The Same - Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Alright, well don't even worry about the package. (Scott requested a package which I sent. He forgot to tell me that the address had changed and now I have the package back here. $$$$) I will make do with what I have, which is what I am doing right now. I don't know how I always run out of money before the end of the month, but I always do, so now it is just pasta/rice/or potatoes for 2 meals a day. I also still have a little bit of bread but it's going fast. It's great though, because when people ask us what we eat, or if we live well, we can honestly say, nope not really. Ha, ha.

Yes, the driving permit arrived, first one out of all the people to get it. Now I just have to learn how to drive a stick! Well, the only other question you really had was what else we do P-days besides email. Really it depends. Today we went to the temple and then played soccer and now we are emailing. I think I am just going to take a nap and maybe write a letter, but I have been going like 3 months without writing one so I don't really want to break the trend. Last week we went to El Escorial, which was really just a giant palace, I think one of the biggest in Spain. It's pretty cool I guess, if you like old historic palaces. See one of them and you see them all. Unless you are Dad.

I haven't really done a whole lot else. I have an appointment with the doctor this Friday, because I have been having some serious headaches and urination issues. I think one day I went like 30 times. None of them were longer than like 15 seconds, but every time I thought I was going to explode. Still have no idea why I have so many headaches, but I figure it is good practice for work. Even though I don't want to work, you just have to make yourself. And I didn't even get a reaction from you about the whole marriage rush excitement. What's up?

I really just don't know what you expect to hear from me. I am the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thousands of things happen, but they all just seem so normal. We have some good experiences with youth every day. Most of them want to practice English, and none of them can even say "Hello, how are you?" properly. So we just talk to them with their bad accents, and they think they are pretty good. Anyway, probably the best story this week was we were playing basketball with these two kids we are teaching, and it started to rain, but we just kind of kept playing, before you know it, we are all just completely wet and dirty and having the time of our lives. Those two love us ha, ha. Every time we see them, they just ask us, when are we going to hang out again? We just gotta get them to church. Anyway, stay pretty.
Elder Dunn

Hoping For A Transfer

Did you put a door from the dining room to your room? Or do I just not remember the house at all? Sounds like the house work is coming along really well. I am real glad I won't be there for any of it.

Well I actually have no idea why I am getting a license. I am kind of scared because only 2 others are getting it, and the APs are required to have them. Luckily I am pretty sure my sarcastic nature will never allow me to be a leader. There is an area in the mission that is huge that has no Elders in it because the ward leaders don't give support. But supposedly, if there is someone that wants to learn more, or if there is a good reference, we are still suppose to send elders. So I might be that guy, who just drives and teaches. That would be sweet I would just gain like 50 lbs I am sure.

I am definitely hoping I go at the end of this transfer, which is like the 6th or 7th of September. When half the city is on vacation, and there are only like 50,000 people max in our city, and we only ever do contacts in half the city, it just feels like we talk to the same people every day. The good part about it is we know a ton of people and have a lot of friends. We also waste of lot of time because the majority of these people want nothing to do with the gospel but love talking to us. We have to say, "We are in a hurry, gotta go" like 5 times, then eventually just walk away because they won't stop talking sometimes. It's pretty funny. But yeah, I hope I go.

Yeah, I love my companion right now. We get along great. He has tough skin so we just make fun of each other all day and it's great. Plus, he likes basketball, so we get along great. We talked to some kids just carrying around a basketball one day, and told them to call us if they ever needed more people to play. We ended up playing with them one night, and they were terrible at basketball, but they are both super intrigued by what we do so we are going to teach them tomorrow. A 20 year old and a 15 year old, aka two more people that could serve a mission. And I think I am learning to study... what I like to study. In my free time, I usually just read something. The beautiful part of Mormonism is there is always something new to read. Go modern revelation. So there is always something new to learn.

Well, exciting news from this week, not a whole lot. Lots of contacting, actually I am convinced that we contact more than any other mission in the world. I would say we attempt to talk to 300-400 people a week. And we only successfully contact about 130 of those. Lots of rejection. Bring it on ladies. No I am joking. And FYI, you might just hate me mom. After being on a mission, and talking with other elders, talking with people about always progressing, having eternal families, and other junk, the whole marriage idea is pretty intriguing. Having kids is a different story, but I can see myself getting married fast now. Ha, ha. Anyway, on that note, stay pretty!

P.S. This is only the second area Scott has been in for his whole mission.

PP.S. From the MOM - I told Scott he couldn't get married until they had health insurance! A job with and income would also be a great benefit I think, but then I am just the momster!

OOPS, I forgot to post last week's.

Ha, ha. You try teaching Romanians, then you will have an even greater appreciation of your knowledge of the gospel and agency. No, really Romanians are great. I'm not really required to love them though right? Because they are from Spain? No I am just kidding, actually I really am just getting super fond of them. There are just three kinds of them. Super religious way nice ones, super religious way closed ones, and non religious couldn't care less. Lately we are teaching this one guy, who is super great. But whenever we go over, he always tells us that we need to read the bible more so that we can teach the true gospel better. (Little fun fact, I am more than halfway through the Old Testament, and I will finish even if it kills me.) But it's super frustrating that not only will these people not even listen to us, they won't even pray about it. I am learning a lot about how to teach people, without teaching people. Aka, they ask me a question, and I respond, can I answer that with a question? Then you just go from there. I think it will really come in handy with girlfriends after the mission. Especially when I do something stupid. Actually, probably will with you too Mom. ha, ha.

Anyway.

This week we were knocking some chalets, or for us like condos, and we were almost done. On the last one, we talked to some guy who was leaving on vacation that moment. We walked up, started talking, and immediately he was like... "I have some extra juice in the fridge that I want to get rid of while I am on vacation, do you guys want it?" Then he gave us a bunch of juice, which was nice because it was a million flippin' degrees. Then we talked to him a little bit more and he wants us to come by later. Nicest Spaniard I have ever contacted I think.

I really don't know what else to say this week. Really, inside jokes make missionary work awesome. I am a big fan of dodgeball, which we played today, and I am also a big fan of people from Andalucia, in English I think. They really just have the best accent. Imagine the biggest lisp ever, double it, and then give it to the whole state of Utah. Now you understand. So sweet. Anyway, stay pretty.

Don't forget Scott's address changed.

Elder Dunn
Calle Fuerteventura 4 2, Oficina 8-B
28703 San Sebastian de los Reyes
Madrid Spain

Alright, well your questions answered.

There are always a million interesting teaching and contacting stories. Just the amount of space and time is limited to write. I will tell you a super sweet one then a super funny one. So some Spanish lady answered a door when we were knocking, I think she was just being nice to us and not slamming the door, but it turned out to be a super good contact. My companion and I both just ended up bearing testimony about having a purpose in life and it looked liked she was impacted a little bit. Then she said she is going on vacation, like any good Spaniard, but that we should call her in 2 weeks. Then, the next day, as we were walking through the park here, a bunch of youth starting saying stuff. Whenever they talk first, it automatically means they are going to listen to us. So we go over and start talking to them, and it was going pretty well. But one of the kids, trying to be funny, just kept hitting on my companion. They invited us to come play cards with them sometime, and we agreed as long as the kid isn't there or isn't making gay jokes the whole time. It was actually super funny cause my companion didn't know what he was saying really, and was responding to him. When we don't understand a question, we usually just say ¨si¨. So my companion actually agreed to a back rub, without knowing it. Then I told him that we had to go. Ha, ha. Good times.

I should be sending home the driver's license junk today. And yes, I can make paella. It's really not too hard, you just need the pan. I will probably buy a big one when I come home. You can feed like 20 people with it. AND it is definitely not cooling off. My garments now just carry a yellow tint permanently. I am also thinking about buying others, but I want to use my resources the best I can, aka on more European pants. So we will see what happens. I loved the piso in Toledo, but because it was super old and a piece of junk. The one here is super big and super nice and we have a patio, so I don't complain, but I still sometimes miss living in a super old piso. My ward is like the 2nd biggest ward in the mission. One hundred and eighty to 200 people, which is why our bishop and the stake want to divide it, we just need a building. I never speak in this ward, but this Sunday I am teaching gospel doctrine class. No, not really, I will be using their class time but to do a, 'How to be member missionary without scaring people away class.' Should be good. I will probably be teaching most of it seeing as it's a pretty complex vocabulary for a greenie. I haven't really been anywhere new but next week we want to go to Valle de los Caidos, valley of the fallen, and do a little hike, take a picture of the giant cross thing, and go to church there or something. We will see.

Well that was a mess of a paragraph. I think I will throw in something that after being a member of the church for 20 years, I never learned until now. We are the only church that I know of, that is not based in any book, nor in the best interpretations of those books. We are based on the current and actual word of God. We use the Bible, we use the Book of Mormon, we use D&C and the Pearl of Great Price, but they only have their set value. Today, we listen to a true prophet of God. Not any other church has that. I learned this from a lesson, and by a lesson I mean every lesson with a Romanian, they say, I will read your book to see if it is in line with the Bible. I ask, will you ask God if its true. They say, it's true if it's in accordance with the Bible. I say, well what if there is something here that isn't in the bible, then what? They say it's not true. I say, and what if God says it is!?! They say, God won't say it because it's against the Bible. So many churches limit their potential by limiting God. God is not a book. God is not several books. We cannot limit God, but in the attempt we will limit us and our knowledge. I show Romanians every day scriptures in the bible that talk about a prophet, twelve apostles, and the seventy. I ask, will you pray to see if these men are men called of God? They say, give me their words and I will read them and see if it is in accordance with the Bible. I just don't understand how people say they believe in God, but really don't believe in anything but a book. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask the Bible? or God? So I was thinking about this, and in the Liahona, Ensign here, there was a super cool talk about this. First, Abraham knew that killing was not OK. Then, he received a new commandment to kill his son, one that went in contrary to another previous commandment. Then he received another commandment, that was directly contradicting the one the Lord previously gave 5 minutes ago. And if he would have obeyed the first, and not the second, he would have committed a sin, and been found guilty. But, by obeying the living word of a living God, he was guided and was able to obey. We are not based in books, nor in the interpretations of man, but we are based in the current and actual word of God. Pretty sweet huh? I am sure a lot of people have realized this, but I never really thought about it until recently.

On a lighter note, we were in church and this member, that we know a little bit but not that well, and doesn't speak hardly any English, walks past us, looks at me, and says, "You are so fat." I said, "Wow, I didn't know we were that close of friends." Then I made fun of him for having the silliest European mullet haircut thing. So it worked out.
Stay pretty.
Elder Dunn