Valencia Adventure
When we first got to Spain, I had heard about a wonderful dish called paella. I asked the elders in the office where I could get a paella. The answer was one word "Valencia". I said "Valencia is 4 hours away. Where can I get a good paella here?" Again, they said "Valencia". We have been hearing about Valencia ever since, and were excited when we were presented with the opportunity to take a bunch of equipment down to Valencia for the Christmas concert that the missionaries put on there. We took Elder Reid (the senior missionary who knows a lot about sound systems) and President Heckmann with us. The plan originally was for us to borrow the sound equipment from the Barcelona stake. However, they decided not to loan out their equipment for fear that it would get damaged somehow. Elder Reid flew in from the Islands (he came to run the sound for the concerts). We tried to find somewhere in Barcelona where we could pick up what we needed, but there just wasn't anywhere to get it that day. So, he did some checking and found a store in Valencia where we could pick it up. So, we drove the 4 hours and went directly to the music store to get the equipment. They had everything we needed, and we were then able to go to the Johnson couple's home where we would be staying for a couple of nights. They live in a high-rise in the modern section of Valencia, and their piso is REALLY nice. The next morning Elder Reid and President Heckmann went to the church, and we were able to go with the Johnsons to explore Valencia.
What a wonderful day! We first went to the historic area of Valencia. We visited a building called the Silk Exchange which was a building used as a trading place for high end goods shipped in and out of Valencia. It was also a seat of government. What made it special was the architecture and the intricate craftsmanship needed to build it. Especially considering that it is over 500 years old. We also visited a ceramic museum that is in what used to be a palace. The venue was more amazing than the things on display, but they were amazing too. We also visited some Roman ruins that have been discovered and excavated. Then there was a huge marketplace that was designed by the same guy that built the Eifel Tower.
After the old section of Valencia we visited some of the amazing modern buildings. There is an opera house, a special concert hall, a science museum, an aquarium, a botanical garden, and a bridge that is made to look like a giant harp. There is also an incredible park that is located in what used to be a river. They rerouted the river to bypass Valencia to prevent devastating floods. The river bed was then turned into about 5 miles of incredible public space. There must be an army of grounds-keepers to keep it up. It is truly beautiful.
That night was the concert. These missionaries are absolutely amazing. This wasn't just a bunch of young people putting on a road show or something. There are some incredible musicians and singers in this mission. It was all focussed on Christmas and The Savior, and it was great. On Saturday they came up to Barcelona and put it on again here. They will be doing it again in Tarragona tonight. We didn't get to go there, but we would have loved to. It would have been the 3rd time in one week, and the fact that we would have enjoyed going again goes to show how good it was.
Even though we will have a ton of work waiting for us on Monday, the only regrets we have about going to Valencia are that we didn't get a chance to eat paella, and we didn't have nearly enough time to explore it. We truly loved what time we had there, and the overall vibe of the city is much different than Barcelona. I could easily see myself living there. It's a great place.
To cap off our week, we went to church today. It was fast Sunday, and as usual here there wasn't a wasted minute in the meeting. Before the bishop sat down after bearing his testimony, there were 4 people on the stand waiting their turn. The Saints here are wonderful. In Sunday School, the lesson was on the Come Follow Me reading for the week. I believe that the messages from D&C 137 and 138 are some of the most important truths that have been revealed to us. The fact that Heavenly Father has made arrangements for giving an equal opportunity to choose Him to every one of His children is wonderful. We often hear talk about everyone getting a chance to accept or reject the Gospel. The Gospel Doctrine teacher made a great point. He asked "if the missionaries teach a couple of lessons to someone, and they choose not to be baptized, is that their shot at accepting or rejecting the Gospel?" The answer is no because they didn't reject the Gospel, they rejected an invitation. In that scenario, they have no idea what they are rejecting. There is such a simple beauty to the Gospel plan!
We hope that you truly enjoy this Christmas Season, and that you truly feel the joy of the Gospel. Here is a link to a video that I just love. Click Here.
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