La Navidad!

My Dearest Family,
     It's Christmas! Well, sort of, not really. But it was! Christmas is the best. We have been told that Christmas doesn't end here until the Three Kings' Day so we will see what that is all about.

     Last Saturday was the ward christmas party. I don't think I talked about that. It was sort of super chaotic. They had us be the servers and so we obviously had a lot of angry Spaniards telling us how to do things correctly. I think in the end it was all good though. I didn't really eat anything, but the cake was good.      They told my campanion that she would give a talk on Sunday and we spent the whole week preparing it for her and then at the last minute they called and told her nevermind. At least she has a really good missionary Christmas talk all prepared for next year. Plaza de España (which apparently is in Star Wars) and then just kind of walked around down town. It was fun. Their piso is way cold. I'm happy to have our nice warm piso in Cádiz. We have a heater.

     Monday I went and partied it up with Hna Hurtado in Sevilla while our campanions went to do resdiency in Malaga. That means I got a pday in Sevilla! Way cool. We went to the

     And Wednesday was Christmas Eve. We didn't have to work so that pretty much meant almost all day in the piso until night time when we went to a member's for dinner. Christmas Eve is a big deal in Spain. Lots and lots of fancy food. We had a a lot of food. Then it was Christmas! We went to El Peurto de Santa Maria for breakfast with the rest of the zone. We had "make your own omeletes" boiled in a plastic bag (yes Dad, coolest thing ever). Then on the way back we took the ferry and we saw a dolphin! (Comes in as a close second with the omelet bag thing.) Christmas miracle. How many people can say they saw a dolphin on Christmas morning on their mission in Spain. Pretty sure that's only me and the other missionaries with me and then maybe some other people.. I don't really know. But percentage-wise in the world that is very very few. Pretty sweet.
     Then we went home and chocolate overdosed on all the goodies are families sent us, slept and then we went to the member's house again to skype our families.
     All and all a pretty good Christmas. Work right now is awful, but I'm sure it will pick up eventually.
Okay have to go. I love you.

Hermana Hannah Ashby

¡Quilla!

Hola!
     I have my new companion! Her name is Hermana Evelo! She is from Florida. She is super awesome. I was really nervous about this whole training thing, but I am actually having a lot of fun. She doesn't know when I mess up! I spend half of every lesson translating what is going on to English, but she actually speaks a lot more Spanish than I did when I came in. I have just had fun teaching her all the cool things about being a missionary and being in Spain.
     I am trying really hard to think of something more to say. It's been raining like crazy. Hard to talk to people in the street when there aren't people in the street. We saw the Christmas devotional last night. It was pretty. I miss America.
     Today we are going to visit the castle and the cathedral. I have somehow become the designated pday planner for the zone, so if nobody else wants to decide, we are going to do the same thing we did a few weeks ago because I like it.
     And that's it. I love you! Have a good week!
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Hermana Ashby and Hermana Evelo

The Mission blog had this picture of Hannah and her "daughter."

Enjoy!

Training and Christmas

     We had a pretty busy week. Lots of traveling. Trainers Training was a lot of fun. I am kind of afraid to have a brand new missionary. I hope that I don't mess her up for the rest of her mission. In this group they are all from the US or Albania (weird,right?) so I will have to help her to learn the language, the lessons, and the rules. Our schedule is a little different than the rest of the mission. We will have two hours more in our apartment for language study and a program called 12 Weeks where I'll have to teach her some weird missionary lessons.
     I'll be with a brand new misionary for Christmas! That's what I have the most fear for. She's going to cry. And then I'm going to cry. A couple of members invited us over and that's really good, like I'm excited, but at the beginning of my mission members were terrifiying. They spoke gibberish (spanish) and gave me weird food. I hope she is more courageous than I was.
     Saturday was zone meeting in Peurto de Santa Maria. We took a boat to get there. AWSOME. The english branch made us Thanksgiving dinner. It felt like home. And then afterwards they had their christmas party and we were all invited to stay. They sang a ton of christmas songs in english. Super weird. I felt like I was in America. We had a lot of fun.
     Transfer calls came for realsSsaturday. Hna Volpe is going to Malaga 4 to be with a sister that just got out of training. I totally called it. She is excited.
     Has anyone seen the "He is the Gift" video? The church is putting a TON of money and energy into advertising this video. Each companionship of missionaries has been given a GIANT box of pass along cards and we have been asked to hand out at least ten every day. That is nearly impossible I have discovered. Actually, I found out that they accept them if I point out that "the virgin" is on it. Fetching Catholics.
And that is it.

I love you all! Have a fun christmas season!
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Planchando las Orejas

Hey!
     I'm training next transfer! Cool right? I am excited.
     What a week!
     We spent all week begging people to come to church and three came! We've had more here, but three was the minimum goal that we had so it worked out nicely. There isn't much else to talk about but church, so I'm starting with that. One of the investigators that came was an 87 year old friend of a member that we called to tell her happy birthday. (Well let's be honest, it was really to invite her to come to church.) But she came! Little things count. We are going to visit her this week. I hope she gets baptized. That'd be sweet.
     Another investigator that came was Paco. I can't remmeber if I've ever talked about Paco for reals. He is the brother-in-law of the less active who's mom died. They all live in the same apartment. When I got here he was very very very atheist and he was not afraid to tell us that every time we invited him to church. We got him to come to church once before the death of the mother-in-law and then he dropped of the face of the planet. He resurfaced yesterday. He told us he came to church to tell us that he wants to get baptized. I'm pretty sure he doesn't actually understand all that baptism entails, or even what the bible is, so we are going to have to take it a lot slower with him than he suddenly wants. I'm worried that he's snapped a little bit, but I didn't have a lot of time to talk to him yesterday so we'll see.
     The other is Rosa. we started teaching her a couple months ago and she has come every week. She would get baptized, but has a live-in boyfriend. Problem. Maybe they'll get married before I leave?
     That's pretty much it for our investigators right now actually. Well, we also have Pepi and family and friends but their beliefs are rooted in reincarnation and have told us more than once that they are too catholic to change religions. I don't get it either. They loved The Restoration movie.
     And that's my life.
     Wednesday Im going to Malaga for "trainer's training" and Friday we have Zone Conference in El Peurto de Santa Maria. There is a military base there with an American branch and they want to make us a belated Thanksgiving dinner. I am pretty stoked.
     You will know more next week! I love you!

Hermana Hannah Ashby

Tu Sabe

Salutations!
     This has been a weird week.
     So MaAngeles is still having problems smoking, so we came up with a genius idea. We decided to fast for her. We went to her house on Tuesday and told her that she was going to stop smoking and we were going to stop eating (for one day.) And everytime she wanted to smoke she had to think about us and about Heavenly Father and how we were there helping her. What a miracle it turned out to be. She has not smoked one cigarette since. I am really in awe.
     Wednesday night we took a train to Sevilla and stayed the night in the piso of the Hermanas there and Thursday morning we traveled to Málaga for a conference. Elder Kearon, a seventy, came to visit. It was super powerful. And it was super cool to see everyone.  Now as a mission we are attacking our days. We have to jump out of bed in the morning, pour our soul out to God, excersize like fanatics, shower with cold water, eat a healthy breakfast, pour our soul out to God again, and then study with purpose. Basicially start out with lots and lots of energy. I actually think it helps a lot. I'm into this thing. And since we are just a bunch of 20 year olds, it's cool to have a new phrase to shout at eachother. ATTACK THE DAY!
     Now I am back in Cádiz.
     Luis recieved the priesthood yesterday. He was really excited. The Elders Quorum President bought him a a whole set of new scriptures and the manuals for all of the classes. What a ward.
     We are ready to start a new week with energy. The goal of the mission is to have 250 investigators in Sacrament Meeting this next week. I have no idea how many normally come but we are totally going to meet this goal and it'll be exciting.
   And that's it.

Have a good week everyone!
Hermana Hannah Ashby

Bautismo

Hey!
     It really happened! Se bautizó!
     I literally have five minutes. I am the worst time manager in the world. but I will relate what I can.
     We had a noche de hogar with Luis, his brother, and his sister-in-law on Tuesday in the house of a member. They were all super happy. We did a fun little object lesson about having a firm foundation. Mangeñes comitted to stop smoking once and for all. And Miguel comitted to staying active for the rest of his life. Without us saying anything to them. Mostly we were just focused on Luis. On Wednesday we went the house of a different member and watched the long movie of The Restoration with Luis. He liked it. Thursday... I don't remember. Oh! We went to his house with a different member (everyone wants to be involved when you have a baptism) and talked about priesthood. He wants to have it. Friday he had his interview. Our District Leader was surprised at how prepared he was. It's mostly bacause after every lesson he has with us he goes home and studies the topic thouroughly on the church website and then prays about it. He almost knows more than us now. Saturday was the baptism! It was incredible. The spirit was so strong. Afterwards, he asked if he could tak to us and he thanked us for saving him. I almost cried. It is all worth it.
     We also had more than 10 investigators at the baptism. There were more non-members there than members. I really don't know what happened. Cádiz is on fire.

     There was a family in Sacrament meeting that nobody recognized. Luis got up and hugged the father and it was super weird because it seemed like they were members, but they had never been to this ward before and we didn't have time to ask Luis who he was.Then when it was time for his confirmation the man got up and stood in the circle to confirm him. Afterwards we found out that the man was Luis's bestfriend from school but they hadn't seen each other for 20 years or so. He lives in Chiclana, about an hour away. He and his family "just happened" to decide to visit Cádiz this week. WHAT.
     We had a cita Saturday night with a new investigator and after church Luis asked us how it went and we told him we talked about The Book of Mormon but we aren't sure thas this guy is really interested. Luis got really serious and he asked us if we rememebered to tell him to pray about it. we told him "of course" and then he told us that this man was going to do it and in a couple of weeks he was going to be baptised. Like that's what always happens. duh.
     Well okay so now I have to go. For Reals.

I love you and I miss you! Thanks for all the prayers.
Hermana Hannah Ashby