Festa Major

That means 'fiesta mayor' in Catalan. This week was the fiesta mayor! It's this huge party Granollers has (basically every city in Spain has its own party) and they divide the city into two teams the blue and white (depending on where you live) and they have games throughout the week between the two teams and every night there's a party. It seemed super fun, obviously we couldn't go butttt it looked awesome and we have shirts!!! A member got them for us. We're the blue team, although technically we live in the white area our member lives in blue and he said we had to be blue lol but it's our area so I guess that counts!

This week was a good one! We were with Georgina (the relief society president) a lot visiting some women in the ward, it was super good to get to know them more and how we can help and also to work with her! She has a daughter who's 2 and is going through a phase of unhappiness and so one day we were passing by some people and the little girl was super grumpy and Georgina didn't feel good either so I asked her if she wanted a cookie (my favorite bakery is right there) so I bought her a cookie and she was so happy it was super funny and then the next time we were together luckily I had made brownies that day for people and brought some for her because she asked for a chocolate cookie! I have a feeling I need to bring a treat with me from now on...

Well Saturday and Sunday we were in piso because Hermana Canales was sick, we planned just for Saturday morning so she could sleep so we called to tell Hermana Dayton that she was sick and going to sleep and she told us to call at mediodia so we did and she told us to stay in piso Saturday and Sunday :( it's good because she needs to get better but staying in piso is the worst haha but lately a lot of missionaries try to push through the sickness and are getting worse so everyone who's sick has to stay in piso and rest for a day or two.

I gave my first talk yesterday! I've always gone up and born my testimony and introduced myself but yesterday I actually gave a talk! It was super scary but turned out good :) luckily I have a native companion so I was 100% sure that what I was going to say made sense and was correct, that calmed my nerves a lot haha. It was kinda funny I was the second speaker and so I spoke and right after was a hymn...and since I'm the chorister I just like walked over to the side and waited for the pianist...it was a little awkward but funny! I realized that now on my mission I get nervous because things are in Spanish but I have a feeling when I go home I'm going to be nervous because things are in English. The other day we were visiting a lady from Africa in the ward and I started to talk in Spanish and Hermana Canales kept having to remind me to talk in English! I would start to say something but it would just come out in Spanish. It's a real struggle lately. Especially now since the new Elder in our ward doesn't speak English I don't even speak with them in English! But I love it :)

This week we were passing by old investigators from other missionaries and we weren't having any success and the last one we went to rang the timbre he asked who it was I said the missionaries and he let us in the building...I thought we'd go up to the door and he'd have an excuse or something but him and his girlfriend let us in to talk to them! They had a ton of questions about the plan of Salvation that we were able to answer! And they told us that it makes sense now, God isn't the reason bad things happen to people we're doing things things because we have agency. It was so nice to teach someone who understood! We're visiting them to,or row and I'm super excited :)

Well I hope you all have a good week! Oh the picture is our shirts they say "blaus" which means blue in Catalan

Love. Hermana Terrazas :)

Just Another Week!

Well, this week was an interesting one. I feel like nothing happened and yet so much. Kind of a bummer but De., our investigator who has a fecha has gone sketch haha. We haven't seen him or talked to him. We call he doesn't answer and we stop by and he's not there. So that's pretty sad, but hopefully this week we can get in contact with him!

So we went to eat with Maria Jesus, a member, and we got to the train station saw a train leaving and barely caught it, so we were sitting down talking to this girl and we realize the trains not stopping.....we got on a train without stops. Haha so we rode it until the first stop and ran and caught a train to go back. Well when we got there it was saying stops and it said Mollet so we thought perfect it's stopping in Mollet! We got on....ANOTHER train without stops. It was saying the pueblos it WASNT stopping in. Haha it was really funny and luckily the trains didn't take us too far. And on the first train the girl we were talking to was super nice, she's from Nicaragua which is right next to Honduras so her and Hermana Canales clicked and guess what?! After a while she asked me where I was from and I said the U.S. And she said she thought I was from Spain because of my accent!!!! Happiest day of my life.

After Maria Jesus that same day we went to visit a recent convert who lives in a pueblo close to Mollet that we usually take the bus to. Well during the month of August there's no bus (they take vacations seriously in Spain) so we had to walk. But the worst part was that we had to walk on the freeway to go over! Talk about scary! Haha we were just hoping we didn't die haha. So that was fun!

So every Wednesday we eat with a member named Josepha and she's like our grandma. She always gives us a packet of cookies and a juice before we leave! It's super cute. And then every Friday we eat with Maria Jesus, we say she's like our crazy aunt, haha she has a super spunky personality that I love! She was the first sister missionary in Spain. And she converted to the church when she was 20. She has cancer and is alone but so strong in the gospel, she is such an example to me. She always says "tu sabes, asi es la vida" "you know, this is life" (for those of you who need a translation lol). I was telling Hermana Canales that maybe we don't have a ton of members at lessons, but I feel like I have friends here! Like I go to church and I feel like I'm with friends, and the whole ward, I love it! The work is a little slow right now, but the people are great.

Oh! I forgot to mention last week that the week before we had no gas or hot water haha it was only for a week luckily but of course it was the only week that was cold and rainy! Luckily we get fed twice a week because we couldn't cook! We did weekly planning at the church so that we could cook food after. But while we were cooking it started POURING!!! Obviously we went and played in it!

So every week we teach English class and at first no one came but lately we've been getting more people, well this week the elders couldn't come and I was worried cause we usually do two classes for the different levels and they told me not to worry because their investigators weren't coming, well one of ours came who can speak she just needs help with little things, and then an investigator who ALWAYS says she'll come but NEVER comes walks through the door...and she speaks nothing.....so that was interesting I was trying to juggle the both haha

Also I realized lately I haven't been really saying much, so sorry, but I'm the ward chorister. Haha when Hermana Ratliff left I became the chorister...so that's interesting, and now me and Hermana Canales are doing visiting teaching with a lady in the ward because we don't have many who are doing it. We went yesterday it was super weird! We were in a car!!!

Friday we went to visit Romane and Dari (Dari is 14 and a recent convert) and she had boughten us skirts!!! So Sunday we wore them and everyone called us twins :) haha I'll send pictures!

I love you all have a great week!!!

love, Hermana Ruth Terrazas

This is Romane and Dari...the reason I'm getting fat on my mission. :)

Dari and Dylan :)

How many months we have!

My wonderful companion and I :)

Transfers!

Well me and Hermana Canales are staying together which we figured and we're super happy about it :) but basically everyone else I'm the mission is changing...seriously it's crazy! We went to the train station in Barcelona (basically everyone passes through there) just to see people! All of my companions were there!!!! How cool!!! It was so much fun!!! I got to see Hermana graham and lamoreaux which was probably the highlight. And she's my sister training leader now!!!! I'm so freaking stoked!!!! The elders in our ward changed well one, and he's our new district leader, he's from France and is super funny, it's gonna be a good transfer. Spanish with a French accent is super funny!

This week was a good one! It rained a lot so that was fun! Luckily we were in a piso when it was raining crazy!!! I'm hoping the weather stays like this and doesn't get hot again :)

I don't have too much to report about the week...but D. one of our investigators has a fecha!!! For the first weekend in September! He's super great and has a lot of questions that are super good! We taught the plan of salvation and he just had a load of questions! I loved it!

I honestly don't have much to say about this week about what happened haha sorry. But for personal study I've been reading talks from President Monson (president and Hermana pace gave us the book of Monson with every general conference talk since he's been the prophet) and I love it! My testimony grows every morning that he is a true prophet of God! He talks a lot about love and service, he said, "what is most important almost always involves the people around us" "They do not love that do not show their love" William Shakespeare "A mans a fool who takes an insult that isn't intended."

He was talking about family and important it is to love and show our love, and to not get angry. Because when we get angry we don't have the spirit. And it's always our choice if we get angry, we can't say that someone made us angry because it's always our choice. It's something that really stuck out to me.

Anyways next week I'll be writing early again just to let you know :)

I love you all!!
Love Hermana Ruth :)

Our last district meeting

8 Months!

Hello family and friends!

I hope your all doing splendid! I am too! It rained again this week which was probably the highlight of my week!

Well, this week we had a conference in Barcelona with our zone and the Barcelona zone! It was super good! Our first real conference with President Dayton! Hermana Dayton wasn't there because she's picking up her son from his mission but it was super good! Different than with President Pace but still super good!

Bad news is during that conference my bag got stolen :( I was going on an intercambio and so me and Hermana Dorgia put our bags in this coat closet room that we always do and someone came in during (the door was locked but they rang the timbre) and he said he was a member so they let him in. Well we end the conference and our bags are gone...at first we thought the Elders were playing a joke on us so we searched the entire church and they were nowhere to be found :( so that was a bummer. We didn't do the intercambio because we didn't have stuff haha so another week! But afterwards we went to eat at this place that had huge burgers! Don't worry, I have a picture, and yes I did eat it all.

Embarrassing moments:
-burned myself with an egg. Don't ask me how I manage to get hurt in the stupidest ways haha but I was cooking an egg and it exploded!!!! Out of nowhere!!! And a piece of it flew and stuck to my arm by the time I could get it off it was blistering..so that was fun haha

-we were doing pass-bys of some members to see if they still lived there in a pueblo and this guy answered the door and he asked if I spoke English, so we were talking and he said he used to study about our church with missionaries in the U.S. (He's from Africa) I went to say how good but said "que good....que bien....que....." And then I just changed the subject haha afterwards we were dying of laughter. Hermana Canales told me I can't speak any language now. Also this week  I've now been mixing Catalan into my languages....

I can't believe I've already hit 8 months! It's crazy how fast the time is flying by. Also transfers are next week!!!! We're pretty positive we're staying together seek as we're both new to the area but I guess we'll see!!! I can't believe it's been a whole transfer they're going by faster and faster each week!

Today we made tacos :) they were delicious. Homemade tortillas are the best! I'm so glad I now know how to make them :) sorry I'm writing earlier than usual we have to write early because we're going to Barcelona!

I love you all so much! I hope you have a terrific week!

Love, Hermana Terrazas

We went to go visit a family in the ward that we visit every week and the little girl (she's 6) opens the door and goes...I have a surprise...and then pulls a bouquet of fake flowers out from behind her back <3 it was super precious haha 

Terrassa

This week was great! :) we had interviews with President which was awesome :) President Dayton is super great! Also Hermana Dayton! She made us rice crispies. I was in heaven! It was super good to be able to get to know President.

This week we had a competition between the young woman and the young men. We set up pautas for them (goals to reach) like we have in our mission! It turned out to work super well! We won!!!! We had 3 different girls who helped us and we basically just knocked doors with them since all our citas fired haha now they REALLY know what a mission is like! I told one of the girls that the first time I knocked doors with the missionaries they made me speak first and she looked at me with complete terror and was like your not going to make me talk are you?! Lol I said no but it was pretty funny haha it was so fun to work with the youth!!!! I love it. I've found that's something I really love, working with youth! Also Sunday we had an activity and watched Meet the Mormoms! We've been inviting people for 2 weeks now and Saturday we sat down and literally called everyone in our phone and agenda...a good amount said possibly....and 0 people came. Haha typical. BUT we had also been visiting members this week and challenging each of them to bring a friend and like 4 or 5 new people came!!!!! Working through the members really is the best way. So that was a huge miracle!

It rained this week! We were SO happy. We got back to piso soaking wet (I'll send a picture) but we loved it! After this heat it was so needed!!!

Today we went to Terrassa!!!!!! Wet met up with Hermana Stanciu and Hermana Mendez and their companions and elder Johnson and his companion!!! And got to see members! I got to see B. (my recent convert), his mom, M., her parents, A., and C. and her kids!!! It was so good to see everyone! I miss those people so much! Everyone asked me so how's your Spanish? Lol I just answered better and they said we can tell. Haha it was super funny! And good to know I've improved ;) we also made tacos! And homemade tortillas it was delicious!!

This week was much better, I don't know why but I was having a couple of rough weeks, I was happy me and my companion get along perfect but I was just struggling but the Lord is so great and I've noticed every day that I've been happier and the work isn't easier but my attitude is! President Dayton told me something in our interview that I will never forget he said "A mission isn't meant to be easy, it's meant to be hard so that we can feel what the savior felt. We would never appreciate this work if it were easy and everyone accepted us, we need to feel how the Savior felt" that hit me that I'm here to represent Jesus Christ and the road was not easy for him, why should it be easy for me? Granted, it is much easier for me always because I have his help, but I really liked that way of looking at it!

Well I'm gonna send pictures now I love you all :)

Love, Hermana Terrazas

Soaking wet walking in the rain :)

It was the birthday of a less active so we heart attacked her door :)

Both our moms sent us a skirt :) we wore them and literally had the best day. The luck of our mothers!!!

The missionaries who served in Terrassa :) and andres :)