Out with the old and in with the new (Sam)

December 30, 2013

Hello family! Hello friends!

Hope you had a merry christmas 

and have a happy new year!

It was great to talk to you on Christmas! This week has been crazy! Its interesting to see people during holiday times because there are some people that are more open and desireous for us to visit and want to spend time with the missionaries, and then there are the people that get sucked into their lives and kind of "put us off" till after the holidays.... haha the fun thing about Europe during this time is that EVERYONE is out on the streets. Almost all of Europe is such a "walking culture".. and lots of people are usually on the streets, but during christmas time, even more people are out on the streets. Its fun to see people out with their families. Wish we could reach more of them.

Sounds like you had a good week. Its incredible to me how much things have changed since I´ve been gone. Mitch and Jen have a new child that I´ve never met. Their boys are big and talking and going to school. Dad´s had his BYU calling long enough that the home ward feels foriegn to him :), mom works in the temple and has a calling on the stake level, Hil left to Ecuador, learned spanish, baptized a bunch AND IS ALREADY HOME, Adam is draining three´s like a boss and is probably taller than me!! All of that has happened SINCE I´M BEEN GONE. I hope we can all look back and see that last 21 months.. and see the changes that have occurred in each of us. Good ones and bad ones. I also hope we can all look 21 months into the future and set real, achievable goals and then work for them. In these next 21 months, lets change back the bad things that have changed in these last 21 months. Lets do new things, meet new people, gain more knowledge and faith.

Times up! Gotta go. Love you all! See you soon!

Élder Norton

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January 6, 2014

Hello everyone!

Thanks for the weekly emails, they really do mean a lot.

I´ve sent a lot of other emails out this week.. so my message will have to be quick..

Things are great! Another slow week cuz here in Spain. This holiday starts before Christmas and goes till like tomorrow..... yesterday night, everyone went to the city center and watched "The 3 Kings/wise men" come in one camels and throw candy out to everyone.. and then they make their way to the hospital where they give the kids in the hospital presents. No worries, things are going to pick back up. It was like this last year.

I do remember Brady!! Tell him Hi and hi to the family too.

I got my packages! You saw the photos right?? There were quite a few people that got all their Christmas packages late so it was fun.. we all got to open our packages together like it was christmas morning. :P

Elder Crandall and I are doing well. We have had several moments already where we´ve known that we needed to be together. We´re loving our time together.

Transfers were last week! Another huge transfer has come and gone. We´re both staying and we´re glad. Elder Flint and Elder Crapo in the office almost died though.. haha its been super crazy for them. Zone conferences, transfers, new missionaries, mission leadership concert at the mission home.. all of that almost in the same week and a half. They´re awesome.

I´m out of time. Sorry its been scattered.

Love you all!

Élder Norton