Spain 36th Week 22-28 Dec 08

Spain 36th Week 22-28 Dec 2008

Joy to the World….Let Earth Receive Her King! Merry Christmas to all of our dear family and friends. Wow, what a wonderful day we had in Madrid-the temperature was a balmy 65 degrees and the sun shone brightly. As we contacted our family in Salt Lake City we read in the Deseret News where snow was causing all sorts of power outages and roads had been closed due to blowing snow. When we read this, we immediately emailed our kids and told them not to risk travel and that we could talk at a different time. To our joy, it was not as bad as the paper had described it and we made contact with all of our kids and families. Those from West Jordan had the most difficult time, but were careful and arrived safely.

This definitely was a different Christmas time for us, as we really missed being with our family and friends. Separation really made the heart grow fonder and we look forward to being all together next year. We received some wonderful, thoughtful gifts from our family; a digital photo frame (with pictures already loaded of the family), a warm, soft robe, the DVD of “The Forgotten Carols,” a box of Fernwood Mints, a magnificent 2009 Calendar filled with beautiful pictures of the family at different times throughout the year, and stockings full of fun things. The DVD was meaningful as we had been going to The Forgotten Carols production with our kids for the last several years and when we watched it we felt as if we were really there-linked together and singing “We can be together, forever.“ We really enjoyed watching the grandchildren open their gifts from Spain; the boys all received Bulls, the girls Fans, and the little girls a Stuffed Animal. The parents got another Christmas decoration “Feliz Navidad.” The magic to see and communicate from 6,000 miles away is amazing. We heard from each family that they had a wonderful Christmas in their own homes and, of course, the kids were anxious to get back and start playing with the toys Santa had left for them.

Our many thanks to the Pearson, Randall and Shaw families for their contributions to the “Christmas Fund.” Each year we make a contribution and give the money to a different family member to give to someone in need during this time of the year. This year it was our opportunity to be the recipients and we spoke with our Bishop in the Madrid 6th Ward and he humbly accepted the funds and with tears in his eyes said that he knew just where to use this money and that it would be a great blessing to some members of his ward. Thanks to each of you for sharing your fiscal blessings with those in need. We know that everyone could use those funds, but what a joy it is to give.

On Monday we went to El Escorial to look at their city decorations, we had heard that they were magnificent and we didn’t want to miss them. What we found was really quite interesting, there were figurines throughout much of the city in clusters. The personages were paper mache and dressed in the clothing of the timeframe. The were animals, oxen, chickens, elephants, horses, camels and much, much more. As you can see by this picture, the elephant was really huge. It was different than we expected, we would imagine that most of the figurines and setting pieces had been used for many years. The manger was a special setting and we waited our turn to be able to get our group to sit for a picture. We all came away with a really good feeling. Later in the evening we ate at a restaurant and had some Spanish food which was pretty good.

On Tuesday we had the Thomas’s (Gordon & Catherine) and Sister Nancy Lafertt over for dinner. We had an enjoyable evening and learned a little bit more about each of them. The Thomas’s are from Provo, Utah-this is their fourth mission and they speak almost perfect Spanish. They were both professors at BYU and have each published books. They have been Mission Presidents in Argentina and most recently were serving in the Canary Islands (part of the Malaga Mission). Their experience there had not been the best (served for 18 months then extended for six months to serve in the Temple) as he was a counselor in the Malaga Mission Presidency and was sent their to prepare the district to become a stake. The only thing, the members did not want that to happen? He ran into roadblocks every time he turned around and finally they had to give up and they started working in the branches to strengthen them. Maybe in time they will grab hold and run with the ball? Sister Lafertt is originally from Chile, she didn’t know the church there and was a pretty successful jewelry store owner/operator until the political scene change several years ago. She lost her business and her plan was to come to Spain for a short period then on to Australia where she had family. She had her marriage annulled (had three children) and came on her own to Spain. Within about one month she heard a knock at her door and it was the missionaries, she and her three children all accepted the invitation and were baptized in 1979. She has remained in Spain and moved to an area where many of our Temple Workers live. In the first years of the Temple in Spain, many of the people that were called to work in the Temple moved closer for ease of commuting to complete their assignments (most had been used to traveling to the Swiss Temple). She is a stalwart and really loves serving in the House of the Lord.

Wednesday was Christmas Eve and we ran a few errands and then dined with the Lunt’s and Bradshaw’s. We ate shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp and played games.

The next morning (Christmas Day) the Temple Missionaries had a Brunch and there was plenty of good food. Most of the native missionaries had gone home for Christmas to be with their familiesso those of us that were left had a great time and enjoyed the wonderful food.

The attendance at the Temple was more than we had expected during the week and many wonderful experiences were created. The young couple (Vinas) from southern Spain (Cadiz) were there everyday, we had them for dinner the Sunday before Christmas and then went with them for Chinese Food on Friday after our shift. There was also a busload of saints from Bilbao come in on Friday and there were Baptisms galore with all of the young people. It is so neat to feel and see the love that the people have in their eyes and heart for Temple work. It’s hard to explain, but it is real and one can really learn from watching their Temple Worship-this includes the young people.

Saturday we had the movie night and showed “The Forgotten Carols” and everyone loved it, there were some that had never seen the play and others that had seen it years ago. There were tears freely flowing throughout the entire night and we all reflected upon the loved ones that we are separated from. The good thing is we have a family here, the love within this group in magical and we could call upon anyone at any time to assist us with anything (stand as a witness at all times, in all places and at all times). We love our Missionary family and look forward to only strengthening our relationships over the next few months.

Today, the best day of the week, Sunday! We had the opportunity of speaking again at the Missionary Training Center. This is a new group of Elders and Sisters, it is really peculiar-there are more Sisters (10) than Elders (5) at this time. The spirit was really strong and due to the small number we had more time than normal to fill up. We found out that there is one Sister here that is actually a miracle child. We were told that as a youngster she was sitting on the kitchen counter and fell off hitting the floor with a gut wrenching thud. She was in a comma for two weeks, she awoke and was fitted with a neck brace to start rehabilitation on her neck. Within a couple of days she went back into a coma and the doctors took the neck brace off. She again woke up. This was perplexing to the doctors, but through x-rays and other tests discovered that she was born with a defect in the vertebrae of her neck and without performing surgery this would have eventually taken her life while she was still young. They repaired the vertebrae and over the next few months she regained some of her strength and mobility. To this day she still limps a little, with complications on her left side, but is as energetic as anyone we have seen. While we were eating lunch with the missionaries following the meeting we heard in the background a sound that sounded like a big old cuckoo bird (imagine that sound) and it was this Sister laughing-that is her laugh. How refreshing to hear! For her to have the courage, faith, and desire to come on a mission, knowing that she is not perfect and, perhaps at some time, subject to ridicule. She is one of our heroes.

As we look to the closure of another year we are reminded of the many wonderful blessings that we have been blessed with….most of those probably undeserved! We are healthy, wealthy in spiritual terms and gaining wisdom each and everyday. Our family is alive and well, we have grown stronger and closer through some financial adversity this year, but we believe are better for it. We have learned to put our trust in the arm of the Lord and not in man. We are the two most blessed parents in the world to have eight beautiful, loving children and ten of the greatest grandchildren in the world. We know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is TRUE, God lives and knows each and everyone of us. Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, we have a living Prophet on the earth today. May the Lord bless each of us as we truly count our many blessings, naming them one by one…..and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Love Mom & Dad (Nana & Papa)

Spain 35th Week 15-21 Dec 08

Spain 35th Week 15-21 Dec 2008

We had a fun, but busy week. On Monday we went on a tour to see the different nativity scenes. Here they call them Belen’s which stands for Bethlehem. The first one we saw was in the city’s Postal building. It was the biggest one we saw (The figurines are all about 6"-8" tall, each stone of the city wall, cave, etc is so detailed it's unbelieveable!) This first one covered a space of about 40' x 40', it must have take a month or more to set up.

I can’t believe the detail and how beautiful they are. There were also school children singing when we were there. It reminded us of our grand kids and the dance recitals and school programs we have been able to go to.

The second place we went was in a Cathedral. I t was similar to the first one but not quite as big.

As we walked in there was a Priest sitting in a confession booth with the window open. He was reading scripture. After we had looked at the Belen we walked back to leave. I looked over at the Priest again and he hadn’t moved a muscle so I thought he was a mannequin. I was walking over to get a closer look and thought I might touch him, when somebody sneezed and he looked up. So glad I didn’t try to touch him!

We then went to another Cathedral which they say has one of the very first Belen in Spain.

It was much simpler and came from Equador. Right above the scene were some nuns sitting in a room. They also looked like mannequins to. We kept watching and finally one of them blinked so we were fooled again. Needless to say there are a lot of stiff people in these places. We were told that this was also a place where the nuns lived. They would bake cookies every day and sell them for their livelyhood. When the cookies were ready at certain times the public could go in and put a Euro in a slot and then the table would spin around and allow you to take a cookie. We wanted to do that but the cookies were not being sold when we were there.

The guide told us of a custom in Spain where when a couple gets married they buy figurines of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.

As their family grows they add more figures to their manger scene. When the children are old enough they are given some money from parents or grandparents at Christmas time to pick out one figure. She said that it was customary that when you had the wisemen you would place them further away at first, and move them daily towards the manger. Also it was a custom to let the child who had been the best behaved on Christmas eve to put the baby Jesus in the manger. We went to the Plaza Mayor and saw a lot of manger pieces and figurines for sale. They had booths all over the square with Christmas items for sale. We thought this tradition was a neat one. Later that night we went around Madrid to see some of the Christmas lights, we were shocked to find out that all of the lights are turned off at 10:00pm but these are a few of our favorites:

That day we took around our Christmas gifts to all the other Missionaries at the Temple. We gave them the toilet paper wreath with the saying, The house is decorated with such festive thrill, to celebrate the season of joy and good will. What better place to have a wreath than on the door that spells relief! We also gave them a bar of Tom’s fudge which has become very popular here! That evening for home evening the Missionaries caroled on the temple grounds

over by the manger scene. We did have some people who stopped to listen and watch. It was a very cold evening and we were happy to go back inside the hostal and have churros and Hot chocolate.

Last night we were invited to go to the MTC to watch the film “Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration.” We have seen it about four times before but some of the people had never seen it. It was so good to see it again and to remember what a wonderful valiant prophet he is. The MTC President also showed us another short feature called “Only a Stonecutter,” if you ever get the chance to see this it is wonderful. It tells the story of a convert, immigrant from England who is called to be a stonecutter on the Salt Lake Temple. He walks from Alpine, Utah to the Temple site (22 miles each way) every Monday morning then back home on Friday night. He does this for twenty years (he never sees the completion of the Temple before he dies), but he is the one who chiseled the words on the east side of the Temple “House of the Lord, etc.” An interesting and inspiring point is that he had an accident while milking the family cow and they had to amputate his leg. He made a homemade wooden leg and over the next few weeks grew accustomed to using it and for the last 10 years of his walking to SLC he did this on the wooden leg. We had light refreshments afterwards. It was a great evening.

Today we had a young couple (Jose Luis & Eva Maria Vinas) come for dinner (holding their gift of fudge).

This is the second time we have seen them since we have been here. They are staying for three weeks. They are really special to us and have a great love for temple work. They look so young as you can see in the picture. We will probably do something more with them before they leave.

Tonight there is a Christmas program by the stake choir. This choir has been practicing since the middle of October and many of the members have been traveling for at least one hour each way every Sunday evening. There were about 75 strong voices along with others who played piano and instrumental numbers-it was the first time we had seen a drum and guitar used in the chapel. It was the best performance that we have seen or heard from a local choir ever! They were electrifying, we were sitting on the front two rows (Missionaries) and you could actually feel their voices beating on your body. This will long be remembered and they are going to do it again on the 11th of January-we will be there again. They also had the Temple Missionaries sing a number, it was nice, but no where near the quality of this fantastic choir. They say some

people stay after church which ends at 1:00pm to save seats…it doesn’t start until 7:oopm!

We are so excited to be able to see you all on the web cam on Christmas. We hope you will feel us close even though we can’t be there. We are so grateful for the Savior, for his birth, his life and his sacrifice for everyone. What a beautiful and perfect plan the plan of salvation is. How grateful we are to be members of his true church and to be able to receive guidance through a living Prophet. We pray daily that you will feel our Father’s spirit in your homes. We love you all and hope that this Christmas will be a memorable one.

As we watched the Christmas devotional and heard President Erying’s talk, a flood of memories came to us. Of doing the manger scene each year with our family. As he said with teary eyes the Marys and Josephs and others grew up and have now started their own traditions. We love carrying that tradition on with the grandchildren and have missed seeing that this year. Again we love you all dearly, Mom and Dad Papa and Nana

Spain 34th Week 7-13 Dec 08

Spain 34th Week 7-13 Dec 2008

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even the boss (Sharon is taking a nap). Another wonderful week has come and gone. The stakes from Galicia and Valencia were here this week and we renewed some wonderful friendships with some wonderful people. The Bujan’s, Sanchez’s, Fernandez’s, Hernandez’s, Alfonso’s, Rodriguez’s, all came and that meant that we had plenty of male workers for the entire week. These people are truly dedicated to the Lord and Temple work. For one, the Bujan’s live in Santiago and this is the fourth time they have been here for the entire week since we have been here. He is the Branch President in Santiago and works in a hotel. He, his wife and children come each time, while he and his wife are working as Ordinance Workers, his children are doing work in the Baptistery-they are really an amazing family!

On Monday we went with the Lunt’s to get Pizza (Pizza Hut) again! It is so good and right now they have a two for the price of one, which makes it bearable in price. Sharon Shaw and Sharon Lunt went shopping afterwards and Berkley Lunt and myself came home with the other pizza. The women went shopping for items that were listed on the “stocking stuffer” list for the Missionary Training Center (MTC) Missionaries. They also found some time to do some shopping for themselves (there is always an alternative plan when these two get together)! We will be putting together these stockings and delivering them to the MTC next week.

On Tuesday we found out from Paul and Kellie that the package we had sent finally arrived. We will hopefully be able to watch everyone open their small gifts on Christmas Day via the webcam? It will be good to see everyone and we pray that all will be healthy and strong on that day.

On Friday, we were invited to go down to the second floor and be the guests of honor at the

Young Single Adults Institute class. They provided us old geezers with hot chocolate and cookies. We played a little ping-pong (we had the opportunity to school a few of the kids that thought they were pretty good-although Mom still doesn’t have a backhand) and talked with the kids and felt a really good spirit. We also saw Elder Faustino Lopez (Area Authority Seventy and Miles old Mission President), he works in the Institute full-time and teaches several of the classes. We told him “hello” from Miles and he acted like he remembered who he is/was. He had also just been in Frankfurt, Germany and brought a short letter from Harold and Ima Jean Oaks (Sharon’s cousin Ima Jean and husband are serving a Public Relations Mission in Frankfurt).

Saturday was a great day at the Temple (although there is never a bad day there) and it was really busy. Early Saturday morning two bus loads of youth from Valencia arrived to do baptisms beginning at 8:00am and every two hours after that. I had the blessing of being the director of the Baptistery that day and it was truly a joy! We had about 30 youth in each group and they were remarkably well behaved and reverent….it just never ended for as we completed one session another group came down immediately and we started all over again. There were over 1,000 baptisms and confirmations each done that day.

One experience that really was sweet was when a mother, her mother, her daughter and son walked into the Baptistery, they had the name of her son/grandson and their brother who had been killed in Afghanistan about a year ago and they were going to do the work for him. We fit them in between the youth and were able to witness a real blessing in the life of that family. I invited the mother, sister and grandmother up to the side of the baptismal font so they could see their son be baptized for the older son. The joy that was on their face was indescribable as we finished the baptism and confirmation. Later in the hour the mother and daughter returned to the Baptistery and wanted to do some baptisms themselves (they said this was the first time they had done this for many years). A little later in the day they returned with another name of the friend of the son who had been killed and we did his work in the Baptistery. This was a glorious day and you really could feel the spirit of both of those young men.

Also, on Saturday night we had a Christmas Devotional for Temple Workers, Temple Missionaries and others. It was a great event as we sang songs, listened to President and Sister Moore, and ate some refreshments. It was truly a highlight of the Christmas Season thus far. President Moore spoke of the “Light” of the world, that of course being Christ. He spoke of the many titles that have been given to him and reminded us that it is not where we serve, but only how we serve. He reminded us of our great example Christ and how he was the One in the pre-existence to know His mission. How He was a God, Creator of worlds without end, how He was the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lehi and many others before He came to earth. He then read the scripture in 3rd Nephi , chapter one verses 12-14, “And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.”

Christ had removed himself from the Father and the Father from Him. He was the greatest gift that the world has every known, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son.” During His earthly ministry paid the price for our sins, illnesses, and afflictions, he was falsely accused, and hung upon the cross to die for us. After three days, He rose from the grave, giving the entire human race another great gift (immortality and a chance to live again with our Father and Him). He became our Savior and Redeemer and resumed His place alongside of the Father. He is our advocate and our strongest defender. May we all live our lives that these gifts will not be in vain as far as we are concerned. CHRIST is the only person that could make a manger/stable the most hallowed place on earth.

We know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints to be true. God, our Father, loves and knows each one of us, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, we have a living Prophet on the earth today [Thomas S. Monson], the Book of Mormon is true and with the ordinances that have been revealed in these latter days, families can be together forever. We love you all and pray that you will all have a wonderful and a most meaningful Christmas Season. Love Mom & Dad/Nana & Papa

Spain 33rd Week 1-6 Dec 08

Spain 33rd Week 1-6 Dec 2008

We started this week off with a temple missionaries home evening. Dad and I were in charge of it this time. We used two stories, “I believe in Santa Claus” and “The True Meaning of Christmas.” The first story I read in Spanish and Dad read it in English. The second story Dad read in Spanish and I read in English. In the meaning of Christmas it tells about all of the different symbols which have a special meaning. On the Monday that we had our Thanksgiving dinner, Tom had taken pictures of the temple missionary couples and single sisters. He then made the symbols and attached one to each picture.

As I read the story in English he put the symbol with picture [of the missionaries] on the Christmas tree that the missionaries have out in our hall.

The first symbol was a Fir Tree. The fir tree remains green all year round depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning to heaven.

The Red Ornament - the first color of Christmas was next. The color red symbolizes the Savior’s sacrifice for all mankind.

The brilliant Star. The star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of fulfillllment of the promise.

The Candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.

The Holly Plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent blood shed by Him.

The Wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.

The Gift, God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. The wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men.

The Candy Cane represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the shepherd’s staff helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother’s keepers.

I was the Angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angels sang “Glory to God in the highest, on earth, peace and good will.”

The Bell as the lost sheep are found by the sound of a Bell it should bring people to the fold, it symbolizes guidance and return.

Santa looked at the tree and was pleased, He said, “Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One who is, and I bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God.” Everyone seemed quite touched by the stories. We then had refreshments and finished decorating the tree.

By the way Malia, I made the mint brownies and they were great. Thanks for the ingredients to make them.

We were going to a Mall on Tuesday and ran in to a Mission President and his wife who were going to the metro as well. They were the Everett’s. They preside over the Vladestock Russia Mission. They ended up going to the Mall with us. It was interesting listening to their experiences. They were here to get their visas , they were fun to talk to. Their were quite a few couples here from Russia this past week, including our friends the Bowden’s. They were able to go and see a lot of sights while they were here. We took three couples to our favorite Chinese restaurant, which they all seemed to enjoy.

Little Phoebe’s blessing was on Sunday.

Thanks to all of you family members who supported them by attending. As we see her on the blog she has grown so much already. And yes, we have also heard the set of lungs she has on the webcam. She looked like a little angel and wore the same blessing dress that Jenacee wore. We love you little Phoebe Lu Rae Jensen. Her middle name is after Grandma Pearson I’m sure she is very honored.

The Lights on the Temple grounds were turned on Sunday evening.

The Temple President gave a Christmas message and then they turned them on. They were beautiful. Even though it was raining cats and dogs it was neat to be there. The MTC Missionaries sang Christmas songs and it brought the Christmas spirit the grounds and to all who ventured out to enjoy the sights and sounds. This is such a wonderful holiday one we have enjoyed spending with all of you through the years. We have many special memories of those in the past that we are recalling as we are not with you this year. It seems we always take things for granted until we are apart. We know that this will also be a memorable Christmas being in Spain. A few different customs and traditions are fun.

In our Sunday School class today, Sister Thomas gave us this saying by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “All men are the spirit children of the Eternal Father; all dwelt in His presence, awaiting the day of their mortal probation; all have come or will come to earth at an appointed time, in a specified place, to live among a designated people. In all of this there is no chance. A divine providence rules over the nations and governs in the affairs of men. Birth and death and mortal kinship are the Lord’s doings. He alone determines where and when and among what people His spirit children shall undergo their mortal probation.” What a beautiful and comforting statement to know that He knows each and everyone of us and that he has put us in places where we have a chance to grow and develop and learn those Godly attributes.

We love our Heavenly Father for his greatest gift to the world his son Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer and our Savior. We know that if we follow his example that we can have eternal life. What greater gift can we long for. He gives us hope and faith to endure till the end. We know that his spirit can dwell with us when we invite it into our homes. We pray that you will feel of His love always and know how He feels about you. We love you all with all of our hearts and pray our Father’s choicest blessings upon you. Love Mom and Dad / Nana and Papa