¡Por Fin! ¡Agua Caliente!

As the title states, we finally have hot water!!! You have no idea how great it is to take a hot shower now, and to have heating in our piso. At night before bed, I can finally sit and write in my jounal in shorts and a t-shirt instead of sweats, a jacket, and a hat. But there are still some pretty big holes in the walls. I have no idea when they're gonna fix it either. But I'm just soooo happy that we got hot water and heat again. So, there's that little update.

This past week was awesome. We had Zone Conference in Bilbao which was amazing. I learned so much from that and motivated myself to work even harder if I could. I loved this conference. And at every conference we get food, usually pizza. And they had enough pizzas for every missionary to have their own whole pizza. So of course I grabbed my own. That was the first time I've had pizza in months and it was sooo good. After Zone Conference we normally would have hopped on a bus and headed back to Pamplona but I found out that I had to go back to Madrid! I traveled with another Elder, Elder Thompson, because we had to pick up our Residency Card. It was the longest train ride ever. We didn't get to take the bullet train so it took five hours to get from Bilbao to Madrid. We just sat there, ate some food that we brought, read scriptures or church magazines, and talked. But we finally got there around 2:00 on Wednesday and went back to the MTC. I'll admit that I was pretty excited to see people there again. So we got there and apparently they weren't expecting us, haha. We got there and they were all surprised and asked what we were doing there. But it was great to see our teachers again and the President and his wife. We only got to be there for a total of about an hour since we had to travel to get our stuff and then catch our train back that night but it was still nice to see them all. I got back to Pamplona and went back to work and we had a great week.

There was a pretty funny experience, yet again this past week on the street. We were contacting this one woman and then our phone rang. So my companion told me to answer it since it was one of the office secretaries and so I walked a few feet away and all they wanted was my Residency card number. After I hung up this girl came up behind me and asked if we were Mormons. I said yes....why? haha. By then my companion had finished the contact and came over and we started talking to her and one of her friends. She said that she had lived in Utah, in Layton actually, for a summer with a Mormon family for a study thing. And apparently she lived not even ten minutes away from Elder Southwick's home. It was pretty sweet. But the funny part happened when the rest of her friends came out of the little store that we were by. They couldn't pronounce his name so he said that they could say "Elder Sandwich" if it was easier. And then this one girl said, "¿Eres rico?" which means, "Do you taste good?" hahaha it was so funny because of the context. It was a little awkward but it was funny just because he said his name was Elder Sandwich. But that's that funny story.

We had to go shopping late this week for food because we had Zone Conference and everything so we went this past Thursday and we got everything and we were about to check out when I realized I forgot my wallet! So we had to put our stuff down behind the register and go alll the way back to our piso, grab my wallet, and come back. I felt pretty stupid right then. And to make it worse, when we got back the line was hugeeee. So we ended up waiting another 15 minutes or so. I just hope I never forget that again.

My companion is sitting right next to me filling out his BYU application. Before his mission he went to a college in Iowa and he said that he had a pretty neat experience and decided to go to BYU because that's where he felt he needed to go. So he's been asking me for all this help with his essays and everything. It's been kinda funny to see him freak out about it all. We've revised his essays and everything and so he's gonna submit his stuff today. I might even be with him still when he finds out if he got in or not. I just think it's funny to see him going through this whole process right now.

The work is still going amazing out here. We've found so many people that have been prepared for this gospel. So many miracles happen everyday. We found this one woman on the street with her little girl and she was a member! She said she's been trying to call the church and find out when we met on Sundays but no one ever answered. Her husband isn't a member and they came to church yesterday and we're teaching him now. They're a great family and it was a neat little miracle that we found her.

Thanks for the prayers and support from back home. I miss you all and love you lots.

¡¡¡Hace frio!!!

Hola! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their nice warm showers. Ours is still broken. Which means we've been without hot water and heating for about three weeks now. Crazy I know. The repairman finally came this past Thursday. We thought it was only going to take about two days to fix. But when the guy came and looked at it, he said that it would take more like five. So we've been stuck in our piso every morning and afternoon while he works away at it all. He's put a few holes in our walls and had to take out some things so our piso looks all ghetto. One of the holes is from inside to the outside. So there's just this big, gaping hole letting lots of cold air in. At night we stuff a blanket in there to keep as much cold air out. But it's still so cold. It's around 11ºC in our piso at any given time. So we sit in one of the bedrooms and close the doors and keep the heater on all the time. And taking a bath is the worst because you have to get out and then walk through the freezing cold piso. But it's ok. I'm still alive and I don't have frost bite or anything.

Tomorrow I'll be able to have my first hot shower in three weeks! We have Zone Conference tomorrow in Bilbao and we're staying the night at another piso of the Elders so we can get there on time. I cannot wait for that hot shower. I've never looked forward to one more in my life. But we'll be all set soon enough in ours.

This past week has been the coldest I've felt here. It's been around 0ºC which isn't terribly cold. But its been way windy every single day. So the cold just bites through you and when you walk around in it, it's not too fun. I gotta say that I absolutely love my scarf right now. Never used one before my mission but it has become my best friend.

On Thursday, my companion and I were standing outside of the chapel talking about something when a man came up and said something in English! Usually that's pretty sweet but this was far from it. It was way creepy and just plain scary. But also funny now that I look back on it. Here in Spain it's typical for girls to give each other a kiss on each cheek when they greet each other and for guys to do it to girls. But guys never do it to other guys. But this guy came up to us and said something that I couldn't even understand and then he went in to kiss us!!!! Not just on the cheeks, but on the lips!! He went for my companion first but he just stuck his hand out and shook his hand instead. I thought the guy got the point and would just shake my hand. But then he went for me!!! I had to put my hand on his chest and actually push him away. It was soooo weird and creepy. We just said, umm we gotta go now. And then the guy went as far as to ask, yet again to me, for just one beso (kiss). And I just said no goodbye haha. It was soooo weird. But it definitely made for a really good journal entry. But that's the end of that crazy story. Hopefully it doesn't happen again.

The mission is still as amazing as ever. It's amazing at how many little things just make the mission memorable like running to catch buses, buying chuches (candy) at the stores, walking for 25 minutes trying to find a piso that doesn't exist haha. The mission is great. I've been trying to get better at taking pictures so that you can all see, hopefully, what it's like here in Spain. I absolutely love it here. I wish that I could take you all here and just show you around. But for now, pictures will have to do.

Thanks for the letters and support. I miss you all and I'll see you before you know it. Keep me updated on life back home!

Week One of Transfer Two

Like I said, I got a new companion after only being out for one transfer in the field. I was kinda nervous because I wasn't sure if I was ready to show my new companion around Pamplona and everything. But this week was great. Elder Southwick, my new companion, is from Utah. He played soccer at Iowa Western before his mission which is pretty dang sweet since I love soccer too haha. So we might be playing a little bit pretty soon. He was the previous Assistant to the President so he's got a ton of inside info haha. But he's great. He works hard and knows how to teach. I love being with him and I've already learned much from him. We've had some pretty awesome visits with our investigators and I love working with him. We've gotten along pretty well so far and I think we'll continue to for the rest of the time we're here together.

Well, we've been without hot water for about two weeks now haha. Our water heater broke, which heats not only water but also our piso. So we don't have hot water or heat in our piso. It, honestly, really stinks. For showers, we heat up two pots of water and have to use a measuring cup to pour water on us haha. But then when we get out of the shower its sooo cold since we don't have heating. So we gave in and bought a heater haha. It works wonders right now. Before we go to bed we put the heater in our bedroom and close the doors so it's nice and warm when we go to bed. But then getting up and walking out of the bedroom is soooo cold. But thus is life in the mission haha. I'm just glad that it's not like -20º outside. That would just be miserable. We have no idea when our heater is going to be fixed either. But whatever.

The past few days there's been some way thick fog in the mornings. It looks really cool when you look out the window and everything but it makes it feel and look colder outside. The mornings have been way cold but by 11:00 it's already up to like 16ºC. So I've only been using just my suit jacket. It's pretty nice. Not too hot and not too cold :).

The other day we had this one visit and we got dropped off by a member. But the street was across the river and up a hill and we were already late. So we had to run across the bridge, up a long staircase, and down the entire street. So after running in a full suit with my bag, we discovered that the piso didn't even exist! I have to admit I was kinda mad haha. But we sorta just laughed it off and said oh well. It happens a lot. But hey, I got some exercise in for the day :).

Transfers earlier this week were hectic. We had to travel to Zaragoza so Elder Gerber could catch his train to Barcelona. We spent the night on Monday and then Tuesday was sorta like P-Day. We went to this hugeeee mall that they had there. It's bigger than any mall I've seen in the US. It was sweet. But we had to catch a shuttle bus back to the piso in Zaragoza so Elder Gerber could grab his bags before his train at 4:55 and we almost missed it. We had to run across the highway to the other side of the mall to catch the shuttle bus that only comes every 30 minutes. If we missed that bus, he would have missed his train. So we ran and got separated from the other Elders and got on the bus and they didn't make it. We had no idea where we were going so we had to call another missionary in the area and ask where to go and stuff. It was crazy. But we made it in time for his train and I finally got to sit and rest while I waited for my train back to Pamplona. What a day. Hopefully I don't have to do that too much in the future haha.

Yesterday in church I had a sweet experience. We had an investigator from Nigeria come for the first time and he doesn't really understand Spanish too well. So Elder Southwick had to translate for him. But then during one of the classes, Elder Southwick got pulled out of the class for a few minutes! So I was just like, what do I do! I'm not good enough to translate yet! But I decided to try it out until he came back. And it was honestly a sweeeeet experience. I didn't understand everything that was said but I was able to translate most of what was said for him. It was so cool. I did it for about 10 minutes until my companion came back. It was good practice for the future because I'm sure I'll do it more than once haha. Hopefully I'll get better at it...

Thanks for all you guys do back home. I love hearing from you and I love sharing these experiences with you. I miss you all and think about you often. Just know that missionary work is part of God's plan for us here. The things that happen every day are amazing. Yes, there are some frustrating times and sometimes discouraging ones. But when you focus on the good things that come from everything, it is totally worth it. I've never been happier in my life and I can't believe the time is going by this fast. It needs to slow down! haha.

Love and miss you all!!

Continuation from yesterday

It's crazy to think that I've already been out for one transfer (six weeks)! This time went by soooo much faster than I could have imagined. I remember when I first met Elder Gerber and how I was all excited and nervous and antsy to finally be in the mission with my trainer. But now that's all over. And he's being transferred! We totally thought that he'd be staying with me for at least another transfer because many times the trainers stay with their new missionaries for two transfers at least. But I guess not for me. He's been transferred to Barcelona and I'm staying in Pamplona. I really like Pamplona and it's been a great first area. But we were both sad when we heard the news that he was leaving. The former AP, Elder Southwick, is my new companion. I head back to Pamplona with him later tonight and we start working as soon as we get there. He seems like a great missionary and I'm excited to work with him. But I'm just a little nervous because I have to show him around all the time now and update him on all of our bajillion new investigators that we just found recently. But I'll survive haha.

This past week was awesome. My last email I said we had a great week too. But this week was even better. We found 10 new investigators! I can't believe how much of a growth and interest in our message we have seen. We've just been doing our part and working a little harder and we've been blessed a ton. So now it's up to me and Elder Southwick to pick up where Elder Gerber and I left off. So here we go!

This past week we also celebrated Día de los Reyes, which is kinda like Christmas here...but not really haha. It's another holiday where they celebrate the coming of the Three Kings to visit baby Jesus. They give gifts just like the Three Kings, or Wisemen, and it's pretty cool. We got to eat Rascón de Reyes which is a cake type dessert and it's pretty dang good. We celebrated it with the Elders from Logroño and the Hermanas in Pamplona.

I also went on exchanges to Logroño this week too which was pretty interesting and I definitely learned a whole lot. I was put with Elder Thompson in Logroño. He and I were in the MTC together so we are both very new. He doesn't speak a lot of Spanish so we basically relied on my knowledge and ability to speak and understand which is still not that amazing haha. But I surprised myself and understood almost everything everyone said to me. Yes some would say that was cruel punishment to stick two greenies, new missionaries, together on an exchange. But we both learned how to work with what we know and how to work hard. I really enjoyed this exchange.

Oh! and for those of you that know that I'm part Filipino, I gotta share this one story haha. We were on the bus yesterday traveling back to our piso. We sat in front of these two guys who were about 24ish or so. We were listening to their conversation because it definitely wasn't Spanish. But we heard some Spanish words in there. Elder Gerber said they looked Japanese or something and as I listened more, I realized that I've heard that language before! It was Tagalog which is the language that my mom speaks! haha. So I gotta say that I'm pretty proud that I was able to recognize the language just because I've heard my mom speak it. We turned around and started talking to them so we'll see what happens with them in the future. Maybe we'll be able to teach them.

The work is amazing like always here in Spain. Many people will probably say that it's really hard to find people that will listen but, to be honest, they're wrong. Just because Spain is a very Catholic country, doesn't mean there aren't thousands of people that want to listen. We find sooo many people everyday that actually want to meet with us. So when people say that Spain and Europe in general are really hard, they're sorta right but at the same time not really haha. All around the world people are just waiting for the missionaries. So all you back home, open your mouths! You never know who has been prepared. There's a scripture in 1 John 4:18-21 that I really like. It talks about love and fear. If we are afraid to share what we know, we haven't developed the type of love that Christ has for all of us. So the way we can develop that is by sharing. Yes, it may seem hard and a little scary. But with time and a little practice, you'll find that it's very rewarding and that God will bless you in so many other ways. I love you all. I know that this work is what I'm supposed to do.

Thanks for all the love and support you give me. Until next week!

One transfer down, fifteen to go!

Well I gotta say that this transfer was the fastest six weeks ever! I can't believe that I'm already on my second transfer. But along with the start of this next transfer, comes a new companion. Yep, Elder Gerber is leaving already. We both honestly thought that he was going to stay in Pamplona for at least one more transfer. But we got the call that he was leaving for Barcelona. I gotta say that I'm a bit nervous because I'm going to be the one showing my new companion, Elder Southwick who was the previous AP, assistant to the President. So this will be interesting. Usually new missionaries stay with their trainer at least for two transfers...but I guess not me haha. But I guess this is how it's supposed to be.

This week I also went on another exchange with another missionary in Logroño. And the funny thing is our companions put us with new missionaries haha. So I went with another missionary, Elder Thompson, who has also been out as long as me. He doesn't speak a ton of Spanish either so we were kinda nervous. But it was actually pretty good. We didn't have any appointments set up at all which was kinda hard so we just did contacts and passed by old investigators for a day and a half. Overall, it was a good learning experience. It taught us both how to work more independently and make do with the little experience we have.

This past week has been great. We've been doing contacts still whenever we can on the streets and we found ten new investigators! It's amazing what happens with the work when you just do the little things. A lot of missionaries hate doing contacts, but I gotta say, they work. This morning we made up this saying: "Contacts are easy, contacts are fun, the gospel is meant for everyone!" haha I'm definitely gonna keep up the contacting.

I gotta get goin though since we have to head out and get ready. I might be able to send another short update tomorrow but we'll see. If not, until next week!

Love and miss you all! Thanks for the love and support :)