Hi all!
So this week in the work it got pretty interesting because many of our lessons failed like last week. And most of our current investigators were busy. So we were in the streets a lot more talking with people. We also attempted to play basketball but nobody showed up... so we got volleyball going and we had some less actives and recent converts show up. It was a lot of fun. We also finally met with Adriana, the girl I accidentally called when trying to call Andrea and we found out she was interested in meeting but that she lives in a different area. The bad part about your area being so small in Madrid.
Every week we have a preparation day usually on Monday, to do something fun and to focus on cleaning, buying food, etc to be able to focus on the work the rest of the week. Last week we went to Parque Europa - a park that has a mini version of the monuments around Europe. It was pretty cool, the mini Effiel Tower was cool (it was 1/10th the original size) =) Today we went to Toledo which is known for its swords. There are swords from Lord of the Rings, a sword of Moroni, a sword of Laban and many other cool swords. There were also a ton of daggers and knifes. My companion has bought a ton of stuff from one store earlier in his mission and the store owner recognized him. She let us take a ton of pictures and hold some really nice knifes (which usually they don't let you do).
I also got to talk with my family for Mother’s Day! That was super awesome =) it was definitely the highlight of my week.
Food moments:
One day we didn't feel like cooking at all so we went to a Peruivan restaurant and bought Arroz chofa, Inca cola and roasted chicken. It was really good.
Funny moments:
This week I tried getting the stains out of my clothes. And as a missionary your white shirts can get pretty dirty since you wear them everyday and so I had to scrub quite a bit to get some of the stains out. But I had the wonderful idea to use bleach to perhaps not have to scrub as much. Let's just say I tried my idea out and it didn't work as expected. I ended up giving myself a few little chemical burns on my fingers. Nothing too bad but I definitely will not try that idea again without wearing gloves!
Another funny moment, the Hermanas (the sister missionaries) got locked out of their Piso when they forgot their keys. This was early in the morning during our scripture studies. We heard someone ring our timbre (the door bell, but it was the one to the main door downstairs). And sometimes when you don't know who it is you don't do anything. So we didn't answer. Then 10 min later we heard them at our front door. And then we were weirded out because we had no clue who it was and for Spaniards it was still really early in the morning. It was the Hermanas! Somehow they had gotten in and guessed correctly which door was ours (after few tries, they really didn't know). So my companion and I had to pick their piso (apartment) door open for them (because it can be very expensive to have the locksmith come). After a lot of struggling and about an hour of work we got in!
I've been learning quite a lot. This week I really focused on improving my teaching skills. I practiced a ton trying to teach/explain different principles I explain too complicated and I'm trying to simplify everything. I'm already starting to notice the difference, it's really helped to practice.
Here's a scripture I really liked this week. Our Heavenly Father gives us commandments for our benefit to help us to be happy. They are loving instructions that we can either ignore or follow. If we ignore them, we miss out on the blessings that could be ours. If we follow them, we can realize they come from a loving Heavenly Father and obey them, receiving the blessings and joy.
Here's the scripture:
Mosiah 2:41 "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
I know that Heavenly Father blesses us for our obedience to His counsels. He wants to help us to be happy. He knows our weaknesses, is patient with us and wants us to succeed. And through prayer we can grow closer to Him - thanking Him for our blessings and asking for the help that we and do others need.
Have a great week!
Elder Openshaw
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