Seek and Ye Shall Find...

Bon Dia Nuestras Families,

Que tal? How are you?  We are working hard in our corner of the world.  We have had a wonderful Sunday.  Elder Fowers spoke along with the Stake President to 37 in attendance! Poco y poco (little by little) as we try to implement one small program after another, the menos activos are beginning to feel the love and caring of the branch.  For example, our wonderful Relief Society President, Carla organized Visiting Teaching this week and we worked together to invite every sister.  I even went visiting teaching with Ingri a young sister in our branch who speaks a bit of English.  I was terrified, but I muddled through a message in Spanish.  A smile and a sincere hug goes a long way.  During the visits we invited the sisters to an activity at the farmhouse which we held yesterday.  I taught them how to make “American Brownies” and then we watched the Women’s Conference.  11 Mujeres (Women) and 3 Mujeres Jovenes (YW) attended.  It was a smashing success and great fun was had by all…because of something so simple as a visit to their homes.

Andorra Branch Womens' Conference

One of our great victories of the week was finding Igor.  Last week Elder Fowers was studying the ward roster of members.  He discovered the names of an temple endowed Russian family that were endowed and sealed in the temple that lived in a tiny Andorran mountain village.  He was determined to find them.  We had a partical address and no phone numbers.  We set out with the Elders on Tuesday morning traveling to La Mazanna after traveling through a long tunnel, we emerged into a entirely new valley, with houses built on the cliffs and rocks.  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 back up.  The Elders got out of the car, yet again, to try to read the mailboxes.  There he was Igor Burceff written on the box.  We found him!  (Unfortunately, he was not home, but we left him a note and we will be back for a visit soon!)  It was a direct answer to prayer.

We found Igor!

...and Family

Wednesday we had to drive down to Barcelona (2 hours) to finally get our residency cards for Spain.  While there we had a couple of hours to kill so we decided to visit Sagrada Familia Cathedral.  It was stunning...simply beyond words.  The scale and magnificence of this building were amazing.  They started building this church in 1882, 135 years ago and it is not yet complete.  They are tying to finish it by 2026 in honor of Gaudi, the architect, on the 100th anniversary of this death. It is a must-see if you travel to Barcelona.  There were thousands of thousands of tourists with equal number of cameras, so if felt much more like a tourist attraction than a sacred edifice.

Sagrada Familia Cathedral

Magnificent Architecture

Delicate, animated sculptures.

The tourists in the background give some sense of scale of this massive structure.

Our neighbor, Farmer Juan and his wife Carmen invited us over for breakfast as a thank you for milking their cows while on vacation.  Early on, we had asked if we could share with the a message of why we have left our family for 18 months and explain the foundational tenets of our faith.  We were excited to share the message that means so much to us that is the very foundation of our lives.  Needless to say,  it didn’t go too well.  Juan is a very practical man, who works hard every day to take care of his family.  He simply does not believe there is a God.  The way he sees it you work hard and do the best you can in this life and then you die.  We were able to leave them a Book of Mormon.  Perhaps they will read it someday, in the meantime Elder Fowers helps with the milking each Monday morning.

One final story.  We were invited to a family home evening and dinner with a dear family that lives in Andorra last Friday.  Cecilia and Emily are members but Aitor is not.  He is such kind, generous man.  He loves to feed us and we know we will always get a special treat because he is a professional chef.  We arrived to a layed table with breads and salads and side dishes.  After a blessing, he unveils the main course which was Seafood Paella sautéed in squid ink. It was a black as coal even the muscles, shrimp and other seafood delicacies were jet black. If you could get past the visual presentation, it was really pretty tasty!  The meal was topped with a magnificent pastry and caramel ice cream.  The of course, the young missionaries topped the meal with a tender spiritual feast.

Delicacies made by Aitor

Very Tasty...Squid Ink Paella

Most days, we feel like we are running on a treadmill and not really getting anywhere with this little Branch.  Everyday we make plans to find, nurture and love many of His lost sheep.  Our reception is not always the warmest and many of the less actives simply avoid us.  But we press forward with faith.  We know that God has promised to send angels before us to prepare the way.  We are seeing subtle miracles everyday.  We are blessed to be His hands in the Andorra Branch.

Our hard working Branch President, tuckered right out!

We feel your support and prayers.  You are constantly in ours.

Mucho Amor,

Elder and Hernama Fowers