March 25th, 2019
The Return of Elder Sal Angel Galvan
I remember when I was in the MTC of Spain during late July 2014, an influential man gave me advice that was repeated through almost every MTC teacher or worker present. He told me that when it comes to teaching about repentance, we are recommended to never bring up our past sins. Our past sins are to be kept in the past and with ourselves during a moment of teaching about it to someone investigating the church. Ever since then I have always thought about that principle and have tried to do my best by following it.
It was sometime during May 2015; I received a phone call from the zone leader missionaries in my zone that I was changing to my third area. I had 7 transfers under my belt, excluding the transfer spent in the Spain MTC and for the first time in my life I was leaving Madrid and to Galicia. I knew nothing about Galicia or the little city, Ourense. However, I learned a lot about myself as a person and as a missionary for the following 3 transfer that I spent in the area. I believe it lasted from May 2015 to September 2015.
To help people understand all of the areas where I served my mission, I served in Leganes and Carabanchel which are in Madrid, later I went to Ourense, Galicia, then Tenerife, Canary Islands and lastly Valladolid, Castile and Leon. I had a total of 5 areas, and I spent a good amount of time in each area. Out of all of the 5 areas where I served my mission, I had 1 transfer where I did not keep the mission rules and was disobedient against the white handbook. That area was Ourense, Galicia.
When I stepped foot in Spain for the year of 2019, one of my goals was to finish off visiting areas in my mission that I have not been able to visit since I ended my mission on July 12th, 2016. So, on Friday, March 22nd, 2019 I had train tickets ready to take me back to Ourense, Galicia. It had been nearly 4 years since I step foot on that part of Spain. It is crazy to think about it. After I left work, I get a call from my former ward mission leader who is currently now branch president of the Ourense branch. He sounded so excited to talk with me and let me know that he needed to leave town on Sunday, March 24thto take care of visa stuff in Madrid. He emphasized that him and his family wanted to see me on Saturday at the church activity. He also invited me to speak at church as an invited guest. I accepted the invitation and then hung up.
To summarize the weekend spent in Galicia, it was an amazing weekend that I spent on my mission. The hospitality was provided by a married couple that I knew from that area back when I served there. I stayed at their home and they took care of me. I am surprised with their loyalty and friendship we have had since I left the area and moved on to other things. It wasn’t the first time reuniting with them, I did see them in Madrid during December 2017 when they were visiting the temple. I arrived in Ourense on Friday, was picked up and had a big talk with the couple. I spoke of very personal things related to my mission and a piece of what I spoke about at church on Sunday. Even after the confession of the little fall out I had in the area for that one transfer, they never knew about the other side of the story I told them about. I will not go into detail of what happened or what I did. I want it clear that this is something I shared about with my next companion after I left the area and it resulted with me coming forward to speak with my mission president about it. Everything was resolved and I still continued on my mission wisely and finished hard, also, I did learn a big lesson about obedience for the rest of my life because that incident in Ourense taught me a lot and was a big factor of how I was able to finish hard and successful.
So, on Saturday I spent a day with the couple in Vigo which is a coastal city near Ourense. It is probably 1 hour away by car and 2 hours away by bus. It was an area where we met as a district and an area that I did exchanges with missionaries, baptismal interviews with investigators of the church and just a good vibe. Later that day I went back with the couple to the church activity. I met with probably the whole branch that knew me and it was great to reconnect. At night, I saw a Spike Lee joint called Black Klansmen. And, that was my Saturday.
On Sunday, I was the second church speaker. I spoke after a missionary serving in the branch. When it was my turn, I recognized specific members that who were connected with other members in my next 2 areas on the mission. The Canary Islands and Valladolid. After that, I let the branch know that I wanted to speak about obedience. As cliché as it sounds, I did not take the typical route of how most people talk about it. I shared with the branch that Ourense is the only area in my mission where I failed to keep the missionary rules stated in the white handbook. I asked them to forgive me because I have felt and been haunted by that incident since I left the area. I have tried to do everything I can to make up for it and be a better man. But I felt that I needed to go back to that area and apologize publicly to everyone. I feel like something or someone fell through because I failed to my part in that area. I no longer beat myself over it since I have some to my own personal acceptance and believing in repentance. One thing I told the branch is that “I am a man who shows his face to fix any mistakes made because I am not a coward.” For the rest of that day, no one was mad or upset with me, they found my speech spiritual and told me that I have always been a great Elder for loving the branch around me more than anything else. They always found me positive and happy with an eternal smile on my face. The mission mistakes made in that area did not change their mind about me. Some told me that in life when we fall and make mistakes, the important part is how we get up and move forward. They said that I am a great example of someone who learns from his mistakes and move forward in a positive direction.
I didn’t take as many pictures as I thought I would during this trip. It was great. I felt great and feel like I don’t have a knot in my stomach. Even though I reconciled on my mission and moved forward in a successful way, I think it was good to let the members know and what I have learned from it. It was a good lesson about obedience and something I can share about with other young people or others looking to understand that concept in the church.
Other than that, I had a spiritual experience in Galicia, Spain once again.
