Spring has definitely Sprung in Spain and we are now waiting for the rain that falls mainly in the plain! The weather has been fantastic for the past three weeks, we are just waiting for another cold blast from the north….because it seems too nice to last.
This has been an exciting week, the Temple was busier than usual. The stake from Valencia was here and a lot of them came on Thursday through Saturday. We had extra large sessions, having to divide a couple of them and then on Saturday there were over 140 young people from Valencia and Logrono (north). The had a minimum of a five hour bus ride one way, yet they came and did baptisms and returned home again late Saturday night. They had the sweetest spirits and you could tell that they all really enjoyed being together and feeling the spirit. We saw some of our good friends again (Vina’s, Veronica and her family, and others that we have become very attached to) and it is always hard to say goodbye because we may not see some of them again before we leave.
We also have a new missionary couple from France (Michel and Juliette Picard) they both speak pretty good English and they are delightful people.
He is actually Iranian and she is Armenian and have lived in France for the last twenty + years. He was involved in the government schooling of those young people that were selected to represent France in sports and she worked in the private sector. They are great people and we look forward to getting to know them better in the coming months.
Elder Roger and Sister Randi Rich (Taylorsville, Utah) in Abu, Nigeria also visited us this weekend. Their temple is closed for cleaning for a couple of weeks so they have permission to travel about and they are making the most of it. 
We listened to their stories and we really know how blessed we are to be here in Madrid. They are in lock down in a seven acre compound-they can only leave on occasion and that is with basically a bodyguard. They have to send Nigerians out to purchase their food and it sounds like it is a real trying place. Everything they bring food wise into their apartment has to be washed with soap and water (including things like cabbage leaves) then dipped in a Clorox solution before they can eat it. Needless to say they were in heaven here and could not believe the freedoms that we enjoy. They had been in Amsterdam, Spain for a week, then on to France before returning to Nigeria until September when they complete their mission. They have a wonderful love for the people and the work and are honored to be serving there. They were told by the Area Presidency that at any given time on Sunday that there are more Nigerians in church than the rest of Europe put together. Nigeria has five missions and is the fastest growing area in the world. Of course, the church is relatively new there are everyone is learning how to officiate in whatever capacity they are responsible.
Their temple is the smaller model with everything being on one floor, they were amazed that we had three floors in our Temple. Roger is an architect that is in business with a partner and consequently he is on leave from his job and will return to work when they go home. His partner had gone the two years prior to them coming…that is a pretty neat setup where you can go and return to the company.
We showed the Rich’s around Madrid and ate at a couple of restaurants (Burger King and TGI Fridays) of their choice. Today we had them to dinner before seeing them off to the airport and served roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls and strawberry shortcake….they ate and ate and loved every bite. We look forward to getting with them after we both return from our missions. They went to school with our Bishop, Jerry Bennion, so we had someone in common to talk about.
This coming week we have another big weekend scheduled, there are 128 sisters that will be coming from eastern Spain on Friday night to work all day in the Temple on Saturday. We really hope that some brethren will accompany them so we can meet all of their needs.
We went to the other ward today with the Rich’s because they have sacrament meeting first and the Rich’s needed to head to the airport by 2:00pm. We saw two couples that looked like they were Americans so I walked up to them, introduced myself and asked them what they were doing here? Well, to my surprise the one young sister told me that she had served a mission in Malaga and wanted to come back to the temple with her husband and his parents. I told her that our son-in-law served in Malaga until just before the Temple was dedicated and she said that is when she was here. I asked her if she knew Miles Jensen and she said “yes.” Well, I was pleasantly surprised, her name is/was Sister Liz Irion, she was companions with Hermana Williams and she finished her mission in Sevilla (she said she was in Miles’s district)…what a small world. She sends her best to Miles, Kristy and wow, their four kids!
Now, even weirder was the fact that her in-laws were sitting there and I asked them where they were from and they told me Murray, Utah. I asked what part and they said East Murray (Erickson Dairy) and I asked if they knew Drew and Cathie Pearson, they said “yes.” They were old neighbors of Drew and Cathie (Fred and Christie Olsen), but have moved about 11 years ago. Wow, what a small world. We talked about Traci, Tim and Jibs, their kids and it was great to hear that they really appreciated the time they spent in the neighborhood….in spite of the Red Color of the Pearson’s!
Well, the work is true, God lives and Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. We love serving in the beautiful Madrid Spain Temple. We are blessed beyond measure in every way that you look. We have a wonderful families (Shaw’s, Pearson’s, Erickson’s, Hill’s, Randall’s, Dickinson’s) and are very blessed to have faithful sons and daughters (Jeff, Amanda, Miles, Kristy, Scott, Malia, Paul and Kellie) and the cutest dang grandkids in the world (Ashtyn, Whitney, Jenacee, Ryan, Ethan, Porter, Hallie, Fischer, Madelynne and Phoebe). We love each of you and hope that you can feel of our love and appreciation for all you mean to us. We can certainly feel of your love, support and prayers each and everyday. Love Mom & Dad / Nana & Papa
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