July 27, 2015

Hola mis cariños!

What amazing pictures this week. So fun to hear from all of you! I'm

glad you guys are had a great holiday and are enjoying having wetty

home :) I sure love you guys!

This week was absolutely AMAZING. I know I say that a lot, but this

week was filled with SO many miracles. We had made a goal this week to

try our best to really listen and follow The Spirit and the results

were incredible. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

First off, La Familia Benitez :) The girls have always had the desires

to get baptized and have always loved the spirit they feel at church,

but still wanted their testimonies to grow a little more before they

took that step. We stressed the importance of reading in the book of

mormon, and the change in these two girls is incredible. The book of

mormon is true! Vanessa has always had a strong testimony, she has

just needed help with the word of wisdom. But I am happy to report

that Vanessa came to church for the first time in years yesterday! All

three of them are preparing to be baptized August 14th and we are

praying so hard for them. My favorite thing about their family is the

power that these two girls have. I never really understood what the

scriptures meant by becoming as little children until I met Cory and

Judy. Yes they are 16 and 10, but their testimonies are changing their

family. Incredible!

Next, Susi and her girls. Oh I love this family so much! We talked

about their doubts and fears this week and came to the conclusion that

the answers would be in the scriptures and through fasting. We are

going to be fasting with them this next week to help them recognize

their answer, but they really are progressing so much. It's amazing to

me to hear how their testimonies have grown in the last to months. We

also talked about temples this week and they fell in love it was so

darling haha! They all are so excited to go to the temple one day. I

love that place!

And now Lilian. She is incredible. I really can't say it enough! Last

night we met with her and we had Yami help us and it was such a

powerful lesson. Hearing Yami testifying about the truth of the gospel

was the most amazing experience for me! It helped Lilian so much too.

She knows and accepts that these things are true, and her love for the

church and the book of mormon grow every time we meet with her. Her

prayers are amazing! Her and Kleo (the member that stopped us about 3

months ago) aren't married so that is our main obstacle that we are

working with right now. We are helping them move this week into a new

apartment though, so we are hoping that once they get all settle in

we'll see some miracles.

We had a zone conference this week and we talked about the importance

of unity. Unity between our companions and other missionaries of

course, but also between the ward members where we are serving. It

made me realize that it doesn't matter if we are in an island of the

coast of Africa, Italy, or the Meadows ward. We all have the same

purpose of returning to the presence of our Heavenly Father and we

need to do our best to make sure that everyone gets there. It makes me

want to work harder where ever I am serving here.

Our God is a God of miracles! And I witnessed so many this week. There

is now greater joy for me than to see all of these people that I love

so dearly walking through the church doors on Sunday. Everyone came

yesterday! Oh I love being a missionary. Sorry this email was a novel,

congrats if you made it through 🎉 love you guys and I hope you have a

great week!

Xo,

Hermana Marsh

P.S. I am currently writing you on a bus on the way to the south of

the island. iPads are great and this island is beautiful! 📱🌞🌴😊

we went to the dunes in the south today! ;) they are amazing!!!

Arabian niiiiiiiggts!

 Right after our attempt at taking a jumping pic haha!

 Denisse :) she's the cutest!

July 20, 3015

Hi cute family!

Oh this weeks pictures are so great. I seriously am dying so many fun

things are happening! Steph coming home, Ginny's blessing, birthdays,

and new babies! Our family is pretty blessed. So fun to see you all

together. This week was a great one in Las Palmas, I'm so excited to

tell you all about it!

First off, I want to tell you about the miracles we had with Susi and

her girls this week. The Roka's (members) were out of town this week

so we decided to do some service with them and paint their dance

studio. It was so fun! The girls had disney music in Spanish playing

all morning and I am happy to report that I am now ready for Disney

Scene it in Spanish. Libre Soy, Hijo del Hombre, Bajo del Mar, you

name it I am ready to go :) We had so much fun they really make me so

happy! We met with them after church as well and had a really great

lessons. They are at the point where they have heard all the lessons,

now they just need to take the leap of faith and get baptized! They

are doing their part, and I have no doubt that The Lord will answer

their prayers. But for now, we are just waiting, hoping, and praying!

I really love this family though they are incredible.

Next, Lilian! This woman has so much faith and LOVES her Heavenly

Father. It has been such a joy to teach her. This week we were able to

touch a little bit more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. She comes

from a Jehovahs Witness background, so the Bible is really important

to her and the idea of a new book was a strange thought to her. She is

reading though and her doubts are leaving! And she absolutely loves

church which is the greatest. She has progressed so much this week and

I am excited to see what the future has in store for her!

Vanessa and her girls are also doing great. I absolutely adore my

investigators you guys! This week in our lesson they made me cry,

which believe it or not doesn't happen that much! Cory was sick

yesterday so her and Vanessa had to stay home from church, but Judy

came with her grandpa and loved it as always. We are holding off on

their baptism until they have a little bit stronger testimonies, but

they are doing their part and are continuing to progress.

Our two recent converts received callings this week! Yajaira (she got

baptized in January and I adore her!) is going to be a counselor in

the Young Womens, and Yamilka is going to be a ward missionary! Now we

don't have to feel guilty about having her help in lessons :) They

both will be great I am so excited for them.

we had our mission tour this week at it was amazing. I love the Packs!

I was really nervous about getting a new mission president, but I know

that he was called of God to be here in Spain and him an his wife are

both incredible. It was so fun to get to know them a little this week,

I am excited for the next 8 months with them!

I think that is about it for this week. It was a great one! It is

getting pretty hot in the islands, but much worse in the peninsula so

we aren't complaining too much. Thank you so much for the love and

support, I couldn't do this without you guys! I am so thankful for

your wonderful examples and for the opportunity to serve the Lord.

Have a great week, I love you!

xo,

Hermana Marsh

Sent from my iPad

Hermana Finch :) Words don't describe how much I love this girl!!

 and Hermana Santiago :) We celebrated our 10 month this week! It's

been so fun to be doing this mission thing with her and Hermana Toone

by my side. Love these missionaries!

 and oh were they good. :)

 sleepover!! :)

July 13, 2015

Mis Cariños :)

Thank you so much for all of the great emails, pictures, and videos this week you all look great. Especially Steph!! I seriously can't believe how great she looks make sure to send lots of my love her way this week :) 

Okay before I start I need to give a little update. We are having our mission tour right now so president and sister pack are here, their kids, and all of the missionaries in the islands are here in Las Palmas! We are having so much fun I love the Packs. They have the biggest hearts and they are so ready to serve the lord. We've only been together for a few hours and I've already fallen in love with them they are amazing. We played sports this morning, went out to lunch, then will have our conference tomorrow. Plus Hermana Finch and Santiago are here and are staying at my house tonight :) so stayed tuned for that next week! We are having lots of fun this is a great group of missionaries. 

We have a lot of stuff going on today so I'm sorry that this week will be a little short. I'll be honest though, it was a little bit of a harder one. But it is okay because I have felt the love of the lord even more this week! Our investigators are doing well, but 2 to 3 aren't filling our schedules and we've really been fighting to get new investigators. Saturday nightfinally came and the only thing I felt like I could do at that point is pray. And that I did! I don't know if I've ever prayed that hard before. And what happened Sunday at church was the biggest blessing comfort Heavenly Father could give me. 

First off, so many of our less actives came that I haven't seen at church in weeks. Then a family that the missionaries met with a while ago came and have a lot of potential, I'm excited to work with them. And last but not least, Susi and her girls. They have been coning for about a month now, but we had a lesson this week where she told us she didn't know if she could come this week because she has been struggling financially and had an opportunity to work. We taught that when we put the lord first he will bless us, and she came! We are praying hard for her. She has heard everything and her girls are ready, she just wants to be sure. We will see! 

Lilian wasn't able to come to church this week but she is continuing to progress so well. I have really never met someone more kind than her and she is so ready to hear the gospel. Every time we talk to her, my testimony is more strengthened that the lord is preparing people. Which gives me a lot of hope! Even though this week was a harder one, I know this is the lords work and everything happens in his time for a reason. 

Thank you so much for the emails and especially the prayers. I can feel your love and support and would not be able to do this without you! The church is true and even when it's hard, I couldn't feel more blessed for the opportunity to be a missionary and share it with others. I love this work!! Have a wonderful week I love you guys! 

Xo

Hermana Marsh

This is Scarlett, Lilian's daughter and I love her. She makes being
away from my littles not QUITE so hard ;)

 Susi drinks mona vie!!! I tried a little bit and I still think it

tastes funny. Sorry Henry!

 We taught mutual this week and I can't even tell you how great this

group of girls is. Plus 3 of them are daughters of investigators :)

July 6, 2015

We are proud to be Americans. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

 My shoes died this week. But don't worry I found those babies on my

feet on sale for 11 euros :) I love rebajas!

 My cute English students. We made snicker doodles this week ( in

English of course) and they were a hit!

Mi Familia :)

You look darling. Thank you so much for the fun pictures and videos I

am the luckiest. Can you believe it's July?! It's crazy how fast the

time flies. Another transfer has come and gone and I am happy to

report that Hermana Rossberg and I will be staying together! There is

a lot of work to be done here and I'm very excited for the next six

weeks.

This week was an incredible one. I have a new investigator to tell you

about! Her name is Lilian and she is a miracle. She is living with a

less active that just starting coming back to church and it is amazing

to see how The Lord is preparing this family. I wish I had time to go

into detail about it all!! Remind me to tell you when I get home ;)

she's great and I'm so excited to see her progress.

Susi and her girls are doing great! We had our birthday party Monday,

had a lesson with them Wednesday, spent almost all day Saturday with

them at the young womens activity, church Sunday, and they ate with us

at the Roka's after. I hope they aren't sick of us haha :) Carmen and

Stefi (her girls) were brave and bore their testimonies at church

yesterday and they are so darling. Brightest testimonies! Susi is

progressing so much as well. So excited for this family!

The Benitez family is doing great as well. The girls were able to come

to the young women activity with us and came to the baptism of one of

a little girl in our ward. They loved it!! We also had a great lesson

with their mom Vanessa and all three accepted the invitation to be

baptized. There are still some things we need to cover, but lots of

potential with them.

Yami bore her testimony yesterday as well and I just bawled like a

baby. She'll never stop being our miracle! Great things are in store

for this girl.

That's about it for this week! My heart is very full as Steph is

officially done with her mission. What an incredible example and

partner she is! It was sure a blessing to have her serving by my side

these last 10 months. Be sure to give her the biggest hugs for me!! I

love you guys- thank you so much for the prayers. They are felt and

appreciated! I am so thankful for this opportunity to be a missionary.

One of the greatest blessings I have ever been given! Have a wonderful

week! 😘

Xoxo,

Hermana Marsh

January 29, 3015

Hola mi familia :)

THANK YOU for all of the birthday wishes!!!!! I really feel like the
most blessed missionary in the whole entire world. I have been spoiled
rotten by the ice cream with members, lunch and surprises with the
missionaries, and of course you guys. Seriously thank you so much!
Today is a day I'll never forget!

I want to start off this week with Susi. She is doing great! We were
able to meet with her this week and we were planning on teaching her
and her 2 daughters, and there ended up being 9 people there. Scary!!!
We shared the restoration though and I think it went really well. She
came to church, the relief society activity, and had a visit from the
relief society stake and ward president. She's doing great! Her
birthday was yesterday so we're going over tonight to have a little
birthday party :) so fun!

We had an absolutely incredible lesson with Elena this week. She still

has her family situation going on that is stopping her from coming to

church, but we had a great lesson about the atonement. The lord has a

plan for her and I know she will get baptized! She's incredible it's

been a joy to teach her.

We have been trying really hard to find new investigators this week.

One week we were being bums and complaining and joking about how we

were lacking a little and literally that second a man came up to us

and asked us if we were missionaries. We said yes and he told us that

he has read the Book of Mormon and loved it. He wants to hear more

about our church and we have a lesson set up this week. There ya go!

Heavenly Father has a plan, and a sense of humor as well. I was

reminded this week how important trials really are. They make us

stronger and I really am so grateful for them.

I just need to tell you about Yami even though I know I talked about

her every week! She is going to the young single adults conference in

Madrid in August which means she is going to the temple!!! So excited

for her. She is incredible :) She and Sandra made my birthday so

special yesterday. The cutest!

I think that is about it this week. I can't believe that this is

Stephs last week!!! She is the best example for me it will be weird to

be out here without her. It's time though! I'm very grateful for this

opportunity to be here and to help bring people unto Christ. There

really isn't anything better in the world. I love you guys!!! Un beso

grande.

Xoxo

Hermana Marsh

Sent from my iPad

 Missionary day in primary :)

 Sandra and Yami surprised me with a birthday cake :) so delicious!

 :)

 Llaollao with my favorites :) so fun to spend my birthday with these two!!

 Susi lives right by the stadium. We are moving to the first round!!!

Go gran can haha!

June 22, 2015

Mis cariños :)

Hi everyone! So fun to hear about your weeks. I'm sorry that I am a

little late, but I can't let another minute go by without wishing my

cute dad a happy Father's Day. I love you dad!! I am so thankful for

your incredible example. Thank you for being my biggest fan and best

friend. I feel so blessed to be your daughter.

This week was a great one! To start off- we had the best family home

evening this week! We do it every week, but normally don't have that

great of a turn out. We are trying to change that and tried to make

this week a bigger deal and it was a success! We had more

investigators there than we do at church... Hahah something needs to

change in that! So fun though it was a great way for our investigators

to get to know the church a little better.

Our investigators are doing well! I'll start with Susi :) we were able

to meet with her this week and we reviewed the plan of salvation and

even used some videos too :) yay iPads! She was able to share her

testimony with us about her faith in The Lord as well as the Book of

Mormon. She is an incredible woman. And her daughters are darling!

They dance at Willy's dance studio and we went to their year and

concert to help out with programs and other things like that. So fun

to watch them! And the best part of all- we left with 2 more families

to teach. The Roka's are awesome!

We weren't able to visit with Vanessa and her family this week, but

Corry (her 16 year old daughter) went to mutual and absolutely loved

it. We have an appointment with them tonight and are very excited to

see their progress!

Even though the elders are teaching them, Sandra's son AND  husband

have now come to church twice and have a baptismal date for the 18th

:) they are the cutest I am so happy for them. They are so good to the

missionaries I feel so blessed to have people like them in my life.

One highlight of this week was the visit from the jacksons. We had our

last interviews and I just sobbed. I love the jacksons! I feel so very

grateful to have served with them the first half of my mission. They

are incredible people. It is so great to be with them, we got hugs and

everything :)

I think that wraps it up for this week. Thank you for all of the love

and support! You guys are amazing. Thank you for letting me do this! I

love my Heavenly Father and for the blessing that he has given me to

be his missionary for a little bit :) I love you all to pieces! Have a

great week!

Xoxo

Hermana Marsh

The last supper with Elder Ruiz. He left this morning for Madrid to go

be a.p.!!! He is an amazing missionary he will be great. Fun fact- out

waiter was from Palermo :) and yes my pizza has fish on it. 

I have been in Europe too long!

 Last time with the Jacksons!! LOVE them!

We visited the cathedral today in las palmas. So cool!

 View from the top! We are one man down now.

June 15, 2015

Hi cute family!

So fun to hear from you guys! You all sound like you are doing great

:) I especially love all of the pictures and videos! My littles are

the cutest. Thank you thank you!

This week was a great one. I feel like I always say that, but we saw

lots of great miracles this week. First off though, we received our

iPads this week! I have been surprised at how much it really hasn't

changed the work. Our purpose is still the same, we just have some

extra tools to help now :) For example, this week we had planned to

share a talk that we had printed off a few weeks ago with one of our

less actives. We got to her house and I turned to Hermana Rossberg and

said, "No!! We forgot the talk what are we going to do!" And she goes,

"Hermana we have iPads now, we can share whatever talk we want!" Right

haha I forgot :) it's really great though to be able to use Mormon

Messages and talks in lessons. And my bag isn't so heavy ;)

Now on to the good stuff!! We had the greatest miracle I want to tell

you guys about. One of Yami's friends, Sandra, came to her baptism

last week and loved it. After talking to her, we found out she is

actually a member and was baptized in Colombia when she was 14.  She's

been in the islands for a long time and lost contact with the church.

Then Yami invited her and her son (16- not a member) to English

classes and FHE and they loved it! Her son wants to listen to the

lessons and they elders are going to start teaching him this week.

They came to church ester say and really are such great people. And it

was all thanks to Yamilka inviting them!! She is the BEST.

Next miracle. Remember Vanessa and her family? It turns out that her

dad, Rafael, has been inactive for about 16 years which is why she has

heard everything, but isn't a member. We had the chance to meet with

them a few times this week and had some great lessons, but the best

part was yesterday. Vanessa couldn't come, but Rafael came after 16

years and brought his 2 granddaughters as well. They loved it!!! His

granddaughter are seriously so cute and are such an example. Love this

family already!! I can't even describe how happy I was when I saw them

walk in. Miracles!

We also met with Susi this week and she is doing great. She has such a

strong testimony about the Book of Mormon and loves the values of the

church. She is going through some really hard things right now, but I

know the gospel can help her. She can only come to church every other

week because of work, but she will be there this week and I am really

excited to teach her.

Happy thought: my principles of the gospel teacher is pregnant!! She

has been for a long time and tried lots of different options, but in

the end she got pregnant naturally. She is the cutest and I love her.

We are so excited for her!

I think that is about it for this week. Being a missionary is really

great, especially here. The Lord is preparing these people and it is

so wonderful to be a part of it. What a great time to be a missionary.

Thank you for your love and support while I am serving my mission. I

couldn't do it without you! I love you and hope you have a great week!

:)

Xoxo,

Hermana Marsh 

Sent from my iPad

 I'm 9 months!!! Thank you so so much for the package! from my

favorite treats and exercise clothes to the camel shaped sugar

cookies, I was definitely a very happy missionary :) THANK YOU

 iPads!

 Now we can take selfies. Yay.

  It was Elder Bartholomew's birthday this week and he of course picked

sushi. We weren't mad about it!

 Pulpo yum