"I can´t speak or type in english.. I know what it says in spanish.. but I don´t know how it is in english or how to put it in english.... HA. FAIL." (Sam)

Elders Norton and Lyman in Malaga - up for the sunrise

Hello!

   Wow! So many changes! So much is going on right now! Like 20 missionaries go home this wednesday and I think 6 come in...... :\ So several areas are being closed.. I don´t know which but i´m sure they have to close several for a while. In Málaga, I´m staying and taking on the investigators and everything of the two companionships with my new comp that comes wednesday.. and his name is........ DRUM ROLL PLLLZZZ.......... Elder Hafen!!!

   I have met the kid a couple times and he´s a máquina! (your spanish homework for today) And everyone that talks about him says he rocks and that we´re gonna baptize a ton. :) Always like to hear those kinds of comments. And Núñez is going to San Fernando.. a city outside of Cádiz.. or how they prounounce it there in Cádiz.. Cáai. Yes, how you prounounced it right there is how they pronounce it. Their accent is absolutely terrible.. haha the way everyone explains their accent is that they ´´eat´´ the ends of the words.. or like the just don´t finish any of their words. So anyways! Maybe

I´ll get lucky enough to go there some day! :)

WOW. I´M OVER 8 MONTHS IN. You guys remember when we all went to eat at like cafe rio or something right before I went in??? And brother and sister jennings were there and Chad took a bunch of pictures of us??? Yeah, that was over 8 months ago. Woooah.

   Well anyways, everything is great! I have been working with both companionships here in Málaga to get to know all of the investigators so that when everyone leaves, I already have a relationship with everyone and its really fun! I love meeting people. We have a baptism this saturday!! M, I don´t know if you remember that name or if I´ve mentioned him, he´s an Argentine that Núñez and Long (the comp of Núñez before I got here) found. He´s a friend of a member that has been super floja... super.. almost inactive for the lack of a better explaination and it has been a huge blessing for both groups. The member and her son are activating and the son passes the sacrament every week (i´ll try to find a picture of the family).. and M is like 26, really chill, really creyente... or believing i guess.. and he is extremely smart. The other day he found the scripture in 3rd nefi chapter 16 that says...

1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have ^aother sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. 2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.

And in spanish the word for ´´land´´ is tierra which also means ´´earth´´... so anyways, he obviously had tons of questions and we had a fantastic talk about God, who he really is, what His purpose is, what he is doing and how he is doing it.. So anyways, He is really progressing and yesterday in church he was super involved in the classes and was answering a ton a questions. He´s awesome. He´ll be more awesome in all white..... WET.

   We´ve had a really hard time getting ahold of I again. She works a lot but we just need to teach her about el día de reposo, the sabboth day, and she will commit. She is amazing. L works Sundays but is trying to change that. She only has fridays off and this last friday we met with her in the capilla and set a pretty good fecha bautismal for the 5th of January. We´ll see how that goes. She needs to keep reading, praying, and find a way to come to church so that the Lord can really give her a firm answer. Pray with us!

   We´ve heard that almost all of the visas right now are held up...... :\ so a lot of missionaries are held up in Provo. The missionaries that are entering the mission field right now are all either natives or people from countries close by.

   I got a note from both R and P a little while back. I think I may have told you..  she is an amazing woman though. Let me know if you still need her address or if you got it with the letter she just sent.

  (I told Sam that Hilary prints off her emails in the morning, reads them, then gets back on the computer later in the day to write so that her computer time isn't used up reading, thats what he is referring to here) We could do that here with the emails and stuff. We could print them off to read, but.. i dunno. Guys don´t think that far ahead... :) haha just kidding. I´m gonna suggest that to hafen when he gets here. We´ll see what he says. I think the guys i´m with right now would just be like..... ehh! too much work! :) QUE BAGOS. P-day is lazy day I guess. Ha!

   Ahh! Squid Merryweather! If you see her again tell her HI! and yes, to write me! :) De hecho, I honestly wish I could make a list of every name that I want you to say hi to but it would take waay to long, so whenever you see someone that you know I know, tell them I say hi. :) Honestly, tell them, Hey! Sam---- Elder Norton say hi! :)

   I´m so happy and proud that you are loving piano. Piano doesn´t come fast for anyone. I still struggle with some hymns.... and ive been playing a LONG time. Haha.. just go poco a poco. Little by little. AND.. something very very important, is Play Songs You Like. Don´t just play to get better. Play And Enjoy. Thats what gave me drive to keep playing. I found a couple of songs that I knew from movies or what not and even though they were too hard at the time, I wanted to learn them soo bad that I pushed myself and spent more time than the ´´30 minutes´´ that was on the ´Jobs for Today´ list you´d make. :) Start paying attention to songs you hear and tell your teacher which ones you want to play and she´ll find copies at your level. THAT is how I got better. Playing songs that I liked.

   KEEP ME UPDATED ON STACIE AND HER CALL! WOW.

   Anyways, we gotta split. One other thing....... and I feel super super selfish and horribly childish for saying this.. I was talking to E. Lyman about the shirts you sent me a while back and how I sent that one back that had no front pocket and he turned to me and was like.... are you serious!? You sent it back??.. He was like... Those are the best for sundays! Plus you have your clip nametag the you can clip onto the collar... and I was like... you know what.. he´s right... so anyways, first off, sorry for sending it back.. Haha and second off, if you haven´t send the Christmas  stuff yet, if you could put that shirt without the pocket in there I would be endlessly grateful. Hah.. sorry. I love you!

   Its always so great to hear from you! I love you all and think about you all daily! I hope all is well and that you are happy! Just like Nefi says as he comes closer and closer to the end of his life that despite their afflictions, they had a happy way of life. (I can´t speak or type in english.. I know what it says in spanish.. but I don´t know how it is in english or how to put it in english.... HA. FAIL.

   I love you all! Don´t just read the scriptures, delight yourselves in the words of christ. Really study with a purpose!

-Elder Norton