So, what is our job? We are here to work with the branch, and regain their trust. Stupid choices made by jack-missionaries aren't going to stop us from baptizing in this area. We are going to find. We are going to teach. We are going to baptize. A lot.
This week has been a really good week. We have taught more lessons than in past weeks, and we have served a lot of people. A LOT. Every day of last week we spent a few hours working with people to help them in their times of need. We met a cool guy who hadn't come to church in 20 years. Now he is one of the most active members of the branch, and he is super excited about everything. He is golden!
We have grown a lot as a district lately. The 4 of us are all super tight, and we are working our booties off to lift this place up. Today we went to Gibraltar. We went on a tour and saw some monkeys! One of them grabbed my sleeve as I was walking past and totally scared the bejeebers out of me. Then he got in a fight with a bigger monkey and they were hissing and howling, and then he ran away. Pictures will come next week. (Learn more about Gibraltar here or here.)
Gibraltarians have a strange accent. They speak like Brits, but anytime they say a word with an 's' that makes the 'zz' sound, they say it with a 'th' Thirty thouthand. It is English with an Andaluz accent. Quite comical, actually.
Speaking of speaking, we learned a new phrase this week. I was looking through my dictionary, and saw 'drop-dead gorgeous' under the english word 'train'. I was a little taken aback, so I looked again, and the phrase 'estar como un tren' means 'to be drop dead gorgeous', or literally, to be like a train. Upon discovering it, I turned to Elder Dansie and whispered to him, 'Tú estás cómo un tren'. This would have been perfectly fine had it been just a group of elders, but we were in a meeting with our branch president, and he overheard me say that. He was a little weirded out to say the least.
My studying and journal writing has become more consistent this week. We have learned a lot about the gospel, and my testimony of the Atonement of Christ is growing stronger each day. As we serve and help these people, I understand more the words of Christ when he says 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Really, serve those that you can. You will be edified, and you will find strength to do more as you strive to help the helpless.
I love it here. We have traveled to Cádiz 3 times this week for Stake conference and for training meetings, and I have decided that the land in between Algeciras and Cádiz is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is breathtaking. Keep in mind, Algeciras isn't very pretty, but the green covered mountains, the rolling, flowered hills, and the newly rained on forest glistening in the sunlight really made me fall in love. I don't ever want to leave here. Sorry, I am never coming home.
I love you guys so much, and congratulations to all you who have just received a call to work in the service of the Lord. You will have the best years of your life out there.
Os quiero mucho!
Elder Oliver
(Hayden didn't send us any pictures this week, so I found a few on Google Images to share instead to make this post more fun. Enjoy! He said he'll send pictures next week.)
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