2 years ago today...

¡Buenos días!

I can't believe this is the last email. It doesn't seem like it is real! But I guess it had to roll around sooner or later. It has been exactly 2 years since I entered the MTC. What a strange feeling. Things are clipping along well here in the office as we gear up for a few last crazy days. They're going to fly by all too fast.

There really isn't too much to say that hasn't been said before. Just that I am so grateful for my mission and the incredible experience it has been for me. I honestly can't think of anything better that could have happened to me for the last 2 years. I have learned and grown so much. Everything that has happened has taught me something valuable. I know that I'll be able to look back on this time for the rest of my life with gratitude for what it has taught me and what it will keep teaching me.

The most important thing I have learned on my mission is that Jesus is the Christ, the living Son of God. He is the hope of the world. Although in our mortal state we all must die, in Christ we are all made eternally alive, both spiritually and physically through repentance and the resurrection. Through obedience to the commandments we find peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come. He is the living head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and directs it through prophets and apostles. This is the only true and living church on the face of the Earth and the only one that holds the keys to seal us together unto Eternal Life through the ordinances of the Gospel. These things I know because of the whispered testimonies of the Holy Spirit that can come to all of us through diligent study and prayer. There is no more important knowledge nor work more important than that of the Gospel.

I love Spain and I will miss being here. I've grown to love everything about this place. I feel the same as the people of Alma did about the Waters of Mormon: "how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer. yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever."

I love you so much! See you soon!

Elder Mockler

Algeciras (again) & Benny

Hey!

Well, another week come and gone. I can't believe there is only 1 full week left. It is freaky! Things are starting to ramp up here in the office to get ready for the week after this one...sending 15 home and receiving 32 is no small task. I'm doing my best to get Elder Butler ready for all of it...poor guy!

On Tuesday, the Ayudantes went to do splits in Algeciras, and since my life has calmed down significantly in the last week or so we got permission from President for me to go with them as well. Woo hoo!!!! It was so awesome. We went and saw Claudia, Patricia, and Chiqui as well as Rafy. We walked all around (the missionary we were with has been out for about 3 weeks....it reminded me so much of how lost I was when I had just 3 weeks haha) so I got to see all the familiar sites of Algeciras. It was such a blast from the past! And really neat to see things come full-circle.....and actually be able to understand what people were trying to say to us and respond to them in a coherent manner hahaha. We were just there for 1 evening so there were lots of people we didn't get to see but that was alright. I'm just so grateful I got to go.

The day after, on Wednesday, the whole mission did a "Perfect Planning" day. We all focused on planning and doing our best to do it perfectly to see what we could do on a "perfect" day. We had a great one! We got everything set up so we didn't have to stop in the office the entire day and we could spend it all out teaching. The last appointment of the night was the best. We met with a lady named Jennifer and her son 25-year-old Benny. We had found their registro de enseñanza in our area book and Elder Butler just randomly decided to call them. Little did we know that Benny knows a ton about the church and really wants to be baptized. A few years ago he was going to church and loving it but got mixed up in a bad crowd and tangled up in drugs. He has left that all now and keeps telling us about how ready he is to change and be baptized. His baptismal date is May 11th and we have the goal for him to stop smoking cigarettes before May 8th. We're praying a lot so that he can make it. 

Things are starting to wind down and the end feels really close. It is a really weird feeling. This week is going to be filled with goodbyes to all the people here in Fuengirola. I'm so grateful for every moment I've had as a missionary and that I still have a few more precious days. I know that this is God's church and that the happiness the world gives can never compare with the light and joy that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings us.

I love you!!

Elder Mockler

Office Training

Hello!!

Well, things are starting to get real weird around here. Elder Butler got here on Tuesday and I've been training him to take my place. He is picking things up pretty well already which is good since it'll be kinda hard for him to get a hold of me once I live on another continent. The goal is for him to not need me too much by the end of next week. We'll see how we do. Luckily we have had a pretty calm week and we have another one coming (more or less) so we've also been getting lots of chances to teach. We got a few new investigators this week so we're petty excited.

In the office this week we did the typical residency run with 2 new missionaries and went to the notary again with 4 others. I realized everyone at those places knows me way too well haha. We introduced them all to Elder Butler and Elder Castillo. Passing the torch is sad...but feels so good at the same time! Haha.

This morning we drove out to Tarifa, which is the farthest southern point of Europe. It was cool! We drove through Algeciras which was a pretty awesome blast from the past. Lots of sweaty memories at the Mercadona we used to walk to and the ghetto part of town down the hill from the piso. It seemed like it was so long ago but everything was still so familiar.

General conference was awesome!! It always is. There were lots of great talks this time around, weren't there? I was the butt of a lot of jokes during all the marriage talks, haha. We missed 2 sessions because of the time zone differences but we're trying to make them up little by little as we have time. I'm so grateful that there are living prophets and apostles today to show us the way and tell us how to find happiness, protect and help our families, and become more like the Savior.

I love you!!

Elder Mockler

Hello!

Good afternoon!

I can't believe another week has come and gone! We're about to start week 4 of the transfer. IT IS GOING SO FAST!!! We're starting to try to figure out how to receive 32 new missionaries on April 30th/May 1st. That'll be a fun final adventure.

Since there are only 3 weeks left of the transfer, it is time for me to start training someone to be the next office secretary (aahhhhhh!!!). Elder Butler will come in on Tuesday to start learning the ropes to take my spot. It is pretty weird to know I'll be "obsolete" in just a week or two. It'll also be nice to have a bit more help around here!

This week we had zone leader concilio on Monday. It was great as always. It was weird because it was the last time I'll see a lot of missionaries before I go home. Let the goodbye's begin, I guess. As usual we had some great workshops from President Deere and the ayudantes.

On Thursday we got a surprise call to go eat dinner with a family that lives in our ward. Well, the invite actually came from the (former) Elder Avellar! I don't know if you guys remember him, but he was in my district way back in Huércal-Overa. He is getting married to a girl here who he met on his last day as a missionary (the day I picked Elder Berrett up....almost exactly a year ago!) and so he came to sign some papers and visit her. It was really fun to see him.

Last Sunday Elder Berrett and I finished the Book of Mormon, just like we had planned. I love the Book of Mormon! It brings the Spirit so strongly into our lives and shows so clearly what we must do to achieve Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father. I'm grateful to have it in my life. I'm so excited for General Conference this week. It is so special to hear from living prophets and apostles to counsel and guide us in our day. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I will!!!

Love you!!

Elder Mockler

There were 2  photos of Andy on The Spain Malaga Mission blog this week: