It seems like Sunday comes every other day! I'm certainly not complaining though. We started out the week by going to a place in Spain called Chinchon-city was built between 1400-1500.
I immediately thought it must be Chinatown with that name! Of course, it wasn't. It is laid out on the rolling hills so there are really no really flat areas in the city. Most of the streets are a 
cobblestone type much like this and very rough to ride and walk...it would be murder on a bike. It was a quaint little town that has a Plaza Mayor that doubles as their bull fighting ring during the summer...yes, even the plaza slopes so one could say "that the bull really flows down hill!" At present there are about six street entrances into the plaza in which cars drive daily and some are lucky enough to find a parking place...even if it is double or triple parking.
Each July they erect a fence and make a round bull fighting ring right in the middle of the city-these are the holes in which they put the fence uprights. 
One can sit at one of the restaurants on the second or third level balcony and watch the bull fight while dining. Another feature of the town is that there is a clock tower 
without a chapel and a chapel without a clock tower-usually they are connected to one another. 
The is also a pool of water, right off of the plaza, 
that was used as the city laundry...there is fresh water coming in and an outflow of the dirty water-this was the main gathering place for the women doing laundry for many years. There is also a portion of the gate to the plaza that remains and is a fountain.
The drive there was very beautiful with rolling hills loaded with olive trees and grapevines. Everything was so pretty and green.This week in the Temple was slower but very nice. Nice because we were on the afternoon shift and because of the people we work with and those patrons who did come. It takes a lot of people to keep the Temple running well; those who clean the Temple daily and those who take care of the laundry and the engineers who keep things running smoothly. There is no better place to work in all of the world.
Now that we have been here a year I wanted to share with you some Spain trivia. There is no rhyme or reason to the order, just some observations. We feel it must be mandatory to have bad breath to work or to be a parton in the Temple! Of course, there are a few exceptions to that rule. There are many people who have had teeth pulled and never replace them. It doesn't matter if it is in the front or showing which is interesting! I don't know if they are petrified of the Dentist or just can't afford it or what? We have found that the prices here for dental work are a lot cheaper than back home. When getting on the bus it is very common to have people butt in line. You could be standing there for twenty minutes and the bus pulls up and someone who just got there will go in front of you. You can imagine what that does for Dad! The other day it happened and it was a young kid who butted in front of us and he immediately said "humph, Johnny come lately can just come and butt in front of you" saying it loud enough so he could hear. The goal of every bus driver is to see how many people he can throw around by starting or stopping as fast as possible at each stop. When trying to get off the Metro there are always those who get on before they give you a chance to get off! Sounds like an elevator pet peeve of someone we know! Red is definitely a favorite hair color here. When we say red we mean every color of red possible! It is very common to walk down the street and see girls linking arms. You often see older women who are linking arms witha younger lady who is helping her along-that is very endearing. The older women here are always dressed up when they go out, nylons and a skirt or dress just even to go to the grocery store. People go to the store daily to get fresh bread and vegetables. There are very few dining places which give refills (you kids remember the incident in the Sizzler in Hawaii), another pet peeve of Dad! As in the states it is cell phone mania here! When in church it is very common to hear many cell phones go off in Sacrament Meeting-Dad just shakes his head and says "They have been told." Phones aren't quite as prevelant in the Temple, but still at times we hear one-we immediately take it from the patron and give it to the Temple Presidency. How do you worship in the Temple or at Church with cell phones interrupting the spirit. By the way dandelions grow just as well here as they do in the states! Last, but not least, we have the kissing both cheeks hello, goodbye and in between if you say something nice! It's a great tradition. Spain is beautiful and we love the experiences we are having. We have made friendships that will always be remembered.
Today we had the opportunity to speak again at the MTC. There are about 30 missionaries right now. They carry such a spirit with them and we love to get to rub shoulders with them. Apparently, they are going to be cutting back on European Missionaries by about 25% so this could be the last big group that they have at this MTC. They will still come here but it will not be near as many as have been in the past.
We love and appreciate all of you so much. Phoebe and Maddie are getting so big. We are so glad that we can see them on the webcam because when we get home they will be walking around which is hard to imagine. We pray the Lord's spirit will dwell in each of your homes and that He will bless you in all that you do.
We Love You. Mom & Dad / Nana & Papa / Elder y Hermana Shaw
I guess the cemetery is the most important one in Madrid and it seems to go on forever. We plan on taking a trip back there just to visit and look more closely at the types of grave markers and graves that they have there. We have been told that burial in Spain is free, paid for by the government. The only catch, they charge you 35 Euros each month to maintain the plot or mausoleum, however, there can be more than one family member in each type of grave so that helps to defray the cost a little bit. The Spanish missionaries told us that is the first bill that you pay every month...if you don't pay for two months they get rid of your remains?
We asked the Spanish missionaries to share some of their local music with us and we, of course, shared some the the good old American tunes with them (She'll be coming round the mountain, Home on the range, etc). 
We all had a great time and the afternoon passed very quickly.
and Salvador and Dolores Ramos (Malaga) over for dinner. 
We had cheese appetizers, salad, lasagna and two kinds of desserts along with sparkly cider. The Ramos's go home in about three weeks and the Santos's in September. We have grown to be good friends with both of these couples and we will definitely miss them when they go home.
He has been coming with his family to the Temple since we have been here...about every two to three months. Up until las month he had been doing Baptisms for the Dead because he had not received his endowment. He is a giant of a man and will touch many lives.
as close as you can get to the angel Moroni which is about one hundred and forty feet in height. 
So he had approached our Temple Recorder to see if there was a possibility of doing that. 
He said he had not done it either so he asked one of the security personnel if we could do it. He said yes and so on Monday night Tom, Berkley our friend and the Antonio Calderon (Temple Recorder) 
and I did it! I kept looking for the elevator which of course didn’t exist! We climbed metal ladders all the way up. 
I think I’m the only women who has done so which is quite a privilege for me. It was windy and raining, but what a beautiful sight it was. Right above us was Angel Moroni which is said to be about eleven feet tall. That’s as close as we have ever come to an Angel! We can’t tell anyone else because then many others may want to do it, so we feel very privileged.
I had asked for some cheap cheater glasses and this is one of the pairs I got!
We were thinking back of Easters past when our kids were young. Dying the Easter eggs and having the Easter bunny come and hide eggs and baskets to be found. 
We were always pretty sure that it was Paul’s goal to have all his candy eaten before going to church! Its fun now watching the grandkids and being apart of their Easter time. The Easter bunny came to our apartment and left us some candy. He even hid some eggs for us to find! What a great guy he is. 
They also invited the Picard’s from France and who speak pretty good english. 
We had a wonderful dinner. They gave us hollow chocolate eggs with a little toy inside, they were really cute.
As you can see, several of the stake members are eating and waiting for the rebroadcast of the Saturday afternoon session today at 2:00 pm (SDT). 
We were able to watch it on KBYU television last night from 10:00-12:00 midnight. 
The same schedule goes for today (Sunday) 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm (SDT). It is such a wonderful blessing to be able to watch all of conference sessions from our apartment.
The comment made sense, and we have seen it here, that often it is easier for those living farther from the Temple to be faithful in attending than those that live close-by. When were are farther away we have to plan for the trip and we set goals, but when we live in the shadows of the Temple we often think that we can and will go whenever we want….the only problem with that is that Satan puts all sorts of challenges in our lives and frequently we let everything else come between our Temple worship and our precious time. It is our hope and prayer that we have learned that there is a time and a season for everything and that we need to set in priority our responsibility to worship in the House of the Lord and to work other things around this opportunity. 
The Temple covenants we have made do bring us power to cope with all of the trials and tribulations that we are now facing. 
He gave them his address which they thought was a brush off because others had done the same and made sure they weren’t home when they came. Sister Parra had been studying with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, President Parra did not like them. Sister Parra’s sister and Brother Parra’s brother were there when the Missionaries came to teach them (they were also married). In just a few weeks these four and one other were baptized. These were the first Baptisms in the Cadiz area. They said that it seemed logically correct but they didn’t have real testimonies and didn’t know how to pray for one.
We had heard a lot about it and wanted to see for ourselves.We knew there were going to be tulips. 
There were some out but not as many as we had hoped. 
This is a beautiful little pond with the goldfish swimming all around. It was a little early for some of the flowering bushes as well. 
There were a few lingering daffodils also. 
It was very peaceful and quiet inside. We might need to go back in a few weeks to get the full affect. 
We want you all to know that we love the Lord and that we know he is blessing all of us. It is so great to be a part of the great work that takes place in the Temple. It’s hard to imagine how many life’s are changed because of the wonderful plan of the redemption of the dead. Also, the change that takes place in the living and the happiness and joy they receive. We love you and we are anxious as you are for General Conference next week. Love Mom and Dad / Nana and Papa 
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.
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. 
It just so happens that this was the last day of Sister Jensen’s mission. Sister Balden asked if we wanted the tour in Spanish or English.. We said English. She started out saying I am Hermana Balden and this is my companion Hermana Jensen. To which I responded, you both have the same first name ? It had sounded to me like they had said Ramona Balden and Ramona Jensen. They laughed thinking I meant Hermana being the same which I should have left it at that but of course I had to say is both your first names Ramona. You can all imagine the look I caught from Dad ! Anyway they took us to the statue of the Mom and Dad with out stretched arms and the little girl walking from one to the other. 
It is called the circle of safety. They mentioned that the Lord always has his arms outstretched to us. He wants to help and guide us. They then moved on to one of the fir trees. Where if you stand behind it you cannot see the Temple. They said there are temptations and Satan who try to block our path-just as this particular tree blocked out the beautiful Temple. Then we went to a corner of the grounds where you can look out and see the busy, noisy street, the other buildings and a running track all symbolizing the World. Then as you turn back in and walk a few steps the feeling is totally different. 
You feel peace and tranquility there by the fountain. 
They then both bore their testimonies about the church and the joy that we can receive from it. About the importance of the family and the true gospel. 
They asked if we wanted to share our thoughts as well. As we have mentioned so many times these grounds are so beautiful and peaceful. 
I’m sure it has touched many, many people who have been here.
They both attend Utah State and met there three years ago. We happened to be assigned to the baptistery yesterday and so we met them there. They stayed with a family in our ward last night and came to church with them. So we met up with them at church again and asked them to come to lunch. We had a great time getting better acquainted. Ashley was going back home tomorrow and Camille was taking a bus back to where she is studying later today. These girls are a lot braver than I would be traveling around but they have done great!
