Christmas for the Missionaries

I had asked Calli if she knew of any missionaries that weren't getting support from home and could use a little love for Christmas. She gave me one name.  So then I emailed the mission office.  I knew it was a possibility of missionaries that didn't have any support from home but I wasn't prepared to receive an email back with a list of 7 missionaries in need this holiday season. It broke my heart. I jumped right on it and got other Barcelona Missionary mom's involved and we were able to provide 7 missionaries Christmas. I later received this letter from Sister Dayton. What a tender mercy, by helping others I received a personal letter about Calli. Love it!!

Dear Sister Peterson,

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for providing Christmas gifts for these 6 wonderful missionaries. We love you dearly and feel grateful for your thoughtfulness and Christlike service!!!

How blessed we feel for your generosity of time and money to remember our missionaries this Christmas season.

We love your sweet daughter and feel so blessed to have her in our mission. She is so kind, diligent, faithful and obedient. She is such a hard worker, has such a happy, positive upbeat personality.  All love being with Sister Peterson. We feel so grateful that her neck is feeling better and have seen her push through a challenging time with such a positive attitude. We love your wonderful missionary.

Thank you again for your overwhelming kindness to our missionaries!

Sister Dayton

Christmas Letter!

President and Sister Dayton sent Christmas Letters to all the families of missionaries serving in the Barcelona, Spain Mission.

Dear Family and Friends of Spain Barcelona Missionaries. Our hearts rejoice as we welcome the Christmas season and this sacred time of the year. Serving as full time representatives of the Savior is such a joyful experience. We feel so blessed by the Savior’s ministry; His life, His teachings, and His atonement hold special meaning for us especially because our mission is Christ-centered. All that we do is focused on bringing others to Him, becoming like Him and developing a beautiful relationship with Him. What a blessing it has been to watch our faithful missionaries bring many souls to Christ this year. We will always remember and cherish the year 2017 for the many rich experiences we were privileged to have. We've been able to visit most of the 47 wards/branches in the mission this year. We have loved sharing time with the good and faithful saints in the Spain Barcelona Mission. We currently have 190 missionaries serving in 5 stakes and 1 district. This year, two beautiful free-standing chapels in Logroño and Santander were dedicated and another six are currently under construction. We’ve seen the Church grow with an increase in baptisms over last year. We are especially grateful that our mission office was renovated. The Church has owned this facility since 1984 and we feel so blessed to have a beautiful fresh look with modern technology to function at an optimum level as a mission. We are grateful we had the opportunity to dedicate our office on Thanksgiving Day. We were also privileged to have a mission tour conducted by Elder and Sister Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Seventy. The year 2017 will also be remembered as the year the Spain Barcelona mission received smartphones and began online proselyting to hasten the work of the Lord. We are already seeing an impact of this marvelous new technology. We sincerely hope this is a meaningful Christmas for your family. We know you will enjoy visiting with your dedicated missionary on Christmas Day. We feel thankful for your support, strength and faith as your missionary valiantly serves the Lord. At this Christmas season we pray that your lives may be filled with the joy of His gospel, the warmth of His love, and the hope of life everlasting that He made possible. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and fulfilling New Year. All our love, President Merril and Hermana Debbie Dayton Spain Barcelona Mission

Ward Missionary Testimonies

Our Relief Society asked the missionaries from our ward to share their testimonies, how they prepared, what a day in their life is like and any experiences they have had.  Then at the RS adult social they shared them. 

"How I prepared to serve a mission was I worked really hard everyday cleaning pools and bagging popcorn at Tuachan to save up money so I could help pay for my mission, it also taught me how to be a hard worker. I went through the temple and worked in the temple for a couple months. But really I think the thing that helped me prepare for my mission more than anything were those little everyday things of having family home evening, church and especially really STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES and praying. I grew a real relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior. And that has helped me more than anything on the mission. At times it is really hard and you constantly feel like your testimony is being attacked left and right. And you really are questioned if you know things are true. And having that relationship and that testimony before my mission has been my rock during this time on my mission. For a normal day we wake up at 7:30 workout for 30 minutes, get ready for the day, we then study from the book of Mormon, Bible and Preach My Gospel for an hour and then have companionship study where we read the white hand book and plan for the people we have that day. Here in Spain there are so many people always on the streets hardly anyone has cars, so we contact everywhere we go. Always contacting. Usually running to make the train once  a day. We then go to citas ( appointments that we have to teach people) then here in Spain they have medio dia which is where every store and shop closes, the kids go home from school and the whole town physically shuts down for  2 hours. During this time we usually go to a members home or we go to our piso (apartment) eat lunch and have 1 hour of language study. We then leave (Always contact the first person we see) and go to other lessons and plans throughout the day. We have to be home in our piso at 10 and if we aren't we have to run to piso. We do that most nights as well. We then pray as soon as we get into piso. Write in our journals, make calls and do what we need to. At 11:30 we are down on our knees in prayer and then go to bed. Wake up and go do it again! It sounds pretty the same everyday but it's crazy everyday is so different and a new adventure!! My only advice for being better member missionaries are things I have seen that I want to do for the missionaries when I get home. Give references. On the mission references from members are treated like gold we go over and beyond for your references. And really giving references and helping the missionaries teach gives a whole new power to that lesson. Instead of having two complete strangers with name tags preaching to them. Having a friend that they trust and know for the investigator seeing a 3rd witness and how much the gospel means to them, having them testify and wanting to share that with them is SO Powerful. Also the other biggest thing is being friends with the new investigators coming to church and especially the new investigators. Please please go out of your way to be a friend and say hi to these people. These new converts and investigators are completely changing their lives and entering a new world they don't know. With new vocabulary and everything. They are changing their lives and they need a friend in church. President Gordan B Hinckley said "Every new convert needs a calling and a friend and church" One of my best experiences I have had on the mission was my first baptism. His name is George, he is a miracle my first area I could hardly speak Spanish but we were teaching George who only spoke English. He decided he wanted to be baptized. He had no money and was looking for a job, he found a job but it was out of Vilafranca so he turned it down so he could stay and be baptized. The day of his baptism he got a job. It was his first day and they took him to a field to work. His baptism was at 7 o clock. 7 rolled around and he wasn't there and was not answering. 11pm rolls around and we finally get a hold of him, he is at work still but doesn't know where he is and no one there speaks English.  He told us all he wants to do is to be baptized. We call president and he tells us to stay and wait all night if we have to. At around 12:30 he comes flying down the street on his bike to the church. He had a full baptism service, and he was baptized at 1 o clock in the morning. And amazingly most of the ward who hardly knew George stayed to see George enter into the waters of baptism. Seeing someone who you have helped teach and come to love, bear their testimony of this gospel and how it has changed their live is the most amazing thing I have experienced yet on my mission. The gospel truly changes lives. This gospel is true happiness. Another short miracle that I have been blessed to see on my mission is the Briz family. Both parents are members of the church but have been inactive for a little over 6 years. That is until the missionaries found them. We began teaching them and their little 9 year old boy told us he wanted to be baptized before we had the opportunity to ask. Luis (his dad) told us he knew that God was calling him back to the fold through his son. He then received the priesthood and a week later he was able to baptize his little boy Alejandro. They then shared their testimony of this gospel. The mother shared how they know this church is true and how they had forgotten. And they are now preparing to go to the temple and to be sealed as a family for time and for all eternity.  I know these miracles come from God. I am this 19 year old girl from Utah trying my best to teach people in my broken Spanish about God. There is absolutely no way that I could be doing this alone I know with all of my heart that this church is true that God lives. That Christ is my Savior and that they love us more than we can ever know. I know that the book of Mormon is true and it truly does have answers, and is the word of God. I know and believe with all of my heart this church is true and that this gospel is true joy! I love you all thank you for your prayers."

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Jubilee of Trees

One of our favorite Christmas Traditions!

I thought this tree was so cool. It was about simplifying Christmas and remembering the real meaning of Christmas. Under the tree was a whole town set up with people all hustling around doing different Christmas activities. Some were shopping, wrapping presents, caroling, ice skating, visiting santa etc...

.and then above the town the Nativity was in the Christmas Tree. It was so cute!

But of course our favorite one was It's a Small World!

Walked outside to leave and the girls ran to one of the statues to imitate it, such nerds:)

Got a new piece to add to our nativity. 

Got Calli's Christmas Package sent. From home she received 2 of these stockings for her and her companion, some CTR rings to hand out to little ninas and ninos and a family personalized calendar. 

From Amazon Spain we sent a Christmas tree, ornaments, a nativity, peanut butter, dried mangos,  Thermals, hand warmers, Happy Salmon, Pringles, Shampoo and Conditioner. My mom sent her pajamas for her and her companion, pillow case and deep blue. Marilee sent her money and a pillow case. 

 Actually found a quiet night to turn on a Christmas movie and sip hot chocolate.

A sign that the holidays are upon us...the famous Ivins Star on the mountain. I love that view. I can see it out several windows in my house. 

 Added a few new Disney Store ornaments to the tree as well as some pictures and a sign. 

 Got a "Sister" stocking to hang with the others. 

Outside all lit up.  Love the feeling, sights, sounds and smells of the Christmas Season!!

November Fun!

November Tradition...Thanksgiving Family Home Evening!

 Our Gratitude Pumpkin

Glad Calli made the list!

We made a goal to finish the Book of Mormon before Calli comes home. I made this incentive chart to keep us on track. 

A couple of my Missionary Mom Friends gave me the idea to have a "While you were gone box" to collect things in for Calli to have when she returns. So excited for the first item in her box. 

I had this Spain Flag Quilt made and personalized for her. I love the way it turned out. 

Sadie had a "Cheer for Charity"holiday event with all the other school cheerleaders to bring in canned goods for the local shelter. 

I was in charge of decorating the table for Stake Evening of Excellence. Each ward had a table. Ours was Good Works. The focal point of the table was our Humanitarian Project we did while the balloons were individual services that the YW did throughout the year. 

Gentry had her last volleyball game. 

We had a end of season volleyball party at our house with hotdogs and S'mores. Hallee and Gentry with their coach Caitlyn. 

 Fall always brings such amazing skies. I just can't get enough.

With the new ice skating rink at Tuacahn I was asked to go and help lace and number over 100 skates. Gentry came with me and helped and was such a trooper. As a reward we got to go try out the rink all to ourselves.

This little girls gets spoiled as the caboose!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2017

 Losee Family Year! It was such beautiful weather that we ate outside at Dean and Karen's 

 Cousin Time on the Tramp! After Thanksgiving while some went shopping, the others came out to our house for games.  The last person left at 1:00am. Adam and I decided to wake up at 5:00 and hit a few stores before we both had to be to work. 

One of our purchases were new bar stools...love them!

 I shopped from 5:00 until 9:00 and then went into work from 10:00-4:00. Going on 4 hours of sleep...This is how I got through my day. Sugar and caffeine.   

 It was busy we had a constant line in the que.

 That night we met up with everyone still in town and went to Tuacahn. Love this view of the new skating rink.

 Live Nativity!

 Great Kick-off to the holidays!

 Saturday night we got together for the last BYU game of the season. They won Hawaii. 

It was such a great weekend full of Family, Food and Fun. We have much to be thankful for!!