Our Second Transfer Week!

 

This past week was pretty exciting. It was the second transfer week that we have participated in. We received 15 brand new missionaries. The excitement started on Tuesday. That is when the elders and sisters that went home arrived in the mission home. Our office space was cluttered with luggage, and missionaries as they waited their turn to have their exit interview with President Heckmann, and then waited to be able to eat dinner with the President and his Wife. It was fun to watch as they were preparing themselves for what comes next in their lives. The plan was that they would be taken to the Airport the next morning and dropped off while the new missionaries were going through customs and then be ready to be brought to the mission home. There are a few of them who are local, or who came on an earlier flight from the Brazil MTC. However, the best laid plans always seem to get disrupted. We had a notification that the incoming flight from the States was delayed for two hours, which meant that the outgoing flight was also delayed, since they would be getting on that same airplane as it was going to fly them back. That messed up all of the training schedules for the office staff, and for us and the vehicle coordinator. Through it all, we were able to pull it all together though. 

I was super impressed with our two young Assistants. They not only were able to adjust to having the schedule disrupted, but they also dealt with a flat tire on the mission van, an elder who missed his train, and in the middle of it all we got a phone call that two sisters had a car breakdown and the tow truck refused to take them with the car, so they were stranded on the roadside about 30 minutes from the mission home. Again, we got through it all and Brenda and I didn't get home until after 10. 

The story behind the car breaking down was that we had a sister who was new to driving and when they had gone to get gas, she put diesel fuel in instead of gasoline! By the way, that isn't recommended! The car is now in the shop where they're going to have to get all the fuel out, and clean all of the lines and filters. Hopefully, that is all they'll have to do. 

Getting through transfer week was stressful so we took it easy yesterday and just chilled most of the day. It was wonderful to talk to all of the kids at once over WhatsApp. Jared and his family had just got to Adam's house very late the night before. We know that they're all together today at Adam's house having a great time. We, of course, wish we could be there with them, but we know that we're where we need to be. 

Yesterday, we did walk to a big store that we had heard about which turned out to be the equivalent of a Nordstroms. We then went and ate out at our favorite little milanesa place. Today, I wanted to give Brenda a little bit of a break from cooking so I made my second attempt at cooking a paella. It turned out a little better than the last time, but no one will be asking me to cook at a Spanish restaurant anytime soon!

Overall the work is going forth, we're getting better at our jobs, and we're moving on to the excitement that the coming week will offer! One thing that we are going to start preparing for is the second week in November when Elder Soarez from the Quorum of the 12 will be here to give us a mission conference! There will be a ton of excitement as the entire mission will be here in Barcelona. We will be housing another couple in our apartment during his visit, and missionaries all over the city will be having other missionaries staying with them. There will be a lot of logistics to handle, and Brenda and I will be involved with a lot of it.

Today, I had a neat experience at church. We were sitting behind a little family with two children. The youngest looks to only be a few weeks old. The father was holding his precious little one while she was sleeping on his shoulder. He tenderly cuddled her, and was kissing her sweet little head while she slept. It brought to my mind the fact that our Heavenly Father loves us even more than this earthly father loves that precious little one. He desperately wants us all to come home to Him. That is why, as Elder Kearon said He is in "relentless pursuit of us." I hope that you can all feel His love for you, because I know that it's there, and that it's real.

Have a wonderful week!

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