It's Raining Miracles

Monday...October 20, 2014

IT'S RAINING MIRACLES.  Hallelujah its raining miracles!

What a week. This whole mission is really the biggest blur! I want to do all that I can so that it stays with me completely crystal clear forever.

I loved what you said mom and dad about loving others. Something that every child of God needs to not just hear but to KNOW is that there indeed is a God in Heaven that loves them immensely and perfectly, and that they can become like Him.

The most effective missionary (or person) is one that works through love.

Saturday may have just been one of the most beautiful and rewarding nights of my entire mission. Or better said J. may just be one the biggest miracles of my time here as a full time missionary.

Those who will pursue this course and truly embark on a mission will see miracles every day. That is one of the beauties of the mission with the biggest miracle being the change within you.

J. was baptized on Saturday night! And G. too.. this Peruvian girl that we have been working with. One of those classic and special investigators who investigates for YEARS. Anyways,  G. this sweet Peruvian teenager was baptized! That was a miracle in itself  but the true miracle was cute little J. whose affect has touched my life forever.

J. stopped smoking! SHE did it because of her testimony in Christ. It was so touching and I cannot wait to share all of these incredible relationships that I have here in Spain with you all at home. The gospel truly does CHANGE people. It really changes people. I don´t know how it all works exactly, but people CHANGE through the power of the atonement. Saturday we had a huge and special spirit there in the little Vigo branch! There were just miracles on miracles! I wish I could tell you all of them. We have worked so HARD with J.  but it seems like all of that just wipes right away when you sit there and see them get baptized and hear them bear their short and sweet testimony. Before my mission I had always wondered what baptism nights would feel like. How you would feel? And honestly just being able to reflect back on my mission, you really don´t even think for ONE second about yourself and all of the sacrifice you have made, as some would call it, but you can only think about how much you LOVE this person and how far they have come. I sat there just thinking about what a privilege that it truly is to be a missionary of the Lord and what a privilege it is to be able to be used as an instrument in His hands. The coolest thing about J. has been the physical and mental difference that we have seen as she has been able to use the atonement in her life, repent, and GLOW. People glow! The atonement literally has this affect that allows people to shine and glow no matter what as they completely become cleansed. What a humbling privilege it is to be able to reflect back and just feel of the power of Lord and how it truly was Him that brought forth this change according to the faith of the participant.

One of the most powerful moments of my mission is 100% when J. got up to share her testimony after being baptized. It was so simple and just reminds me of the power of simple and pure testimony. Quick side note...when we had told her earlier that day about having to bear her testimony we had her practice with a spoon HAHA see the picture. She had no idea what to say and it was so funnnnny practicing with her! But when J. got up there, she said something COMPLETELY different.

She said something like this...

Some of you know me, and some of you don´t. My name is J.  I was brought to the church through M. who brought me to the hermanas, who brought me to the Lord. This is the first time that I have ever been baptized and I am so happy. I had a virus for about my whole life - Smoking! But I want you all to know this night that it was the Lord that cured me. He has a power to allow people to change. May we stay away from the bad, and bring ourselves to the good. In the name of Jesus Christ.

With that little testimony she had everyone in tears! What a POWERFUL and humble testimony. To hear from someone who has had the hardest life ever know the Lord can help us. She was GLOWING! I have never felt the spirit so strong! I LOVE J. She has the best heart. I just want to THANK you all who have prayed and had her in your hearts. Prayers bring miracles through the Atonement of the Lord! We have seen a miracle! No one would have thought that someone could change so radically. She changed from a weak little lady to a white glowing angel. She was a angel that night!

THE LORD LIVES! I have a prayer in my heart for all of you.

Hermana Nydegger

And this prayer goes out to all the...

Monday...October 13, 2014

BUENOS DIAS!

Best part of conference was when Elder Holland was like, "Bien hecho EDUARDO." HAHA

J. is doing amazing. Found out that she used to smoke 3 cigarettes at the same time back in her youth.. what amazing progress she has made.

So we visit her everyday and every day she dedicated her prayers to something! She has dedicated a prayer to Africa, the homeless, the druggies, yeah name a type of person and YOU¨VE GOT IT! She prays for everyone. It is actually really cool but hilarious. Especially the other day when she asked us who should pray for today! And we were just like J. pray for yourself and for your son today! And she was like Okay! Then she starts her prayer and then was like, "Father, today I am praying for all of the PROSTITUTES out there.. their life is a sad hard life and they need your guidance. And please bless all of the drunks, some do it out of hardship and some do it out of pleasure, and some will soon will be with you." Hermana Braithwaite and I just about BURST out laughing when that came out of her mouth. Lets just say she gives the best, very specific and literal prayers in a gangster kind of way. I LOVE HER! 

We went to Santiago a few weeks ago for a conference and had some time during medio dia to walk around and see the Cathedral.  

It honestly was one of my most favorite things I have seen in Spain!

 It was SO cool. I feel so truly lucky to be in such a beautiful place that people come to from all over the world! We went there and there are just THOUSANDS of people who have hiked who knows how many miles to get there from all of the world. It actually is a really spiritual experience for a lot of these people! My favorite was this one guy from Poland (see the picture) just sprawled out there having just recently arrived. We went up to him and asked up what brought him here and you know what he said?? "I came here to find God."

It made me think of HOW many bazillion people there are out there that are looking for God! And how much a LOVE being a missionary. How much of a meaningful experience that God has given me. And how much MORE that the Lord gives us

Nothing else, no other choice we make can make of us what HE CAN.

HE CAN MAKE ME BETTER THAN I CANE MAKE MYSELF! It is when we TURN outwards and not inwards that the atonement makes a different in our lives.

The most rewarding part of a mission is coming to understand the atonement more for myself! The atonement is not only for sinners. It is for EVERYONE. It is for the weary, the downtrodden, the broken hearted. Its for anyone who has loved and lost. It is for the simple frustrations, anxieties, and tears. The Atonement of our Savior and Redeemer is for every time the demands put on us go on beyond our natural ability, every time we are stretched beyond our resiliency. It is what allows us to reach beyond these earthly limitations and change our hearts, our very cores, to become like HIM. It is more real, further reaching, and more potent than any comfort or cure. It is the means by which we can become more able, more fulfilled and more perfect, the means by which each child of a Loving Father in Heaven can return to Him and become as He is.

There is so much that we don´t understand when it come to our purpose as people! But have what we need to make it back to the Celestial Kingdom! I love love love teaching people of the plan of Salvation. We taught it to a man the other day and it was just so cool seeing the dots connect in his head as he felt the spirit testify of the truthfulness of this plan. I love the gospel so much with all of my heart. Dad I remember right before I left you and I were talking about the process of learning the gospel throughout our whole lives and how mine is about to hit WARP SPEED on the mission! Its true.. I have grown and been stretched in a number of ways that I never could even imagine! Thus making the statement true that NOTHING else, no other choice we make can make of us what He can.

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/charity-never-faileth?cid=HPTH100214400&lang=eng

Well.. it has officially gotten cold we think! It has been raining everyday the past few days and my little umbrella didn´t quite make the cut out here in good old GALICIA so I bought myself a legit Gallego umbrella that is HUGE! Completely HUGE! HA not we say I truly look like a Gallega. You should see the umbrellas out here they are huge but they keep you dry until the wind!

I love you all SO much and I hope that you have a great week this week!

Hermana Ny

Conference high!!!

Monday...October 6, 2014

Conference...wasn´t it the most AMAZING? The coolest thing about being a missionary during conference is the fact that you just invite the entire world to come and it is the coolest thing to witness. It just amazes me the POWER of it. Seriously recent converts and investigators literally just EAT IT UP! More than members do.. we take a lot of things for granted and it has been a blessing seeing that and feeling how truly blessed we are! It was so fun seeing Tomasa, Merchy, Sandra, and so many other recent converts just SOAK it all up. I have never seen wider eyes. We truly leave conference with opened eyes and with a new light. How inspired it is.

For it was the true light bulb moment where everything just clicked for J.M. 6 months ago as he came and ended up staying for every single session. It was General Conference that let him know how very ALIVE the church is and how real and crucial this really is.

I still haven´t seen all of the sessions.. but we are going to use our medio dia time to watch the Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon sessions. Here in Spain they broadcast those sessions at seriously 10 O'CLOCK at night! Ha if only as missionaries we could permission to go!

DECISIONS DETERMINE DESTINY.. I too felt this huge rush of emotion as I sat there and was brought back to where I was 2 YEARS ago in the session when President Monson made that historic announcement on missionary work that truly changed the course of my life and so many others. What I would do to have everyone serve missions! It is incredible to think about. OVER 88 thousand full time set apart missionaries teaching about our Savior Jesus Christ. What a privilege that is. What an honor. What a blessing!

I would like to tell you all about a friend of mine named L. L is a JAS (YSL) of 23 years. A few months back I began talking to her about serving a mission. My mission has been the most important thing and time of my life and it has done so much good for me that my whole mission, every where I go, I feel the need to get some of these girls out on missions! So I recall talking to her a few months back. She had a boyfriend and wasn´t necessarily TRULY thinking about a mission! Keep in mind that she is like the coolest girl ever! She is this beautiful Colombian who is really smart and majoring in language translation. She speaks pretty much perfect English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and is learning Chinese and Arabic. Any ways I have always felt the desire to reach out to her and help her see the important contribution that she could be to the Lord and how it will bless her.

After conference, L. comes up to my companion and me and she says, I have something very important to tell you. I am going to serve a mission.

I FREAKED OUT! I can´t tell you HOW happy I was. Cute L. made the decision, got her revelation in conference, and now is about to go on the journey of a lifetime. I made her promise to me that she was going to go home, write this down, and not let anything get in her way of going!

It makes me happy just KNOWING how much this will indeed bless her life, the life of her family, the life of her future family, the life of her companions, the life of the people she teaches, and most importantly the KNOWLEDGE of her Savior and her testimony that she will get. No doubt that missions are hard.. I know how hard the are! But they are OH so worth it! And just like anything in life it's not something that can be known until it is experienced. 

This week was great! It was full of rewarding work. Whether you see the fruits or not, when you know who is standing right next to you, it is rewarding.

Just like President Monson said, 

It is not as important to walked where the Savior walked, but walking AS He walked.

I truly don´t think that I will ever be able express how I truly love what missions are and what the Savior is for me! But I KNOW that He lives. I KNOW that we can understand things that simply don´t make sense to the world through sincere prayer. I KNOW that Joseph Smith did truly see the Father and Son and that he was a simple yet honest man who magnified his calling.

J. is doing great. Keep praying for her! She is feeling a bit like a failure as quiting tabacco has been such a trial on her. But I know that she will get through it. She seriously is the coolest person to teach and I can´t wait to tell you more about her in person.

OS QUIERO FAMILIA MIA!

h nydegger

I'm a Spaniard!

Monday...September 29, 2014

Hi FAMILY!

Just got back from Portugal.. I live quite the life here in Vigo! Everything is going great here in Vigo! It is so beautiful here, I love it! Also, my companion is amazing and we are seeing so many amazing miracles together! I'm just so thankful to be here and so thankful that I still have 10 more weeks to just give it everything I have left to give. I keep having moments where I just get so sad that soon I won't be a missionary anymore. But I know and trust SO much in the plan that Heavenly Father has for me! Time is just FLYING! It is so weird. But then at the same time I feel like I don't fully understand that I am actually going home.. I mean of course I don't I still have a while! But honestly sometimes your mission feels like it will never come to end! But I guess that is the beauty of it!

I CANT believe that Katie is off! I am telling you that it is the weirdest feeling thinking about her in the very beginning and then me on the whole other end. I am so excited for her! Ah I think about her non stop and I am just so happy and grateful that she and I can serve together at the same time.

In the very beginning of my mission there was a quote that comforted me a lot! But I remember in the beginning just thinking.. well I hope that this will be true for me also one day!

"The language in which you are called to preach, is the language that you can testify most powerfully in!"

And just thinking back to Katie and everything and reflecting back on my mission.. it IS true!  I realize it the other day when we had to teach a nigerian in english and I felt like the biggest fool! Just fumbling over my words. I know that WHAT we speak is just as inspired as WHERE we serve. It doesn't come easy though! It requires a lot of work and patience and faith and prayer. But anyone will and can come to love their mission language. I have and I am so grateful for it!

Strangely enough people AGAIN this week told me I look like a Spaniard. Some elder who is a Spaniard told me.. It is the white of your eyes! Ha I don't even know if that is a good thing or bad thing.. people here are just so funny! It kills me everyday! I don't think that I have laughed harder than I have here in Spain!

J. is doing AWESOME! It honestly has been the most humbling experience ever. She is the most amazing pure person on the planet. She is now down to 3 cigarettes a day and she is doing so well. It has been such a humbling experience and so powerful the spirit that we feel with her. It has been so interesting! We feel the spirit so strong with her. Despite the most crazy life she has has she is so pure and sensitive to the spirit and has unbreakable faith. It has been awesome seeing the change that the gospel is making on her life due to the pure faith that she has. It just makes me think about the world would be if they had the child like faith that Julita has. SO humble and pure and believing and charitable. I love her so much! The gospel is just so real and she is humble enough to realize it. She literally has NOTHING yet she feels so privileged.

ALSO for all who hasn't seen this yet.. THIS IS MY TRAINER! Hermana Amanda Philips.. the BEST person alive! I love her so much!

https://familysearch.org/blog/en/family-history-miracle/

Have a great week! 

Hermana Nydegger

He LIVES

Monday...September 22nd, 2014

HOLA FAMILIA! QUE TAL!

HOW ARE YOU ALL?? Happy Birthday to you Lily! I told everyone that it was your birthday and sang happy in birthday in spanish for you! 

KATIE! I CANNOT believe that she is just taking off! I literally feel like that was me 2 seconds ago. SUCH exciting and special times! I will forever be so thrilled for anyone who embarks on a mission

So let me tell you about the WEIRDEST yet coolish kind of moments lately.. people have been thinking that I am a spanaird! That I am like from southern Spain.. Andalucia. I don´t know what that means but I am happy!

This week was so fast.

Other than not having electricity for 3 days.. it has been great. ha

The rain in the north has officially begun! RAIN and hard rain all day! I love it and hate it at the same time! I love it but then NO one is on the streets so thats a downside! And no one goes to anything if it rains its quite funny. But I like it. I had to buy a big Gallego umbrella because the little ones seriously don´t jack but its great! By the end of the day you are soaked anyways because of the wind, You literally have to carry around an umbrella ALL day because it rains on and off hardly and then lightly and if you are not careful you will be soaked in 1 minute and 27 seconds (yes I timed it)

I heard the most beautiful thing the other day which was a prayer. Not just any prayer but a PURE prayer. We are teaching a Spanish lady from Olviedo named J. She is precious and smokes at least 15 cigarettes a day since she was 12. She is changing her life. She is a miracle! And she needs prayers. AH I have SO much that I want to tell you about her! But I have no time and I don´t want to give you a half hearted email about her because she is AMAZING! Lets just say that I learned so much this week about the atonement and love of Christ and ALL that he does that we can´t see when we do our part! Anyways J. has SO much faith and she is literally like a 5 year old when we teach her because she just BELIEVEs and has so much faith in all we tell her. It is the coolest experience. We taught her how to pray. J. offered the most beautiful PURE prayer. It was a testimony builder to see how far she has come and is willing to go. She has TRULY figured out prayer, something that takes most people a lifetime to figure out. It was a literal two way communication between him and his Father in heaven. Sooooo powerful. She gave this prayer and literally just TALKED to God. Prayed for everyone and everything possible. She pleaded with the Lord and literally offered the most beautiful thing. And the coolest thing was that is was her first prayer. So humble. Just made me think of how great it would be it everyone would pray like she did. You know, BECOME a child and believe no matter what and trust and go. She has gotten down to 2 cigarettes and I know with all of my heart that she will DO it. Because of her child like faith and humility! Ever since we met dear J. we have known that she is a HUGE smoker. And so ever since that first time we have felt impressed to pray her so that she will be able to dejar de fumar. We literally pray for her in every prayer! 

This week for one of the first times in my life I have literally FELT the prayers of others for J. We are praying for her as a district and for some reason, the first time I have literally felt the POWER of prayer by name. We have been praying so much and I think thats why she has so much help. It still is so hard for her every day. You wouldn´t believe how hard it is. Pray for her please! Pray for her by name and plead that she may be able to find the strength to stop. She has had a crazy life but I just know have the certainty that she WILL be able to this. 

Ah why do Spaniards have to smoke so much! It makes me MAD! like literally because before they know it they will literally end up like J.

I had the coolest experience the other night with her has she recieved a priesthood blessing and we then cleaned her room. (She lived in the very humble hostal of a member) I will tell you of this next week I promise :) That as well as G!

Heavenly Father and Christ LIVE. He has a most perfect plan for us and is willing to give us all. He is willing to bend backward and do all and even die on the way to help us have what he has. I wish that I could express myself better and you could truly see and feel what I see and feel.

Christ makes our walls white as we do our part.

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2649250159001

Hermana Nydegger

Miracles

Monday...September 15, 2014 

I AM STAYING IN VIGO! I wasn´t transferred and I am happy here! Vigo is truly an amazing area. I know this place will be a heaven for me after the mission. How grateful I am to be here surround with so many amazing people and such profound love as the hard times do come. Plus now I am pretty positive that I will be finishing here.. which is a weird thought. In all of my areas I have been so lucky to stay in each one for a long time and I love it because you get to know the people so much more. Its harder to leave but just the more better.

On your mission you leave behind your family and your friends. But not really because Heavenly Father surrounds you with the most beautiful people who fill in those gaps. The people here truly do become your family. The thing I love so much about serving missions is that you love people on a level that you never have before. You hit a point where you truly hurt for them and truly desire their good. There is not quite anything like it.

The other day I was talking to a girl about serving a mission and I just felt the love and prayers of you guys so strong as I told her how missions are amazing and that everything will be okay. I told her, you know being on the other side of the world than my family, I have never felt so close to them ever in my life. 

And I think that that is because of one

We are an ETERNAL family. We are sealed and we have this bond which is so real

I love being a missionary because even though I am so far I am so close and I have the peace that we are sealed. And then I do all I can so that others can be sealed too and have what I have

This week we saw miracles and we saw trials. We saw miracles from AFTER the trials.

Here is a entry from my journal the other night 4 Septiembre 2014

Dropping people- an act of faith. Today my heart really hurt! I also feel peace and so much love. We dropped M.  Like I have said I don´t think that I have taught an investigator that my heart just FEELS as much as I have for M.  It was a weird lesson. M. has been progressing other than the fact that she doesn´t feel a desire to pray to know it all that we have taught her is true. And she doesn´t really understand the restoration because she doesn´t think that there is a such thing as a one true church. It has actually been so hard because we just love her so much as she has opened up inmensly to us and as we have felt she spirit so strong. Man I LOVE M. and A. so much. My heart truly does ache for them! Having to drop them really does tear your heart because you just want everything to click for them so badly. But you just have to trust in the Lord and know that their time will come and that there and people that are ready now. Anyways it was a weird lesson. Hermana Braithwaite and I both were just completely speechless at points with no idea what to say or read. As M. basically told us that she won´t be changing and all she said I was just praying SO hard and flipping through my scriptures and just nothing felt right. I had no idea what to say all I know it that I felt so sad and felt God´s love for her so strongly. I opened my mouth and just got shaky as I started to cry as I told her how much I love her and the Lord loves her more than she can comprehend. We felt the spirit so strong and it was just SO tangible as we testified of the love of God with tears in our eyes yet none of it seemed to touch her heart. That was the hardest. It was very sad.

As missionaries we get to feel a little of the Love of God for each and every one of His children. Our eyes our opened and our hearts are stretched and we truly DESIRE and work diligently so that everyone may know what we know and feel what we feel. We truly desire the salvation of others. There have been several times on my mission that I have just felt the love of God SO intensly strong..as if the veil is just lefted just a bit. Today was one of those days. It is just so CLEAR to me the love of God no matter what. And as humans we can´t even come close to imagining the very reality of power of this divine love. As we walked out I just thought, 

WHY IS THIS SO HARD. Why can´t M.  We have truth. We just POURED out hearts out to her. She is a GOOD person, we pray for her constantly. Why won´t it just click for her?

As they just ran through my mind the most clear sentence just cleared out those thoughts,

"This isn´t easy because it wasn´t for Him."

I hope and I pray and I have faith that one day it will click for margarita. I know it will. I don´t know when and I don´t know what it will be but I know that it will come.

As a missionary you learn who you truly do represent! And it is a PRIVILEGE. Even the hardest days you can know that you are standing shoulder to shoulder next to your older brother. It is the coolest blessing about a serving a mission. I can´t tell you how thrilled and nervous and happy I am for you Katie. 

Biggest miracle of the week.. G! she is from Brasil and she is a miracle miracle MIRACLE. Most prepared person I have met. I will tell you more about her next week when I´ve got more time. Another defining moment on my mission. I met a return missionary who I think may be my hugest example of what it means to be a member missionary and truly dedicate your life to Lord and his work. Her name is L. and she is from Spain and has the most beautiful accent. She served her mission in California. I ll tell you more about her and what she has to do with Georgia next week.

For now enjoy this video that I love

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1737858986001

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/consecrate-thy-performance?lang=eng#watch=video

Every person that is every born is influenced by the light of Christ. It is how God works.

OS QUIERO MUCHISIMO!

Hermana Nydegger

He Exist...He is there!

Monday...September 8, 2014

Hi family,

This week is going ot be short because we may or may not have used all of our pday running around vigo looking for somewhere to buy fire extinguishers and what not that we need for our piso haha. But we did manage to buy ourselves a ton of icecream in between of everything!

This week was great.. we ate SO much.. and not by our choice.

I swear one of this things you learn on your mission is how to PUT down food on food on food on food alllll day everyday. Its bad.. missionaries must be blessed a lot because we should all be dead from the amount of food we have to eat! At least its good food most of the time!!

Anyways it was good. I learned a lot about the faith we need to have knowing that every child of God will indeed have there most perfect time come. It still hurts having to set aside some people that you just love so much when they don´t even know what they are turning off. Next week I will bring my journal to tell you more about this one experience I had this past week.

Other than that it has been great! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAX AND CHARLIE! I cannot BELIEVE that they are 5.. when I left they were 3!! Life really just goes on!

Monday night a week ago we had our very first lesson with our friend M. from Sengal. It's funny because maja is a spain word used for really nice/cool. So M. is a man. On his records decribing him I put M. es un hombre muy majo!! haha spanish problems. African names are just endless. I was really humbled as we sat with him on a bench in front of a catholic church (whoops!) M. is a GREAT person and as quite the life. He worked to bring many of people from terrible circumstances in Senegal and brought many people from Senegal, got caught, and was thrown into jail for 6 years. His last month in jail is wife died and his daughter is now living in senegal alone as a 15 year old. He is muslim. It was so so interesting and cool talking to him that night and just testifying of Christ.

So know muslims have such a different view on who Jesus Christ! Its CRAZY. Anyways anytime you really start teaching a muslim you start with Christ and who is REALLY is! The very beloved Son of God. You teach them about the atonement and what it can mean to them. Muslims can be hard to teach as they are so different but they are such good people if you can just do all you can to have the spirit touch their very hearts.

We know that M. felt it that night..I know he did! He is good man and deserves so much. Despite his crazy life he has really turned it around. He was telling us that he doesn´t blame God for has happened in his life, but he wants to know WHERE HE WAS.

I think that a lot of us think that at points in our lifes! Interesting how we don´t doubt that He exists, but sometimes we wonder where He actually is. Little do we know that He is there the WHOLE time. In the details. Allowing things to happen according to our choices allowing us to GROW! For everything that happens pushes us to grow. To REACH the potential that God has individually for each and every one of His children. He doesn´t see where we are! He SEES what we can become. And he LOVES us so much. I think that has been the most incredible thing about serving a mission is just seeing and feeling so hard the love of God for everyone of His children. He truly loves us for who we are and more importantly who we can become! Sometimes I feel as if the veil was literally lifted at some minutes in my mission when I have just felt to love of God so so deeply. We can´t even comprehend it.

OS QUIERO! ahhh Katie 2 WEEKS! Good luck in your farewell and know you have a sister in Spain cheering you on! Such exciting and anxious times. I feel like that was me 2 seconds ago and also a million years ago ha

Hermana Nydegger

True Joy

Monday...September 1, 2014

This week was truly a GREAT one! I am amazed at out how time is just flying. The work of salvation goes on.

This week I got one of the most HIGHS of my whole entire mission. Saturday night comes around when we were on the street contacting and at about 8:30 I get a call from the elders back in Torrejón and little did I know that it wasn´t the elders but that I was..

J.M.! I got the best news I have ever heard in my entire life as he told me, 

"Guess what? I just got baptized." 

I about fell on the ground of happiness and and true joy. Right there in that very moment I felt the spirit so strong talking to someone who I love so much take the step into baptism and grow. He really DID IT! He did it and it was the most rewarding thing of my entire mission. Someone who I have laughed so hard over, prayed so much over, and cried so much over. I never had felt as happy as I felt during that moment. Even though I couldn´t be there to see it, I know I did my part. Man, Hermana Carroll and I worked so so so so hard with this 26 year old good guy who has had a hard and wild life. Its like as if every struggle, every tear, every effort is SO worth it and you would do it for every single person you could just to feel this joy. I just have been ever since that moment with the thought permantly in my head, you know this really is worth it. There truly is NO better feeling than seeing. This time is was different than any other baptism that I have been able to see. It was just so clear to me the Lord´s hand in this work. After all this time after all these prayers and preparations and soul pouring out, the Lord really does provide. It doesn´t matter how much we go through and how much we try, the Lord magnifies our efforts and it IS worth it. 

It was the best phone call of my life.. I almost cried just hearing voice and testimony again. He just thanked me over and over and over again telling me that the baptism was even more amazing than he ever imagined that it would me.  I just thought, everything we do in and behind the scences are so worth it in the work of salvation. We can´t ever give up on someone! For the worth of souls is GREAT in eyes of the Lord.

Last night I was reflecting on the week. Thinking about what I did and what I can do better. And it just hit me so hard again, HOW GOOD I FEEL. I have never felt so good as I do as a missionary and where I am in this mission.

Something different about the North and the Islands compared to Madrid is that the church is small.. just a bunch of branches. So as missionaries we really WORK with the members. You just desire so bad the progression of the branch and its leaders. This past week I have just felt SO GOOD about the growth and mainly the future of the branch here in VIGO. There is NO feeling better than when you just feel so good and happy seeing people who you work with living the gospel and living happy. Seeing people experience TRUE happiness for the first time. Happiness that the world does not offer. I just have the greatest feeling about the future here in Vigo. I can´t wait to see it in about 20 years. To be able to see where it starts and where its potential will take it with the ALIVE FAITH of the members here. With the unity with the members and missionaries. I see the branch here slowly turned into the true church that Christ established and directs. God is so good. He really does provide. The branch here really is progressing and understanding its eternal significance little by little. Such an incredible feeling seeing the members do their missionary work and be GOOD and happy people. Its like all of your efforts of the missionaries and investigators and members really to count and become magnified. The Lord WILL soften hearts and bring forth miracles when the missionaries, members, and Lord are compltely unified in the faith. How much of an eteral role do the members of the church have. When there is unity and daily increasing faith is when the work really does take off flying. As missionaries we need to always do everything in power to leave our area stronger than we when we arrived. 

We had planned an awesome lesson to teach M. the other day about the Sabbath day when as all of a sudden we just felt a huge prompting to change and just ask her whats in her mind. We could tell that she wasn´t being herself and that something needed to fixed. She opened up and told us about this decision she had to make and I could tell that she was really just stuck in the middle. I could feel her confusion. I love Margarita so so much. I don´t think that I have ever taught someone who I just FEEL so much for. As I sat there and listened, I just started to pray. And you know what happened? The mormon message Wrong Roads just came to my mind and it would NOT leave! I knew that I HAD to show her this amazing video. I am telling you me heard was just POUNDING and the thought would not leave me! Right as this all happened I went over and used her ipad and pulled up this mormon message. As I sat there and listened and watched her watch this video I just felt the spirit so strong just DESIRING for her to understand this and feel the love of Heavenly Father so strong for herself. You heart grows so much on your mission you know. I was so perfect and what she needed. Little to know that as we left the lesson Hermana Braithwaite told me that she had the same thing happen to her....that VERY mormon message. Helping M. and her daughter A. understand and begin to understand the role of God in there lives and their divine potential.

I swear you just leave these lessons at the end of the night as you walk home just feeling so ALIVE

I had the realization this week of what missionary work is. It is revelation line upon line. Precept upon precept. Here a little, there a little.

When we teach someone, NEVER do we know exactly what they need. WE ACT and go little by little. We learn their needs and we work prayerfully and according to faith. It is give to us line upon line what this person needs. And it is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we are able to do that.. that we are somehow able to even KNOW what this person needs and how to relate to him. There is not a greater feeling that that of know that you have taught someone what they needed. When you truly teach people and not lessons, you take on the role of Christ in teaching them what He would teach them

Another high of the week.. meeting my very first person from NICARAGUA! Shout out to Jess!

On Monday night we contacted a Lady and told her who we were and what we do and she told us that she indeed is also a missionary for HER church and she does the same thing that we do every day.. haha. Anyways I asked her where she was from and she told me that she is from Nicaragua

I ABOUT DIED haha ask my companion. My entire mission I have met people from almost all over the world but never anyone from Nicaragua and FINALLY it happened! My companion said that I looked like the happiest girl in the world and that I like started to talk really loud just drilling her with questions about Nicaragua and talked about my good friend Jess who was a missionary there and loved the people so much

OS QUIERO! 

Hermana Nydegger

We had a SWEET ward activity on Saturday morning and the park/ beach with this pretty sight