Week 26

Hi dad!

Where do you get your spanish? is that coming from an online translater? Because....it's...totally awesome. haha

Welcome home Jacob!!! :) I probably definitely absolutely will be like that girl in your ward. I already feel it coming. I bet your lesson was really great dad! You should come here and teach in our branch too. We could really use more gospel doctrine subs :)

Ok...so one of the weirdest things that has happened to me so far on the mish was on saturday. But first you should know, if you don't already, that spanish culture is to give people a kiss on each cheek...rather than like a hug or whatever. So I kiss a lot of people everyday. haha except we only give the besos to women obviously and the elders don't do them at all. Just handshakes.

We were out and about looking for some references and then in one of the buildings we were in we just decided to knock doors (not something we do often...it is way easier for someone to shut the door on you than it is for them to walk away because I can just walk with them! haha) and the first person that opened his door was this really old, small man. We started talking to him and apparently the Jehovah's Witenesses had been by just a few hours earlier and left him some of their little magazine things that they love so much. He told us he is a widow of over 9 years and when we told him a little bit about the plan of salvation, he told us that his two sons talked him out of the thought of ever seeing his wife again. How sad. Also, this man was a little crazy...like not fully functioning enough for us to teach him for realsies. So, Hna Sturgess asked him if we could some in and sing a song for him. That way we can leave this man with something of the Spirit in his life...and maybe we could one up the JW's as well :) baha. Anyway, we went in and sang Families can be together forever and were planning on singing one more but as soon as we finished the first one he got up SO FAST and came right to my face to give me kisses. My automatic reaction when a man tries to give me the besos is obviously to pull away and tell him that sorry, as missionaries we can only shake their hand. But he just was so happy and excited after our song that he went a little crazy and kept trying to kiss me or more like attack me! He went a little crazy. So I had to completely push him away and just grab his hand and shake it. I felt bad...because he kept saying, 'I just want to show how grateful I am'. But it was really scary! Both of my companions stood right up when it happened and we just left. I've never had a 90 year old man try to kiss me before. awkward. Maybe he had never felt the spirit like that before...

I'm not sure if that story makes sense.

Anyway, this past saturday the temple president of the Madrid temple (my favey temple ever) came to La Mancha just to speak to our little district. It was so cool! We didn't get to listen because we had to be with the kids....but it was a really great experience for all of the members. The Moore's are really amazing. They are just so full of energy and happiness. I love it. They kept telling us over and over, You sisters are doing so great! I just can't imagine a better trio! This is the best work in the world isn't it? and it really is :) That temple serves people from so many different languages. English, portuguese, french, spanish, italian, russian...cool huh?

Actually, something really cool about spain and especially Ciudad Real is how we get to teach people from everywhere. I have investigators from Bolivia, Peru, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico (not many of those), Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Romania and more! :) So we have been experiencing culture from lots of places. I love it.

Welp. The church is true. You are the best fam ever. Thanks for supporting me. I love you all so so so sososo much!!! Have a good week!!

Con amor,

Hermana Ross