The Atonement is everything

Dear Family

We have realized that a lot of our investigators or even just the people here in general do not understand who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and what they mean to them. So we have focused many of our lesson on talking about who they are and the atonement. (Because the Atonement is Everything!) We have showed just about every single person we teach the Easter Video from the church (easter.mormon.org or pascua.mormon.org). I love this video. It helped me consider even more what the atonement means to me and the people I teach. On Wednesday my District leader asked me to speak on Helping Investigators Overcome Addiction in our district meeting. I talked about how it is our job to help the people we teach learn and understand more about the atonement, because it is the atonement that makes everything possible. It is through Christ´s atonement that everyone can change and overcome the natural man. I decided to show that video and after we had finished watching it we sat in silence for about 10 minutes. The spirit in the room was so strong that none of us could speak. At the end I bore my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that there is so much I still don´t understand about the Atonement, but my understanding of the atonement has grown tremendously on my mission. I have this overwhelming feeling that I can be and become whatever I desire (whether is be for life or for death Alma 29:4-5) , because of the atonement. And this gives me so much responsibility to desire God´s will for me. I encourage all of you once again, to study about the atonement of Jesus Christ and then to act according to the knowledge that you receive. It will change your life. 

Last night we also had a really cool experience. We were visiting with Eva and one of her friends from Argentina was there. We asked him if we could share a scripture with him before we left and he accepted. We ended up sharing the Easter video with him as well, and then sharing Alma 7:10-12. We also shared the Book of Mormon with him and Eva (His Friend!) was able to bare her testimony of the book to him. He was very grateful to have received the book and we´re planning on seeing him again this week! Just like it says in Preach My Gospel, we don´t know who God is preparing to receive this gospel until we act. Now is the time to act: repenting, living, and sharing the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Oh and mom, did anything ever happen with sharing the book of mormon? And I´m so sorry I just realized I never replied to your question for your relief society lesson! How did it go? 

And a couple favors... Could you send me some mesh garments. They don´t sell them here in Spain

. probably the second to the smallest size. And could you see if they have any one pieces?? And also we are going to try to get some family history things going here, could you send me a few family history stories and maybe pictures?? 

Thank you so much mom!!! I love you:)

Hermana Ariana Fuller

Easter

Hola:)

Well this has been quite an interesting week. This Easter has probably been the least Easter Easter I´ve ever had. They didn´t even mention it in church, nor did we sing a single Easter hymn. But my companion and I made up for that by talking about Easter in every single lesson we had and singing the Easter hymns for companionshiop study. 

It was, however, Semana Santa and so many people were out of town making it hard to have lessons. Quite a few of our investigators are undergoing many trials so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We have also had to drop quite a few investigators these past couple weeks. We are having a hard time finding people that are really interesting in learning and actually acting on the principles of the gospel. But we have the faith that we continue to focus on service and working with the members that we´ll be led to have success. 

We have been trying to work more with the members in order to find people to teach. We haven´t had a ton of success from street contacting. This week we had a really great experience while visiting the President of the Branch and his family. We talked about how we could help them share the gospel and they accepted the challenge to pray together as a family to find somebody to invite over to come have a Family Home Evening in their home. They also told us of a few different experiences they´ve had from sharing the gospel. At the end of the lesson they gave us a the address of a person that was interested in hearing the gospel that lived in another area. This was one of the best experiences I´ve ever had working with the members. I would also like to challenge all of you to invite a friends of family members over to have Family Home Evening with the missionaries. It is a great way to unite families in the missionary cause. 

I would like to share a thought that I learned from conference with all of you, especially because it was just Easter. As I listened to Elder Bednar´s talk on the Atonement an idea came to my mind, "Debo actuar de acuerdo con la expiación de Cristo." or "I should act according to (in accordance with) the atonement of Christ." This thought has led me to a lot of personal introspection and revelation. In all of our actions we need to be thinking about and applying to atonement of Jesus Christ. It is through him and through this sefless act that we can change and that we can become the people we desire, the people that God desires us to become. When we feel like we can´t do anymore, through the grace of the atonement, we can. When we feel like we are giving all we´ve got but wish to give more, it is through the power of the atonement that we can give more than what man can give alone. I have a strong testimony that Christ is our saviour and that He died so that through him we could live. Because of this grand sacrifice that he offered for me I should act and live my life using his atonement. 

Que tengan una buena semana.

Hermana Ariana Fuller

Conference has inspired me

Dear Mom!

First off, conference has inspired me. I´m really going to take these next 6 months to try to apply conference to my life. While listening to Elder Ballard´s talk, I recieved the impression to send home a weekly message on something I learned during my studies, particularly something from Preach My Gospel. In conference they said that the members should talk to the missionaries about what they are learning and also study Preach My Gospel themesleves. So if anyone has questions, please send them to me! As a missionary, I am here to help you all be member missionaries as well, even if I am far away in Spain. This week I did the activity in Chapter 11 of Preach My Gospel, Keep Commitments, under Promising Blessing. I took all the commitments of the first lesson, The Restauration of the Gospel, and wrote down the promised blessing we recieve for keeping this commitment. The first commitment in this lesson: Will you read the Book of Mormon? Blessings we recieve from keeping this commitment: We will draw nearer to God, Strengthen our testimony of Jesus Christ, Feel the spirit, Receive strength and conviction to keep the commandments, Find answer to our questions, Recieve a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, Recieve a testimony that this is the true and only Church of Jesus Christ in it´s fullness, Learn the doctrine of the gospel, and We will know that Jesus is the Christ. Wow. There are so many blessings that come from just reading this book. (Not to mention the blessing that if we read it in another language we will have the power to learn that language). My testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Jesus Christ have been so strengthened during the course of my mission. I have a strong conviction that everyone everywhere needs to read this book, because when they do, it will change their lives. I invite all of you to invite someone this week to read the book of mormon. I know that if you pray with faith and have the real desire to do this, you will find someone who will accept your invitation. 

This week we have changed our working methods to focusing more on working with members and service. This week we are starting a Quit Smoking support group (we have two investigators that we are helping to quit smoking) and a weekly Bible Study Class. 

María - María is our adorable Spanish investigator that we are currently helping quit smoking. We make her a "Quit Smoking Kit" with a bunch of things like little candies, a new toothbrush, air refreshener, oranges, etc. When we gave it to her she was so touched that she started crying. Then we all started tearing up. For me it was nothing to make this little kit, but to her it meant the world. We never know what the service we offer really means to other people. We are also helping our Muslim friend (that took us to the Masque) last week, quit smoking!

This week we also had 6 investigators at church! The most I´ve ever had in my whole entire mission. One of them was our Chinese investigator Jie. She is absolutely adorable. We haven´t been able to teach her much because she is really busy with school and always studying. But since this week is Semana Santa she was able to come to church. She is also reading the book of mormón and she is loving everything. We are hoping to start teaching her more consistently when she ends school in June. 

All in all the work is going and I am doing great! Learning and growing a lot everyday. 

ps.When you´re in Hawaii... can you send me a coconut?? haha

LOVE YOU!!!! 

Hermana Ariana Fuller

Staying for one more transfer

Dear Mom!

Don´t worry cause in the end I ended up with this email from you. I loved your email. It made me laugh so many times. Hang in there with boy scouts. But you are super good with that kind of thing. I´m sure they love you, not many women would be so diligent as to hunt and capture a scorpion for their troops. And also hang in there with the construction. Oh I wish I was there to speak spanish to them! I can´t tell you how much I LOVE learning a language. It is hard but so rewarding. I want to learn about a million languages now. Is there a major that allows you to do that?? haha Ps. you should have dad try to share the gospel with those workers. Are there spanish speaking missionaries in the area? maybe they could come by when the workers are there! Oh and how was your lunch with the sisters the other day?

We are trying really hard to work with the members here. We are losing about 3 or more families and 2 recent converts from the branch coming up here soon. The crisis is really bad and there is not a lot of work. A lot of them are leaving for other countries to try to find work. On sunday we were in charge of the combined women and men class. All 6 of us missionaries taught a class about missionary work and how the members can share the gospel with their friends. At the end we passed around a sheet that all of the members wrote down one thing they were committing to do for missionary work and when they were going to do it by. I am super excited to get this going. We are also working on planning a branch activity and an activity with the young women´s. Would you have any ideas?

Well this week was the last week of the transfer and my companion will be staying with each other for one more transfer! Yea, I´m excited. Also they made my area our own district so that should be really fun. We have all gotten really close this past transfer. 

More on the Muslims: We now go and visit two of the moms of the Children that come to English class. Yesterday we went to one of their houses and we talked so much about the gospel. We really have a lot in common, especially when it comes to the commandments. Hassna, the mom, brought us out a whole table of morrocan food and treats. Their food is soooo good. Hassna also has a spanish friend named Marisol who was there with us too. Marisol and a bunch of questions for us! We are going to start teaching here this week. At the end of our visit all of the children came in and we sang a few hymns for them. After they told us they felt really peaceful. The gospel is amazing. And there are so many ways to share it. 

Getting Kissed by Jesus: On friday one of our investigatores was in a play for Easter. We got permission to go see and support her in it. At the end of the play our investigator Nataly was introducing us to people and the man that played Jesus just came right up to me and gave me the besos. Afterwards Nataly was trying to explain to him that we weren´t allowed to give the besos and I said "Es Jesus, Puedo besar a Jesus." It was pretty funny. Then she took us to the cast party and we met this one lady that had lived in England for awhile and speaks English. We took her referance down and she said she would loved to have the missionaries come visit her. 

Miguel: On Sunday morning before church we were waiting to pick up another investigator when this old spanish man, Miguel, came up and started talking to us. He asked us where we were going and when we told him Church, he asked if he could come with us. He then stayed at church the whole time and really enjoyed it. 

From all three of these experiences I have gained an even stronger testimony that God is guiding us every second, that is, if we let him and if we are willing to follow the impressions of his spirit. He leads us (Both members and missionaries) to the people that need the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope you all have an amazing week. I love you and miss you all and I´m praying for you everyday. :)

Te Quiero Mamá,

hermana Ariana Fuller

ps. Today we went to toledo!!!

The Strike

Small miracles and tender mercies

Dear Mom,

I don´t have much time this week because my companion and I went to get her hair dyed today. She dyed it a nice Strawberry blonde, it looks awesome. I have convinced two of my companions now to dye their hair.... haha 

Anyways, if you haven´t sent the easter package yet, I was thinking it would be really fun If you sent me a recorder and every week I could send you a little recording of me speaking or something? What do you think. Nothing expensive but something that I could hook up somehow to the computer and email. 

This week we have really seen small miracles and tender mercies. It seems like lately we have been running into quite a few people that are not exactly our biggest fans. But the other day as we were walking to the church, we past by this restaurant and this young guy started talking to us in English. He said he lived in England for a while and that is how he learned english, but He is a spaniard and believes in God (Almost all spanish youth are atheists so this is incredible!) Well, he told us that we could come back any time. So the next day we came back and had a lesson their with a recent convert while eating Chocolate with Churros. He then cam up to us and asked us if he could talk to us for a second. Both me and my companion thought for sure he was going to tell us that he didn´t want us having lessons there... BUT he did the exact opposite. He said they wanted more people like us there and that if we ever had a lesson we were free to come there and he would give us a discount. This was such a tender mercy from the lord. 

 Okay more

Yesterday I had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting on missionary work... And It went super well. I was praying so hard to have the spirit with me so I could really communicate what God wanted me to. I felt the spirit super strong when I was speaking and I completely forget about worrying about the language. I only followed the spirit and all of the words came. Experiences like this make me remember when I was first a missionary. I was SO nervous when I had to give my first talk in sacrament and now I am able to forget about my own nerves and follow the spirit. I feel so blessed to be growing and learning so much. 

Also on my mission I have grown a deep love for muslims. There are quite a few of them here in Alcorcón and I just love them. They are such a good and giving people. Every week my companion and I teach the children´s english class and this week as we were playing duck duck goose one of the muslim mom´s came in and she and her oldest daughter played with us as well. I just felt really happy that we could come together despite our religions. That is was Christ would have us do. 

Okay I´ve got to go but thanks mom!! I love you and I´m praying for all of you. Tell the family hi:)

Hermana fuller

Hardest week of the transfer

Dear Mom!

Wow every week just seems like so long ago, I can barely even remember what I wrote to you last week haha. I Loved reading your email too. You seem so happy which makes me happy as well. 

First off, how is everyone doing? How´s susan? I LOVE the pictures. Do you realize that in less that two months we´ll be skyping again. SO WEIRD. I feel like that was yesterday. 

You here all of these missionaries talking about miracles like that and it seems amazing, but I didn´t exactly realize that ya miracles like that happen until I¨ve been on the mission. Every day of life is a blessing and a miracle. And I know that with every day I´m just going to continue learning and seeing the blessing of God in my life. We always need to remember God and acknowledge him in all things. 

Well, this week was probably the hardest of the transfer, but it´s fine because that is to be expected in misisonary work. It seems like everyone and their dog are, for lack of a better description, "freaking out." Our investigators are going through a lot of trials, but it is such a blessing to me to be in their lives. Joe was scheduled to be baptised on Saturday and passed his interview and everything... but long story short, he still needs a bit more time. I seriously love this guy, and he has more desire to follow Christ and be a member of this church than anyone I´ve ever met. He just has had many trials in his life which affect how is now. I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ Joe will be able to take this step. For now we are continuing to work with him. Keep him in your prayers. 

Members. Are. Awesome. I forwarded you some pictures of Hermana Eva. She is this adorable convert from Ecuador and she has just taken us under her wing. Right afer I got better from being sick, my companion got sick. Well, Eva was coming over to drop off some hangers that she got me (I was living all last transfer out of my suitcases because there was not enough closet space, and now that I have a closet there aren´t any hangers.) Well after she had given me the hangers and saw the sick state of my companion, she told us she was going to get something and that she´d be right back. Well, she came back with a butload of cleaning supplies and random vegetables and proceeded to DEEP clean our whole piso and then make us a vegetable soup. She is amazing. These people here seriously inspire me. 

Well, besides from this I´m afraid there is not much more left to share. I bought Jamón today. Like Jamón Jamón. It´s delicious. I don´t know what I´m going to do when I get back because Jamón doesn´t exist in the US. 

As far as the package goes... Just a homeade treat and letters sound fantastic. Haha I shared the flaming hot cheetos and the oreos with some of the native hermanas here and they loved them. Oh! One sister from Peru was asking me if you could send some of the cheetos for her. lol she loved them.

Okay. I love you mom! I´m glad to hear that everyone and everything is well. Tell Dad Hi and I love him too. March 19th is Father´s Day here in Spain. 

Que Tenga una buenísima semana. 

Hermana Ariana Fuller

ps. Do you have any ideas or thoughts about what I should do when I get home?? Just thinking. 

Bishop Lago & Ari

Eva 

Celisa Visit

Hermana Cabrera

Sick the whole week

Mom :)

This week has been great although I´ve been sick just about this whole week. There is something going around Alcorcón and about half of our investigators are sick as well. But today I´m feeling a long better. Thank you so much for all the vitamins and such, they are really helping a lot. And yea the shoes they fit! and I love the oreos! Birthday cake oreos are the best. 

I´m so happy you are all having such a great time in Utah. I can´t believe all of those pictures you sent me. Everyone looks so old and grown up. I could barely recognize them. Dad is teaching Sunday School! That´s awesome! That is such an important age because they will be preparing to serve missions. 

Okay, As far as things here with me. They´re fantastic!! Every week I am just in awe about how much I feel I have learned and growed. Last night I had the thought that I feel so much like me, it feels great. This week I have started trying to teach myself how to read Chinese... haha now, I don´t know anything, but I have learned how to read a few words. I have no idea how to prounounce them but if we have time today I´m going to try to find some books to help me learn. I have a really cool experience that came as a result of this though. When we passed by to see one of our chinese investigators, Chen, who doesn´t speak much more spanish than "hola", We were showing him the picture in the book of Mormón of Christ visiting the Americas. I felt like I should tell him to read that part in 3 Nephi 11-26. So I opened the book of mormon, and because had been studying in chinese a little bit, I was able to find 3 nephi and mark the chapter for him to read. It was amazing. God really works in mysterious ways. 

What else, JO!!! He is doing Awesome! I think he is the investigator that I´ve seen change the most. He has such a light in his eyes and he always has a smile on his face. All of this is literally from studying the word of God. The other day he told us he was in Moroni and almost finished with the Book of Mormon. Everytime he comes to a lesson he comes with a different book or pamphlet that he has been studying. He has such a strong testimony and He is going to be getting baptised this Saturday if all goes well. I am so happy for him and the change he has made in his life. He is also a great missionary and is always telling us about how he is sharing the gospel with his friends. We are going to work with him to invite them all to his baptism :)

We also are developing a lot of muslim friendships. There is this muslim little girl that comes to English classes everyweek. We ran into her mom in a chino and she told me that she could help me hem a dress that I have, and so we took down her number and everything. Well, the other day we were trying to pass by for another investigator and we rang the wrong doorbell and guess who it was... That muslim family. She invited us in and gave us the most yummy moracan desserts EVER. Then we met her other two daughter, one of them is 3 years old and she has some form of dwarfism. She is teeny-tiny and just beautiful. I felt so close to God when I was there in her home. We occasionally are visting her and we gave them a Book of Mormon in Arabic, we still don´t know what they thought of that but we are hoping for the best. She also told me that she could sew another dress form me so I´m excited about that. We also had another lesson with our other muslim investigator last night and we taught him the plan of salvation.... That was probably the most interesting lesson I´ve ever had, but it was great. He is such a good man and is so willing to learn. What usually happens is we teach him our doctrine, then he will ask questions and then tell us what he believes according to the Muslim faith. It is super interesting and I´ve sure learned A lot. 

Okay other miracles... The spanish lady that stopped at the chapel last week. María Mercedes. She is literally so prepared. Investigator of Gold. What happened is last Monday she stopped by the Chapel and told the members there that she wanted to start studying with the sisters. Then they called us and the next day we had our first lesson with her and taught her the Restoration. She used to be a Jehova´s Witness, then switched to Catholic, and now is investigating our Church. she is reading the Book of Mormon and looking up all the bible referances to compare them. She already has a testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and the restaration. She relates to Joseph Smith so much because she has sought for so long to find and know the truth. Last night we went to her house and met her son and so we are hoping to start teaching him as well. 

Other miracle... On Friday I had exchanges in Leganes which was awesome, but while I was gone my companion had another miracle. This one also started last week on Pday. We were on the Renfe to Madrid and we started talking to this girl that was visiting from Guinea Ecquatorial and we ended up teaching her the first lesson and getting her number. On Friday my companion and the other Hermana saw her again and went over the restoration. About an hour later she called them back and she said I told my family about you guys and they want you to come and talk to them. So later that night they visited her whole family in their house The Mom and 5 children all above the age of nine. Her husband passed away 6 months ago. They loved the message that they shared and we are now starting to teach the whole family. We are seeing miracles like this everyday in Spain. I am so greatful to be serving here and for all the blessings I recieve from God everyday. 

Okay, these email is now demasiado largo pero I love you and know that I´m doing great and you don´t have to worry about me here. Keep pressing forward and putting your faith in God. Keep reading the scriptures diligently because they will give you strength, and rely on the Atonement of our saviour Jesus Christ. 

I love you!!!! 

Hasta la semana que viene,

Hermana Ariana Fuller