Piso Checks, IKEA Safari's, and MAV Madness

This last week was as busy as always. Monday and Tuesday President and Sister Heckmann were in Madrid. It gave a chance to catch up a bit, but we had the added drama of trying to close a deal on a new Piso in Viladecans. It went back and forth between the company that represents us and the owner's lawyers, and finally closed. The elders were happy because they have been living with other missionaries and if you have 6 missionaries in one apartment with only one bathroom, things get a little bit crowded! The preparations for the new mission split has us at 160 missionaries so it feels a little like sardines in some pisos. 

Once President and Sister Heckmann got back from Madrid they started doing the interviews. They brought missionaries from around Barcelona into the office so that President could be a little more efficient, but it's still quite the process. I can't get over how hard it must be to be him. It's ok to be up to your ears in alligators every so often, but he is there 24/7/365. The poor guy doesn't get a chance to breathe. With all of the hussle and bussle in the office, we almost forgot that Luisa (a recent convert) wanted to cook lunch for the district. She came and cooked a nice meal, and we were invited as well. 

On Thursday we went to do some "piso checks". We rode the Metro around Barcelona. Overall, they were all right. So, Hermana Musser rewarded them with chocolate, which they always love! It is fun to see these kids learning "adulting" skills while they are out serving the Lord. It just impresses me even more that the Lord knows what He is doing. Missionary service really is the "MTC" for the rest of their lives. They grow in every aspect of their lives. It is just an awesome thing to watch.

Of course with the new piso in Viladecans, we had to furnish it. That means a trip to IKEA with the MAV (Mission Assault Vehicle). I really do NOT like driving that beast! Like Hagrid in the Harry Potter series, the MAV just seems "too big to be allowed". Add that to the fact that I would rather slide down a razor blade into a vat of lemon juice than go to IKEA, and it made for a really "fun" day. After getting everything loaded into the MAV, we drove to Viladecans which is about 25 minutes away. Getting there wasn't the problem; PARKING was. The parking spaces, when you can find them, are about the right size for a Tiny-Tots pedal car, most certainly NOT for a big American 9-passenger van. We were very fortunate that we were able to get within a little over a block away from the Elder's new digs. Fortunately, we had two young backs to help us schlep all the furnishings to their apartment. They will have fun with the IKEA "adult legos". 

After all of that, we were about spent. However, we were driving the new MAV which happens to be a "plug-in hybrid". We normally park the MAV in a parking garage across the street from the mission home. But, since we just had a plug installed for the Mini-MAV in the parking garage under the mission home, I had the bright idea to take turns charging the MAV and the Mini-MAV so we could save overall on fuel. So, I tried to drive the MAV into our spot. I figured that getting around the corners and missing the pillars could be done with a lot of finesse. What I didn't think about was how tall that beast is! Turns out as I was making the last turn in the labyrinth to get to our parking place, I "felt" the ceiling! NOT GOOD. I had to very carefully back my way around all the turns and corners to get out of there. I was very lucky that a kind neighbor saw my plight and offered to get in the van to weigh it down a little and his son and my sweetheart helped direct me out. I was also very fortunate that the ceiling was just sheetrock there, so the scrape is barely visible, and that it is only visible when seen from above. The MAV is tall enough that a normal person will never see it! That still doesn't save me from having to report the "incident" tomorrow. Needless to say, our new "plug-in hybrid" will probably never actually be plugged in unless we find a public plug-in station somewhere.

We did get to have a little bit of fun though. Elder Bernabeu, one of the assistants, celebrated his 2-year anniversary here because he extended for one transfer. I had to make him a balloon hat to celebrate. We also had Elder Palmer's birthday to celebrate as well, which required a balloon hat as well. He was funny and wanted to wear that dumb thing for the rest of the afternoon. President came into the office, and wanted to try on one of them. He is a great sport, and the missionaries absolutely love him for it.

In this week's Come Follow Me reading, the scripture in D&C 130:2 jumped out at me. When I think about Heaven, I don't think about pearly gates, streets paved in gold, or mansions. I think about my loved ones. Heaven would never be Heaven to me if I were not able to count on having my Sweetheart, and the rest of my family by my side. The restored Gospel, and modern day revelations give us that beautiful doctrine that the same sociality that we enjoy here will continue there. My family can be an eternal unit because of Temple covenants and priesthood ordinances. That doctrine is absolutely unique to us, and yet it is something that everyone in the world yearns for. That is why missionary work is so vital to Heavenly Father's plan. We were able to attend a baptism of a woman who's husband recently returned to activity in the church. They will now be working toward making their family relationship a forever one. What hope and what joy can we have as we recognize these magnificent doctrines in our lives!

All that being said we look forward to being forever friends and family! The Gospel is true, and that is a marvelous thing. We love you all billions!

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