Saturday Breakfast at the Mission Home

What, are these the latest crop of missionaries?!?  No, but I wanted to start this day with a funny picture of some of our grandkids back home in Bountiful.  There is a fun tradition in the Clegg family to get a call from Dad, (Presidente Clegg) to meet us down at the Denny's or the Dee's or the IHOP for breakfast.  So when we were deciding what to do as a family on the last morning home before we climbed onto the plane to come to Spain, we went to breakfast.  Well when Elder Bingham brought up the idea of having a breakfast on their last p-day before Elder Flory left the office, we were all over it.  (The office p-day is Saturday, the rest of the mission is Monday) So my new kids had to take over......

We tried to re-create the window scene, but it didn't work as well.  You can see some faces smiling, but let me open up the window to our world.

5 smiling Elders ready to start helping get breakfast ready.  And boy did they help.  It is so nice to know that the minute they ring the bell to come in, they are ready to help.  In about 20 minutes we cooked up a feast.  5 hungry missionaries are ready for action. So come into my kitchen.

Here we have Elder's Flory, Strickland and Bingham working away.  I think they have been busy chopping up onions, mushrooms and peppers for the eggs.  Oh yes, and Elder Bingham put together the mixture for waffles.  When I asked Elder Bingham what he missed from home, he said waffles.  When I told him we had a waffle iron in the mission home, he was in heaven.  

Next we have Elder's Moore and Barber working at the stove.  Elder Barber made maple and root-beer syrup.  Yes, root-beer syrup, a stable in the Bilbao mission.  Elder Moore is helping with the fried potatoes.  We also had bacon and sausage cooked and 2 dozen eggs to go with the onions, peppers and mushrooms.  Do you think they will eat all of this?

Being such a beautiful day we decided to eat on the patio.  They are so anxious to start, can't you feel it through the picture?  

Not a lot was talked about as they started as the office has worked hard.  The mission revolves around the 6 week transfer cycle.  During the past 6 weeks, 5 of which we have been here, the following occurred: 4 zone conferences, interviews with all the elders and sisters, lots of residency work for the hermana's and elders, transfer day to be planned with buying bus and train tickets and coordinating the whole mission to assist in the moves, teaching many investigators and a baptism occurred, training Elder Strickland to take over for Elder Flory, and training a new mission president and his wife.   We figured we logged 8,509 kilometers, or 5,105 miles, visiting with branch presidents and district presidents and planning for the new stake to be formed in a month, and going around the mission twice, interviewing all the elders and hermana's one on one twice and sending off papers for two young spanish men to go on their missions.  So this Saturday, a breakfast was in order.  And it all starts new this next week with 4 new missionaries coming into the mission, one sister leaving and our new office couple, the Belnaps from Glendale Arizona.  Are we having fun yet?  You bet!!!!!

Well this breakfast just took it's toll on Elder Bingham.  I think he ate too many waffles.  Oh, but lest you think he is done for the day, just after this picture, he and Elder Moore jumped up and went to teach an investigator who could only be taught this week on Saturday, so much for a p-day.  Hey, but they would rather be teaching than anything.  We got a call from Elder Holmes and Kofe last night of a new feche (date) for baptism in Aviles and many more for the month of August.  We are excited for this next cycle and feel that even though we don't know everything we are truly off and running and look forward to many more months like this one.