Our Last...Farewell

Quiera Familia y Amigos,

This week was filled with many moments where we found ourselves saying, “This is be the last time we…”

…will see the sun peek over hills around our sacred little farmhouse.

Tranquility of the sunrise at the farmhouse.

…buy produce at the open-air market.

Winter Market 

…milk cows with Juan and say a sad goodbye around their kitchen table.

Elder Fowers right at home in the milk barn!

Juan and Carmen... our farm folk friends.

…visit members.

My sweet friend Ella...saying goodbye.

…bake cookies for the zone conferences.

30 dozen cookies for the zone conferences!

…will take two hours to cross the border from Andorra to get home from church.

More than 2 hours to cross the border from Andorra

…we will see the majesty of the snow covered Pyrenees out of our window.

Farewell to our majestic Pyreness

…gather with our dear friends for a fiesta (that starts two hours late) and feast upon the delicious foods of several South American countries. 

Despedida...Farewell Fiesta (Elder is eating goat)

…join with our members in our Sunday meetings to bare witness, one last time, of Jesus Christ and the joy and peace that comes from following his path.

…write a blog home to our family and friends.  For those of you who are still following our adventures, thank you for your love and support. Yes. that's right.  This will be our last blog post.  Your prayers on our behalf carried us through!

Now a quick note about one last miracle—You may recall the story we wrote a few weeks back about finding Jose Antonio Barquin.  The back-story on him is very interesting.  In the first month of our mission we actually found him living alone in Andorra, in very poor conditions with bad health.  When we contacted him, he denied being a member and slammed the door in our faces.  During the intervening year we had lost all contact with him until about three weeks ago.  Maria Luisa, a member, found him in a care facility recovering from a stroke.  Since that time we have visited him a couple of times to help him remember the joy he once felt, each time inviting him to join us at church.   We couldn’t hold back the tears yesterday, when he walked into our sacrament meeting today. 

It was a sweet blessing to have the last day of our mission be a Fast Sunday. It gave us the opportunity to share our love and testimonies.   It was impossible to really frame what was in our minds and our hearts.  Most of our feelings were expressed through tears and hugs because the words just would not come. Out beloved Andorra group honored us with a gift, as a special memory of to our last trip to the temple together—matching aprons with a pictures of us in front of the Madrid Temple.

Matching Aprons picturing us in front of Madrid Temple

We nearly didn’t make it out of La Seu this morning.  We woke to a heavy, wet winter storm. After taking the Elders to the bus station at 5:30 am with three inches of snow on our steep driveway, we couldn’t make it back up our driveway into the garage to load our tons of luggage and zone food.  After a half hour of shoveling and a running start, Elder Fowers was able to make it back into the garage so we could load our luggage.  After a prayer, we headed out to Barcelona and due to the heavy snowfall, were turned back by the police unless we had chains.  We tried an alternative route ended up following a snow plow through the worst of it, arriving in Barcelona four hours later, just in time to get the salad made and the food on the table for the Barcelona/Badalona Zone Conferences.

Icy, steep driveway.

We will be reporting our mission on March 18 at 9:00 am at the ­­Morgan Utah West Stake Center located at 2755 W. Old Highway Rd., for those of you who would like to attend.  Please plan to join us for a light luncheon after our three-hours block of meetings, at our home in Mountain Green.

We know that when your are in the service of others your are really in the service of your God and that is why we are on this earth.  If this simple principle were followed by even the slight majority of mankind, much unnecessary suffering would be eliminated and life would be different on this planet.  We feel joy in our hearts for having had the opportunity to serve together this past 18 months. We have not changed the world but simple acts of compassion have changed hearts and provided peace to those we have served.  May we all continue to express our love of the Savior through simple acts of charity.  God lives and loves us; this we have come to know more fully while serving in our little Branch of Andorra.

May God bless and keep you. 

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers 

Spreading Sunshine

Querida Familia y Amigos,

The weather has been rather balmy this week, so all of our local farmer friends decided it was time to spread a little “sunshine”.  In all the fields that surround our house, they have been hauling manure to spread on their pastures. To say that the air is a bit odiferous, would be an understatement.  It was old home week for Elder Fowers!

Spreading "sunshine" in front of the farmhouse.

We spread a bit of sunshine ourselves this week. Our focus has been to visit as many members as possible and share our love and encouragement to press forward in faith, including this photo of four generations of Hermanas in the Antezana family.  We met with many others. We had memorable and sacred experiences, getting into doors that have been closed to us our entire mission.  For example, we found Gloria this week!  She and her family joined the church in Boliva in 1989.  When she moved to Andorra fourteen years ago, she lost contact with the church as well as much knowledge of the doctrines.  But the memory of her gospel experiences and the faith of her mother remained in her heart. There was a happy spirit as we chatted and she promised to return, whenever her work would permit. (Sorry no picture.)

Saying Goodby to my Beloved Antezana Hermanas

There are dozens of units in the mission and for the past 2½ years President and Hermana Dayton have committed to visit every one.  They were finally able to visit our little Andorra Branch.  They arrived on Saturday afternoon and so we had a few hours to share some of the beautiful vistas of Andorra, dressed in its winter finest.  We took them to the Roc del Quer, an amazing overlook, just as the sun was setting.  (A funny side story…our beloved Hermana Dayton didn’t come quite prepared for the snow and wore her boots with four-inch stiletto heels.  Needless to say they weren’t very useful in navigating the deep snow. We laughed and until our cheeks hurt watching her try to walk the 200 meters to the overlook.) We had a lovely evening reminiscing about the highpoints of our mission over dinner.  They have taught us so much about service and sacrifice.  We love them dearly!

Daytons and Fowers....a cherished friendship.

The last of the sunshine kisses the tops of the Pyrenees.

They stayed overnight at the farmhouse and joined us for both our morning meetings in La Seu with the branch and the afternoon meetings in Andorra with the group.  Along with the Daytons, we had three stake visitors.  We were filled to the top with feelings of joy and love for our members and appreciation those who came to serve us.  The messages were profound and the spirit bore witness to our hearts that we truly are at the right place, at the right time, striving to do the right thing. How blessed we have been to be in his service in the Spain Barcelona Mission!

Andorra Branch in La Seu d'Urgell

Andorra Group in Andorra

We just wanted to take a moment to thank our family for their support and sacrifice.  Not only have our children encouraged and sustained us throughout our service, but also have our beloved grandchildren. A year and a half is a very long time in the life a child, especially to be away from their grandparents.  We can't wait to see them all again. We thank them for their letters and their prayers and especially their visits.  They are our greatest treasure!  Words just can’t express how much we love them all.

The sun is setting on our time in the Pyrenees

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers

Still Searching

Querida Familia y Amigos,

Hermana Fowers and I have been trying to visit all the known members in their home during the last three weeks of our mission.  We know that some of our flock will gladly receive us, while others are lost and don’t want to be found. Either way, we have set the goal to leave our blessing with each who will open the door to us.

Our first visit this week was to Mari Ruiz, 28 years old, who to Andorra emigrated from Paraguay.  She joined the church as a youth being the only member in her family and has remained strong in the faith even through difficult times. Similar to most of the immigrants, she is over worked and under paid by her employers.  Presently she has three jobs and is not able to attend church. We met with her and gave her some council while trying to lift her spirit.

Saying Goodbye to Mari

Later in the week we met with Gladys, 29 originally from the Dominican Republic.  She too joined at a young age with her father and has fond memories of growing up in the church, attending Primary and Young Women. She is now a single mother with a hyperactive 5-year-old  son, living in this foreign country with her mother who dislikes the church. Her older brother has recently been committed to a mental institution.  Gladys has only come to church once during our service here.  However, she still has the glow of the gospel in her heart, loves the hymns and prays every day.  She knows that God hears her prayers, and of her desire to return to church activity.  We told her that our arms would always be open to receive her.

I mention Mari and Gladys only because these are those to whom President Nelson referred in his opening comments last Tuesday as our new prophet of the church. He said: “Come back, remember your covenants. This church has a place for everyone.”  That same rescue has taken the majority of our time here in Spain and Andorra including many others that we spoke to this week. We thought we had rescued some, later to rescue them again. We must never give up on anyone, providing all the opportunity to feel the joy of the Lord in their lives again.

Once again we joined with the missionaries to help our farmer neighbors Juan and Carmen with their annual pig slaughter and “butifarra” (sausage)-making gathering.  Our “Mormon Helping Hands” must have tied up 50 yards of various flavors of butifarra! Believe me, nothing is discarded in the process.  Elders Warr and Hughes really got up to their elbows mixing the pig parts… sometime missionary service is rendered in unorthodox ways.  Juan and Carmen appreciated the help and they tell everyone in town about their great Mormon neighbors.

Unique Service

Missionaries-earnestly mixing pig parts!

Carmen and Hermana Fowers in Slaughter Room

Elder Fowers, Carmen and Juan (with unnamed friend)
mixing blood sausage

We spent three days this week in Zaragoza, Spain that is 3 ½ hour drive to the southwest.  Our assignment was to help the elders there find a new piso (apartment).  After endless phone calls to rental agencies, tromping all over town to check out the local listings, we finally found the perfect apartment for the Elders to call home.  Now if we can just teach them to keep the toilet clean!

Spain has a deep, rich history.  We were able to find a few hours to explore the Palacio de la Algaferia, a well-preserved 11^th century palace that lies in the center of Zaragoza.  The architecture had a dynamic Moorish influence since the control of the palace changed hands many times over the centuries.  The earliest foundations of this amazing palace surrounded by an impressive moat, date back to the 8^th century.  It was hard to wrap our brains around the idea that this majestic building has been continuously occupied for more than 1300 years.  

 

Palacio de la Algafería

1000-year-old Archway

Moorish Arches

Amazing Workmanship

We love you all and rejoice in the rich blessing of this experience.

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers

Details...Details

Hola a Todos,

This week has been a week filled with details.  As with any transition, we are trying to be careful to protect the “institutional knowledge” that we have acquired during the past 17 months and pass it on to the Southwicks, who will be replacing us.  We have tried to write down useful information including specific information about the farmhouse and La Seu community, details about the workings of the Andorra Branch and our members, along with information about our greater mission responsibilities role in supporting our young El Faro missionaries.  Elder Fowers is so gregarious and friendly, that he will approach and talk to any and everyone therefore he has developed a myriad of relationships and contacts. I am the details person, so I have spent much of the week filing and organizing all these details into readily accessible files to help make the transition seamless.

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Elder Christensen this week with a quick preparation day activity in Andorra exploring the 10^th century, Santa Coloma church. It seems that as soon as we get these young Elders wrapped into our Andorra Branch family, they are transferred.  He will be greatly missed. 

Go Well, Elder Christensen

Enjoying the Antiquity of Santa Coloma Church

Elder Hughes joined us later in the week.  He is right at home in our snowy, cold Pyrenees Mountains since he comes from Castle Rock, Colorado.  As with every new Elder that has served in Andorra, he gave a talk in church his first week here, as a means of introducing himself to the members. We also needed to give our Elders driving lessons this week.  This is the only place in the mission (with the exception of the office) where Elders are permitted to drive.  Because Andorra is a separate country, transportation issues are really complex so we gave Elder Warr some time behind the wheel so he can manage things after we leave.

Welcome Elder Hughes

Driving Lessons with Elders Hughes and Warr

Perhaps you will remember Ramon who was baptized in November.  He is a faithful, determined young man.  Though his vision is so poor that he can not read, he has listened to nearly the entire Book of Mormon and has a deep testimony of its truth.  He was ordained a Priest and had a great desire to bless the sacrament.  We created a large-print copy of the sacrament prayers that he was able to study with his magnifying lens.  He memorized both prayers, word for word and blessed the sacrament for the first time today.  What dedication!  Below is a picture of him holding the enlarged copy of the prayers. We were so proud of him.

Ramon, fulfilling his Priesthood Duties

We were watching a bible video the other day called the “La Oveja Perdida” (the lost sheep.)  Just as was represented in the video, the shepherd just didn’t give up looking for his lost lamb.  Well, we are still looking.  This week we found Jóse.  We met him once the first month of our mission and have not been able to contact him again.  He just evaporated into thin air…until a member gave us a tip and we found out that he had been very ill and was now living in a senior care facility.  We had found photos of him in some old branch pictures when it was thriving, with 45 members in Andorra during the 90’s.  There he was, as a young ward mission leader, right in the middle of the group.  We shared these photos with him and he came alive with memories.

 Jóse, former ward misson leader!

Everyone Monday morning for the past 17 months, Elder Fowers has set his alarm for 6:15 a.m., no matter the weather, to go help our neighbor Juan milk his cows.  In the process of this kind service they have built a deep bond of friendship and respect.  I captured this photo this morning on his way home from the farm with a very fresh pitcher of milk. What a good man!

How blessed we have been to serve in this beautiful corner the Spain, Barcelona Mission!

Our beloved Pyrenees

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers

Finding Ella!

Querida Familia y Amigos,

Perhaps you will recall the experience that we had way back in October of 2016, while we were searching for a lost member by the name of Igor Burceff.

Oct. 16, 2016:  “The search was on.  We drove every little lane and alleyway, talking to dozens of people for more than two hours.  No one had heard of them or the address.  Finally, we pulled over and offered a simple pray seeking God’s help. I started nudging Elder to give up and I know the Elders were over it.  It was like trying to find a “needle in a haystack”.  We determined that we would drive one last winding road up the mountainside and it led to a dead end.  The hunt was over.  Igor was not to be found.  As we drove down the mountain Elder Fowers drove past a non-descript building with no nameplate. Then, suddenly stopped and backed up.  The Elders got out of the car, yet again, to try to read the mailboxes.  There he was “Igor Burceff” written on the mailbox!”

Finding Ella at last!

We have returned to that mailbox many times since then trying to find the Burceff family.  All we ever found was an overstuffed mailbox and no one home.  As part of our transition plan, we decided to take the Elders to every known member’s address so that they could pin the location on their maps app.  Late last Thursday evening; we decided to wind our way up the dark mountain road to show the Elders where the Burceffs live.  When we pulled up to the building, all of the windows were black and figured that we had struck out again!  Nevertheless, we got out to show them the mailbox and ring the “timbre” (doorbell).  No answer, as expected.  As we were heading back to the car and chatting with a neighbor, we heard a tiny voice say, “Hola, Hello, Hola, Hello!”  Elder Warr was the first to hear it and backed up to see who was speaking.  It was Ella, Igor’s wife, calling out of her bedroom window.  She invited us up to her apartment and we had a wonderful conversation with Ella, a middle-aged woman, about her early life in Russia and her baptism in Denmark. She has had no contact with the church for nearly 20 years. We found out that this location was a second home that she only visits during the holidays.  Because she had broken her leg, she hadn’t been able to return home. Ella’s leg was in a cast from the knee down and she had some pain with difficulty walking. We asked if she would like a blessing. Certainly, was her quick reply.  Elder Warr and Elder Fowers gave her a health blessing by the power of the Priesthood. Afterwards she exclaimed that she already felt better. As we departed we promised to keep in contact with her. The spirit was strong.  We finally found Ella!

Ella Burceff

To celebrate this sweet little miracle, we took the Elders out to a late dinner to the only Mexican Restaurant in Andorra.  We felt so happy to have finally found this lost sheep that we had been seeking for over a year! [Sadly, it ended up being a farewell dinner for Elder Christensen who just got notified that he would be transferred tomorrow.] 

Celebrating with Elder Warr and Christensen

Much of our week, we have been trying to polish up the member records for the transition.  We started a rescue program when we first arrived and took notes our search efforts, their responses to our visits and any other useful information that may serve future missionaries. It was a massive effort to pull all those details into a useful filing system, but we are certain that it will be a useful tool for missionaries going forward.

Organizing "Registros" 

We enjoyed a winter wonderland as we drove north through the top end of Andorra and into France for our preparation day with the Elders. The Pyrenees Mountains are massive and provide some of the best ski resorts in Europe.  Elder Christensen was an avid snowboarder before his mission and he could barely contain himself watching the numerous boarders race down the fluffy, white slopes. With permission from the President, we even drove into France and checked out some old crumbling castles.  The road loops back around and into Spain at the border city of Puigcerda. So in two short hours we visited three countries—Spain, Andorra, France and then back into Spain.

Endless Beauty

Pyrenees dressed for Winter

A bit frosty!

Exploring French Castle

 Castle Ruins

We send our love and best wished for a remarkable year for you and your family!

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers

Hidden Roads

Feliz Nuevo Año a Todos,

After Christmas, things have finally slowed down a bit for us.   Christmas Day we hosted 11 people at the farmhouse for dinner.  I made a boatload Grandma Faye’s traditional sweet and sour pork with egg rolls as appetizers. I couldn’t bring myself to cook turkey again!  The missionaries came early to help with the preparation and stayed late to chat with their families.  We gathered up the family-less members of our branch that we knew would spend the day alone and had a wonderful afternoon of fellowship.

A preparing few platters of sweet treats in the farmhouse kitchen.

Elders Warr and Christensen 

Christmas Dinner with our sweet branch family.

Hi Mom!

Christmas Call!

For weeks we had been looking forward to the Pressebre Viviente (Live Nativity) that we attended last year at the village of Corbera de Llobregot, but this time we invited  the senior couples that wanted to join us, to tag along.  So the day after Christmas, we came together from three corners of the mission to enjoy an evening together.  It really is  a “must-see” experience. We enjoyed watching the awe and wonder of our friends, nearly as much as experiencing the actual Pressebre ourselves.  One of the sweet cultural twists of this particular nativity is the fact that all the pastores (shepherds) are dressed as authentic Catalonian shepherds with red/black wool hats and sheepskin vests.  When the shepherds hear of the new of the birth of Jesus Christ, they come pouring out of the hills removed their caps, and knelt before the infant Savior. Elder Fowers and President Dayton even bought the authentic hats.

"Pastores" preparing their evening meal.

Showing off new shepherds hats.

Sharing an evening at the Pressebre Viviente with dear friends.

Throughout our mission we have been required to travel a great deal to many of the same places, so to make things more interesting and educational we often take a side road that winds us through the mountains. We have found some of the most interesting hidden villages.  Enjoy the photos from the hidden back roads of Catalonia.

Isolated Mountain Village

Hidden Medieval Bridge

Misty Mountain Road

Jose Lluis Vasques has been employed with Juan our neighbor on his dairy for the past nine months. He had worked on the dairy previously for many years but left for other employment. When He returned in March, I met this long time member who has had a difficult past. I learned that he had served a mission, been a branch president, institute teacher and is a High Priest. Instantly we became brothers in the priesthood as he accepted any and every call to help out our struggling branch.  Every Monday morning I join him in the milking barn giving a hand milking Juan's 40 Holsteins. He helped plant our huge garden last summer and brought us freshly made cheese of his own making from time to time.  However, in the past several months both his parents passed and it was time for him to return home to his wife and family.  Two of his children have served missions.  This picture is at our departure.  

Sometimes senior couples are called to be stepping stone to help other along the path where the gaps are too wide.  I will miss his smile and his friendship.

Jose Luis: home to Ecuador after 14 years

 With the new year around the corner, we knew it was time to get serious about our departure preparations, mainly the farm house, branch records and a myriad of details. We want a seamless transition for the Southwicks, the senior couple that has been called replace us.  So we spent the rest of the week working our way down a long checklist.  I spent one day inserting pictures of all known members into the church records. We hope to uncover some of the hiding sheep in our branch.

As we look back on this year, we have seen a great deal of growth.  So many members have been touched by the spirit to rekindle their faith and return to church activity. Sadly, too many of them have not been able to hang onto the light that they once enjoyed. We often asked the question "What more can we do?"

 As we look back across the duration of our mission here in Spain, we have seen our own personal growth and conversion. We know that God knows the challenges that we faced. He has carried and guided us at many crossroads. We have tried to do our best.

We pray that you too will see God’s hand in your lives as you take a moment to reflect on his tender mercies during this past year.

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers