My Companion is awesome. He has his quirks, as I told you guys before, but those quirks are very similar to Porter's quirks. Which means, Elder L and I are best friends now. We are always laughing and having a good time, without losing our focus on the work. He is super easy to get along with, and we are teaching really well together.
Some comments about Spain.
We speak in tú and vosotros. Probably the only Spanish speaking mission in the world (excepting the Barcelona and Madrid missions) that speaks informally. Apparently, it is really rude and avoided in South America to use that form of speaking. However, everybody here uses it. I could walk up to an old lady that I don't know, and start speaking "tú" to her, and she wouldn't blink twice. However, if I did that in south america, I have been told by other missionaries that I would probably get slapped in the face. It is just a Spanish thing.
We have had a good Week here in Torrevieja. We had a goal as a mission, to find 800+ new investigators this week. Our previous record was 558 in one week, and before that, 234. With much fasting, prayer, and pounding the pavement, we managed to achieve our goal. As a mission we found 847 new people that the Lord had prepared to hear his word. We call this last week, "Miracle Week", because that is what it is.
Holy Frijoli batman. Time is flying by. Tomorrow is 5 months for me. I can't believe it has been that long. And the end of the year is coming up. That means that I am about to start the first calendar year completely away from home. That is crazy. My testimony has grown, and I have become a different person. I am trying to become a consecrated missionary, and give my all to the service of the Lord.
I think I have another idea of what I want to do after the mission (but that will never come). I enjoy taking a Book of Mormon in lots of different languages, and reading it alongside the spanish. While I don't understand the vocabulary, I see the patterns in the languages. How they are constructed, why they are. I think I may study languages. That would be sweet. And things that I didn't understand a year ago in my German class just clicked for me this week. And I haven't studied German in a year. Spanish is rolling along for me too. I'm not fluent, as was my goal, but I understand almost everything people say, and I speak without having to translate in my head. (Alma 26:11-12)
Investigators are progressing. Kind of... F and L have a date to get married... In February. I feel like I will be leaving at the end of this transfer... Which is the first week of January:( That breaks my heart that I won't see her get baptized, but the important thing is that she will get baptized, sooner or later.
We have had the opportunity to see people's lives change, and watch them develop their faith, repent, and progress towards baptism. It truly is an honor to get to be here.
Os quiero mucho
Elder Oliver
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