November 22, 2012

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as seen from Pico de Bandama

View of the Atlantic near Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 

Family,

The Canary Islands are AMAZING!!!!!!! So last P-Day we went on a hike somewhere near here and close to the Mission Home in the Islands. The Canary Islands used to be its own mission so there´s a Mission Home here where the Eynons live. I didn´t bring my agenda this time so I´m not going to be able to give you a big weekly email like usual, but I can give you a bit of what happened and the people we are visiting.

Mission Home in Las Palmas

Mission Home in Las Palmas

So Wednesday we did the hike that I told you about and it was pretty cool!! Elder Eynon brought his Frisbee and we played with it as we went down. It was pretty cool since the weather was just right to run down and up and stuff. Elder Eynon then told us to climb on a rock so that they could take a picture of the District from below. Then we went down a little further and there were old houses or buildings and it was weird, but it´s okay. Elder Eynon then asked us if we could climb on a tree limb so that he could take another picture of the district. So we did and it was pretty cool and fun, hehe. Every time that Elder Eynon gives us a challenge, we always do it and it´s just fun!! He´s like a teenager but older, haha. Then we did a Manger scene in one of the old buildings there, it was Elder Eynon´s idea, and it was pretty funny how it turned out, and then hiked back up. Oh, and one of the older Frisbees of Elder Eynon was stuck in a Palm Tree and so Elder Lisonbee, Christiensen and I tried to get it down. Elder Lisonbee almost got it once, but didn´t succeed. When we hiked back up we drove to a peak where you could see the entire place and it was really cool!!! The view was amazing from up there and you could see the ocean super clear! We then drove back to the Mission Home and had lasagna made by Hermana [Sister] Eynon which was really good!!! We then came back to Las Palmas and worked the rest of the day.

The district on a tree.

From L to R: Elders Christiensen, Bauer, Valenzuela, Lisonbee, Hermanas Voemba, and Marshall.

Thursday was Weekly Planning and we planned for the week (duh, the name says it all). We then had food with la familia Nacimiento, from Brazil. I think they said that they were from Sau Palo, but I´m not sure. Their food was good!! (I just stole Elder Valenzuela´s agenda so I can tell you my week with more detail.) Then at 5:30 we went to see Jonatan y Fran, which are two jovenes [young men] that are investigators and Jonatan is getting ready for baptism!!! Exciting!!!!!!!!!! Fran is there to learn too and they´re both pretty awesome!! We then went to see a new investigator and just got to know her. Her name is Fani and that´s all I really know about her. Not too bad of a day so yeah!!!

Friday was a pretty empty day as far as lessons are concerned. We tried to set something up with Andres, a JAS (Joven Adulto Soltero [young single adult]) but it didn´t work out so we just had one lesson, which was with Edward and his family. The two younger kids Yiesi and Maicol have potential to get baptized, and the two older ones, Carmen, not really wanting to do her part, and Edward Jr. same as Carmen, except that he´s a less active member. Edward Sr. is about the same as Carmen and it´s just frustrating when no one wants to do anything for their own good. To get to their house we have to take a bus and it´s high up on a hill so you could see the ocean as well as a different part of Las Palmas! We always go there at night so we never really see anything. Just so you know, here in the Islands it gets dark at about 6:30 so by 7:00 it looks like it´s 9:00. Pretty crazy!

Saturday was a pretty good day! In the morning we played Fútbol [soccer] with some JAS [young single adult]and their friends and that was pretty fun. Then at 1:30 we went to la familia Romero´s house to eat foodlets (say that one to Giselle), and it was pretty good!! Later on we tried again with Andres, but nothing, so at about 5:30 we went to see Soila, which is an investigator, and we taught her the Plan of Salvation! It was pretty good since according to Elder Valenzuela, she didn´t open up the first two lessons until now. It was cool to know that she was more open! I´m sure that she has potential to progress!! Later at night we saw Jonatan and Fran so that we could go over the baptismal interview questions with Jonatan to get him ready for the interview. Those lessons always turn out really well.

"Jesus wants me for a sunbeam"

Sunday we had church and it started at 10:00, which was really weird for me since every place that I´ve been here in Spain, church started at 10:30, but it´s okay. Right after church we met with another investigator that is getting ready for baptism called Maria. We shared with her the law of tithing and she accepted to live it after her baptism. We then ate with la familia Marguez and it was good too!! All of the food was good!! Then later in the evening we went to see Edward and his family and at the end of the lesson, I put emphasis on the importance of praying to find out about the truthfulness of what we were teaching. We then went to the JAS [young single adults] center for the end of the Noche de Hogar [home evening] that the JAS [young single adults] have there. It was pretty fun!! I got to know different JAS and Fran challenged me to an arm wrestling match. I told him that I´m going to lose anyway and so why even try, but everyone then went against me and so I sat down and the match started. Surprisingly I "won" because he gave up in the end. During the match, I guess that I had my arm in a good position so that I could use minimal strength to keep my arm in a vertical position and he could push all he wanted, but wouldn´t move my arm. That would´ve exhausted his strength and not much of mine so that in the end I could just easily push his arm down. But he gave up, so I won easily, hehe. Plus I´ve been doing morning exercises so yeah.

Monday we didn´t do too much of anything. We went to the Ayuntamiento [city hall] to try to get a map of Las Palmas with a list of the streets on the back, but that wasn´t successful at all since they ran out of maps. We then went to a part of Las Palmas, by bus, to pass by less active families and it was pretty cool and successful! We found 3 less actives and are planning to pass by 2 of the 3! We then had Medio-Dia [lunch break] and it was relaxing, then went to the JAS Center to use the computer there to find streets. From there we went to the Branch Mission Leader´s (Fran, not the Fran that is the investigator, but Fran the Mission Leader) home to have a Noche de Hogar [home evening] and we talked about patriarchal blessings. It was pretty cool and according to the Hermanas, spiritual too. We then went home and slept, and that was the end of the day of Monday.

On the day of Tuesday we had district meeting in the JAS Center and it was good. I had a talk on how to find new investigators and it´s something that I need to work on more. Then Hermana [Sister] Voemba had the practice on how to use the scriptures and it was really good!! I learned a lot that day!! Super good district meeting!!! Right after District Meeting the Hermanas [sisters], my companion and I had to go to an eating appointment, but I had to get a new Guagua (that´s how they say Autobus, or bus here, pronounced wawa) bono [card] of 10 trips. So I got it and we met the Hermanas [sisters] on the Guagua!! We then got to the eating appointment and the food was good, like usual, and we shared a message and it was all good!!!!! We then went to see Andres, and it worked out this time!!! YAHOO!!! I got to know him and he seems like a good guy!! We taught him about how we need to apply the Gospel in our lives and how it will help us out in the end!! It was a good lesson! At 8:00 we had the interview with Jonatan and I did the interview and he´s good to go. He gives me really elaborate answers and understands everything, but he´s got a problem with his father and him not wanting Jonatan to get baptized. Jonatan has faith that all will work out though so it´s pretty cool how much faith he has!!

Wednesday was NOT P-Day, but Weekly Planning. Later on we saw Cristo, a less active guy and we talked to him about following the prophet. Then we tried contacting, but it didn´t work out too well. There was no one out in the streets. Today is Thursday, Thanksgiving, and an all day P-Day!!!! We´re planning to go to a science museum and then at 4:00 go to the Eynon´s house to have a Thanksgiving dinner!!! I´m really excited to go and do that!!! It will be fun!! How have you guys been? How was Thanksgiving? Was it good? Take care and I´ll talk to you guys soon!!! Love you all!!

Elder Bauer