a little person but I didnt have control of my hands... I dont know if this is making any sence... haha But anyway, we did exercise, shaved, bruched our teeth, contacted people! It was super funny and the whole ward was dying with laughter! It will definately be something I remember and I hope they will remember as well. I do need one favor. I need you to log on to my facebook and accept Camillia Gomez. She is going to send a bunch of photos so everyone can se them. I think that is her name. I know her last name is Gomez so just look for that ;) The pictures will probably describe better than me what we did haha

 

So then our week was full of Family Home Evenings with members, Recent Converts, and Menos Activos. It is funny how no one want to visit with you and then you say you are leaving and your week suddenly fills up super fast! haha Like I said, it was hard to say goodbye, but thats the mission for ya!

 

Other than that it was just another average week of missionary work and honestly I dont have much to say... Sorry it is kind of a boring letter, but the exciting news was I was transfered and thats about it haha.

 

And Yeah, of course I forgot my device to send pictures... Now this email really stinks! haha SORRY! Next week will be a lot better!

 

Love you all lots!

Elder Carrigan

 

Looking for the Elect!

Hey Fam!

 

Another good week here in Tarragona! It is kind of strange to me to think that this could be my last week here in Tarragona! I am trying my best to get some work going here before transfers just in case I leave, but it has been rough... We are searching and trying our best to find some people to teach, but unfortunately this week was full of lots of closing doors, no´s in the street, and cancelled visits. Some weeks just happen go this way. I have definately learned the lesson of continuing to find and talk to people while you are actually teaching people at the same time. I feel liek when we were teaching a lot, we kind of got distracted or werent focused in finding as much, and now this is happening to us... Its ok, I know that we are trying our best, and looking hard, the Lord will bless us soon!

 

We did have a couple people the the church yesterday, and I am hoping they start to progress! One is a man named Zenon. He is from Bolivia. He has been listening to us for awhile, almost since I got here, but he doesnt really progress. We try our best to work with him, but he has turned out to be someone we pass by to check up on every once in awhile. Well, Him and his daughter came to church yesterday for the first time, We are hoping that this is a good sign and that he will actually begin to progress and we will be able to visit him on a regular basis! We will see!

 

We also had a 17 year old kid come named Roney, and he is a stud! We are in the starting prossess of teaching his family. They were a reference from a member and are also from Bolivia. We visited them last Sunday but werent able to have another visit with them all week because the mom was working. Well, long story short, I called them Saturday night tp remind them about church, and the mom gave me some lame excuess, but then I asked if her son was going to come and he said yes! He came to chuch and loved it! We introduced him to all the youth and he fit right in! It might have helped just a little that him and one of the cutest girls in the ward are from the same part of Bolivia, but hey... What ever works right! haha Hopefully we will meet with them sometime this week! After that, we just have a lot of futures and potentials that we are praying will be able to meet with this week

 

We also had a conference AGAIN in Hospitalet. It is tirinig going up there and back all the time, but I will be honest I love conferences! It is the best to see everyone and talk to everybody that I know! Its the best! I saw Elder Wilkinson again. He is the man! We talked for awhile, He is now serving in the office as the financial secretary... Such a stud! I also talked to Elder Rios of course and we always have a good time together! We learned a lot and you can always feel the spirit so strong when President talks to us!

 

I also got a letter from Jack Dana! MY MAN! Love ya buddy! I will send you a letter soon!

 

Well thats it for this week! Next week P Day is on Tuesday because of transfers. I will let you guys know if I am in a different part of Spain next week!

 

Love you all tons!

 

Love

Elder Carrigan

 

Searching and Finding

Good Morning Everyone!

I am glad the photos and videos worked! I was scared they wouldnt work!
Enjoy them! haha I wish I could be there to explain them all, but I guess
we will have to do sit down and do that when I get home! I will try to be
better in sending photos home more often, but honestly it is one of the
last things on my mind... I know thats bad! Sorry!

Well it sounds like your guys weekend was lots of fun in Vegas! Im not
going to lie, yesterday it came to my head that you were in Vegas and I had
to get that thought out of my head real fast! haha It sounds like you had a
lot of fun! Dad congrats on winning 200 bucks! haha I will be sure to spend
it here sometime this week! haha You can do whatever you want with the
Catalan Flag... I dont care! Just know that if you were to hang this flag
in Spain outside of Catalunya, many bad things would happen to our house!
haha It has a really stong meaning!

So this week was a tough one! Right now we are just searching for new
people to teach. And with Searching and Finding brings a lot of stress!
Lots of wrong numbers, addresses, cancelled visits, and free time. I dont
like it... I like having full days with things to do! it makes everything
so much better, but hey, In order to teach you need to find right! As of
right now, we still dont have anyone solid... Unfortunately, my Nigerian
Pastor Friend cancelled on us as well... The english branch here in
Tarragona will have to wait... haha

Other than that, not much went down this week! We helped a Menos Activo
lady move on Saturday for 8 hours... By the end of the day I almost killed
her! haha She had more CRAP in here house than I have seen in my entire
life! And with everything I tried to move, she would say "BE CAREFULL!!!!"
I wanted to drop and break something on purpose! haha Moving here in Spain
is completely different than in the US. People move here like it is no big
deal. 3 months here and 3 months there! It is the worst! We took everything
out of her piso and down to the street and then loaded in a van and drove
like 2 streets over. Just our luck, the elevator didnt work, so we then had
to hike everything up the stairs to the 4th floor! Meanwhile I still had to
listen to this lady sceam "BE CAREFULL" The whole time! haha So anyway,
that was the highlight of my week!

Actully! The highlight of my week was last P Day! It was a blast! I have
been here in Tarragona for almost 6 months, but last Monday was the first
day I had to actually go out and explore! It was super fun! We went out to
this cliff that is kind of by the beach and jsut enjoyed the view and
relaxing for a little bit! I think Tarragona would be an awesome place to
live in the summer! There is a ton of things you could do! I will send some
photos of our day!

So anyway, sorry the letter is a little boring this week! I will try to
spice somethings up this week! haha

Love you all tons!

Elder Carrigan