¡Feliz Navidad!...casi (Merry Christmas!...almost)

I gotta say that this has been one of the fastest weeks ever. And it's also been one of the most emotionally trying haha. But don't get me wrong, I've loved being out here. This week started out pretty dang bad. We weren't having a whole lot of success and everything with contacts, and it was really frustrating. We also had a ton of citas (appointments) fall through. So we had to just pass by other people that we had as references or people to contact. But then there were just some days that were awesome. We had some citas that were amazing and you could feel that Hand of the Lord working on the people. When we had some of our lowest points, that's when we'd have one or two great experiences. The Lord blesses us with just enough to keep us going. And it's working haha.

Living in NY I thought that I had experienced some crazy weather, but I guess not. I swear that the weather here is bipolar. On Wednesday it was 23ºC which is around 70ºF! It was soooo warm and I was loving the weather...but then we woke up the next morning to -3ºC. Talk about quite the change. But even though it's been around -2ºC every morning, it usually gets up to 11º. So it's actually not too bad. And I still have yet to experience the realllll cold stuff haha. But I don't think I'll be experiencing that here. It rarely gets below freezing and rarely snows. But still, add the wind and its pretty cold in church clothes haha.

For those that don't know exactly what missionaries can or can't do, we sacrifice two years of our lives and go and serve the Lord wherever we are sent. I was sent to serve in Spain and I love it. One of the sacrifices we make is devoting our time and energy to the work and to the Lord, which means that we don't have distractions from girls here and cell phones, facebook, etc. So we can't hug girls or anything. It may sound kinda strange but I don't mind it. It's just something you get used to haha. But we went to one of our investigator's piso (apartment) and her friend, Adriana, was there too. And the typical greeting between two women or a man and women is a kiss on each cheek. But as a missionary, we don't do that. But...she didn't know that and she proceeded to greet us like normal haha. It was a little awkward because I wasn't able to react fast enough to say anything. But we explained afterward and she apologized a lot and everything. It was pretty funny. We just laughed afterwards.

This past week, along with the emotional rollercoaster, was our English Fast. And for those that know what fasting is, this is the same thing. Instead of abstaining from food, we didn't speak English for the entire week. It was kinda hard at first because I wasn't used to speaking only Spanish for the entire week. I'd done it for a day at a time but never for this long. But, surprisingly, it became a lot easier. By the end of the week I was thinking in Spanish and speaking fairly easily. Obviously there are still a lot of words and phrases I don't know but I'm amazed at how quickly I learned.

This morning was the first time we could speak English and I kinda forgot so I was still speaking in Spanish to my companion haha. And then we realized that we could switch. But today I've still been going back and forth just because it's a habit now. And now I even form sentences in English based on the Spanish grammar haha. This morning I said something like, "The food's hot, no?" instead of saying, "The food's hot right?" haha. I guess it's a good thing though because it means that the language is becoming part of my daily thinking.

With Christmas just about two weeks away we've been listening to lots of Christmas music haha. I'm lucky that I actually have a companion who enjoys listening to it like me. And we get along well so I can't complain. But it's weird because here in Spain, Christmas isn't that huge. Yes, people still give presents and acknowledge the birth of Christ. But the lights, and the trees, and the Christmas spirit in general is kinda lacking. It's kinda sad to be honest. So we make up for it in our piso. Tomorrow we have a Christmas Conference with our entire Zone and that should be pretty awesome.

There's a quote that Elder Gerber, my companion, said that I want to share. He said, "The time on a mission is kinda weird. A year seems like a month, a month seems like a week, a week seems like a day, and a day seems like a year." And it is so true. I haven't been out in the field for a month yet so I can't quite say that yet haha. But the weeks just go by so fast. I can't believe that another one has already come and gone. But there are definitely some days that just seem like they don't want to end. That's why he said they feel like a year sometimes. But it's all in the attitude.

I guess I'll finish with a scripture I found studying this week. It's Luke 12:34. For some reason it just popped out to me. So there's your spiritual enlightenment for the week haha.

Love and miss you all!

I'm here!!!

After nine fun weeks I am finally in the field! My first area is Pamplona! For those of you who don't know where that is, I'll just let you use a map. And an interesting and really cool thing about Pamplona is that this is the place where they have the infamous Running of the Bulls every July! Unfortunately, we can't go to that but it's still cool knowing I'm in the city where that takes place.

My trainer's name is Elder Gerber. He's been out about a year and a half now so he's well-seasoned and knows the language really well, thank goodness. It's kinda funny though that I'm paired with him because we have a lot in common haha. It's actually a little creepy. We're both from NY, we're both the oldest child in our family, we both shared a car with one or both parents and it was the same car, we both have slightly Asian eyes haha, and we were both at the same multi-stake activity a few years ago but didn't know each other at the time. I think I'm forgetting something but oh well. We have quite a bit in common and we get along really well.

We've had quite a few lessons and it's been really fun going around and teaching people. And what's even better is that I've been able to understand and participate in every single one. I've actually gotten compliments from some people about how well I can speak haha. But I know I still have a longggg ways to go.

This past Sunday we had lunch at the Echarri Family's house. They have three kids at home but I think they might have more that have already been married and moved out. Their kids come with us when we teach a lot which is great. After that meal at their house I was so full. But it felt soooo good. I hadn't been full since I arrived in the field. I only went shopping for the things that would carry me until today so I didn't buy like anything. And then today is a holiday so all the stores are closed. Just my luck. But we're gonna stop by tomorrow so we don't die of hunger. I'll survive though.

I did survive the snow that we got my first day here so if I can survive that I think I'll be fine. The first morning here we got up and looked out the window and there was about 3" of snow outside and it was still coming down hard. It was sweeeet. And by the time we went out for our District Meeting there was another two or three inches. It was awesome. But it was really cold and the snow was everywhere. The cold only lasted for a few days along with the snow and now there's no snow and it's now 13 degrees (in celcius) which is way good haha. But I'm used to the cold since we have it forever back home.

This morning we woke up and I was like, wow I feel great! And Elder Gerber said the same thing and then we looked at the clock and it said 8:30! We totally overslept somehow and apparently the alarm didn't set right haha. But luckily it's P-Day and we don't have things with investigators in the mornings. We're supposed to get up at 7:30 in our mission so we got another hour of sleep. So let's just say we feel awesome today haha.

At night we have to be back to our piso, or apartment, by 10:00 and then be in bed by 11:30. People are up so late here and it's so weird. We taught one lesson at 9:30 the other night and we're gonna be doing it the rest of the week. I'll get used to the schedule though soon enough. The only thing that kills me is we have to wait to eat dinner until we get home for the night. We eat lunch from 2:00 until about 3:00ish and then dinner after 10:00. I'm probably gonna actually lose weight out here cuz of how far between the meals are, how little we can eat since we have to make all our food now, and we walk everywhere. But that's definitely not a bad thing haha.

I think that's about it for now. Or at least that's all I can remember. Miss you all! Keep them letters comin! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well here it is. In less than one week I will be out in the mission field putting to use the things that I've been practicing for the past nine weeks. Yes I'm crazy nervous haha but I'm so excited and looking forward to getting out and actually doing the work that I've been sent to do. I know that I still have a long ways to go before I'm even close to being able to talk fluently in Spanish and to teach the best I can but I feel like I have been prepared well.

I guess I should also say Happy Thanksgiving!!! It's so weird to think that everyone back home will be eating nice, big, juicy turkeys or whatever you eat along with pie, potatoes, rolls, and everything. I gotta say I'm a little jealous haha. But we get to have our own little Thanksgiving meal today too which is pretty nice. We're apparently having turkeys, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pies, etc. So it won't be too bad. I just wanna sorta fly back home for a day and have Thanksgiving there haha. And it's kinda nice that it's on P-Day too.

This past week was pretty crazy. So much happened and I hope I remember it all. I had to write down some of the more important stuff so I don't forget. I guess I'll start with last Sunday. Last Sunday we were having study time and our District Leader, Elder Thompson, came in and told me I was giving a talk on Modern Day Prophets. So I stopped reading in the scriptures and started preparing my talk. I originally was just gonna go off the top of my head and bear testimony but for some reason I felt like I should write it out. It was the easiest I have ever had to write or think in Spanish. The words and the sentence construction just flowed and I felt like I was totally immersed in the language which was so cool. And then when I gave it, I didn't speak like an American. I'm sure I had a slight accent and that some of my Spanish was wrong once in a while, but overall I was able to speak fluently and easily. I can only contribute this ease to our Father in Heaven. It was an amazing experience and I'm sure there are many more to come.

This past week I also got both my suits dry cleaned finally! I've been waiting to get them done until right before I left because they'll be clean for when I leave on Tuesday and I saved money these past nine weeks haha. So that was pretty fun. It cost €11 for two pants and the jacket which is a lot cheaper than I thought. But still, it's money and I probably won't get them cleaned again until after New Year's haha.

E. Thompson, Keeler, and I also had to go somewhere to do some more visa stuff. Apparently missionaries that need this done don't get it until they're already in the field but ours came early somehow. We had to take the metro for 45 minutes which was a pain and then we went to this big, yellow building which apparently is for visa junk, and then we had to wait in line for another 30 minutes. And the guy that was taking us there and helping us was 30 minutes late picking us up. So overall, it was a pretty boring experience and I felt like I wasted lots of time. And all we had to do was get our fingerprints taken. We left at 1:45 and didn't get back until 5:30. I could”ve been studying or something! haha. But whatever. It was a necessary waste of time.

After we got back we decided to go to the gym to see if the other missionaries were there because we returned during our exercise time. We got there just in time to see Elder Raiano spike the volleyball in Hna. Nalbandyan´s face. We just stood there and had no idea what to do. It's kinda funny for all of us now that we look back on it. But at the time we were just thinking, "She's gonna kill you Elder." haha. Luckily she didn't though. But yeah I can't really join in the sports anymore which stinks because of my hernia. Hopefully you all know about that by now haha. If not...I have a hernia. So whenever we play soccer or basketball, I just play goalie or just shoot around on the outside during basketball. But still, I hate not being able to play for real. But whatever. My health is more important right now.

This past week, Elder Keeler and I set a few goals, like usual. And one of them was about the language. We decided to only speak Spanish from after breakfast, 8:00, until our gym time, 5:00. It was pretty hard at first but it's been getting a lot easier. I still don't know some words but I can communicate with all the Spaniards here. The problem is when I get out on the streets haha. They speak way faster and they mumble their words a lot more. Most of the other missionaries here are from South America and they speak a lot clearer so it's easier to understand them. But I'll get used to it eventually.

I'm still loving the food here. We have a lot of sea food which is pretty cool. The crawfish and clams and stuff I still haven't gotten up the courage to try haha but the fish and shrimp is fine. Tastes really good too. But...I miss good 'ol home cookin once in a while haha. Once in a while I crave the taste of "American" food, whatever that is. But I haven't gone without a meal yet so I guess I'm doing pretty good. I think my favorite sweet right now is churros and chocolate. That stuff is soooo good. Apparently it's really big here, especially in the winter. They give you a cup of hot chocolate. Not the hot chocolate that we're used to though. It's thicker, creamier, and richer and sooo much better haha. And then you dip the churros in the chocolate and eat it. It's so good. I took a picture of it so if you wanna see it, just ask my Mom. I'm pretty sure I'll be having lots more of that before I go home.

The mission is going great. I've never been happier in my life. Yes the days are long sometimes and I feel like dropping dead from being tired, but it's all worth it. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now and that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Thanks for all the support, love, prayers, and letters! I miss you all but I know that I'll see you before you know it.

Elder Mathews

Two to go!

Only two weeks left until I'm out in the field! It's crazy how fast this time has gone by. I remember when I first walked into the Provo MTC and thought that nine weeks was forever. And now I only have two more to go. But I'm really excited to get out and start the work. I won't say I'm fully prepared but I'm ready I think... at least I hope.

This past week we got about 15 more missionaries. It feels so weird to have this many new missionaries here because it's a lot louder now and busier. But it's really good because I speak Spanish a whole lot more now. The other day after Elder Keeler and I got done with a practice lesson with our teacher Hna. Gutiérrez, she told us that we speak really good Spanish. We thought she was just saying that haha but she said it was true. She said that we'll probably be training our trainers. Me and Elder Keeler looked at each other and we were both thinking, "Nooooo" haha. If I'm going to be the one teaching my trainer Spanish then we are doomed. Because there are sooo many words that I don't even know and then it's a lot harder to understand natives when they talk normal speed. But I'm getting better now that the Spaniards are here in the MTC.

We played soccer with them last Friday or so and we played the Europeans vs. the Americans and let me just say that the game where the US beat Spain a year or so ago was a prophecy haha. Just as Spain got destroyed in that game, we destroyed them here haha. It was sweet. Luckily most of them like soccer so most play. But I gotta say that we're in way better shape haha. So they were all gasping for air after a while.

For our service this past week we got to put up Christmas Lights!!! I was so excited when I heard we were doing that. We got to put them up in the trees and it was a lot of fun. And we were singing Christmas songs, in English, while we were doing it. But unfortunately they don't turn them on until the day after we leave :( So I won't even get to see them on. But it was fun putting them up. And it's weird to think that Christmas is so close!

I don't really pay attention to the holidays that are coming up because it's not like I can do anything to celebrate. Thanksgiving is apparently next Thursday and I didn't even know that. But President told us that they have turkey and pies and everything! I'm so excited that we get to do something a little special for it even if we can't play football, watch some games, relax, etc haha. But it's still a lot of fun to do something a little different.

Without fail, every November I get sick. And this November was no different. I got sick again this past Monday and it was killer. I was fine all day until right before dinner and then I just felt awful. I was achy and tired and cold and just wanted to sleep. I went to bed a little early and then just slept for a while longer the next day and then went to classes and stuff. I thought I was fine during the day but then after dinner I felt the same and I went to bed at 7:30 and then didn't wake up until 10:30 the next day! I didn't know I slept that long haha but it felt soooo good and now I'm doing a lot better. I still feel a little sick but I'm doing fine now.

A few days ago we woke up and there was some really thick fog outside. It was way cool looking too. Our teacher said that they don't usually get fog here so it was crazy to see it when it was as thick as it was. And it was that way for two days. And yes I did take a picture so hopefully mom posts them somewhere when I send them home haha.

Oh and I finished the Book of Mormon!! I made it my goal during my second week in Provo to read the Book of Mormon, front to back, before I was done in the MTC and I did it! It took me only about six weeks which is crazy. It's amazing to see how much you learn from it when you read it like this. And I only read a few chapters a day because that's all the time we had but I guess it was enough to finish in less that six or seven weeks haha. Time for the New Testament!

Last P-Day was a holiday here in Spain so we went to downtown Madrid and got to see what was going on. Apparently they were honoring the Virgin Mary. And every city in Spain has their own Virgin that watches over and protects the city. Every year they have a day where they "worship" her and give flowers and stuff. Kinda weird but it was cool to takes pictures and to see the cathedral and the Palace of Spain. The Palace is pretty cool. But the King and Queen don't live in it. It's just for special guests and special events now. But we got to see it and take pictures. I wish we could have gone inside. Maybe on another P-Day.

I hope all is well with everyone! Love and miss you all! And I think about you often! :)

Elder Mathews

Numero Tres

Well week three in the Madrid MTC came and went really fast. I still can't believe how quick everything is going by. At this rate I should be back home by next month :) haha. But this week there was lots of fun, awesome, crazy stuff that happened. So I guess I'll start rattling them off.

The first one is we got to play some sweeeeet soccer with some other Spanish kids we didn't know. We were just at the court (yes, a court made of cement) playing around a little, and four or five other people asked if they could play and of course we said yes. They had some crazy foot skills, but they didn't pass or shoot any better than we did to be honest. And it didn't help them that they smoked haha. They came up to us with cigarettes in hand. So let's just say they were really out of shape. As the game went on we were just running around them and they had to sit out every five minutes or so to catch their breath haha. Thank goodness for the Word of Wisdom. When we were leaving, one of them tried to sell some drugs to Elder Schuerch. It was probably the funniest thing ever because it caught him way off guard and he acted all awkward about it haha. We kinda teased him about it for a while and we still do every now and then.

I guess another crazy thing is something culture related between the US and France/a lot of Europe. We were talking at lunch or something the other day and we got on the topic of dating and stuff like that cuz Elder Harel has a girlfriend and is actually engaged haha. But I guess it's a French thing. But apparently they don't ask people on dates. If they do it's because they really like the person and they want to see about marriage. So they don't just call up a girl or knock on their door and ask them to dinner or whatever. It was sooo weird. And they all thought we Americans were weird cuz we went on dates all the time haha. I guess it sort of explains why people seem to get married a lot later here in Europe. But it's still funny when they hear about our "weird" dating habits haha they act all funny and look at us like we're so strange.

This past Sunday was our little duet piece. It actually sounded really good. We recorded it on a camera during practices and it sounded good then, but during church it sounded even better. I wish I could send a recording or something but I don't have one to send. I guess I'll just have to perform when I get home :).

Oh! and the freakiest thing ever happened on Friday, I think it was. Maybe not. I can't remember. But Elder Keeler, my comp, took a pill that he has for acne or whatever, and he went out to do something before bed and I was just sitting in our room writing in my journal when Elder Thompson comes in and says, "Your comp is dying Elder." I didn't believe him at first cuz he jokes around a lot, but I came out anyway and he was actually kinda telling the truth haha. Apparently the pill exploded in Elder Keeler's throat and all the powder inside had shot out his nose and all in his throat, and he couldn't breath for a while cuz of all the powder; and then he said it just started burning his throat like it was on fire and water didn't help so we had to run up and get president. It was kinda scary because it wouldn't go away and then his nose plugged up and all that. So sister Earl and another lady had to try to flush out the stuff from his nose with warm salt water. I'm not gonna go into details, but let's just say it wasn't very pretty or anything haha. It grossed me out. But yeah that was that experience haha. Made my journal entry a lot better that's for sure. I think that's about it for the "cool" stuff this week.

It's starting to get kinda cold now and it's raining more than it used to which means winter is coming. It's still not anywhere near what it's like back home haha but it's still kinda cold. Surprisingly I still weigh only 181 haha. We all weighed ourselves last night when the French missionaries were packing so I gotta say I'm doing pretty good somehow. But it's only been about 6ish weeks haha. So I still got a ways to go. But another way to think about the time is I only have 22 more fast Sunday's! haha Sounds a lot less time when you put it that way. And fast Sunday always comes up too fast so before you know it I'll be back in action and back home acting all awkward haha...but hopefully not.

Spanish is going really well like usual again. I accidentally talked in my sleep apparently and was speaking in Spanish lol which is really funny, but it's a really good sign that I'm kinda starting to think and act more in Spanish. I just can't wait for the day when I don't even have to think about the words before I say them.

The new missionaries come tomorrow so that'll be really exciting. Four are from the US, but I don't know any of them, unfortunately. But it'll be good when they're all here because we're going to start speaking wayyy more Spanish when they arrive, which is really good practice because I still speak a little too much English. We actually started, as a District, to have two days a week where we don't speak any English. We call them "English Fasts" haha, and it's kinda hard because there's so much you wanna say but you gotta do it in Spanish. But it's the only way to learn. I guess I'll finish this huge email so you don't get too bored reading this. So I'll end with my favorite scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 25:26. This is our purpose in life :)

Miss you all!