Week 23

hola familia!

Today is a festivo day because of the Virgen del Prado. I wonder what she did that makes the entire county of spain shut down. Must have been real good. This week in Ciudad Real the WHOLE week is a festivo. Essentially everyone parties all week long...it's gunna be crazy! I'm excited.

So we are three!! And loving it! Last tuesday after a wonderful district meeting where we all wore blue and took family pictures of the La Mancha family :) hna sturgess and i and two of our elders all got to go to Málaga again. (the picture will probably be coming next week) it was such a blast. I love going to Málaga. We got to spend a little bit of time in Fuengirola (super touristy beach spot) and then the whole night at the mission home learning how to be good trainers and spending time with pres and hermana clegg :) loved it. Then wednesday we got Hermana Gibson!! (side note that I thought was really funny....two of the other hermanas who are training hit their nine month mark to the day on wednesday...and that is the day they got their "daughters" haha) She is from Lexington, Kentucky and went to BYU studying Public health. She is 5'9''. yes. and....her mom is venezuelan so that's cool. She speaks way better spanish than I did when I got into the field so she's in good shape. hna sturgess and gibson both took spanish in college. She is so great!! Such a good missionary and addition to our companionship!

You know...I was in a trio the whole time I was in the MTC (like 4 different trios) and then I just had one transfer with hna millan and one with hna sturgess and now I'm back in the trio life! Obviously it is way different in the field...but I still like it. Trios are super fun. At least mine have been. We've been doing super well together already. It really has made me realize though just how much I have learned in these past couple months in the field. You just are forced to learn so much so fast! I've found myself saying the EXACT things that everyone said to me, "it just comes" too bad there isn't better advice. But missionary work has never been easy.

Yesterday at church was the best sunday I have had my whole mission so far!! (hna gibson got a wonderful first sunday and hardly knows it) it was so so so incredible. In fact, after church Hna Clegg told us, "that's the best church meeting I've had in my whole life....and I'm 70!" haha loved it. We had a lot of really really great investigators in church and almost the entire branch there...so it felt like a full house (probably about 30 people including the kids!) and the Cleggs spoke so the spirit was soooo strong! all of our investigators were sitting by members and just soaking it all in. The three of us hermanas sang Abide with me tis eventide and Ana, one of the rocks of the branch and like our mom here, told us that was the strongest she had felt the spirit in a long time while we were singing. Then we had an amazing class with our people about Jesus and baptism (of course) and in Relief Society....I just....words don't do it justice. Anyway. It was a good day. I love being a missionary. I love love our branch. They are so great. I'm going to miss them when I have to leave. I feel like this will probably be my last transfer here

Also yesterday, I ate Migas. It is a meal that is like a traditional La Mancha summertime kind of food. It was super good!! it is essentially stuffing with fruit on top. Sounds really weird. But it is really spanish. I think I've become even less picky since I got here....actually, I know I have.

Yesterday, one of our menos activos told us that she hates christmas. isn't that sad? it was so weird to me. and then hermana sturgess asked her, "nieves, have you ever seen the movie...the grinch?" bhaha we've recently decided that we say a lot of things in spanish that we would never ever say in english. haha

This week I got a wedding invite from Kristi maxwell. What? That is insane to me. I guess life really does go on while I'm on my mission. :) that was happy news though.

I'm excited to see who my FAVORITE group will be! haha I hope it is 259 :)

That Caden quote is hilarious! hahaha he's a smart little bugger. Also, I feel like you tend to get crazy jury duty trials dad...i still remember that one with the old lady. but pretty sure that was in georgia. that was a long time ago...

Well happy birthday again adam!

I love you family!!

con amor,

Hermana Ross