Spain 28th Week 27 Oct-1 Nov 08

Spain 28th Week 27 Oct-1 Nov 08

Another week has come and gone, Viva la France! This past week has been extremely busy, the stake from Bordeaux, France was here at the Temple. They all came by individual cars this time and it was great to see some of our dear friends again. Our French abilities are still practically nil, but the spirit works wonders and we are able to communicate and understand what the other one wants or needs. They also brought about 45 youth for baptisms, they were on vacation from school. Thank goodness, almost half of them spoke some English, so we got along just fine.

On Monday, we had a Temple Missionary luncheon at a buffet downtown in an upper-class hotel. The food was pretty good, reasonably priced and you could eat all you wanted….most of the guys got more than their money’s worth, while the women barely scratched the surface. We also saw a part of Madrid that we had not seen before. These twin towers were really impressive and they actually do lean towards each other.

On Thursday afternoon there was an Open House for President & Sister Howard in the Temple Cafeteria (of course pictures were out of the question) and they were presented with a hard bound book with letters of appreciation from many of their friends. It was really beautiful and Sister Howard said this was her dream. They leave for home in two days (Tuesday), the new President is due to arrive on Monday afternoon.

We also had two people from the Temple Department of the Church. They were here inspecting the building inside and out, the Hostal (hotel where the patrons can stay) and the grounds. They made a few changes inside the Temple but said the basic structure, mechanical and everything else “physical” was sound and so no new major projects were scheduled this time around-they go through and check all the Temples every three years for wear and tear.

Friday we had the Sister Missionaries (Sisters Layton and Davenport) over for lunch. We had a great time and they left us with a great message and a challenge to do whatever we could to share the gospel with those with whom we come in contact with. These sisters are really enthusiastic and add a tremendous spirit to the work.

On Saturday, we went with the Lunt’s to dinner at a fast food restuarant following our shift at the Temple and then we went to the near by 'WalMart' and bought Mom her "IDOL" (space heater). We then hosted the Movie Night and shared the night with four other couples. This was followed by a discussion about our families and families in general. This was followed by the BYU at Colorado State football game. It came on about 11:20 pm so we listened to the first half and went to bed knowing that victory was a sure thing! Final score BYU 45, CSU 42.

Sunday, following our Church meetings, we had the opportunity of going downtown to the Retiro Park. We had not been there for several months and it was fun to enjoy the beauties of this area and to see all of the people there. There were a lot of people enjoying the decent weather, there were puppet shows, people rowing boats around the small lake, people visiting the Crystal Palace and much more. (notice the cat on the leash...the leash would have held a full grown tiger). The trip to and from the Park is usually on the Metro (underground) and it is always an adventure. Here we have the Lunt's and Sharon with the Metro in the background-these are two of the beautiful riders that we often see aboard the trains. We received emails from many family members this week and it was wonderful to hear about how things are going. We are looking forward to seeing the grandkids in their Halloween costumes - hopefully, they got enough candy to last them until this coming weekend? I know Paul said that he was shooting to have Hallie’s candy gone no later than Sunday afternoon (some things never change).

We want each of you to know how much we love and appreciate you; your thoughts, love and prayers. We know we are where we’re supposed to be at this time in our lives. To serve the Lord full-time is a blessing beyond explanation. We have learned so much and our testimonies have grown immensely and we know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is TRUE!
Love Mom & Dad