Sam in Málaga

Monday- on p day we went to a big palm tree park and then had lunch with an awesome family from ward 2 as well as the other elders from the other ward. Then, we just played ping pong and did some last emails the rest of the day. That evening we said goodbye to some more members and then had my final lesson of the mission, the family home evening with investigators and members. That moment walking home was quite surreal for me, realizing that it basically was all over.

Tuesday- a total of 11 missionaries from my group were on the bus from Alicante to Murcia and to Malaga and we all enjoyed the 9 hour ride talking about what we were going to do getting home. We officially could be trunks. We arrived and I was able to spend the night in the apartment of a previous mission companion, elder Owens who too goes home with me.

Wednesday- we went over To Fuengirola to the mission office to clear our iPads and turn them in. We then went and had a Brazilian buffet with president and his wife. Then we all went up to the mission home where we had a final devotional from our loving and amazing Mission president and his wife, then had a testimony meeting and ended with the final time singing the mission hymn where I got pretty emotional. Then, it was all over. Knowing we had to leave at 3:30 am we decided not to go to bed and we all just kind of caught up with each other.

Thursday- caught our flight from Malaga to Paris where there was lots of turbulence and I felt quite motion sick. Then we got on our flight from Paris to salt lake which was awesome. I set next to my former comp elder Greenhalgh and we talked the whole time. It was strange hearing so much English and people who knew us and stuff! We arrived in Salt Lake, I grabbed my bags and greeted my family and friends and mission Friends. Afterwards I went home and hung out with my friend Brandon. Then we went to the church distribution center to do some things. Then we ate at five guys burgers and fries Then that evening my stake president Sturt came to the house to release me. It was also a very spiritual moment. Then it was officially over!  That night I just truly awkward and weird and really jet lagged. But my 2 best friends hunter and Brandon came over and we talked a long time. 

Friday- Brandon, his brothers and I went to the draper temple to do baptisms for the dead and it was so awesome, I felt so peaceful. I plan on doing an endowment session sometime next week. Then my dad and I went to the Apple Store because I have a new iPhone 6s and due to the fact that I wrote nothing down before the mission I have literally lost almost all my stuff from apple before the mission. Oh well. Then my parents and I went up to Park City where my dad and I had a rematch at the alpine slide and I Destroyed him! I guess my dad slowed down over the past 2 years! We then ate at Billy Blancos, a super dank restaurant!

Saturday- that morning my buddy hunter invited me to go on a hike with him and his dad and sister and that was fun. Then we watched Star Wars rouge one! It was dope! Then my previous comp Llavinaa invited me to go to the real salt lake game with him. It was super fun! I too saw my trainer Danny Stephens down there and that was sweet 

Sunday- it was my homecoming! I appreciate all the people who came! Shoutout to Llavina, Stephens, Vanessa Anderson and her fiancé, Llavina's parents, elder goats mom, and elder Osguthorpe's mon! Also to all my friends, family, and ward members there supporting me.  Love you all! We also had a get together at my house and then later had a neighborhood walkabout and all is cool!

Well this is my last time ever sending this out. Honestly, I feel like one of the most awkward human beings on earth right now but oh well. Well Love all of you guys, obviously I won't use this email at all anymore. So If you want to get a hold of me, my email is samhirst130@gmail.com or my phone is +1(801)-696-7796

Monday- well, just continued buying some more things here in Alicante before I go home. That evening we had a family home evening with a few member families and investigator families y Lourdes and Erica and it was a lot of fun. That night my comp and I started feeling strange...

Tuesday- we woke up and went to district meeting (still feeling weird) then this pretty rough week started. We both started vomiting and having other intestinal issues. We had exchanges with the elders with Benidorm and my comp wasn't even willing to try and go out and work. I went out with elder Neubert and we taught our investigator Santiago and he's doing well, he wants to be baptized but he needs to quit smoking first. Then we had the ward family home evening but at that point I was feeling pretty dead so we went back 

Wednesday- I think me and elder Kärn had the worst night of our missions.  We both had super high fevers and spent half the time in bed shivering and freezing, yet sweating like crazy and running to the Bathroom for various reasons. It was rough. We stayed all day in our apartment just miserable. 

Thursday-  by this time, I was feeling a little better. Elder Kärn was continuing to get worse. That evening we were so sick of our apartment though that we went out to teach. We taught Oscar and it was a rough lesson for us but he's doing great and progressing well. He really is excited for his new life with faith in god and keeping the commandments! Elder Kärn and Then went back and rested again 

Friday- I woke up feeling basically better, but my comp was feeling even worse. By the evening his condition was pretty rough so we decided it was time to go to the emergency room. The best member in the world, Giovanny drove us to a far away hospital and waited with us for like 4 hours before it was all over. Turns out we both had bad intestinal viral infections. I was feeling 100% at this point though. Then Giovanny's equally as amazing wife Norka made us soup

Saturday- that morning we just rested. Elder Kärn wasn't improving. But I had to go up to Benidorm to perform the baptism of Nancy! I took our district leader elder Sant with me, and the baptism was just amazing and such a special and miraculous experience for me. I felt so privileged to be able to baptize her, someone I had taught over a year ago in Ciudad Real! Daniel also announced that he wants to be baptized September 2. We also got the transfers that night and I'm leaving.

Sunday- church was so great. At the beginning of this transfer elder Kärn and I found a man who we taught and it was An amazing lesson, but the next time we went this drugged out dude was super mad and threw us out of the building and tried to rob me. So we lost contact with the man we were teaching. Well, we walked in the doors and this man was there. Jose from Palencia, Spain ! He said he had lost our number and heard what his roommate did to us and was so sad, he wanted to find us so he just came to church! He really enjoyed the meetings and many people befriended him. He was very sad to hear I was going in a couple days, but he is someone with so much potential. He liked church and said it gave him lots of happiness and hope. He is undergoing a spinal operation soon and said he wants to develop the faith that God will help him. That is awesome considering when we first knocked his door he said he was atheist and didn't want anything to do with us. Man, it was such a miracle. Many people at church gave me gifts and were just so nice. I sure have loved Alicante so much. That evening we ate with members Alicia and Rafa in their little cabin out in the fields of Alicante. Also, elder Kärn started more or less improving. 

Well this is my last time writing to everyone. 

This experience as a missionary has been the best 2 years of my life. Not just because I've been able to have so many amazing experiences in a fantastic country to serve, but because I've gained a testimony of Jesus Christ as my savior and have finally come to understand what that means. I've gained a testimony of the restoration of his gospel through the prophet Joseph smith who I know saw god and Jesus Christ. I too have come to understand the full importance of the Book of Mormon and gain a powerful testimony of it as a book that comes from god, that teaches us how to return with him. There is great power in the Book of Mormon. I have come to know these things as I have repeatedly prayed and reflected about them as well as sharing them with many different people from all sorts of background and cultures. As I've done this, I have felt the Holy Ghost assure me that this is true. Of this, I have no doubt! I love Christ, and I love his church. Here's to the best 2 years of and for my life in the Spain, Málaga mission. I love you all and look forward to see many of you soon! 

Élder Samuel Hirst 

Monday- so for p day we had a Fourth of July celebration with the missionaries here in Alicante and it was fun. We just played some games and made lots of hot dogs and yea, it was pretty normal. That evening we had that great as always family home evening with the many Ecuadorians and we had some amazing food!

Tuesday- we went to Elche to their district meetings and it was really good, the meeting was really good and it was great to see those missionaries there. Then we had exchanges with the elders from Elche ward 1 elder wood and elder Jarvis. I was with elder Jarvis from Las Vegas Nevada.  We taught Blanca the recent convert and she is really struggling with issues in life and also had the ward family home evening and we had some people there so it was good. 

Wednesday- that morning was interesting, we went down to the courthouse to be able to get frank and Lourdes a date for their marriage. Unfortunately one of Lourdes's important papers from Ecuador had a wrong date of birth put on it, so the date will have to be postponed until they can fix that. Later,  we continued the exchange and we were able to talk with some great people but not a ton happened.  Then that evening we went to a man we had found last week named Jorge and it went really bad, he just wanted to bible bash and stuff, and we aren't really about that.  We just let him give his little deal and then we left.  Then we were able to teach Santiago, our investigator who's progressing towards baptism.  He's doing well but it's difficult for him to understand some things and he's been in so many religions in his life that he wants to be really sure.  But it still went really well. 

Thursday- we did weekly planning that morning and I don't have many more of those to do so that is nice! Then that evening we got some amazing new investigators from the Dominican Republic.  Her name is Wendy and she has two sons, one with learning disabilities.  For that reason she came to spain but she was a lawyer in the Dominican Republic and they are such an awesome family. They all committed to start reading the Book of Mormon. Then we later taught a progressing less active named Jefferson and it's great because hes going to a stake YSA camp out this week. Also we had a family home evening with some amazingly progressing less actives Omar and Gabby.  

Friday- in the morning we had district meeting and that was fun.  Then that evening i don't know why but I was just absolutely dead exhausted, but we were able to teach a lady in her door, and then teach Santiago once again and he's doing well, little by little he's understanding more. Then we taught Frank Lourdes and Erica and they're bummed about the marriage thing but still excited to continue forward. 

Saturday- we played futbol that morning and frank came so that was fun. That evening was the baptism of Antonio, the Dutch man who the elders from ward 2 have been teaching. He was just absolutely beaming in his baptism, I've never seen a more happy man.  Haha the service was a little disastrous. At the same time as the baptism, there was a stake relief society activity that involved dancing and loud music and they weren't really willing to turn down the music so we did the service and a tiny primary room. Then the font had drained for some reason so it was like knee deep so Antonio basically had to lie down flat to be baptized. But all in all it turned out great and he was so so happy. 

Sunday- it was a great Sunday. We had lots of investigators and less actives at church. Then that evening i had my final interview with president.  I have absolutely loved president Andersen, he is just such a spiritual and humble man and he and Hermana Andersen have just felt like parents for me.  They're just such calm and kind people, I've loved them so much.  Anyway, that interview was crazy because it made me realize how close it really is.