Merry Christmas Baby!

Feliz Navidad a todos! I hope y'all have a great Christmas and can take some time to think bout the Reason for this Season! My grandpa wrote a document about what the Premortal World could have been like the night before Jesus Christ descended to earth and was born in the manger. My grandpa is a spiritual giant fr (for real), he has got me thinking! We must have been next to him wishing for one last embrace and final moment with Him before He was to start his mortal life. Jesus would have recently revealed to Nephi that he was about to be born (3 Nefi 1:13) So sick. There are so many cool parts of the Plan of Salvation that we probably don't know or think about.

We started out the week in Salamanca, España.  A super cool city close to Portugal (shoutout padre). The work is going well down there, we had some fire hamburgers on Tuesday night. We met two ladies from Paraguay as we helped them carry a bed frame up four flights of stairs to their apartment, they gave us Sopa Paraguaya (it's not soup, it's like breakfast casserole). Then we shared about the Book of Mormon. 

My comp Elder Sharp and I had to wake up at 6am on Wednesday to catch our train to come back to Alcorcon. Then we had District Council, and then we had lessons the rest of that day. It was PACKED, and I definitely felt it. I was pretty stressed y tal. I think I am gonna make a song that starts out, "I woke up at 6am in Salamanca!" It could go hard lmk. 

Juan got baptized  It was a quick baptism service. His friend Santiago baptized and confirmed him. Juan is a G man, and has been SO blessed for growing his faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and now Enduring to the end. He is a big Spaniard man, but super kind, after the ordinance of his baptism we were waiting for them to change clothes and were singing The First Noel and as we were singing the "nooooooel, nooooel" part he and Santi walked in, it felt like an epic part of a movie. And Juan had a sincere smile on his face, that really touched me tbh. 

Even though it requires so much faith, work, and more work and rejection and prayers, a baptism program is about 45 min, and the actual baptism is like 10 seconds. I always want to feel the spirit super strong at some point during the baptismal program, and sometimes that happens, sometimes less. I am very grateful for all the times I felt the Holy Ghost with Juan as we taught him and as he smiled after his baptism.

Cooper is a missionary!!! Felicades mi hermano! He is at the home MTC then going to Mexico MTC shoutout my brother. 

Love, Elder Ditto

Peace in the Gospel

Big news fellas. i have a neice ☺ Alysee dió la luz el 11 de Diciembre to Nora, foto abajo.

Alysee and baby Nora

Jonny Appleseed (codename) is awesome. He is a Spaniard man who is receiving so much peace and confidence in himself and in Jesus Christ thanks to many things but mostly the spirit he feels when he reads the Book of Mormón. His bautismo is planned for this Sunday. Pls pray for him  

Plan of Salvation

This week we were teaching him the plan of salvación and he randomly goes "Wait a minute, I just had a little thought pop into my head, when we partake of the bread and the water is it to remember the body and blood of Christ? And is it a moment to remember His sacrifice and try to be closer to Him?"  It was so cool because we were not talking about that at all in the lesson, the Holy Ghost totally taught Jonny Appleseed that. It was very special to witness that.

2 Nephi 20:15

"Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith?" 

Uf  It's so true. 

After being used to cut down a tree, an axe is obviously not going to boast and be like, "I am so awesome for cutting down that tree." 

As a missionary, I can't think, "Wow, I am so cool for saying that or for going to talk to that person." 

Because if I believe that God guides us to people, then I am like the axe, which is useful but is the instrument or tool needed to get the job done.  God is grand, and I am grateful that He has let me participate in His work. 

Today we went to Segovia, and tonight we are going to Salamanca. I took some cool pics.

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Kendama fun in Segovia with the castle in the background

Love, Elder Ditto

Christmas

Hey tíos, my email list is getting shorter because a lot of my friends are done with their missions already. If I were a girl, I would be chilling at home right now, quite goofy.

President Nelson invited us to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ once a week. This week, I studied about it almost every personal study, and the more I tried to understand it, the more magnificent and grandiose it became. One thing I have noticed recently(ish) is that probably 95% of people know "Jesus died for my sins," but like nobody has thought about it recently or really even understands what that means. So I am on a quest to teach all the importance of our Savior Jesús, but:

"Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed..."

So hence, I have been studying it and trying to come up with several analogies to use for teaching, I would love any analogies you have used in the past for teaching the importance of Jesuscristo.

Key points:

Law of Justice/God

Law of Mercy/Grace

Sin (some context)

Agency

I just want to say that I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am so grateful for Him. A lot of people don't understand that yet, so I'm gonna tell them, you should too!

Love, Elder Ditto

Come December

Come December! Fire song. I want to listen to it right now. This week, we got sick. My comp got sick on Thanksgiving, so we were in our apartment basically until 7 p.m. It's chill, though. I am grateful for when we do have health. I am sick now. I feel pretty good, but my voice is gone, lol. Tomorrow we have a zone conference. I am supposed to give a presentation, so we will see what happens. 

On Thanksgiving, we taught English class. At the beginning of the class, I had everyone do a little presentation, saying their name, how long they have lived in Spain and one thing they are grateful for, all in English. Tony said, "I am grateful for getting to know the church." So awesome. 

Tony got baptized and confirmed yesterday, he gave his testimony at church and at his baptism. When we first met Tony (a little more than a month ago) he was so very depressed and was not living a few of the commandments. We have met with him a lot and now he is way happier, filled with peace, and lives all the commandments. He still has some earthly needs and his life is pretty similar to when he first met us, but he is a completely new person. I really hope that he gets blessed up by our heavenly father with a nice job and lo demás.

I am so excited for Christmas! Let's go boys, we gotta grind this Christmas and preach the good word. Aight, hasta luego, gonna go play in the turkey bowl 

One more cosa. We are teaching a Spaniard fellow named Johnny Appleseed (codename) he has some mental problem thing that makes him depressed a veces (at times) and it is really sad. Three weeks ago his friend (who is a member) invited him to learn about the Book of Mormon and how it could help him. Johnny has read from Come Follow Me for 3 weeks straight now and says that he hasn't felt depressed once! Even better he feels a joy that he has never felt in his entire life. Johnny came to the baptism yesterday and said he liked it. 

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Jesucristo restored the church through the prophet Joseph Smith. If you want to read the Book of Mormon, let me know! 

Love, 

Elder Ditto

Changed Heart

Chavales! God is accelerating His work here in Alcorconcito. I shall tell y'alls a crazy story:

mas o menos 6 months ago: Elder Moyle and Elder Thayer got ice cream with the Young Adults (18-36 yr old members of the church, in Spanish the abbreviation is JA) and invited a lady on the bench to eat with them.

6 months ago-3 months ago: the lady came to activities from our church but kept going to her church, she had callings and is/was very strong and faithful to Jesus Christ in her other church. She was not at all interested in meeting with us or reading the Book of Mormon.

2 months ago: Elder Farnsworth and I had 30 minutes one day to do contacts on our phones, we went outside to do them (ALWAYS gotta do that stuff outside cuz that's where the miracles are at my bois) and sat on a nice bench. Ten minutes later a Venezuelan dude walked up to us and said "Elders, I am inactive and want to come back to church, can you guys help me?" So we said, "For sure my boy!"

Still 2 months later: we have a branch party and both the Lady and the dude mentioned above come, and dance together.

Still 2 months later: the dude invites the lady to church, she comes, she loves it, we teach her, and every single time we felt the spirit together, she started STUDYING the Book of Mormon along with the bible and her testimony grows even bigger about Jesus and his teachings/church.

2 days ago, the dude baptizes the lady.

Insane!!!!

The work of God shall prevail tios, I have no doubts. 

Here's a sad story, a lit family from Peru told us they don't want us to come to their abode and share the good news with them anymore. The mom is an inactive member from a looong time ago and she has two sons, they are lit, we played kendama together, taught them, and even gave the mom a blessing of health and it literally healed her. But ya, one day those niños will see missionaries and talk to them hopefully. 

We bought a Christmas tree today, and our water heater broke earlier this week, so we heated up water on the stove and showered with that. Felt like my boi rench.

Love, Elder Ditto

Free Concert

Yo fellows what's up? This week I performed SOS and 21st Century for the folks at the church (like 5 personas) probably gonna be my last free concert so they were lucky ducks. I lowkey forgot all the words to my songs, I'm gonna have to relisten to all them if I do any concerts in the future. Anyone still bump to YC?

YC performing

Homemade Eggplant

I made eggplant, it was good. I have 6 months left of my mission, and I am doing a challenge with my family and some other personas. We are gonna finish the Book of Mormon before May 16 (shoutout Coopy ) it's gonna be a good study if you wanna do it too, lmk.

Super old Peruvian man, I think he's the king of some tiny village in Peru, we gave him a Book of Mormon so when he goes back to Peru he can convert all his squires (I am doing a "U" for Universitario, a soccer team in Peru, not ducks )

The Brother of Jared, the church just made a video for the story of Ether 1-3 and it was really good.

Colombian grub that a 50 yr old lady gave us, she definitely has a crush on us

Contention sucks! Peace is so nice. Shoutout Tyler if you are reading this, cuz you are a peacemaker, I am gonna work on that. It's tough but it's necessary, send me any tips and tricks!!  

I'd love an email or Christmas letter!

nathan.ditto@missionary.org

Nathan Ditto

Misión España Madrid Norte

Av. de Tenerife, 11

28703 San Sebastián de los Reyes

Madrid, Spain

Love, Elder Ditto

Dios te ama

Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10

"9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. 

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."

Sheesh. That's a heavy hitter.

Claudia and her family

Claudia got baptized yesterday, when we taught her about the word of wisdom, she immediately stopped drinking coffee and hasn't sipped since. She brought her entire fam to the baptism and they seemed to be quite interested. Claudia is such a great example for them. She shared her testimony after her baptism and said that even with her happy family and job she still felt something was missing in her life, she went to church and felt the joy of the Spirit fill that right up, she testified that she knows her decision of baptism will help her be a better woman.

bandeja paisa

This week we lowkey ate so good. We had bandeja paisa with our friend Toni. I made some tacos I guess you could call em, and they were bussin. 

baleadas

Then we had baleadas with our friend Liliana, insanely yummy.  I lowkey bought an eggplant last week so in gonna try to cook that nicely this week. Food is so good!

I got to go to the town of Segovia today.  So beautiful!!  I was able to visit the Aquaduct, Alcazar, and the Cathedral.  I am going to be here for a couple of days doing exchanges with the missionaries serving in this area.  The church is very small in this town so it is nice for the missionaries to have the extra support.

I really am enjoying the missionary part of being a missionary, but there's never been a time in my life where I have hit that pillow and konked so fast in my life. It's def work but it's God's work and it is awesome.

Cemetary in Carabanchel, Madrid

Love, 

Elder Nathan Ditto