May 28, 2012
Transfer time...
Hello!
I tried Gazpacho for the first time this week. Definitely not my favorite food but it isn't too bad either. It is huge in the summer here, so I might have to acquire a taste for it fast...
Well, another transfer has come and gone and last Thursday Elder Berrett and I unexpectedly got a call. We both thought I would be staying here 1 more transfer but it turns out I'm going up to La Mancha to be the Zone Leader there. I'm pretty sad to be leaving here but excited to go North and get a new start! I'll be living in Alcázar de San Juan. I'll send my new address next week. I had to teach Elder Berrett to drive a stick this week which was pretty exciting, haha. He definitely caught on a lot faster than I did!!
On Friday we had the most awesome ward activity ever! It was the ward's annual 'fiesta de las patatas' and we went out to our Bishop's farm to fry potatos and eggs and have a grand old time. We played soccer for a while with the ward and then just kinda hung out while we waited for the oil to heat up. We had a lot of investigators there and tons of members invited their friends. In all there were about 75 people there which was a huge success. We had to leave around 9:45 so we were the first to eat...the activity didn't end until 1 or 1:30 in the morning. That's Spain for ya...they like the party.
Well, that is about it for today! Spain is awesome! I'm so grateful to be here and for all tht the Lord is teaching me. I am growing so much and am excited for a whole year more of learning, growing and serving!! I hope you all have a great week!
Love you!!
Elder Mockler
May 21, 2012
Guess what's in my stomach right now!
¡Feliz Lunes!
Today has been quite an exciting day. Yesterday our Bishop asked us if we would go help him pick potatoes in his field this morning. So, we went! It was awesome! We harvested around 500 kilos of potatoes in one morning...not bad. And after he invited us over for lunch and we cut up a few and made french fries with fresh eggs right there on the spot! Spanish fries are a little different - they make them much oily-er and then you fry and egg and break the yolk over top of them. It might sound weird, but it is delicious. AND, to repay us for our work, they had gotten us a surprise....﹛CARACOLES!! Yes, that does mean snails. And the verdict is....I actually REALLY like them. It is a little weird biting their little snaily hard the first time, but after that you get over it and they are delicious. So, along with some fresh squeezed orange juice and dulce de leche ice cream, we had a pretty incredible lunch.
Jesús and Angeles are still doing awesome. Jesús came to church yesterday in a white shirt and tie...just like us! Haha it was awesome. On Tuesday we met with them and he said he felt like his prayers weren't being answered really. So we talked a little bit about keeping the commandments and promised him that if he would read, pray, and stop smoking that God would give him a job. As we were leaving we told him to call us if anything happened. After the lesson Elder Berrett and I started a fast. When we ended it on Wednesday we still hadn't heard anything. I was pretty nervous! But when we got to their house on Thursday he invited us in and the following conversation ensued:
"Hey, come in, I'm just getting home and eating."
"Just getting home? from where?"
"Oh, you know, just been working today..."
"What?? Working?!"
"Yeah, you know, no big deal..."
He was trying to play it off like nothing had even happened haha but we were all so excited! He is SO excited to be reading the scriptures now and they love coming to church. I know that God answers our prayers! We have to do what he asks of us and be humble enough to accept what he gives to us. But no prayer is ever left unanswered!
Have a great week!
Elder Mockler
Today has been quite an exciting day. Yesterday our Bishop asked us if we would go help him pick potatoes in his field this morning. So, we went! It was awesome! We harvested around 500 kilos of potatoes in one morning...not bad. And after he invited us over for lunch and we cut up a few and made french fries with fresh eggs right there on the spot! Spanish fries are a little different - they make them much oily-er and then you fry and egg and break the yolk over top of them. It might sound weird, but it is delicious. AND, to repay us for our work, they had gotten us a surprise....﹛CARACOLES!! Yes, that does mean snails. And the verdict is....I actually REALLY like them. It is a little weird biting their little snaily hard the first time, but after that you get over it and they are delicious. So, along with some fresh squeezed orange juice and dulce de leche ice cream, we had a pretty incredible lunch.
Jesús and Angeles are still doing awesome. Jesús came to church yesterday in a white shirt and tie...just like us! Haha it was awesome. On Tuesday we met with them and he said he felt like his prayers weren't being answered really. So we talked a little bit about keeping the commandments and promised him that if he would read, pray, and stop smoking that God would give him a job. As we were leaving we told him to call us if anything happened. After the lesson Elder Berrett and I started a fast. When we ended it on Wednesday we still hadn't heard anything. I was pretty nervous! But when we got to their house on Thursday he invited us in and the following conversation ensued:
"Hey, come in, I'm just getting home and eating."
"Just getting home? from where?"
"Oh, you know, just been working today..."
"What?? Working?!"
"Yeah, you know, no big deal..."
He was trying to play it off like nothing had even happened haha but we were all so excited! He is SO excited to be reading the scriptures now and they love coming to church. I know that God answers our prayers! We have to do what he asks of us and be humble enough to accept what he gives to us. But no prayer is ever left unanswered!
Have a great week!
Elder Mockler
The following photographs show Andy attending a zone conference and are taken from the Spain Málaga mission blog at
May 14, 2012
¡Jo...qué caló!
¡¡Bueeennooooossss Dias!!
Well it is really hot here now. And it will stay hot. Luckily we have Air Conditioning this year. I love Air Conditioning.
I may have already mentioned it but I'm not sure, so sorry if this is a repeat. Hernan Cortez's house is in our area! We actually contact right in front of it a lot. It is a school or something like that now but they have kept all of the cannons on the roof and there is a sign outside honoring the 'gran hombre' who conquered the Americas. Just the kind of thing you walk past in Spain that's not so common in the US.
Church was awesome yesterday! Jesus and Angeles came and brought their kids and they loved it. It is always so stressful having investigators at church the first time, especially when it is a family, because you want everything to go just right. And even though crazy things always happen, they always enjoy it in the end because they can feel the Spirit there.
Well, there isn't a whole lot to say this week since we had mother's day calls yesterday. The church is true! Read the Book of Mormon...it is the word of God, just like the Bible. Together they teach us the path back to our Heavenly Father.
I love you!!!
Elder Mockler
Well it is really hot here now. And it will stay hot. Luckily we have Air Conditioning this year. I love Air Conditioning.
I may have already mentioned it but I'm not sure, so sorry if this is a repeat. Hernan Cortez's house is in our area! We actually contact right in front of it a lot. It is a school or something like that now but they have kept all of the cannons on the roof and there is a sign outside honoring the 'gran hombre' who conquered the Americas. Just the kind of thing you walk past in Spain that's not so common in the US.
Church was awesome yesterday! Jesus and Angeles came and brought their kids and they loved it. It is always so stressful having investigators at church the first time, especially when it is a family, because you want everything to go just right. And even though crazy things always happen, they always enjoy it in the end because they can feel the Spirit there.
Well, there isn't a whole lot to say this week since we had mother's day calls yesterday. The church is true! Read the Book of Mormon...it is the word of God, just like the Bible. Together they teach us the path back to our Heavenly Father.
I love you!!!
Elder Mockler
May 7, 2012
The Rain in Spain falls mainly on the....missionaries.
Hello!
Had I ever mentioned that, in order to more fully understand and embrace Spanish culture (and enjoy delicious, salty, raw bacon-meat), we bought a Jamón leg a few weeks ago? Well, it met it's sad demise last Monday after having scraped it to the bone (literally). I had quite a lot of fun with that thing...from carrying a pig leg through San Juan to cooking breakfast next to a pig hoof every morning...I don't think I'll ever have an experience quite like it. Until we buy the next one, that is. Anyway, I attached a picture of me and the pig leg. I hope it grosses you out as much as it should gross me out!
It rained a lot this week, which was fun. On Saturday we did a cosecha in Sevilla and it rained the entire time we were out. It made it kind of exciting, though, and our best contacts happened when it was raining the hardest. A few rain drops can't stop this work! Interesting fact about Spain: All of the sidewalks are made out of tiles which are loosely placed on top of concrete. But they usually aren't placed well so when it rains there are sporadic 'landmines' when you step on a wobbly tile and it sprays your legs (or, if you're lucky, your companion's legs) with the water that has seeped in underneath. Qué divertido.
Well, we have another busy week ahead of us. We're headed to Córdoba tonight to do an interview and we have lots of lessons planned that we hope will go through. The time is flying by!! The mission is like living a mini-life and it makes me realize that we are all on a noble quest for perfection and we must use every minute to try to procure it. And although we are unable, if we do our best Christ will lift us up unto perfection in the last day. God's commands are nothing more than the boundaries on the path to His kingdom. Sometimes (or oftentimes) we're just too stubborn to see it.
Love you!!!!
Elder Mockler
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