The Talavera Blitz

I know for a fact that some of you are WW2 history people so first let's clarify- no, Talavera was not suddenly bombed from the sky by Nazis. Different kind of Blitz. Stay tuned.


With that out of the way, welcome back! This was a big week. We've been working hard on retaining recent converts and encouraging less-active members. There are many people who just need to feel more welcomed and supported, and we've been trying to make opportunities for that to happen. We offer free English lessons, we invite people to branch activities, and we make lots of video calls and visits to get to know people better and share the blessings we've felt through the gospel. (See spiritual thought)


Strange highlight of this week was our exchange with our district leader, Elder Baird, and his companion Elder Williams. Exchanges act both as a way for the leadership to check up on missionaries but also as a way for missionaries to get to know each other a bit more. 


These Elders live and serve in Fuenlabrada, an area located much closer to Madrid. We traveled there for an in-person district council, then swapped companions and spent a day working there with four missionaries instead of two. Working with Elder Baird was great! His area is pretty different from Talavera but it was cool to see how he handled it. I learned a lot from him. We contacted a few people that the Fuenlabrada Elders are teaching and taught a few lessons, then brought them back to Talavera with us. 


Since we had four missionaries instead of two, we had scheduled twice the usual amount of appointments, and had a crazy full day. Turns out missionaries call this a blitz. I was with Elder Williams that day, and since he didn't know the area, I had to lead from place to place. I was surprised at how well I know parts of Talavera now, and it was fun to introduce Elder Williams to the people I'd met in Talavera. Bottom line: exchanges are awesome.


People highlights:


-Walked around Talavera with Isaias and got some cool pictures. There are areas of this town that feel unreal. He's an amazing photographer and knew how to get some really cool shots. He's already walking so well that it's easy to forget he was on crutches with metal in his leg a few weeks ago. 


- I forgot to mention one of Adelina's most interesting habits. She renames every missionary she meets with a name from the Bible. Elder Rasolo is Simón, after the man who helped Christ carry his cross. She named me Josué, which is the Spanish name of the prophet Joshua. During the Blitz, she also met Elders Williams (Andrés/Andrew) and Elder Baird (José de Jacob/ Joseph, son of Israel). She's still a beast when it comes to sharing the gospel, and we're doing our best to teach her more.


Some slice of life things


- Tons of you are missionaries, so my big flex is that Spain missionaries get up at 7:30 and go to bed at 11:30, a whole hour offset from the normal mission schedule. 


- This country doesn't have dryers. We wash things and have to hang them to dry. It's nuts but I'm already used to it jajaja


- ^^ that's how you spell hahaha here, since the Spanish alphabet works differently.


Spiritual Thought


Something that is important to remember as missionaries is the fact is that the word gospel literally means good news. We share this message because we know that it will make people happy to follow Christ. It's never easy to keep the commandments, but we don't keep them as a burden that we will one day be rewarded for carrying. We keep them because the act of following Christ in itself brings blessings. It's not like carrying a rock up a hill to trade it for dinner, but rather like carrying dinner up a hill to enjoy it at the top. Our obedience brings blessings because of the things we are doing, not in exchange. This is why we share the gospel- it will directly bless people's lives.


In the words of countless other missionaries, this email has been all over the place, but life is good! The work goes on.


Thanks for tuning in! No Nazis here.
Elder Curtis


Pictures 
1. Home is behind / the world ahead / and there are many paths to tread...
2. Isaías money shot
3. Distrito 3
4. District council lunch. All of this for about $5 (yes, dollars) This country has exactly my taste in food.
5. Exchange pic (Left to right: Elders Rasolo, Curtis, Williams, Baird)
6. Morning churros with our friend Ricardo.





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