October 22

So, let’s start about the week we have had. Last preparation day was nuts, and then we had a night of work, and then planning session, and then another exchange until Saturday with Elder Dorner and Elder Porter the Valdapeñas elders. They come up and stay with us because of the crazy travel, and we can do more work and less travel that way. It all went. I went to the Branch President’s house in Miguelturra, just right outside of Ciudad Real with Elder Porter. It was the first of our pueblos I have been to. All of La Mancha is covered with pueblos and there are only 8 elders in 4 cities. Each of us has a bunch of pueblos, but we have too much to do in Ciudad Real itself, so I haven’t ever made it out of the city. But it was a great cita they gave us Pringles, which was something I hadn’t had in a long time. The Branch President is Presidente Sanz. He is a Spaniard. He has a wife and 3 little girls Adriana, Nirella and Laura (8,5, and 4 respectively). They are a great family, and we had a great lesson on the Christ like attribute of faith. We shared scriptures and drew pictures of seeds that can grow like our faith into trees. It was a good chapter that we all know and love. Alma 32 is the spiritual thought for the week because of that lesson.
So anyway we also made some great meals while those elders were in town. We made taco soup, and potato cheese soup with bacon. They were both way good and then on Sunday, Elder Haynie and I ate at Ana’s house. We had breaded pork chops and tuna salad and pesto which is like salsa, and then for desert we had natillas, which is like the best vanilla pudding ever, but more runny than normal and they put cinnamon on it and cookies on top. At Nieve´s house on Monday, we had fried fish and chips and salad and then brownie pudding and natillas. Basically we ate a lot this week.
This transfer we have had 5 total exchanges spanning over 7 or 8 days with half days in there. So it was kind of crazy for Elder Haynie in his first transfer. But we only have two more with Elder Ogden and Elder Hinton from Alcazar.
We taught Olinda and her family this week, without the dad though. But Francisco was there, a referral from a member, so that made it 6 in the lesson. It was the 3rd lesson in that household, but the other two have been incomplete combinations of the kids and mother. This time it was everyone. It felt great teaching a family all around us about the Book of Mormon. We also taught Ana Maria and she couldn’t come to church because of her crazy Alzheimer’s woman she takes care of. We teach her twice a week, but it has just been an absolute battle with church, same with Dora and her Alzheimer’s woman. So Dora’s and Ana Maria’s baptisms should both work out, but for later in November. Patrick is still on board for the 15th. He got to talk to Nieves about her conversion and baptism and things like that. It went great. Also, he came to church on Sunday. We are going to keep teaching him 3 times a week to prepare him for baptism, but the big hurdle is still the girlfriend living in the same piso. So pray for all to go well with the marriage, break up, or move out. Obviously, the marriage is the best option, but one of the 3 has to happen for Patrick to be baptized.
Zone Conference went awesome yesterday and we stayed with the one and only legendary red headed rapping super bajito Elder Ott and his piso mates in Barrio 6, right next to the temple. That made it convenient to get to the temple this morning for a wonderful session. The temple is amazing, and I love to go there and learn in the University of the Lord. Elder Ott and I were able to catch up a little last night, and it was truly grand. I have missed him, and it sounds like he misses “the stain” (La Mancha). Elder Haynie and I took foam camping pads that we had in our piso up to Barrio 6 because they don’t have any couches or spare beds. We slept well, and the mats roll up kind of small, and then we tie them with a jump rope and my other belt... sweet.
We are headed to the Prado today and maybe to see the Rembrandt special that is there right now. We are going with Elder Dubray and Elder Read and I am super excited about that, but the Prado will be a cultural experience that I will be able to say I had.
This week we have District Conference in Ciudad Real, which should be great. There will be the whole district and then also Cuenca as well. So there will be 10 elders, and then the investigators and recent converts of each area will be there for a sweet meeting with Elder Ford of the 70 and President Farnsworth. It should be so great. Elder Haynie taught these two investigators this last week on exchanges, and they came to church. They are a couple who is expecting a baby in a month and they are friends of the members because they used to come a lot. It should be great to teach them, Teo and Stefani, and hopefully now is their time, since it wasn’t last time the elders were teaching them.
Also last night, working in Barrio 6, right next to the temple, we had a great night. We went to a little grocery store to buy some lunch after Zone Conference, and while we were leaving, we met a man that is a refugee from Kenya named Prince Bright. No, you didn’t read that name wrong, he is Prince Bright, wow Africa. We took him over to the temple and had a temple tour with the hermanas there. It went great. He was saying he needs to get baptized and he really felt something different on temple grounds. So we get to send over a pretty amazing investigator to Elder Jensen because he lives in Parla.

Love you all.

Love, Elder Miller