Emily - Santander Week 4

Okay Hello Everyone:
To start off I will let you know that I got my package! Thank you so much and Dad its to bad that you couldn´t just hand deliever it. But I think you were exaggerating the price just a lil bit. I love having the music. I hate to tell you this but the fan burned up when I turned it on. Dont worry though I found a fan in one of the rooms full of crap in our piso and I have been using that. Also Im excited about the strech bands. I´m going to try and figure out an exercise plan today. Really I think I´m only going to strength training in the morning because we walk so much during the day and up a lot of hills.

I´ve already lost a bunch of weight. I don´t know how much because I don´t have a scale but I can tell at least 15 pounds. I also eat really well. The Spaniard schedule has been working quite well for me. I eat granola, yogurt, and fruit in the morning. At about 2:00 we come in for mediodia and we eat a big but healthy lunch and then usually at night when we get home Im so tired I just got to bed and sometimes I eat a yogurt or eat a bowl of cereal. But usually I´m still full from lunch.

Ok so anyways back to letters and packages I got a letter from mom too. It had Logan´s e-mail in it about buying the cameras for the other Elders. Guess what it only took four days for that letter to get here. IT took longer then that when I was in UT. It was so nice to get Logan´s letter from mom and the e-mail that dad sent me. I´m proud to be his sister and I love knowing that he is here. In Zone Conference on Thursday when I introduced myself to the zone I had to tell something interesting about myself and I of course told everyone about Brother. President told me that he talked to Logan´s president and they found out that we are the first brother and sister to serve in these missions at the same time. Did I say that right. Okay I´m going to try again. We are the first family members to serve in the Barcelona and Bilbao mission at the same time. Pretty crazy huh, I thought you would all like to know that little bit of information. We are pretty much making history out here in Spain.

Mom: I love every single one of your letters. You are going to be blessed for the rest of your life for all the letters that you have written me. You are the best letter writer in the whole world. The R.S. is going to be so blessed to have you in there. I feel the same way as you do right now. Forget all the organizational crap and lets just serve people. Well Mom if youll do it then I will. You and I don´t like that kind of stuff. Lets leave that crap to people who like to organize stuff like Jess And Dad. Lets both start today trying to just serve people more and stop worrying about all that other crap. Man I love that word today and for some reason it feels really good to type it so Im going to keep using it sorry. Anyways Mom youll never understand how much I love you and miss you. Just be yourself, everyone that has ever met you has loved you and the R.S. doesn´t even understand what an amazing blessing its gonig to be to have you there. I love you!

Dad:You know what while I was reading your letter today I realized something. I know how to slap you around and get you straight and you know whats great you know how to do the same thing for me. Thank you for your letter. Mom is to kind to slap me around through her words. You are so perfect for each other you just complete each other. Anyways I loved your letter and I´m going to read it over and over again through out my mission. I will write you and mom today a real letter and let you know my real thoughts. I think Im going to keep doing that, it helps me to get over things when I write them down. Hopefully you don´t mind my completely negative letters once in a while. Okay well DAd your wonderful. You mean so much to me and Iove how well you understand parts of my brain and mom understands the other parts of my brain. I really am half and half. Thank you for being such a wonderful father. I know Logan and I felt comfortable very quickly here because of all the wonderful things that you have taught us. I love you!

Sister Jess and Sarah:Sarah if I have to I will fly across this ocean that seperates us and beat the crap(there it is again) out of some boys, I will. Who do they think they are? Mom and Dad you should have lied to Sarah and told her she was wrong about her birthday and she was actually turning 15 this year. Thats what I would have done if I was her parent. Anyways forget the stupid boys and write your missionary sister.Jess-thank you so much for your e-mails and letters. I love hearing what is going on with you and Nick, oh and the baby. I can´t believe that you are having a baby in June. Everytime I pass a store with baby clothes in it, I think of you and her. Oh there are so many cute clothes here. Anyways thank you for your letter, it helped a lot. Ill try to write you today. O

kay I just felt like writing everyone a little personal note today and it took up most of my time so sorry. But I will tell you that I had zone conference on Thursday and it was amazing. I learned so much and it was just nice to see other people going through the same things as me. Our district did a musical number it was pretty pathetic but fun. I´m part of a wonderful group of missionaries. I loved talking to everyone and getting to know them better. I have gained so much respect for 19 year old boys since I started my mission. Now of course not all of them figure it out but the ones that do are great. Everyone helped me open my package they were more excited then I was.

I´m sure you have heard about the F-LDS group in Texas. If you haven´t Im not sure how because that is all we have heard about this week. We have to plan an extra 30 mins for our visits because the headline had the word Mormons in it and all of our investigators are confused. I´ve also seen some pretty nasty looks from some people this week as they read my name tag. Our church is lead by a prophet of God and we have the truth, the full truth. Sometimes we don´t understand some things because we are stupid people. God is perfect and he knows all. We have to take our stupid, non perfect minds and have faith in God and his plan. Everytime, everytime I have put my faith in God and trusted His plan for me, things have worked out so much than if I would have followed what I thought was right. I love my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.

Oh guess what this week at church a family from Colorado showed up. They don´t speak Spanish the poor things. The dad is a professor in Boulder and an electric engineer. There family is going to be here for three months. He brought his wife and his three kids. You know people probably thought he was crazy for bringing his family here but for me it just made me like them more. Their family is really going to grow together while they are here. Anyways we are going to their house on Saturday for lunch and I can´t wait. It will be so nice to just relax and visit with people in English. You know what I think that has been hard on me. I love people and I love getting to know them and I haven´t been able to really do that because I dont speak the language well enough. I can´t wait to be fluent!

Well the rain just keeps coming and I think there might not be any more rain left in the ocean because I´m pretty sure the ocean is on the streets of Santander. There are rivers running down the streets, its insane. Did you like that flier that I sent you, beautiful huh? Good thing its pretty here, otherwise all this rain wouldn´t be worth it. Well our best investigator Olga was really moving along and guess what she decided to get two jobs. WE haven´t seen here for a while and she cant come to church anymore, ahhhh! I want to punch Satan in the face! Erase that line before you post this. No but really its hard to watch people know that its all true but not have the strength to change. If they could only understand what is in store for them if they will make those changes in their life.

Okay well my time is up sorry my letters are always so crazy. I have more to say so Im going to write you a real letter today. Thank you for loving me so much and helping me become who I am. I couldn´t have made it through these first couple of weeks with out you guys. I love each one of you so much oh and I miss you like crazy.Can you please send me Brother´s e-mail address. I´m going to write him a letter today. I loved reading his letters. I´m so blessed to be a part of such an amazing family I see that over and over again everyday. I hope your all doing well, I pray for you. I´m calling in 28 days!

Love,EM