Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Mission Week 77: Merry Christmas and off to Badalona!

Editor's note: We were able to Skype with Elder Tyson on Christmas Day! He looked great and has had an amazing experience in Valencia with Elder Sedgwick. He has loved his four months in Valencia and that made it really hard for him to receive his new assignment in Badalona. Badalona is a 30 minute drive north of Barcelona. Valenica was about a 3 hour train ride south of Barcelona. Elder Tyson's new companion is Elder Maurer (pronounced "mora") from Australia. It was a short letter on Tuesday due to transfers and the fact that we spoke to him on Christmas!




I love you tons!!! Elder Maurer is great. We are planning
a great transfer ahead. We have great people already getting close to
baptism. My personal goal this transfer, make this the best transfer
for Elder Maurer. This is his last, we have to hit it hard!!!! I am so
excited. The piso is so clean!!!! I will give you more details about
him when I get them. Also I will send a lot of pictures from my camera
next week. (I forgot it). The goodbyes were sad. So many incredible
people. I love Valencia. The members were so kind, we ate a ton of
food and shared scriptures and hymns, I will miss them a ton.







So now I am starting a new page!!! Next week will be a big letter....
all of the new details, promise!!! Love you so much!!!!!

Elder Kade Jay Tyson

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Mission Week 76: December 20, 2016

December 20, 2016

There is much I could say on week such as the one we have just concluded, but I think this week really comes down to a few key points that I would love to share, experiences that have helped build my faith, this week.

This week we saw the miracle of baptism. C. was finally baptized. Elder Campbell and I found his father L. and he quickly accepted the Gospel and was baptized.  C. is a young boy who wanted to follow Jesus Christ. He read the Book of Mormon with his father every day and decided to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. I think the Spirit worked on the heart of his mother and she allowed him to get baptized. The service was simple and spiritual. I felt so honored to be a part of the service and participate in seeing two members of one family getting baptized in my time here in Valencia. It has been a miracle.

Our other miracle is J. L. He is getting baptized this Christmas Eve at 12:00. I cannot think of a better time for a baptism. I will be a great way to celebrate Christmas, and finish my time here in Valencia. He has been so prepared by the Lord. We taught him about the body yesterday, How our body is a temple and we need to protect it by living the commandments, specifically the Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Chastity. We talked about how Jesus Christ had to cleanse the temple from those selling things inside, and likewise, the Lord has asked us to take certain things out of our bodies to keep us clean. He accepted them with joy. He has told us that he understands that he may not know everything yet, but he will in time. He will be an incredible member of the church.

I am so excited for this Christmas season. I am really trying to focus on what I can give. Not only to the Savior, but as well to my companion, to my piso mates, and to the mission of El Faro. I love the tradition we have in this mission. I am so elated to be a part of this mission. I talk about it every day. No where else in the world can you meet people from literally every country on the planet. we run into people from all walks of life, and I am so glad the Lord let's us talk to all of them.

Elder Sedgwick and I have caught a groove in our teaching. I am sad to see this transfer come to an end. We are really working together as a team, and we are seeing so many miracles here. Elder Sedgwick goes home the beginning of February. He will be playing football at BYU on a full ride scholarship...

My rumor for transfers is that I am headed for the north... Cross your fingers

WE ARE GOING TO SKYPE AT 10:00 YOUR TIME. Sorry if I didn't say that last time. that is the time though, if possible.

I got some letters yesterday and some packages from Amazon.es. Can't wait to open them on Christmas!!

Sorry not a lot today.... next week will be big....

Love you so much!!!! Have a Merry Christmas... You are in my thoughts and prayers, God Bless You!

Elder Kade Jay Tyson
Here are a bunch of pictures that Elder Tyson sent from Zone Conference and other activities. He and Elder Sedgwick had to plan the lunch for the Zone and they arranged to have a tradition paella prepared. It is massive!












Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Mission Week 75: December 12, 2016

The weeks seem to be flying by here in El Faro. The Christmas spirit is in the air as the work moves forth boldly, nobly, and independent through the streets of Valencia. Our teaching pool is filled to the brim these days. A marvelous blessing of the Lord. We are one cannonball splash away from seeing a wave of baptisms, not only in our area, but in the zone.

I am in high spirits this week, finding comfort in the scriptures and Preach my Gospel. I am greatful for the active role of the Spirit in my life, revealing to me what I can do to get better. For the longest time I have seemed to have the trouble understanding a certain doctrine. The difference in revelation received by a prophet and by us. Why would we need revelation if a prophet has all of the answers all ready? Why can't I just search through every General Conference talk in existence and rely on the revelation of these great men and women, who surely are making fewer mistakes than I. I was pondering this when I came across a wonderful principle from Preach my Gospel. It states, "[God] reveals the truths necessary for salvation through prophets and apostles. He reveals truth to us personally through the scriptures and personal revelation."

That phrase impacted me. It may sound simple to you, but it illuminated my soul. I learned that the prophets receive revelation of the doctrine of salvation, and we receive revelation on how to apply that doctrine to our own lives. The Lord gives the doctrine to his appointed. The sabbath day for example. Then he reveals to me how to apply that in my life, not working, sports, etc. I am so grateful for the power of revelation. I know that the Lord inspires us and enlightens our minds so that we can further His work on the earth.

I am soaking up every minute with Elder Sedgwick. We are working together as a great team. He is helping me stay organized and focused, remembering the goals and our responsibilities.  I am amazed by his phenomenal leadership capability, our zone is thriving as a result.

C. is back! We are planning his baptism for this Saturday. His mom has given him the permission so we are all ready to go. He and his father L. have come so far. I know this will be a huge blessing for their family. We hope that his mom and sisters can attend and support him.

B. is progressing quite a bit, although I am biased because she made us a great lunch the other day. But her testimony is growing. We called her on a holiday and she was reading the Book of Mormon, going through the Guide to the Scriptures to resolve her problems, she came to the Stake Christmas Concert and loved every second of it. The members have been excellent in fellowshiping her. She gets surrounded by members at church and is really starting to feel at home. She has a baptismal date for January due to a vacation for the holidays.

Our other miracle investigator is J. L. He is Spanish who met with the missionaries years ago, but due to complications with family, he discontinued the discussions. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he felt a need to come back into the church, and it's been a miracle ever since. He now knows almost half the ward, has come to two ward activities, an eating visit, has accepted a date to be baptized for New Years Eve, and is coming to a family home evening with the bishop this week.

Today for Preparation day we went out to the Lladro museum. The fancy sculptures and stuff. We took a taxi out there, and it was lame. The cheapest thing was 200 dollars. Lame. Whatsmore they didn't even let us take picture of the art they had placed.  Also, I got my hair re-cut because the man last week messed up big time. So I went to another place.

For the zone we started a countdown to Christmas by giving them different tasks to do each day. #LightValencia. They include but are not limited to: Hug someone in the street, contact a redhead, make brownies for an investigator, do planning by candle light, give foor to the homeless, etc. The zone is getting really into it. Prize for the winners is a pancake breakfast by the Hermanas! classic.

I am so happy Kalee got the note from Elder Gomez. I was a little afraid that he wasn't going to find her. I was so jealous that he was going to be in the same building as her. He is a great missionary. I am so happy for Kalee. Sounds like she is doing great!!!

I am so joyful. I know the Lord is with us. We couldn't do anything on our own. I give all credit to my personal Savior Jesus Christ. This is His work. I am His. He saved me. I am so blessed to be His instrument so that He can now save others.

In the spirit of Christmas,

Elder Tyson

P.S. my return date is June 13, and I would love to live close to Naomi!!!! Also, Skype details to come, no worries, the timer will be on!!

Mission Week 74: December 6, 2016

Dear Family,
          This was a great week of growth for me. I learned so much and saw many miracles. I am so very grateful for the plan that God has placed for me. I know He is a part of everything I do. I am grateful for the spiritual nourishment I have received in the last few conferences I have attended. I have realized that focussing on making the little things better makes the biggest difference in the end.
          Right now our investigator pool is as healthy as ever. We have received an outpouring of blessing and Ï can't thank the Lord enough for His help in this work. Our investigator B. has taken monumental steps in the Gospel. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and was concerned that it did not have reference to the Virgin Mary, someone she had been praying to her whole life. We had her turn to Alma seven where it explains the prophecy of Christ's birth and talks about his Atonement. She didn't understand why we, being Mormons, did not worship her. I began to feel uncomfortable. How we were supposed to tell this woman that a practice she had been living her whole life was doctrinally incorrect. We prayed for the Spirit as we asked her to pull out her Bible. We read the first two commandments in the Ten Commandments and explained the truth. I thought she was going to freak out, but in that moment, I saw a miracle. She looked at us after our explanation with a face of surprise and sorrow, not confusion and anger. She was so sad that she didn't know the scriptures well enough to know that all those years she had been living in error. We comforted her and helped her understand that she did know a lot about the scriptues, however there is so much more light and truth we can add, due to the Restoration of the Gospel. In the end of the lesson we commited her to be baptized in the coming month.
          We had our specialized training with President and Hermana Dayton. We love having them with us. It was so stressful preparing all the church, snacks, etc. We also had a big meeting with the stake president and President Dayton about the missionary work and that was very stressful.
                   
My clothes are hanging in there.... losing socks by the day, but we fight on..... I am an Elder, if something gets stained or ripped, we just put a sweater over it.... hahaha

Elder Campbell is now a district leader.... lucky.... He is loving it!!!!

Definitely send the packages to the mmission home.... especielly if it doesn't arrive before christmas. Transfers are the day after.
 
Love you,
 
Elder Tyson

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Mission Week 73: November 28, 2016

Dear Familia,

     This week was marvelous! It was a blessing to serve here in Valencia this week. We had many experiences that helped us to learn and to grow. We saw a father get persecuted for his faith by his own wife. We saw a woman openly say and feel indifferent about breaking a commandment. We saw a woman who lost her husband and has been looking for a church that can help her. We found an investigator that had been lost for a month now prepared for baptism. We saw a child decide to take the step of baptism for this weekend. We saw the zone flourish as we strived and hit a big finding goal. We saw district leaders push and support their districts. We saw problems solved and plans made. We saw a zone come together to celebrate Thanksgiving around a table of KFC and finish with riding bikes in the park, in the rain. We saw the members of our ward come together and sit with all of our five investigators in church. We saw a lot of rain. We saw a fearless member contact with us in whatever weather we found ourselves in. We saw the hand of the Lord. We saw miracles!
     C.  has his baptism planned for this Sunday. He is L.'s son, and he is fighting for his fecha. L.'s wife is a strong member of her congregation, and when he told her we were coming over to teach the children, she told him that we could not come by. He asked her what the problem was and she said she didn't like how he was in another church. At first she supported him, thinking it was a joke, but when we kept coming she saw that he was serious. I was almost in tears as he explained that he didn't understand. The Gospel was supposed to help families, not separate them. His eye were red and I could see the hurt in his eyes. He came down to meet us and we did not know what to say. This man was doing what was right, trying to help his family find the truth, and his wife was attacking for it. We asked if the children could come down to talk with us, and he he would try.
      He came down with C. and we began talking. We asked where the daughters were and he told us that they would make to much noise, he had to bring him without the wife hearing. My heart almost broke. He had to sneak his son down to hear our message. On Sunday L. was ordained to the priesthood. His son said he really wanted to get baptized and L. told us he would do all he could to convince his wife for permission. This family is fighting. We know it has been a great miracle to meet with them, and we hope the Lord will soften his wife's heart.
     Elder Sedgwick and I are on fire! We are really pushing ourselves to the maximum. I am known to talk a lot at night, but every night this week, when my head hits the pillow, I am asleep. It is fantastic. We had an incredible week in all aspects. Our teaching pool is big, we are finding lots, and loving every minute of it. Elder Sedgwick is the hardest worker I know, and one of the smartest. He also knows how to carry out the plans he sets for himself and the zone. We are doing wonderfully.
     We had a zone activity today. We invited the whole zone out for a Thanksgiving feast. We brought KFC and every piso brought a dessert! It was so great to get together and celebrate a great week and start the Christmas season. After, although it was raining, we rented bike cars for four people and went through the park in Valencia. Through the Arts and Sciences, and beyond. The zone seemed to love it.
     We are teaching many people at the moment, but I will save them for next week!
     The new assistant is Elder Merrill a missionary a group before me. He is a good man.
     For service we teach English, and we are always asking to do odd jobs. No one seems to take us up on it.

Love you lots, have a great week

Elder Tyson