We've Arrived

I don't know what Columbus said when he got off the ship for the first time in the New World, but I think when I first got off the plane (i.e. "ship"), I think it was something like, "Yea!, we're finally here!"
Going through customs was actually a breeze.  I was living in fear of it based on all the instructions and warnings we had received on what to pack, what NOT to pack, how to pack it, when to pack it, what to say to the customs officials if they asked any questions, etc., etc.  The reality was, we didn't even have to see or talk to any customs officials.  We just picked up our bags off the baggage return, stood in a very short line to get the stamps in our passports, pushed our luggage carts through the doors.....and just like that we were in Spain.  Of course the process of getting our residence status OK'd takes 3 more months, but it's nothing to worry about.  Just bureaucracy.  Same everywhere.  Maybe a little slower in Spain, but not much.  It's just that they're not quite as technologically advanced but the style of work looks and feels pretty much like a government official anywhere I've been in the world.
Our flight arrived 1 hour early because of a 130 mph tail wind.  Not bad.  But no one told President and Sister Jackson or the missionaries with the van, so we had to wait an hour in the airport lobby.  They were a welcome sight.  After a short ride, about 30 minutes, we arrived at the Mission Home where President and Sister Jackson reside.  It's probably the nicest residential area in all of Spain.  Antonio Balderos (or whatever his name is), "Zorro", has a home just down the street.  Of course in this area it's all gated and walled homes.  We had a little welcome greeting from the President and then were given and chance to rest up in some bedrooms (the mission home has about, I don't know, maybe 7-8 bedrooms) and then we were treated to a very nice meal.
Next we all piled into the cars and drove to the largest park in the city, called Retiro park.  Every Saturday the missionaries from the Madrid MTC go to the park for several hours to "practice" tracting, and then at 4 PM they gather at a large fountain near the center of the park and sing.  It's really a lot of fun and Vivienne and I joined in with them.  People gather around to watch and listen and the missionaries "meet and greet" and hand out copies of the Book of Mormon and pass-along cards.  It was interesting because in the Madrid MTC right now are 10 Italian and 5 Russian speaking missionaries.  No Spanish.  And few of them speak any Spanish.  So before they went to the park they got about 2 hours of Spanish.  It's amazing to see what happens.  One of the Russian Sisters managed to find people speaking Russian and gave away 2 copies of the Book of Mormon in Russian.  By the way, our missionary choir sounded awesome.  They were very happy to have 2 ex-members if the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with them (I was just going to type the initials, but realized that in the church, MTC means more than one thing)
Finally we arrived at Temple Square Madrid.  It's a "mini" Temple Square and what a wonderful sweet oasis it is!  We love it here.  There's a large stake center on the complex as well as the Missionary Training Center, a large Institute,  an employment office and Church distribution center.  The MTC takes up floors 4-6.  Floors 1-3 are housing and offices for the Temple and then the ground floor is reception, distribution center, employment office and entrance to Young Adult Center and Institute.
For Bishop Milne, I haven't found Daniel yet to convert him but I'm working on it.
Our calling has been changed; we're now in charge of Young Single Adults for the city, which has 3 stakes and about 1500 young single adults on the rolls.  Our job is to find them, feed them, fellowship them, get them on missions and then get them married in the temple.  Sort of like the old 3-F Club at our house, only now it's 5 nights a week instead of once a month.  We could use some help if anyone reading this is interested.  We've also been assigned to be part of the Church's employment center here in Madrid.  As you might know, the national unemployment rate in Madrid is over 25% right now, and among youth ages 18-30, it's actually over 50%.  It's really unbelievable.  I've never seen anything quite like it in my lifetime.  Challenging as it is, we need to find a way to make the youth more "employable" and teach them how to find decent jobs.We have loved our time staying at the Madrid MTC with these Italian and Russian missionaries.  They are really incredible young people; so dedicated to the Gospel.  Way ahead of where I was at their age. And I must say, in my opinion, ahead of many of the American missionaries we saw at the Provo MTC.

Waiting to meet with Dr. Lago, Honorary Spanish Consul, at UVU to get our visas.  

There were 50 visas that come through for Spain all at once.

 Dr. Lago.  Convert to the Church.  

Daughter currently in Provo MTC

Our plane out of Atlanta to Madrid

Finally on out way.  6 missionaries

Waiting at the airport

 President and Sister Jackson

Dynamoes

Dinner at Mission Home with Jacksons

At Retiro Park.  

Very large park with 

interesting landscape

 With Jay and Joan Sitterud, my old boss

at Beneficial Financial.

President of Madrid MTC

The Madrid Temple 

from our dormitory window

Overlooking part of Temple Square

from our dormitory

Are We There Yet???

That often repeated family phrase included in almost every family trip is ringing in my ears...."Are we there yet?"
We are on our 4th flight itinerary since last October.  If all goes well, we meet with the Spanish Consul tomorrow morning at 10:30 and finally get our visas and passports.  Church travel has booked us on a flight to Atlanta Friday morning and after a 4 hour layover, on straight to Madrid.
When one takes a minute to reflect on all the events that have occurred in our life since October it's easy to see this is the right time for us to be leaving for Spain.  The greatest thing is our improved Spanish.  And to be able to attend a family funeral (Carol DuBriell) and another of a close friend (Joyce Frederickson).  To be able to participate with the little Spanish Branch in Draper during their Christmas program and other holiday events and get to know them better.  To hear some life-changing devotional talks here at the MTC, among which were seminal talks by Elder Holland and Elder Bednar.  To be here at the same time as a close sister friend and offer some needed comfort.  And then to be able to say goodbye to so many wonderful people, once, twice, ten or maybe even 20 times!  Even when we had to leave our home when the Hofs moved in was not so bad.  Being housed at the Provo Marriott is very nice.  And we DO NOT miss the daily commute from Sandy .  Clean towels and sheets every day; the room is clean and picked up by someone else.  I'm going to miss it.
But every day I look at the weather in Madrid and a little part of me aches that I'm not there.  We've just lived through one of the coldest Januarys on record in Salt Lake City.  The average monthly HIGH has been 24 degrees, and it has averaged around 0 degrees overnight nearly all month.  But the real bummer has been the "sludge" we have had to breathe in the never-ending inversion layer.  Meantime the average daily temperature in Madrid has been around 48-49 with overnight lows around 32-33.  That translates to a 25 degree swing during the days and a 30 degree swing during the nights.  I am SO looking forward to Madrid!

We will miss the friends we have made in the Spanish Language Training program at the MTC.  This sister in the first picture, Sister Karolyn Cropper, recently returned from a mission in Siberia.  She manages the scheduling for the immersion language program for senior missionaries.  She was very helpful in setting up our training schedule every day with study buddies, TALL (technology assisted language learning), various tutors, and volunteers who come to help us speak Spanish, with no compensation; just out of the goodness of their hearts.  I'm humbled by how many good people there are around us.

Below is Sister Christina Keller, who served in the Miami Spanish speaking mission.  She was an incredible teacher.  The board behind us was filled every day with hundreds of Spanish language components on which we were drilled over and over.

The Livingstons, pictured below, were a terrific couple.  They leave the same time we do, going to Barcelona.  We had many meals together and spent many many hours in building 18M where senior missionaries receive language training.

Well, the laundry is done and we're going to go back up to the MTC and check on our travel plans.  Maybe I'll remember to take a few more pictures of the MTC.  I intend to every time we go and always forget to do it.

Visas have arrived!

So, hallelujah, the visas for about 50 missionaries to Spain arrived yesterday.  We received word that we would be receiving our visas on Tuesday, January 22 at 9:30 AM from the Spanish Consul (Senor Lago) and that we fly out on Wednesday morning for Madrid, through Atlanta.  This evening I received an email from the MTC President in Madrid, President Sitterud, welcoming us and telling us that he has already slated us to speak to the missionaries in the Madrid MTC one week from Sunday, so we'll hit the ground running (or crawling as fast as we can).
We will spend one week at the Madrid MTC while our residency papers are being processed and then we expect to get our assignment from our mission president, President Jackson.  It's kind of exciting.  Not sure what we'll be doing.  Our expectation is that the medical part of our call will not take up all of our time, in fact very little of it according to Pres. Jackson.  We'll see.
Our time at the MTC has been productive.  We can now speak Spanish.  We think.  Probably not.  But we'll find out next week!
Hasta luego, and thanks for all your prayers on our behalf.  Keep 'em coming.

No Visa; Just Gratitude

Well, guess what?  No visas again this past week.  You might think we're really discouraged about that, and I'll admit we'd love to be in Madrid right now.  For lots of reasons:
1.  It's 4-7 degrees Fahrenheit at night and only 19-20 in the day for the past 2 weeks.
2.  The inversion layer outside is so unhealthy I have to breathe through a scarf because of my asthma.
3.  There's a norovirus epidemic going through the MTC in Provo this past week.  300 confirmed cases last Friday.
4.  I've had an upper respiratory infection for 2 weeks.  Last night I took the last Augmentin and I'm over it, just barely.  I had a Priesthood blessing last week and that night my fever broke. 
However, we are NOT discouraged.  We have been richly blessed. 
1.  Our language has improved a lot. 
2.  We were able to be here when our kids, Erick and Kristin and kids, came from Carlsbad, NM to Sandy for a funeral and we enjoyed their company for an entire week.
3.  Our companionship has grown immensely. 

Bubba and Caden, the Cuddly

 

Bubba & Ty-Ty

 At Carol DuBreuil's Funeral

 Freezing Cold

 Erick with Ty-Ty & Caden.  Nana seated.  Bishop John Wayne in hat.

 Bill, Carol's husband, alongside Linda Morrow and Ericka Campbell

 Cierra was sick, and miserably cold

 Kristin in center.

 Mackenzie.  Talented and beautiful

Back in the USSR (MTC)

I just had to find a way to work in the title of the Beatles song to this blog.
We've had a wonderful few days since "graduating" from the MTC.  Now that we're waiting on a visa (visado in Spain; visa in Latin America) we're back 3 days a week, or more, working feverishly on Spanish.  Today we started a program called TALL.  Those of you who have been recently through language training at the MTC will know all about it....Technically Assisted Language Learning.
Last Saturday we had a really terrific experience; going through a session at the Draper Temple in Spanish.  First time in a foreign language for either of us.  And wouldn't you know it- they asked us to be the witness couple.  Go figure.  Everything went fairly well.....until the prayer circle.  Fun.
It was a could a snowy day but the temple was certainly busy with weddings.

That night we went down to Temple Square for the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Program.  This year the headliner talent was Tom Brokaw and Alfie Bow from England (of Les Miserable 25th anniversary fame as Jean ValJean).  Before the show we decided to go eat somewhere at City Center or the Lion House.  Bad Idea.  There were thousands of people (I'm not exaggerating) with the same idea.  As we stood looking at lines snaking clear outside at every restaurant Vivienne said, "Isn't there a grocery store nearby?"  I remember there's a new Harmons just across the street, so we sped over there and were surprised at the amazing amenities inside the store.  We found ourselves with a smorgasbord of choices, buffet style and wonderful cafe table seating all around the second floor.  And NO lines.  If you're ever downtown, need a place to eat, and are frustrated with the crowds, just skip across the street and have a great getaway meal.  Afterwards we walked around Temple Square.  It was magical.

Last night was the annual Christmas Dinner for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  It was our last opportunity to attend since Vivienne retired this past April.  We'll miss the wonderful meal at Grand America Ballroom but mostly we'll miss the chance to mingle with great friends and with the Prophet, who always attends.  I don't know if we'll have many occasions to mingle in a small crowd with the Prophet again in our lives.  

It has been a fantastic ride in the choir.  But I must say we thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the audience Saturday night and being immensely entertained.

Graduation Day!

Wow, we made it!  It's Thursday afternoon, we got home and collapsed in our chairs.  Sitting for up to almost 12 hours some days over the past 2 weeks has taken its toll.  But we finished at Megadyne this afternoon with Dr. Blanch with our computer training.  You young folks will be happy to know that Nana and Bubba are pros with the Microsoft PowerPoint program, so if any of you need any help, just give us a call.

A lot of this week was review for Vivienne but for me it was like drinking out of a power hose.  But I loved it and it's obvious from the training that there is much we can do to help the young missionaries be functional and more productive by keeping them healthy.  I'm amazed at the resources the Church has put into the medical/health side of missionary work and the tremendous support staff at not only Church Headquarters, but in each of the Areas around the world.  It seems to be working; they told us that the practices they have put into place since the year 2000 have saved the church more than $143 MillionUS through the year 2011.  And all the moneys expended on missionary health care come out of tithing funds, so it means a lot that our work can save the Church that kind of money.

Here's a shot of the nurses and their spouses that went through missionary training this week with us:

Next to Vivienne is Sister Fuller: Paraguay

Then the Atkins: Atlanta, Georgia, North

Sister Gilbert, New Jersey

The Kearsleys: North and South Dakota

Yeah, I know.  We won the missionay nurse lottery.  Spain is best by far.  We tried to be humble all week, but it was hard not to smile every time we mentioned.

 This picture is mainly for Dave.  This is Dr. and Sister Hebertson.  He serves on the Missionary Health Executive Council (I think).  Anyway, Dave he delivered you!

 This is Dr. Doty who serves as Executive Director of Health for the Missionary Department.  It's hard to pick favorites because there were so many incredible health care professionals that taught us, But Dr. Doty is an amazing man. It was an amazing week!

Now we just have to concentrate on learning Spanish until the visa arrives.  Keep praying with us that it comes sooner rather than later.

Tender Mercies

It's really quite amazing sometimes how the Lord seems to be involved in little things in one's life.  And if we're not careful about those subtle indicators how easy it is, at least for me, to miss the obvious.
Three cases in point:
1.  When Chuck and Kristin were coming to live in our house and take care of it, all our concerns about the cars and the house were seemingly solved.  However, 2 weeks before our mission Chuck let us know that as much as they wanted to come back to Utah and live in our house, it simply wasn't going to be possible.  And by that time, the other two fallback options were gone because they had made other plans, and who can blame them. 
Well, we were back to square one with no time to work on a good solution, when out of the blue, 2 days later, our daughter Michelle called from El Paso to say that it just so happened that a military family in her ward was retiring and moving to Salt Lake City and looking for a place to rent for a couple of years.  They are honest people and impeccable house keepers.  Michelle said she would be happy to have them live in her house, and she's a lot more particular about her house than we are.  Coincidence?  I think not.  They want to move about the middle of January.  It couldn't be a better fit.
2.  Chuck and Kristin were also going to buy our car, so the question became, "What are we going to do with our car?  Sell it?  How can we do that when we need it until we leave and we don't know exactly when that will be because of the visa problem.  Leave it for Dave to sell?  Swell; just what Dave needs; another problem to solve for Nana and Bubba.  He's already got a list a mile long.  Leave it in the garage for 2 years?  Who will watch it and take it out for a spin every couple of weeks, and put winter additives in the fuel and check the tires, etc., etc?  What if the new family needs the garage?  Shall we leave it parked out in the weather for 2 years?  None of these seemed like good options.  Well, the first day at the MTC I got a text from someone I didn't even know who said they heard I might be looking to sell my car, and his son had just returned home last week from a mission to Germany and was starting school at BYU and needed and car, and would I be interested in selling it to them, and how soon would it be available?  Well, we called Dave and it just so happened that only a couple of weeks ago he got his extra car/pickup back, so we asked him if we could borrow it until we leave, to which he said, "yes".  So Saturday when we got back from the MTC the family was waiting in our driveway and 4 hours later the car was so and we had Dave's truck parked in our garage and the money in the bank.  It was pretty amazing.  Here's a shot of the Nitro's new owners.  Really a nice family.

3.   Well if that wasn't enough, we were scheduled to perform today, Sunday, and Vivienne was having real difficulty playing the piano with her old glasses.  So recently she had ordered new glasses but when they arrived they were worse than the old ones.  Completely unusable.  We rushed back to the store and ordered a different set, without bifocals.  Friday while at the MTC we received a phone message that her glasses had arrived, so when we finished with the car and the bank we rushed to the glasses store.  It was 2:45.  However we discovered the store closes on Saturdays at 2:00.  Yep, locked up tight.  But just for fun I tapped on the door and waited.  Someone just happened to still be in the back talking on the phone.  They let us in and got Viv's glasses for her.
These might all seem like coincidences.  But I choose to believe otherwise.  I'm sure not everything will work out as planned just because we're trying to do what the Lord wants, but it sure does feel good to know we're on His team.