Hello, friends and family of the Barcelona, Spain Mission! Our mission blog is live. Thanks for your interest in sharing our experiences.
We have felt the exhilaration of missionary work here since replacing our wonderful predecessors, President Merrill and Hermana Debbie Dayton, who departed at the end of June. Our focus is to move this work forward in unity, and the Lord is our strength.
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| Elders Doman, Trowell and Dixon in the early days |
In the succeeding seven weeks, we received about sixty missionaries from the Madrid and former Malaga missions into ours, and half again as much land, creating the new Spain, Barcelona Mission, or El Faro Nuevo. Our current mission theme is
El Faro Nuevo: Unidos en Cristo!
You should be very proud of our 250 plus missionaries who have been here during this period. They have proven faithful and adaptable amidst these changes. We eagerly await the arrival of 20 new missionaries this coming Tuesday, and have already begun our good-byes to 27 now dear missionary friends. This is the tender cycle of missionary life.
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| Members of the Elche and Cartagena Zones are spoiled by this beautiful paella |
Key mission events have included an intimate mission home sacrament meeting with President and Sister Oaks and some of their family members in July. President Oaks taught us that, just as times of war can either harden or soften hearts, times of change can do the same. He encouraged our missionaries to embrace the changes in the mission, as well as opportunities missionaries find they when returning home as catalysts for growth.
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| President and Sister Oaks brought just the message we needed! |
On August 5th, in our second transfer, the new A Coruña Stake was created in beautiful Galicia, completing our mission transition as we received that stake and its missionaries into our mission.
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| Great friends President Phil and Hermana Cathy Bussey of the Spain, Barcelona Mission at the Creation of the A Coruña Stake |
Mission wide, missionaries fought Europe's hottest summer on record, mostly successfully.
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| Hermanas Baker, Clark and Fausett fight the heat |
Each transfer cycle, companionships are changed as needed. Some missionaries leave their areas, and others remain to continue teaching and finding those interested in the gospel. We hold a Mission Leader Council with forty-two young mission leaders who share challenges and successes and discuss needed improvements. Those decisions are then taken out to the mission via zone conferences of our ten zones, district councils, and missionary exchanges--twenty-four hour opportunities for each missionary to work with a mission leader in his or her area every six weeks. Each missionary writes President Galli a personal letter each week reporting his or her experiences, including personal challenges and miracles. Miraculously he answers them all.
After our third transfer, we attended a Mission Leader Training Seminar in Madrid with the Europe Area Presidency, where we received more instruction on leading a mission. We discussed the process of receiving inspiration, the legacy of missionary work in these times, and new key indicators having to do with members returning to activity in the Church. We appreciate the living water of inspiration we receive from these men and women of God, and the fellowship of fellow presidents and companions who understand our challenges and always have a few great stories.
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| Elder and Sister Johnson in Barcelona |
Our fourth transfer began with a mission tour by Area President Paul and Sister Jill Johnson of the Europe Area. They were tremendous guests in the mission home, helping vanquish a small oven fire, thus confirming that our smoke alarms did, indeed, work. President Johnson cautioned us not to take "lighting a fire under our missionaries" so seriously.
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| Presidents Galli and Johnson Reenact the Rescue |
As they instructed our missionaries, President Johnson taught the importance of the Law of Moses, necessary practices that pointed to the higher law of Christ. He compared them to the missionary key indicators which, though not the ultimate goal of missionary work, point to what ultimately measurable only by the Spirit--the changed heart.
Each transfer brings opportunities to attend stake conferences, Face to Face discussions, and baptisms around the mission in the work that never stops, and we enjoy each ward, branch and stake we visit.
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| A Face to Face discussion with youth of Mataró |
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| Young church members in Gerona |
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| Hermanas Hargis and Reed brought two missions together in their companionship |
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| Elders Johnson, Murillo and Layton enjoying Pique machu at zone conference in Valencia |
A mission motto is, "Work hard, play hard!" And we do both.
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| Elders of the A Coruña zone enjoyed a true feast! |
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| Thanksgiving with young adults in Palma de Mallorca |
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| Basketball in ties |
In November, we shared a north American custom of Thanksgiving with missionaries, giving opportunities for lots of baking and toting of tasty treats through the streets of our cities, as well as a pick up game of missionary basketball. We began December pitching in with our worldwide day of service.
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| Worldwide Day of Service food collection with Elders Cobbley and Ricks |
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| More service from El Faro missionaries! |
Here in the Spain, Barcelona Mission, the work of inviting friends to come unto Jesus Christ through repentance and baptism continues day after day and week after week by our faithful missionaries. They get up early, pray, study and exercise, practice English or Spanish, and head out, rain or shine, north, south and east in Spain to teach and support others in embracing this best message on earth. They proclaim the good news that God lives, Jesus is his Son, and through His plan, every person can find joy, relief from sin and sadness, and learn to live happily on earth and beyond.
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| Hermana Fowler decks the halls of the mission home. |
It's good to be here!
Hermana Lark Galli
