7 Months

Hey, what´s up in your life?

I am doing great! My mom will probably have to do some editing on this letter cause I am emailing from a keyboard with a sticky backspace and A key and E key, so it is a real chore to try and punch down those buttons at all. My pinky is getting tired already and I just started.

First off, we went to the Leadership Worldwide Broadcast. I think I scrambled those words up, but we went to it in Madrid. All of the missionaries traveled to the nearest viewing location. Funny thing is that it really talked a lot about marriage and families, so for the most part I will save the notes I took for a year and a half.

Also, the whole mission watched the funeral of Gordon B. Hinckley from a locutorios on the internet or through satellite broadcasts. It was an amazing hour and 40 minutes of spiritual enrichment.

Right now we are in barrio 3, where Elder Ott lives. We are staying with them tonight for our zone conference tomorrow, here in Madrid, and we are working in their area tonight. Also, we had a zone preperation day at the mission home with tennis, soccer, ping pong, and Mexican haystacks made by our Mission President’s wife - delicious, and she made some delicious carrot cake that was to die for. It was a fun day, but we had to get up and hurry to get ready, and then catch a bus to the bus station. Then we caught a bus to Madrid from Segovia, and then we took the metro taking 2 different lines to Plaza de Castilla. This is where those two leaning towers are. Anyway, we got there and took another bus to the mission home in San Sebastian or Alcobendas. We spent the day there, and then bused back to the plaza, and then 2 more metro lines to be here. Now we are emailing and go out to proselyte for the night when preparation day ends at 6:30. What a tiring day!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone- random thought! My family made me valentines and they are all over our kitchen door. Thanks!

Last Saturday, the one with Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral, we had an appointment after the funeral. It was kind of far away from the piso in Segovia, and we had to take a bus home to the other side of town. We were fasting as it was fast Sunday that week. We went to this cita or appointment and they brought out a bowl of oranges and Coke and some Bulgarian pastels. We were fasting and so I just told my companion to take an orange and peel it as slow as possible. We only had about 25 minutes until the bus, so we peeled those oranges as slow as possible and accumulated a pile of peelings, or rather a mountain of peelings. It took us 15 minutes to peel the oranges, perfect. We had almost stalled the entire time. To continue, I took one slice and put it in my coat pocket. Then we had to go so I was like “oh sorry we have to run and snag a bus right now”. They were like “here take these pastels and we will see you later”. Perfect! We had the pastels the next day after we had broken our fast. It was an awesome escape if you ask me.

Also that fast Sunday, Kenneth bore his testimony, how awesome. He was super scared though, and kind of shaky and crying. There were only 9 of us in the audience and 3 were his family members. I don’t know what he would do in front of a ward of 200 members... also Kenneth can pray in English now, and does it on a regular basis; he is so smart and learning so fast. Last Wed. night we taught them some English and the gospel, and we were teaching the 10 commandments. We had taught thou shall not kill, right. So we were done with the lesson and about to go, Kenneth by the way closed the lesson with a prayer in English. There was a cockroach on the floor, and Clayton kind of freaked out. He was like “ah, what should I do?” Then he was going to kill it. I just shouted “no matarás” right before he was going to hit it, which means don’t kill us. We all thought it was pretty funny and were laughing for a good 5 minutes. Then I had to explain how that commandment applies to people, not bugs. We made Kenneth and Clayton chapas or nametags with Elder Guzman on them, there last name. They like them a lot, and they wear these little blue suits with zip on ties, so they can now wear there nametags. It was a cool family night - every member a missionary lesson.

We saw a huge protest, but actually it wasn’t very huge just loud. They had sirens going off and chanting and whistles. Super annoying! Their signs said stuff like justice, and equal wages, and stuff like that.

I taught the lesson in the Joseph Smith manual this week, lesson 3. That is an amazing manual. I wish I could read it daily, but I would encourage you all to take the time to prepare for your classes on Sunday by reading the lessons. The ones I read to prepare for the lessons have been top notch.

Anyway, I am doing great, and making some awesome memories out here. I get to stay with Elder Ott tonight, so the hour we spend before bed should be some fun conversation and the travel tomorrow too. I am really excited for zone conference tomorrow. It should be great as usual. That’s just another first I get to have with Elder Peterson. Thanks Becky for the email, and Grandma for the package!

Much love from Spain!

Elder Miller