NEW BEGINNINGS AND FAREWELLS

We welcomed 16 new missionaries to the Spain Barcelona Mission on July 9th! We received 8 new elders and 8 new hermanas.  It is always good to get fresh energy and enthusiasm into the mission.  We are grateful for their preparation and their desire to serve. These missionries will be greatly blessed for their service!

New missionaries at the airport

On the bus to Montjuic, where the missionaries get to overlook the land they will serve in.

New missionaries with President and Sister Galli

The first of many meals in the mission home.

Hermana Howell

Hermana Robinson

Hermana Weston

Elders Fryer and Hanson

Hermanas Robinson and Romero

Hermana Jarvis

Hermana Heitonga

Hermana Ross

Elder Harbour

Elders Graf and Jenkins

Hermanas Howell and Nielson

Elders |Frazier and Vurpillat

Elder Buttars

Elder Palmer

Elder Graf

Elder Hanson

Elders  Palmer and Jewkes

Hermanas Britez and Jarvis

Hermanas Haunga and Heitonga

Elder Vurpillat

Elder Jacobs

Elder Villamizar

Elders  Gardner and Buttars

Elders Jacobs and Guarín

Hermanas Ross and Bates

Hermanas Wagner and Anderson

Hermana Wagner

Saying"goodbye"is the hardest part of letting our seasoned missionaries go at the end of their missions.  Forty two of the finest missionaries you could imagine packed up their bags and headed for home. This is one of the largest returning groups that we have ever seen in the mission! We thank these valiant missionaries for their sacrifices and hard work.  Several families traveled to Spain and joined again with their missionary sons and daughters.  We were happy to see the many joyful reunions!  We have included comments from the missionaries concluding their missions.

Elder Mukai and family

My mission has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I have met and lived with incredible people that have literally changed my life. I've learned for a surety that this gospel is true and have seen how it changes and blesses the lives of everyone we meet. I now know the importance of the gospel for me and see how it has blessed me as I have taught it and learned from companions and people I have taught.  If you are called to the Spain Barcelona mission, enjoy it! It will be the best experience of your life.        -Elder Mukai

My mission has taught me the importance of faith, love, and diligence. It has been the experience of a lifetime being able to be a literal instrument in the hands of God for 2 years. I have seen miracles, felt the guidance of the spirit, and testified of my savoir Jesus Christ. I know now, and have a testimony that God lives and He loves me and all of His children.  He is continually guiding us to the path that leads back to Him.       -Elder Tingey

I've learned a lot of things on the mission.  Overall there are two that stand out to me the most. First and foremost,  I  have learned about the atonement of Jesus Christ and how I could apply it to my life each and every day.  I can honestly say that I have felt the power of His atonement every day of my mission. The second is that I have learned that our Heavenly Father has a purpose for every single one of us while we are here and places us in the exact places where we need to be. Whether that be to help specific individuals or to have others help us, or being aware of the reason or not. He knows what his children need and we are his tools to fulfill those purposes. As soon as I figured that out, I realized what my purpose here really was.       - Elder Johnmichael Carbaugh

Edler Moore and family

Hermana Richardson

In my mission I have been changed by God. I am so grateful for the many miracles that he has put in my life daily. I have been able to see people change their lives for God and that has brought me so much happiness. I am grateful for all of my companions and areas, they have all come from revelation. I love Spain!        - Elder Derek Hurst

What I have learned in my mission is impossible to put into a few words.  If I were to put it all into one word, it would be "love."  I have learned how to love myself and all my weaknesses. I have learned how to truly love my savior, and people of all backgrounds. I have learned to love hard moments and changes. I have learned that the closest we can get to understanding Heavenly Father and his perfect plan, is through letting love really penetrate into every fiber of our being. I have TRIED to love, forgive and learn as Jesus did.         – Hermana Cotto

Elder Çhild and family

I am very grateful for having served a mission. My mission has changed me and made me a disciple of the Lord. Although the mission sometimes challenges us to do things that we would not have done before, it serves our benefit. Now I know who God is and who Jesus Christ is and I know that they love me and all people. I know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for our return to him. My mission has taught me the importance of studying the scriptures and has given me the desire to acquire more knowledge about the gospel. I have learned to forgive people and to live with people who are not the same as me. I learned the importance of love and charity. More than anything I have deepened what I know about the Gospel and about my Lord Jesus Christ. I loved my mission and all the things that I have been able to do in these last two years of my life. I appreciate the opportunity to serve here in Spain.      – Elder Wilde

What I have learned on the mission is that we can’t control others agency!  Their happiness and our happiness is a personal choice.  We do our part by doing our best, and they choose to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.      – Hermana Helton

My time as a missionary in Spain has completely changed my life. I have learned so much here that it is impossible to fit it all into a paragraph. The gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. I have seen people that I love so dearly take a 180 degree turn. Not only have I seen that among the people here in Spain, but within my own life. The gospel is REAL! It is not some fairy tale that we always talk about. Our personal conversion is so crucial in life. My mission has helped me to convert myself to this gospel.  I have seen first hand the power that it has to change my life and the lives of countless others.        -Elder Davis

Elder Smith and family

The mission has been two years full of spiritual development and growth.  There are so many things to worry about and to do in the mission, but it is important to always focus on the essential.  Our personal conversion is the most important.  Don´t get caught up in the thick of thin things.  I have recently been noticing a lot about doing my part.  The scriptures are full of formulas for how to have joy and receive other blessings from God.  All of these formulas require our part to work.  (D&C 130:20) Ask, seek, knock.  We need to do our part so God can do his.       –Elder Smith

Elders Pingree and Smith

My Mission has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, but only because that is what I expected it would do. When I started my mission I had just turned 18 about 3 weeks earlier and I was literally "un niño". I had never heard the Spanish language before and was not used to the extreme heat that we feel here. You could say that I was literally a deer caught in the headlights when I arrived. Everything was new; the food, people, the way of life and even the side of the road that the cars drive on. But despite all of these changes, I promised God that I would try to be the missionary that he wanted me to be. That kind of attitude really helped me get through and thoroughly enjoy these 2 years. Some of the things that have really become essential parts of my life, that before my mission weren't, are: the power of prayer, the importance of study, the power of the priesthood and the importance of keeping covenants. Life is just better when we are on the team of the Savior. One of the greatest joys that I have had in my time here has been seeing and being a part of the conversion of other people, to see them change, to see them leave the world and join the team of the Lord. They change; physically and Spiritually, as have I.        -Elder Keir 

Elders Peck, Child, Jensen, Keir and Weiner

The mission has been incredible for me. I've learned so much and I am so grateful for the things that the Lord has taught me. I really have come to understand the happiness that the gospel brings and that Heavenly Father's plan is perfect for all of His children. He loves us all and wants all of us to return to Him! All He asks is that we try to come closer to Him and then we will have happiness!                               Elder Walker  

What have I learned from my mission? There are way too many things that I could write. I could fill a whole novel. I would say the most important thing I've learned is humility. I like the quote "humility isn't a sign of weakness, but a sign of spiritual strength." When we read the scriptures, we find that pride is the root of 99% of problems. Every success you see in the mission, or everything you receive in life is not really because of anything you did, but because God permitted it to happen.             -Elder Benedict


 

Elder Vaughan

The mission has taught me how to handle change.  From changes inside the mission, the church, and within my own home, I have learned to continue in Christ no matter the trial.  He has a plan and will help us along with everything.  By coming unto Him and willingly accepting the changes in our lives, we can constantly feel joy in the journey and grow to become who He wants us to be.                 - Elder Preston Loveland

I feel like in my mission I learned a great many things.  There are two specific lessons that stand out to me.  I learned that there is no better substitute for hard work.  When we give it our all we feel happier and we have a greater portion of the spirit with us.  The amount of work we put into the mission is directly related to the amount of growth we see in ourselves at the end of the mission.  The second thing I learned is the vital importance of having a good relationship with your companion.  Often times you may have to pick your battles with a contentious companion, and other times you may need to compromise.  Speaking openly with your companion is probably the most helpful way I´ve seen to get along with a companion.  There is more unity, success and joy when your companion is your friend.  With these two lessons I´ve learned that I have been able to enjoy the mission for everything it is worth.        Elder Hughes

Elder Hughes

Hermanas Saad and Napa

Going home does not feel real. Partly yes. At the end of our time in the mission we begin to remember our family more and more, and our friends come to mind, but the idea of ​​seeing them is strange. The veil of the mission is real, and it also begins to fall. It is as if we had always been here in the mission; and it makes sense. The mission is one of the most intensely spiritual experiences of our life and we are spiritual beings, so we fit. We all fit into the mission if we let our spirit grow in the way the Lord wants it to grow. Truly the mission can be the place of each person. So, although at first it is hard for us to adapt, we soon feel comfortable. We realize that living and preaching the gospel is something innate in us. That was the great testimony that I received little by little. It helped me to have more faith throughout my time and it made me stable in the fact that I had been called to serve. But that was not the greatest testimony I received. The greatest testimony I received is that the love and justice of God and Jesus Christ go beyond limits; every time. His tender mercies are abundant and although not all the moments of the mission were joyful or happy, always, always, always, there were tender mercies. And they were because God is always willing to bless us more and more. And the same goes for our friends. When they understand that principle, they begin to look for a way to approach Him. Their true love can change everything.                –Hermana Napa

Elders Smith, Petersen, and Pingree

Elder Peck

Have a great summer!
Hermana Karen Hanson
Barcelona Mission Office