I'm a foreigner.

Happy Monday!

Another week come and gone. I keep telling Élder Rodríguez that I think we skipped a few days last week. I'm a little worried that today is actually Saturday because there is no way 7 days have happened since the last time we were here. Anyway, for once we had week that was more or less normal. We did splits with Valdepeñas on Thursday evening and switched back on Friday, but besides that we were just here in Alcázar doing to good ol' missionary thing. Which is good because this week we have to go to Málaga on Tuesday and Sevilla on Friday because Elder Richards of the Area Presidency is coming to visit us. Yay travel!! We are way excited

On Friday morning I had to go to Ciudad Real to present my passport and give copies of every page for my residency renewal. We figured if we left here really early to get there at 9 when it opened, we wouldn't have to wait too long and we could get on with our lives. Turns out we weren't the only ones who thought that because when we arrived at 8:50 there were already about 50 people standing around and when the lady got there to start handing out numbers (because handing them out as people come in would be way too hard) it was an all out mob to grab a number from her. We were lucky and got 21 and only had to wait about 2 and a half hours to get called. The best part of it all was that when I went in the lady looked at the copies, looked at the passport, and said we were all good. I think the whole thing took about 45 seconds. Doesn't residency sound awesome? Haha.

The Columbian family we are teaching is doing awesome! The three girls have baptismal dates in October and really love church. They are fun to teach and are totally awesome investigators. We have another investigator names Regalado who is doing really, really well right now, too. He has read the entire Book of Mormon and is starting Doctrine and Covenants now. He was an extremely successful lawyer in his 30s and is now retired at the age of 45. He is funny because he hates money but he earns a ton of it without wanting to, haha. He has a few court cases he has to do at the end of the month so he told us that he wouldn't have as much time to read...only about an hour or 2 a day. We're always amazed by him...like when he says "Sorry guys, I haven't read much...only 5 sections in D&C." It is like a missionary dream! haha.

I know the church is true! Christ has prepared the way to true happiness for us. The temple is where we can be sealed together as eternal families. I am so thankful to be a missionary and to share those things with everyone I possibly can!!

Have an awesome week!

Elder Mockler

Lots of travelling and a family of...how many?!

Hi!

And another week gone in Alcázar. It seriously does not feel like it could be Monday already...I feel like I was just here writing. We travelled a bunch again on Tuesday and Wednesday to go to zone concilio. We had a great meeting (as always) and plenty of fun as well. President Deere made us hamburgers that were real hamburger size and Elder Rodríguez could not believe that they would have been normal in the US. Having a native companion is so fun, haha. Hna. Deere also made us an incredible key-lime-pie-ice-cream-pie-cake thing and it made me think of Dad. Key Lime is the bomb!

On Monday evening we headed out to a pueblo we had never been to before called Miguel Esteban to contact a future we met here in Alcázar about a month ago. We got a little lost trying to find their house but felt pretty famous because EVERYONE in town stared at us as we walked around. We could see lots of people reading our nametags under their breaths and changing their dinner conversations in the bars, haha. Finally we got to the house, went up the stairs....and realize we didn't have the door number. Oh no! But it was ok because within about 30 seconds we heard a little boy yell, "they're here!" and open the door. We went in and there were 5 or 6 people there with their mom, Miriam, who we had met here. They told us to wait because more people were coming. And they came, alright. Pretty soon there were 8, and then 10, and then 14. 14 people!! We didn't know what to do! We had only brought 2 Book of Mormons! We introduced ourselves and taught one of the most unique lessons I've ever had in my mission. On Thursday we went back with 12 more books (thank goodness we have a car!) and tonight we will see them again. We're excited!

Well, it is time to go. I'm so grateful to be here as a missionary. I love being able to show people the path they must take to make covenants with God and one day obtain eternal life. I know the temple is the House of the Lord on Earth and that the blessings of the temple are far beyond any other thing we can strive to obtain. I'm grateful that we have living prophets and apostles to guide us and I know they are inspired to lead us in this time.

Have an awesome week!

Elder Mockler

The following pictures come from the Spain Málaga mission blog which can be found at http://thespainmalagamission.blogspot.com/

Hello September!

Happy September!!

We had a very busy but very awesome week this week. I don't even know if I can remember everything that has happened...I don't know how so many things fit into so little time!

Anyway, last Tuesday we met up early in the morning with Elder Mora and Elder Berrett so that Elder Mora could do Pedro's baptismal interview. Everything went great with the interview and while we were in the park talking to him, a lady called out to us. Whenever someone shouts out "Elder!" we get pretty excited, haha. Turns out she was a member and was baptized years ago in Columbia. We haven't had a chance to see her yet but this week we are going to go talk to her and her family. After coming back from the interview with Pedro (he lives pretty far away), we ate lunch and headed to zone conference in Malaga.

Zone conference was pretty normal. We went down on Tuesday, stayed the night with the zone leaders, had the conference on Wednesday and stayed in Puertollano that night, and then got back here Thursday morning. If you can't tell already, we have traveled A LOT this week! In Malaga we got a box of dunkin donuts which was pretty awesome. Normal Spanish donuts aren't the same at all. Anyway, we got back here to Alcazar, got ready, did the last few things for Pedro's baptism, and ran to 2 lessons we had planned.

On Friday, we woke up early and went down to the chapel (thank goodness it is right underneath our piso!) and started filling the font. While it filled we picked up Pedro (more driving) and a member and got to the church just in time to find our investigators who came (Margarita and her family) and start the service. Since it was a Friday morning, not a lot of people could come, which means yours truly got to play piano! That was pretty different....and by some miracle I didn't ruin the hymns too bad! haha. Everything went great with the baptism and it was a really spiritual service. I attached a picture of us right before it started.

After the baptism we ran around cleaning everything up and dropped Pedro off (more driving). We had just enough time to go see a recent convert family in a pueblo (more driving). It was an amazingly tiring and amazingly amazing day! The weekend was more normal than the rest of the week, thankfully. Tomorrow we head back to Malaga for Zone Leader Concilio (have we travelled enough?) and we'll get back Wednesday night. I am so thankful for all of the experiences I am having as a missionary. It is awesome to be here and do all the things we get to do. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers and that those prayers gain even more power when combined with fasting. He knows the best for us and if we'll just ask it will be given to us!

Love you so much!!

Elder Mockler