Another fantastic week in the Temple has just concluded and we have reached the end of our mission here in the Madrid Spain.
These past 18 months have been fantastic and we have dearly loved our time here. We have met many wonderful, faithful saints from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and other countries as they have come to serve in the House of the Lord. We have had the opportunity of saying goodbye to many dear friends and hope one day to be able to see them again? We will always remember the feelings and love that we have felt while serving here. On Monday, we had our monthly pot luck dinner in honor of those completing their missions and those starting their missions. 
Sister Purificacion Gomez (Alcala, Spain) started her mission and of course we were completing ours. We had pictures taken with the Temple Presidency 
and other friends.
During the entire week we were packing our luggage and preparing for our journey home
(we kind of lost our way though and went on a Mediterranean Cruise (Malta, Naples, Rome, Florence/Pisa and Cannes France) before heading home. 
Lee & Colleen Haas, dear friends from SLC arrived on Tuesday, 29 September and we had a wonderful time with them in Madrid and surrounding areas. It was great to see them and to get caught up on the happenings of their family and our common friends. On Friday, following our Temple shift, we took them to Segovia and had a wonderful time.
On Wednesday, Linda Lovera (Venezuela) came to our apartment and fixed us “Arrepas” a Venezuelan food and which we (Tom & Sharon) had eaten at her home in Venezuela on the first night that we picked up Scott from his mission.
On Saturday, I had the opportunity of being the coordinator on our final day (no rest for the weary/wicked) and what a day to remember. It was General Conference day and the Temple was to start its final session at 1:00 pm. Well, at 11:30am approximately 300 Relief Society sisters from the two Madrid stakes came to the Temple (this had been pre arranged) and they did some special sessions (baptism, endowment, initiatory and sealing sessions). The final sessions started at 2:00pm and they all finished and were able to go to the stake center and watch the rebroadcast of the General Women’s Conference. This was a wonderful way to conclude our mission, working until the very last moment!
Following the Temple we were able to watch the first two sessions of General Conference in our apartment as we finished our packing. We are going to leave the majority of our luggage with the Ford’s at the hostel instead of taking it all on the cruise. It has been interesting dividing up all of the “leftovers” (food, clothing, etc) between the missionary couples, members and the young missionaries. All were very appreciative of the spoils.
As we return from the cruise (11 Oct) the Sproul’s have invited us to stay with them in their three bedroom apartment that is about a block from the Temple. The hostel has a policy of not letting people check in to the hostel on the weekend and so we didn’t want to ask them to compromise their rules. We very much appreciate the Sproul’s and their love and hospitality.
With this being our first mission together we didn’t know what to expect or how we would feel. We can honestly say that it exceeded our expectations and we grew and developed much more than anything that we added to the mission.
We have been taught by the spirit, some wonderful and dedicated leaders, and fabulous saints that have truly shown us how to worship in the Temple.
We look forward to reuniting with our family and loved ones, but know that we may never pass this way again (Spain) so with bitter sweet thoughts we say goodbye to our
family and friends in Spain and May God Be With You Till We Meet Again and to our children, grandchildren and family in Salt Lake City
we say hello and look forward to strengthening our relationships. We know the work we are/were involved in is true, God lives and Jesus Christ is our Savior. We have a living Prophet and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. This is our witness that it is TRUE!
Love Mom & Dad / Nana & Papa / Elder y Hermana Shaw
Sister Purificacion Gomez (Alcala, Spain) started her mission and of course we were completing ours. We had pictures taken with the Temple Presidency and other friends.During the entire week we were packing our luggage and preparing for our journey home
(we kind of lost our way though and went on a Mediterranean Cruise (Malta, Naples, Rome, Florence/Pisa and Cannes France) before heading home. Lee & Colleen Haas, dear friends from SLC arrived on Tuesday, 29 September and we had a wonderful time with them in Madrid and surrounding areas. It was great to see them and to get caught up on the happenings of their family and our common friends. On Friday, following our Temple shift, we took them to Segovia and had a wonderful time.On Wednesday, Linda Lovera (Venezuela) came to our apartment and fixed us “Arrepas” a Venezuelan food and which we (Tom & Sharon) had eaten at her home in Venezuela on the first night that we picked up Scott from his mission. On Saturday, I had the opportunity of being the coordinator on our final day (no rest for the weary/wicked) and what a day to remember. It was General Conference day and the Temple was to start its final session at 1:00 pm. Well, at 11:30am approximately 300 Relief Society sisters from the two Madrid stakes came to the Temple (this had been pre arranged) and they did some special sessions (baptism, endowment, initiatory and sealing sessions). The final sessions started at 2:00pm and they all finished and were able to go to the stake center and watch the rebroadcast of the General Women’s Conference. This was a wonderful way to conclude our mission, working until the very last moment!
Following the Temple we were able to watch the first two sessions of General Conference in our apartment as we finished our packing. We are going to leave the majority of our luggage with the Ford’s at the hostel instead of taking it all on the cruise. It has been interesting dividing up all of the “leftovers” (food, clothing, etc) between the missionary couples, members and the young missionaries. All were very appreciative of the spoils.
As we return from the cruise (11 Oct) the Sproul’s have invited us to stay with them in their three bedroom apartment that is about a block from the Temple. The hostel has a policy of not letting people check in to the hostel on the weekend and so we didn’t want to ask them to compromise their rules. We very much appreciate the Sproul’s and their love and hospitality.
With this being our first mission together we didn’t know what to expect or how we would feel. We can honestly say that it exceeded our expectations and we grew and developed much more than anything that we added to the mission.
We have been taught by the spirit, some wonderful and dedicated leaders, and fabulous saints that have truly shown us how to worship in the Temple.We look forward to reuniting with our family and loved ones, but know that we may never pass this way again (Spain) so with bitter sweet thoughts we say goodbye to our
family and friends in Spain and May God Be With You Till We Meet Again and to our children, grandchildren and family in Salt Lake City we say hello and look forward to strengthening our relationships. We know the work we are/were involved in is true, God lives and Jesus Christ is our Savior. We have a living Prophet and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. This is our witness that it is TRUE!Love Mom & Dad / Nana & Papa / Elder y Hermana Shaw
