And the Temple is Open...

My dearly beloved family... and friends!

Ok ok ok the temple finally open we got to go this morning!!!!!! :):):) OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS IT IS SOOOOO PRETTYYY!!!!!!!! ...and because the majority of us speak English the session was in English!! The blessings just keep coming!!

So this week I have come to the conclusion that the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He called me to the Spain MTC. Let me tell you why:

1) The Park. :) So after a whole week of classes and language study I´m just about ready to get out of the MTC and experience some real people. Luckily here in Spain I can do just that!!  We hop on the metro and talk to everyone!!  It is a really good reminder each week that this work is about people and helping them receive the joy that comes from this gospel.  I love it.  I love talking to people. haha  I just wish I knew what they were saying back to me... ;)

2) The teachers... I don´t know how I lucked out, but these are the best teachers I´ve ever had in my entire life.  They truly care about me and do everything to help us learn what we need to learn to be the missionaries we need to be.  (Nick you better be this good, because it seriously makes all the difference)! One day this week my teacher came up to me and just gave me a big hug (ahhh how cute is that!!!) and just said some very inspired things.  Most of the workers here are converts so it is really cool to hear their stories and their perspectives on missionary work.  I love all of my teachers.  It is good to know that I have people here that are looking out for me.

3)President and Sister Sitterud.  I love them!  President Sitterud looks like President Monson, sounds like President Monson, and is just about as inspirational!  Every time he opens his mouth I want to be a better person/missionary.  And Sister Sitterud comes to tell us bedtime stories and sings us lullabies at night. LOVE THEM!!!

 
Anywho... basically all the days are exactly the same: breakfast, personal study, companion study, grammar, teaching lesson, teach investigator, lunch, grammar, language study, spiritual lesson, physical activity, dinner, language study, teach investigator.

So I love any day that is a little bit different :) haha,  Sundays-Saturdays are golden!!  This Sunday we watched the Jospeh Smith Restoration movie.  President told us at the beginning that we would have feelings about this movie as a set apart missionary that we had never experienced before.  It was true.  The spirit was so strong and it was so motivational to go share this amazing message.  One part that really hit home was when Joseph´s brother is on his deathbed... he tells Joseph to ´do everything to obtain the record... everything´  As a missionary it is my job to do EVERYTHING to share the record... God has provided a way and prepared the people... now I just need to learn Spanish... haha ¨shall I not go forth in so great a cause?¨

 
...and apparently I can do it on facebook now... haha say what?!?!?!

My district: 4 hermanas, 4 elders:  Hermanas Mather, Heims, Nydegger, me. Elders Holt, Benton, Franklyn, Dunn. They are great. I really just love them so much!!  I didn´t expect to grow so close to my district.

Honestly that´s all that happened this week,. but last Thursday we went to the center of Madrid!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH I´M SO OBSESSED WITH IT!!! So on our p-days we´re allowed to go on excursions :) (yet another blesssing of this beautiful MTC) (today we´re going to the Prado... and admission is free today. haha we must be living right or something ...)  

Ok Madrid! . I´m in Europe, it´s official.. shout out to Tessa Ruth Barlow... I felt like I was staring at your architecture wall.  you would absolutely love this!!!! I don´t even know where to start in describing this.

My personal favorite was when we visited the royal palace... we got there right at the changing of the guards.  :) Then behind the palace there is this garden maze... ok ok ok I did not believe these even existed except for in those super great cheesy chickflicks.  It was a maze, made out of bushes with fountains and flowers interspersed throughout.  So we´re just walking through the maze with a perfect view of the palace and to top it all off there was accordian-piano music playing in the background. haha   This is not real life.

Also I found out later that the maze was the location where missionary work for Spain was dedicated.  Kind of a cool tidbit of knowledge. I don´t blame them for choosing there... beautiful. breathtaking.  I really want to witness a proposal there... that would be epic. haha

I love it, I love you!!! Just love love love all the way around....hmmmm yup that´s all I got!

Hermana Fowers

Pic 1 - My view of the temple...not too shabby aye?
Pic 2 - The temple is open!
Pic 3 - The Royal Palace
Pic 4 - The Royal Palace gardens
Pic 5 - Me and my comp Hermana Nydegger
Pic 6 - Me and the Hermanas in my districts (Hermana Heims, Hermana Mathers, Me and Hermana Nydegger