Here are some more details for this week:
Monday was P-day, and we went shopping. Then, we went to the mall and ate subway and KFC. It was good, but it was lacking freedom and bald eagles. Then we went and chilled with the office elders for a while, tried to call all of our references, but nobody answered.
Tuesday was 3 Kings day. It's when most Spaniards recieve their gifts for the holiday season. We spent our day delivering little stuffed animals that the Relief Society created to some of our friends in Marbella, and they loved it. M, an older Argentine woman invited us in (she was a less active rescue from about 4 months back) and said that she wanted to make us a little snack while her husband woke up (it was 1 in the afternoon). So, we sat there while she cooked and chatted with C for a while. She ended up bringing us empenadas, fried chicken, soup, and asked us a ton of weird questions (but that is not unusual) and my comp had to talk to a medical adviser in the Area Office for a while. So I was left alone to answer all the questions. What was supposed to be a 5 minute drop off/happy 3 kings day kind of thing turned into a 3 hour long meal/weird doctrinal questions/her telling us about everything that was going on in other people's lives. That night, we went to Puerto Banús. We weren't allowed to proselyte much that night, so we walked down the Port road and saw lots of Ferraris again. It was a good day.
Wednesday, we had also delivered one to D and L, the Bulgarian family. We stopped by their house and shared a quick message, and as we left I heard L in the back room almost squealing with joy and saying over and over again, ''I love it! I love it!'' It's my new best friend!'' (the stuffed animal thing). It really made my heart melt. So much so, that I just wanted to go and give her all the rest of the pillow things. I guess when you only get one present for Christmas, you are really grateful for that one present.
Thursday were supposed to do weekly planning, which is usually what we do on Thursdays, but my comp was suffering from a pretty strong migrane, so he slept the entire morning. I just started to read in Spanish, and by the end of the day, I had read about 300 pages of assorted spanish stuff (scripture, study guides, classic spanish literature and poetry, etc.) My reading skills have definitely sharpened up again. And my poor dictionary has taken a beating.
Friday we had a bad day. We were at the doctor's all morning, and from a neurological standpoint, my comp is totally healthy. So, all the tests and stuff were inconclusive. We missed our zone conference, and then drove out to eat at the buffet with the zone (I'm sure they were thinking, ''where in the world were those Marbella Elders''). Later we went back to the hospital, got a really fun biology/ Elder Moore's Brain anatomy lesson, and we totally got rejected by one of the doctors (when we tried to share the gospel). Later that night, we only taught one lesson to some members, but the 12 year old kid let us fly his cool rc helicopter. I got it to do some flips in the air, but then I almost lost control while it was up high, so I handed it back to him. I didn't want to repeat that one christmas 5-6 years ago with the air hog, haha. Then, we went home to sleep.
Saturday we hunted down some more references, but to no avail. We have no idea where this one lady's house is. So, then my comp called home to council with his family about what to do.
Sunday was decision day. After much prayer and fasting, Elder Moore has decided to go home. We have been weighing everything on both sides of staying or going, and he feels that he will be better off posponing his service and devoting his time to getting healthy. He is a good kid, and I know he made the right decision.
We'll see where the Lord wants him to go in due time. Whether he can come back to Spain, serve somewhere else, or work as a missionary in some other capacity. He is a great missionary. He has been unfairly targeted by illness and bad health, but hopefully he knows that he has had an impact on the lives of many people here in Marbella, and on my own.
I hope that this shed a little more light on how things are going here in Marbella. There is a chance that I stay another transfer here, because Elder Moore is leaving, but if not, pray that the new missionaries here will be able to help it progress better than I was.
I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and your faith.
¡Os quiero mucho!
Elder Oliver
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