Ciudad Real

First off, completely hilarious that you are getting an Ipad. hahaha we are ipad central. Ahhh...I'm already running out of time. Ok, so this past week we had hermana's conference and it was AWESOME!! So fun! We went for three days down to Málaga and had a little training conference for all 18 of the hermanas in the mission. I can't even imagine a better way to start off my time in the mission field! It's good too because no matter who I get transferred to next, I will know them at least a little bit! Also I was loving being able to speak in english to other american girls! Maybe a little to much...but that is something I haven't been able to do since I left Provo. The culture makes a big difference. Anyway, that was incredible. So uplifting and encouraging...especially to see that maybe it is possible that one day I will be able to speak spanish! Because right now, it feels like it won't. (one time Quinn told me I would feel this way! haha) I have to keep reminding myself that I've only been in the field for 2 weeks!

Ciudad Real...does sound like a soccer team. haha you are right. It is super tiny. We just walk everywhere. Also, I am in La Mancha aka Don Quixote part of spain. So everything in Don Quixote stuff :) i totallly love it. The city is great though...our branch is insanely small. Hardly surviving because we are so few...but the few we have are good ones! (like 15 memebers) It is very catholic here. But, Paulina our investigator that is getting baptized in a few weeks had been seeing the Jehovah's witnesses for 4 years before she found out about the church. We have others who had met with them too...so we decided the people who have met with JW's are the one's who are prepared to hear the real truth :) haha. So...I'm not sure how much everyone knows about the siesta...but here is my schedule. Wake up at 7 exercise study and all that jazz then we are out of the house at 11 and we go work until 2 pm and then EVERYTHING shuts down. It's crazy. I've never seen anything like it. You are very hard pressed to find a store still open from 2-4 in the afternoon here. So we have 2 hours to eat and study. (we really only eat in members homes on sunday...and it is the same member, ana, every sunday) Then we go back out. But even at 4 when we are out on the streets...it is pretty deserted and most places are still closed. So then we work all night and have to be home by 945 or 10 and then in bed by 11. welcome to my life! :) The first day when we went back out at 4 and I was like what the heck is going on, hna millán was just like, welcome to spain! haha sheesh.

Something terrible that happened this week (this is less for dad and more for mom and girls) is that I ran out of my american suave mousse...the kind i've been using since 8th grade. So I had to resort to buying some spanish kind that one of the hermanas suggested...but it is sticky. So I've essentially just stopped using it all together. haha but you know...my hair is about the same amount of scraggly as it was before...so who cares! :)

Oh man, one of the greatest tender mercies of this week is that my favoritest teacher and person from the madrid mtc, hna notario came to ciudad real! I just randomly saw her on the street! I was so excited! She used to study here and ana, from the branch is like her second mom so she was here to visit. It was so fun!
Well...I love you bunches and bunches. I'm glad things sound like they are going well.

Happy birthday Brent today and Ash tomorrow!! Holy smokes you guys are gettin old! But that's ok...just wait for curtis' birthday and then you won't feel so old anymore. hahaha :)

Hasta next week!

olé

Con amor,

hermana ross

p.s. remember that time when it's really hard to grocery shop when you don't know what anything is? Hna millán thinks i'm crazy cause I never know what to do.

Surprise email!

Hey!

So actually my p-days will be on mondays...for future reference. But we are emailing today because on monday I go back down to Málaga for a Hermanas Conference. We are all getting together for a few days and I'm so excited! It is going to be fun. I barely made it in time to get to go to it. Yay! I bet there will be pictures on the mission blog from it next week.

So pretty sure Hermana Clegg emailed you...but I am in Ciudad Real with Hermana Millán. I forgot my basketball shorts in Madrid though. lame. Oh yeah, haha even crazier than that...so remember how I lose and forget stuff a lot? oh and break stuff but I haven't broken anything lately. Anyway, on the train from Málaga to Ciudad Real (I got to Málaga and was there for like 2 hours before they put me back on a train going back 2 hours the way I just came haha) I accidentally left the packet president gave me that had the credit card i'm supposed to use for my whole mission and...my passport. awesome. I'm the best. It was so terrible. But luckily, as always, Heavenly Father takes care of me. Milagros all my life...the second hermana millan hung up the phone with the train people some random elder called asking for me. He was in Madrid getting on the train and I guess they had to go to the service desk for some reason and the lady was like, oh I have a passport and some papers here for an Hermana ross. Don't you belong to the same church? And the elder was like...well, yeah. And so she let them have it! It doesn't really make sense. But the elders are sending it to my piso. (by the way, if I had lost that visa for forever...I would have to go back to the states) Also, speaking of mail. Letters can be sent to the mission home no big deal...but if ever you are going to send a package, don't send it to the mission home because they often get stolen I guess. So always send it straight to where I am living. Right now my address is

Calle La Mata no 1, 5b
Ciudad Real 13001
España

letters can be sent here too...so i get them faster :)

Anyway, so spanish is a struggle...because I'm in the real world now. Everyone has a different accent. So one person I might be able to understand mas o menos but someone else I can't understand annnnything. But my main goal is just to not get discouraged at this point. It's so hard to have all of these investigators and hardly be able to communicate with them! Oh and hermana millan is from Barcelona, knows quite a bit of english, is going to dance flamenco and is really awesome. We are in a little rama (branch) of about 15 people. I love them already. We have two baptismal dates right now...that will be coming up pretty soon. It is way exciting! Hopefully all goes well. The work moves faster in spain than most people think...i think :) Our piso is super great! We are in the central-ish of ciudad real. 2 minutes from la capilla and like 5 minutes from an H&M (not that I have time or money to go there) but we are around all of these really cool shops and just a few minutes from the Plaza Mayor too (every city has a Plaza Mayor...just a square where they party pretty much all the time) But our piso has a little balcony and it's acutally kinda big for just the two of us. But I like it. Let's see....what else. Oh, also, we have a senior couple here, the cleggs :) except the older version. It is President Clegg's cousin. Hermana Clegg used to be in the primary general presidency. They are awesome. I'm running out of time...I'll have to tell you about the people and our investigators next week. What kind of stuff do people want to know?

I love you so much!! I hope all is well in home land.

Con muchisimo amor,

Hermana Ross

Also...I have to say, that I really feel like this is where I am supposed to be. It is funny because in provo they say, your mission has already began! and then i got to spain and i was like yes i'm here! But now....I really am here. I could feel it when I got to Málaga on tuesday. It was really cool. So, I've been a real deal official full-on proselying missionary in MY mission for 4 days :) ish LOVE IT

that's all. bye bye!

Malaga!

Dear Bro. and Sister Ross

We wanted to let you know that your daughter, Hermana Ross, arrived in the Spain Malaga Mission today. What a wonderful young daughter she is. We are always so excited to receive new missionaries and today was no exception.

Hermana Ross has been assigned to serve in Ciudad Real and her trainer is Hna. Millan. We have attached a picture of Hermana Ross with us and with her trainer. Their preparation day is Monday and so you will be hearing news about the arrival and first area then.

In the Spain Malaga Mission we have a blog that we put a new post every Sunday. We are sure you will enjoy looking at it and seeing what is going on in the mission. The site for the blog is Spainmalagamission.blogspot.com. She will be on it this next Sunday and you will be able to see what happened as she arrived. Watch each week for new updates of the wonderful miracles and happenings that are going on in the mission.

Thank-you for raising such a fine daughter of God and sending her to us at this time. We will do our very best to look after her both spiritually and physically.

Love,

Pte. and Hna. Clegg

Buenos Dias!

Sounds like you guys have been busy! I'm sure it will be good to rest after that. Grandma and Grandpa Ross are coming to vegas? That's crazy. I wish I could see them too. But...such is life. Tell all of them coming that I say Hi! :)

By the way mom, I don't take a plane. I will have a 3 hour train ride to get to Málaga. I'm excited though...I've never been on a train! So pretty sure I send home more pictures than any other missionary I have ever heard of...but i like pictures. And I take a lot. So I'm sending more! haha some of them are from thursday, it was my last p-day in Madrid...so I wanted to see cool stuff. My companions were just going to a really big mall (lame) so I got permission from President (he is soooo cool) to let me go with the elders to do stuff :) he didn't mind. Well as long as I wasn't paired up at least haha but I said I wouldn't want to be paired up anyway! So a group of us went to the Real Madrid stadium...which was pretty cool. But I didn't go inside. Then we went and walked around madrid to see cool things! It was so fun! i loveddddd it. Madrid is pretty awesome looking. It is super old. A big thing here in Madrid is churros and chocolate. So we went to a famous chocolate place in Puerta del Sol and ate churros and chocolate. But they aren't like the kind dad likes to buy at costco...they are a little thinner and not covered in cinnamon and stuff. But you dip it in chocolate and it's delicious.

Oh also I got called up to give the talk yesterday. Luckily I had one prepared :) but afterwards President Earl came up to me and shook my hand and was like, well, I think you're ready. haha and I so am! I've loved the mtc...but I'm ready for real life. I hope my companion speaks english....and I wish I understood spanish. ha. One of the big things I will miss about here is my teachers. I've learned a lot about what kind of missionary I want to be from my teachers here inSpain, both of them are spanish (women) and served their missions in spain. They are so great!

The first picture is all of us this past saturday at the park after contacting and singing (the whole mtc)

This is temple square-ish. The building on the left is the mtc. The top three floors are where we live, eat and go to class. The first three floors are used as a hotel for people who have come from far away to go to the temple. The building on the right is the stake center and straight ahead is the temple obviously :) It is so cool. So beautiful! I have been amazed everyday at how close I am to the temple. I've loved it.

more temple.

This is in front of some really cool huge building that I'm not really sure what it is. Someone told me it used to be the central post office...but the elders say a lot of things....

this is me in front of one of the catholic cathedrals doing a thumbs down to the catholic church :) the cathedrals are kinda cool...but mainly creepy.

this is me with Elders Swenson and Gibson. Swenson (on the left) is one of my class companions. These two are some of my most favorites. Anyway, these are the elders I spent all day with on thursday. we had a blast. Also, we are in front of the PALACE. as in, where the king lives! (or at least one of the palaces)

This is my "I'm standing in front of a palace!" face. It was pretty exciting..and very cool. Also, if you look over my shoulder you can see two headless maniquins dressed up all fancy like. That is for taking pictures...kind of like how with have those put your face in a hole things...but weirder. hahaha I love spain.

Random fact about spain: here they use the word "taco" for "bad word"...so cuss words are called tacos. kinda funny.

mom and dad! there is some papers you need to send out for me for my loans! I'm pretty sure it has to be done very soon....so please don't forget! Just look in that little notebook thing I left. Thank you!

Anyway, that's my life. I go to málaga tomorrow! yay! :)

I love you!!!

-hermana ross

p.s. I almost forgot. I asked president about pres. horlacher last week...and him and hermana earl were like oh yeah! we know scott horlacher! He's so great. he was such a crazy funny kid but was a hard worker and would go out and do anything. They seemed happy to hear he was in the stake presidency too.

One week to go in Madrid

Adam has A MOTORCYCLE! that´s so cool! Adam really does have all the cool stuff. sheesh. I am soooo riding that when I get home.

We heard about the earthquakes this morning. It was in my mission...all I know is that 8 people died. Even though I'm in spain now I'm still pretty detatched from news and such. But we didn't feel anything.

Just heads up...I will get to email on more time on monday before I leave. I leave on tuesday at 5:30 am. Yeah. I know. It's going to be killer. Only like 3 other people go to malaga this week...two of them are from south america and the other from Madrid. The one from madrid speaks some english. Not gunna lie....I do wish the elders in my district were coming to malaga (they are going to barcelona) But esta bien. I'm SO excited to get there! I'm so ready. Well...as ready as I'll ever be. haha I'm sure you know what I mean.

Today was the last time in the temple for 15 months...at least. Pretty crazy. Sad because I love the temple...and because I've gone every week since November. But I felt so comforted. I'm very blessed because I know that when I go home, no matter where I live, I will have a temple nearby. My companions never get to go to the temple. That's why they got called to a mission with a temple :) and I'm so glad.

So I was just thinking about the funny things that happen when we can't speak spanish...and I remembered one of my funnier ones. So the first day Hna Pulgar got here, Sister Kusseling (the french one) was still here waiting for her visa. Hna Pulgar was a little confused about why Sister Kusseling was there and stuff...so I tried to explain how bored sis kusseling was here just waiting and studing all day. But instead of saying she was bored I accidentally said she was boring. hahaha it was pretty awkward for a little while...hna pulgar looked really uncomfortable that I would call someone boring to their face and then tried to be like, well really...everyone is kinda boring. hahaha and that's when I realized what I said. But I was the only one who seemed to think it was super funny...maybe because I'm the only one who really understood what happened. ha. love my life. maybe you had to be there :)

Also, almost everyday at comida someone gets taught something ridiculous in another language. For example, there is one spanish elder that we always get to say things like "cool beans" and "yee haw! Ride em cowboy!" Things that will really come in handy while trying to learn english. And the spanish elders teach me all kinds of weird stuff to say. I hardly understand what they are talking about sometimes. It's pretty fun though

It was wayyyy good to see and talk to everyone on sunday! Too bad grams, curtis and whitney couldn’t really be there though. I'm glad I got to see the boys and new little ashlyn. They are so cute! It kills me that I can't hold them. President gave me judging eyes for taking a whole hour to talk to my family haha but it was totally worth it. That popcorn story is way funny. haha I can totally see that happening. Oh, also after I talked to you on sunday I remembered something else about the food. The fruit here is so good. so good. I have never had a bad orange...and that's impressive because oranges are usually pretty sketchy. Especially in vegas! I love it though. Also, two days ago I found out that they don't have marshmallows here. That was weird to me.

Last night we got to watch a devotional that elder holland gave in provo last year and it was so awesome!! I love it when he talks about missionary work. Him and elder scott are my favorites on that topic. It was quite the correction that we all needed...but Elder Holland somehow manages to deliver correction in both a loving and stern way. It's the best for missionaries. I love that I am here. It's the absolute best thing I could be doing. It makes me so happy! One thing Elder Holland said was that the reason missions are so hard and why the work is so hard is because Salvation isn't cheap. He said it wasn't easy for Jesus Christ so why would we ever think that it should be easy for us? If we want to be like Him, we have to feel at least an iota of what He felt. And yet He is so merciful, here for us every step of the way as we try to represent Him as best we can...but fall short.

I love you so much family!!!!! Soooooooo much!!

Hasta luego.

olé.

Con amor,

Hermana Ross

Mother's Day call

Talked with Hermana Ross on Sunday for about an hour via Skype. It was great to see her. She will be leaving the Madrid MTC next Tuesday and heading for actual assignment in the Spain Malaga mission.

Spain MTC letter #2

BABYYYYYYBABYBABY!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!

The elders think I'm on crack. They're just mad cause their sisters aren't having babies like mine are :)

Have they been able to hold the baby yet? That must be sooo hard to have your baby but still not be able to love it :( I hope the baby is doing well. Will you send me a picture perhaps? Is she a cute newborn? Also...no one has told me her name. Did they decide? How big was she? I'm interested in the size of the kelley babies. hahaha It sounds like that was a pretty crazy time for nat and adam...but luckily it is over and there's a new little baby kelley! yay!!! :) I can't wait to meet her.

It seems like I just had P-day because I did! We have p-day today instead of thursday because it is a fiesta in spain so no one works. It is fun to have p-day but it means we won't have another one until next thursday. Except we do still go to the temple on thursday even though it isn't p-day. Mom asked if I get to go sight seeing much...I haven't yet. But, today we are going to a place called Sol. I guess it is a really big shopping and cool stuff kinda place. I really have no idea.

I have good news too! I'm probably more like a 75% on the understanding what my companions are saying scale. Sometimes I get all of it...and sometimes much less. It is hard because everyone has a different accent. The guys from the south (my mission...) all speak way fast and slur everthing. I understand nada. My comp from Argentina, hna farías, was sooo hard to understand at first...but that is getting better. hna pulgar is from valencia and speaks pretty clearly. But I'm so happy when I know what they are saying :) Now I just have to learn to say what I wish I could say. I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday and it was quite different from the first time I bore my testimony in spanish. But it was one of the most spiritual testimony meetings I have ever been to. It was cool because some of us only know english, some only know spanish, and some know both but the spirit feels the same. My companions said they couldn't understand anything the american elders were saying but they could feel it and were crying the whole time. It was pretty great :) One of the spanish elders (who doesn´t know english) bore his testimony and said that he thinks all of us who are learning a language are so valiant and good examples and then Elder gibson (an american...doesn't know spanish yet) got up and thanked all of the spanish missionaries for being patient with our bad spanish (because they really are sooo patient and nice) and neither of them understood each other! haha

I lovvvvve my companions!! They are so nice. An example of just how nice: Hna Pulgar told me that my handwriting is really beautiful. hahahhahahaha that was a first :) they are so sweet. And good missionaries too. This past satuday in the park went a whole lot better than last time with my french companions. haha LOTS better. We are all eager to spread the good news. We spoke with this crazy old spaniard guy who talked our ears off about the process of calling a new pope and how he thinks unless you have a real in person experience with god you can never be sure. He kept saying that it is all very complicated. I gave him Moroni 10:3-5 (classic) and we bore our testimonies. I bore my testimony in my very simple spanish with as much feeling as I could muster...and he gave us his phone number and address! :) and we left un libro de mormón with him. We were so excited to have a successful contacting experience.

9am your time and 6 pm my time is perfect! I signed up for that time. I am really excited too! Happy Mother's day week mom!! :) yesterday was mother's day in spain so the spaniards called then. It made all of us americanos excited. I am so grateful for such a wonderful mom!! You are the best. Whenever anyone asks who I look up to the most, I say my mom. One of my companion's moms is inactive...and her whole family is. It makes me think of how blessed I am to be in the family I am. I'm completely spoiled.

That is the best caden quote I've ever heard. Thanks dad.

I love you all!!! Kiss all the babies. Talk to you for realsies in a week!

Olé.

Love,

Hermana Ross