Teaching people around the world 1/30

Hello family! This week flew by to he honest, wasn't I just barely writing you all? Wow what has happened this week.. I just love how much excitement my district has. We have all been very focused on building the ward and strengthening our relationships with the ward members and we have seen miracles here.
So an update on our investigators. We have our investigator Moisés who is from the Dominican Republic, he is really great. He's progressing, reading the Book of Mormon and praying and he came to church this past Sunday. He has a baptismal date for the 10th of February and he has a lot of potential, he just moved here about 2 months ago and hasn't been able to find work and has some health problems but I know the Lord is going to bless him. We also have Rafael who is also from the Dominican Republic and has very obviously been being prepared his whole life and has loved receiving the lessons. He reads from the book of Mormon but we are working on getting him to church, he has come once but he has had a hard time coming again. So the miracle of finding those 5 girls from the Philippines: we went to see them again this week and invited them to come to church and they all already have their own churches they go to but they are so open to learning more. The member that they live with is amazing and wants them to know the truth. We are going to continue teaching them and I know we'll see miracles.
So I have a talk that ALL of you need to read. It is absolutely incredible and all about missionary work. It's is by Gordon B. Hinckley and is in the Liahona 1999. It's called Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep. I'll share a few quotes I loved from the talk
"The most effective tract we will carry will be the goodness of our own lives and example"
 “Let the Saints remember that great things depend on their individual exertion, and that they are called to be co-workers with us and the Holy Spirit in accomplishing the great work of the last days”
 "God bless you, my beloved brethren and sisters, in meeting the tremendous challenge that is ours. We cannot evade it. We cannot escape it. We must face up to it. The opportunities are tremendous. We are equal to it, and the Lord will bless us as we try."
Also read the scripture D&C 84:88
This work is a great work, it has its many challenges but if we continue to be examples to all those around us and share our testimonies of our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord will bless us as we try.

Funny story, my companion and I are really just focusing on following the spirit and going about doing good, well yesterday we were walking down the street and a women called out to us and said there was a women who had fallen and her husband needed help getting her up. So we said of course we would help, se we went in and helped this elderly woman get back in her wheelchair and the man was so grateful that he offered us a bottle of Champaign... Well we told him we don't drink Champaign but he wasn’t going to accept no for an answer, so we took this bottle of Champaign and we didn't know what in the world to do with it, so we ended up leaving it with a gypsy looking through the garbage outside. Hahaha it was a strange experience. 

I love you all!
Hermana Bangerter 

Life in the big city 1/24

Wow what a week. Life here in Barcelona is amazing and full of so many miracles. So this transfer my companion and I have made four goals and they are 1. Follow the spirit in all times, all things, and in all places. 2. SERVE, spread the world with love. 3. Laugh daily!! 4. Develop true Christ like charity. Wow I have absolutely loved these goals, and I know they were truly inspired. After we set these goals, the topic in church and district meeting was about service and love. As we have focused on achieving these goals daily we have seen so many miracles, I've loved it because I've felt so much more human. As we talk to people on the street we get to know their stories and know how we can help them, rather than thinking of them as a "new" which is something the mission really focuses on. It's just been so eye opening to see how much more love you can feel as you are following the spirit, serving others without expecting anything in return, and finding the JOY in the work.
This transfer we have really been focusing on working with the members and helping to strengthen the relationship between members and missionaries. Well, last week we were kind of down because our numbers were pretty low and we weren't seeing much fruits from our labors, but on Sunday we saw such a miracle. A girl from the Philippines just barely moved here last Friday and on Sunday she came to church, we talked to her on Sunday and because we're trying to get to know members we asked if we could meet with her that day. She said yes and we met with her that night! Well we got to her house and there were 5 others girls there from the Philippines, two of them being her sisters. And wow all of them were so interested and had so many questions, so we taught them The Book of Mormon right then and there and we are going to be meeting them again this Saturday. And I have to just say, the people from the Philippines are amazing! They are so so happy and we laughed so much together. I love being here in Spain cause I get to meet the world!!!
So I just have to tell you how blessed I am in this glorious area. First off, our piso (apartment) used to belong to a senior couple and it was kept very nice, so thankful! Every morning we go on a run through the city, and you all have to look up plaza España in Barcelona and look up the museum because that's what we've been running to lately and it's beautiful. I love being a missionary and I love being able to learn and grow daily and see the Lords hand in this work. I know He is guiding every aspect of this work. Love you all!
Hermana Bangerter 

First week in Barcelona! 1/18

Hey family!!! It's Thursday and I'm finally writing! So I forgot to tell you all last week that now that I'm in the district with the office elders, our preparation day gets changed a lot. It is supposed to be every Wednesday, but their schedule changes a lot and we just have to roll with it! So I'm sure you're all wondering what it's like living here in Barcelona… I LOVE IT!!! There are tons of people and so many streets and I'm still learning how to work the metro and buses! About the ward, it's so great! There's actually a lot of people here, it's almost like an American ward! And we just barely got a new bishop, he's 27 and just so on top of things. It's such a blessing. We have some great investigators and we have already seen so many miracles. One man, Rafael, he's from the Dominican Republic and he actually met the missionaries about 30 years ago!! Mom, Dad? He has been such a miracle, we found him my first night here and he came to church and told us that he wants to come for the rest of his life and that he just loves how he feels. We taught him and invited him to be baptized and he so willingly accepted. However right after the lesson we found out he's not married to his girlfriend. So we now just have to pray that he can get married. There are so many people here that are so willing to help the missionaries and I've been so grateful. A recent convert, named Inés just moved here from the south of Spain, she was baptized 9 months ago and she is incredible. She just wants to help us everyday. It's incredible.
My companion is amazing, she's from Montana and wow we are just so similar. We get along so so well. It's crazy how alike we are honestly. She is also an AMAZING missionary and I have already learned so much from her and I know I'm going to continue to learn so much. It's honestly so crazy how close we have gotten in just one week.
Yesterday we had interviews with President and he shares with me a scripture that I loved.

It's in Matthew 13: 45-46:
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

This man gave up all he had for the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God should be our number one priority and it is essential that we do the day to day things to make sure it stays a priority. Such as reading Scriptures, praying, magnifying our calling, etc. Everyday as missionaries before leaving piso (our apartment) we say our recitations and one of them is "el Reino de Dios o nada" or "the kingdom of God or nothing. " it is the motto for this mission is exactly that and it should be the motto for our lives.
I love you all!

Hermana Bangerter 

Drum role for the new area...! 1/9

HOLAAAA

Transfers!!!! And drum role please.... I'm going to a land of dreams that everyone dreams of going, hidden in the depths of Spain. BARCELONA! hahaha I'm serving right in the middle of the city of Barcelona. How amazing is that? I'm so excited to be here! Our area is right next to the mission home and the elders in our district are the ayudantes (assistants to the president) and the office staff. So it's going to be a fun district! My new companion, Hermana Price, is amazing. She's such a great missionary and I'm so excited for this next transfer I have with her. She has two transfers left in the mission so we'll see what happens!

Also, wow can I just say, leaving good old Sabadell was not easy. I have so much love for so many people there. Yesterday was fast Sunday so I bore my testimony and told the ward I was leaving and wow afterward I just felt so much love from so many people. That place will always have a special place in my heart. 

I forgot to talk about el Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day)!!! There was a parade throughout our entire area, literally so many people. It was so fun! They also have a tradition with a certain cake, inside the cake there is a king and a bean, who ever gets the piece with the king has good luck and the person who gets the bean has to pay for the cake. And I got the king!!! WOOT WOOT.

So in my studies this week I read an amazing talk called "Return and Receive. " It's all about goal setting and planning, it talks about how God is the perfect example of making goals and setting plans. It says, "God, our Heavenly Father, has given us the perfect example of goal setting and planning. His goal is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man [and woman],” and His means to achieve it is the plan of salvation." Then it goes on to talk about our goals in this life, which it states are, " To RETURN to His presence and to RECEIVE the eternal blessings that come from making and keeping covenants. These are the most important goals we can set." He then talked about how we need to constantly be checking how we are doing with our plan to receive these blessings. As I was pondering how I was doing I thought of three questions I can ask myself daily.

They are, Am I exercising faith unto repentance daily?

Do I start my day thinking how I can be a light in someone's life?

Do I stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places?

By asking ourselves these questions it will help us stay on the path to receive these blessings! I love you all.

Hermana Bangerter 

p.s

Also, el día de los reyes!!! There was a parade throughout our entire area, literally so many people. It was so fun! They also have a tradition with a certain cake, inside the cake there is a king and a bean, who ever gets the piece with the king has good luck and the person with the mean has to pay for the cake. And I got the king!!! WOOT WOOT.

Wow can I just say, leaving good old Sabadell was not easy. I have so much love for so many people there. Yesterday was fast Sunday so I bore my testimony and told the ward I was leaving and wow afterward I just felt so much love from so many people. That place will always have a special place in my heart.