Visit to Narnia!

Eaten by an alien!

Christopher Columbus

Weston with friends!

Handicapped friend paints pictures with mouth!

What was the question?

Paying tribute to our Canadian friends!

District fun!

Weston's District

Letter dated 18Nov2013

Dear Family, It´s wonderful to hear from you all today and hear that all is well. All things are well here in Barcelona and it seems that someone has turned on the rain (finally) here in Spain. It´s been raining almost non-stop for the past 3 days, which I love, but my feet are getting kind of cold since it´s also kind of chilly outside =/ though, I imagine, nowhere near as cold as Michigan or Idaho right now :D! [Weston always has loved the rain!] Things continue to progress in Cornellà, but ever since we've arrived here the outset has been a challenging one. I want to have a successful last transfer, so I'm going to dedicate my time to finding those people who are preparing and are ready to hear our message. It won´t be easy but it will be ever so worth it. I just have to remind myself about those three weeks that I turned down to stay out here. I know that God will be at my side at all time if I focus my time and energy on the right things and that this will become my favorite part of the mission! This last week we had an intercombio (exchange) and it was a good switch up and a good new boost of energy to go and work! I´m pumped for this week too, because we do have tons of great leads and people that we are finally going to visit! I was also looking at the calender yesterday and then I realized ´´TODAY´S DANIEL´S BIRTHDAY!!!!´´ so that got me really excited and I hope that you had a great Sweedish-Day! Mission birthday´s can be so fun so I hope that you got a good one! Now to end my words, I would like to quote what Amulek tells us in Alma 13, who said ´´...and now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words..´´ and know that I love you! Here's a link to that chapter! http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/13?lang=eng -- Élder Xander Weston Schindler PS We have to go back, Kate...

Letter dated 11Nov2013

Dear Family, It´s great to hear from you all today! I can´t believe it´s already Monday again, that´s crazy! Well, like I told you last week, I´ll do my best today to update you on what life has been like here in Cornellà and what sorts of adventures I've been having. I do have photos ready to send this week so you´re probably just going to look at those than read this, but hey, I hope you enjoy both the photos and the e-mail! For the past few weeks we have been whitewashing the area from the previous Elders and we have been getting into contact with most of the old investigators and members who live in our area, which mainly consists of local towns outside of the actual Barcelona area. Our main hot-pocket of work takes place in Sant Boi, which is the closest town next to Cornellà. That´s where Juan Antonio and Joaquin live, but like I mentioned last week, they did not get baptized. We did go over to their house and they told us what happened on Saturday and it was kind of a strange story, but I have to take their word for it, thought I do warn you that it´s a bit of a strange story. Joaquin got married to a lady from Morocco a few months ago and that is why they were not able to get baptized with the last set of elders, because he was busy with the wedding and then went on his honeymoon. He told us a lot about her and even had plans that the Saturday of the baptism she would be able to drive them to the church (she works in Barcelona all week and they only see her on weekends) but that´s where the problem came up. They asked her to take them to the church but she told them that they could not get baptized because she, being Muslim, already crossed into sketchy territory getting married to a Spaniard and was having some family issues with her cousins who also live in Sant Boi. In the end, they told us they couldn't get baptized, but they do love the church, reading from the Book of Mormon, and they love our company, but we´re going to drop them for a little while in this whole situation, sadly, because they really are two great guys that I´m so glad that I've met. We've also been working a lot with two families who have gone a bit inactive over the past year and we are trying to get them to come to more activities in the Young Women and adult groups. There were a lot of baptisms in the area 1-2 years ago, but they are all mostly less-active and it´s been making the work a little bit more of a struggle, but it´s not all without its ungratifying moments! In my personal study I've been reading recently in Preach My Gospel in working with members more effectively to speed up the work and find more success. I know that this is where the most effective use of time is, and I hope to have a successful last few weeks here in Cornellà! With so much love I couldn't even begin to tell you how much I have for you all, -- Élder Xander Weston Schindler PS We have to go back, Kate...

Letter dated 4Nov2013

Dear Family, Now who said that people would ever get used to the roller coaster weeks that missionaries have to go through? This week was another one of those and sadly Juan Antonio and Joaquin did not get baptized this weekend. Everything was green for go but then the hour before the service we called them and they told us that a problem came up but they didn't tell us what the problem was. Sketch, eh? Anyways, we tried going to their house later that day and then Sunday as well, but they were not there. We´re still confused as to what happened and we hope that it wasn't anything too serious though. I was able to make this into a great learning experience however. We were fasting together as a mission this past weekend as well and I just knew that things were happening so that I could recognize what I needed to change in my life and in the work here. I hope that everything will work out for them, but we also need to be on the scout for other people, so we´re going to keep at it and keep our heads up! Way better than getting all sad about things, but rather learning and then continuing down the path! I´m currently out of time right now, but next week, I´ll tell you more about the people here, what the areas like and send photos. Just know that I´m almost done with Alma and I really liked Chapter 26 about repentance and forgiveness! [Here is a link to Alma 26!] http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/26?lang=eng And as Dori said in Finding Nemo, just keep loving, just keep loving you all! -- Élder Xander Weston Schindler PS We have to go back, Kate..