Entrevistas and Pisos

This past week has been full of interviews all over the mission. We are in Logrono with Elders Bartholomew, Southwick, and Hna Bell.  They were just finishing the district meeting as we arrived.  Always a need to practice and work on our missionary skills.

Is this a new Elder?  No, a returned missionary, Alexis Lamino, a student of many languages.  He speaks wonderful English, and yes girls, he is still single!  We enjoyed a great time conversing about languages and life. 

We were on to Ponferrada where we did our interviews in the Piso.  Yea, we get to see more pisos.  We did this because the elders have a busy teaching schedule and this would work better for them.   Elders Rodriguez, on the left from El Paso, Texas, Elder Hansen, from Bluffdale, Utah and Elder Woods from Sammamish, Washington were kind enough to pose in front of their map of Europe.  Elder Hansen doesn't work here, but his companion is in Bilbao doing his residency update, and so Elder Hansen came to Ponferrada to work.  The Elders are doing great and the next day after we left they set a baptismal date for one of their investigators.  We have around 40 baptismal dates in the mission so September and October are looking like a wonderful harvest of souls!

Hey what have we got here?  Wow, interviews over lunch?  Actually Elder Cepeda from Chiclana, Spain and Elder Cairns from Dumbarton, Scotland called a few days before we came and invited us to have our medio dia with them.  Their interviews were set for just before, and so it worked out great in our schedule.  We enjoyed homemade vegetable soup made by Elder Cairns and a pasta dish made with choriso by Elder Cepeda.  Who said missionaries can't cook.  Not in our mission.  This was a great meal. 

I saved this piso interview for last because of it's uniqueness.  This is apartment building #12.  It doesn't look like too much with the garbage cans out front.  But wait till you see what is inside.  But first, a few scenery shots of this town, it is called Orense and it is one of the hottest cities in Spain.  That's what they tell me.  Hey, but even though the weather is hot, we have some great missionaries that were good sports about this piso interview.  Lets just say, it was sort of by surprise.  Let me explain.

Orense is known for being a city with a lot of bridges.  I didn't get a chance to get a picture of the millennium bridge.  It is so cool and one day I will get it, but I liked the old bridge in the background.  They are all over the town.

This picture was taken in the morning, with the sun coming over the mountains.  But let me get back to the piso story.  We were planning to do our interviews at the capilla, but for some reason our GPS couldn't find the church street at all.  So about 45 minutes before we arrived there, we called the elders and told them that we would have to do our interviews at their piso, since it would be too hard to find the capilla.  They were very calm on the phone, but I am sure that the contacting was cut a little short to get home and "freshen up."

And voila!  They were ready, waiting for us on their orphan beds!  They call it that because all the beds of the piso were lined up together as if in an orphanage.  Here you see Elders Johnstun from St. Helens, Oregon, Elder Moya from Valencia, Spain, and Elder Webb from Gilbert, Arizona.  Such innocent young men,  you just can't see the sweat running down their faces after working so fast to clean up.  Actually we had such a wonderful time sharing photos, laughing and sharing stories about their work.  And then I was lucky enough to get serenaded.

Here I am with Elder Moya and Elder Pedersen from Hyde Park, Utah.  You got to love these Elders.

Here is Elders Pederson and Webb are serenading me to the sounds of Newsies.  It is an old movie, about 15 years ago or so with great songs.  These two really have beautiful voices.  They were including a few actions.  It was great.  

Here they are in the Kitchen.  Elder Pedersen, Moya, the Presidente, Johnstun and Webb.  Don't they look great.  Their piso was VERY clean.  Their is nothing like saying the Presidente is on his way to get a little elbow grease going and cleaning of the countertops done.  All in all, we had some great interviews with all the missionaries.  They are such hard working missionaries.  40 baptismal dates, it is exciting!