Hermana en España: March 2015

Monday, March 23, 2015

Feliz Compleanos

March 23, 2015

Happy Birthday to meeee! Happy Birthday to meee! Happy Birthday on my miss-ion! Happy Birthday to meeee! Yeah, no judging, but I'm totally milking this whole birthday thing. Every single day is the same so when you have one that´s not....CELEBRATION!!!! Holidays have actually been really great on the mission, like I'm slightly a little disappointed that I won't have very many, and true to form, my birthday so far has been great. A definite success. Basically cause my comps made me a cake for breakfast and brought it in to me with candles to wake me up. Best thing ever!!! So this week was pretty great and basically what happened was:

1. We started off the week with "R" (who had a baptismal date for Saturday) telling us, on Monday, that his dad was going to be gone so he couldn't get baptized Saturday. Lemme tell you. People fail us all the time, but his original baptismal date was for January...then March 7th, then March 21st. Then he tells us he's got to move it back AGAIN! Dah.... Needless to say, we were a little heartbroken. We had been waiting forever for this and he changed it AGAIN! Ugh. Sooo the beginning of the week kinda just had a sour taste from that.

2. "I"....I have had soo many mixed feelings about this man and I don´t think I can really go in to all of them, but suffice it to say that before we even taught him about tithing (we were actually planning to teach him about tithing that lesson, so perfect!) he brought in his own tithing and told us that it was for the Lord and he knows Joseph Smith is a prophet. So after many discussions, "I" has a date of baptism for April!

3. We got a call Friday during medio día, right after we had just ended our fast to get out of the slump we were in for a miracle, and "R" told us that his dad would be there Saturday.....and he wanted to be baptized the next day. We planned, organized, and performed a baptism in less than 24 hours. And "get a load of this", I was on exchanges almost the WHOLE TIME! Luckily they were in the area where the baptismal font is, so while I organized everything on this side, Hnas Marsh and Berry were in our area organizing everything else. Ha! Shotgun baptism!!!! Woooo! "R" GOT BAPTIZED!!!!

4. Annd to finish up this week......I am now 20. Weird! It feels so weird to type that! Ahhh! Hahaha well guess I'm old now! Wooo! Have fun celebrating without me peeps! I'll be shopping in Europe so take that! ;)

"R"'s baptism!

One of the members made me a special meal with candles and cake:) I wasn't really prepared so I'll let you in on a little secret...The only days I get ready are the days I know I'm gonna take pictures...That day wasn't one of those days...Hehe :0

Breakfast birthday cake in bed!

My cute comps with my birthday surprise!

My study space by comps decorated!

My last day as a teenager I spent.......In the rain walking from backup plan to backup plan cause everyone failed us. Woooo:) Miracle of miracles though: We still had lessons! Wooo, Backup plans!!!!

Hermana Turina

With our investigator "G".

Friday, March 20, 2015

Happiness Has Many Faces

March 18, 2015:

Found this on FB with a response that said "La felicidad tiene múltiples rostros..." with this reply: "Sí, somos muy felices juntas...."

Translation: "Happiness has many faces..." and "Yes , we are very happy together ...."

So grateful for others posting pictures and knowing how very happy our Hermana is!

Also this one as well:

"Comiendo pescado y escuchando a Tomás." or "Eating fish and listening to Thomas (President Monson)"

Monday, March 16, 2015

Putting Family History To Work!

March 16, 2015

What an incredible week! I knooow I say that about every week, but really, this week was special! Well, this week was pretty normal, but Saturday was special! I'm sister training leader again this transfer, so on Saturday I was in Leganes with Hna Valverde. First off, it was so fun to be with her. I have really missed being with my native companion so to only be able to speak in Spanish and to have the two different perspectives was soo fun! I really hope that I will be blessed with another native companion. Anyway! She had received a reference and hadn't been able to find the street for a while, but this day we were finally able to find the street and when we knocked on the door and asked for "S.", the mom who answered it, said the she was sleeping/sick and couldn't see us. We continued chatting with her and something made her change her mind. When we walked into the room of "S." there was such a special spirit. "S." has a tumor in her knee and is receiving chemo therapy right now. She's 18 years old. Seeing her there and speaking with her I couldn't help remembering my own tumor experience. We began to share the feelings we had both felt. The feelings I had felt and that she was feeling right then. Then after we had both had a good little cry, we shared the message of the Restoration with her. How strong that spirit was. "S." is incredible and I would love it if you could all remember her in your prayers.

Second Miracle on Saturday: Sooo Mom! Your stories about family history paid off! Saturday after I had returned to my area, we...lost. the. keys......to the chapel! Yikes! So we frantically returned back to our apartment to search and after a couple minutes of frenzied search I thought of the story of Gilbert Giles Heaton finding the money for the missionaries, and of you finding your mom's school ring, so I called Hna Marsh and Berry and we knelt down and said a prayer. Literally TWO minutes later we found the keys. Family History I am doing it!

Love, Hna Finch

We went back to Alcala! Here we are in front of Don Quixote's.

Here we are in front of the Castle!

I got to see "I."!!! Best thing ever!

And this is one of the members here in Alcorcón. She made us strawberry smoothies and cookies and had an Utah house! Freaking best thing ever!!!

"So this one time I let my companion chop off all my hair... even though she has never cut hair before..." - Hermana Marsh

LOOKIE!!!! I cut Hna Marsh´s hair! I did that! Woo! Holla!

We got ready soooo selfie!!!!

Exchanges in Leganes with Hna Valverde and "S." :)

Please excuse my face. I was doing crazy things to get a big smile on that girl´s face, including having a contest to see who could have the most teeth show in the picture. Even with my crazy face I still don´t think I won >:(

Sooo yep whole fish.....I totally ate 3. Hna Berry wouldn´t even touch them. Be proud of me mom! I´m expanding my horizons;) Also Hna Marsh´s face....tehehe;)

Last the best of all the game. Our cute little compie was cold yesterday and didn´t bring her jacket so one of our menos activos gave her this shawl to keep her warm. Waiting for red lights to walk wasn´t necessary. ;)

Monday, March 9, 2015

Thank You!

March 9, 2015

I just pulled up Facebook and look who popped up! Thank you "C" for a beautiful picture of our daughter and her companions!

Our Little Bundle Of Joy!

March 9, 2015

Wow!Wow!Wow! What a week! So we have a child now! We brought home our little bundle of joy Tuesday night and lemme tell you. She definitely takes after her other mom cause they are both towering over me! I feel like a shrimp! But for real, we have our new comp now. Her name is Hna Sydney Berry and she´s from St George! She, too, is 19 and basically we are a trio of no diversity. And I love it! Holy cow I love these girls! They are sooo wonderful! I am also super duper incredibly grateful that for my first experience training I don´t have to do it alone. Hna Berry is great, but after being with people who know what they´re doing for so long, to have somebody that you have to explain things to is kinda weird and yeah weird sometimes. But she´s settling into everything right now and is doing great!

CPdE: So we were contacting this lady in the streets this week and ended up having a pretty great conversation with her and at the end of the conversation with her. She was like "Oh I thought you guys were Jehova´s Witnesses. I´m sure glad you´re not. And I´m glad your not Mormon either. I just really don´t agree with their doctrine." And I was like "Oh no? What doctrine?" (She was a talker, so she just goes off.) "Some of their young guys stopped me on the street the other day and they just said that.....blah blah blah..." And so I cleared it all up and she´s was telling me "Exactly!" And nodding her head so forcfully that she was holding onto my arm. Then I hold her arm and I´m like " " " 'C', I need to tell you something....We are Mormon." And I just sit there, waiting for it to sink in, smiling at her. Bahahhahaah!!!!! I loved every single moment of it! Then we had a great conversation after and she definitely has a different opinion about the church now. :)

Hmmm, really this week was great. We scheduled a ton of old investigators, just trying to give them last chances, so they failed us a bunch. Lemme just say that I´m so grateful that we make backup plans because our backup plans probably worked more than our actually plans this week. Annnnnd I love you all!!!! So freaking much! Annnd yeah.

We came back to Alcalá today:)

A Letter From The Pres.

6 March 2015

Dear Finch Family,

This letter is to inform you that your daughter, Sister McKenna Nicole Finch, has been assigned to be a trainer. She has demonstrated her ability as an effective, obedient missionary. As a trainer, Sister Finch will be responsible for teaching and training a new missionary. This is a 12 week program, which includes an additional hour of daily study, including language study. Both your daughter and the missionary she is training will be responsible to report their weekly progress to the President. Only the best and most dedicated missionaries are called as trainers. She will serve as a role model for her new companion, and will hold a special place in the heart and memory of that companion.

Thank you for sharing your daughter with us. Sister Jackson and I love her and pray for her continued success in this important calling.

Our best wishes to you,

President Scott T. Jackson

Spain Madrid Mission

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

A Letter From The European Area Presidency

March 3, 2015:

Both Jeff and I received this email early this morning! What a great way to start the day! We love our dear Hermana and her companion! They are both wonderful and have been great together!

Dear Families,

I was delighted to have had the opportunity to meet with several missionaries during our recent tour in the Spain Madrid Mission. This companionship is doing outstanding, exercising great faith and diligence in fulfilling their purpose each and every day. I thank you deeply for your personal faith and support of this great work, as you “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men”.

All the very Best,

Elder Timothy J. Dyches

Europe Area Presidency, Second Counselor

Elder and Sister Dyches:

President and Sister Jackson

Bum Bum Bummmmm!

March 2, 2015:

What a great week! First off, we had zone training this week and I had to give a talk and Hna Marsh had to give a thought. It was scary, but we did it! So cross that one off the bucket list!

Ummm it was a great week...and the best part was when one of our investigators, "R", taught us yesterday! He just moved here from Bolivia and his dad and step-mom are both members, but they didn't want to force him into anything. So we've been teaching him since December now (before I got here) and he's just super shy and doesn't talk much during lessons so we decided we had to force him to realize he had a testimony by teaching us. He was INCREDIBLE! Seriously the Spirit was so strong and afterwards his parents were shocked that this son who doesn't show emotion or talk much had a testimony strong enough to teach a lesson and know what he was talking about. I am so proud of him! PS Mom, he used your plan of salvation pictures and rocked it. He was really excited to teach with them:)

As to transfers.....bum...bum...BUMMMMMM! Hna Marsh and I are staying together!!! Yay!!!!!!!!! Annnd we will be parents! They´re going to add a little baby to the mix! We´re going to train! I´m so glad we get to do this together. We really didn't think President would pull us apart cause honestly, we are doing incredible things here - not to toot my own horn, but it´s true;) So instead of pulling us apart we will get to impart some of our greatness on a new little missionary who we will be receiving tomorrow. We don´t know who she will be yet, but I know she is going to be amazing. So that´s all for now folks!

5 Questions:

1. What is the favorite part of your day?

10.30 at night. We go to bed!! hahahha

2. What is your companions favorite part of her day?

She said "Honestly...10.30, when we go to bed. I´m a horrible missionary! Haha" It´s not because we hate the day. but the feelings of accomplishment when you fall into bed are the best:)

3. When you feel discouraged, what is the best way you pick yourself up?

Feeling discouraged....I go and I buy myself something yummmy. Sometimes you just need a little pastry:)

4. I sent you a pedometer for Christmas. Do you use it? About how far do you walk each day?

I used it in Alcalá! I need to put it on here cause it´s a smaller area here. But in Alcalá we walked about 7-12 miles every day.

5. What do you do in church on Sundays? Teach lessons, sing with primary, help with the youth?

In church we teach lessons sometimes, when we have investigators we attend young women's sometimes, but mainly we stay in gospel principles with our investigators. We don´t really have a reason to go to the primary unless they would ask us for help. I wish they would! It would be such a fun change!

Our Zone Leaders:

Zone Meeting:

Best thing ever this week! We had some down time during medio dia. There was a special running to get a pedicure done with fish! Hahaha! It was awesome!

DAD!!!! Lookie what I found!

"C" and us with Kous kous, a traditional Moroccan food that you eat from the same bowl. (Her husband is from Morocco)

Snow!!! It´s started to warm up here. We´ve even been going with just little jackets during the afternoons. Looks like the summer is coming for us!

More yummy Morracan food! We had scones mom! That´s the reason I took the pic!

The mission is not boring, but we definitely do all we can to make it fun too! Weekly planning in our fort!

A member from Alcalá that I found in the streets when we went to the temple. Best thing ever is seeing the people you´ve left!

We went to go pick up the package you sent me in our pajamas just with our skirts on cause it was medio dia and we weren't changing;)

The pics one of the Hna´s in our zone drew for me. Her and I as missionaries saving the world. One in the outfits we wear on the top. The other on the outfits we were on the bottom.;)