great blessings

2/8/16 Hola Familia!

I'm ok, I love my new comp. She's the best! We have been working really hard this week to find because we want to have a baptism this transfer even though it's only 5 weeks, but we know that if we do our part, the lord will do his! We are talking to everyone, praying lots and being as exactly obedient as possible and so far so good. We've already seen some fruits of our work. I'm so so so thankful to be here with Hermana Charlesworth, she's a great addition to the ward.

So, this week we had a mission tour with Elder Moreira of the Seventy and it was really amazing. He talked about obedience and humility and I really learned a lot. And then, we had the blessing to hear from him two more times at the end of the week when he taught us at stake conference. The first night, all of the speakers talked a lot about obedience, sacrifice and the family. Something Elder Moreira said that I really liked that really made me think was, "Cuanto más obedientes
somos, lo más sacrificio el señor va a exigir de nosotros" so, the more obedient we are, the more sacrifice the Lord will require of us. It was interesting to think about that. It's true, the more
commandments we follow and the more obedient we are to the Lord, the more we have to sacrifice, but Elder Moreira promised that sacrifice for the Lord is always worth it.

At the stake conference, I got to see K, my investigator from Alcobendas and her two kids. They have since been baptized, but this is the first time I had seen them. She could not thank me enough for finding her and helping her and her family come into the gospel. She told me she is currently waiting to receive her patriarchal blessing 


and preparing to go to the temple for the first time in May and will
be sealed as well. And it hit me... I will be here in May! I felt so blessed to have made the decision to stay and can see now why the Lord had impressed me to accept the invitation from President to stay. She
invited me to go with her to the temple and of course told her I would
not miss it for the world!

So things are great. We're working hard and I sincerely love my companion. She is absolutely wonderful and we do so well together.
Expect to hear about some miracles! I know we're gonna see great things  this transfer!

Have a great week! I love you all!
Hermana Griffin

PS Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Surprise transfers!

2/01/16  Hi family,

Ready for this? We got transfer notices on Saturday and we found out we were staying together. I had accepted it, I was content. And this morning, we had just talked about what we wanted to do for pday and then started studies and... President calls. It's never good when President calls unexpectedly. Anyway. He said that he didn't feel good about the changes he had made to another companionship and that one of the Hermanas needed me. He said she needs help in her mission, not that she's a bad missionary, but she's struggling somehow and he said I can help her. So, yet again, here I am, the fixer haha.

   Anyway, so we had 2 hours this morning to pack my companion's suitcases and go to Chamartin, put my companion on a train and pick up my new companion. So, my new companion is Hermana Charlesworth. She is 21 from Utah and has 6 months in the mission. So far so good, I mean, I've only been with her 3 hours, but she seems normal and nice, so that's good! And she likes to work, so, I'm super excited for that! She has a good attitude and seems super positive, maybe she's just what this ward needs to get it moving. And, two of my favorite people, Hermana Spencer and Hermana Marsh are now companions, and I could not be happier! How awesome.

Anyway, this week was good! We met with E and he accepted a baptismal date for February 27th. He's got a ways to go still, but it's possible. He needs to be a bit more humble still, but little by
little. He for once brought his son to church. He was afraid he'd make a fuss and be irreverent, but he loved it and in fact was a bit sad to leave. So that too is progress.

We had a lot of help from the Relief Society President this week and am hoping other members will follow her lead and come to lessons with us. Not only is she helping with the investigators b also the menos activos! Woohoo! Also, my companion had a sudden desire to ask just about everyone we know for references, so that's exciting. All of our references this week were from members!

We were with Hermana K on Saturday and she was telling her son to go study and he didn't want to. She said if you don't do it now, when are you going to do it? And he said, mom I have a whole day to do it (referring to Sunday). She told him it was not ok to do it on Sunday because it's the sabbath and he told her well if we can go to my brother's rugby game and go out with old friends like last Sunday why can't I do homework. I felt bad watching and listening, but she didn't have anything to say to that, and I think it made her realize more than we ever could the example they are setting for their kids. So, we were quite thrilled to see the whole family at church on Sunday!

So, President Pack has put an emphasis on helping with home and visiting teaching because it's something fairly infrequent and pretty much forgotten here.  So, we are being assigned families and a companion to try and help advance the work. I'm pretty excited. Anyway, for the 3rd hour
yesterday in church, for our combined lesson, they talked about home and visiting teaching and how it should be done. It wasn't a bad lesson, but I think they could've been a bit for fuerte. Anyway this new member stood up to comment and mentioned the fact that they have now lived in our ward for 5 weeks and no one has even talked to them or even smiled at them, let alone visit them. This member is from the US and him and his wife and two little kids just moved here so he can study. Anyway, I went to talk to him after because I had wanted to visit them, but figured if ever there was a time, it was now after him essentially crying for help. I talked to him and said we wanted to visit him and get to know his family. He said his wife would really use it because she just moved thousands of miles from family, which is hard, and moved into the least loving ward I have ever been in, which is also hard, and to top it off, was already struggling with her faith. So he said she has kind of hit a wall and doesn't want to go back. So, I'm hoping we can help.

In Las Palmas news, D baptized our investigator V! So stinking happy! Saw a picture today and just about died. I have never felt so happy and proud. V has come such a long way and how
amazing for D to be a part of that. I love them all in Las Palmas!

I don't feel like much more has happened this week that is terribly interesting. This week we have a mission tour and one of the Seventy will be coming to speak and then at the end of the week, there is stake conference and I'll get to see all the people I love from Alcobendas too, as well as hear from the Seventy and President and Hermana Pack.

To answer your question, roscon is not like fruit cake. It's wayyyyyyy better. It's delicious. You'll love it. Anyway, they only really sell it in December and the first couple weeks of January. But, we found it in a bakery this week, and it was super cheap! So, enjoy these photos.
It comes in a cute little fancy box and                                                                   looks like this.

Well, I love you all tons. Have a good week!
Hermana Griffin

First Talk

Hey family! 01/25/2016

The dream I've had all of my mission has been to give a talk on  missionary work in church... It happened this week! So that was pretty great. I always thought that if I gave a talk in church, it'd be about members working with missionaries and I'd be a bit bold but it'd be good and I'd see results and such, but that's not what happened. Yes my ward needs to work with us, but they need to work on their humility and charity first, with investigators, menos activos and other members. So, I talked about humility and charity instead and related it to missionary work... Well the bishop was not a fan to say the least. I don't think he'll be asking me to speak again anytime soon. Oops. Oh well. I'll send it too. I thought it went good... What do I know.

J is so stinking precious! This week, we taught her about the plan of salvation. She bore her testimony at the end and said she knows that she's not perfect and that is what the atonement is for, so she can repent daily of little things that happen and that she does and she can start the next day and try to be better. She gets it! That's the biggest struggle I think we have as missionaries, is making sure people understand repentance and that it's not just for big sins,
but for daily use for the little things we do too. But no worries, she gets it!

K and her family did not come to church this week because D had a rugby game. Ugh. Two steps forward 3 steps back. But, we saw them yesterday night and they thanked us for being constant with them, because the ward has forgotten and given up on them but we haven't and they said if it weren't for us, they wouldn't be starting to get back into the rhythm of doing the things they need to do, like praying and reading daily and weekly noche de hogar. They are doing better, little
by little. The best part was hearing their oldest, who is 16, thank us for what we're doing for him and the change he's seeing in his parents. He was crying. It was the sweetest thing ever. He prayed
before we left and I realized how amazing he is. He really understands prayer because it really just was a conversation with our Heavenly Father for him. You can tell there is a real relationship there for him.

D isn't really progressing... He is more studying for curiosity than a real desire to know and he is trying to preach to us more and more as we meet with him. We're not giving up yet, but he's not
progressing like we'd hope.

E is progressing little by little. He admitted last night that he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet. This is huge for him because my first 5 lessons with him, he insisted there was no way that was
possible. The only problem with him was that he wants to know everything and have a perfect knowledge of everything before baptism and perfection doesn't come in this life. But it's ok. I have faith in him and when he gets baptized, he's going to be super strong in the church. Also, finally, his son talked to us. He is 3. He gets jealous when we're there normally, but last night, he let me play with him. So I colored and played cards with him for a little bit at the end of our lesson as my companion set up our next lesson and such. So, that is also progress!

We had interviews this week. It was fun to be with the Packs. We went to the office for them. It was fun. President is great. And Hermana Pack came over while I was studying, waiting for my interview and she sat by me and asked what I was doing and how long it would take. I asked why and she said, "I just wanted to talk" haha she's so funny. But it was good to talk to them and get some advice for my area and companionship. We find out transfers at the end of this week, but after our interviews, both me and my companion felt like she'll stay with me another transfer. We'll see!

So yeah, that's about it I think.  

Me and my companion realized we basically never take pictures together... So we made sure we took one in the office when we were there!

Have a good week! I love you all!

Hermana Griffin

God hears and answers prayers!

1/18/16   Hi family! This week was so good!

    So, K and the family came to church! And stayed the whole time! And loved it! And finally the ward is taking an interest in them and helping them and the bishop is going to personally do a noche de hogar with them. We taught them yesterday after church and we had a noche de hogar and we set family goals.

    It was so nice to see them all make       


goals and think of how they can strengthen each other. Now we just have the help them follow through, but at least now there is something more definite to follow up on. And E got blessed yesterday! 
      J is wonderful! She came to church and liked it even though
didn't understand tons because of the language. But, she is amazing and has such an amazing testimony. This week, she shared in our lesson that she was robbed a few moths ago and had nothing and was super depressed and stressed. She was at the point of suicide and suddenly had the strong urge to pray. So she prayed and she said she felt her worries be lifted and someone there, helping her. She said she knows that God hears and answers prayers. I just love her and really admire the faith she has.
     We asked D this week if he had prayed about Joseph Smith being a prophet and he said yes. He said he thinks Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true. He said the Book of Mormon couldn't have been written by anyone but prophets of God because it is
too inspired to be written by anyone else. We emphasized the importance of receiving an answer and knowing. He is so wonderful. He said he's going to keep reading because he just loves it so much.
     Tomorrow we have interviews with president in the office, so we have to go to Alcobendas. I'm excited to see the Packs. Hermana Pack called me this week just to talk because she said she missed me because they had concilio and I wasn't there. She's just he sweetest! I love them
too much.
     Today was K's husband's, D, birthday so we spent the whole day with them cooking and hanging out. So fun, I love them. They say they want to move to Michigan haha or at least they want to visit. You'll love them!
     It's been a good week. This week we have a worldwide missionary training from Utah. Everyone will be watching it live in all the world. I'm excited!
     Anyway, I love you all tons!

Hermana Griffin

Week of Bajada de Los Reyes

Hi everyone!  1/11/16
Good news, baby E is out of the hospital! He's still not 100%but he's doing a ton better.He's 


precious. Anyway, thinking of this experience, I'd call it the refiner's fire for K. It definitely tried her faith, but she has come out of it well. Sometimes the Lord tries our faith, but he never gives us a trial we cannot support.


   Y is back in the hospital with her youngest son, L, now. The family just can't catch a break. It is trying their faith a lot. Y really needs support and guidance right now to get her life in the
gospel back on track, but her husband doesn't seem to want to. He told her he doesn't want to go back to church again. We're not sure what happened, if it was all just too many trials at once, or what. That family has so much potential and needs a lot of help and prayers right now!

   We have a new menos activa who moved here recently. She is from the Philippines and is named J. She got baptized 2 years ago in Norway when she was there for work. She speaks English and hardly any Spanish, which makes our lessons interesting because my companion hardly speaks English haha anyway, I have honestly never seen someone with such great faith before! She really trusts in the Lord. I'm really excited to meet with her more and help her. 
    Also, I don't know if I ever mentioned R. She is an investigator from the US! She is from New Jersey but has lived here for over 30 years. She is married to a Spaniard and has 2 boys. She is someone we found in the carpeta. She has been receiving visits from hermanas since 2006 on a service basis. She has a son named A who is 16 who has a brain injury and is in a vegetable state. So, we go once a week to do stretches with A and talk with her. She's wonderful, but 16 years of constant care for a son in this condition is trying. They don't know why he's in this state or why he's not improving, but rather getting worse. No one seems to want to help her, they'd prefer to just maintain the state he's in. He also has now developed some rare type of diabetes... Anyway, the family has been through a lot. 
   Recently this has been trying R's faith. She is looking for answers and hope. We have been blessed to have short lessons with her about the resurrection and the plan of salvation. It's hard to not have concrete answers for why bad things happen to good people, but at least we know that there is a better future in store for all. I love R.







This week was Bajada de Los Reyes [the arrival of the Three Kings http://www.enforex.com/culture/reyes-magos.html ] and so we had roscon... A lot! There was so much for about a week straight, in every house we were in. But that's ok. Anyway, Elder Yokum, who is in training, won the prize twice... It's gonna be a lucky year! 

  I had intercambios this week. I kind of forgot what it was like being
on the other side of intercambios for once. It was fun, really. I was
with Hermana Staker in Barrio 2... Fun fact, I've done about 4
intercambios there now haha anyway, Hermana Staker is really wonderful. She's so focused and really dedicated. I felt like I learned a lot from her. She's just so sweet.
I was also sick this weekend, which was miserable. So I slept 16 hours straight... Felt a bit better after! Hopefully it's just a 24 hour thing. I think the elders gave me whatever they had because me and also their recent convert felt like we got hit by a truck yesterday.


  Bueno, life is a bit uneventful. No one is really progressing here, so we are looking for more people to teach. Barrio 4 is huge, so I know there are people here!

I love you all! Have a great week!
Hermana Griffin

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, family! 1/4/2016

We were sleeping through the new year. We set an alarm to wake up and eat grapes and such, but we slept through it! Haha we only woke up because someone called us at 12:15.

So, this week has been a bit chungo. Two of the families we are teaching have children in the hospital and everyone in our tiny ward is on vacation, so we've been going back and forth between the hospital and our area.

Baby E is in the hospital! K is a mess. He has some unknown respiratory infection and just keeps getting worse. We were at the hospital on Saturday with her when they decided to move him to the ICU and on the way there, he stopped breathing. He has been there 6 days now. K hadn't slept until they moved him to ICU, but now she can't be with him 24/7 in ICU so she has to go home and sleep. That's the only plus side. Anyway, pray for E, the poor thing is only 2 months oldl! I'll include a picture of me playing with him in the hospital bed his first day there. He's basically the cutest, sweetest baby ever and it breaks my heart to see him like that. We're gonna go check up on them this afternoon.

Our menos activa Y also has a son in the hospital and the same day he went to the hospital, her father in law died. So that's been super hard for their family too. They luckily have been super positive and understand very well the plan of salvation. Their son got released yesterday, but will be under observation every few days because of the effects of the virus he had, he may now need surgery. He was well enough to go home, but still isn't out of the woods. Pray for him too!
His name is T, he is 3 and just precious.

I never felt so helpless than when I was watching these poor little things sick in the hospital. I wish I could help them more than the little that I'm doing, but I know the Lord hears and answers prayers and that he never gives us trials we can't support or overcome.

So that's pretty much been our week. Also, we had a Noche de Hogar in the home of a new Columbian family in the ward. We had a good lesson about obedience where the kids participated a lot and then later, we played a game... You can tell we had lots of fun!

I love you all. I hope you all enjoyed your New Years! Have a great week!

Hermana Griffin

Goodbye 2015

12/28/15

Can I just start by saying I feel robbed! My full year of being a missionary is gone... And all I did was blink! I am in shock thinking about how fast it went and how fast I know the rest will go. It's like trying to hold water in your hands, but watching it run out. Anyway, I'm trying to take advantage of what time I have!

Christmas was great. Very tranquilo. We went to Barrio 3 to visit A, one of the members, and we had lunch with her. Of course before leaving I had to see J! 


I miss that girl so much! But her and her family are good. Of course I wish they were more active, but they are doing well.

D didn't have a chance to read the Book of Mormon before we met because of the holidays and all, but he promised to read more before our next lesson. We'll see. We taught him the Plan of Salvation... He was not a fan because it's not what he's been taught for the last 15 years by the JWs. We're going to go back over and try and explain better. His lessons are hard because he speaks Spanish, but not super well, even though he's been here for about 15 years, so it's easier
for him to understand English, but my companion doesn't speak English. So it's about 50% English, 50% Spanish. He's got to be a little more open minded if he's going to progress, but I'm not giving up in him!

We've been meeting with K still. She is doing better with her health, but still not great, and two of her three are sick. But, on the plus side, her husband got a new job and now doesn't have to work
Sundays so it's more likely that they'll come to church because she won't be trying to get them all ready by herself and then taking the metro for 45 mins to church. Talk about a Christmas miracle! Anyway, we spent Christmas Eve with her and her family and then used their house to Skype. And they have also invited us for New Year's Eve! So that's exciting. We are seeing a change in her husband too as he is now at least willing to do family prayers with them instead of just K and the boys doing them. Honestly, they are wonderful. You'd all love them!

Bueno, not much else since Friday. Have a great week and a happy new year! I love you all!

Hermana Griffin