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Dear loved ones, 

I am doing so well!!!! How are you!? Didn´t you just love conference?? I really did. The last four days were absolutely wonderful for me. For multiple reasons. 

One of them was conference. SO great. I felt so inspired and excited to apply that counsel to my life. I was able to listen to most of the sessions in english, but because of some problems I missed the saturday afternoon session. Or at least half of it. I saw the first half but only in Spanish. And then I saw the first half of the last session in Spanish. I missed D Todd Cristofferson´s talk, and I didn´t really understand Scott and Hale´s talks because it was in Spanish and I was doing numbers at the same time, so I was on the phone with our zone and wasn´t able to really pay attention. I´ll have to wait and print them off or something. Did you know that Richard G Scott does his own Spanish translation?? It was in Spanish, but it was still his voice!! Cool huh? 

I really really enjoyed Uchtdorf´s talk. I feel like that is something that I struggle with tremendously. I am not grateful enough. That talk definitely spoke to me personally. I had so many experiences like that during this conference. I loved Bednar´s talk as well, although all of what he said can be found in his books. He is so incredible. I feel like once we come to truly understand and apply that principle ( the enabling power of the atonement ), our entire lives will changed. Our entire perspective will change. I am trying so hard right now to rely upon the atonement in that way. I also LOVED the Prophet´s talk on love. I had an interesting experience as he was speaking. For the first time in my life, I FELT that it was the Lord´s voice speaking to me, through the Prophet. It was such a strong impression. I thought to myself, out of all of the messages that the Lord would give to His people right now through the mouth of His Prophet, the Lord chose  LOVE. For some reason I just found that so interesting. Apparently that is something that the world in general is struggling with. It makes sense though. We are all so focused on so many other things. So many other good things. Missionary work, callings, spiritual growth, etc etc. But all of those things we do BECAUSE of our love. Love truly is the greatest commandment. And if we do love God like we should, we fulfill of our responsibilites gladly because we love our brothers and sisters. Missionary work is a labor of love. And as missionaries, we often forget that. It can almost become a routine job. We do all of the things so robotically. I have felt myself do it before! I go into a lesson and just robotically deliver the message and then leave. Just going through the motions. It also can become like a business. We just work so hard to have success because of baptisms and numbers but often forget the real purpose. I was doing a lot of self reflection during that talk. How much of what I do is done because I love the Lord and I really love these people that I am teaching? Sometimes it´s hard to love them. Most everyone hates us and wants nothing to do with us. And when we can get people to let us in, they don´t really want to accept what we have to say. But I need to love them. It was just a really great conference. They really just get better and better. 

And then we went to concilio on monday and tuesday. SOO great. There are 8 zone leaders and 2 SHEs in this part of the mission. And then two of the zone leader companionships have cars, so we were allowed to drive down in cars. 5 and 5. I went with Elders Skousen, Olsen, Flores, and my man Elder Bastian. It was a five hour drive there and I seriously loved it. Bastian just got to Alicante and he´s with Skousen. Both of them are just so amazing. And then there is Elder Olsen. Such a stud. It was so good for me to be with them. A lot of the older companions that I have had (either ZLs or exZLs) have been super negative about the mission leadership and about the work in general. They gave me a really bad mindset when it comes to being a zone leader. Hahaha. I was so mistaken in so many ways. Being with these guys was so refreshing. They work so hard and are just SO obedient. Especially Elder Olsen. He´s just inspiring. The positive attitudes that they have about the work and the mission in general was so so good for me to be around. It was like seeing a whole different side of the work. I don´t think I can explain it very well, but just know that the Lord blessed me a great deal this weekend. At concilio we talked a lot about the importance of studies and then teaching. We learned a lot about that. I am an ok teacher, but I still do so many thing wrong. I have tried to be like Elder Christiansen throughout my whole mission. Elder Christiansen from the PMG videos. I think he´s an incredible teacher, and I try to teach like him. Slow, simple, clear, and he pauses and THINKS before he speaks. And he focuses on the people. He trys to have them talk more than him. That is a good teacher. And in concilio President Deere talked a lot about that kind of teaching. It was just really good. And Hermana Deere made cafe rio salads which was incredible as well. Then the next morning we got up and gave our reports and then talked about the problems in the mission. It was very constructive. At the end of that concilio, I felt like we were completey unified. Usually it feels like it´s just a competition between zones. Who can baptize the most. SO SO not how it should be. But that´s how missionaries make it sometimes. But President has changed out like all of the zone leaders within the last 2 or 3 transfers, and this new council is a lot different (from what I hear). I think our mission is going to see some serious miracles this year. We are going up for sure. 

It has been weird without Elder Love. Tudela and I get along :) But, as I predicted, it has taken a lot of patience on my part. And his too probably. I am getting good at holding my tongue and just taking a deep breath, and letting it go. I am lucky to be with Elder Tudela. I keep trying to put myself in his shoes and it helps. We aren´t perfect, but we get along quite well considering our personalities. 

Quincey is such a stud. Seriously I love the fact that he was so attentive during conference. 

I am sad that my letter didn´t get there safely. I had sent one of my badges in there with it to give to Clayton. The guy at the post office assured me that it would arrive safely. I will have to order another badge I suppose. I am still praying for him, and for all of you.

Our investigators are doing well. M should be about finished with her job, so we are praying that she might reappear. And then V and I are just amazing as well. We went to their house (yes, they have an actual house out in the country outside of Elche- it´s glorious) and watched conference with them. They are awesome. We just need to get them married!! We still haven´t been able to get M  and her four daughters to church. As they live in Elda, those things are difficult. But we are hoping that soon they will come. We have this other lady called H that came to watch conference. We´ll see how that all works out. She has 11 dogs in her apartment that live with her. Yeah. No comment. And then guess what!! A and M came to a session of conference!!! M didn´t seem like she liked it at all, but I am just happy that A was there!!! He is an inactive that used to be young men president and everything. He´s like thirty. He bothers me so much when I teach him. He says that he doesn´t come because he´s trying to get his girlfriend to come. Basically just trying to save her soul but in the process is losing his own. I can´t stand that mentality. We should never marry or even DATE anyone that would drag us down. But he is considering it. It´s frustrating to me. But I love him to death and it´s the first time he´s been back to church in like six months. 

I am really loving it here. It´s been an awesome week. I have learned so much these past few days and I am so excited to just get to work. I loved that talk about the olympic athletes and the four minutes. If I am not mistaken, it was given by the presiding bishop...? Can´t remember. I really enjoyed that. The plan of salvation is such a gem. I thought about it in terms of a mission too. My four minutes of a mission is VERY quickly coming to an end. I have less than two minutes left. I seriously can´t believe it´s going by so quickly. The hermanas that got here with me have about 3 transfers left. THREE!!! So weird. Hermana Deere talked about that this concilio. About not giving up and making the last 10 months of your mission the best part. And I know that it will be the best part of my mission. 

I am so happy for Spencer about those people that are getting baptized!! What awesome converts! That is so wonderful. I wish I knew something about his mission. I don´t hear anything about it. I send him my email every week. I don´t know if he reads it, but at least he has something. I am just saying, this system may work out well for you guys and him, but I would really like to know what is going on in my brother´s life. I hope Brigham is practicing his keyboard ablilities so that ALL of us can actually get some info on his mission. 

Well I love all of you so much. I hope you are feeling close to the Savior and that you rely on Him in times of trials and difficulties, as well as in times of comfort and prosperity!! I have such a strong testimony of Him and the power of the Atonement. It is REAL. I have felt it and I know that it can lift us beyond our own capacities. 

Have the best week ever!!! 

Elder Sharp

PS- I spoke with V while we were at concilio. Hna. Anderson let me use her phone (she´s the SHE in Jerez). He just got his patriarchal blessing and is doing so well. I miss him a lot. He hasn´t missed one day of church since that first sunday he came with Elder Pardo and I. What a flipping miracle! And P and everyone else in Jerez are doing super well too. J and S and all of them. And E in Almeria is passing the sacrament and going to church by himself. This really is such an amazing work.