Sept 9 2013

I just received this email from Jessy.  She sounds so good  and busy.  Enjoy 
Sept 09 2013

Hola Everybody

Its been a long week. I´ll go in some sort of order today in my email. 

On last Monday we started our flight across the world.  There were 7 of us that were going to Barcelona; Hermana Mangelson, Hermana Jarman, Elder Seegmiller, Elder Butters, and Elder Merkley.  It super cool I had the opportunity to call my family in the Airport in New York were we had a 6 hour Layover.  We continued to fly to Barcelona which was a 9 hour flight and arrived in Barcelona Airport at 1100 am on Tuesday morning.  The office Elders pick the 7 of us up and we meet at the capilla in Barcelona.  Where we meet the other 32 new missionaries from the Spain CCM and we again saw Hermana Hassett and Hermana Vazziri.  It was so great. We received a little training, and toured and food and then recieved our temporary companion and went and proselyted. Super fun. The following 2 days we did fingerprinting and got things ready for our residency in Spain and continued proselyting with our temporary companion. on Thursday we received our assignments of our first area.  Mine in is Palma Mallorca in the Lavente branch. Palma is a island in the chain of islands that are in the Barcelona Mission.  I am so excited to be here.  

My Companion is Hermana Pazuengo a Native spanish speaker that doesn´t know very much English. It´s super fun because I have to learn the spanish fast.  I learned a gospel conversation I can understand at any speed but when the conversation is about anything else its quite hard.  I love my Companion So much she is from Mexico and I will be her last companion she leaves in the end of November.  We found a game that is super fun that helps me with my Spanish pronunciation and her´s in English.  Have you ever heard of scripture baseball or of scripture golf.  If not look it up.,  Any way our slight variation is that she has the English BOM and I have the Spanish BOM.  

I love it here in Palma. Its been fantastic.  

I have seen many miracles ( milagros) and the following is one of many 

This week the miracle that I saw was while street contacting in the park yesterday, we found some one that accepted the Book of Mormon. While we were at the park we reached the end of the park and then turned around I was inspired to talk to this couple on the bench I approached them and the gentleman noticed my American accent and his English was better then his Spanish, so I spoke to him in English and Hermana Pazuengo spoke to the lady in Spanish, We talked to them for about 20 minutes.  She took the Book of Mormon in Spanish. It was so neat to see the way the spirit works and to give someone an opportunity to change their life with the Book of Mormon on our efforts.  We received her contact information, and shewill only be in the area for three weeks, so we have to work fast. 

While studying this week I realized while reading 1 Nephi that when he wanted something from the Lord or taught he did it with all energy of heart and that is how I have got to do this Mission thing With all my energy of Heart.  

I love you all and miss you.  

Attached are some pictures

lies next week I´ll Have some I need to buy a converter for my MicroSD card

CON AMOR,

Hermana Ward 

Jessy's address in Spain

 We received a short email from Jessica this week, which I will include in this post.   On Tuesday we were curious if Jessy made it to Barcelona.  We decided to look at the mission web site to see if they had posted pictures of their newest missionaries.  It was exciting to see on the front page the pictures of the 43 missionaries that arrived to the Barcelona mission on Tuesday.  There was Jessica in the midst of them. Here are the pictures from the web site

All the new sisters and the president wife.
 She's in the second row
Poking her head around the sister in the brown dress

We think this is the group that came together on one plane

I love the sea in the background.
Jessy is toward the left in a blue shirt

Lunch for all the new missionaries.
Jessy is the one with watermelon in her hand!

Wow She just looks great!  She is excited to go forth and do the work.  I can't imagine what it is like to get 43 missionaries at one transfer so I imagine that this is the reason we haven't heard from the mission president, but no worries. 

  I am sure that she would love to hear from anyone who would like to write her.  The best way to write is threw email because it's free.  Her email address is jessica.ward@myldsmail.net .

  Please understand that she has one hour to use the computer each week so she may not be able to respond to each individual email however please come back to this blog site to see her weekly updated letter.  

There is also another way to contact her through snail mail.  This address will be good throughout her mission.  It's the address of the mission office.  They prefer that the mail goes through the office because the missionaries are more likely to receive it.  Please do not send packages because of the problems with customs the mission home has to pay extra costs when it is received.   For stamps and cost please go to the post office.  For what little research I have done it costs $1.10 for a post card.  

Sister Jessica Ward

Spain Barcelona Mission

Calle Calatrava N' 10-12, 1'

Barcelona

08017   Barcelona 

Spain

Here is Jessica's Email                                                      Sept 6th 2013

I am in the Palma Island as my first Area in my mission with a native as my companion. I am so happy to be here.  The humidity is about the same as DC.  I love it here in Spain. I am told that I have excellent Spanish. Hey let every one know my situation here.  Monday is my usual pday so I will reply then. I love missionary work.  read Alma 13:21  

I love you all so much.

Hey send me letters at the mission home address.  mom has the address for letters and packages, its just more reliable then sending it to my apartment, I´ll get letters about once a month and they probably wont get lost in the mail you´ll get more info on Monday on my pday.  ¡¡¡Hasta luego!!.  

con amor

Hermana Ward

We are so glad to have a missionary serving.  She would be so grateful to hear from all!

I got my Visa

August 30 2013


So I guess You can tell that that I got my visa, We leave on Monday early morning, and arrive Tuesday morning!!! I am so excited my companion is coming with me!!!!! I can call you when i get to the JFK airport I have a 5 hour layover. I will call mom's cell so please keep it on you.  

Neal A Anderson came on Tues and gave a devotional about loving and sacrifice and a quote that i would like to share with you is that you " you sacrifice for what you love, and love what you sacrifice.  

I did indeed get you package and thank you so much for the things that you sent me and and the letters. I love you all so much.  

I cant believe I leave and go out in the field.  Its crazy we have been here for six weeks and that its time to leave already. but for the most part my Spanish is OK, its still a little gringo but all is well.  

I love it here, and I am so excited to go directly to Barcelona, Espana and to be where the Lord needs me to be attached are some pictures of my life the last couple of weeks.  Did I tell you 3 weeks ago I got a hair cut?

#1 my district by the map before we lost a third of our district to other districts and other mtc

#2 all the sisters in the zone for about 5 days then 5 left us

#3,4 me with the sisters in my district that left after being here for 4 days.

 comp and i

 my haircut

#5 my zone 2 weeks ago where we were the 2nd oldest district. 

 comp and i

August 23, 2013

mom:                                                                                                                             August 23,2013

Thanks for the letter I got on right after we got back from the temple and i didn't see an email from you but my companion reassured me that one would come and it did and i am very happy it did.

thank you for the package i am super excited to receive it.   we received our travel plans so we got reassigned but our district leader hasn't given it to us yet.  so ill tell you next week or send a paper letter with it in it this evening.  

is it OK that i send you a letter meant for Christina Sorto i do not know her address but I felt impressed to send her a letter, so could you do that.  

Every body:

This week has been great my companion hurt her foot and has been on crutches, but she is mostly good now.  our lessons with investigators are going great and we are making great improvement in our teaching and in our language i understand and can almost use 6 different conjugations in Spanish.  on the fist night that missionaries arrive we see "experienced" missionaries have a discussion and then the new missionaries finish the discussion and our teacher recommended my companion and i do do it, it felt great.  while we were there we meet elders that were also going to Barcelona also.  it super cool.  this week our district has a goal of sharing 200 testimonies in Spanish today we are at 52 and we have till Monday we will see if we make it.  I love it hear in the mtc and i cant believe i have one more p day left in the mtc its crazy.  i am so happy to be a missionary, i am learning so much about me God and about this church and how close you can grow o people and learn to love some one in a matter of minutes.  

I'm so glad you saw the pictures of me and Kandice.  I got a hair cut last week I'm going to try to send an email with a couple of pictures but i have got to change computers first. I love my zone and my district and my companion.  I love everything about this gospel.  i think that you have really got the language down when you can cry and bear your testimony in that language.  

the last couple of weeks I have been pondering alot of scriptures and this is one that I want to share with you All its Romans8:31 " 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who  can ^abe against us?" and also 3 nephi 9:14 you'll have to look that one up.

i love you all so much!!!!

Con Amor 

Hermana Ward

8-9-13

8/9/13

Thank you mom for the letters, and the dear elders!!!!

this week has been totally awesome and fantastic.  This week I have learned a lot!! Did you hear about the new film in the temple? We get to go next week the temple has been closed since we have been here. I saw Katie cotton on Sunday.  I haven't seen elder Morgan.  I also forgot my camera cord again in my room and right now I'm at the computer, soo... next week I promise.  I can only write letters by hand and email on pday so sorry for the late replies.  my time here in the MTC has been awesome.  in our devotional on Sunday Jenny Oaks Baker came and it was so awesome, her and her children played music and it was fantastically awesome.  on Tuesday, Jay E Jensen came and spoke about the importance of studying the scriptures, and service. It was so great.  I am learning so much in the language and in spiritually. 

ok awesome story you ready?

So while I was up at school I was a drop in lab tutor and I meet this girl named Hannah that was also going to Spain Barcelona mission on the same day and thought how cool would that be to meet her there.  So as I Was thinking about this last night I realized that girl I met in the chem drop in lab is MY COMPANION right now.  We both freaked out and have been telling everybody, almost everybody in my zone knows.  The Lord Knows EVERYTHING. 

I have got to go soon but everything is great expect a handwritten letter sometime soon with the rest of the answers to you questions. 

Dad thank you for your letters too I love the words of wisdom you have sent me. 

one piece of spiritual info for that I learned yesterday:

so in Spanish god is DIOS. look at the word.  its plural, right.  God is a order of the priesthood that can only be given to a man and his wife. ( maybe don't share this in the blog but maybe don't) all right I have to go I love you. 

oh yea my companion is the sister training leader, there is only one companionship of sisters in our zone and we are it. 

love you all!!!!!!!!!!!

con amor,

 Hermana Ward.

Week 2 MTC

Jessica Ward	Aug 9 (2 days ago)

Thank you mom for the letters, and the dear elders!!!!

 

this week has been totally awesome and fantastic.  This week I have learned a lot!! Did you hear about the new film in the temple? We get to go next week the temple has been closed since we have been here. I saw Katie cotton on Sunday.  I haven't seen elder Morgan.  I also forgot my camera cord again in my room and right now I'm at the computer, soo... next week I promise.  I can only write letters by hand and email on p day so sorry for the late replies.  my time here in the MTC has been awesome.  in our devotional on Sunday jenny oaks baker came and it was so awesome, her and her children played music and it was fantastically awesome.  on Tuesday Jay E Jensen came and spoke about the importance of studying the scriptures, and service. It was so great.  I am learning so much in the language and in spiritually. 

 

OK awesome story you ready?

 

so while i was up at school I was a drop in lab tutor and I meet this girl named Hannah that was also going to Spain Barcelona mission on the same day and thought how cool would that be to meet her there.  So as i Was thinking about this last night I realized that girl i met in the chem drop in lab is MY COMPANION right now.  We both freaked out and have been telling everybody, almost every body in my zone knows.  The Lord Knows EVERYTHING. 

 

I have got to go soon but everything is great expect a handwritten letter sometime soon with the rest of the answers to you questions. 

 

Dad thank you for your letters too i love the words of wisdom you have sent me. 

 

one piece of spiritual info for that i learned yesterday:

 

so in Spanish god is DIOS. look at the word.  its plural, right.  God is a order of the priesthood that can only be given to a man and his wife.  all right I have to go I love you. 

 

oh yea my companion is the sister training leader, there is only one companionship of sisters in our zone and we are it. 

 

love you all!!!!!!!!!!!

 

con amor,

 

 Hermana Ward.

MTC Letter #1

On Friday we received Jessica's first letter of her mission.  I am excited to hear more about her experiences in the MTC.  She didn't include any pictures in this email but I hope she will in the next.  I am sure glad she wrote.  It just seems that it was such a long time from the time we put her on the plane in Baltimore until we actually heard that she made it safely to Provo.  Here's here Email        Received August 2, 2013

This is Jessica Ward and My P Day is on Fridays so my email will arrive on Fridays.  So stories about my day. 

The first Day was so long but so worth it.  I love it here.  I arrived first of all in my district. in our zone it started with 7 hermanas now there are two, me and my companion.  Hermana Vaziri and Hermana Hassett were in our district but they got their visas to go to the Espana mtc.  The devotionals are so awesome.  I love all the people I have met so far. I met My friend from middle school her little brother is in my district. Elder Laub and Sister Laub.  It's so cool. 

I am so glad to receive your letters and dear elders. It makes me feel loved I have received the most out of my district.  My district is so awesome and I love the elders that we have and my companion.  She is so awesome her name is Hermana Mangleson. She is from CA and attended BYUI and is 19.  most of the elders in my district are 18 and one is 21. Hermana is the Sister Training Leader and the senior companion.  Elder Keele from Utah is our District leader.  It's so cool to be here and growing closer to the Lord every day.

Sunday was awesome we went to church and for the talks everyone prepares one and then when the bishop announces the program he tells who's going to speak.  We didn't have to prepare one for last week or this one because its fast Sunday, but we will for the next one.  Our Sunday Devotional was from Brother and Sister Lant. Sister Lant Used to be the general primary president. She talked about how when you teach the gospel to a family teach it to the children and how the investigators will learn so much from that.  Hermana Mangleson and I participated in the Choir we sang How Great Thou art.  It was so beautiful, we sang it for the Tuesday Devotional.  The Tuesday devotional was from Elder Richards an emeritus member of the 70 and it was so good and he talked about the importance of being prepared for this sacred calling and privilege.  We also saw a devotional that Elder Bednar gave at Christmas in 2011 about the characteristic about Christ it was so Fantastic.  I love our Branch Presidency. 

I saw Elder Clark, Sister Outzen, Sister Laub, and I am hoping to see Sister Cotton.  No one new came in our zone this week but next week we are supposed to get more elders in our zone.  Thank you for your support.  I don't know what else I need or want to say. 

Thank you for all of your letters Mom, Emily, Dad, Willy Austin, and Lydia that I found in my suitcases and Lydia thank you for the Posts card you sent. Email me questions.  I left you letter and that you sent me in my room and I will hopefully  remember and answer them next week.  I have pictures to but I forgot to bring my cord and that's in my room  I'll remember for next week hopefully.  Please continue to send dear Elders, I love to get them it makes me feel loved.

The Spanish is coming pretty fast for only being here a week and a half.  I love you all so such.  I hope this reaches who it needs to reach.

I know this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing at this exact moment in my life

Con Amor,

Hermana Ward

P.s I Also have taught an investigator  Hector 4 times and on Tuesday we will have two investigators.

 we start teaching early and we taught only in Spanish.  It taught me a lot. 

I thought this was important to tell you all.

Con amor,

Hermana Ward