Thursday, August 23, 2007

hey everybody hows things around home?

this week has been awesome. i hope it is the same for you at home. i wanted to give a little more about the ccm here in madrid. probably the best feature is that there is a hostel on the 3rd floor (which is really the 4th floor but they do there floor numbering different here). anyways,members from all over spain travel to the temple to come and attend sessions or do baptisms. they need a place to stay and so they stay in the hostel. at nights from around 8-9:30 we practice in the sala grande (just the meeting room for the mtc, the name is a lot cooler than the place).these members who have traveled from across spain come to let us teach them during this time. it is an awesome experience teaching members rather than the same missionaries day in and day out. visas here in spain only last for 90 days, so as missionaries we have to apply for residency. this is along an complicated process that takes immigrants 7 months to complete. we do everything in 4 hours or less as missionaries. its not what you know,its definitly who you know. our mtc president has connections that hook us up big time. but we still had quite the adventure applying. we drove in a van, a very european van, to the police station. we drove through some awesome freeway tunnels for about 15 miles. when we came out of the tunnel right on the side of the road was the Real Madrid stadium. it is massive!anyways, that was cool to see, once we got to the place the secretary had to parallel park a van.... not an easy task, but he did and we were on our way we thought. we walked in the police station with a police escort, past the line. we got up stairs and they weren't ready for us because they just got back from vacation. so we went back to the ccm, but not before checking out the egyptian temple that was across the street. it was carried stone by stone up to madrid for some reason or another. it was a neat little field trip. the next day we had to repeat the same steps, only instead of being turned away at destination 1 we were successful and signed some papers, and dotted some i´s after crossing some t´s. it was another drive to another police station. this was more of a headquarters place.this time we parked around the back of the building after sweet talking the police, actually they just know they are supposed to let us in. so at this place we cut in front of at least 500 people in line waiting just to get into another line inside the complex. once they waited in the line inside the complex it was another line of around 100 people. we walked past all of these people (i felt really bad for cutting in line), and then we went into a building to a line of about 10 people. this was the final line, and the only one we had to wait in. it took about 30 minutes, and then we were back to the ccm after a 45 minute drive. it was an interesting experience. i just wanted everyone to know that i have begun my ironing career, and for the 2 times that i have had to iron it has gone pretty well. also i learned the Windsor tie knot, and i highly suggest it to anyone who struggles with small knots as i have been.

the park on saturday was a struggle. i was with elder brinkerhoff from spanish fork ( he was the 5A mvp a year ago as he lead his team to the championship as star pitcher). just a little back ground info. we had a rough time as almost everyone denied us the privelege of teaching. we werent able to place but one folleto, and teach 3 lessons. you cant enjoy the good without the bad though.

on sundays here we have district meeting and then priesthood and then sacrament and then lunch. all in a row, and then we are done by 1. it is an awesome schedule as apposed to provo mtc church. they would scatter the three meetings however they wanted throughout the day, and then you just studied in the gaps. here we just have a nice planned day, and a 4 hour block of study. i much prefer it here. that is crazy about grandmas nose! tell her sorry from me. choir is ok, but the best part is that they make us learn to lead the music. i didnt like it at first but it will be a good talent to have. i am already disapointed that i didnt ever stick to piano lessons, but i cant do anything about it now. sunday after the singing i was talking with some of the elders and an elder bradshaw came up and was talking with me. he is one of my second cousins from beaver, utah. this is a crazy small world. the french elders left, and the bilbao elders left, and it was very quite. we recieved more elders the next day from spain and from the provo mtc. i am having a great time as you can see. and i enjoy hearing from lots of you. i am doing my best to answer emails and letters. till next week the church is true and god loves you.

love,
elder miller

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