"and then we turn and look at each other and laugh, cuz thats us!" (Sam)

I found this old Photo Booth picture on my computer and had to share it 

Hello to one and all!

   I´m not going to be able to write a lot this week, but know that all is well. We´ve been able to have several really good lessons with people and it feels so good to get out and teach. We met with the estonian family again and they´re doing great. They read, pray, they have questions for us. I think the mom and the two older sons are coming to church this sunday!.. Its exciting!! We´ve completely lost contact with the german man we had set a baptismal date with. We´ve gone by his house (house... I say house but its honestly a poorly made long wood shed.. that doesn´t even really belong to him) several times and he´s never there... We´re worried they kicked him off of that land cuz its not his. We´ll see.

   The piso hunt is going well. I got in contact with like 4 more this last week. I´m finishing them up and I honestly feel like such a boss sometimes.... :) cuz i´m working with all these real people and dealing with such real situations. I know that sounds weird but the Lord trusts us with such important things.. and sometimes it just hits me about how real our work is! I got a phone call today from and Elder that had been pick-pocketed on a train and his two credit cards and his passport along with a bunch of money were stolen... And he called me! :D So we´re helping him get new cards and a new passport and everything. Hah sometimes we joke about when there's some big job or big assignment that has to get done... my comp and I look at each other and say... "oh no! Problem, we´ll just call  the mission office elders and they´ll take care of it" ............................ and then we turn and look at each other and laugh cuz thats us! We´re totally learning the ins and outs and little itty bitty small details of the office and how to run an organization. It is amazing how much goes into it. The mutual goal of ours, as well as the office couple, is to: save/take care of the street missionaries time. We want to do everything we can so that all the other missionaries don´t even have to worry, and so they can just work work work. I feel fulfilled getting to do things like that and help missionaries with those kinds of things. And, at the same time, i´m learning more about myself... for example, how I wouldn´t like to have an office or even a sit down computer job for my career. Cada persona tiene su manera. The people say that a lot. "everyone´s got their own way" basically... their own way of doing things. I´ve realized I like to be with people more and I like hands on tasks. Things I can start and finish, and things that allow me to help people be happy.

   I don´t know if I ever mentioned this family I worked with in Málaga... a family of romanians that the parents couldn´t get married cuz of the money issue but the kids were all baptized except for the youngest cuz she was like 7. Well, now that i´m back in the málaga fuengirola area... p-day mornings we play soccer at the same court we played at when I was serving in malaga ... and I saw that family today. They´re doing great! They are active, the youngest one is getting baptized tonight! Its fun. They´re so happy.

   The APs mentioned something the other day... I don´t know how legit it is yet.......... but they said that president has been thinking about testing some iPads in the mission and would probably start with the APs and probably the office elders! :P :P :P I´m pumped! It will not only make teaching more fun for us but soo much more interactive for the people and way more effective. Really! So i´ll keep you updated on that one. 

   Well I love you all! Mom, I agree with you one hundred percent about the Holy Ghost. It is often the last person we recognize when in reality it is the source of so much help from heaven. I have been receiving lessons on his role a lot lately. I think about teaching situations as missionaries. Honestly one of the hardest things for missionaries in general is sharing the teaching time. I am the biggest victim... I can speak when I want ... but sometimes I get carried away Because I Can say what i want... you know? So many times my companions bring that up with me and its something I´m constantly working on. But think about it... How often does the Holy Ghost get his chance to teach a little, and explain a little, and maybe share a spiritual experience or two........... never! And too often do we exclude his clear teachings just because of pure ignorance... when in reality we need to try to have those ´´awkward silences´´... because that is the moment the Spirit confirms the message to the investigators mind. It is true for Any teaching situation. 3 seconds minimum after teaching any principle for that principle to STICK... Interesting thoughts. LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT. HAVE MORE ´´down time´´ TO JUST MEDITATE. 

 Mom I got your letter and your talk! Read it that day and used it in the lesson with the Estonian family. M., the mother, was having those exact questions. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT AND SENDING THAT TO ME.

Love you all!

BYE

Élder Norton

Christ=Christ....Mas=More......... Go figure! (Sam)

Hello! Its december here in Málaga and it doesn't look at all like Christmas! :( haha Yesterday, Elder Hafen and I were in short sleeves the whole day... Although I haven´t actually been dreaming of a white christmas, I have been singing the song every time we walk into our apartment. :)

   Things are great here! People have decorations and stuff up but it just doesn´t compare to the mass amounts of christmas lights and pine smell that is found in the states... Be grateful for what you have!! You don't realize how much you take for granted! The states are the best!

   First off, Dad, of course I remember Jordan! Go by maceys again sometime and tell Jordan hi for me. Tell him to keep shooting the 3 ball, no body could ever stop that kid around the 3 line. :)

Things are great with M. and his family. The whole family attended M's baptism ....... they came to church together the next morning, and everytime we have passed by to visit them, the entire family is there ready to listen and learn. The gospel is the glue that is holding their family together. It is slow going but I know it is blessing them and bonding them again. They have a bright future.They all came to church again yesterday and they all went to the ward Christmas activity on friday. They have fechas for the 29th and we´re working hard with them.

Wow...
   We set fechas with I. and 2 of her daughters! What an awesome family and lesson! We have a lot or work to do with that family but we´re excited and so are they! I´ll keep you updated.

   I have recieved 3 packages.. and I have a slip of paper from the post office that says there's something waiting for me there... haha probably another one.. you´re awesome! Elder Hafen´s fam sent him a package but it still hasn´t gotten here and he just kept giving me more and more flack every time I get a package  or a letter.. haha so we walked in the other day and I had another package and he starts giving me flack and whatnot :) and I look at it and read on the side where you'd written "for your companion... elder hafen?" and I got a huge grin on my face... haha so we got in the elevator and I lift it up and turn that side of the box to him and I said..  "oye, mira..." and he turned and looked at me and was like what?... and then his eyes flickered down to the box and I watched him read it.. and then he grabbed.. and was like.. "whaaat??" :) haha so we walk into our place and he´s already opening it. :) He was probably supposed to wait to open it.. but he didn´t. haha he was really happy though.. his family´s package still hasn´t arrived.. :\

   If Ty and Allie really wanna bring me a box or something they can... :)  A JUMP DRIVE WITH MUSIC and or CHURCH MOVIES would be SUPER awesome. :) Or talks.. orrr stuff like that. fyi, each piso in the mission/a little dvd player screen thing for missionaries to watch the district videos on.. and it has a usb slot so put whatever music or talks or church movies or whatever you want on there. I would really appreciate that. :)  I don't really NEED anything. I´m very happy and healthy! :)

   WOW! Stacie and Janessa going to the same missions! I love love love hearing about people and missions.. So please keep me updated on mission calls and people. :) And tell them both congrats and that they´re gonna rock!

   mom! I´m so proud of you for playing at the recital! I remember them being more nerve wracking than they should´ve been. I´m really glad you did it. :) you´re my hero!

   Anyways, two things real quick, tell Mo Jennings "hi" for me if you see him. Also, we don't know anything about making Christmas calls yet .... just that WE CAN USE SKYPE. :) I think we´ll find out more soon. I´ll let you know.

   I love you all! I have to go but I love you and hope you all have a very merry and white Christmas.

     Christ=Christ....Mas=More.........  Go figure!

Love you!

"I think I sliced a ball into his backyard one time actually..... :) " (Sam)

Where's the rest of his club?

¡Hola familia y amigos!

   Things are awesome here in the mish! Like always! So many changes recently but its all so good. Of the four of us in our piso, all left but me. :) Elders Phillips and Lyman went home......... WEIRD........ and Elder Núñez went to San Fernando. My new comp, Elder H, is awesome. We already get along suuper good. And yes, he says he is related to the General Authority. :) His last area was suuper hard and hadn´t baptized the entire year and then he got there and they baptized 8, exactly what the branch´s goal was for the whole year.. so he obviously had a really hard time leaving... I was a little worried, but we´re already super tight. :) He´s from orem and he lives in the houses right next to the cascade golf course... I think I sliced a ball into his backyard one time actually..... :)

   M GOT BAPTIZED! Wow! The work is amazing. His family is really struggling and I know his baptism has really brought them together. We are hoping and praying that the blessings of the gospel will glue everything back together. His mom and sister have baptismal dates but his dad didn´t accept one. We´ll keep working and praying.

   I. and her family are awesome! We had a huge breakthrough with the oldest daughter. She was really hard to get through to for a long time but the other day we were in their house just talking a little before we started the lesson and we said something about soccer and the daughter from over at the table was like.... ´´you guys play soccer??´´ :) haha and we were like.. claro!.. which is like clearly..or obviously.. or just simply, yes! turns out she plays rugby...... so anyways she opened up and now she doesn´t want us to leave. She´s 18 and shes ridiculous... In a good way. :) We´re moving forward with that family too. They're awesome.

   Right before Núñez left, he told us that this Cuban guy stopped them on the street and told them that he wanted to be baptized.... haha so obviously núñez gave us the guy's info and we passed by. I guess like 9 cubans live in the piso and they are all really interested in our message and want to work towards baptism.  We need to take it slower so that they understand what they are doing and why.. so they don´t go inactive after.. anyways, just missionary stuff. whats important is that we´re moving forward and we´re trusting the Lord's judgement!

   I used my time really poorly today and I don´t have time to write much more, sorry, but a couple things suuper quick.

-PRAY WITH US FOR THE VISAS!

-Dad, i´m gonna keep my eyes out for Elder Olsen. :)

-Should I open the package then to get the presents and stocking out? You said they´re wrapped right?

-I´m good right now on stuff. I´m gonna buy some other p-day clothes here cuz there´s this awesome store here and everythings like way cheap. Its good stuff too. Its like a mix between nordstrom and old navy.. so just put some moneys in my account and i´ll buy me some pday stuff for Christmas. :) thanks!

-Don´t worry about sending stuff with Tyler and Allie. Thanks!

-I´m pumped for Jake hutchings. Tell him congrats!

Thats all! Thanks for everything! Don´t feel like it was your fault for me running out of time. I had to write a couple other people and stuff too. Anyways, gotta go. Love you all!
2 nephi 32:3
 3 ^aAngels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, ^bfeast upon the ^cwords of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will ^dtell you all things what ye should do.

-Elder Norton

"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

"anyone reading this preparing for a mission, 3 things ...." (Sam)

click the link below for reality TV ... missionary style

¡Hola! ¡Buenas Días!
   I hope everything is well back in the states. The mission is the best! Its crazy and I love it!

   Things in Málaga are great. Elder Lyman, my comp, and Elder Phillips, Elder Núñez´s comp, are both dying (going home) the 6th of December.. so things are getting pretty weird around here. They want to spend alllll of pday just buying presents and souvenirs (sp) and whatnot.. and back at piso they are completely torn between talking about investigators and talking about their families and friends. Don´t judge them, its harder than you´d think. 2 YEARS WITHOUT YOUR FAMILY... and now they are soo close they and taste it. Its super interesting and almost hard for Núñez and me cuz at points we honestly feel like we´re going home too.... Hah but things are great. We´ve been working hard when we can, even though we´ve been sick lately. Lyman was sick when he got here to Málaga, he got better, then a couple weeks ago he got sick, and then I got sick with something else, and then we both got better and then he got sick with what I was sick with...... :\ kinda chungo.. but we work when we can!

   The Hondurans are doing well, L works in the house of this old man all week and its all they way on the other side of the city. She has fridays off and so we planned to meet in the capilla this past friday.. so we were waiting and waiting.. and finally we called her and it turns out she had been waiting in the house of the man where she works........ so she appologized and felt really bad for not coming. She realized that we had agreed to meet at the chruch for the lesson and she felt really bad.. so anyways, we´re gonna meet with her this friday. Hopfully she comes to the church this time. :)
 The Spanish woman I, is doing soo great! We called her saturday, early in the afternoon to see if we could pass by and visit one more time before sunday and she answered in a kinda hurried/busy voice for like the first 10 seconds of the phone call... and I was like...... uhhhhh.. so.. you can come to church tomorrow or you can´t?.. and she was like, "no no thats what i´m explaining! I was going to have to work sunday morning but I changed it to tonight so that I could come!!"...... and I just about lost it. :) I was so excited! She had changed her schedule at work and was working the saturday night cleaning shift at her work so that she could come with us to church the next day! :) So anyways, she came with two of her daughters and they all loved it! The two girls, 13 and 9, immediately found some friends, I don´t know if they knew them from school or what.... but they loved their classes and everything.. and I, was super attentive in Sacrament and really fit into the relief society. :) WE´RE EXCITED! We´re gonna set some baptismal dates this week!

   The District is the best! AHH I love it! Anyone reading this that is preparing for a mission, THREE THINGS... Book of Mormon. Preach My Gospel. & The District videos. :)
  
   We don´t know yet.... but we think that when Lyman and Phillips go home, Núñez will be transfered and I´ll get a new comp here. WE DON´T KNOW.... We´ll hear this week though. Núñez has one transfer more than I do here in Málaga so I personally think he´ll be leaving the 6th of december... If you want to send him something, you can send it to the mission home and he will get it no matter where he is.
   Ave Jesus santos reín 2,3 D-E
   29640 Fuengirola (Málaga)
   ESPAÑA
   You can still send my mail and packages to my Málaga address. Its pretty sure that I´ll stay.
   I did get your turkey/nerf package!!! We LOVE IT! Best idea ever!! Hahah and we loved your spanish directions! It get here last monday, right after we did emails. I think a lot of mail and stuff gets places on mondays.. just weekend buildup I guess.. but I always tell you I haven´t gotten stuff and then I get it later that day. :) sorry and yes we got it. Its awesome.

   The sd card i´m using is almost full. I deleted a bunch of pictures which opened up some room but whenever you can get that other one back here, that would be great. Thanks! :)

   Thanks for Hil´s and Eric´s info! I can´t believe he´s going to stinking FIJI!! Hah how awesome! I´m totally gonna write him! What an adventure! One thing i´ve realized lately is how different every mission is! We teach the same stuff everywhere but it is soooo much different in each mission. For example, here in Spain, there are constantly, constantly people on the streets. Almost always, with exception of medio dia, between 2 and 5 when everyone goes and eats and naps.. but other than that, from early early to late late they are people, families, ancianos, kids, buses cars, music, fútbol... always. So a lot of what we do, is our street image and talking and finding on the streets and stuff. We are constantly stopping people and talking to them right in the streets. :) Where as in the states, missionaries could walk for hours and get passed by 1000 cars and 8 people... which makes the entire work change. Its just so interesting the experience we have on the mission and I know that each missionary is given and will experience what the Lord has prepared for them. Anyways, kind of interesting.. THE MISH IS THE BEST.

   I´ll think if I want anything for Ty and them to bring.. I can´t think of anything. Plus, I and I know you and they will understand, but if they come they would need to drop it off at the mission office... cuz we aren´t supposed to receive visits from family or friends. Tell them thank you so much!

   Quick question... Are the sacramento kings now the LA Kings?? I saw a jersey the other day............... just wondering!
   Also, this awesome Ecuadorian family came up to us one Sunday and asked if we could come do FHE every Monday.. cuz they needed ´´help´´. :) Awesome Ecuadorians. So we´ve been going over there for 3 or 4 weeks now and they´re doing so well. I finally figured out what Hilary´s area was called and she was like ´´I lived there!´´ So anyways, she told me to tell you and HERMANA NORTON that she lived in the Imbabura Estaca in the Quinchuqui rama of the Otavalo Barrio. Something like that. She said her mother or sister is named R. I don´t know if Hil´s by there but the lady here is named N and J is her husband.

   Anyways, I gotta go! I love you all. I hope your Thanksgiving was great and I hope you ate as much as I did! :) We had a big zone specialized trainging that day and we ATE GOOD! :)
-Elder Norton
click here to watch "The District"

"WOW. What a miracle filled week!" (Sam)

Hello family and friends!

   WOW. What a miracle filled week! 9 NEW INVESTIGATORS this week. Wowowow. The Lord and his mysterious ways! :) We have been working and really been trying to make new goals and continue moving forward and this week the Lord opened one of the windows of heaven above us. I testify of the Reality and God´s love and blessings in our lives. When we work hard and are obedient, blessings come. Sometimes not right away.. for example last transfer was pretty long and we felt that we had very little success and right at the start of this transfer, the Lord blessed us with a bunch of new investigators. DON´T DOUBT THE LORD´S TIMING. Everything he does is for our BENIFIT. Doubting the Lord´s judgement is a fire that can quickly grow out of our control. Trust his judgement and humbly obey.

   Sadly, the Nigerian family I talked about has more or less dropped us... :\ they are very busy and are never home...Its basically that they are not keeping the commitments. :\ So anyways, we´ve received several awesome references lately from some members that are trying really hard to involve their friends in the church. Some names are R and L, several honduran friends of a member named N. Also, L, a bolivian friend of N. We met this awesome spaniard single mother of 4 that is super creyente and is super excited to listen to us. Her name is I.  We have this other investigator named P that is soo smart.. and he over thinks stuff sometime.. so pray for him. Anyways, thats how things are going right now. Things are awesome! We´re just trying to find the right balance between finding a ton of people to always be teaching and focusing enough on each person so that they arrive at the waters of baptism... really tough balance.

   Sooooooo it rained A TON saturday and sunday. A bunch of streets got super super flooded. Like SUPER flooded. haha like 4 or 5 inches above the gutters, all the way across the streets...... if you can imagine what i´m saying. Anyways it was alright, Elder Lyman was super sick that day so we ended up in piso all day anyways. :) He chose a good day to be sick! Hah

   Saturday and sunday were stake conference and it was awesome! Sunday we all got a bus and went out to Granada.. like an 1 and a half drive. The presidency was reorganized and it was absolutely amazing! The new president is this guy from switzerland that has been living here with his family for a while now and he speaks like 5 languages absolutely perfectly. Its kind of rididulous. I have said it before but I will learn more languages when I get home. For some people, math or science or art or whatever just clicks in their head... for me, I have learned here that languages just click! I have been learning a little portuguese and some  kechua (the dialect spoken in ecuador and several other south american countries like bolivia.. yes n and l taught me :)) and although I have no time to apply what I hear and learn, I would love to come home and immediately start to learn another language. Anyways.. whatever the Lord has in store, but those would be my hopes! :)

   Ok, a couple things...

  Adam, you are a boss! I´m still thinking.......... puedes darme una pista?¿?¿?¿ :)

  I got the letter with the photos of you and me, mom. Thanks for sending those, they´re perfect! Also, I got the letters from sister wilson and sister robley! Ahh so awesome! Tell them thank you!

  Do you know anything about Eric Schofield?? I thought about him the other day and was wondering if you fill me in. :) and Kevin Fonseca?? MISSION CALL BABY.

  Can you get Clay's address for me? That would be awesome. Also, Hil´s mission home address?

  How many postcards can I send to Ellery? I´ve sent one but I´m willing to send more... :)

  Papá, do you still have those Málaga references? If not no worries, I just need to know.

   Mamamadre! I have a couple things that I would love for Christmas.  Ties are always awesome. :) I need a good grey and a good brown... I need some other p-day shirts.. thats something that I could buy here. Oh, also, I would love christmas candy. The usual that we have at christmas.. :) like the mint tootsie suckers... AHHHH. I need a sweater.. a dark long sleeve orrrr.. a sweatervest would be cool too. The ones I have that I just didn´t bring would work perfectly. Also, please send 2 of those ´´mirror cubes´´ the rubiks cubes that are all the some color but change size as you turn them.. I have several on my dresser down in my room. I would like to give one to núñez for Christmas and I want one as well. :D Last thing.. ´´Barron´s ´Spanish Vocabulary´ second edition´´ its smaller.. and yellow and red and white. I already have the verbs one but that one would be awesome too!

   Anyways.. sorry thats super scrambled mom... HONESTLY, you know how hard it is for me to make christmas and birthday lists.. I´m not one to expect a ton so don´t feel like you need to send me a botrillion things. :) I am happy as can be! Thank you for always making me so happy. You are the best mom I could ever dream of.

   DAD. HOLE IN ONE. AHHHHHH. And even more important, 10 stinking meetings in ONE DAY. You are my HERO. One day I will be able to compete with you! :D

   Hey one last thing.. Will you update me on Trevor and his girlfriend and also Tanner and his girlfriend...? :)

   Thanks for everything! I love you all! Make a journal. It´s more important than we think!

-Elder Samuel Parker Norton

ps. ¡la ´THeta´ aqui en eTHpaña eTH lo mejor! ¡Que no THe burlen de la THeta!! :)

"I guess people don´t like to talk when the wind is blowing the rain sideways into their face... like whats up with that!?" (Sam)

Service is the action form of loving one another ... 

Go love someone

Good monday morning! Good morning monday! Monday, good morning! Morning.. good monday.. O.o

   Hello! All is well here in SPAIN. Its been super cold here lately, rain quite a bit, lots and lots of wind.. Its all good though, just a good chance to learn some weather vocabulary. :)

   The works been pretty rough lately.. turns out that people don´t like cold weather as much as we don´t. I guess people don´t like to talk when the wind is blowing the rain sideways into their face....... like whats up with that!?? :) So, we have been working more with the members lately, partially cuz they let us through their doors and give us hot chocolate, and more importantly, because often times they are the connections to new investigators. You can knock 100 doors and contact 100 people on the street, or you can work with members, recent converts, and current investigators, and find direct connections to people waiting for the Gospel. Not to mention that the members are usually more than willing to help teach and support their friends.

   The family that we´ve been teaching recently... N and H are very, very religious people. They both have firm Christian beliefs and desire to learn more knowledge of Christ. Their problem is that they feel they don't fit in because the are different ethnicity and H leads the songs and praises at their church. They are an awesome family but they just haven´t put 100 percent of their faith in the Lord to change their lives to what they know is true. Her ´´calling´´ is whats keeping them ´´active´´, the problem is they are ´´active´´ in the wrong chruch. :D

   I´m already runnin out of stinking TIME. Time time time. Such an important resource. USE IT WISELY.

   To answer a couple questions... I haven´t learned to make any recipes yet but I have tried a lot of things I really liked. I will start to collect recipes and learn how its done. I actually have not been eating a lot of fish. Núñez is alergic and all the members know so they basically don´t make food with fish, even if its for my companionship.. fine by me! :P Haha I did octopus one time.. but I think I already told you guys that.. that was in my first area.

   Lyman and I are doing well. We are getting into a better groove of working together well but the problem is that we haven´t been able to teach many lessons to investigators lately, like I said earlier, we´ve been working a lot with members, and those lessons are a lot more conversational.. But we´ve done some practice during comp study and its coming along.. . he goes home in three weeks, so i´m gonna be getting a new comp soon. :\  We´ll see what happens.

   MOM/Sharon, loved the Romney thought. Super cool. (Dad, loved the Obama thought....... :) hahah)

   Mamá, I took care of the box for Pepa. I got a phone call the other day from those elders and they were like.... uhhhh there's a package here for you..... we´ll send it over your way when we get a sec. So I was confused.. but when I read your email I called them and told them whats up and they said they´d give it to her. Next week I´ll send you her address. I don´t have it with me right now.

   Ahhh! Tell Bryce Congrats on his baptism!

   Loved the song lyrics mom. Thanks! Also, I'll take some SPAIN/MALAGA pictures this week and send them  to you. I already have some ideas...... :)

   I forgot my stinkin christmas list that I started to write down........ SRY. I´ll send it to you next week. Promise!

   Anyways, I gotta go! I love you all! Go help someone today. Help someone feel happier, more appreciated, or more accomplished.

-Elder Norton

P.S. Don't forget to read your Book of Mormon

Click here for great service ideas 

https://www.lds.org/youth/article/13-simple-service-suggestions?lang=eng

"When it comes to doctrine, I am learning principle by principle" (Sam)

Hello english speaking world!

   My english continually declines as I try to learn more spanish. And it doesn´t help that I´m living with english speakers and spanish speakers. Elder núñez basically doesn´t understand when we speak english cuz we talk so fast so we constantly changing between english and spanish. Haha its fun. I love the language though. I LOVE it. I will learn more languages when I get home.

  

 How are the states? We passed by this member's house about a week ago to pick up some food they made for us and they basically pulled is into their piso and sat us down on their couch and turn the news on...... we were like.. ´´Hermana, no podemos mira---......´´  basically all over the world, the USA news is as important as their own country´s. That´s one thing I was very very surprised about in the mission, is that what the USA does, effects EVERYONE. Everyone here in spain talks about obama and Romney and the elections and the wars we´re in and the hurricane that hit  Nueva York etc.... And I don´t even think its cuz we´re americans ... its just what the whole world talks about. The USA effects the entire world. So anyways, I would love an update on everything. We saw five minutes of spanish news (which was frankly hard to understand) and then we´ve heard 1000 stories being passed around about how many people died... and where.. and how etc. So I´d love a report.. Also, a report on what exactly happened in the middle east. We just keep hearing story after story and we don´t know whats true. ALSO... :) an update on the elections. One member told us like a week ago and Obama had already won....... and we were like.....uhhhhhmm, no. The elections don´t end till november..  its kinda funny. :)

   ANYWAYS... Things are great in Málaga! Lots of people. Lots of rain. Lots of wind. In fact, the weather took a huge turn recently. It was suuper hot in my last area but ever since I came here to Málaga the weather has cooled down to perfect temperatures for tracting and working. Recently, there as been a lot of rain and flooding though ( not in our piso... we live on the 13th floor so no worries :)). In other parts of Málaga and in cities nearby.. but yes mom, I have been using my coat quite a bit and its keepin me nice and cozy.

   Papá, to answer some of your questions... The mission is great. Really. Harder than I thought it would be. More rewarding than I thought it would be. And, I am learning more doctine, and overall church information than I ever thought I would. The language is fantastic. Just yesterday, my comp walked down the hall to use the restroom and I grabbed the cell phone to call a couple members... I finished up two or three phone calls, set down the phone, and then IT HIM ME. I looked back at the phone and basically yelped for joy. I had just finished three complete phone call conversations with people that don´t speak a lick of english... and I didn´t even have to think twice. :) Kinda fun moment. This transfer has been dedicated to vocabulary. I have lists on every single page of my agenda of words that I heard that day that I didn´t know. Every night after daily planning, I pull out my flash cards and I write the words I heard that day. You would be proud to see the words. :) Desamparar. Gusano. Lustrar. Colilla. Charco. Guiñar. And thats just the start! I love it! When it comes to doctrine, I am learning principle by principle, line upon line, precept upon precept. As I submit my will and my studies to the lord, he continually teaches me doctrine and gives me understanding. I know that if I keep looking and studying, the mysteries of the lord will be revealed to me. Thank you for your guidance and support. You always provide me with awesome nuggets of info. Here in the downtown city, yes, there is  poverty. Spain has a very high unemployment rate.  If you want to help, What I would prefer you did with the money  is give it as offerings to the church. There are many members, including some in Huércal-Overa, that are in dire need but don´t lose the sight of the importance of the gospel. Their priority was to be baptized. They never asked for any money from us despite the fact that they really needed it.. but now, as  members, they can receive help from the church through las ofrendas, the offerings we give. That´s where I would prefer the money went. :) THANK YOU TO ANYONE READING THIS!

   Okay, mamá... thank you so much for you words! I will continue writing even if the stuff might not be that important to others, just cuz I know its important to the fam. I feel like we are an extremely close family and even my dumb jokes and poor grammer can be enjoyed by you guys. and mom, I loved your little routine. Haha so great!

   I actually haven´t thought one second about Christmas stuff............ BUT I will start thinking. The packages you have sent all come quickly. I got the one with the piano music last monday after we got home from emailing. SO AWESOMMMME! Thank you! I´ll decide and let you know next week. Thanks.

  

   Anyways, YA ESTÁ. 2 quick favors....

1-Dad, remember the people you met when you came to...... Italy I think it was for asea... You said you met some people from Málaga... and you got their info. I heard it and thought.. well I probably won´t be in the Málaga area for a while so it can wait.... but then they transfered me here. haha so i´d love to go by their place and see them. A couple other possible baptisms because of ASEA. :) 

2-Elder Núñez wants to see the dollar coin, the 50c coin and a 2 dollar bill. I don´t know how hard they are to get but if you could get your hands on some you should send em out this way. He´d flip. He wants to move to the states after his mish and marry a blonde girl. :)

Welp, thats all folks. Till next time!

Love you!

-Elder Norton

"Remember that water doesn´t boil until it reaches 100´ Celsius"(Sam)

Every door will be knocked!

Hello family and friends!
   I feel like my emails are getting lamer and lamer every time I write. I don´t feel bad if you (friend or family member) have no desire to read these....... :) Just send me a written letter and I will have something specific and fun to write to you. I promise!

   Anyways, things are great. We have found several new investigators and several less actives that we have been visiting and helping come back to church. Biiiig big bummer yesterday though.. none of the three less active families or investigators that we are working with came to church..................... Bummmer. That and a lot of other things that i´m learning and seeing here in the mish make me think a lot about the will of the Lord. I won´t be able to explain all of my thoughts... but I´m going to try. ..... One of the biggest surprises for me as a missionary.. and I hate to burst the bubble of many still at home but I have a point I want to make....... Just as putting on a white shirt every Sunday and highlighting the scriptures you hear in church doesn´t necessarily make you a faithful member, putting on a name tag and walking around in the street for 10 hours a day doesn´t necessarily make you a faithful missionary. Faith. Faithfulness. BEING Faithful comes from something much deeper. Much... more fundamental. OBEDIENCE and being submissive to The WILL of the Father. There is a BIG difference between doing something because everyone is doing it or because everyone tells you its right, and doing something because you have counseled with Heavenly Father and you know it's HIS will.
   I am seeing others ...... lose focus on the work. Lose desire to work, to find, to help, to serve. I am making it sound worse than it is.. but right now, I am seeing a very clear line between doing something because the Lord wants it to happen, and doing something for Any other reason. please OBEY MORE. We have so, so, so many opportunities for blessings. So many opportunities to show our Father that we trust him and will, until the end of our days on this earth. Let's show him that we have power over the natural man. We have power over Satan and that we are going to use the very agency he tried to take away from us, to follow Christ and be obedient to the Father.

   Anyways.. I rant sometimes. Just ponder that. Remember that water doesn´t boil until it reaches 100´ Celsius. Likewise, we are not being obedient until we are 100% obedient. Never miss a prompting ... and do what Jesus would do.

Watch this and pay attention to the will of the Lord and the will of the Father
click here

ADMO. Doctrina y Convenios 115:5............ levántate y brilla, para que tu luz sea un estandarte a las naciones. Te Quiero! También... The next time you send a letter, will you make photocopies of George Winston´s ´´Sandman´´ piano song from that george winston book we have? I think its in there. I think. THANKS KID.

   The work here is great. Really quick cuz I´m out of time... This one new investigator that we found is from Brazil and lives with 4 other Brazilians. One of which is his wife. THEY´RE ACTUALLY MARRIED. YESSS. We´ve met with him twice and he told us his wife wanted to meet with us too. We challenged him to be baptized and he said... of course of course! If I know, of course I would be baptized!... and then when we asked if we could read a specific part to read in the BOM he told us he wanted to read it all....... so we´ll see how that goes. :) His name is P. and we´re excited.

   That's basically the update. Lots of other little things here and there.. lots and lots of people yelling who knows what at you through the.... timbre... I don´t know how to say that in English.. its like the doorbell but there's a speaker so you can talk back and forth. Every apartment is like that... so anyways, just a couple days ago we were knocking doors and we hit the timbre of this one lady and she more or less hung up on us yelling and then went and advised her neighbor right before we hit the timbre of that one... so she answered us yelling and spitting out profanities....... :D hahaahhaah soo funny.. We just walked away saying under our breath... YA VEREIS......... :P (you'll see)

   Hey! I got that little package! Thank you! So fun to get little packages now and then.

   Anyways, that's all for now. I love you all! Push a little harder! If it wasn´t hard, it wouldn´t be worth it!
-Elder Norton

ELDER HOLLAND ROCKS! (Sam)

Elder Holland speaking to the press about missionary age change announcement

Wow! Conference was awesome! Soo many questions answered! Don´t you just love the spirit?

  Its great to hear from everyone! I love getting your emails and whatnot. Updates, info, questions, everything. Life is so great! ´´So much to be grateful for´´.

   So my new comp´s name is Elder Lyman. He´s from Riverside California and he has 22 months in the mish. So in our missionary terms.. he´s going to die here in Málaga. :) I´m gonna ´´kill´´ him. Haha so i´ll be here in Málaga this transfer and then the next as well. I´ll probably be here till after Christmas. Which is good cuz I don´t want to have to move right before Christmas and not know anyone. Málaga rocks. The members here are THE BEST.

   WOW. Wasn´t conference just awesome??? So, so powerful. I know we´re not supposed to choose favorites or anything but........ ELDER HOLLAND ROCKS. Woww.. they announced that he was going to speak and I got goosebumps.. :) he didn´t even have to speak and I had goosebumps! Then he blew my face off with his talk. Wow. "Do.. You.. LOVE.. ME?" So much meaning!

   Well things are awesome here. We have 4 in our piso now. We only have one bathroom and everyone sleeps in our room cuz there´s AC.. its un poco chungo... that means.. like.. its a little sketchy. Anyways, everythings nice so I can´t complain! We have 5 fechas right now. D and Ro, the couple... M, the lady that lives with them... Mx, the argentine guy... and a Nigerian named N that we was a reference from a recent convert. We´re working with his wife as well. We want them to be baptized together. We´ll see!

   My comp has finished on the computer and is ready to goo...... so I have to go. But I love you! I´m soo so excited about the new announcement about the missionary age! So cool! Mom, do you remember exactly 1 year ago, the morning session on saturday, I slept through the first 15 minutes of saturday morning conference and when I came up you were like.."you missed it! They just announced that you can go when you're 18!" And I almost died??? You remember that? I lost it when I heard it was real!! :) Mom, don´t ever doubt that you can receive personal revelation! :)

   I love you all!! Please keep me updated on the world. I love, love updates on random interesting things... your lives, stocks, sports, byu, earthquakes, technology, elections todo!!!! ADIOS.

-Elder Norton

Here at the Norton home we are HUGE fans of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ... follow this link to learn more about him and to connect to several of his recent talks click here

Happy Monday from ESPAÑA! (Sam)

Happy Monday from ESPAÑA!

   Wow. Things could not be better! So much going on in the mission its crazy! I think I may have mentioned it last week but I can´t remember so I´m gonna say it again. The transfer ended yesterday and this transfer Elder Núñez and I are getting new comps.......!!!!!!! Wow! Its crazy! We´re both staying in our area and we´re both getting new comps! We´re gonna have four elders in our piso. I´M PUMPED. My new comp is named Elder Lyman and he gets here tomorrow so I still don´t know him. We haven´t completely decided what we are going to do but we´re thinking about splitting the area exactly in two and then just going to work... then again, Elder Lyman and I may end up working in a pueblo just outside of Málaga thats called Torre Molinos.. ooorrrrr we may just not split anything and just work together in one big area. We haven´t decided yet and I don´t think we will until we´re with the newbies that are coming. We´ll see!

   We haven´t talked or visited Mx since last week............. and he didn´t come to chruch....... :( but he told us in the middle of the week that he was sick so we´re thinking thats why. No worries. That guy read all of 1st Nephi after the first visit that we had with him and by the third he was done with 2nd Nephi.... . Its only a matter of time ..... :D. He lives a ways away and its kinda hard for us to visit him cuz we don´t have a car.. thats another reason my comp and I might just travel out there every day.. We´ll see. Do., R, and M are awesome!! They had a poor experience in church and then didn´t end up coming this week but they are progressing and learning and growing soo much. They have kids and were worried that their kids were going to be making too much noise in church and then when they got there, they sat in the back and all the other little kids and the whole ward was making more noise than they expected (just cuz its a ward full of mormons.. sorry.. we have a lot of kids..) and they couldn´t hear much of anything... :\ but they were super cool about it. E. Núñez and I knew they hadn´t really enjoyed church so we were going to just let the topic settle and not talk about it but basically right when we got there they opened the conversation up and were like.. hey! we´re gonna be honest.. we didn't really enjoy church.... there was too much noise! Haha... We´ll see. I have seen that people come to a point where the gospel begins to fill wholes and challenges in their lives.. so much so that there is little to nothing that can take them away from it. They see and feel and come to know the necessity of it in their lives and it only becomes a matter of time before they choose baptism. Not to say that Elder Núñez and I are going to let up, just saying that they are doing well, seeing the importance, learning, and keeping their commitments. The baptismal fechas for Mx, Do, R, and M are all for the 13th of Oct and everything's looking good. 

   Mom, to answer your questions... Everyone is safe and well in the mission. It rained for a day and half where we are and...... not anymore. :) Yeah there´s been some flooding in Spain but nothing for us. P-day was great. We (Elders Núñez, triana, geest, bailey, jones, pallas, forrest, neira, and I) went on a hike with a girl in one of the Málaga wards thats thinking about a mission. Kinda cool. I was telling her about Hil.. and how she didn´t know if she was gonna serve and that she´s out there baptizing the world right now.. :) We came back to Málaga and found M in the street and started talking. All is well. The ward(s) are are awesome! We´re serving in the 2nd ward but the 1st ward attends our building as well and so we meet both wards. A lot of the members that pertenecen............. are in our boundries... go to the other ward.... I don´t know why..  but we´re trying to get it all figured out.. We eat at our bishops house every other saturday. He's awesome. He loves music and he asked me to help him put this song that he made up onto sheet music. Service hours! :) We´ll see how that goes! Tell Sister Erekson thanks again. REALLY, she´s awesome. The youth here are awesome! Most/basically all are from barrio 1 buts its ok. I play piano in Priesthood and I am growing to love the piano more and more. I took it for granted at home. I love to just sit down and play now. btw, next package, I would love a copy of ´´waterfall´´ and ´´all of me´´ from the jon schmit book. Thanks. We don´t teach lessons during church hours like we did in HO.. I kinda liked that cuz we could teach to our investigators needs.. but no problem. Anyways.. thats all for now. I have letters for the fam that I haven´t sent yet. THE MISH IS CRAZY. Sorry. Ask people to write me! :D Thats all from me! 

Love you all!  BYE.
-Elder Norton

"Slooooow down now.. ¿tranquilízate vale?" & photos (Sam)

Malaga's cathedral is popularly known as "la manquita", the little one-armed lady, in reference to the fact that its second tower was never completed.

Waz up wazz up??

   I don´t have a lot of time today because I wrote Hermana Norton a good fat email. She has more time on the computer now and we almost haven´t talked at all yet in our missions so I felt that it was necessary.

   WOW. So much going on back at home. So much traveling and fun. I don´t know if I´m just imagining it or what.. but it seems like you guys are traveling a tonnnnnnnnn now that Hil and I are gone.... :) no no.. its ok.. I get it........ :D

   Wow, Mom, I loved your thought about the words ´bind´ and ´bound´. We have read it a thousand times but wow.. it makes more sense the way it was put in your email... ´´we can bind the Lord...by obedience...´´. sometimes we doubt and feel like we don´t deserve blessings but I have seen SO MANY miracles here in the mission with just being obedient. Example... we plan for the day and we plan a ´´miracle lesson´´ during an hour when we don´t have anything.. we work so hard alll day, all all day.. and we end up with that miracle lesson and an awwwesome new investigator that told us..."I would like to join this congregation.........." WOW. We did our part, SO the Lord did His.

   Tell Annika Jaccard congrats on first runner up! Thats so awesome!

   YESSSSSS. R´s other sister and mother were baptized!! And the other couple that were on the blog from Huércal-Overa, Elder Jones and I taught them too. :D AHHHH

   Tell Adam I´m proud of him. Whether he´s proud of himself or not, I´m proud of him. AND I GOT HIS LETTER. I LOVE HIS LETTERS SOO MUCH!

   Asea is going well... go figure. :) So you guys know, when I come home, I´m gonna learn 3 more languages and then help Asea extend further into those countries. :) mark my words!!! Keep me updated on Matthew Peters please. If their family says anything to you I would love to hear it. :)

   Next time you see Brother Walkenhorst, tell him I say hello! Also, please try to get the Parsons address for me. I´d love to write them a letter.

   We set 4 awesome baptismal dates this last saturday. Elder Núñez and I did splits with the two elder serving in melia (they are here visiting Málaga for safety precausions). So Elder Núñez went with Elder Jones (a different elder jones) and they ended up setting this fecha with this argentine guy, Mx... SUPER AWESOME. basically gonna get baptised without a doubt.. :) and Elder Bailey and I went to other citas and we set 3 fechas with this awesome family and this lady that lives there too. Do. is from ecuador and his wife is from paraguay and they have two kids, a little boy (4) and a little girl (2). M, this lady from ecuador, lives with them and came out of her room one of the first days we were there and listened for like 5 minutes and then ended up saying the closing prayer... so awesome! So elder Bailey and I ended up setting fechas with them three for the 13th of october as well. Mx´s fecha is for the same day. We´re super excited!

   This is the last week of the transfer. ALREADY. My third transfer in the field ends this week! WOW. And in 4 days I FINISH THE FIRST FOURTH OF MY MISSION. Wow, its going too fast. Slooooow down now.. ¿tranquilízate vale? But anyways, so this friday we will find out if one of us is leaving or if we´re both staying or what.. this is only Núñez´s second transfer here so we don´t think either of us will go but we´ll see. We´re gonna have a bunch of baptizms this next transfer so pray with us that we stay together! :)

  Anyways, family and friends, I love you all! Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Go reread the introduction to the book of Mormon and the testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. Then ask in faith to your Father in heaven to reassure and re-edify your testimony of Joseph Smith. His role is so so important in the fullness of the Gospel. Then, listen. Listen closely. And Continue listening and watching UNTIL you receive an answer. Because God will NEVER leave a question unanswered. And then don´t forget to write me and tell me what you learned. :) I love emails and letters!

   Gotta go! Love you!

-Elder Norton