Starting from scratch

Querida Familia,

This week we are finding that we are going to have to start from scratch. None of our current investigators are keeping up with their committments or seem really interested. However, I feel like we have some promising future investigators:

Mara and Isabel- Mara is an employee at a Panadería that we love to go to. We have become friends with her and she always recommends yummy pasteries for us. She is 27 and has a little boy. One day we as we were buying pasteries we started talking about our beliefs with her. She invited us to go get drinks with her and her friend. Of course we couldn´t get "drinks" but we were able to meet with her and her friend and share more about the gospel. Her friends name is Isabel and she has a little boy and a husband. They both are from España and grew up here together. They loved talking with us and want to bring their husbands next time to meet us. 

Tomás and Sandro - Two men we contacted from France. We contacted Tomás first and then when his friend Sandro walked up he asked him if he believed in God. His reply "Are you drunk? Do I look like I´m drunk?" We talked with them for a little bit before we had to leave. Then a few days later we saw Sandro outside of a grocery store. He remembered us and was pleased to see us. It was raining really hard and he didn´t have an umbrella so we gave him one of ours. If anything I am happy that he has a better opinion of our church now and that we were able to serve him. 

Alejandro - Alejandro is a homeless spanish street musician that plays the guitar near our piso. Everytime we pass him we say hi and talked with him a little. One night we passed by him and he was terribly drunk and depressed. He began telling us about different things that had happened in his life. We stayed with him for a while to give him comfort and we read him a scripture. We went back everyday after that to try and find him with no luck. The other day we were walking in that area and we hear "Hermanas." We turned around and it was Alejandro. He was looking so much better and getting help. He was really grateful for what we did for him. We are going to try to start teaching him.

Marta and Her Mom - Marta and her mom are from Gijón and own a flowershop on a street near the capilla. We met them one day when we were buying flowers for Isabel for her baptism. We ended up having an hour long conversation with them. They were so sweet and said if we ever needed anything they were there for us. We are hoping to have a Noche de Hogar with their family and begin teaching them. 

Paulino and crew - One night as we were contacting near the capilla we ran into a couple of old spanish men. As we began talking with them about the gospel more and more old spanish men came in a joined the conversation. Paulino doesn´t believe in anything; religion, God, life after death. Basically what he told us was that serving the mission was stupid and that we should go home and spend time with our boyfriends. It was a little crazy with all the different opinions and beliefs going around but with the help of God my companion and I were able to hold our own and speak with the spirit to the point that at moments they were silent. The next day we ran into them again and it was almost like Paulino was a different man. This time he defended us to his friends and said if it wasn´t for the mission we wouldn´t be there learning a new culture, language, or talking with him. Overnight he went from thinking we were wasting our time to defending us. It is amazing to see how the spirit works on people. I am excited to see what miracles the spirit can work on this man. 

Carlos - Carlos is an Evangelist pastor that has the bible memorized and has read the Book of Mormon twice. The first time we met with him was really difficult and he was trying to tell us why our religion was wrong. The next time we met with him was literally the complete opposite. The spirit was so strong in the lesson and we were able to teach about the Restauración of the Gospel We teach him with the other set of hermanas in Gijón and after that lesson we were all in shock. It was a miracle. 

From all of these experiences this week I have learned so much about life, people, and missionary work. The best way to be a missionary is to be a friend. As we form relationships with all of these people around us they are more willing to hear our message and their hearts are open to feeling the spirit. This is especially true with the people of Spain. As I form these friendships with the people of Spain I can feel how much God really loves them, as He loves each one of us. He cares about every single one of His children. I love serving this people. The people here are stubborn and prideful, yes, but they are also passionate, dedicated, and full of love, and once you touch their heart you are there forever. Everyday, through little miracles and tender mercies, I see how much God loves this people. I am excited for the miracles that God has in store for me and the people of Spain.

Mucho Amor,

Hermana Ariana Fuller

ISABEL IS BAPTIZED

¡Hola!

ISABEL IS BAPTIZED!!!! We couldn´t be happier. It was seriously an amazing experience. She got baptized Saturday evening at 6. I spoke at the baptism. Actually, funny story, 5 minutes before the baptism I realized that I had forgotten my talk that I had spent all of my studies that morning writing. I knew that I had to give this talk and in order to do so I really needed to have the spirit with me. The baptism started, I got up there, and with the help of the spirit, gave the talk. My companion told me that it sounded exactly the same as when I was reading it for her that morning. I also had so many members of the branch come up to me and tell me how much better my spanish has gotten. (Whaooo) We seriously can do all things with the spirit, and all things are possible to us because we are children of God and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. Because of the Atonement, we can do anything. 

Working with Isabel truly has been inspiring and blessed my life significantly. Her testimony has grown so strong. She has been really impressed with how close the members of our church are and how everyone supports her and truly cares about her. We really do have a special bond as ward and branch families, and we can be such an influence of good on the lives of people who are struggling with their testimonies or who are not members of the church. Part of the reason Isabel desired to be baptised was because of the unity and love she felt from the branch members. 

One thing that we did this week to work with the members better was making Packets. We made a packet for every family in the branch that contained: Conferance talks by Elder Ballard and Elder Giffor Neilson, Convenio del miembro misionero, Calender for november that has days of branch activities, Pamplets from the first three lessons in preach my gospel, pass a long cards, and a Book of Mormon. We made the goal with the branch to do what Elder Ballard said in his talk and share the gospel with at least one person by Christmas. The members were all very excited about it and I can´t wait to see the miracles that come from it. 

Right now we are really in need of new investigators but we are really struggling to find them. The phrase that we hear the most while contacting is "No creo en nada" or "I don´t believe in anything." It breaks my heart to see so many people with out any faith. However, the phrase that I constantly repeat in my mind while we are contacting is "El mundo necesita el evangelio restaurado de Jesucristo" or "The world needs the restored gospel of Jesus Christ." I learned this phrase from my first companion. The world really does need our message, and especially the people here in Spain. They need faith and hope. They need the word of wisdom and law of chastity. They need the Plan of Salvation and Book of Mormon. They need the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Chirst. They need God. And I am responsible to help them find it. I am humbled by my calling and also motivated to work harder to bring the people of Spain this glorious message. Every morning my companion and I recite Romans 1:16 "Porque, no me avergüenza del evangelio de Cristo, porque es poder de Dios para salvación a todo aquel que cree." I love this scripture and I hope we can all apply it to our lives.  

Os Quiero Muchísimo, 

Hermana Ariana Fuller

We have seen a miracle happen

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, this week has been Fantastic! 

First off we have seen a miracle happen with our investigator, Isabel. She is on date to be baptized this coming Saturday!!! None of us could be more thrilled or excited for her. She realized that she is free to make her own decisions and do what makes her happy. When we went over the baptismal interview questions with her she got really emotional and told us she wanted to be as pure as possible when she was baptized. She is so prepared and it really has blessed my life being able to know her and teach her. 

We also started teaching a very promising new investigator. His name is Roger and he is from the Congo. During the first lesson when we were talking about the Book of Mormon he stopped us and said, "I have no doubt in my mind that this book is true." .... Hermana Cançado and I just looked at each other and tried not to freak out. Since then we have also taught the Plan of Salvation where he said "I want to do everything I can to get to the Celestial Kingdom." He has so much real intent and desire. The only problem is that he will be leaving soon to visit his family for 45 days. We are going to see how much he progresses before then. 

We are also trying to work miracles with our 9 year old investigator, Estefanía. Yesterday we fasted with her for her to be able to be baptized in January before her family leaves for Ecuador. She has the desire to be baptized and I faith that through fasting and prayer her father´s heart will be softened and this miracle can happen. Yesterday we also had a Noche de Hogar with her, Katy, and her mom (who is an inactive member and doesn´t have a testimony) Sonnia. We talked about fortifying the family through the gospel. The spirit was really strong. I think that through both of her daughters testimonies, Sonnia´s heart will be softened as well and she we´ll start to gain a testimony of her own. 

Both Hermana Cançado and I are feeling very happy, motivated, and united in the work. I am excited to keep working hard and seeing what miracles the Lord can work through us. 

Love,

Hermana Fuller

Eating Octopus

Birthday Dinner: Hermana Cancado(Standing Ari's Comp),

Hermana Grover, Hermana Diezi, Elder Castaldi (Short Dark Hair),

Elder Alhouvori (Blond Hair)

Birthday Cake

Blowing Out the Candle

Tengo 20 años ahora

¡Hola!

¡¡Tengo 20 años ahora!! Wow. Thank you Mom and Grandma for the birthday packages. My companion and the other hermanas have been dying for me to open them for a couple weeks now, but I waited until my birthday. During Medio Día all of the missionaries and a man from the ward named Carmelo, went to lunch. Then that night I had a mini fiesta with my companion where we opened my packages and had a brazilian dessert called, Palia Italiano. Mmm. Both my companion and I are really excited about all the things that you sent. I have a bunch of pictures I´ll try to send a little later.

Anyways, this week has been good. We had a District (or Stake) Conference in León yesterday. All of the meetings were centered on La Obra Misional, which was very exciting seeing as I´m a missionary. This is a very exciting time to be a missionary. We also have a Zone Conference (missionaries) tomorrow, So a lot of big meetings and groups of missionaries.

This week we have been working really hard to find new investigators and people to teach. It is so critical to have and follow the spirit. Without the spirit you are left to your own defenses. Literally you against the world. But when you have the spirit you have the power, authority, and guidance of heaven. When you follow the spirit you use your gift of the holy ghost. Your words and actions become more meaningful and powerful. You become useful to the Lord and His work. You become like Christ. It is amazing to feel the spirit working through you to touch the hearts of others. From following the spirit, this week my companion and I have seen miracles in finding new people to teach. I am exciting to see how things go.

One other thing I have felt this week is that God is Totally and Completely aware of us and our needs and our wants. It is easy to get caught up in worry - worrying about money, time, people, etc. When this happens all we need to remember is that God knows. God knows what we need, better than we even do. God knows what we want, and yes he cares about that too. All He asks us to do is our best. He tells us to do our part and then He´ll take care of the rest. I have seen this happen time and time again in my life and especially on the mission. Whenever I start getting worried about something God provides me with whatever I need. Maybe this is His way of telling me to quit worrying and just work hard? Whatever it is, I feel very humbled by the help I receive and the Love I feel from God. I pray that you all can feel that too and always remember that God is aware of you. Do your part and everything you need with come to you when you need it.

I love you all and I pray for you everyday. Thank you for giving me to support and strength to work harder everyday.

Hasta Luego,

Hermana Ariana Fuller

First week of my second transfer

¡Hola!

This week was the first week of my second transfer and the first week with my new companion Hermana Cançado. She is from Washington (the state) and is 22 years old. Her parents are from Brazil so she speaks portuguese as well. I Absolutely Love her. She is very sweet and we get a long very well. We are the same person in so many ways. I am also learning a lot from her. She has a very different working style than my last companion, Hermana King. It has been different but I´m learning that there are a lot of ways to do missionary work.

This week has actually been rather tough. Our investigator, Carolina, is really sick and we´ve only been able to meet with her via phone. We also found out that she encountered some anti-mormon literature online and all that jazz. However, we can´t work anything out until we can meet with her. It has become a really complicated situation. I love this girl so much and I know that this gospel will bless her life so much. Please keep her in your prayers.

Then there is our wonderful investigator, Isabel. Isabel was on date to get baptized the 31 and now that has been postponed as well. Everything was going wonderful with her until she told her family about getting baptized. Her son told her that after she got baptized he would want nothing to do with her. To Isabl her family is the most important thing to her. (as it should be) She has a son, daughter-in-law and beautiful grandson. When she told us all of this in the lesson we had with her she was devastated. We all were heartbroken and cried together. However, the lesson was amazing. I am so grateful for the Spirit that we were able to bring to lift her spirits and strengthen her faith. We are still continuing to visit her and teach her. I pray that God will help us work miracles here in the lives of these two investigators.

It breaks my heart to see so many people that have negative feelings about the church. I love the people here and I pray that I can change some of the feelings that they have and that I can help them find faith in God and Jesus Christ.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Even though we have tough moments, I am so happy. I love serving others and I am learning a lot. I know God is completely aware of us and his Love is unfathomable.

Until next week.

Hermana Ariana Fuller

I am currently companion-less

Dear Family and Friends,

I am currently companion-less. My companion, Hermana King, just got transferred to Madrid and left this morning. I was very sad when I found out. We got SO close. The thing about missions is everyone knows it is going to be hard to leave your family and friends back home. What they don´t realize is that it is just as hard to leave the family you make here; companions, districts, members, etc. I am excited to get my new companion though and start the next transfer. 

It has been a crazy week. Our investigator that was on date to be baptized on the 19th is encountering a lot of opposition. She was just diagnosed with anemia (or something of the sort) and is not able to meet with us that much. She has to go to the hospital a lot for testing. Her parents are also discouraging her from rushing into getting baptized. And on top of that, she recently broke up with her boyfriend of two years. So as of now, we are not really sure when it is going to happen. She is very amazing and very prepared. Please remember her in your prayers and I know she will be able to make it through these trials and come out stronger because of them. 

While this has been very difficult and discouraging, we have another AMAZING investigator that is now on date to be baptized on the 31 of this month. I believe I´ve talked about her a little bit. Her name is Isabel and she is an older divorced woman from Spain. We found her door contacting and she is a Golden investigator. Her whole life has been full of charity and service. She is the most giving person - every time we go over there she tries to give us something else haha. It has been very inspiring for me to teach her and be apart of her conversion. On Sunday she came to church and bore her testimony. Her faith and courage is incredible. In one of our lessons she expressed the concern she had about her families reaction to her decision (her son, daughter in law, father, etc) As the conversation went on we realized that she was worried that she was going to have to where a Nametag when she joined the church. You would not believe how relieved she was when we told her only full-time missionaries where the nametag. haha What impressed me is that she was still willing to join the church even if that was what was asked of her. In reality, we all wear nametags. At baptism we all covenant to take upon ourselves the Name of Christ. To always be a witness of Him. While we all physically may not wear nametags, we always need to remember that we are witnesses of Jesus Christ and members of His church. We all have the call to be member missionaries and carry Christ´s name on our heart. 

I would like to thank you all for keeping me in your prayers and supporting me on my mission. Please take care of the missionaries currently serving in your ward and area. I am very blessed by the amazing ward members here that support me and help me in learning (especially with Spanish). Praying for the missionaries is amazing. The missionaries need your prayers and your faith. But Prayer and Faith alone is not enough. Faith without works is dead. The missionaries need your action. Elderes and Hermanas are not born perfect missionaries. They need the support of the members around them in order for them to become tools in the Lord´s hands and work miracles. Support them. Be there for them. Teach with them. And as always, Continue to Pray for them. I know if you do that for the missionaries in your area, I will be taken care of by members here as well. 

And if you want to see miracles in your life, here is a little something I learned from studying my conference notes:

Recipe for Miracles

Desire - Prayer - Faith - Action - Miracle :) (Repeat) 

¡Os Quiero!

Hermana Ariana Fuller

PS. Me and the two other sisters I´m with (while I´m waiting for my companion) JUST FOUND THE BEST THRIFT STORE!!! I´ve never been more happy. And I think I´ve converted them to second hand shopping. 

New Photos