It is hard to believe that we have been in Madrid for 3 months now. The time goes so quickly and I'm not so sure I want it passing quite so fast.
What a week! Greg is doing so well. He looks great, and though he's a little weak in the knees, he feels great. We met with his primary care doctor a few days ago. He has been taking care of the missionaries here in Madrid for 25 years. His English is so perfect he doesn't even have an accent. That was such a shock, and music to my ears. It was really nice to get all the details first hand. He said that the doctors and hospital did everything right and he is very pleased with the results. He went over all of Greg's records and translated every little thing for me. He strongly suggested that Greg go through the 3 month heart rehab that the hospital offers. We will be doing that. He went over all of his medications and explained what each one is for. He gave us new written prescriptions and we were on our way. We are so blessed!
Emily had another terrible bout with her pancreas. She was in the hospital and not doing well. Anna flew out to Hartford to be with her, and we are so grateful she did. She was in a much better hospital this time and much better doctors. They performed a biopsy of her pancreas. To our great joy, she was negative for cancer. To our great frustration they still don't know what is causing her problems. But we are so grateful to know that our biggest fear is off the table. Heavenly Father is definitely looking out for us. Emily is home from the hospital now, and looking so much better. We still appreciate the prayers in her behalf.
There is nothing like a temple mission. There are so many reasons making it absolutely the best. The most obvious, of course, is being in the House of The Lord 40 hours a week. The Madrid Temple is a very special temple. I can't really put into words what makes it so special. You just have to take my word for it. It seems like the veil is particularly thin. So many really spiritual experiences happen here. It may also have something to do with the extra special faith of the people here. The Spirit is so strong you can almost touch it. It is such a joy to be part of it. We have heard so many amazing stories connected with this temple, and have experienced amazing things ourselves.
Another wonderful blessing of a temple mission is the extremely close relationships we form with the other missionaries. Many missions often have you separated from other missionaries. With temple missions we live together and work together. Something about it reminds me of camp, or college. All of the missionaries are our neighbors across the hall, or next door, or down the hall. We work together in the Temple, and then spend our time off with them as well. We have made such close friends in such a short time. We are all missing our families, dealing with the problems of being so far away, dealing with the problems of becoming old, working under the same conditions, and loving and serving the Lord. We support each other as each of us work through our problems, and our worries. We pray for each other and for each other's families. We serve together, travel together, play together, and share each other's joys, and sorrows and watch out for each others health. There is nothing like it.
We also have a super close relationship with our Presidency and their wives. They rely very heavily on the American missionaries. We are the only workers who are there every day, all day, and are completely reliable, and consistent. The Temple is run with very few workers, and is a completely different experience than we are used to at home. We connect to them daily and they know each one of us very well. They know what is going on in our lives and with our families, and keep a watchful eye over us all. The President lives in the same building with us, and participates in many of our activities. President Tenney and his wife are so personable, kind and caring.
Another great blessing about a temple mission is that we know when we are finished for the day. We know when we have done all we can do. We are successful when we show up on time, do our duties with enthusiasm and diligence, are kind, helpful and patient with the patrons, and serve our full shift. There is no wondering if we did enough, or if we should have knocked on one more door, or made one more phone call. It is a great feeling to know when your day is done. It's also great to know that we don't have to feel guilty when we have time to ourselves. We are free to explore the great country we are in, and enjoy the culture. We have been able to see so many great places, and have plans for so many more sights.
Europe is exciting, beautiful, and diverse. Spain is unique and has a fascinating history, and is littered with historical sights and landmarks. We have enjoyed so much the culture, architecture, antiquity, charm, museums, abundant natural beauty and national parks. We are so thrilled to be here.
I have been off work this past week to take care of Greg, get him to his appointments, and get him started on his new healthy life style. I'm so grateful to friends who have stepped up to cover for us. I am back to work early this Tuesday morning. Greg will be home one more week, then will work part time for a week. He should then be good to go. He is anxious to get back to work full time, and I have missed the Temple this past week as well. We are so grateful we will be able to remain and finish our mission here in Spain. I can't come close to expressing our gratitude.
I want to share a quick story with you. Brother Campos is in charge of the physical facilities here on Temple Square. President Tenney asked him to help me get Greg discharged from the hospital, and then to drive us to our appointments this week. He has been so great. It has been wonderful getting to know him a little. He is in his 30s and has a sweet family with twin 7 year old girls and a 4 year old girl. He speaks very good English and we learned that he served a mission in England. He shared his conversion story with us one day, and it was such a sweet story I wanted to share it with you.
When he was 17 years old he had a strong desire to know the nature of God. He was raised Catholic. His uncle is a priest and an aunt is a nun. He said that one day he knelt down and prayed. He had never done this before. He wanted to know for sure that there was a god, and if so, what did he expect of him. I thought that was really rare for a 17 year old. Anyway, he got a very strong answer that God was indeed there and listening to him. So, he asked Him to tell him what to do. He actually heard a voice tell him, "This isn't the time, be patient."
A year later, on his 18th birthday, he was playing soccer in a field with his friends. He saw two young men in the distance watching them who were wearing white shirts and ties. He asked his friends, "Who are those guys over there?" One of his friends told him they were Mormons, and he should stay away from them. He told them they have multiple wives and don't eat meat, and you don't want anything to do with them. He heard the same voice he had heard a year ago say, "They are your answer, the time has come." Just then the two men turned and walked away. They walked a little ways, then one of them stopped and turned around. He later learned that the young elder had a strong impression to go back and talk to those boys playing soccer. When they came back they walked up to the boys and started talking to them. One of them had a Book of Mormon in his hand. Brother Campos was looking at it, and the same voice said, "That book is your answer." Just then the elder walked up to him and handed it to him, then walked away. He later asked the elder why he had singled him out to give the book. He said, "I just had the strongest impression that you were the one who was ready for it."
He took the book home and knew right away that it was true. Inside the cover was an address, so he decided to go there. It turned out to be a church building. The missionaries just happened to be there. They asked him if he was there for the English lessons, and he said, "No, I want to be baptized. Can you do it today?" You can imagine how shocked the missionaries must of been. They explained to him that he had to have 6 lessons first. He wanted to get started right away. So they taught him as fast as they could. He readily accepted every principle, and knew it was right.
They told him he had to attend at least one meeting before they could baptize him. He went to church that Sunday. It was fast and testimony meeting. Not knowing any differently, when the members started bearing their testimony, he went up as well, and bore his. You can imagine what surprise those missionaries felt. He was so prepared and ready to be baptized.
He told his parents, and of course, they were horrified. They tried everything they could think of to talk him out of it, but he was determined. He jumped in totally committed and was filled with great happiness. He told his parents that he wanted to serve a mission. They really panicked then. When he turned 19 he asked his Bishop if he could serve a mission. His Bishop thought he needed a little more experience in the church and made him wait until he was 20. He earned the money he needed while he was waiting, and completely supported himself for his two year mission. He loved every minute of it.
His parents are still unhappy about his membership, and his siblings and other relatives are as well. His uncle is a Catholic Priest, and an aunt is a nun. But he is a fireball. He is in our Ward, a High Priest, and a blessing to all. We are so impressed with him. We are also very grateful for all the help he has given us.
We are thankful to all of you who have been praying for us, and thinking of us. We love you all and pray for you as well.
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