Toledo

So far Toledo is my favorite city.  It is first mentioned in written history 2000 years ago.  The narrow streets that curve and wind through the city reminds me a lot of Jerusalem.  There is even a Jewish quarter.  You can see the influence of each occupying culture.  The Romans and the Moors left their mark that remains today.  The view of the city from the surrounding hills even reminds me of Jerusalem.  

Our friends, Miguel and Marina Becerril, invited us to see the city with them.  They live in Alcala, that cute city with all the storks and the home of Cervantes.  He is the church employee that handles the residency cards of the missionaries, and also the one who took me gliding.  He picked us up and drove us to Toledo and had a nice day all planned out.

Toledo is another walled city.  No surprise there.  It was very impressive driving up to it.  

This was the day that my Canon finally bit the dust.  It had been giving me trouble for a while and my pictures just weren't turning out well (bad color, lots of blurry pictures, and slow to take.) Luckily, I had my phone with me, so all these pictures were taken with my iPhone.  I also haven't been able to figure out how to get my pictures in any kind of order.  This post has over 100 pictures, and is for my records.

I think this is from the cathedral.

This is the Alcazar (castle).

Don Quijote is loved everywhere.

Everywhere we go, there he is.

Sancho Panza 

The Alcazar

Miguel and Marina Becerril

Here he is again.

Narrow street leading to the cathedral.

The cathedral on the right.

The cathedral has several entrances, and this is just one of them.

This cathedral has more stained glass than any I've seen.

The choir seats are incredible.

A panorama shot of the choir.

The High Altar

This was so spectacular and my little camera just couldn't capture it.

The cathedral also has rooms displaying the great works of famous Spanish artists.  This hall has the works of El Greco, who painted the picture at the end of the hall specifically for this spot in the cathedral.

El Greco

These treasures are also in the cathedral.

A replica of an illuminated Bible.

The Cloisters

These frescos were discovered when doing some repairs on the cathedral after the civil war.

A view from the cloisters across the inner courtyard to the bell tower.  It is said that when this enormous bell rang for the first time it broke all the windows in the town and hasn't been rung since.

This old cart was inside the cloister and was made to carry heavy loads across cobblestone streets.

This bridge is for the Bishop to cross from the cathedral to his home across the street.

I think this was the home of El Greco.  We didn't have the time to investigate,
but will do so on our next trip there.  You can see the Arab influence.

One of the gates into the city.

View from the hill outside the city.

We had lunch with this view.

Another gate way into the city

Above the gateway, is a shrine to the Virgin Mary, but she is black.  I have no idea why.

It was such an amazing day and we can't wait to go back and see more.  It is just about an hours drive from Madrid, and quicker on the train.  This is also where the armor and sword factory is located and we will no doubt be adding to Greg's collection in Toledo when we go back.

El Escorial

I am going to try and catch up on the places we have visited this summer.  El Escorial is what I am featuring in this post.  It is an old monastery about 50 miles outside of Madrid.  Emperor Charles V of Spain and his family loved to come here in the 1500s.  But when they brought their entourage the monks had a hard time housing them all. Charles' son, Philip II ( married to Mary Tudor of England until her death) now king of Spain, built onto the monastery with "royal apartments," a Basilica, an amazing library, and much more. It became the burial site for the Spanish monarchs.  There is an incredible marble and bronze pantheon that houses the caskets of the kings and queens and the infantes, who are the off-spring of the kings and queens who die without inheriting the throne. It goes on and on forever and is spectacular. 

This is a view from our hotel room.

This is the room we stayed in and is called "The Four Wives Room" and has the pictures of wives of Philip II, starting with Mary Tudor.  Philip is on the bathroom door.

It is a very picturesque town.

The palace/monastery is surrounded by these brick buildings that have been used  for monks, priests, barracks and who knows what, but are now government offices.  They all have bridges that connect them to each other.  There were also underground tunnels so the elites could go back and forth to the Basilica and town without suffering the weather.

El Escorial

A very impressive sight.

Something about it reminded me of Red Square in Moscow.

The entrance.

An interior courtyard,

One of the bell towers.

To the right is the monastery and you can see more of the brick buildings ahead and to the left.

Another bridge.

A very grand inside courtyard.

The town had so many of the streets lined with cute outdoor cafes.

An interesting fountain near a cafe.

The Spanish version of the Pied Piper.

This is the Royal Carriage Museum.

This is the lady that haunts the building.

This is how royals were transported when they didn't trust the horses.
It's a sedan chair that is carried by men.

This was our hotel.  It over looked a charming square, and had a good view of El Escorial.

These are the views from our room.

These next two guys were in the carriage museum.

This is a picture on tile of El Escorial.

This is a model of one of the streets and sits in the bus station.

It was another glorious day and a half exploring the surrounding areas of Madrid.

Three Months Have Come and Gone

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.

We Had a Bad Day!

Yesterday was a day from H-E-double hockey sticks!  Greg and I both went to the temple early in the morning looking forward to another great day.  I was the ayudante in the 9:00 am session. The temple was so busy. We had too many people for the 8:00 session, so they had to split it and make an 8:30 session.  So the 9:00 started about 20 minutes late.  Inside the session things just kept going wrong.  I had to leave the room 4 different times to help people, or get help.  Then a woman had a terrible seizure.  We had to call for help, and they were there almost immediately. It really shook everyone up.  Her friends were crying, and it was hard to settle everyone down.  

Then someone opened the door and motioned for me to come out and another woman came in to take my place. I had no idea what would prompt that. When I got out in the hall one of our friends was there, and said I needed to come with him because Greg was sick.  They have a nice little emergency medical place down in the basement.  

It turned out that Greg's morning hadn't gone very well either.  Because of how busy we were, and the extra session, Greg had been running here and there trying to make things work.  He sat down in the vail waiting room for a moment.  One of our friends saw him and said he was soaking wet and white as a ghost.  Greg told him he had a bad pain in his chest and down his arm.  Our friend, Bill Zundell, insisted that he go downstairs and have his blood pressure checked and his blood sugar.  He did and they couldn't see a real problem, but one look at him said he was in big trouble.  They called an ambulance, and that was when they came for me.  

Bill gave him a very sweet blessing, and then he was taken to the hospital. I wasn't able to ride with him, so our friends, the Hawkins, came with me in a cab.  The cab driver told us that the hospital we were going to was the best hospital in the city, if not all of Spain.  He said it was the oldest hospital also, but they had the best equipment and best doctors.  As it turned out, it's a teaching hospital, and has excellent care.  

When we arrived we were told that Greg had a heart attack. Greg thinks it actually happened in the ambulance. We were told that they were taking him right into surgery where they would be putting in a stint. They said it should only take about 30 minutes.  

An hour and a half later, the doctor came to the waiting room.  Dave Hawkins was prepared to translate for me, but the doctor spoke very good English. He said that Greg had 3 of the 4 arteries blocked completely. They put 2 stints in at that time.  He said they would wait a couple of days and do the third.  I got to see him about an hour later.  

He looked like he had been pulled through a knot hole, but ever so much better than before. He was getting some color back, and feeling much better.  They only let me stay a few minutes. We went home, and then returned in the evening where I could stay for an hour.  

While I was there in the evening another cardiologist came in and said that we were very fortunate.  There was only minor damage done to his heart, and that they will do the other procedure on Monday.  We were told that if all goes well on Monday, he may be able to come home on Tuesday. They thought it would only be 2-4 weeks before he was back on his feet and good as new.  They also thought the damage would heal completely.  

Greg looked very good this afternoon.  He is in good spirits, and happy as can be that he's alive and doing well.  I can't even say how very blessed we feel.  We had planned to take a little trip up to the north coast as soon as we got out of the temple Saturday. If this had happened on the road and far from a hospital I have no doubt I would be a widow today.  Being in the temple, surrounded by strong priesthood holders, and close to the best cardiac unit around saved his life. 

 I am grateful beyond measure. I know, without doubt, that we are being watched over.  I have felt the love of God in a way I can't express in words.  All the temple missionaries joined in prayer last night for Greg, and have been very kind and helpful to me.  I don't feel alone at all. It looks like we will be able to remain here in Spain, which was Greg's biggest concern.  Life is so good!

On another note, Emily is finally out of the hospital. She seems to be doing well, but we had some scary news.  They ran a blood test on her that came back positive for cancer.  I am hoping and praying with all my heart that it is a false positive.  They are going to give her pancreas time to calm down, and then do an endoscopy.  If necessary they will do a biopsy.  I have faith that The Lord has the situation under control, but I would appreciate so much the prayers of everyone for Emily and her family.  

I think that is enough for one post.  I just want to say how much we love our family.  We miss you all, and pray for you daily.  Our testimonies grows constantly as we feel the spirit, and experience the miracles in our lives.  We love the temple so much.  We love the spirit we feel there.  We love the beautiful principles taught there.  We love to see the difference it makes in people's lives as they come to the temple weighed down with the cares of the world, and leave with big smiles, and a countenance of peace.  We love this gospel with all our hearts, and love our Heavenly Father, who is constantly looking out for our good.  Please take good care of yourselves. We would love to hear from you all by way of emails, letters, or phone calls. Squeeze all the kids for us!