Madrid!!!

June 25, 2018

Friends and Family,

Due to the closing of the Malaga, Spain mission, I have been reassigned to the Madrid mission!! I'm still staying in the Granada area with Elder Tabilo, but my mission now includes the entire West half of Spain. A lot of my really good friends were assigned to the Barcelona Mission, so that's a little sad but I'll get to meet even more missionaries!

On Saturday, we held the baptism of J___, who was taught by the sister missionaries in Granada. He is 20 years old and is Spaniard and he is super cool. He is one of the most humble people I've met here in Spain, and he also has a really strong testimony of Jesus Christ! On Sunday, he was confirmed a member of the church, and right after the meetings, he offered to drive one of our investigators, Luis, home! L___ lives in Huertor Tajar, which is a tiny town about 30 min. from Granada. We have been really worried about receiving help from the ward to get him to church, so this was definitely an answer to lots of prayer and fasting.

L___ is from Bolivia and he is 17 years old. If he gets permission from his parents, he'll get baptized this Thursday along with another man in his 20's named A____. L___ has had some amazing answers to prayers which have given him an incredible desire to be baptized.

An amazing thing that I've seen in my short time in Granada is that we teach so many young people. My first week here in Granada, an 18 year old from Venezuela named J____ was baptized. He's a beast and a really good friend!

This week we went to a few towns that are really far away from Granada to pass by a few people, and we found some of the coolest houses I've ever seen! If you've seen Lord of the Rings this little town was literally the Shire (see pics below). Like all the houses were built in the rocks and hills and it was super cool! Granada is so beautiful!

Pic1 - The Shire

Pic2 - Climbing on someone's house

Pic3 - One of the rock mansions

Pic4 - Still snow in the Sierra Nevadas even though it's 100 degrees"

 

 

June 18, 2018

Dear Friends and Family,


So Tuesday was Elder Tabilo's birthday and we had 3 eating appointments right in a row. I've never eaten so much food in my life and I thought I was gonna die after each of them but I'm still here just 15 pounds heavier!!

Last week we were looking for people to teach which is a lot different with not being able to walk much. We were passing by every member of the church that hadn't come in a long time, and we passed by one woman who let us in and started talking to us. There was a man there that was just on his phone and didn't even respond when we would try to talk to him. So we started talking about the Plan of Salvation to the woman and the man randomly asked us a question, and we answered it. He asked us more questions and we answered those too. By the end he told us how he felt weirdly peaceful around us, so he accepted a Book of Mormon and told us he'd read it and meet with us later in the week.

The craziest thing happened when we went to visit a woman who's husband was about to die. He has been completely unresponsive for several days, so he had to breath and eat through a tube. We shared a message about hope of a life after death with the wife and children, and gave a priesthood blessing of comfort to her. We went into the room to see her husband, and my companion looked at the woman and said "don't worry, your husband will rest tonight", so we said a prayer to comfort the family, and found out the next morning that he passed away during the night. The knowledge of life after death comforted the family in this difficult time. One of the most amazing gifts of the spirit is the gift of prophecy!

Several people in Granada are preparing to be baptized, and several of them came to church yesterday. In one of the meetings, they were asked how they felt in the church, and all of them described feelings of peace, joy, comfort, and love. We pointed out that those feelings are how God speaks to His children. There are so many miracles in Granada!

Love,
Elder Coleman

 

Transfer to Grenada!?!

June 11, 2018

Friends and Family,

Pretty crazy week! I went to the hospital again on Wednesday so they could take off the cast and decide what to do. They wanted to put on another cast but for 3 weeks this time, but I shut that down because showering isn't very fun with a cast on. But anywho I bought a boot (throwback to last year!!) and my mission president moved me to Granada so I would have a car and heal quicker. So we found out on Wednesday that I would be leaving Thursday morning so I had to quickly pack and say a few goodbyes before hopping on a train (they sent me first class because there were no other seats available!!).

So a huge change between Sanlúcar which is a tiny town away from other missionaries and Granada which is a huge city with tons of missionaries. My new companion is Elder Tabilo from Chile, and he has about 2 months left until he goes home, so I'll probably be his last companion which will be cool.

Friday we went to Málaga for zone conference where we learned a lot about working with members of the church, and it was pretty sad because it was my last zone conference in the Spain Málaga Mission. I still don't know where I will be sent once the mission closes (Madrid or Barcelona), but both missions are getting new mission presidents so it will be different for everyone.

A scripture that my companion and I have been talking a lot about is in Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31 which says: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you." This is one of the most amazing promises in the scriptures, that if we seek the kingdom, God will pour out his blessing upon us in such abundance that we cannot receive them. I know this to be true!

I love you all!
Elder Coleman

Pic1 - Mission President and his wife for the last time!
Pic2 - New comp
Pic3 - Andalucía
Pic4 - Saw Elder Childers at the bus station in Sevilla!

In our apartment so long Spain changed Presidents

June 4, 2018


Pretty much how this week went ^^ We can't really get around because of my ankle, so we've had to depend on members of the church to drive us which hasn't been the most effective. Sanlucar had their huge fair this week so everyone was busy with that, which I guess is alright because most of our lessons fell through anyways.

But although we were only able to go out and serve a few times we still saw miracles!!

1. We've decided to teach all of the members of the church the lessons that we teach those investigating the church in order to strengthen them and also see if they know anyone we can teach. We did it twice, and got two referrals!

2. Someone who has been taught by missionaries for a long time finally said (out of nowhere) that she wanted to come to church and progress in the church!

3. A member who hasn't attended church in a long time agreed to drive us and we were able to set up a time to meet with them and teach their son who isn't a member of the church!

I know that God puts trials in our lives in order for us to learn and grow. Several times this week, I felt as if God had abandoned me, that I was lost and alone. At times, we may feel distanced from God, cut off from heaven, or alone. The message that I share with the people of Spain is exactly what Isaiah taught: "For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed" which is to say that the most unlikely of things might happen one day, "but [God's] kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of [His] peace be removed" (Isaiah 54:10). There is no hole, no crevice, in the expanse of the universe in which His light does not shine. His light and His love can heal any wound, no matter how deep.

I love you all!
Elder Coleman

Pic - Antonio and his tomato garden