No es un Rio

Check out the link to Hannah's mission's blog to the left: you'll be able to see pictures of her as her mission goes on, as well as the other missionaries and some of beautiful Spain! Her address is also to the left, both the mission home and her personal address. She wants letters!

!Queridos Todos!
I don't even know if that makes sense. Dear all! Ugh Spanish is my weakness.
So, I AM IN GRANADA!!!!!!!!!! So blessed. As soon as we arrived in Málaga we asked everyone what their favorite cities were in the mission and everyone's answer was Granada. Granada is magnificient. It is ancient and full of history. The weather is perfect. And whoever told me that the MTC is luxorious compared to missionary apartments was false. Our apartement is crazy nice. I have my own bathroom.
Well I just realized I have nooooo time. I should have started with this email first and then written everyone.
My compainion is Hermana Parrilla. She is from the Canary Islands. She is teaching me everything.
The hardest part of thus week was church: I couldn't understand anything.

Also we went to Motril on friday to help out some elders teaching a lesson and the family fed us so much food I wanted to throw up. And they just kept bringing out more until finally one of the elders asked the mom if she was crazy and then the food stopped. I don't think I'll ever eat pasta again which is saying something for me.
I wish I had time to tell you everything but I don't. I'll try to write it all down and type it up next week.
I love you all!
Hermana Ashby

AHH! I'm Here!!!

2-17-14
So I have about ten minutes and there is a line of spaniards waiting to use the computer! I leave tomorrow! Super early. We are taking a train. We've had meeting after meeting for the past couple days and they have all been in spanish so I basically have no idea what has happened. The president just gave us a five minute warning. I am nervous and excited and sad and happy and all over the place. I love the mtc and I have learned sooo much here but I can't wait to get to the field and change lives! Write me! I just printed off a picture of Calvin and everyone is fawning over him. I miss you all! Write you next week when I am a real missionary!
Love Hermana Ashby

2-18-14
I have arrived! I am at the mission home!! it is absolutely beautiful here! hills on the coast of the Mediterranean sea and white buildings! I love my mission president and his wife. This is the best! I love you!
Hannah

PS write me!

El Pie... Yummmm

¡Hola todos!
So it feels like a lot has happened this week but I cant think of a lot to write about. It's all just kind of a blur.
Last Pday we went to the mall. I bought a a skirt from Primark. I had never heard of Primark but Hermana Costagliola seemed to think it was a big deal, so um woot.
I am terrified of speaking with the spanish missionaries. They are so intimaidating. I tried to talk to them the first couple of days and then I realized that when I initiate conversations they talk to me. And when they talk to me I can't understand them. And then I cry. Well okay I don't ACTUALLY cry but sometimes I worry that I am never going to understand Spanish. sigh. One of the Elders called me a gringo (SP?) the other day. But after everyone laughed he said it was just because my eyes are blue. I don't know.
So of course Saturday I was paired with a spanish sister. Hermana Rabayo. She is actually from Ecuador but has been living in Barcelona for a while and is headed to the Malaga mission. At least I think that's her story because she doesn't actually really speak English. I thought it would be way easier to be with someone who spoke spanish but it wasn't really. We didn't have any real conversations with ANYONE. So sad. This British man told me that being a missionary was the worst possible thing that I could be doing. Haters gonna hate. Lucky Hermana Rabayo had no idea what he was saying so she just smiled and nodded while I took the heat. This is life.
But then after the park we went to go play futbol. Hermanas Read and  Costagliola and I were running late so we were walking by ourselves to field when a man called to us and asked where the metro station was. We tried to tell him but it's kind of hard to explain how to get to it so we offered to just walk with him. He asked us who we were and we told him that we were missionaries and we were standing right next to the temple so we pointed to it and explained a little about our church and he seemed very interested and the the real missionaries serving in Madrid just walked by! We pulled them aside and made them take down this man's information. His name is Pablo. The real missionaries are a lot more smooth then us and they actually speak Spanish. But um after they left we walked him to the metro and he tried to invite us to a party and called me beautiful in German. Apparently I look German or the little spanish I speak sounds like I speak with a german accent or something. All in all it was a very strange experience.
So I only have a few days left in the CCM. I don´t feel ready but I am excited to go to Malaga. An Elder from Malaga tried to give me a lesson in Southern Spain Spanish and it sort of terrified me. They cut off half of their words so I will definitely never be able to understand what anyone says to me. Oh well.
I leave bright and early tuesday morning. I will be able to email again on monday so everyone should email me before that. My pday will always be on Mondays from now on. Mom, You should find and post my mission home address. I love getting letters!
 I love and miss you all!
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Real Madrid, Thievery, and Contacting

I never know how to start these emails/future blog entries. Or how to title them obviously.

This is week three in the MTC! We are half way through! Time is finally starting to pass quickly. The days individually feel long and so much has happened but I can´t believe it's Thursday again! My cards still work even though my cash was stolen, but for some reason I can´t check the balance in my account so I really have no idea how much is in there. I say a little prayer every time I use it in hopes that theres enough.

So last thursday we visited the Real Madrid Stadium. For those of you who don´t know anything about futbol, it is kind of a big deal. I have been told. It seemed pretty much like an american football stadium with a slightly smailler field. hopefully i will be able to include pictures. Then we went through a museum type thing with the history of futbol in Spain and it gopes back pretty far. We even walked through the locker rooms and shower rooms for the players. Woot. The bummer thing about there being a lot more Elders than sisters is that we do things like visiting sports arenas instead of art museums. But thats okay. It was pretty impressive.

  Saturday was probably the worst park experience yet. Although I did learn a lot. So this week Hermana Read and I paired and we were super excited. Partly because the sisters from Russia barely speak English let alone Spanish and we werent quite ready for that but also because We work awesome together. Like seriously every time I dont know what to say she says something and every time she doesnt know what to say I do. Its the best . So we got on the metro and literally no one would even look at us. This one guy even pretended he was asleep when we approached him byut we just laughed it off and waited for the parque.

Then at the parque we saw this m,am watching us and we just assumed he would want to know what we were doing. Boy were we wrong. We just walked up to him and I introduced us and asked if we could share a message with him (in spanish) and he replied very bluntly that we could not. Lets just say he included a few words that turned the conversation from being rated G straight to R. In English. We just stared at him in shock and finally I said good day and we turned and walked away as fast as possible. Both of us were almost in tears. It was kind of ridiculous. Then we just talked to as many people as possible and nobody would listen. I just felt like I was trying to offer the

 most valuable item in the world to this special park in Madrid and these children of God just scoffed at us trying to give them eternal peace. So frustrating.

Maria was the only one we were able to touch just a little. She had gone to school in cali for a few year so we were able to use spanglish with her. She wanted to know who we were and what we were doing and we just bore our testimonies about missionary work and how we were willing to give up our lives because of the Gospel of Jesus Chirst and Herman Read started crying and Maria even started crying and she thanked us for reminding her about God and his love for his childrenn and she thanked usn for trying to bring more spirituality into Spain. of course she wouldnt givreus her number but she did promis to go on Momon.org. So thats better than nothing.

You Lose Some, You Gain Some

  SO Im going to try to write as much as I can in the next 15 minutes so sorry if it incoherent.

Thursday we went to the Prado Art museum. They wouldn't let me take pictures but it was absolutely amazing. I love art. Classical paintings and sculpture. My favorite room was portraits of royalty. There was this one princess that they had paintings of her at pretty much every age so you could see her grow up from infancy to old age. Way cool.

Missionaries came from the Provo MTC and they are headed to missions in Russia.

Park day was CRAZY. I was with One of the sisters from Russia and one of the sisters from the US going to Russia. I was the only one out of three who could actually communicate with anyone. Everyone thought we were crazy when I tried to explain why I was the only one talking even though I've only studied Spanish for a month. 

We did have a pretty good conversation with this old man named Rafael. The first thing he said to me was that he couldn't believe Christianity because there is no way God and Jesus Christ could be the same person. I got really excited and told him that they aren't! I think he thought that I didn't know what I was saying though and he just kept throwing crazy questions at me and I had answers to them but them he mentions that God doesn't need our prayers just like he doesn't need love or food or air something like that and I told him that God has a body and he just thought I was nuts. I don´t know how to say very much in Spainish. He told me he would teach me yoga and I could talk more about my church. I invited him to church but he just laughed so I didn't think anything would come of it. but then I ran into the other sisters and they told us this man came up to them and them they were late and asked them where church was and if he could go even though he doesn't have children because the pamphlet I gave hime was full of pictures of families. I want him to go so badly.

So yesterday some more missionaries arrived. They are all from Spain or Mexico and are headed to Spain. The sister from Italy is now with Hermana Read and I. I love her so much. I wish she was coming to Malaga so that we didn't have to say goodbye. There are sooo many missionaries now at the MTC. Over 40 at least. But the missionaries from Russia going to Russia left.

I tried to send pictures but it looks like they arent sending again.

I can see why teenage boys need moms. One of the Elders in my district hasn't washed his hair in three weeks. he says it is unnecessary. I say it is unacceptable not to mention super gross.

Thursday is scarf day. We make everyone wear scarves. I distribute my scarves to those without. Everyone looks fabulous. Hopefully there will be a picture coming.

Well looks like I'm almost out of time. I love you!

Hermana Ashby

¡Soy Mujer Bat!

I never know how to start these emails/future blog entries. Or how to title them obviously.

This is week three in the MTC! We are half way through! Time is finally starting to pass quickly. The days individually feel long and so much has happened but I can´t believe it's Thursday again! My cards still work even though my cash was stolen, but for some reason I can´t check the balance in my account so I really have no idea how much is in there. I say a little prayer every time I use it in hopes that theres enough.

So last thursday we visited the Real Madrid Stadium. For those of you who don´t know anything about futbol, it is kind of a big deal. I have been told. It seemed pretty much like an american football stadium with a slightly smaller field. hopefully i will be able to include pictures. Then we went through a museum type thing with the history of futbol in Spain and it goes back pretty far. We even walked through the locker rooms and shower rooms for the players. Woot. The bummer thing about there being a lot more Elders than sisters is that we do things like visiting sports arenas instead of art museums. But thats okay. It was pretty impressive.

  Saturday was probably the worst park experience yet. Although I did learn a lot. So this week Hermana Read and I paired and we were super excited. Partly because the sisters from Russia barely speak English let alone Spanish and we weren't quite ready for that but also because We work awesome together. Like seriously every time I don't know what to say she says something and every time she doesn't know what to say I do. Its the best . So we got on the metro and literally no one would even look at us. This one guy even pretended he was asleep when we approached him but we just laughed it off and waited for the parque.

Then at the parque we saw this man watching us and we just assumed he would want to know what we were doing. Boy were we wrong. We just walked up to him and I introduced us and asked if we could share a message with him (in spanish) and he replied very bluntly that we could not. Lets just say he included a few words that turned the conversation from being rated G straight to R. In English. We just stared at him in shock and finally I said good day and we turned and walked away as fast as possible. Both of us were almost in tears. It was kind of ridiculous. Then we just talked to as many people as possible and nobody would listen. I just felt like I was trying to offer the

 most valuable item in the world to this special park in Madrid and these children of God just scoffed at us trying to give them eternal peace. So frustrating.

Maria was the only one we were able to touch just a little. She had gone to school in cali for a few year so we were able to use spanglish with her. She wanted to know who we were and what we were doing and we just bore our testimonies about missionary work and how we were willing to give up our lives because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Herman Read started crying and Maria even started crying and she thanked us for reminding her about God and his love for his children and she thanked us for trying to bring more spirituality into Spain. of course she wouldn't give us her number but she did promise to go on Momon.org. So thats better than nothing.

On Sunday we had a devotional by one of the first members in Spain. He has a doctorate (I'm not sure in what) but his thesis was on the history of the church in Spain and he just told us what he thought we should know about spaniards and the church and life and it was just way cool.

Oh! There is an Elder that is from Gilbert and his family sent him a pamphlet from the open house of the Gilbert Temple! So it must be open or something! I was really excited to see it. Looks beuatiful.

I know I am forgetting a lot but I only have 15 minutes and I want get to individual emails. Send me letters! Letters are the best things ever! I would probably cry from joy if someone were to send me a packae. Just saying. And soon. Mail is so slow but it is definitely worth it.

I love everything about Spain! I dont think I have ever wanted anything as badly as to be right were I am now doing what am doing! Being a missionary is amazing!

I love you! I miss you!

Hermana (Hannah) Ashby

All For the Good, of Course!

Here is Hannah's latest letter! She also begged for letters, so get writing! Two ways to write:

Pouch Mailing Address:
Spain MTC
P.O. Box 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

Address:
Calle de Templo No. 2, planta 4a.
Madrid
28030
España

¡Hola familia!

Wow. I can´t believe it has only been a week since I emailed you last. Some crazy things have happened. All for the good of course! 

I´ll just start with last Thursday after I emailed you. We went to Peurte del Sol. I don´t really know what it is because the teacher that took us is from Barcelona but it is beautiful and old. I´m pretty sure Samantha Brown went in that episode of Madrid that I watched. Then we went to this amazing Cathedral. I don´t even know the name of it. I we just walked down these narrow streets lined with shops and it was just so surreal! I AM IN SPAIN! We ate chocolate with churros. Yummm.

So Friday I was sick. Like really sick. Just stress and everything else was getting to me and I felt like I was going to pass out. But I was so afraid of missing out on something that I didn´t tell anyone (bad idea). So then I was in class and I had to run out to the bathroom to go throw up. SO embarrassing. And we were studying future tense and now i´ll never be able to speak in future tense. I slept for a few hours and then felt better. Not great but better. Hermana Read said she prayed to have more time to study and that’s what she had to do while I slept so im pretty sure it was her fault. :P

 And then it was Saturday. I still felt a little sick but I wanted to go to the park sooo badly so I didn’t eat anything and went anyways. I was paired with Sister Silva, the sister from Brazil. That was a major challenge because she doesn´t speak any English at all and only a few words in Spanish. But she was a go getter. She was not afraid to approach anyone, the only problem is is that she only knows how to say hello and introduce us in Spanish so I had to take the conversation from there. Most people didn’t want to listen of course. But we actually ran into to a lot of people that would rather speak English with me! This couple from Britain asked me where they could get a copy of the Book of Mormon and I was so excited I baisically threw it at them. Gosh my grammar is becoming awful in English. Its worse in Spanish of course but I can´t tell as well. Anyways, I did find one Spanish girl who said she wanted to learn more. She kept making sure I understood that she doesn’t believe in God, she just wanted to learn more. That’s what they all say. I love going to the park because I feel more like a reall missionary and like I´m acutally doing something productive, And I don´t have to sit inside all day. Oh the president took a picture of me with the British couple. Hopefully he sent it to you?

Sunday was good. I had to say the closing prayer for sacrament meeting. In Spanish. Super stressful. Afterwards one of the senior couples asked me if I came already speaking Spanish.  I just don’t understand. I really don’t know as much Spanish as the rest of my district.

And then it was Monday. I geuss I will just tell you all of Monday. Monday I decided to fast. So of course we had my favorites for breakfast. Then we had to teach my most difficult teacher. I felt like the lesson went pretty well but then she told me I shouldn’t be afraid of saying everything I want to in Spanish. The problem is is that I don´t know how to say everything I want to in Spainish. I felt so frustrated. The for lunch we had pasta and pinapple upside down cake. That’s right like my two favorites from home that we have never been served before on the day I was fasting. More blessings to me right? Before we left for physical activity I left all of my stuff in the classroom. This is important for later. Then for physical activity we decided to be brave and go play soccer with the elders. The got to the field and saw them playing and ran straight back to the CCM. Just you watch a group of people all bigger then you running and yelling. It looked too dangerous for us. I ended my fast woth the pizza party. It tasted like home. Dominos Pizza. With coke (sin caffeine). Mmm. It was to say goodbye to both the portugese missionaries and the MTC president. So then we went back to the classroom and my things were everywhere. My American money was dumped on Hermana Reeds desk , my purse was upside down on the floor and my wallet was underneath the computer desk. I had about 50-80 euros stolen. Elder Nickerl, an Elder in my district, had over 150 taken. Right from the MTC. They didn’t take my cards but it was still sort of devastating. Apparently Security had chased out a group of teenagers earlier but hadn’t realized they had taken anything. Its difficult because we are in the same building as the distribution center and The apartments for senior missionaries and a few other things.While they called the police our district(hermans read and I and 3 elders) sat in our classroom and sang hymns. It was exasctly what I needed, super peaceful.

Tuesday the Portuguese missionaries left and the Sitteruds. It was actually kind of heartbreaking. We sang God Be With You Till We Met Again to them. Then we gpot our new President, President Lovell. I love them already. And Tuesday was the day we braved the soccer field. It was a lot less terrifying without the Portuguese Elders to be honest. I almost participated a little. Mostly laughed.

Wednessday I actually played for real. That’s right I have becaome a soccer player. Or futbol as the locals call it. No I am not any good. Its kind of hilarious watching the difference between how the elders play with us versus how they play with eachother. We told them how terrified we were to play with them and begged them not to injure us so now everytime one of us goes near the ball they all back up. They are super afraid of hurting us. One the other hand two of the Elders received bloody noses yesterday from balls in the face. Hahahaha.

And today is Thursday. Two Sisters from Russia came this morning. And we had orientaion from President Lovell. He was one of the frirst missionaries here in Spain in the 70´s. I like him a lot.

Thats all I can think of right now and I have to go to lunch!

I love you!

Hannah

Hannah and Hermana Read

The coolest picture ever.