I'm Coming Home

I've made it one year, well on Tuesday, but still! How weird right?! I
can't believe it.

Anyways, I'm just sending this email to family because well, it's more
personal. So I think President has already talked to mom and dad, but
I'm 99.5% sure I'm coming home this week. I don't know when,
technically President hasn't talked to me, but Hermana Dayton has.
She's talked to me about what the doctors have said and how I need to
get home to a specialist, they don't trust the doctors here in Spain.
So I am currently waiting for a phone call from President...which
should be coming in anytime now....I'm not impatient or anything haha
I'm freaking out, but I know it will be for the best. I know God has a
plan, and so I'm just going to have faith in that plan. 

 I'm so nervous to go home. I'm worried that people are going to judge
me. I know it doesn't matter what other people think, only what God
thinks. But it still scares me. I'm worried I'll be lost. I've seen SO
many RMs come home from missions and just get depressed because they
don't know who they are if they're not a missionary. But I've made
goals and plans to not let that happen, but it still scares me. It
makes me sad to go home knowing I should still have 6 months. It's sad
to know my Spanish won't be as good as it would've of been (especially
because I've been in the office not in the streets), I'm sad because
the missionary dream of having everyone at the airport waiting for you
won't happen, I had the perfect image of all my siblings and nieces
and nephews waiting for me, and that won't happen. I feel like I'm
failing if we're being honest. I've had great advice and loving words
from many people, and for the most part, I'm still happy, I know
things will work out, but it's still hard. 

 In our zone enfoque the people who go home always say what the lord
has taught them, the zone leaders asked me privately if I wanted to, I
was very touched that they thought to ask me, but refused, mostly out
of embarrassment, how could I go up there with those 5 other hermanas
when I didn't finish my mission? But I have learned so much. I
remember before my mission I didn't want to go on my mission with this
knee problem I remember saying to you all so many times "I don't want
to go just to be sent home" but can I tell you what? I'm so glad I
did. I have learned so much, and I am forever indebted to the lord.
It's funny how we go on a mission and say it's a "sacrifice". That is
the farthest thing from the true. I have only gained on my mission.
Yeah it's hard to be away from family, yet I feel more love for you
all and closer to you through this time I've been gone, I've learned
to appreciate what a blessing you are, and especially to be sealed to
you forever! For everything that would be a sacrifice I've gained 10
fold. I now know for certain that I can never repay the Lord. Because
every time we try, He just blesses us more! He is so kind and perfect!
There are so many things I've learned, and I know I'll share more with
you later, but I just wanted to let you all know how grateful I am for
this opportunity I've had. Who knows if I'll be able to come back and
finish or not, but either way I will forever be grateful to my
Heavenly Father for first of all, planting the DESIRE to serve in my
heart, and second of all, for letting me, even as imperfect as I am,
help serve and help his children. 

 I love you all, I'm excited to see you face to face or at least talk
to you soon. Thank you for your emails and support, you have all
individually helped me during a hard time on my mission by the things
you have said to me. 

 Love, 

Hermana Ruth Terrazas ️ 

Well, I'll be home on Friday. President just got off the phone with the man who schedules my tickets and I'm leaving Barcelona late Friday morning. Which means I should get in sometime in the afternoon. We've been staying at the Mission Home since Friday, it's fun. Weird that President has seen me in my pajamas and working out, I don't think most missionaries can say that, but that's okay. It has been really nice to spend this time with them.

 Hermana Reid leaves Wednesday morning...so until Friday I guess I'm in a tripanionship with President and Hermana Dayton? Haha weird....


I honestly don't have much to say, I'm excited to see you all....but it is so hard to leave. I feel like I'm really good at not thinking about it until I email and then I freak out. But that's okay. I hope I'll get to see you all soon sometime...and if not there's always Skype! But that's just quite not the same.

I love you all!

One Year

Well tomorrow I hit my one year mark! That is so strange! I have loved this year. I have grown more in this year than in any other year of my 21 year old life. I will be forever grateful for my mission and what I have learned here. I know I wouldn't of learned these things in any other place.

On Saturday President and I decided that it is best I go home and find a specialist and fix these problems I am having with my legs. While it is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, I know it'll be for the best. President told me it's the right thing and I have his blessing but man, is it hard. He told me that the final specialist responded to my results and said it is what the doctor in Spain thought, a turn of the bones in my legs. There is no surgery required but a long and extensive physical therapy. I'm not quite sure what that entitles, but whatever it is, I hope it helps. Im so worried and scared to go home, but I'm trying to just go with faith that it's the Lords plan for me.

I'll get home on Friday afternoon. It feels so strange. We've been staying at the mission home and I will continue to stay here after my companion goes home (Wednesday). This week we've been helping Hermana Dayton. One day we had to take her to the plaza to buy Presidents Christmas present and we took her on the metro for the first time! Luckily it was one of the nicest lines and not the normal super sketchy ones! It was so much fun! We also got a picture in the plaza, Spain gets serious about their Christmas decorations!

As I finish my mission, I can feel nothing but gratitude. I am going home a different person. I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for this gospel that has blessed my life tremendously. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that it applies to us today. I have so much to be grateful for that I couldn't list them all. I love Spain and all the people in it. I love the Spanish language. I am going to miss these people more than anything. They really have become part of my family, and I will be forever grateful for the love they have shown to me, even when I couldn't communicate with them...haha.

Os quiero,

Hermana Terrazas ES❤️

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello dearest family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I'm glad we decided to take our preparation day today and I get to "talk" to you :) I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...or are having...or will have...mejor dicho. I hope you all know how grateful I am for each and every one of you in my life! It's so strange that last year we were all together saying goodbye! It's been a year since I've seen most of you! How strange! Today didn't feel like Thanksgiving, probably cause the food wasn't as good. Well, and obviously I'm not with the fam bam. But that's okay! We had fun as a district :)

We changed district meeting to today so that afterwards we could have Thanksgiving as a district! Hermana Reid did the turkey, I did the rolls, the Elders did fruit salad and drinks, Hermana Solos had corn on the cob, Hermana Canales had salad, and the other Elders had pie and mashed potatoes! Oh and to get a turkey here you have to go to an actually meet shop not just the grocery store and order it 3 days in advance, then the day of pick it up. I watched them cut the head off and finish cleaning it! Also while watching another lady chop up a rabbit, face and all. Yummy. Anyways we got our turkey and had to finish plucking the feathers off! That was an adventure. But fun! It's weird that it's just a normal day here in Spain, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but they do celebrate Black Friday and actually call it Black Friday. So I mean, they got something I guess.

Well, we got all the scans into the doctors in Germany, and President has gotten results from a few different ones. Last night he was going to call the guy who's over everything and talk about the results and I should know by Friday! I'm super nervous, but I know whatever they decide is for the best!

On Sunday we went to our ward activity to watch Meet the Mormons and Innocent came (a recent convert) and he brought us back chocolate from Ghana!!! It was so nice! He said it's the only thing Ghana knows how to do haha well during the movie we get a call from President so of course I start freakin out thinking he's going to tell me some big news about what the doctors found...nope he was just calling to get help on how to work a Mac computer. Haha "hi Hermana Terrazas I was just calling to see if you could tell me how to copy and paste on this thing?" Haha it was pretty funny. President and Hermana Dayton are so funny I love that I've been able to get to know them better. Hermana Dayton gave us these 2 character books that she used to teach her kids for us to teach our kids one day! It was so nice. Also Saturday I was really tired, I was yawning a ton and she stopped what we were doing and goes Hermana Terrazas go take a nap. There's a bed, go. I tried to fight her but she wasn't hearing it, she told me I had to go eat some food to get my stomach full and then take a nap. I didn't...well I went and laid down but couldn't sleep. It was just really funny.

So this week our sister training leader wanted to do an intercambio...and seeing as I can't work we had to figure it out, it was complicated but worked! On the way to Barcelona Hermana Shake jumped onto the same train we were on at her stop (half an hour away) and rode with us the rest of the way to the office then they dropped me off with Hermana Dayton (she was sick) and then Hermana Dayton sent me down to the office (downstairs) to be with Hermana Morejon and work with her. It was weird. Elder Morejon was very confused when he asked who my companion was and I just pointed at his wife haha. But it worked! Then later I went back up and ate dinner with President and Hermana Dayton until the Hermanas in Barcelona could come pick me up! That was so much fun! Hermana Fernandez was one of the hermanas who picked me up, she's from Spain and was in the MTC with me! She's so funny everything is "oh que linda" or "mi bonita" in her sweet little voice, I love it haha she speaks English really good as well! Also in that piso is Hermana Larsen who I lived with when she first got in the mission! So it was a fun night! Then in the morning they took me back to the office where my companion met up with me.

There is this old Filipino man named Archie and he is a member and is just basically a part of the mission. He was there and sang my first day in the mission and I'm not sure why but he's always just sitting in the mission office. He loves being around missionaries. Well Tuesday he was there and he would sing a primary song and like twirl and then go and shake my hand and say "that's my talent" haha he is so funny! He changed the words of the primary song  "I know Heavenly Father loves me"  to "I'm glad I was baptized in Spain! Yes it's great to be a Latter Day Saint" hahah well him and the office elders a long time ago wrote a song called "Amigos para Siempre" and they sung it at my transfer meeting and Tuesday he calls Elder Day over to where we are and makes him sing it with him. It is so funny! Next time he's in the office I'll try to get a video, it's just too good. It made my week.

Well sorry this doesn't have much missionary stuff...sometimes working in the office and not going out and proselyting makes for a different type of mission, but that's okay. As president tells us almost every day "everything's spiritual to God, and your helping the missionaries and us" it makes me feel better.

My ponderize scriptures for the last two weeks (because I forgot last week again...sorry) are:

1 Nefi 3:7
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

And 2 Nefi 2:24
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things

These two scriptures have really been a comfort to me during this time, first of all to know that if God commands something, he'll provide a way, he's not going to tell us to do something just to watch us struggle. And second, just to have faith that everything happens for a reason. A lot of times we may not know that reason, but I do know that God who knows why, knows everything! So it's okay! I've learned to have so much more faith and trust in God that everything happens for a reason. Just keep doing what I need to do and everything will turn out the way it needs to.

Os quiero un montón!

Hermana Ruth Terrazas ES❤️

Our thanksgiving! We named him Charles...just finishing giving him his first bath!

Hi Family!

Hello family!

How was your week? I hope it was great!

We had a huge miracle Saturday! So the ward and the Elders had a baptism so we had called Isaac and he said he'd go (he didn't) but as we were greeting people Dios dado walked in! Now Dios dado is an African and about a month ago we met him when we were in the church one night and he came and knocked on the door. He told us he was new in town and that he had gone to church before and was taking lessons from the missionaries. We tried to set up a time to meet with him, but he didn't want to so we gave him our number and he left. And then Saturday night he just walks in! Apparently he had come earlier and the elders told him there would be a baptism so he came for it! We talked to him a little and he told us that he's already read almost the whole Book of Mormon and he knows it's true. After the baptism service i asked him if he'd ever thought about baptism for himself, he said yes, he wants to, he just has to prepare! Well my friend that's what we're here for! So as we were waiting for the people to finish changing after he baptism Dani, our ward mission leader comes up to us and goes "I have good news and bad news, we need you to teach something right now to everyone as we wait, good news you get a member present." I asked him what the bad news was and he says "you have to teach it, now" hahaha so we got up and taught about the gospel of Christ! It went pretty good for not practicing it. I guess that's what happens when you always have to be prepared to teach!

Sunday we had even more miracles! First of all Dios dado came to church! The only problem is he doesn't have a place to live, and no work. So he told me he was hungry and I asked why he did t eat breakfast and he told me he hadn't eat Saturday either, because he has no money or food. My heart just about broke. He talked to the bishop and so the bishop tried to find him a place to stay but no one had anything. The bishop is still looking for work for him. Hopefully he finds it. I think the hardest thing about being a missionary is seeing people in need and pain and not being able to do much. Sure I can help spiritually, but I can't help physically and it's so hard. I feel like is week I've just been praying with all my might for these 3 Africans in particular who don't have work, and are struggling so bad. I just wish there was more I could do. But anyways, Isaac is the other miracle. Last week he left right after sacrament meeting and so before he left I made him promise that he would make time for us next week no matter what. So he promised. And every time we saw him (in the street, or in the grocery store) I made him repromise, just to make sure haha well he kept good! After sacrament meeting we went and taught him and set another fecha with him! He knows he needs to be baptized, and wants to, he believes it's true, he just says he needs to change some things in his life first. So his fecha is the 28th and we're calling him everyday to try to meet with him! He's so great.

I love the Africans here. They are just such a believing, loving people. They can have no food, no house,  no work, and yet they still praise God. They just don't complain. Whenever we try to encourage them by telling them to have faith they always respond with how good God is and how they know it will be alright and God will bless them. They usually teach me more than I can teach them. On Sunday we had Dios dado, Isaac, Emanuel, and Kwazy all sitting in our row at church, it was pretty funny, afterwards at ward council they were laughing about how we just had our little group of Africans. Haha

So when I first got to the ward the elders and my companion told me, don't expect to give a talk, the bishop told us a missionary would never speak until their last Sunday in church. So I thought I was off the hook! Well last week bishop came up to me and asked me to give a talk, I asked him in what and he said, "whatever you think our ward needs". I was super shocked! First, he asked me to speak, and second, asked what I thought they needed. So I gave a talk on Sunday! I hope it really was what the ward needed. But the Relief society lesson was about missionary work (obviously that's what I talked about...)and they had me go up and reread a part of my talk! The Elders and ward missionary leader and my companion all told me it was super fuerte but done with love so it was okay! Haha I hope so!

So on Tuesday we had Specialized Conference, with President and Hermana Dayton and it was so good! Hermana Dayton talked about positive thinking and how we really create our own happiness. I don't know if you know this but she was a motivational speaker before so she's good at this. She is such a strong person. She has sat me down and talked about trials with me before and shared hers, she's gone through so much, yet is the most positive person I've ever seen. She challenged us to say That's Great whenever something happens, and not sarcastically either. But think of the reasons of why it is great. She shared how a week after her first husband died she went to a class and they told her to do that, and she struggled with it, but that night her and her kids decided to do it, and they found the good things that came out of that tragedy. Then president talked about being a consecrated missionary. It was way good.

After Specialized Training we all had to get flu shots....but Hermana Dayton brought us candy so no big deal! Well when we had gotten back to the mission home my arm was hurting and I remembered how mom always made me do push ups after I got shots...and I would complain and say it was cruel and unusual punishment, but guess what? I did push ups. My mom is a wise one.

Afterwards we went back to the office to help out, and we had to bind the medical book we made (it's finally done!) but we had to walk there. It was about 30 minutes altogether, up and down hill. So my legs were not happy. It was alright walking but alter that night I felt the consequences. But the Elders had called and told us we needed to hang up flyers for our activity Sunday. So we talked to President and asked if we could borrow the wheel chair from the office :) so we went around town in a wheelchair asking people if we could put flyers up in their stores! I'm pretty sure most the people said yes out of pity,but hey they said yes! It's a good thing we had the wheelchair though, because later that night while we were grocery shopping I couldn't put any weight on my leg without extreme pain, it's a little better today, but not much.

So today we had a mission conference with 3 zones and Elder Christenson and Elder Dyches came! But the coolest part is afterwards we got to have dinner with them at the mission home! We thought we would just be serving, but Hermana Dayton called us this morning to tell us they would be setting a place for us as well! I got to sit by Sister Dyches and we just talked, us and Elder Obando (the area authority, he was also in my ward in Valencia) well his daughter, just got back from a mission in Mexico and is going to byui in January!!! It was super fun getting to know her. It was a really neat experience.

Well this is a longer email, sorry for my ranting! But at least I had things to say this week, right?! I'll send pictures!

Os quiero,
Hermana Ruth Terrazas ❤️

We also got sweatshirts this week!!!!! Best souvenir ever :)

Hermana Reid thought it was funny I was doing push ups while waiting for cookies to bake so she took pictures.

And the second one is me giving up. Haha

Round Two!

Sorry to bombard you all with emails this week it's just things have been crazy. Things in the office are crazy and we are ALWAYS busy. President and Hermana Dayton thank us like 3 times a day and just say over and over how they don't know what they would do if we weren't here haha

Well this week we had transfers! So yesterday we had a lunch for the new missionaries and a dinner for the missionaries going home and then today was the meeting where the new missionaries get their trainers so we had a lunch for that. So much cooking. Anyways I have some pictures! So I'll send those. Next week my preparation day SHOULD be Monday! But you never know...Wednesday Elder Christanson is coming from the 70 and Elder Dyches who's the area president over our missions! So we might be serving a dinner to them that night which would be really cool!

Well I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week

My district from last transfer! Two left so tomorrow I'll get a picture with my new district and send it to you next week :) oh by the way hermana Canales is in my district now and I am SO excited to see her tomorrow!!!!

Saturday night, making a thousand cookies for the Stake Presidents dinner

The table for the stake presidents dinner, I thought it was pretty. We're learning how to be very fancy :)

Us today getting ready for the lunch with Carolina!

11 Months!

Can you believe it?! Because I can't! Every month just goes faster and faster. And I feel like I say that every month...but it's true! I don't feel like I've been gone 11 months. Weird!

Well we were just in the good old office again this week! This week President and Hermana Dayton had a dinner for the stake presidents because they had a meeting. Normally Carolina is here to cook, but she doesn't work Saturdays so me and Hermana Reid did it all! Well, the food was already made, but we made brownies and cookies for a ton of people and heated up all the food. It was chaos. And then the two Senior couples came to help and what I thought would be them kind of directing us and telling us what to do turned into us directing them and teaching them how to do everything. A little backwards, but it was good. Haha but oh so tiring! We ran a couple of errands for Hermana Dayton as well this week, like buying photos and picture frames.

Sunday we just went to church like normal and then Hermana Dayton is having us watch all the Mormon Messages and put them under themes so that the missionaries can easily look and see when to use these videos. And they're sending it to Salt Lake when we're done for the church to use. It's crazy the stuff we're doing right now, the whole church might start using! All of Spain is going to use these books we just made and then they'll send them to all of Europe and they think the church just might start using them. It's so cool to think that this is something that is not going to help just our mission but all the missions and we got to put it together!

Today is transfers so we helped with the transfer lunch and we'll help with the dinner in an hour. (We're using half our time to write right now in between chaos and we'll finishing writing later) so the lunch is for the new missionaries and the dinner is for the old missionaries going home.

Well as of late I feel like my emails are kind of boring...but we're just in the office so I don't have much to talk about besides how many power points I made this week....haha

Os quiero!

Hermana Ruth Terrazas ❤️

Oh bite I won't be finishing emailing until another day thisweek....I'm not sure what day, whenever we manage to find time :)

Sorry to bombard you all with emails but, I forgot to put my ponderize scripture from the last 2 weeks!

They were Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

And Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

News from the Spain Barcelona Mission

Dear family and friends of the Spain Barcelona Mission,

We have now been in Spain four months and are thoroughly enjoying the opportunity of serving with the dedicated, hardworking, faithful Barcelona Spain missionaries. We are inspired by their commitment to share the Gospel and bring others to Christ. We see miracles daily and feel it a privilege to be a part of this wonderful work.

We wanted to share some information we felt would be helpful to you and also ask for your support in a new policy that will take effect this week.

ESPAÑA BARCELONA BLOG- We are pleased to inform you of the availability of our mission blog starting July 1st of 2015. It will contain mission news, photos, new developments, the vision of the mission, our weekly newsletter, arrivals and farewells of our missionaries, helpful information for newly called missionaries, and other newsworthy items. The URL for the blog is:

www.espanabarcelonamission.blogspot.com.es

We invite you to visit this site and would love any feedback or helpful suggestions to make this a blog you will enjoy visiting.

E-MAIL COMMUNICATION WITH SPAIN BARCELONA MISSIONARIES—The Mission President’s Handbook states, “As an alternative to regular mail, missionaries may communicate with their family on PREPARATION DAY by email” according to the guidelines established by the mission president. Similarly, the Missionary Handbook states, “USE EMAIL ONLY ON PREPARATION DAY.”

We are asking family and friends to SEND E-MAILS ONLY ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AFTER 3:30 PM MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME  UP TO MONDAY 11:00 AM MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME (Spain is eight hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time). We are going to allow our missionaries an additional half hour (2 hours instead of 1 ½ hours) to respond to e-mails each preparation day.  E-mails sent during the regular week are a significant distractor for the missionaries as they are then tempted to stop where there is WiFi at a computer café, church building, or member's home multiple times to read emails. We would ask you not to send e-mails during the week. We will be asking all missionaries not to open e-mails during the week so they can remain focused on the all important work they are doing in bringing others to Christ.

SHIPPING PACKAGES TO THE SPAIN BARCELONA MISSION—We have found that packages sent by regular mail to the U.S. Postal Service are often held up in customs for extended periods of time. The cost to retrieve the package is very often much more than the value of the items being sent. If you plan to send something small, under 4 lbs, we have found that the padded flat rate packages available from the U.S. Postal Service make it and usually cost around $25 to send. If your items are larger, you can use UPS, Fedex, or DHL using a credit card in case they are stopped at customs.

Another option is through mymissionaryshipping.com which uses DHL.  To use this service, go to the website and register for an account.  Then go to the International tab and fill out the form to get a rate quote.  This is a service that is cheaper and faster than UPS or Fedex.  On the package, write "Missionary Supplies-not for resale." If the value says less than $20, customs normally does not look at it.  It is highly recommended that you call DHL prior to sending your package.  You can describe each item in the package, and they will let you know if it will pass through customs.  We have found it takes three or four business days from Arizona or Utah for a package to be delivered in Spain.

Many families have informed us that they purchase larger items on Amazon.es.  These items usually arrive in less than a week, they avoid having to pass through customs and it is more likely that they will receive the items sent. We would encourage you to send packages directly to your missionary´s apartment and state (fill in) that the package should arrive before 11 AM.  Our next transfer is on Tuesday December 8th so your missionary will have their new address on that day if you are sending a Christmas package.  If you plan to purchase scriptures, church books, or garments, we suggest you buy them from store.lds.org.  Items ship directly from Germany and always arrive safely.  Many families put additional money on their missionaries’ bank card and let them go out and purchase the needed item.

We feel so privileged for the opportunity to serve in the Spain Barcelona mission. We are inspired daily by the missionaries who valiantly serve in this wonderful location. Thank you for your assistance in helping our missionaries stay focused and productive. We feel most grateful for the love and support you offer them.

Sincerely,

Presidente and Hermana Dayton