Our Real Purpose

Querida Familia y Amigos,

I’m afraid this blog post will be really short, not because we were not busy in the work, but somehow we didn’t take many photos this week.  Besides, how can we photograph a meeting with a young sister encouraging her not to move in with her boyfriend?... Or the tender moment when Elder issues a call to a newly reactivated member and he accepts?...  Or even the scheduled times we had to work with members to help them prepare their sacrament meeting talks?  Each one of these events, any many more like them, fill our days and weeks but there are no snapshots of our real work here.  

Our real work as missionaries consists of sitting knee to knee with a member in a tiny living room, on the fourth floor of an apartment building, trying to figure out how we can lift and encourage, counsel and console or try to figure how “to lift the hands (or spirits) that hang down”.  The pictures of the majestic mountains and ancient churches do not represent our purpose, though we enjoy these adventures very much.  Rather, our purpose it to guide our lost members that are wandering in the darkness, back to the light of Christ. Most of the time, is really hard work!

With that said, how about a few pictures of mountains and churches?

View of the Pyrenees on our drive to Cava

On our preparation day we slipped out for a few hours to drive to some mountaintop village that we had not yet explored.  We pinned one on Google earth and headed out for a bit of rest and relaxation.  Our first stop was a century old woolen mill that was powered by water.  They had an old water turbine that powered each machine with old leather belts…so interesting. 

Turn of the Century Wool Washer

Leather belts which drive the carding machines

Intricate Spinning Machine

Check this out!
They used real thistles heads in this century-old carding machine.

Finely spun woolen yarn.

We finally made our way to the village of Arséguel and explored their old church and then on to Cava to yet another old Romanesque Church.  Cava seemed to be completely devoid of residents, the only living creatures were a few old cows that were wandering around the center of town. Even their little church graveyard was complete covered with weeds. It must be a winter retreat that they use during the ski season.  We came back a few hours later energized and ready to go again.

Arséguel Church

Fascinating iron work.

Cava Church

Abandoned Church Graveyard

The weather turned very cold and rainy this week so we woke to a dusting of snow on the mountains.  We had to build our first fire the year and stoke up the furnace to take the chill off of the farmhouse.  We could be in for a long winter!  It only got down to 36, so the garden survived…but not for much longer.

Snow-capped mountains in mid-September!

We took a trip out to Puigcerda this week because we had an appointment to teach Jenny, a sweet young mother of two little girls.  Her partner Miguel, (soon to be husband) is a long time member who has been trying to rebuild his faith.  When we arrived we found out that she was in the hospital and had a miscarriage at four mouths.  We are all so very sad for her.  We were so surprised when they came to church today, so at least the Elders were able to give her a blessing of health and comfort.

Miguel, Jenny and sweet daughters.

During our wanderings this week we stopped with the Elders to show them the “pill boxes” or machine gun nests that were built during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. 

Elder Squires and Jones peeking out of the pill box.

We serve in one of the most beautiful places on God’s earth.  The beauty that surrounds us helps us remember how blessed we are to be having this earthly experience.  Even with all the challenges we face in the work here in the Andorra Branch, it is a blessing to live each new day and try to be a little bit more like Him.  Jesus is the way, the only way, back to the light.  That is why we are here.

(Frame donated by Pere Grau, a disabled member.)

Con Much Amor,

Los Fowers