Hey guys! Not much has happened - just a lot of little funny things. I wrote you guys on Wednesday. On Thursday we had district meeting and we made some arepas. They were good. The sisters told us to bring stuff for ourselves to put in the arepas but what happened is the sisters forgot to bring stuff. The other elders brought hot dogs, so we shared our stuff. Then we got back and barely made in time to the branch family home evening and the branch council meeting. I shared the movie “Only a Stone Cutter” and talked about how there is always a way to keep the commandments of God. The members liked it.
Friday we did weekly planning and then we went out to pass by some less active members that we don't know. None of them were home. Then we went to the church to apply for a discount card for the bus to Madrid because we spend a lot going and coming. Every trip is 16 euros. I needed a scan of my residency card but it was too late to go get one. So, we packed up our stuff. The branch secretary came in and asked us to help him clean the chapel, so we did and then he took us to Telepizza. It is kind of gross, normally, but the pizza he got wasn't bad. Domino's pizza is still the best pizza here in Spain (well, fast food pizza. The Italian restaurants' pizza here are way better). Then we headed home.
Saturday we got up, did our studies and then we went to scan my residency card. We got the paperwork filled out for the discount bus card. Now I just have to wait 15 days and then pay 40 euros every month and I get a trip to Madrid and back every day. Much cheaper and just paying once is so much easier. Then we went to talk with some people and ran into a less active in the street. So, we helped her with her bags all the way across town to her piso. Then she invited us over on Wednesday at 4 to come visit her and her granddaughter who is 20 and doesn't believe in god. She told us that we have to help her granddaughter, so that she believes in god. It kind of seemed like, “Make her believe or I'll...” sort of thing.
Then we ate lunch and then visited Yunior and Esteban. They are crazy together! It was hard to keep them on topic and to get them to stop messing around. I imagine that this is how it must of been for all my church leaders when Gubby and I were together, lol. Then we meet with Guillermo and his mom and shared a conference talk from 2013, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It talks about joining the church for the first time or coming back. It's a really good talk, but Guillermo still needs time. He is starting to want to come back but is worried and pushing it off a bit. We'll keep going with him. Then we headed over to the church to watch the Saturday morning session at 6pm. However, the members couldn't get the computer to work. So we went to go buy a converter for my iPad, but all the shops were closed so we missed it. Then we met with Pancho and talked about the Word of Wisdom. He isn't smoking and he's not drinking anymore, but he won't give up decaffeinated coffee. We talked about the blessings the he would get, but he told us how he had to get up every morning at 4 to get to work on time and that he needed it. We reminded him that it's just a drink and that there is no caffeine in it. He told us how much he liked it and didn't like any other drink. We just told him that cup of coffee is one of the last few things holding him back from his salvation and from his sealing to his family. We testified of the importance of those things and invited him to throw it away. We told him to drink hot chocolate or something like that. We will have to do some follow up with him. Then we headed home because the Saturday evening session starts at 10:00 when we have to be in piso.
Sunday we came over to the church and set up in the branch president's office so the members could watch conference. Thankfully, we don't have a lot of members, so they all fit. But, there wasn't room for us, so we went and watched it in English in another room. Then we camped out and watched the priesthood session and Saturday morning session, since we had missed it. Then we ran over to the branch grandparent's house (a couple that are 80 some odd years old and have been members for 25 years and are the almost the first to be baptized in Segovia) and shared the area plan with them. Then we ran back so we could watch one more session, the Sunday morning one, and then headed home.
Today we went a bought a bunch of food, a microwave and a sandwich press. Also, we cleaned the piso so it is nice and organized.
Well, that's all I've got for you guys. Oh we also bought 8 kilos of strawberries, aka 20 pounds, because they were 3 euros for 2 kilos. So we bought a lot and froze them to make smoothies. Also, I forgot my password and reset my iPad, so I lost my photo of this week. The rest of my photos were on my iCloud, so I'm all good. But, yeah, sorry no photos this week.
Well, that was more that I thought I had to say, but have a great week!
Elder Craig MacKay
From the great city of Segovia
Friday we did weekly planning and then we went out to pass by some less active members that we don't know. None of them were home. Then we went to the church to apply for a discount card for the bus to Madrid because we spend a lot going and coming. Every trip is 16 euros. I needed a scan of my residency card but it was too late to go get one. So, we packed up our stuff. The branch secretary came in and asked us to help him clean the chapel, so we did and then he took us to Telepizza. It is kind of gross, normally, but the pizza he got wasn't bad. Domino's pizza is still the best pizza here in Spain (well, fast food pizza. The Italian restaurants' pizza here are way better). Then we headed home.
Saturday we got up, did our studies and then we went to scan my residency card. We got the paperwork filled out for the discount bus card. Now I just have to wait 15 days and then pay 40 euros every month and I get a trip to Madrid and back every day. Much cheaper and just paying once is so much easier. Then we went to talk with some people and ran into a less active in the street. So, we helped her with her bags all the way across town to her piso. Then she invited us over on Wednesday at 4 to come visit her and her granddaughter who is 20 and doesn't believe in god. She told us that we have to help her granddaughter, so that she believes in god. It kind of seemed like, “Make her believe or I'll...” sort of thing.
Then we ate lunch and then visited Yunior and Esteban. They are crazy together! It was hard to keep them on topic and to get them to stop messing around. I imagine that this is how it must of been for all my church leaders when Gubby and I were together, lol. Then we meet with Guillermo and his mom and shared a conference talk from 2013, by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It talks about joining the church for the first time or coming back. It's a really good talk, but Guillermo still needs time. He is starting to want to come back but is worried and pushing it off a bit. We'll keep going with him. Then we headed over to the church to watch the Saturday morning session at 6pm. However, the members couldn't get the computer to work. So we went to go buy a converter for my iPad, but all the shops were closed so we missed it. Then we met with Pancho and talked about the Word of Wisdom. He isn't smoking and he's not drinking anymore, but he won't give up decaffeinated coffee. We talked about the blessings the he would get, but he told us how he had to get up every morning at 4 to get to work on time and that he needed it. We reminded him that it's just a drink and that there is no caffeine in it. He told us how much he liked it and didn't like any other drink. We just told him that cup of coffee is one of the last few things holding him back from his salvation and from his sealing to his family. We testified of the importance of those things and invited him to throw it away. We told him to drink hot chocolate or something like that. We will have to do some follow up with him. Then we headed home because the Saturday evening session starts at 10:00 when we have to be in piso.
Sunday we came over to the church and set up in the branch president's office so the members could watch conference. Thankfully, we don't have a lot of members, so they all fit. But, there wasn't room for us, so we went and watched it in English in another room. Then we camped out and watched the priesthood session and Saturday morning session, since we had missed it. Then we ran over to the branch grandparent's house (a couple that are 80 some odd years old and have been members for 25 years and are the almost the first to be baptized in Segovia) and shared the area plan with them. Then we ran back so we could watch one more session, the Sunday morning one, and then headed home.
Today we went a bought a bunch of food, a microwave and a sandwich press. Also, we cleaned the piso so it is nice and organized.
Well, that's all I've got for you guys. Oh we also bought 8 kilos of strawberries, aka 20 pounds, because they were 3 euros for 2 kilos. So we bought a lot and froze them to make smoothies. Also, I forgot my password and reset my iPad, so I lost my photo of this week. The rest of my photos were on my iCloud, so I'm all good. But, yeah, sorry no photos this week.
Well, that was more that I thought I had to say, but have a great week!
Elder Craig MacKay
From the great city of Segovia