We 3 Kings


We had heard that 3 Kings day (the day they celebrate the 3 wisemen finding the Savior) is a big deal here in Spain. They told us that there were going to be parades and that the main parade would start at the docks where a boat would come with the 3 kings on camels who would then parade through the city. We decided that since this would all happen on Sunday that we wouldn't go downtown looking for anything. Right after I had finished last week's blog entry, I heard some noise outside, looked out our window down to the street below, and saw that they were lining up for a parade. Brenda and I decided to go down and watch. We got a pretty good spot and stood there for quite a while until the parade kicked off, and got some photos of the fun. We couldn't stay until the end because we had a dinner appointment at the Larrosa's with several of the missionaries. It was a fun night. 

On Monday we knew we needed to hit things hard because we had 3 days to get 5 days worth of work done. The reason we only had 3 days was that the car coordinator needed our help. There were 3 cars that needed to be picked up in Madrid. So, he asked us if we could travel to Madrid with him and his wife, and drive one of the cars back to Barcelona. Brenda and I decided to stay overnight so that we could go to the Madrid Temple and then drive home the next day. We rode the high-speed train which reaches about 300 Km/hr which is close to 190 MPH! I was shocked at how smooth that train ride was. We reached Madrid in just over 2 hours, and were able to go to the car dealership to pick up two of the cars, and then go to the temple where the mission office for Madrid South is to pick up the 3rd car. The temple is beautiful. We then had enough time to eat something, and get back in time to go to our appointed sessions. The Hammonds just left to go back home. We were able to do two endowment sessions which was wonderful. Then to the Hotel, and up the next morning to go home.

Also this week we lost two of the office elders to transfers. Elder Garff, one of the assistants, went north, and Elder Gwilliam, our mission secretary, went south. It was almost like sending two of our sons off on their missions. The difference is that we may not ever see these two young men again. Elder Gwilliam is from Canada and Elder Garff is from California. Their replacements are here, and we are going to have fun getting to know them. I guess that we'll just have to get used to growing to love these kids just in time for them to leave us every few months as a pattern.

This coming week will be very interesting. After my little trip to the Emergency room a couple of weeks ago, I had hoped that I could just move on. However, the mission nurse, the area medical advisor, and President Heckmann had different ideas. President Heckmann is a Cardiologist and owns his own practice in Germany. His son is also a Cardiologist and is taking over the family business. He decided that I needed to fly to Germany to be evaluated by his son, and have a full cardiovascular workup done. So, he has arranged for us to fly to Stuttgart early Tuesday morning, rent a car and drive to Heidelberg, and spend the rest of the day being poked, prodded, tested, radiated, frustrated, evaluated, and any other "-ed" they can think of. We then stay at his house for the night, and return super early the next morning. I have no idea what, if anything, they will find. However, I have been pondering just how involved the Lord has been in my life and how willing He is to arrange the cosmos for my benefit. He called me through a prophet, seer, and revelator to this mission which "just happens" to be run by an amazing mission president who "just happens" to be a cardiologist with his own practice who just happens to have a son who is also a cardiologist who is willing to arrange having all the tests done. He did all of this knowing that I would be in this situation now. If this doesn't count as "Tender Mercies of the Lord", I don't know what would! The older I get, and the more experiences I have, the more I can see His hand in my life. It's wonderful, humbling, amazing, and unbelievable, but it's all real. Heavenly Father knows each one of us, and is there in each of our lives. If we will just look for Him, we will find Him and recognize His loving arms around us!

2025 is certainly off to an interesting start for us! We hope it will be an amazing year for each and every one of you too. We love you all.


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