9/13/10

So...the trip to Madrid didn´t go as planned. In fact, it was a disaster. I had to go with Elder Booher (yay...kentucky...), and we´d planned to stay in Catarroja and catch a simple Cercanias train into the station in the morning. But it turned out the first commuter train wasn´t until the Madrid train left. (yeah, we didn´t fly). So we went into Valencia, show up at the Zone Leader´s piso, and I call on the phone. ¨Hey, can you buzz us up?¨. Poor Elder Ames. Bad first week in the area as a ZL for him. Then we got up at 5 to get to the station by 630, picked up the tickets, got on the train, and got into Madrid at 1030. Unfortunately, I´d turned off the cell phone and when I´d tried to turn it back on, I´d learned that we have a pin code to punch in on start up...and I didn´t know the code. So, I tried for fifteen minutes to get the payphones (which are STUPID) to accept my Visa. Finally, I bought some twelve ounce bottle of Fanta for 2.20 to break the 10 I had, so I could get change for a pay phone to call the office. Then it turned out it was just 1820...*headdesk*. So, got through the metro, picked up our card, and headed back to the station. Elder Parry says ¨Okay, all the trains to Valencia from Madrid are booked, so I´m going to send you to Barcelona, then from Barcelona to Valencia.¨

 

I´m thinking ¨okay, we could just, you know, stay at the MTC for the night, but whatever.¨ So we got on the train to Barcelona (at least he got us the high speed train), and we got to Barcelona. I go to print out the tickets for the return and see that he reserved us tickets...back to Madrid. As I´m calling him to figure out what happened, I see the departures board start flashing ¨Sold Out¨ on all the trains to Valencia...

 

So, he tells us to get to the Mission Office. They got back from proselyting (Office elders work from 830AM to 600 PM, then go out from 630 to 1030. to do missionary work) and he buys us tickets for a 930AM train to Valencia. Spent the night in the Mission Home talking with some others who were there waiting for trains back to their areas, though President, the AP´s, and half the office staff were in Vitoria for a Stake Conference.

 

Saturday morning, get back to the station, try to board the train, only to find out it´s over booked. We´re sitting on the platform as it pulls away, along with about fourty other people. So I called Elder Parry again, he panicks, says ¨go get new tickets.¨ The only scheduled trains were for 730 and 830 that night, putting us in Valencia at like 11 or 12. Luckily, there was a train that just had a stop in Valencia at 3PM. Got off in Castelleon to pick up Elder Crofts, then spent two more hours on commuter trains back to Gandia...got back at 9PM. Then I had to write a last minute talk, which I didn´t end up giving anyway. Either way, I´m glad it´s back to normal now. Our weekly totals were really good with only three days of real proselyting in Gandia...not. :(

 

I´m going to try to do some more repairs to the piso today, though we´re still looking for a new one. I think I´m going to rearrange the living room to make it a little more comfortable.

 

Erardo is on hiatus right now. His mom says he´s terrified of being baptised, but he won´t say anything to us. His sister still wants to be baptised, but now their mother says she wants them to be baptised together...we´re going tonight to see if we can straighten things out.

 

Because of the madness with the Madrid trip, I left my brush in the Mission Office. No idea when I´ll see it again, so I´m going to find a new one today. Wish me luck...

 

Hookay, so I needs some pictures. Mainly just to show people a little more about the US. So...some pictures of the DC trip, pictures of dune trips, pics of you guys, etc.

 

And...did you find out when the Reach soundtrack is coming out? Is it soon?

 

Right now, we´re essentially starting from scratch. One of our investigators is essentially dumping us again, the other two couldn´t care less if we never called again, and that leaves the Bolivians. Still, there´s some old contacts that could be promising. And we´re going to put our 12 ward missionaries to work. And we´re trying to get the members to start giving some references. It´s hard to bribe them with baked goodies if we don´t have an oven, though. Vamos a ver.

 

I´m fine on deodorant and all. Still on the first can of Barbasol. I´m wondering how long that thing is going to last...

 

I guess they´ve been talking that if all of the 40 missionaries with visa delays got here by December, my group will be either training or in leadership positions already. :\.

 

Being in Barcelona for that short period got me the ´Catalunya bug¨, aka I now agree that it´s a seperate country, and I like it better than Spain. People there actually work! It´s like the US! They even have Jaguar dealerships! :)

 

Okay, that´s all for this week. More next week. I´ll try to send out a picture of Sid this week too.

 

Bradley.