HOLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What?! Pamplona again?! Yeah, we love this place and we just had a great preparation day with Elder Dalton and the Elderes/Hermanas here. Making so many memories.
Well, miracle story:
¨We had a lot of little miracles that came this week without any help on our part. Surprise miracles. Well, I feel like I receive these every day, but we had some interesting ones this week. We had an experience in church Sunday that really impacted me and I will never forget the lessons I learned. There is a lady in the ward who is mentally ill and she hit a little child in the middle of the Sacrament Meeting. The Bishop called the police because she refused to leave the chapel after screaming and slamming chairs. Some ward members did not agree with this decision and were upset. He called everyone into the chapel after Sunday School and started talking. He broke down and had to take a minute to get control of himself. I felt like I could physically see the weight of the Bishop´s mantle and responsibilities. He read from the Handbook about his duties as a Bishop to protect the spiritual, physical and mental well-being of the ward. I was so impressed at his humility, his strength of character and the safety there is in being obedient and following the handbook. I will never forget this experience and the way I felt as I listened and watched. As a ward member, we sustain the Bishop as the head of the ward and he has the keys and authority to act. It has been difficult for me to understand him as a person, but I have never questioned his authority and stewardship of the ward. This was a big testimony-builder for me and it opened up my eyes that the Bishop is a man and has weaknesses, faults and insecurities just like we all do. I don´t know why I forget this about other people sometimes! Especially leadership figures. I really love Obispo Cabeza and have so much respect and admiration for him. This experience was a miracle for me and I feel like it will have special significance for me later in my life, as well as now.
Juan Carlos is a CR and is preparing to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead this week with his wife! He drove us to a visit with his wife, but didn´t want to come in. He read the Liahona in his car and then prayed because his schedule just wasn’t working out to go to the temple and he didn´t know what to do. He said he heard a voice tell him to go now and not wait. He is going with a group of ward members and I am so excited for him. Most of his family and relatives have passed on and I think this will be an incredible experience for him.
Javiera is another young CR and we have been travelling to a pueblo to teach her and her family more regularly. She is shy, but her testimony is strong and her family was reactivated when she got baptized. They are so sweet and becoming strong members in the ward.
2 Nefi 4:19-20, 34 really impacted me this week. I know in whom I have trusted and I just need to keep trusting in Him--through health issues and everything. I don´t know what to do, but He does. I love being able to always go to the scriptures and find the answers and counsel that I need.¨
What a crazy week. So we prepared and everything for a baptism, told the Bishop and invited everyone, but it just didn´t work out. I don´t know why, but I´m not upset. I have been really sick--stomach sick. I spent basically all of Thursday sleeping and running to the bathroom. I talked to Hna Moulton a lot during my first intercambio in February about her allergy to gluten and felt like I should talk to her this week. We talked about my symptoms and I think I´m definitely allergic to something. Developing gluten allergies? Who knows. But I have cut evrything gluten, dairy and sugar out of my diet for now and will slowly incorporate sugar and dairy back in over time. What do I eat then you may ask? Not a lot. haha I got rice flour and rice/corn cakes and rice noodles. We will see how it goes. I was thinking about all the faith and praying for miracles and baptisms and how it was what we needed to do...but maybe Heavenly Father knew that I needed to build faith to deal with this? I mean, let´s be real. One more thing to worry about--what I can and can´t eat?! Especially no bread or pastry products...milk...cereal...it´s a little rough. But needs to be done because I can´t be feeling sick and running to the bathroom all the time. So yeah, that´s where I´m at. Crazy, right? Tell me about it. Spain is doing a two-step on my body. LOVE IT. Not. But life goes on :-) Don´t worry Mom. Just pray. And send gluten-free ideas and recipes...?
Next week is transfers so don´t freak out because we will email on Tuesday. I´ve been in SanSe for 6 months...so I think I´m gone. Maybe Elder Dalton too. There are Hermana openings in...drum roll please...Inca (islands), Benidorm down south, and Valencia. But that doesn´t really mean anything because Pte Hinckley is unpredictable. I´m excited, but super sad to leave. I love it so much. Especially the members. But I can´t wait to tell you what will happen!
Thanks for all the updates and love. It makes me so happy to here about people´s lives and I can´t believe that the school year is almost over!!!!!!!!!! Wow! Caleb I will be thinking about and praying for you allll day of graduation :-) I´m so proud of you and happy for the young man you have become and are becoming.
I wish I had more time, but we have to run and catch our bus back. Our ward mission leader, José Luis, came with us. He is so crazy and so much fun. Pictures coming soon of our preparation day!
Love, prayers, hugs and kisses-
Hermana Clarissa Dalton