Break Through

Hola!
     I feel like finally this week we have got the work actually going. I have no idea why it took this long but I am feeling relieved. This week we found investigators, invited people to be baptized, got into inactive members' houses and everything else that sumarizes missionary work. We really are just getting it started though so I don't know if I have any cool stories or fun details.
     Okay heres one: Remember Santos? The alive guy? Welp story: Like Monday or so a member (Amalia) called and told us she wanted to visit him, with us. We thought it sounded like a good idea. Thursday we waited for her in front of Santos' house when she arrived with another member and her husband. We were surprised to see so many people and were worried that Santos didn't expect us all to just show up, but boy were we wrong! He had a whole array of snack items set out for us and we realized that this was not a missionary vist, it was a convention of sorts. With the leaders of the more experienced generation of the Sevilla 1st ward. The Old People club. Se llama Nuevas Miras. I do not know how we got an invite but my companion said she has never seen me in such a natural state. My natural habitat= old Spanish folk. They discussed their goals for the year, asked for donations (I excitedly pitched in a euro) and at one point we were holding hands in a circle singing Flamenco music. Then we did a group improv skit about old people complaining about young people. We took a group picture

and I read them one of my favorite new scriptures in which Paul calls the saints fellow citizens in the family of God. They almost shed literal tears. All while sipping on our Salmorejo. So so so cool.
     They want to take a group trip to Cádiz to visit all of the old folk there andI gave them some references. There going to make a book. I'll oder a copy, don´t worry. I don't know if I'll ever have an experience that tops that one so I'll probably just end with that.
     Last week we had trizone conference and I got to see Hna Evelo and Hna Read(from the mtc). And other friends. That was fun too I guess.
Welp have a good week, friends!
Love,
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Dead or Alive

Hey!
     We had a week of searching for people. It will continue.
     Best stroy I have: Last week we were in ward council and it lasted for like two hours and towards the end I completely lost my ability to pay attention and was in the back chatting with my comp when I heard the second counselor to the bishop say something like "I heard he was dead." So I decided I should probably listen closer-- some ward member had died afterall. The counsel commenced a discussion with how to deal with funerals and comforting the family and what-not when the Young Women's president piped in and said "He isn't dead, I saw him on the bus yesterday." Well you can imagine the commotion that started. They all argued for a good twenty minutes about whether or not this man was dead when the Bishop called for order and then turned to us and asked, "Hermanas, is Santos still alive?" Welp awkward. I may or may not have been wondering (and judging) how in the world the ward could not know if this was person alive or not and at the same time I might have thought it was kind of funny. (In an ironic sense of the word.) I was not aware that we had responsibilty over him. Apparently, he is a recent convert that was baptised a few months ago but stopped coming to church almost right after his baptism. Neither of us had ever heard of him. We were given the assignment to find out if he was dead or alive. Thus ended the ward counsel.
     Wednesday morning we dedictated to hunting him out. We went to the address that we had for him but it did not exist. So then we called some people and wandered around until we found his real address. finally we knocked the door, a man in a wheelchair answered and ordered us to come in. (We were keeping another Hna company while she was waiting for her companion to travel so there were three of us.) We tried talking to him but he wouldn´t let us. He just kept gong on about how he was in a wheel chair and couldn't walk and apologizing for how he didn't have any food for us. We were confused but finally we got him to admit that his name was indeed Santos! He is very much not dead. Case solved. And miracle he came to church on Sunday for the first time in a long time. Because the ward wanted us to see if he was dead, we visited him. Oh what a mess. God works in mysterious ways. Honestly kind of summarizes my week.
     Well. I love you all. I pray for you. God loves you.

Que tengan una buena semana!
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Mapas

Mi Queridisma Familia,
     Once upon a time my companion got Bronchitis and we spent a ridiculous amount of time in the piso waiting for her antibiotics to kick in. I have never felt more restless in my life. I was however able to super organize the Area Book. The missionaries before me did not own a map of our area so we went on a hunt searching for a good one and I spent the week in piso matching up peoples' addresses and everything to the map. Not fun, but necessary. Now our work is going to be a lot easier. My companion has officially been healed so we have been freed from the green cube we call our piso. It feels nice to breathe.
     And Hermana Garcia really is great. We've made fast friends. I'm very, very hopeful for the rest of this transfer.
     Candela was baptised. The service went very beautifully. The spirit was strong, and all of her classmates and nonmmber family members were there and enjoyed it.
     Sevilla is beautiful. Just a pretty city; lots of ancient things everywhere. The people are very recpetive--I just feel very blessed to be here.
     I can't think of really anything else that has happened... so talk to y'all next week!

Hermana Ashby

PS Here are some pictures that Antoni and Amaila sent to me:

Sevilla

Hola!
     Here I am. Chillin' in Seville. No big deal.
     Transfer weeks are the weirdest because baisically your world changes within just a few days. Leaving Cádiz was just so sad. I miss it. Just a gorgeous little beach town. Sigh.
     But Sevilla is honestly awesome. It is giant. At least compared to Cádiz and Peurtollano. I'm trying to remember how Granada was. Probably a similiar size but there were less missionaries therefore we covered a bigger area so it seemed a whole smaller. There are a ton of missionaries here and I am not used to it. And two wards. The ward here is probably twice the size as the ward in Cádiz was. And it is super stable. And there are so many interesting people. It is very diverse. A woman from Australia made us binofy (honestly no idea how to spell that) pie. There are multiple families from the Philippines. The Bishop's family is the cutest thing ever. Ooo! Almost forgot to mention, we are going to have a baptism this weekend. Like sort of. She is nine. Her mom is a member but she is super hippie (complete with dred locks) and she decided that primary didn't teach her daughter enough and she wanted her to take all of the missionary discussions before she got baptized. It has taken over a year now but finally we have finished and the baptism will be on Friday (the 13th). And it now counts as a convert baptism. So no complaints. A very, very cute little girl named Candela. I am excited. We are brainstorming ideas on how to make a nine year old baptism really meaningful for her. We will probably buy here a journal and write our testimonies in it. We made her a sticker calender so that she can mark when she reads in The Book of Mormon and prays. It's fun.
     Welp, That's all folks.

Talk to you next week!
Hermana Ashby

Gofres!

Mis Seres Queridos,
     I don't even know what happened this week. Not much I guess. We had a gofre (waffle) party on Thursday. The señor couple that's on the military base near by made them for us because most of our district is going to be changing this transfer. It was awesome. I can't even remember the last time I've had a good gofre.
     Saturday we recieved transfer calls! I am headed to Sevilla! (aka Seville in English) Sevilla Ward 1. Yes, there is more than one ward there. Weird, right? My new companion will be Hna Garcia. I've met her once. She is very sweet. The last name sounds Spanish but she was def American when I talked to her. I don't know what that's about, I'll figure it out. I am sad to be leaving Cádiz though. It's a good place. Hna Smith is coming to take my place here. She's young in the mission but I´ve heard a lot of good things about her so I am excited for hna Evelo. Even though it's sad to leave her. Hna Evelo is the best.
     Also, Saturday night the Elders had a baptism. She is a little old lady. It was super precious. She walked in when hna Evelo and I were filling the font and she was super worried that she would drown or the water would be cold so we talked her through it all and let her feel and choose the water temperatura. Super adorable.
     Antoni came to church yesterday even though we told him he didn't have to if he didn't feel up to it. He is super dedicated. They bought all kinds of coffee substitutes and are testing them all out. Amalia is still afriad. She told us this week that it all just scared her so much because when she me with us she really just expected us to have a very basic knowledge of the Bible with an emphaisis on families based on what she had heard before. But instead we know everything that she has studied and discovered on her own and more and that freaks her out. She has a hard time accepting that there really is one true group out there. It's kind of frustrating for us because she literally has no problem with any doctrine at all. I think she is just wondering if we are a trick coming from Satan or actually from God. Time will tell?
And that's all for this week. I love you all.
Hermana Ashby