Logan - Barcelona Week 1

Thanks for the great Christmas Package! I will be expecting the other package soon. I actually moved Sunday night and my new address and final address is

Elder Logan Gogarty
C/ Calatrava N 10-12 Bajos
08017 Barcelona

Well the rest of this week has been absolutely crazy. President called me as the new AP! I wasn’t expecting it even though everyone was telling me that I would be the next ayudante.

The day after Christmas I woke up to stomach pain and stayed inside. I basically used the bathroom more times in 4 hours then the average person in 3 weeks. I had nothing in my system. I got up to walk somewhere and I felt lightheaded and everything started going black so I yelled to my companion ¨Brother I’m going to pass out!¨ but we are horrible at communicating and he heard that I needed some water or something like that so he went to get me water when really I need someone to support me. Luckily I realized what had happened and I kind of just crumbled to the ground of the bathroom floor, not hitting my head on anything. My companion then came in and I woke up and my body instantly went really cold. I also started sweating profusely and my hands and legs were going numb. This was the climax of the sickness I suppose. My companion had no idea what to do but I calmly asked him to call someone that could help.

I then tried to stand up again making my way towards the couch but everything went black again. I luckily landed on the couch but was shocked at what I was feeling; I thought I was dying for sure. Then I told my companion to give me a blessing and I could hardly sit up. As soon as he put his hands on my head I felt the spirit strongly but I also still felt the sickness in my body. It was a weird sensation as the two seemed to almost battle. As the spirit went to my hands and legs the numbness instantly left and I no longer was feeling cold. It was an amazing experience and a good reminder of how powerful the priesthood can be.

I still felt sick the rest of the day, but the blessing gave me instant relief. At first President told us to go to the hospital but after the blessing I felt well enough to stay and recover in Piso. I didn’t eat anything until yesterday night and it has stayed fine with me and I feel perfectly fine today.

Sunday I stayed home from church as well and then packed my bags and headed down to Barcelona. After taking numbers from the whole mission we celebrated with the Hinckleys the fact that 402 people were baptized this year. We had a cake and then of course ended the Mormon party reading from Alma and offering a prayer of gratitude. It was an amazing experience.

Currently I´m in the office and we just finished having a meeting with President. We discussed a lot of changes that will take place in the mission. We were going to live here in the office but now we are moving in with other Elders that live close by. I think it will be more effective and I'll have place to put my stuff. Being AP entails to a lot more responsibility; it's crazy. I want to still baptize though and be an example to the missionaries. Next week we will be picking up the new missionaries, dropping off the old ones, and will be flying out to the islands to do intercambios with the Zone Leaders there.

I´m sure there is a lot more to say but I don’t have any time. We take Preparation Day when we have time so it will be changing every week but I will try to always write on Monday when we are here. I can’t think of anything else to even say because there is so much to say. Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Gogarty

Please dont write the President asking why I was sick or anything like that thanks. We are not supposed to tell you when we get sick I am perfectly fine no needs to worry.

Logan - Badalona Week 11

Well last Monday we finished Elder Monks Birthday bash in an Irish Pub. We were on a blitz in his area so I took him out and we had a great time. I also visited with an Irish man and he knew that my name came from his country. Its been fun to have Monks in the same zone for so long.

You can call me at 10 in the morning your time. Basically we are opening gifts in the morning then going to the mission house and to eat with some members and then I am all yours.

President called me this morning which was quite shocking because everyone has been telling me that I will be the next AP or Ayudante as we say in Spanish, and so when I got the call this morning I thought it was for that but then he explained what had happened with Grandpa and I felt pretty sad. Thankfully we know where he is and don't have to worry about it. A bunch of scriptures came to mind about death and I was instantly comforted.

Today we took a train with some other missionaries and Hermanas to a mountain called Monserrat. It was amazing and it was snowing! The first time I have seen the stuff since I left. I loved it and it made it feel more like Christmas. The view was amzing and I had a great time just sitting in the Monestary in the mountains. It's something you don't get to do everyday. I prefer one of our temples over the Cathedrals but it was still fun.

Alison was baptized on Saturday and it went ok. There was just so many kids which did not invite the spirit, and we have been so busy that we didn't have it planned as well as it could of been. I felt bad and upset with myself because baptisms can be such a spiritual feast when done right and the dad came who isn't a member so I felt even worse because it could have been a more effective baptism. The confirmation however went really well. I am very impressed with this girl and the example she is to her family. Currently we have baptized 387 persons this year which is amazing. Our goal is 400 and we have one more week with 15 people currently committed to be baptized this Saturday. I pray that we will reach this goal we set last year. It is a amazing how much more effective we are becoming even though we have less missionaries. Last year we baptized 267 so we have already come along way. God is pouring his spirit out over this country. So many people are prepared and waiting.

For the nasty food list this week I would have to say pig foot. The meat is gross and you can still see and feel the hair on the hoof. They also make it look worse by using big witch pots and having the hoofs surface from time to time. I have had some other soups though that have been good in this bitter weather. Its about 32 degrees but it feels so much worse because of the humidity. Well lots more has happened but I will save it for the phone call. I would appreciate leather gloves and popcorn for maybe a b day gift so maybe you can think about that. Likewise a motorcyle for a coming home gift? I think it would be perfect to get around on until I leave for school, then I ll sell it.

Well I cant wait to talk to you guys this week Feliz navidad, Bon Nadal, Merry Christmas!

Love, Elder G
P.S. The pics are from monserrat today. The one on the monument is me with an umbrella its not part of the monument.

Logan - Badalona Week 9

Thanks Ashley, The family Mcnitte, Sarah, and Mom for your letters!

Well the trip to Zaragoza went well and was effective. We had a good time and I loved getting to see more of the countryside of Spain. The big downer was the wind and cold. We are still rocking a pretty good temperature here in Badalona and I'm grateful for that. After returning from Zaragoza I did another intercambio in Barcelona. I was lucky enough to catch a lights show in Placa España. I'll send pics!

I have enjoyed doing the intercambios and have learned a lot from all the missionaries. I also feel like I can tactfully correct now. As Zone Leaders we are expected to correct and help the other missionaries, but a lot of missionaries don't take correction well. So usually you have two types of Zone Leaders: ones that don't correct because the missionaries don't like it and the ones that do but at the same time they turn the missionaries against them. I feel comfortable now talking with them and am able to help them out as they help me out.

We also taught Concillio notes this week and it went very well. I was nervous at first because the Zone is so big now and President and his wife were there, but everything went very well. We said a prayer in a different room before we started and then we were truly guided in what we said.

I met a girl from Nicaragua and she told me that if we go there the best surfing is in San Rafael de Sur. You might have to look into that.

Currently we are in Barcelona. We just did some Christmas shopping and we visited the 2nd oldest hospital in Europe, Hospital de Sant Pau. It was very impressive, it looks like hogwarts from Harry Potter. Then tonight we are singing Christmas songs in Catalan which is a different language and super fun and we will be singing on stage in some plaza.

The work is going well and we will be having a baptism this Friday.

I started filling out my application for BYU-I and its going well. I dont know when I will have time to finish it. Well that's all things are going well. I love you all !

Logan - Badalona Week 8

Thanks Grandpa for the email!

Well this week has been stressful with the renovation of out apartment and the trip to Valencia, but surprisingly it was still very effective.

Monday I traveled to Girona which is one of my favorite cities in Spain. We then traveled further North to Costa Brava to work in some beach pueblos along there. It was amazing. We ran through the narrow cobble stone streets to catch the sunset on the sea. It was amazing and I would love to go back some day. I'll send pics soon. We of course did Missionary workas well. Most of the people we visited don't come to church because of the distance and the price of traveling. We also had a Zone conference this week with Elder Kopiske from the Quorum of the Seventy. It went very well, and I learned a lot.

We always share success stories and one of the success stories was about a woman who called the missionaries and said I want to be baptized. She had live in Ibiza, an island and knew no members of the church, so when she came to Valencia to visit her Daughter Patricia (a woman I baptized while I was there) she called the missionaries and was baptized. I then actually had the chance to meet her which was amazing.

We took a trip to Valencia on Thanksgiving because we had a meeting with all the zone leaders. We got there early enough that I was able to visit all my recent converts. It was the best Thanksgiving I have ever had. I was so happy to see that they were all still strong in the Gospel. I was worried about them and had been praying for them and it was great to see them. I felt so thankful and full of gratitude. We then ate Kebap at my favorite kebap in all of Spain for the Thanksgiving feast.

In concillio, the meeting with the ZLs, we talked about reaching our goal of 400 baptisms by the end of the year. We are close: 350 as of right now. I'm excited to see if we can make it. The work is starting to open, I believe, in Spain. When you look at the numbers from lasts year you see a 30-40 % increase which is amazing. I´m grateful to be here at this time in the church's growth.

We also set another baptismal goal with a 10 yr old girl and she will be baptized the 12th of Dec. We have also been teaching two Russian women who will soon be getting baptized. The work is going well in our area and its not because of us. I feel like God is really helping us since we are trying to help the other areas. Half the week I´m not even in the area but we continue to see miracles.

Today we went to the top of the mountain Montjuic; it was incredible. I have a great time seeing the sites. I can't believe most the missionaries stay in on P-day; it's ridiculous. More good news: a woman I had been working closely with in Lorca finally got baptized. Her name is Maribelle. I baptized her Son while I was there.

Love you all have a great week!

Business: Could you please include butter microwave popcorn in the christmas package as well as a seal with a G or L on it. One you use to seal envelopes with wax like in the olden days. It may be hard to find. Oh as well some fun Physco Analysis tests like a few questions you answer and then they have certain meanings. You could just attach those to an email.

Logan - Badalona Week 7

Thanks Mom for the letter and camera card where are the pics of Cali? Thanks Jenny as well for your letter.

Well the first week of the transfer has been hectic but went by very quickly. I feel like I don't even have time to think. The last day for the missionaries that are going home everyone goes to Plaza Catalunya to sing to them or with them. That is one of the pictures.

One of the new missionaries that came into the zone got paired up with a newer missionary, and they are both very interesting characters. Well as I was getting into bed at 11:30 I get a call from them letting me know that they were in Sabadell instead of Mataró. I was shocked. The one missionary that's been living here for 5 months couldn't make it back to their house. In fact they went the complete opposite direction. I told them to come to our place because it was closer but they then got lost on the metro lines again. Finally at 1 am they called me from the metro stop that's close to our house and we left to go get them. Then the following morning the same kid manage to break our elevator which I wasn't super happy about. Carrying groceries up 9 flights of stairs is not fun. Lots of fun things happened to get the transfer going.

Good news is that we are now using the bus system up these crazy hills. Previous missionaries had said it wasn't worth it and the idea had just been passed down for a while. We investigated and now are taking the buses everywhere which makes things a lot easier. It's incredible no one has looked into it sooner.

More good news. We have been teaching a Bolivian mom and her child and in one of our lessons we talked about baptism and the mom let us know she wants to read all the BOM first. I felt down because I wanted her to get baptized before the end of the year. I was studying and thinking about her and how we kind of needed a miracle so that she would changed her mind on this. I prayed for the gift of discernment because that's what I was studying about and while I was praying I felt I was given what I needed to tell her. It was interesting because something like this has never really happened to me before. I went into the next lesson with her and I said what I was told to and then she really opened up and we were able to commit her and her daughter to get baptized in December. I'm really excited and feel blessed that God helps us so much.

We couldn't do it by ourselves and I finally am really understanding that. I felt overwhelmed last week but I rely and trust in God and things seem to work perfectly. Its funny we have to be burdened or have trials before we really rely on him.

Not to much else to say. Today we went to the highest point in Catalunya or Barcelona and its called Tibidabo. The Spaniards believe its where Satan tempted Jesus and offered him all the world and money. It was interesting and I attached a pic. I was also cursed and had a demon cast out by some crazy gypsies that live by our house. That's always a pleasure.

Things with Elder Davis are going well. He is a good worker and exactly who I need right now. Dad how is the bike shop doing? This week I will be traveling a lot. Tonight I go to Girona and then Wednesday we have a conference in Hospitalet then Thursday I ll be headed down to Valencia for concillio notes. It will be another crazy week.

Love you all have a happy Thanksgiving, Elder G

Logan- Badalona Week 6

Thanks Mom for both your letters!

So much has happened this week it has been an emotional roller coaster. I feel very exhausted and excited at the same time. Transfers happened and Elder York is leaving me to serve in the Islands. His mission is to baptize a new branch President because the current one went MIA. I´m excited for him and know he will get the job done. It has been great serving with him. I will be staying in Badalona but will now be the Zone Leader of all of Barcelona. I am super nervous about this because we combined the zones and there are a ton of people to worry about. There will be 3 Districts added, and I will be doing traveling twice a week to do cambios. One of the new ares that was added is Zaragoza which is a 4 hour bus ride away. I´m excited but nervous as well. The new zone basically entails all the North of Spain Barcelona mission. Likewise, Elder Petersen will be headed home tomorrow, and his area closed down which will mean that we will have to work that area as well. My new comp comes into Barcelona today form the Islands and his name is Elder Davis.

We have to much going on right now to slow down. More big news! We had three baptisms on Saturday and they all went very well. I baptized Vanessa, a 10 year old from Bolivia. We found her by passing by members on the list. Her parents are less active, but now the family is coming and Vanessa is a member. Also we baptised Asong and his Mother who are from Ecuador. The whole thing went very well and the spirit was felt. The zone saw 15 baptisms last transfer which is unheard of and was a great way to end the Barcelona North Zone.

We also had a chapel tour last week as a finding activity. 80 showed up from other churches. They did a tour of our church and we did one of theirs. We had Catholics and Muslims and other denominations. It went very well. During the tour the Catholic priest asked me in front of 50 people where I received my authority to do what I was doing. He asked me what school I had gone to and for how long I had studied. The scriptures have become a part of me and when people are talking doctrine with me scripture references are shuffling through my mind until the correct one is found. As response to his question I said we believe that a man must be called of God as was Aaron. In Hebrews it teaches us this. I said, "I have studied the scriptures and a modern day Prophet has given me the authority to teach and baptize." I think he was surprised at my answer and didn't respond. It went very well and I felt the spirit.

We found some new people to teach as well. Also I set a baptismal goal with a lady form Russia on Sunday. She is golden and I´m excited to watch her progress. She really understands and I get to use the little bit of Romanian language because the gospel words are the same.

Sunday night we also had a Noche De Hogar with the Ward members and after there was like a tribute thing to the missionaries. I was extremely grateful to hear them tell us thanks. Many times it feels like they are unappreciative and don't realized what we go through. The ward here is amazing though, and they all took turns thanking us and telling us how we have become like their family. This one girl whose family we have been working with said, "Once you get here my sister and I were the only active ones in the family and currently my parents and my brothers and sisters are coming thanks to your visits and commitments." It was great to hear and feel their gratitude.

Well not too much more going on. I´m now in a two man piso which will be weird but fine. I'll be traveling most of the week anyways. Dad I can't believe your thinking about Seattle that's crazy, and Jessica I don't want Brenna that far away but I guess whatever's right.

Love you all have a great week! Love Elder G

Logan- Badalona Week 5

Thanks Audrey for the letter!

Another exciting week in Spain has quickly passed by. Today we enjoyed a visit to Park Güell which is well known as one of Gaudi's many works. It was really pretty and I will attach some photos.

I had the oppurtunity to do intercambios a few weeks ago, and while I was in Granollers with Elder Lindsy we taught a Spanish lady that told me she didnt believe in God. I testified as boldy as I could that there is a God and that He loves us. I also asked her to prepare for baptism and to be baptized the 31st of Oct. I felt prompted to extend the invitation even though she had just told me that she didn't believe in God. She accepted the challenge and just last week I had the priviledge of doing her baptismal interview. She was baptized last week and I had a great time talking with her while doing the interview. I told her to explain to me what happened and why she now wanted to be baptized and how she now believes. She told me about the Book of Mormon and how she feels while she is reading it as well as attending church. What a great experience. You could feel that she was truly converted, and it was fun to play a small role in it.

Another miracle….I can now finally spell miracle correctly.

Likewise we were calling the mom of a younger girl we have been teaching to get permission so she can be baptized. I was worried the Mom would want to delay the baptism for whatever reasons or not give us permission. Elder York was talking on the phone and I heard Vanessa's mom say, "Well I feel like its too soon and maybe we should do it next month." When I heard this I started praying asking that God could change her mind so that Vanessa could be baptized the 14th. After I did that Elder York didnt respond to her. She asked do you understand and he said no I think the 14th would be great what do you think? and suprisingly enough the mom then agreed, it was amazing. Vanessa will be getting baptized this Saturday along with two other friends from Ecuador, a mother and her son.

More great news! Juan the older Spanish man was baptized last Saturday. I felt bad for the man because he was so nervous he about passed out in the font. He had to take his out tension before he got in the water! Everything went very well though, and I can't belive he got baptized. Just two weeks ago he told me he would get baptized but not until summer. Then some praying, planning, and fasting later and he tells us this Saturday, "I want to be baptized as soon as possible. He gave us his testimony after the baptism, and I felt the spirit strongly.

I´m thinking about doing a Nueva Comida section every week in which I´ll explain what new food I have experienced in the last week. This week it was Cow heart and lots of it. I cant say that it was that good nor that it taste like chicken as some say. I am not going to go into details on this one but we looked like vampires while eating it due to blood squirting out in every yummy bite. OK sorry about the details you can cut this out if you would like to parents.

Our zone is doing incredibly well. We have baptized more people this transfer than in any other in the history of Badalona Zone. Its great to see the changes in these people's lives and the happiness that always comes.

Buisness:¨Elder Petersen goes home next week and all he wants is one more letter from anyone but his mom. Could sombody Please write him a letter and just tell him thanks for being my friend or whatever you want to say. He is a great missionary and great example. You can send it to my address becasue we live togther just Label it Elder Petersen and send it soon like today if possible.

Love You all! Elder G.