A week of good eatin!

Hey ya´ll! This week was pretty darn fun. I think it was a little more fun because we actually have investigators progressing towards baptism! A few weeks ago Elder Cranford and I went to visit an investigating family just to check up on them and see if they were reading. We couldn´t go inside though because only the little boy was home. So I told Elder Cranford "well lets just knock the whole building." So we took the elevator up to the eleventh floor and started to knock the doors. Just so everybody knows, knocking doors almost never turns out with success here in Spain but we decided to give it a shot. And guess what happened? Success. On the eleventh floor a dominican woman invited us in after we had introduced ourselves but we couldn´t because there wasn´t a man in the house. So we made a return appointment and decided to come back. As of now we have visited with them 4 or 5 times and they love it! They even invited us to eat with them last week and it was delicious. She made hamburgers and ribs and it was rediculously good. Its been awhile for sure. I could tell she was so happy to serve us and it made me feel really good. Its hard to find happy people these days. The only problem is she can´t come to church because she works and she really wants to come. I hope things work out and she can somehow change her schedule. She told us she wants to be baptized! I am really praying this one goes through. This week was also fun because elder Cranford and I got to attend the ward activity. We had to wear our proselyting clothes, but it was still fun. We brought an american football with us to show them what it was all about. The little kids all ran to the bottom of the hill and told me to throw it as high as I could. When I threw it they all said "Whoooaaaaa!!". Haha it was really funny. They aren´t used to seeing people throw things. They kick em here haha. I also forgot to tell you all that Gina moved back to Colombia. Before she left, she gave Elder Cranford and I a bracelet with the Colombian flag colors. I hope she does well over there. Well thats about it for the week. The weather is up and down. About two weeks ago my shoes filled with water it rained so hard and every once in awhile it gets hot again. I just want it to stay cool! But I love it here. I love this mission and I love you all. You mean so much to me. I hope you have a great week! Love Elder Langston

Elder Langstons Report

Hey everybody,Well I´m sorry but I don´t have any exciting news for you this week. Not much is happening but we are just trudging along. I know its alright through. Things are supposed to happen when they are supposed to happen. Or maybe I just have to try even harder. Actually, something funny happened yesterday. A Bulgarian guy called us and said he wanted to meet with us. He spoke perfect english. We met him at a metro stop and he said he had met with some elders in switzerland where he has been living and he thinks its really interesting. As a matter of fact he said he wants to be a member and he wants to know what he needs to do to be baptized. Of course we told him! He doesn´t live in our area and he is going back to Switzerland but hey...its someone getting baptized! It made me happy yesterday. It shows me that people really are ready for the gospel and we just need to find them! I love teaching though. Even if they don´t accept it or want to listen, it gives me a feeling that is unmistakeably the Spirit. Its just pure happiness. Its like I have $100 dollar bills and I´m trying to pass them out to people. If they don´t want it, I´ll try someone else! When times get hard and not much is happening it is comforting to know that I have a testimony of the things I am teaching and everything is going to be ok. As for unimportant news, I sang in the ward choir yesterday in Sacrament meeting. The choir has three men in it. My companion, me and one other member. So I sang the tenor part haha. It was actually pretty fun! The ward I am in is also really getting into missionary work. Everybody wants to help and they are trying to include us missionaries in their activities. I´m so grateful to be in this ward. I hope I stay here this next transfer. I think I will because Elder Cranford has been here almost 7 months! Whatever happens happens. Thank you all for the support and encouraging words. I love the letters and emails. With God on our side, we cannot fail! I love you all.Love, Elder Langston

Guess What...That's What

Just another week of teaching and finding new people to teach. I really wish we could commit some people to baptism! I swear we always get so close and then there is just one little thing in the way or they don´t want to make that kind of commitment. Sometimes our investigators just don´t understand how important the decision is. And although I try my hardest to help them realize, sometimes it just doesn´t sink in. Don´t worry though. I´ll be reporting a baptismal date here soon. Our investigator Vicente is doing great. He has a lot of ideas but we are helping him see THE TRUTH. He really likes what we are teaching and he said he just needs to pray to know it is true. He said that himself and we didn´t have to ask him so thats always a plus! He also said something that strengthened my testimony of the power of the Spirit. At the end of a lesson last week, I told him the next time we would be bringing a member. I then explained its nice to have members present because sometimes they are more experienced with different situations and they also speak the language better. Then he said "The language doesn´t matter. Its what I can see in your eyes and feel in my heart when you are here in my house that matters." I thought that was really neat! It gave me a testimony that the language barrier really isn´t anything at all. I may not speak perfectly yet, but that doesn´t matter because the Spirit can teach a million times better than I ever could. The weather is starting to cool down here in Barcelona and I´m extremely grateful! Its been pretty cloudy and there has been a light raing here and there. I love that kind of weather. I can´t believe fall is starting! I remember last fall I was starting my mission papers and now here I am. Time flies. Sorry I don´t have much to report but it was just one of those weeks. I want each of you to know that I pray for you everyday and I´m always appreciative of your support and love. You mean the world to me. Talk to you next week! Love, Elder Langston

A little bit of Discouragement...but oh well.

The subject says it all! Last week was really hard. We just couldn´t get into a house! A lot of people called at the last second and cancelled the appointment we set up so we would have to go to our backup plans which eventually fell through as well. I shouldn´t complain though. I love it out here. We found two more new investigators at least! A woman from Portugal named Ana that sister Hinckley contacted (I don´t know how because she hardly speaks a word of spanish) and a man named Martín from Colombia. He actually approached me a few weeks ago while we were waiting for a member to accompany us to a different appointment. All of a sudden he walked up to me and asked where our church was because he wanted to find the right church! Talk about being in the right place at the right time haha! We´ve had one appointment with him and he wants us to come back so things are moving right along. I´ve gotten a lot of questions about Sonia in my emails so I´ll give an update about her. We haven´t met with her as often because she isn´t really progressing. The sad thing is she wants physical evidence and others people word instead of finding out for herself through prayer. Honestly I think she just needs a little bit of time. She will be baptized. I might not ever see it but that doesn´t matter. I think she will. We had a great zone conference yesterday with all of the missonaries in Barcelona. Elder Cranford and I had to give a report on how we have applied some principles of a case study that the mission has been studying. Its always a little scary to get up in front of people and speak spanish because I´m not very confident, but it went well. I love hearing president Hinckley speak. He is such a spiritual man and you can just feel his love for the gospel and the mission he presides over. I´m lucky to have him as my president. President also said that we shouldn´t be suprised if we stay in the same area for 6 to 8 months to really get working with the ward. I would love that! I love this ward. It really feels like I´m in my home ward. I´m hoping thats the case. Elder Cranford has already been here 6 months so I think he might be out of here the next transfer. We´ll see. Well, thats about it. There isnt much to report because not a whole lot happened haha. But I love it. I know with all my heart that this church is true. Testimonies are strengthened in the bearing of them and also from hearing them from others. Oh yeah! One testimony that really hit me this week was from a 10 year old girl in fast and testimony meeting. Her parents don´t come to church but she comes every week with a big smile on her face. She bore her testimony about the simple truths she knows with all her heart and it hit me so hard. I love to hear the testimonies of such strong spirits. Well I love you all and I love hearing from you. Until next week. Love Elder Langston