Cartagena

alriiightt mis amigos! 

Well, i just got transfered this week to CARTAGENA! And I am finishing up the training of Hermana Benevides, and she is the best! I only have one more transfer than her.. we are both so young!! But she speaks spanish AND english perfectly. (que bendicione! ) She was born in the Honduras and then moved to Virginia. We are definitely enjoying our time together! 

Its weird being transfered.. i already miss all my investigators and members in Fuen SO MUCH! i didnt know i could love an place or people so much in such a short period of time. But, i am excited to do that here too! 

This area is a lot different, its really old but pretty in its own way. Its in the dessert basically haha. Everything.. all the buildings, mountains, fields, are all tan or brown. (I miss all of the white buildings in Fuen) And we have a port, and theres probably a beach here somewhere but who knows! And the work is a little bit harder.. for now:) we are super excited to get the work moving faster here! 

I keep growing to love the mission more and more everyday! (even the days where we dont teach ANY lessons..) I love being here, and i have recived so many blessings from the Lord. 

Les quiero muchísimo. 

Moroni 7:45-48

Con amor, 

Hermana Knowles

A week of miracles

Alyssa has transferred to Cartegena, another coastal town for east of where she was. Here's her new address. She loves letters. 

Calle Tierno Galvan

No. 18 1Der

Cartegena 30203

SPAIN 

Enjoy.  Mike

----------------

Ahh hola mis amigos! So, my past few emails may have described a little bit of the struggle we have been having this transfer, but we have been pushing through it and working hard everyday, and guess what.. we have finally gotten success!!! let me begin..

Well, this week we have been trying really hard to street contact, like every other week. But we tried extra hard to listen to the counsel of our zone leaders, who challenged us to talk to ten new people a day. Before, we never got any responses or contact info.. but this week it seemed everyone wanted to talk to us! We got so many peoples information to visit them another day, and we more than tripled the amount that we´d gotten in past weeks. That was a miracle for us! We also taught more lessons this week than ever before.. and we have a FECHA! a baptismal date! for our new investigator. and he came to church yesterday! he loved it, and the ward loved him. so he is progressing great. Finally we are starting to see results for our work!!

I found out that i am being transferred this week to Cartagena! And i am going to be finishing an hermana´s training! so she has even less time than me. haha and i am just finishing my training right now, so you can imagine that I'm a little nervous, but also very excited!! I guess she speaks english and Spanish perfectly so that is a blessing. :)

So, the mission does this thing to you, where you go to a place and begin to love it and all the people there, and then it rips you away, and sends you to another place that you grow to love just as much. I am so sad to leave this area with all our our investigators and members that i love so much. Its hard, but i know i will love my next area just as much:) 

Bueno, my advice for this week is to keep pushing through the hard moments with all of your strength, because the Lord will bless you. I have seen so many miracles here on my mission that are evidence of this. I love the mission and i love this gospel. 

Thank you for the love and support and emails and letters:) they mean a lot to me! 

Ether 12:4

les quiero muchísimo! 

Hermana Knowles

New photos from 2015

Buenas

So, here's  the bad news. the 3 weeks of holidays and christmas are over. Here's  the good news- THE THREE WEEKS OF HOLIDAYS/CHRISTMAS ARE FINALLY OVER! finally!

Its been good to finally be getting back in the groove of missionary work without a new holiday every week. Everyone has been so busy partying and shopping and going to disco techas and eating and sleeping and what not.. gosh.  DON'T THEY KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS MESSAGE IS??! haha but its finally settling down and we have been able to meet with people more regularly now. 

One thing that I have learned this week is how hard the adversary works when you are following the right path and doing the right things. Our recent convert has recently been confronted with a lot of problems that he didn't have before he was baptized. It just proves how much the adversary doesn't want us to follow the right path, and that they will do everything in their power so that we don't want to continue more and receive the blessings that are ahead of us!  I have also seen that in my mission from day to day. There was one morning this week that was especially hard for me for whatever reason, and I could feel satan attacking me and my beliefs and my confidence. And I think it was because of the great day that we were about to have! We had some really GREAT lessons that day, but if I had listened to the adversary we would not have had those opportunities. So I guess my advise. PUSH THROUGH IT. This means that satan knows that you are following the right path. Stay strong, and you will receive blessings beyond compare. 

Sooo.. this is week 12 of my training! which means i am almost done!! and i have been out for 4 months now.. where did the time go?? so next week i will officially not be a greenie anymore:) and here´s some news. Hermana Pérez will be training, so i will be heading somewhere else next transfer! im excited to find out where!! 

Oh, cool story. I saw Africa this week. Yes, you can see Africa  from where we are! pretty cool huh. 

That's all for now folks. 

Les quiero muchisimo. 

Con amor, Hermana Knowles

Happy New Year

Feliz año nuevo mis amigos!! (how in the world is it already 2015?!?!?!)

 

I hope you all had a great new years and that you all got your new years kisses or whatever. I had a great time eating grapes here in Spain!! hahah the tradition here is to eat 12 grapes at midnight. So we got permission to eat the grapes and then head right home after. It was fun! 

Well, looking back, i think 2014 would have to be one of the coolest years ive ever had. I got to study in Hawaii, travel through most all the states in the US, and then start my mission in SPAIN!! and i am even more excited for 2015!! For all of this year i will be here in Spain serving the Lord. HOW COOL IS THAT???? (jealous?) 

We have set some great goals as a mission and as a companionship and personally. and i know we are going to be seeing some miracles here soon!! 

 I was able to finish the Book of mormon before the end of 2014 (i read it in two months!!) and now I have a goal to read it twice, in spanish! 

Well these last few weeks have been a little difficult as far as lessons go, but we arent getting discouraged!! With Christmas, and the New Year, and now el Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos (tomorrow) it has been a crazy transfer full of holidays. So we havent really been able to meet regularly with anyone! which is so frustrating! so i am hoping it wil get better once these holidays are all over. We have been trying a lot more antiguo investigators and less actives, and street and door to door contacting, which means we have also gotten some more rejection. hahah, hermana perez and i have started a game to see who can get rejected more! ill let you know the winner of that;) but, we are working DILIGENTLY! and we will see some results soon. 

I just want to say how much i love this work, and i know the joy that the gospel brings to people. So my challenge for all of you in this NEW YEAR of 2015 is to be an example, and to do your own missionary work back home! my challenge is to try every month to bring a friend to church. And i KNOW that you will be blessed for your efforts. 

I love you all!! have a great year of 2015!!! 

con amor, 

Hermana Knowles

Post Christmas wishes

FELIZ NAVIDAD!! i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas and that it was as good as mine, because mine was one of the best i´ve ever had!! 

But im going to start with the beginning of the work. for our pday we went to Malaga because our zone had rented out a gym and we played lots of volleyball/futball. And then afterwards, we went to the capilla and ate this giant paella that a member had made for all of us! so sweet! and then we all went to Malaga Centro and sang christmas carols. It was such a nice contrast to all the other "performers" that were there as well.. it reminded me a bit of NYC with all the street performers that were there. But we had some great missionary opportunities with that:)

Then on the 24th, we did a white elephant gift exchange with our district (aka el mejor distrito en todo del mundo) and played some games. Then we went to Ernesto´s house, and his mom had prepared this Paraguayan feast for us! it was so good! and they gave me a gift for my birthday:) it was so sweet. Afterwards we went to the capilla and played futbal with the elders, and then went to Carla´s house and played barbies with her daughter (it was my last joven thing to do before i turned into an "adult") and ate even more food! Lets just say i am still full. haha

Then it was CHRISTMAS MORNING!! and my birthday...:) and i opened an awesome package from my family, we did some studies, went and played more games with the elders, and then went to the familia Maza´s house for some more food!! SO MUCH FOOD. and they made me a cake and sang!! they are so sweet. And then after, we went to the office and SKYPEDDDDD. it was SO GOOD to see my family. best birthday present ever:) Afterwards, we went to a members house and she made us some dessert, and then we walked around downtown and looked at lights with the elders and that was an end to the best birthday/christmas. haha

Then the other days were back to normal, except a little more difficult because everyone was busy from after christmas. So its been a little hard to meet with people! but one of the greatest things was that yesterday at church.. we had TWO investigators come, TWO recent converts come, and FOUR of our menos activos come! it was such a good day! It is one of the best feelings when you see an investigator or a less active member walk into the doors of the capilla. Because you can see the difference that it makes. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we have to go to church everyweek and partake of the sacrament. (i almost forgot how to say that in english.. the transformation is happening!!)

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!! i feel so loved :) i hope you all had a great christmas and were able to think about our Savior and Redeemer and the influence that He has had in your life. For me, He is everything. I am so happy to be out here serving Him everyday and invite people to come unto him.

LES QUIERO! 

Hermana Knowles