Spain Madrid Missionaries Work Hard!!!

Hnas. McMurray and Marin brought a family of four from Guadalajara to a baptism in Barrio 5

Even on Preparation Day activities at the Mission Home, the Hermanas are working hard in the kitchen helping prepare the lunch.  (Hnas. Waters, Sandoval, Delgado (back row) and Hnas. Nielsen, Benitez, Londono, and Bell (front)

Preparation Day finds our hard-working Elders singing the hymns of the Restauration in four part harmony at the bus stop headed for their pisos.  We have incredible singers in this mission!  (Elders Tynedale-Biscoe, Jackson, DeHaro, Griotti, Pyne, Evans and Kunkel)

Even the hardest working missionaries have to take a break to keep their strength up!  Hna. Benitez, Hna. Sandoval and I had a little lunch to give us the energy to shop for supplies for their new piso in Leganes.  (Sorry, I lost the photo of Hna. Sandoval.)

"Worn out in the service of the Lord"
Last, but not least, after a long, hard day of work, Elders McArthur and Iverson take a well-deserved siesta on the metro on their way home. Two Hermanas entered a random metro car and discovered this touching tableau.

Into every life a little rain must fall.....

Elder Raiano missed a stair and broke his ankle.  He is not at all happy to be out of commission for several weeks.  Fortunately, he is able to spend his days recuperating at the MTC.  He was pleased to have his cast autographed by his district, though.

New Missionaries, March 15, 2011

Even though it is between regular transfer dates, four missionaries received their long-awaited visas and so came to Spain now.  Sister Linda Tanner and Sister Ann Karchner-Hauley arrived to take over the Center for Young Adults in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to replace the Parkers who go home next month.  Hermana Wilson from Antelope, California and Elder Ashworth from Manchester, England also arrived.

Hnas. Tanner, Karchner, Wilson, the Watkins and Elder Ashworth

Elder Ashworth (a rugby player!) with his new companion Elder Gomez will be serving in the newly reopened area of Fuenlabrada

Sisters Tanner and Karchner

Hermanas Waters and Wilson before heading off to Leganes

p.s.  You will be happy to know these are the last of the blurry photos.  I got a new camera so the photography should improve tenfold!

Missionaries in the Spain Madrid Mission BAPTIZE!

Hermana Francisca and her husband were married on Friday so she could get baptized on Saturday.  After the baptism, ward members celebrated both her wedding and her baptism!  Hermano Hestrobel, the ward mission leader, is to the left of Francisca and her husband.

Hnas. Sandoval and Benitez in Leganes

Elders Martin de la Sierra and Simmons in Telde, Gran Canaria

Elders Knorr and Thurston in Villalba Feb. 2011

New Missionaries Arrive Feb. 22, 2011

On February 22, 2011, after dropping off the group of missionaries going home, we went to the MTC to pick up our new group.  They are well-prepared and eager to meet their new companions and get started.

 Back Row:  Elders Jaramillo, Bermudez, Evans and Rose

Front Row:  Hermanas Jimenez, Delgado, Watkins and Pte. Watkins

 

 Elder Rose from Lehi, UT and Dublin, CA with his new companion Elder Griotti re-opening Azuqueca

 

 Elder Bermudez from Ecuador and Barcelona and his companion Elder Rigby will be serving in Valladolid

 Elder Jon Evans from San Jose, CA with his new companion Elder Kunkel serving in Torrejón

 Elder Christian Jaramillo from Ecuador and Valencia, Spain with his new companion Elder Jones of Alcorcón

 Hermana  Ana María Delgado from Sevilla with her new companion Hermana Nielsen in Barrio 6

 

Hermana Dixiana María Jiménez from Honduras with 

her companion Hna. Peterson in Barrio 5 

We are happy to have these wonderful missionaries join us!               

Transfer Day!!! Feb. 21, 2011

Transfer Day is always a busy, busy day, but this one was HUGE.  Out of 50 companionships, 45 were affected to a greater or lesser degree.  The office Elders, Elder Driggs and Elder Jackson, planned out every step, bought every plane, train and bus ticket and assigned temporary companions and lodging for everyone.  The plans they drew up looked like battle plans for a major encounter!  Just to keep myself on track, I drew up a flow chart for myself, for Pres. Watkins and for the office Elders.  It was two horizontal pages long!

Sunday night the oficinistas picked up four missionaries who came in from the Santiago District because three of them were leaving for home and had to be here Monday morning:  Elders Hinton and Benson and Hnas. Schiffler and Sandoval.  At 11:30 pm, Pres. Watkins and I went to the airport to pick up three Elders coming from the Canaries so they could travel home or to their new areas on Monday:  Elders Hodges, Kap, and Mateer.

Hna. Schiffler, E. Benson, E. Hinton, E. Driggs (the chauffeur) and Hna. Sandoval having a late night supper of chili and corn bread.  The other three ate when they arrived.

The main body of missionaries being transferred.  A few more came later and a few moved to a different area without passing through Madrid first.  

SOME of the mountains of suitcases we moved.

More luggage

Elders Jackson and McArthur who go home NEXT transfer, saying farewell to Elder Middleton going home THIS transfer!

After we dropped off the seven who spent the night at the mission home, I ran to the train station and picked up three more coming in from the north, and dropped them off.  I picked up the Elders moving to Majadahonda and drove them to their new area, where I picked up the Hermanas leaving Maja and dropped them off at their new piso by the Temple.  Meanwhile the oficinistas took another group to the airport to send them to the Canaries and picked up another group from the Canaries and deposited them at their piso.  Pres. Watkins took the companionship opening up Fuenlabrada down to their new piso.  Then we all met back at the stake center and loaded up all the luggage of those going home and took it out to the mission home.  Phew!

The group going home had a few hours free to finish up anything they needed to do and were to be at the mission home by 6:00.  At 5:00, here they all came.  They'd rather just hang out and be together!  We ate shredded pork burritos and a huge spinach and fruit salad, with spice cake and ice cream for dessert.  We had a wonderful testimony meeting and prepared all the suitcases for the journey home.  Each suitcase has to be under 22 kilos (50lbs.)  Sometimes that requires some skillful juggling!

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"
Back row:  E. Middleton, Kay, Dawson, Bartholomew, Jensen
Middle row:  E. Kap, Hinton, Benson, Pte. Watkins, E. Castro
Front row:  Hnas. Sieverts, Moraza, Huntsman, Schiffler and Watkins

Tuesday morning, Pte. Watkins and I drove Hna. Moraza to the airport to catch her early flight to Malaga.  She would be at home before the USA missionaries got on their plane!  This time we rented a bus and driver to take everyone to the airport.  Very slick!  Pte. Watkins drove his van with the two extra Elders headed for the Canaries because they went to terminal 2, then he joined us in terminal 1 to say good-bye.  It never gets any easier to say good-bye to a group of wonderful missionaries.  We wish them well in this next phase of life!