The Tsunami: 37 arrive

Craziest week ever.  But baptisms first, as always:

Hermanas Noriega and Thompson in Benidorm.

Elders Flint and Curtis in Badajoz.

Elders Gonzales and Smith in Granada.

Hermanas Martin and Anderson in Jaen.

Elders Erickson and Sharp in Jerez.

Elders Quinn and Gomez in Malaga 2.

Elders Ellsworth and Walker in Molina.

Here's the happy Murcia District, who learned this week that it's very important to be sure the font drain is closed before filling the font with water.  With the help of a few buckets, they got the font filled with enough water in time for the baptism. 

Hermanas Thompson and Folsom had a font mishap too!  Hermana Thompson said, "Disaster with the baptismal font!

It was our first time trying out the plastic font and it fell a couple of hours before the baptism and flooded the entire chapel with 1-2 inches of water. It took mediodia to get all the water out but it was dry in time for the baptism."

Now, the tsunami: 37 missionaries arrived, and none departed.   

 They arrived by train at 10am,

and by plane at 1pm.

Put your arms around our new missionaries (according to the guidelines in the Manual Misional, please) and welcome them to the best mission in the world.  Here they are, in no particular order:

Elder Queirolo will be trained by Elder Hooper in Malaga 3.

Elder Hill will be working in Algeciras with Elder Mambo.



Elder Metcalf is headed to Aljarafe with Elder Vergara.

Hermana Rawle and Hermana Wilcox are headed to Badajoz.

Hermana Brown (our third one!) will be trained by Hermana Johnson in Huelva.

Hermana Lionetti is headed to Cádiz with Hermana Reed (center) and Hermana Coloma.



Elder Bassett (left) and Elder Rojas (right) will train Elder Guarcax in Cordoba.

Elder Pomazon will be trained by Elder Flint in Badajoz.

Hermana Brown will train Hermana Wooley in Granada.

Hermana Lyons and Hermana Martín are headed to Jaen.

Hermana Hansen will be trained in Jerez by Hermana Brimhall and Hermana Johns (not pictured).

Elder Bird and Elder Peters will train Elder Reynolds in Malaga 1.

Hermana Black will be trained by Hermanas Ramsay and Poulton in Malaga 1 also.

Hermana Andrew will work in Malaga 2 with Hermana Roan.

Elder Cortés will train Elder Farrell in Malaga 4.

Hermana Daines will be trained by Hermana Moreno Cáceres.

Elder Mercado and Elder Easton will train Elder Rasmussen in Albacete.



Elder Tudela is headed to Alcoy with Elder Orr. 

Hermana Flanders will train Hermana Morris in Alicante 1.

Elder Dansie will train Elder Day in Alicante 2.

Hermana Camacho will train Hermana  Parilla in Alicante 2.

Elder Webb is headed to Elche 1 with Elder Adams.

Hermana Cameron (and Hermana Kunz) will train Hermana Hubbard in Elche 1.

Elder Rodriguez will train Elder Oliver in Torrevieja.

Hermana Flake will train Hermana Bangerter in Cartagena 1.

Elder Flores will train Elder Datwyler in Lorca.

Elder Galarza and Elder Adamson are headed to Murcia 1.

Hermana Jarvis and Hermana Walton are also going to Murcia 1.

Elder Ellsworth and Elder Allsop are going to Molina.

Elder Brewer will train Elder Landinez in Ciudad Real.

Hermana Israelsen will train Hermana Heaton in Valdepeñas.  It also looks like our assistants are having a little too much with all the excitement.   

Elder Berrett will train Elder Chapple in Almeria.

Elder Bastian will train Elder Bird in Almeria.  (And yes, we have another Elder Bird, and he´s bigger than the first Elder Bird!)

Elder Patterson and Elder Church are headed to Málaga 1.

Elder Olsen and Elder Buttars are in Sevilla 1.  There are now 4 companionships in Sevilla 1st Ward.  Nice Elder Góchez..



Hermana Muse and Hermana Guerrero are headed to Sevilla 2.

I can't end this entry without a shout-out to our amazing office staff that have been working long days getting ready for this historic week.  Elders Butler, Norton, the Castillos, and Elders Gochez and Keller have been preparing all summer for this week.  Elder Norton found and rented 32 new apartments.  Elder Butler bought tickets and moved almost the entire mission this week.  Elders Gochez and Keller, besides making faces in the photos when we assign to areas, work tirelessly with and for the missionaries, and Elder and Sister Castillo, well, we just feel like they are at the right place at the right time.  We don't even know how we would do it without them.  We love you!  

 The formidable Elder Norton with 17 new phones.  That means 17 new areas opened this week!





Los mejores misioneros en todo el mundo

We did it!  We had a goal of finding 555 new investigators last week, and we found 558.  In one week!  The most we had ever found before this week was 232.   We truly have the best missionaries in the whole world.  Here are some recent baptisms, a new missionary, and a little celebrating at the end of this week's blog entry. 

Hermanas Noriega and Thompson in Benidorm, along with Elder Tudela.

Elders Johnson and England in Granada.

Elders Turley and Simon with 3 new members in Lorca.



Elders Scheible and Pardo in Sevilla 1.

 

Hermanas Childers and Flanders in Sevilla 1, with Elder Peroni.

Hermanas Rindlisbacher and Israelsen with a new convert in Elche 2.



Welcome to the newest missionary in our mission:  Elder Anguaya.  He has served for 6 months in Paraguay, and because of residency issues will complete his mission with us.  He is serving in Huercal Overa with Elder Miller.   Bienvenido Elder Anguaya!



Here is a pancarta in process in San Lucar.  Elders Ordonez and Tirrell.

Elder Keller and Elder Norton demonstrating "fecha to font".

Elder Gochez celebrating...

 



And finally, three brightly-colored Hermanas from Fuen celebrating a goal achieved!  Hermanas Theobald, Ramsay and Grant. 

 

 

555 in process...

Elder Gochez and Elder Keller in Fuengirola.

Hermanas Ramsay, Theobald and Grant in Fuengirola.  Elder Castillo got to baptize our friend.

Elders Navarro, Peters and Barbosa in Malaga.

A whole family in Molina!  Shown with Elders Ellsworth and Walker.

Elders Allen and Salmeron in Nerja.

 

 



Cadiz District





Here's 555 again.  What does it mean?  A few things:  Our baptism goal for 2013, but also our goal for new investigators this week.  We are going to be close! Thanks for the reminder Elders Walker, Ellsworth and Berry.

 

Seeking 555 and trouble at the mission home

Hermanas Nelson and Cano in Cartagena.



 

Elder Pascua in Cartagena.



 

Elders Leon and Wiley in Crevellente.



 

Elder Whetten and Elder Hooper in Puerto Santa Maria.

 

Elders Neira, Smith and Larios in Puertollano.

 

 



 

Hermanas Thompson and Noriega in Benidorm.

 

Elders Pascua and Tenney with a reminder of what's coming this week.  We have a goal as a mission to find 555 new investigators in one week.  The most we have ever found in a week is 234.  Please pray for us to be led to them, or for them to be led to us!

 

 

 

 

Cartagena Zone Training Meeting

Defenders of the Faith!

 

No, we aren't remodeling the mission home.  Some guys emptied out the little kitchen while trying to locate a water leak.  After all that work, it wasn't in the kitchen.

 

 

They found the leak here.  The leak is fixed, but now they have to fix the holes in the walls...



A train station reunion

Hermana Brimhall, Elders Bird, Peters and Jackson, and President Deere at a wonderful baptism in Malaga 1.  With the baptism of the mother and daughter, now the whole family are members and are planning to go to the temple to be sealed as soon as they can. 

Hermanas Roan and Moreno in Malaga 2.



Elder Mardones and Elder Miranda in Sevilla 2.



 

Hermanas Guymon and Wilcox in Badajoz, with a shout-out to Hermana Chavez.

Here is a sweet reunion story about Elder Buckway (left) and Elder Read (right).  They didn't know each other before the mission.  Several months ago, Elder Read's mom saw a photo of Elder Buckway on the blog, and thought he looked a lot like the Elder Buckway who baptized her in France in the 1980's.  She contacted us, and we contacted Elder Buckway, and learned that it was Elder Buckway's uncle who baptized Elder Read's mother so many years ago. They have been able to communicate with each other after decades without contact.  What a wonderful tender mercy for Sister Read and Elder Kim Buckway.  I wonder what reunions like this will happen in the future with our current missionaries' newly baptized converts?

Concilio, August 5-6, 2013

Good morning Spain!

Elder Whetten talking with everyone in Gibraltar. I think this guy has heard it before. 

 

Baptisms near and far, and the Spainhowers

Elders Triana (who came back from the other side to perform the baptism), Elders Easton and Mercado in Albacete.

Hermanas Greenwood and Camacho in Alicante 2.



Hermanas Ramsay, Theobald and Grant in Fuengirola.

Elders Gochez and Estrada in Fuengirola.

Hermanas Roan and Moreno in Malaga 2.

This is a special one--this is one of Hermana Muse's good friends getting baptized in Longview, Texas. 

Elder Butler with a goal in his head.

Our brilliant office staff displaying our goal.  I think this one is my favorite!!

P-day fun in El Palmeral in Elche.



From Hermana Brimhall:  "This girl was baptized last weekend and this weekend started a mini mission with Hna Poulton and I. THAT´s a convert ON FIRE!!! Go Alison."

P-day fun in Italica, a really, really cool site of a Roman theater,  just outside of Sevilla.

And last but not least, here is a photo of the Spainhowers (Hermana Spainhower in the front row, last one on the right, and Elder Spainhower, the last one on the left in the back row), along with the young adults from Malaga.  The Spainhowers finished their mission last week.  We miss you, and thank you for all your service in the Spain Malaga Mission!  We love you!