¡Bon Nadal!

Catalan for Merry Christmas.haha  Connor likes to say this. It was AMAZING to see and talk to everyone for Christmas-quite possibly the best Christmas so far. It felt so good to see and just know that life goes on without me there. That sounds weird, but it is very comforting.haha  There is always so much that I want to say or tell all of you, but I never have time.haha  I try to email family and write letters to everyone else when I feel like I really need to tell you something, so hopefully it is often enough and what you need to hear.
It was sunny today so we did some sightseeing and I will attach a bunch of pictures so hold onto your hats ladies and gents because it is B-E-A-UTIFUL here!!!!!!
 But first things first--I must tell you about last night. We had to take the "topo" train to a pueblo...missed our stop and had to run from the next one back to find the family´s teenage son and daughter who were waiting for us. Hna Fuentes was very stressed out, but I thought it was funny and laughed the whole time.ahahaha It was freezing, too! Colder than Zaragoza. I just kept thinking..."at least the next stop was only like a mile instead of the next pueblo...at least we are together and I´m not trying to figure this out alone...at least it´s not raining." I finally got her to laugh, too. The family is from Chile and they asked us last week if there is anything we don´t like...Hna Fuentes isn´t super crazy about fish and seafood...so naturally the ENTIRE first course was boiled shrimp (the kind you have to rip the head off, de-shell and then de-leg), not one but two different kinds of anchovies, mackerel and my personal favorite...a kind of jellied deer spread stuff for crackers.ahahaha  But course two was not to be outdone by course one. It included...garganta--throat. Throat of something. I thought he said calves, but Hna Fuentes heard some kind of sea creature. But throats. It was very...different. Texture, taste, everything. I hope we never cross paths again, but I downed 2 of them and complimented the chef heavily. I have learned to just get to the postre--which is usually fruit, nuts and turron-chocolate. They also had this drink, I didn´t catch the name, but is was sweetened condensed milk, I think,  with nata (cream) and coffee flavoring and spices...basically coffee for members.haha  It was interesting. Turron will be the death of me, though. It is SOOOOO delicious. Bricks of different kinds of chocolates and chocolates with other things that put you into a sugar coma.
 I do want to share with you something I learned from Pres Brown at Temple Square. The 5 Motivations for why we do what we do as missionaries and members of the Church:
1-The Virgin Birth
2-The Agony of Gethsemani
3-The Cruel Cross
4-The Empty Tomb
5-The Spring of 1820
IT´S ALL TRUE!!!!!!!

I have never had those 5 events put together in that way before and it is a lesson I will always remember. May we all always remember our true divine natures, our true purpose here on earth and the true reason for Christmas. I love you all!

-Hermana Dalton

OH! Mom-my package arrived today! The office Elders sent in on up to me with some other mail and it came this morning! THANK YOU FOR THE GRANOLA!!!!!!!!!!! I don´t know how you knew, but I have been craving it for WEEKS and never thought to ask for it!haha Everything else looked amazing! I am so excited!haha  You are the best family EVER! MUAH!

These pictures are of the La Playa de La Concha-San Sebastian´s beach, and La Castilla de La Mota-the castle/fortress with the Statue of Christ overlooking the city and ocean on the other side...and no, I haven´t lost any of my personality-no worries!

SHOUT OUTS:
Rahmderson´s- Thank you for the updates! A letter is on it´s way!

Jury´s-you two crack me up. Thanks for making me smile halfway around the world. A letter´s coming!

Knudsen´s - Thank you so much for the Christmas card. It touched my heart and I wish you both the best holidays!

Aunt Marla-thank you for the family picture! It is so good to see everyone and everyone looks so good! Merry Christmas and I love you!

Here's Your Christmas Card!

I wish I could send you things for the Holidays like presents and a taste of the sweets and pastries here...but I just bgot my mission debit card this week and it only just started working, so I'm playing catch up replenishing my depleted cash fund and such. haha--the joys of a mission!  So you'll just have to get by with my love, my prayers and my promise that I am not wasting my time or money while I'm here!  Oh, and this picture, which is just so perfectly indescribable!  ahaha  The background is the Catholic Cathedral here in Zaragoza called Pilar.  I just have to point out that the work "jumping" is strategically covering about 2 inches of my 'religion', if you know what I mean!  ahaha  Hna Fuentes didn't get so lucky with her grandma stockings.  ahaha  I'm (well, I was) singing in the choir here to help them out for the Christmas party, but I won't be around for that anymore, but I got to learn some Spanish carols and Christmas songs.  I love "Los peces en el rio" and "Chiquirritiu" (no guarantees on the spelling!)  You should look them up on youtube or something!  The first is about fish in the river by where Christ was born or something.  I love the line "beben y beben y vuelvena beber'--hahah--and the other is a tongue twister and I have no idea what it means yet! Just imagine me trying to keep up!

The Senior couple here, the Churches, made a big Thanksgiving dinner for our district.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie!  The only thing missing was candied yams and pecan pie and ...tyme or however you spell the spice, Mom!  And most importantly--my family, but it will make the time I have with you that much more special when I come back, right?!

Tengo mi familia canmigo cada dia en mi corazon.  I say this to myself everyday and when I bore my testimony yesterday.  I'm sorry I didn't have time or money to send a Christmas Card to everyone my self.  A copy on email is the only thing I can give you for Christmas.  I love you all!  Merry Christmas!  Hermana Dalton

San Sebastian, here I come!

Ok, I´m apologizing now because I haven´t read your emails for this week yet. I´m just printing them out to read at home. It´s been a crazy traveling day and Hna Fuentes is really sick, so that makes everything...more fun. We arrived safely and without a hitch here in this b-e-a-utiful northern part of Spain. A member family was waiting for us and our massive amounts of luggage at the train station. They took us to our piso and then fed us until I was just about comatose, which has happened A LOT this week. Oh dear.
I can see the HUGE waves from our piso! I cannot describe to you all the incredible feelings of joy and excitement I have about being here. I don´t know why, but I have been giddy since learning we were coming here. I can´t wait to figure out why. There is simply no counterfeit or excuse for being where you are supposed to be and doing what you are supposed to be doing when you are supposed to me doing it. If you don´t feel that way,then find out how because you are missing out!!!!

Here´s a copy of my miracle story for the week that I sent in to Pres Hinckley: I was able to see a miracle this week while on intercambios with Hermana Preston so that she and her companion could get to know our investigators before we left. The appointment we were heading to fell through, so we were standing on the corner deciding what to do next. I never know what to do next in the mission, so I always choose to do the same thing--pray. We sat on a bench and said a quick prayer. While we were both collecting our thoughts, a man and woman walked by. The man made eye contact and smiled and we smiled in return. As soon as they walked by, we turned to stare at each other and immediately nodded. We jumped up and ran after them. It turns out that he was an inactive member from Ecuador and had not attended church for at least four years! He said he was done with the Church and nothing could change that. We smiled and testified the opposite. We were able to get both of their numbers and Hermanas Preston and Walker are going to visit them soon. They are neighbors. It wasn´t anything big or grand, but we both knew that we were guided and blessed for stopping, praying and asking for guidance. This is the second time this has happened to me. So I will keep choosing to pray!


I will read, write and respond next week. I promise! But time is up and we are paying a lot to be here because we are out of time and couldn´t use the library yet! Isn´t the mission fun?!?! Oh, yes it is! ¨Come what may, and love it!" I love you all. Thanks for strengthening my testimony every day. I am here because of YOU and this is the best Christmas present I could ever receive or give!

Muah!

-Hermana Clarissa Dalton


PS Here are some pics of us having way too much fun before I left Zaragoza with Hnas Preston and Walker, saying goodbye to a part member convert family and ward mission leader, seeing Connor, and the real life 'Walk through Bethlehem' in Zaragoza in front of the Pilar Cathedral.

Transfers a week early!

Howdy! Monday, December 5, 2011

Ok, so first things first, which is actually two things that go together. Sorry, I haven´t given you an address, but we have transfers at the end of this week and we didn´t think we´d be staying, so I didn´t want to confuse you. Because of our mission goal of 450 baptisms this year, Pres. told us our transfers a week early to prep and make the minimal changes as smooth as possible. Yes, we were right and we are being transferred. I will be serving in San Sebastian in the Vitoria Zone! This is the part where I should be telling you where that is and other little missionary/geographical tidbits...but I have no idea. And my companion is very distracted with pictures of her new niece at the moment...so you´ll just have to hop on google and do the grunt work for me. Sorry. All I got out of her before the niece-picture-gushing began was "north" and "going to be very cold." Loverly.haha I´ll be buying more tights and leggings and such very soon. So...about the address-- I´m so sorry, but I don´t know what it will be until next week...hold on. I´m working some magic...maybe...nope. Sorry, just send it to the mission home and I´ll get it as soon as I can. Next week I´ll get you the piso address. And anyone--feel free to write to the mission address until I get the other one. I´m not picky! haha

One miracle story from this week was when we were trying to find a member´s piso to teach his roommate. The piso number he gave us was wrong, so we couldn´t get inside the building. We decided to pray and as soon as we were done, a lady came out and we were able to go inside. The piso number didn´t exist, so we tried the closest sounding one (the member´s from Ghana and has a very thick accent! haha) and no one answered. I heard people in the apartment next door and felt like we should knock on their door. My comp wasn´t so thrilled, but we rang the bell. A pregnant mother from Peru said that we should try the next planta (floor). We talked to her and she invited us back this week! We went upstairs and found the original piso that we were looking for and also have a lesson set up with him this week. We will find out why we needed to find both of them.

We have two investigators with baptismal dates this week--Alfonso and Enoch. Pray for them! Satan´s working on both of them really hard and they are getting confused about what they really want. I don´t know if Elder Dalton told you, but as of last week, we had 52 baptisms left to reach our goal...and there are 52 companionships in the mission :-) No way that´s a coincidence and that a mission goal is for every companionship to baptize every month. WE can do this. I´ve never felt so much weighing on my every decision, everyday, before. The mantle of a missionary is quite a responsibility and I got my first taste of just how important it is to act the part an all times and in all things and in all places. I am learning, slowly but surely, that everything really does come down to faith--the power to act. So I´m telling you now--we as a mission WILL meet this goal of 450 baptisms. And we as a companionship WILL do our part and help at least one person into the waters of baptism this month. This is something that I cannot do on my own. No way. Sometimes I don´t even know how we can do it, but that´s where the faith comes in. Like the father in the "Finding Faith in Christ" video, I feel like crying out "Help Thou my unbelief!" every day, multiple times a day, but the Lord will provide a way and I will just have to provide the work. Please pray for me. I need it--so much.

Speaking of things I need so much, I can hardly wait to see Elder Dalton this week! My feelings for my younger brother that I haven´t seen in 15 months, but somehow have been blessed with the privilege and tender mercy of serving with, are so tender that I am glad this is an email because I wouldn´t be able to say any of this without crying. I am so full of joy when I think about Friday and all it holds. haha My Heavenly Father knows me so perfectly. I will never doubt that in this life or the next.

Well, I didn´t get to say half of what I wanted, but that is the mission. I´ll say it all in my heart and the Spirit will have to do the talking to yours. I´m alive and well, cold and missing peanut butter and dryers. ahahaha! I will talk to you next week from San Sebastian!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

-Hermana Dalton

Oh, put Clarissa or Clare Dalton on letters/packages please so the other Sister Dalton doesn´t get my mail. haha