7 months out (yesterday) -- no time to waste!!

My beloved family and friends,

I love you all, and MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!! 8D

Weekly Presidential Report:

Dear President,

Today is my best day so far! I'm so grateful to be able to serve these phenomenal people as a representative of the Lord with my dear companion Élder Dean!! The Elves are relentless, and they never cease to surprise -- they made my companion pancakes this morning. What nerve! Our companionship is doing well and improving all the time!

This week has been completely filled with miracles and tender mercies!! This week my companion and I set out to love, serve, and fulfill our purpose, and to simultaneously attempt to reach the Standards of Excellence (3 investigators with a baptismal date, 6 investigators in Sacrament Meeting, 12 member-present lessons, and 6 new investigators).

The week started out strong, but then my companion and I fell ill, and my companion was (and still is) especially sick. Even still, we saw miracles; work was able to be done in our area, and, through the tender mercies of Heavenly Father, two of our investigators attended church!! I know that Heavenly Father will bless us if we strive to always be humble and obedient. We´re going to continue doing our best to preach the gospel by the Spirit, to be worthy of His companionship at all times, and to work with the members and local leaders in our joint-family-missionary work this week.

Our investigators that came to church (Fani and Roberto), are so receptive and sensitive to the Spirit; if it weren't for the fact that they're also leaving soon for Ecuador on vacation, they (along with their daughter) would be baptized in the coming weeks. Our investigator Ionel will be baptized the following week, since he wasn't able to make it to church either (it seems that we're all getting sick!). There are so many people who will be baptized here in Ibiza in the next month or so, when our old investigator families come back from their vacations. I'm so excited to welcome them back, and to help them truly come home to the Savior through baptism!!

I want to work on improving my relationship with my Savior. I need to be more humble and more open to Him. I need to trust more in Him, even trusting that He trusts in us. Obedience was never meant to be easy, but it's all that He asks of us, and I know that we, and these people we serve and love, are always blessed for it!!

Thank you so much for all that you and Sister Pace do for us!! I hope that you have a Happy New Year, President!! We're praying for you!!

Simply,

Élder Zubeldia

This week has been full of Christmas Spirit!! I love our job as missionaries!!! Spending Christmas with families, and sharing Christmas Spirit with everybody, is the BEST job in the world -- and we get to do it ALL THE TIME!!!!

This Christmas was a sacred day. The call home was very sacred for me. Family, thank you so much for your love, for your support. I love you all so very much. It might go without saying, but I will never go without saying it. :)

Christmas was also a wet and windy day, and it was so much fun to fill the puddly streets with English and Spanish Christmas Carols/Villancicos. Haha, I don't think my companion will let me sing any more Christmas songs in his presence ever again, though. X)

I love you all so much, and I wish you all the best New Years ever!! Here's an idea--set aside some personal time on your knees, with a pad of paper and a pen nearby, and talk to Heavenly Father for a while. Think of what you think you can do for Him this year, and write it down. Promise Him that you will do it, and ask for His help. If you do this with a sincere heart and real intent, having faith in Christ, I know that you will feel the Spirit guide you (the scriptures even agree, Moroni 10:3-6). Heavenly Father will strengthen and bless you as you do your best to become more like Him and to do something for Him in partial and loving return. Moroni 7:33

I know that Heavenly Father loves us, that He always has and He always will. I know that He truly did conquer death, because I know that He visited the Americas just like it is described in the Book of Mormon. I know this because I have read it, testified of it, and have felt the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22-23) confirm it inside me. I know that this church is the restored Church of our Redeemer, and I´m grateful to be called by Him to share His restored good news!!

Love,

Élder Zubeldia

BON NADAL A TOTS!!!!! 8D

My dearest family,

Hey, I LOVE YOU ALL SOSOSOSO MUCH, and can you believe it´s Christmas time?! 8D I´m so grateful for the privilege it is to be a missionary during Christmas!!! BEST JOB EVER!!!!

My Weekly Presidential Update:

 

Dear President,

This week has been a phenomenal week; even more miraculous than previous weeks!! There have been too many miracles to conveniently tell you here, so I will focus on two of the most precious ones: the people we've been brought to who are committed to be baptized in the following weeks (I will write about one of them, Élder Dean the other three); our companionship and the strength and vitality that the Savior has blessed us with.

1) Ionel and his wife Carmen are from Romania. Ionel is a reference from our other Romanian investigator family. He is going to be baptized next Saturday, and he is so excited! He literally just called me, as I am typing, to meet with us before we take him to FHE tonight in a members' home. I know that this work is completely directed and enabled by God's grace, and that if we are humble and worthy, He will bring to pass miracles in the lives of those we love, like Ionel and his family.

2) Service rendered because of love has resulted in increased love between my companion and I. As you know, I've been searching for new and better ways to meaningfully serve my companion. Heavenly Father has provided a way, as He always does if we honestly seek His help. This week, "The Elves" have been running rampant doing service for my companion, leaving sticky-notes to tell him how much they love him. My companion declared war on "The Elves", and has, in vain, tried to catch them red-handed. It turned into a game, and soon he also picked up on it; just yesterday I found that my bed was made by "The Elves". This has become a great bonding experience and inside joke between us, and the strength of our brotherhood and companionship is SO much stronger than I would have thought realistic just a few weeks ago. As we lovingly serve one another in a fun way, our companionship is strengthened, and we are more able to teach and serve with the Spirit.

Simply,

Élder Zubeldia

I don't have as much time as I'd like, but I just want you to know that I love you all. Thank you for the warmth and strength that your prayers give me. :) I pray that you will all feel of our Redeemer's love for you every day, during and after this Christmas season.

For lack of time, let me say what I need to share: I know that Heavenly Father loves us, and that He is always there for us, even when we feel all alone. I know that Jesus of Nazareth truly provided the way for us to be able to become new, and that He truly understands and loves us completely. I know that Heavenly Father restored His only church again upon the earth through His prophet Joseph Smith, because the Holy Spirit has answered my questions regarding the Book of Mormon. I know that we can make covenants with Heavenly Father, and that, not only will He never fail on us, He will even give us every strength to be able to fulfill our part. I know that making covenants with God, especially through baptism, we will be blessed beyond our capacity to rejoice.

I know that as we strive to be obedient, and to share the joy that God has given us in our lives, we will have happiness and peace, despite all the difficult and painful things that come to us in life. I know these things because I've tried them in my own life; and I know that as we personally make the effort to experiment these things, and as we invite others to do likewise, God will bless us with happiness and peace.

I know these things with all the surety of my heart, and I am forever grateful for the infinite and tender love that God displays to me every day. You are all, individually, a part of what makes my life, and the lives of so many others, a reason for rejoicing.

Merry Christmas, my family. :) So few words can't describe it, but I'll use them just the same: I LOVE YOU!!!!

Simply,

Élder Zubeldia

Ibiza White Christmas!! ;D

My Phenomenal Family and Friends,

IN CASE YOU'VE FORGOTTEN: I LOVE YOU!!!!! Now don't forget, because you might get tired of being reminded. ;) (If that is the case, please forgive me, I just really do love you!)

This week has been pretty crazy!! Here is the Weekly Report to my President:

 

Dear President,

I'm doing fantastic, and I'm excited for this upcoming week here in the newly organized Ibiza A area!! Southern Ibiza (including San Antonio, Southern Ibiza-town, and San Josep, among other pueblos, etc) is Ibiza A, and I know that we're going to continue to see miracles!! We are going to follow your instruction, of course, to focus our efforts in Ibiza, where people are most likely to be able to attend church, while at the same time, we are going to continue working with the prepared people that we've found in San Antonio. This is so exciting -- we're going to learn so much with this challenge of having a two-pronged area!!

Miracle of the week: WE HAD AN INVESTIGATOR COME TO CHURCH THIS WEEK!!!!! A Romanian family that we teach brought Romanian friends (which they have a huge history of doing -- this is one of the reasons that we continue teaching them even though they're not technically progressing) Ionel and Carmen, a young couple. Ionel said that he's been hearing about us for months and has been anxious to meet with us. He asked perfect questions, and was very receptive. Thanks to the practice that we've had in teaching the Restoration (especially from this past Zone Conference), we were able to teach it with the power and authority of the Spirit, which the tears in his eyes testified to. We invited him to come to church, and were about to explain how far away it is (this meeting was in San Antonio), when he told us that HE LIVES IN IBIZA-TOWN, IN WHAT IS NOW OUR AREA!!! We called and informed all the leaders in the morning, and got some members to "hermanar" him, and he had a fantastic experience: it was the Primary Program, and in Elder Quorum they taught of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It was a perfect day!! We have a follow-up visit with him, and he's excited to read the Romanian Book of Mormon that we've given him!! 

I KNOW that Heavenly Father puts prepared people in our paths if we are cheerfully obedient and continuously diligent!! I'm so grateful for the testimony of the Book of Mormon which gives authority to our words; for the guidance and presence of the Holy Ghost which gives power to our imperfect efforts; for the love of our Heavenly Father which motivates us to keep going when difficult moments arise. We are so blessed to be missionaries!! We have the best job EVER!!!!

I want to repent of not being the greatest companion for Élder Dean -- I want to more fully fulfill my goal of inspiring, elevating, motivating, blessing, serving, and loving him. I know that he is the most important person on this island. I want to help him really value and love himself as a missionary man. I know that as I continue fasting, praying, serving him, and being obedient, Heavenly Father will help me learn how to better help Élder Dean.

I'm also excited for this next week because Heavenly Father gave me an idea of how we, along with the local leaders, can help the members turn to the Branch Presidency for guidance instead of always to us. We're going to meet this week and discuss how we can do this. The idea that came to me was through Home and Visit Teaching. As missionaries, we visit people and represent the Savior; as people come to feel of the Lord's love for them through us, they come to seek more of the Lord's guidance (not ours, but His) in their lives. It hit me that Home Teaching is really a parallel-structured program: the Home Teachers represent the Presidency, and through prepared and loving Home Teachers, people will gain more respect for the leaders of whom their Home Teachers represent. I have brought it up to the Branch Presidency, and they think it's an interesting idea, so we're going to discuss it more later on this week.

I forgot which prophet said this, but his words were to this effect: "To achieve what has never been achieved, we must do what has never been done". I´m looking for ways to either do what hasn't been done, as guided by the Spirit, or do correctly do what we should already be doing. :) I know that Heavenly Father will guide and direct and bless us in our efforts to really bring about long-term progress in our Ibiza Branch Family.

Thank you for all that you do for us President!! Merry Christmas!!

Simply,
 
Élder Zubeldia

Funny things of the week: well, the crazy hobo with the fishes found us again yesterday (I'm pretty sure my companion and I are mania magnets X) ); a drugged-up Czechoslovakian man stopped us on the bus (smoking an electronic-cigarette, which are really weird) and spent the whole time telling me that I am crazy (with less-appropriate words), and that I need to leave missionary work and "eat life" -- when he was done (at intervals) I got to respectfully defend our purpose and God's work, basically teaching to the entire bus (sadly, we didn't have any pass-along cards -- we had just handed out the last ones -- but at least we planted a HUGE SEED in the hearts of a good 40 people -- haha, as we got off at the stop, I made sure to remind the people that we aren't Jehova's Witnesses, WE ARE MORMONS); and OH RIGHT, there is an amazing experience that happened to us three nights ago that is kinda funny but at the same time totally spiritual!!

We had an eating lesson with a family (I love teaching about the Restoration of this fantastic Gospel!!), but it ended late. We were a good 40-50 min missionary-speed walk (over an hour when contacting) away from the bus station, where the last bus leaving that night would be leaving. We had 20 minutes, with no realistic hope of making it. I was sure that we'd have to walk back across the island AGAIN (2.5 hours at night), but my companion had faith that we could make it. I laughed, thinking he was joking. Wanting to show him that I take him seriously, I agreed to try. After Olympic Missionary Walking for 5 minutes, we quickly realized that we wouldn't make it at that pace. So we ran. It had already been a long, hard day, and I was exhausted, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. 5 minutes of running later, and our heavy dinner was starting push on our intestines. I thought I was going to explode!! Things began to look grim. So what did we do? We ran faster. 10 minutes of running later, and I was sure I was going to die -- why on earth were we doing this to ourselves to miss the bus that we were surely going to miss anyway? We were a good 20 minutes distance from the station, and there was no way in my burnt-out brain that we were going to make it. My companion suggested a short 20 sec walking break. He told me we could do it. Somehow, it came into my head that if I want to be the kind of missionary that God expects me to be, based on the small decisions of every day, I can't be the kind of person who gives up to walk at the end. I prayed for forgiveness of my weakness, and began sprinting. I don't know how far behind my companion was -- I just knew that God would help us catch the bus, getting us home on time, being obedient, if I put my all into overcoming my weak body. Long story short, haha, we made the bus, and had (on top of it all) an amazing lesson on the bus ride home about the Restoration, with our Spanish and Filipino fellow bus riders. It was a miracle. I know that it couldn't have happened without the faith, on part of my companion, and God's power to strengthen us and answer prayers.

I know that, in the desperate and intestinally painful moments in our lives, God will give us strength if we have faith in Him and KEEP RUNNING.

I love you all so much. :) Have a great week!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Simply, with love,

  

Élder Zubeldia

White Christmas!! :D

Beloved family and friends,

This week has been pretty crazy!! :) This is how I explained it to my Mission President:

Dear President,

I'm doing fantastic, and we're having a blast out here finding, teaching, and hoping to baptize!!! 
  
Élder Dean and I are working together better every day. I'm focusing on serving and loving him, President. I'm trying my best, and I'm giving the Lord my all. I want to know how I should change so that I can better serve Élder Dean, and help him to become a baptizing missionary throughout the rest of his mission. If it's not too much of a bother, I will ask for your guidance at Zone Conference this Thursday.
 
I want so dearly to show my love to my Savior by helping families come to Him through faith, repentance, and baptism. Nothing is more important to me than the eternal life and joy of the families of my people.
 
This week we've seen many miracles while contacting. I know that the Spirit can touch the hearts of people and influence them to let us into their homes. By inviting the Spirit through singing Christmas Carols, we've gotten into several homes this week. The gospel of Jesus Christ makes us happy, and we're trying to make our enthusiasm something that everyone around us can participate in. While virtually all of our investigadors have left on vacation, we are vigorously searching for the prepared families that are still here.
 
The Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of God, which is the spirit of joy! When other people can feel of our genuine joy, then we know that the Spirit is there, and that we are doing our job!!
 
I hope that everything is going well for you and Sister Pace. Thank you so much for all of the hard work and effort that you both do for our mission. Thank you so much for loving Élder Dean. He needs to know that he is loved, accepted, and appreciated; thank you for helping me in my efforts to help him feel that way.
  
Simply,
 
Élder Zubeldia

 
I'm so excited to get to stay on Ibiza for Christmas!! :D We're working hard, talking to everyone, and knocking-doors up a storm searching for families who are prepared to hear the great news of the gospel of Jesus Christ!!
 
The programs of the Branch's Continual Fast for this month, and for really turning each member into a missionary, are going great!! We're reminding the members, and they're all super excited to tell us their stories of sharing their testimonies and copies of the Libro de Mormón with their friends and co-workers/bosses!! I'm so grateful to be able to work alongside such humble and faithful people out here!!
 
People who've let us into their homes because we sang Christmas Hymns this week: An old Spanish couple from Granada; a hippie/adventurer Spanish guy from Valencia; a Catholic smoker lady and her family from Sevilla; a less-active muslim man from Ceuta; an unemployed evangelical Colombian; a less-active Jehova's Witness from Brazil; and right now I can't remember the others! :)
  
Whatever it takes to bring the Spirit--DO IT!!! We all NEED the companionship of the Spirit of God if we plan at all to share messages of joy from God.
 
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's way for families to be together forever, and that it is to help us progress and to become happy. I know that God lives and that He loves us. I know that Heavenly Father is preparing people around all of us, through His angels, to hear and accept our message of glad tidings and great joy. Heavenly Father will take care of us as we do our best to cheerfully obey and follow His guidance.
 
I love you all so much. Please don't forget how precious and important you are!! I'm praying for you!!
 
Simply,
Élder Zubeldia

Week 25

Beloved friends and family,

 

First off, as always, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!I have officially been out for 6 months--WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?!?!?

 

My Letter to President:

 

Dear President,

 

I´m doing fantastic, and our companionship is more united than ever! I´m trying to make clear communication a more comfortable and sincere practice between us--I know that as we work to strengthen our personal relationship with the Savior, and our united relationship with the Spirit, we will be able to help families strengthen their relationships of love between their loved ones--including our Father in Heaven.

 

Many of our promising investigators are leaving on vacations for the winter and will be gone for a couple of months. Accordingly, we have increased our finding efforts. We have seen miracles in contacting, and especially in knocking/caroling, and we have several families that we plan on visiting with this week. We want so badly to be able to give our Savior the best Christmas gift we can give Him--entire families through baptism!

 

We have organized a Branch effort to give Jesus a gift for Christmas. The idea that came during Personal Study became a reality yesterday. We called up the Branch President, and worked with him and other key members to put together a sort of devotional for the last hour. We watched Élder Ballard´s Saturday Afternoon talk; invited the members to follow the prophets; kneeled down as families and made lists of people who they could invite to church; and then we totaled it up.

 

The Ibiza Branch´s goal is to help 45 people come nearer to Christ this month, through invitations to come to church activities, and casual conversations about what they love about the restored gospel. We've also got a voluntary calendar for a Continual Fast for this month--the next two weeks are practically booked already! Whether or not we end up baptizing 45 people this month isn't the issue. I want to help my Ibiza Branch family--if we can't get any fishes in into our Boat from our conjoint efforts, at least we will grow in the attempt, and become a Branch where everyone's Fishing line is actively searching.

 

Baptism--the fish that won´t get away THIS month! Not on OUR watch!

 

Simply,

Élder Zubeldia

 

Small talk: It's fantastically humid and wintry! I think I might be the only person enjoying winter over here!! We had Thanksgiving with the Smiths--an American family who is living in our area (Spanish law has required all schools to teach 1/3 of the material in English, and teachers who speak English are in short supply, and so are imported). It was great!! Our zone of the Islands is setting a goal of contacting 30 people a day (low goal, right? it's actually harder than it might seem, especially in our area, where the people seem to be hiding--but that's easily solved by *), and it's great because the number is something that I can use to motivate my companion to try and speak to Spanish more.

 

*We've been contacting up a storm here on Ibiza (almost literally--it's raining a ton!). We find people on the street (young, old, man, woman (except young girls who look our age -- I don't want to play to all of my companion's strengths), muslim or otherwise), and we knock doors. The latter is especially fun, because people live in apartment complexes, and you can only get in if the portal is open at the bottom. Miracles happen though, and every once in a while, we feel prompted to push (my companion thinks I just randomly try to barge into doors), and we find ones that are open!! When people try and close on us, we tell them that we just want to sing a Christmas song for them; to share the Christmas spirit with them--works almost every time! We even do this for Muslims, even though there are obvious reasons to not even try with them, AND GET THIS: we have a visit with a less-active/non-practicing muslim next week! We also have some visists with ACTUAL Spanish families next week!! Miracles happen when we cheerfully work as hard as we can, focus on our purpose, and let our happyness and love for what we do show.

 

We had some hardened Albanian hobo try and fight with us, and then he ended up giving us a bag of about a dozen fishes that he had just caught. Our favorite Romanian family gave us an enormous fish as well, and probably 6 pounds of Romanian bread (my companion doesn't like fish, but the bread is amazing!!). We don't have hardly any money because of bus fare and lack of reimbursals, but Mami, your prayers are working -- people are still giving me food in the streets and in visits!!

 

Other fun: our investigators drove us home when we missed the bus -- they took us the whole 45 minute drive, even so late at night! But since we don't want to bother people, and we need to learn from our own mistakes somehow, when we missed the bus the other day (it being the last bus), we walked. Turns out it takes about 2.5 hours to walk from one side of the island to the other. Now we know! From now on, we will make a more concentrated effort to get to the bus on time. :)

 

I'm so excited and grateful to be a missionary, and to serve with such wonderful people (leaders, companions, our little branch). Our loving relationships in life are the most important--especially those with our family, earthy and celestial. To improve our relationships we need to improve our communication. We can do that by reading the Book of Mormon, praying, listening, and coming to church. Take time to do these, and to invite someone else to do the same this week. You will be blessed!!!

 

Final question: what do YOU want to give Jesus Christ for Christmas?

 

I love you!!!

 

Simply,

Élder Zubeldia