New year, new goals and new lives

This Christmas has truly been fantastic, thank you all for the sweet
letters and gifts! I hope you all had a Christmas to remember because
I surly did.

This week has been wonderful! People are just happier and tend to like
to talk a lot more about our Savior Jesus Christ! This Christmas Eve
we had the opportunity to eat with a recent convert family from
Ecuador! At the moment I didn't know I made a mistake but I surly did.
I ate before the dinner... Anyway, we get in and he told us that they
cooked a lot of food. I was like "ok.." "You don't know how much I can
eat!" So they bring out some seafood and I easily eat everything on my
plate. I was so confused because there wasn't that much food....
There was more than one course.... So after soup, plantains, literally
half a pig!!!, rice, beans and three cakes, my body was rejecting
anything I put in my mouth. I had to scoot back my seat in the car a
little bit.

As well, we had a Christmas conference this week for half the mission.
It consisted of a talent show, Christmas caroling and a few talks by
President and some other people. For the talent show I clapped really
loud for the people that had talents. One of the Elders that live in
the same piso as us is a professional yo-yoer! It's pretty cool. At
times.. I hear a hissing sound about 8 hours of the day from the
Yo-yo. We also Christmas Caroled (flash mob) a plaza in Murcia. With
100 missionaries singing there was a few people who got freaked out.

This Christmas season family has been on my mind most of all! If there
is anything I want to share this week is that the family is ordained
of God. It is the center of our lives. I pray and hope that we can
understand the importance of striving to be an eternal family. I hope
you all had a great time with your families this season. Thank you all
for being such great people and good examples to me.

Love
Elder Owens

Ha nacido un salvador!

Dearest friends and family,

I apologize for the late email, we had to move our pday to a Tuesday
because we had a news crew from Murcia come to record my companion and
the AP. So I was on splits with the other AP working in our area. It
was Elder Johnson. Haha the really happy Elder. They did an interview
in our piso and recorded them preaching in the morning. It was a
pretty cool even though I didn't do it. Haha.

We have 2 solid investigators with a baptism date! Ivan the Bulgarian
and Raul who is from Ecuador. We are teaching them a lot and we expect
to have a baptism on the 9th and the 23rd.

For Christmas this year we are planning to sing to a lot of our
members and recent converts. Also we are going to have a small
activity with the zone. I'm super excited for Christmas! Its my
favorite time of the year. It's also the best time to preach!

I had an amazing experience this week. While walking in the street,
Elder Cowley advised me that if I felt to knock on a door I should do
it. Not 3 seconds later I felt this little nudge to go knock on this
certain wood door. I was very confused. I thought that the small
impression I felt was myself. I felt it just because I was thinking
about it. So I ignored the feeling and just kept walking. Immediately
I felt it again. Still I was very bothered that I was still feeling to
knock on the door. So I stopped and asked my companion how he knew it
was the spirt or not. We had a quick chat and he reminded me of a talk
given by David A. Bednar. It talked about no matter if you think the
impression is you or the spirit. If it is a good impression you better
just do it. So we turned around and marched right up to the door and
knocked. The second the door was opened I felt this great rush though
my body and I knew it was the spirt. A South American girl answered
the door. But we recognized her. She was a friend of a recent convert
who we had taught the week before but didn't know where she lived.
Well until that moment.

I hope that whenever we feel that spirt that we have the courage to
act. Because when we ignore the spirt we cannot be blessed or bless
the lives of others. I testify that the Holy Ghost is a member of the
GodHead and is necessary for our progression to salvation.

I have a challenge for you this Christmas season. It is said every
year but I didn't understand it until this time on my mission. The
true meaning of Christmas. I am so thankful for a father who
sacrificed his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. For us. Sinners. I am also thankful
for a Brother, a Savior who was spit upon, cursed at, and punished for
being perfect. But still died and suffered for every person on this
Earth... Please don't forget him. Please spread his teachings to those
around you. I know I'd you do these things, you will see your life
change.

Con amor,
Elder Owens

Molina de segura

Dear family and friends,

When it comes to roundabouts, I think Spain has the win. I thought it
was enough to have one every half mile, but apparently not. This week
I had the great opportunity to find myself in an eight lane
roundabout... So after about 8 times almost dying in a car, we made it
to our four man piso in Molina de Segura. There are two companionship
here, one for the actual city Molina and the other for the small
pueblos outside of the city. I am companions with Elder Cowley in the
pueblos outside of Molina. Hence the need of a car in this area. Thank
goodness my license expires here in Spain in 3 months.

We are teaching a 19 year old man named Edison. His brother Kevin is a
member and we are working with him to get a baptism date. He is super
awesome and will be a strong member. He just says that it just isn't
his time yet. But it is definitely his time.

This week we also found a great man from Bulgaria named Ivan. He is
super humble man and a very smart man. He speaks only a little bit of
Spanish so it is a little tough to talk with him. So we are getting
some material for him to read.

My companion Elder Cowley is from Mesa Arizona and went to Mountain
View high school. He is super obedient and a very hard worker. He has
only 4 months left on his mission so I'm going to just soak up all I
can get and enjoy the time I get to spend with him. So the reason I am
companions with the zone leader is because the other zone leader is in
the companionship that serves in the city. We do a lot of stuff
together because we are live in the same area and share a ward.

I love to be serving here and am thankful for this time the lord has
set for me to serve!
Have a wonderful Christmas week!

My new address!
Calle Mayor 63-4b
Molina de segura, Murcia
30500
España

I'm sorry I don't have a lot of time to write this week. Things are
super busy here! I love it!!

Love
Elder Owens

Pink Washed

Dearest family and friends,

This has been a very eventful week. Probably one of the craziest weeks
ever. This week was transfer week and usually what happens is my
companion, who has been in Crevillente for 4 transfers, would leave
and I would stay for another transfer with a different companion. But
because is has been 30 years since Hermanas have served in Crevillente
they White Washed our area or Pink Washed(because they are sisters).
So we are both leaving!! Elder Wagner is going to Jerez on the other
side of the country and is the district leader. I on the hand am going
to Molina de Segura 30 minutes away just above Murcia!! I will still
be driving(thank goodness) and my companion is the zone leader and his
name is Elder Cowley! I get to meet him on Wednesday.

Also this week we had a Tri-Zone conference in Murcia with the
opportunity to hear Elder Leimer of the 70. It was a truly an amazing experience. The whole meeting I
witnessed a feeling of the spirit I have never felt before. The whole
time I just wanted to get out of my seat, go outside, go climb on a
big rock and preach the gospel to whoever would listen. It was
confirmed to me that he is truly a man called of God. He talked about
not "softening the blow of the gospel". It is so true, sometime we feel
the need to get in the way of the spirit. But how wrong we are.

This fast Sunday we had the opportunity to share our testimonies with
our ward and say our goodbyes. I never thought it would be hard to say
goodbye to a bunch of Spaniards that I have only known for 10 weeks
and didn't even know what they were saying for the first 5 weeks. But
it sure was... I love the people on this side of the world more than I
thought I ever would. I can't even imagine how hard it will be to
leave in 2 years.

I am currently studying in the New Testament and The Savior tells us
the need to be "Born again" to be able to live again with our father
in heaven. I testify to you that, what He says is very true. We need
to change our lives and it happens little by little, grace by grace.
We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints NEED
to work, every day, to be "Born again" it's not solely making covenants
but living them and wanting to live them. Please, it is the last days
and we need to work harder than we ever have.

I love you all
Elder Owens


P.S. The greatest missionary in the Malaga Spain mission, the one and
only, AP......Elder Ward is going home this week after serving the
Lord for 2 years. Look out ladies... He is back! I also testify that
he is one of the greatest humans I have ever met. My hat goes off to
you Elder Ward.

The Best Week EVER...

Dearest family and friends!

There are always those few signs of the coming of winter.   First, it
gets cold outside... Next you wake up with an upset stomach because of
all the food you ate the night before. Finally, you have to blow your
nose 200,000,000,000 times each day because everything is dying. All
in all, probably my favorite time of year.

This past week a few things happened that were note worthy... We had a
Cosecha in Elche, which means that all of the missionaries in our
district (12 missionaries) all got together and focused on a small
area where 1 companionship is and contacted as many people as possible
to set a base for them. Also we had an intercambio(missionary
exchanges) with our zone leaders! Because I am the only one who is
allowed to drive the car, I always have to say in Crevillente for
intercambios.  So anyway, I went on an intercambio with Elder Johnson,
he is a truly unique person. He works harder than most missionaries
and is always happy. He is constantly saying things like..

"This week has been the best week in all the weeks I have ever lived!
Ever!"-Elder Johnson
"Elder Owens you are the best missionary I have ever met in my
life"-Elder Johnson
"Elder Wagner is the best missionary I have ever met in my life"-Elder Johnson
"That lesson that we just taught was the best lesson ever!"-Elder Johnson

You get the point... He is an amazing Elder.

We contacted so many people this week! In Spain there are always
people on the streets! It's like New York City in every pueblo! Our
goal this week was to contact 100 people in a day. Most of them didn't
want to listen but at least we felt good that we tried!

During the intercambio Elder Johnson made smoothies! Unfortunately he
left the fruit out so the next morning there was a ton of fruit flys.
I didn't really want to throw out the trash so it sat there for a few
days... Not my best decision, because this morning when cleaning the
piso there was an army of fruit flies, I'm talking like 200 fruit
flies, not even kidding, in the kitchen. So I grabbed the garbage
closing it, trapping 50 fruit flies in the pressed and ran it to the
elevator to go down and throw the trash out side. But when we got
into the elevator the trash bag opened, letting free all the fruit
flies. That 20 seconds of being trapped in an elevator was one of the
scariest things I have ever witnessed.

We had Thanksgiving with our bishop this week and had a great tasting
turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy and rice. It was a great effort for
people who don't even celebrate that holiday.

Today for P-day we went to the mall to shop for sheets for the beds. I'm glad we finally got to it because I have been using the same pillow and blanket that I'm pretty sure missionaries have been using for 50 years. We also had some KFC, which is actually pretty expensive here.

I can't believe it was almost a year ago I talked with my bishop to start my paperwork to leave on a mission. I am so thankful I did and prepared myself to leave. This is the most amazing work on the planet! I truly hope those that are able to start their papers do so and choose to serve the Lord for 18-24 months! I am so thankful for my Savior and His example.

I love you all
Elder Owens

Layering

Dear family and friends!

This week has been a great one! I Went on intercambios(splits) with
elder Joy this week. We ate a lot of pizza for a local restaurant
called Belmonte. It only costs ¢40 to deliver pizza so we do that a
lot.

There was a Real Madrid vs. FB Barcelona game and everyone goes inside
to watch the game. People refuse to turn the tv off so we ended up
watching the game in an investigators house and a members house.

This week we met our #1 investigator! His name is Jaime and he is from
Mexico. We invited him to church and he said yes but unfortunately he
called later and said he had work. We also had two investigations come
to church this week but they both don't want to be baptized. So that's
sad.

The weather is getting colder so I have to do something I have never
done before in my life... Layering... It's not something I am too
familiar with. It's not super cold here but it gets chilly in the
morning and nights.

So there might be hermanas put in Crevillente this next transfer.
There is a lot of weird stuff going on with the members here so they
might need the change.

I'm sorry for the shorter email but I want to end with my testimony. I
know that the people here in Spain are children of God even know they
are not a fan of religion and I am learning little by little how
perfect God's plan is for us. Being a missionary is super different
than what I thought it was. I love my mission so much!

Love,
Elder Owens