It snowed!

From: Morgan Miller (elder.miller@myldsmail.net)

Thanks for the emails this week! I got one from Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Bishop Olson and Dotty.
As far as the snow on Friday, it was crazy and it snowed about 4 times in the last week. It has been way cold, so anytime precipitation has come down, it has been in the form of snow or sleet. Tak and Rei have baptismal dates for February 7th or 14th, and have read the whole “True to the Faith” books that mom sent, and they are nearing the end of the Book of Mormon. I am happy that the “Gospel Principles” books arrived. They are going to be way happy to have new material to read when they come. Thanks Mom! They will probably be baptized by then, how awesome!
Well, thanks for the updates. I will give you some as well, since you didn’t get any last week, really. So far this transfer I have been on exchanges with Elder Sederberg from Orem who is one of the assistants to the president. I have been with him before while I was with Elder Ott, but I learned a ton. Also, I went with Elder Jarman my roommate from the Provo MTC. That was up in Valladolid, which was awesome to go back to. That’s where we had district meeting while I was in Segovia. Also, I have been on exchanges with Elder Weinert who was an assistant to the president, and he lives with us and is our District Leader. I learn so much from him daily, and it is great to have him around. I went with Elder Meline from Denmark in Barrio 1, which is the other ward that meets in our building. They start at 10 and we start at 12 until 3. So Sundays are a little long. I definitely prefer earlier meetings.
Our capilla is a basement floor building of a huge apartment building. It is on Calle Pablo Iglesias number 22, and right in front is a huge driving range, running track, futbol fields, and a golf chipping course. Our piso is pretty small, but Elder Weinert is in the process of searching for a new one. Each pair of companions has a study room, and then we all sleep in the same room with two bunk beds. Our clothes drying racks are in there as well. The kitchen is small, and the bathroom we all share has 2 sinks, luckily. Then we have a smallish common room.
Continuing with exchanges, I also went with Elder Hunt from Timpanogas High School and Elder Ford from Bountiful High School last night. Tonight, I am going with Elder Stearns, Elder Sewell’s companion. They are staying with us because there is Zone Conference tomorrow and it takes 3 hours by train from Salamanca where they serve. So we have been busy with exchanges, which are really important to help missionaries learn grow, set goals, make good habits, and improve as missionaries. Also, about the snow, it made it so President Farnsworth couldn’t leave the mission home because they closed the highway. So we had to cancel the interviews on Friday, but the Castilla district from the north still came, so we presented our presentation to them and the assistants as well. Zone Conference is tomorrow and then make up interviews are on Friday. We will be all done with the piso checks, exchanges, and conferences. Next week we can just work, work, work.
The work is going well, and there have been some good people the Lord has put in our path. We are teaching some people who are coming to church and progressing and some who aren’t. Dora and Quirico are in- laws. Quirico married Dora’s sister Karina, and the 3 of them all live together. Also in that household, we teach a man named Christian, but he just comes for lessons. They are all Dominicans. Dora and Quirico have baptismal dates for February, and they are reading the scriptures and praying. Dora received her answer. We are trying to help Quirico as well. Dora and Quirico came to the Joseph Smith movie and were both in tears when it was over. Also, that day was the snow day, and it was awesome to see the temple with snow.
We have 2 sweet Spaniard investigators right now, Juan Antonio and Emilio (a member of opus de, I think that’s how you spell it but it is the super Catholics basically). They are both doing well. Eva is an awesome investigator who came to church on Sunday, and lives with 2 recent converts, Bernardo and Lorenza. All 3 are from Paraguay. Eva loves learning about the gospel, and we hope her boyfriend will come around. Augustin is doing great. He has been to church 3 times now, to a fireside with his family 2 weeks ago, and to the Ward Christmas party. We have taught them a couple of times, but they are super busy during the week. He and his wife Gisela, and there son Augustin (7) loved church on Sunday. They came for the first time as a family. It was great. The Peruvian members just loved them, and there was some great fellowshipping. Another family is still coming along with the father not being a member. His name is Felipe. We are trying to help him to gain a testimony of this church that he already knows all about. Manuel Robledo and Ascensio have kind of put themselves on the back burners again. They are working more and not having as much time. Manuel went back up to smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day instead of the 1 he was smoking. Oliver, Aurelio and Justo are kind of holding off their own progression for different doctrinal reasons. We have our hands full, but I love to be busy, and so it’s great.
This last week, Andres, who we ate Christmas dinner with, fed us pig ear and pig tail and pig fat soup, yummy. The ear was way hard to get down with the hair and skin and cartilage. And the fat in the soup was just gross, with the skin on it still. The tail had bones all down the middle and had red meat. I saved 2 tail bones for a souvenir. If you want to try some delicious soup just add a pig ear or 2 and a tail or two.
Much love from Spain.
Love, Elder Miller