Spain Bilbao Mission

SOMEONE IS USING THIS BLOG TO SCAM YOU

2010-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

WARNING: SOMEONE IS USING OUR NAME TO SCAM YOU INTO RENTING A HOME. WE ARE NOT RENTING ANYTHING. DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM. IT IS DISGRACEFUL THAT SOMEONE WOULD DO THIS. WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS AND WE ARE SORRY THIS WOULD OCCUR.

SINCERELY,

RICK AND ANNE CLEGG

The Field is White Already to Harvest

2010-06-28T13:47:00.001-07:00

Here we are, one year exactly to the day that we arrived in Germany to be oriented by the Area Presidency. We stayed the night and then the next morning, June 30th, 2009, we landed in Bilbao, Spain. At that time we had no idea we would only be here for one year, but boy what a year it has been. We loved the green mountains, the quaint and colorful houses and the beautiful ocean shores. But mostly we fell in love with all the wonderful members and our dear missionaries. You have all made our time here a heaven on earth.

So what more can we say than we love you and will miss you all! You welcomed us and showed us the best that Spain has to offer. As our final blog post we felt like showing a few pictures of the wonderful new members who were baptized during the year we were here. We don't have a picture of all 191 of them, but the ones pictured are a great representation of all of them. We have chosen not to put their names but rather just enjoy the many faces of some of the newest members of the true church.

We leave with a greater appreciation for the love the Lord has for all his children. Our parting words upon leaving are....

SIEMPRE BILBAO!

Final Missionary Day in Leon

2010-06-28T12:13:00.001-07:00

The kids are packed in the car, ready to go to Leon. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive that we were making to attend a testimony meeting with the Leon District. This wonderful group of young adults were having a missionary day to work with all the missionaries serving in the Leon Zone. We had the ipods going for the kids and general conference cd's playing in the car. It was a great ride down.

Upon arriving I was so happy to see my dear friend Marisa. She is getting married to a wonderful man, Alberto, in the Madrid Temple in July. She and I became instant friends the day we met. I love her dearly and am so delighted for her to be getting married. You will have to look for Alberto in the group pictures. He is standing by Marisa. They were there working on this Saturday along side almost 50 young adults. The miracles of Leon are continuing.

This was the group picture taken before we arrived. They were ready to get out and start the day of contacting in the city of Leon. They contacted all morning and then met back at the church for lunch and a testimony meeting. Many references were giving to the full time missionaries at the end of the morning work.

Our dear District President, Presidente Martinez is a man with a vision and we are sure that one day this district will be a Stake. He is so inspirational and enthusiastic. We have loved working with him and pray that the current trend will continue. We have no reason to think it won't.

Presidente Aguado is another wonderful man who is so dedicated to the growth of the church in Spain. His beautiful wife Rosa is also a dear friend and we have grown to love them as family. Presidente Aquado is the 2nd counselor in the District Presidency and does a super job at organizing these activities and growing the enthusiasm for the work in Spain.

We want so much to send our love to all of you out there who have been watching our mission through this blog. We have loved being a part of the Spain-Bilbao Mission and spending our last Saturday in the north in a missionary activity was just the right way to end it.

Hermana Marin is standing in front of the sign that you have seen throughout this post. It has listed the dates of this mission and how many years, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds that have been devoted to missionary work here. It was very special to see.

We took one more final picture at the end to help us remember all the joy that we have received in serving here. We experienced a wonderful testimony meeting filled with expressions of love for missionary work. We know that the church will continue to grow in Northern Spain. We leave Leon feeling blessed to be a part of this experience.

Family Touring

2010-06-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

After all the missionaries left we turned a little bit of time to take our grandkids around a bit. They enjoy parks the most, but there are other things to see with them. Ellie and Jack are ready to go.

Grandpa took Ellie and Jack on the bridge in Las Arenas. They loved it as well as running through the exercise park.

Ellie just wanted water as a treat.

Jack wanted ice cream.

In the neighborhood in Mungia we have a small park. Ellie and Jack like to go for a little walk at night and a visit to the park.

Ellie took baby Cam for a ride too.

We also took them to see the birthplace of St Ignatius who started the Jesuit Order in the Catholic Church.

We walked into the basilica and when Ellie and Jack looked up their mouths were wide open. Neither one of them had ever been in a Catholic Cathedral of any kind and this was a new experience for them.

They thought it was a lot different from our churches but they were intrigued at what they saw.

Another day we took them to the "Capilla on the Rocks." This is not an easy hike for little kids but we did it. They loved the views and loved ringing the bell on the church.

Hillary and her precious Cam were taking a little break by the ocean.

This is taken from the top looking down. It was a beautiful day and they were troopers on the hike.

Grandpa did a little bit of carrying Cam time to spell Hillary off.

After walking down we had to walk up. We brought a picnic lunch that tasted good after a few hours of hiking. It is fun to be Grandma and Grandpa again for a few days .

The Dedicated Dozen

2010-06-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

We usually don't see missionaries on the floor with skateboards but Elder Ciccio was entertaining the kids in the office. He was so fun with them, they found a new missionary to take home. This time I said yes, for a day.

Elder Holmes, Blazian, and Anderson were reminiscing on two years of being a missionary.

Elder Frank, Hermana Bell and Elder Ciccio were getting food prepared by Hna Belnap on Tuesday. This would normally be Wednesday, but since the office was being packed up on Wednesday, the Presidente did most of his interviews this day, and then for the afternoon, the missionaries went out and worked throughout Las Arenas and Bilbao.

Elder Ciccio was dead on in tossing the marker into Elder Blazian's shirt pocket. The proof is in the pocket.

Elder Castellon is trying to hide. He has been such a great missionary. He has touched people that no one else could. We will miss him but look forward to seeing him at home since the Elche Stake will be part of the Malaga Mission now.

While the missionaries worked, the grandkids went to the beach. Water is universal and all kids love to be by the water.

Ellie loved the exercise equipment around Las Arenas. She is keeping fit during the trip.

She and Jack are swinging side to side. They had a great afternoon.

Don't you just want to squeeze this boy. Our Cam is a delight to have around.

Wednesday brought the moving men. I just couldn't believe it when I saw it. They packed the office first and on Thursday they did the house. Very efficient workers and pleasant too. But these days were just solid reminders that this is for real.

Here they are taking down the secretary's office.

What happened to my office? Everything is gone. What great days we had in this office, but alas, the time is here.

We were all meeting in the office at 1:00 for lunch and then going to the lookout. Presidente doesn't know if he likes all this commotion in his office.

They are taking down the sign!

We are all sad, so what shall we do? Go to Lunch!

We took the entire group of 12 missionaries to the food court to eat their last Donner Kabob! It was a beautiful day and so we enjoyed our lunch by the pier.

Elder Frank, I don't think those glasses are going to cut it at home.

Elder Castellon, used flowers won't be right for your finance.

Elder Blazian is striking his GQ pose for Bilbao. Hmm, wonder what his thoughts are?

Quite an impressive group. There is a lot of missionary strength represented here. We love every one and every one made a difference here in Spain.

I think I see a future Hermana. Ellie loved being with the sister missionaries. They are great role models for young girls.

Elder Ciccio and Presidente are comparing their bald spots.

One last handstand for the mission.

This is such a great looking group. We have 4 office Elders in this group. Elder Flory, Elder Anderson and currently Elder Holmes and Hansen.

Can't resist the playground.

Home to the mission home where we started preparing for the last dinner.

Jack was having a great time playing and entertaining the missionaries. Elder McClanahan seems to be enjoying him.

Don't give a missionary down time, he will sleep!

Looks like our little soccer player is getting a gooooooooooool on Elder Ciccio.

We decided to have a picnic on this beautiful day. We invited the Belnaps to come as they are moving to Barcelona next week.

We had a wonderful testimony meeting together. The is the last group to go home from the Spain Bilbao Mission.

Presidente's brothers in the gospel.

This is the closing of a wonderful era. The Bilbao Airport will only see two more missionaries leaving; us. Wow, this was a special moment to see so many valiant servants together for one last time. Vaya con Dios! We love you with all our hearts.

Look Who Came to Spain!

2010-06-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Amidst all that was going on in the mission more than 5 months ago our oldest daughter Hillary decided to come with her new baby Cameron and her 3 year old son, Jack. She also brought along our oldest granddaughter, Ellie. We were so excited to have them come. The plans were made before the news of the consolidation of the mission. Fortunately she is going home the same day we are leaving. They arrived Saturday afternoon and a few hours later we were at a baptism in Bilbao.

Ellie and Jack weren't too sure about all the Spanish being spoken. Culture shock is real when you are 3 and 9. But they are so cute aren't they!

Elder Gerber and Roldan were having this baptism of a young boy. It was fun to be able to take our family to be part of the service.

We hugged our dear Hermanas and said good-bye to them, especially Hermana Sandoval who was moving to Vigo. She needed to be in the Madrid Mission before the mission was divided. 3 great Hermanas whom we love so much.

The next day we went to Vitoria for a Young Single Adult Conference. The chapel was filled and the spirit was wonderful. Pres. and Sister Moore who is the Temple President and Matron of the Madrid temple came up to be with us and speak. They are such wonderful people. I am just sad I didn't get a picture of them. We are pictured here with Pres. DeMolino and his wife and youngest son. He is a counselor in the Stake Presidency. We are looking forward to being with their son who is a missionary currently in Malaga. We had a sacrament meeting and lunch and then a fireside afterwards. It was a wonderful day.

During lunch Elder Southwick was to be found outside playing soccer with Ellie and Jack and two other little boys. Our grandkids loved it. They asked if they could take Elder Southwick home. The answer was......no, even though we wanted to too.

It was still a little chilly after a few weeks of rain. Ellie and Jack loved climbing on the soccer goals in the backyard of the church.

At the end of the day we said our good-byes to these wonderful missionaries in Vitoria. Elders Nelson, Southwick and McClanahan and Hermanas Stosich, Bell and Gonzales.

Back home that night at the mission home we were having fun on the bed. It is so much fun to have little feet running around the mission home. Something we have truly missed.

The next day, Monday I took a p-day with the kids while Presidente was interviewing missionaries. The kids loved the Puppy at the Guggenheim.

The silver balls were a hit also.

But the best part of all was the park. The building behind them is almost complete on the outside. It wasn't even a third of the way up when we came last year. It has been fun watching it grow. The kids loved this park and we promised to bring them back.

Hey Jack hold on to Grandma.

Not bad having the Guggenheim for your backdrop is it.

All Jack could say was "I love it here in Spain." We had a great day and plan to have a few more. But for the next few days we will be sending 12 missionaries home so now it is back to work for Grandma.

The Beginning of the End

2010-06-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you travel missionaries all day to come to a once in a lifetime End of a Mission Zone Conference? Tired worn-out Elders with a smile! The entire mission came together on Thursday, June 10th at the Vitoria Capilla. The logistics to do such a conference were handled superbly by our two secretaries Elder Holmes and Hansen. Over half the mission had to travel the day before to be able to attend together the next day. We had the honor of housing the Leon District at the mission home. We asked all the missionaries to come fasting to prepare them for the spiritual feast as well as the joyous reunion for all of us.

Elders Ciccio, Saune and Farnsworth were glad to be off the train and ready for the next day to arrive. We chose the teachings of the Zone Conference to be the Book of Mormon. The electricity and anticipation of the day had been high in the office and now seeing the Elders and Hermanas arriving made it all real. We went to bed very excited for the coming day. The day before Hermana Belnap and I took all the food down so as not to have to deal with it the morning of the conference. As well, MariJ, who works in the mission home, came on Thursday to aide with all the work of serving almost 70 missionaries. The stage was set and off we went Thursday morning.

For the rest of the blog I won't be commentating too much. I would prefer that we just absorb the pictures and try through the medium of pictures to feel the spirit of the conference. Occaisionally I will fill in some details. Let it be said that this truly was an incredible day with such a closeness to the spirit throughout all the teaching and testifying. We had 12 missionaries that were going home who shared with us their final testimonies. We had musical numbers that were fantastic. The food of Lasagna, salad, carrots and many deserts was delicious. It ran smoothly and everyone came away with many memories. The mission will officially close on June 30th and over half of these missionaries pictured are going to the Madrid Mission and the others are going to be in the Barcelona Mission. They will all remain in their cities and work as hard as always, but after this date, they will all have a new mission president.

All the Hermanas of the mission sang He Sent His Song. Their voices rang like angels. Everyone wanted to capture every moment as you can see by the cameras running during the conference. A special thanks to Elder Driggs. He accompanied all the musical numbers and then shared Praise To The Man as a piano solo.

Elder Howard and Quinn played a beautiful violin duet of "How Great Thou Art." Heavenly!!!

After great Zone focuses, the Ayudantes and my teaching on the Book of Mormon, it was time for lunch.

Dear Elder Dredge! He was very emotional all day as he knew he was leaving the mission in another week to go to Madrid and help Pres. Watkins with the transition of almost 30 new Elders and Hermanas to the Madrid Mission. Elder Ashby will be helping Pres. Hinckley in this transition for the Barcelona Mission.

A standing ovation for MariJ and Hermana Belnap for all their help with the food.

The Elders sang "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" with Elder Pederson leading out with a solo. Great job Elders!

After a wonderful message by Pres. Clegg and an emotional DVD we stood and sang "Called to Serve" and Nos Plascenteros Nos ES Trabajar" with a 4th verse written by Elder Anderson. After the closing prayer we surprised everyone with a T-Shirt that says "Siempre Bilbao" on the back with the dates of the misson. It was a hit!! Then our wonderful missionaries surprised us with a book filled with a picture of each missionary and a personal letter from them. It is priceless.

Here we are with our 65 young adult children. What a family photo!! (Yes, that is Elder Chavez in the middle front row. He came up from Madrid just for the day to be with us. Wow, we love him so!)

What would a Zone Conference be like without a funny picture.

These are the 12 plus the Presidente and I who are leaving the mission. The 12 pictured go home on June 24th. Great group of missionaries that have all worked till the end and leave with honor.

Now we are pictured according to our homes. These are all our wonderful "nativo" missionaries who live within Spain. We couldn't have this mission without them. Elders and Hermanas Cepeda, Roldan, Sandoval, Moraza, Bajana, Marin, Abellan, Chavez, Ciccio(he lives in Italy) Sanchez, Zamora, Griotti, Sauane, Oscanoa, Leon, Castellon, Esteves-Garcia and Gonzales. For some reason Elder Cairns isn't in this picture, he is from Scotland.

Here is the Utah Army. Elders and Hermanas Dredge, Stock, Driggs, Clegg, Woosley, Frank, Southwick, Stosich, Sieverts, Pederson, Reist, Howard, Hansen, Clegg, Nielsen, Flory, Plaskett, Ryser, Hanson, Crocker, Strickland, Hadley, Crocker, and Nye.

Our Arizona group are Elders Quinn, Belnap, Jackson, McClanahan, Ashby and Hermana Belnap

California is represented by Elders and Hermanas Fitches, Farnsworth, Pyne, Blazian, and Patten.

All the rest from other states are Elders and Hermanas Woods, Aston, Skidmore, Blatter, Renshaw, Gerber, Anderson, Huntsman, Roerig, Johns, and Bell. Whew, lot's of wonderful missionaries all united in their service to the Lord.

We came home that night full both spiritually and physically. The Elders and Hermanas all went out and worked that night, and then we had our Leon District for the night. The next morning it was French Toast, cereal and yogurts before we sent them on the train. There is Elder Cairns holding up a yogurt! Our wonderful Scotland boy.

As we loaded them into the van, had to get one last glimpse of an example of what we see and pray for and work with every day. Life is great in the mission and we will never forget our Bilbao Missionaries.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

2010-06-19T03:16:00.000-07:00

After our final Zone Conference,( which I know I haven't posted it yet but that will come next week) we had a visit from the Pelton Family on Friday. Presidente Pelton was President of the Spain Bilbao Mission during the time of the Madrid Temple Dedication in 1999. This is a lovely family whom we enjoyed meeting and spending a few hours with. They were here when their daughters were little and now two are married with their first grand-baby on the way. We spent a few hours at the mission home, then grabbed a quick lunch and came to the office. It was fun to see what was the same and what was different. A wonderful family who also has a love for the Spain Bilbao Mission.

The next day, Saturday was to be our final departing breakfast. Almost all of us are departing so we had to have one. The pitcher in front of you is Elder Holmes "special" sauce for french toast or whatever you want to put it on. It is basically a carmel sauce, and it was enjoyed by all.

The Elders wanted French Toast and Crepes. Well, Elder Hansen thinks he should have them together. That is a lot of sugar and sweet for me, but hey, he's an Elder!

Elder Woods seem's to be saying "I am not so sure about that." Actually, I think he is just getting full.

Elder Plaskett say's "I'm not going anywhere, I just got here. Elder Holmes and Dredge think the same thing, but in a short while, they are returning home.

We left Saturday afternoon to go to Gijon as we were spending our Sunday there. We had a wonderful dinner at the home of Rosa and Carlos along with Marisa and her fiancee Alberto and Moses, a fairly recent convert. It was a wonderful evening. It is getting hard to say good-bye. We cried tears as we left, but know that one day we will be together again. Incidently, the U. S. vs. England game was on their T.V. Yea, USA!

The next day was a wonderful Sunday in Gijon. Hermana Marin is happy to be with many of the children. Actually, two of them are the children of Pres. Martinez, the District Presidency. There was a change in the Branch Presidency, and now Pres. Hildago is the new Branch President. It was a wonderful day to be with the saints in Gijon.

We hugged our wonderful Hermana Abellan and Marin along with Gaby, who HAS a baptismal date on July 3rd. Yea, she has been somewhat of an eternal investigator that did have a baptismal date a year ago, but now it is for real and she is so excited. So are we!

We pushed on to A Coruna to do a fireside. We got to see Hna Moraza one last time. We will see her in the south as she lives in the Malaga Mission, so our good-bye wasn't too sad.

Our dear Hermana Sieverts was sad to see us go. We love her as well as all of our missionaries, but she will be great with the Watkins. We also know we will see her upon our return to Utah as she is a Utah girl.

Same with our dear Elder Strickland, he lives in Utah and we look forward to seeing him there. Actually, we might see him over the next two years as his mother is Spanish and all his family lives in the Southern part of Spain. Who knows, we would love that.

I put this picture on because the reflection makes our two new missionaries look like angels. And they are! We came back from A Coruna to be back on Tuesday to greet these two wonderful young people

The airport is under a large renovation, but we still needed a photo here. We have Hermana Ruz from the Elche Stake and Elder DaSilva from Badajoz, Spain but originally from Angola. His father was a professional basketball player. You should check out Elder DaSilva's hands! They are so excited and the only sad part is that we can't take them to Malaga.

We still love them and took them through their orientation at the Mission Home.

The view of Bilbao is always spectacular. We love it every time we go.

The secretaries were getting them orientated to the details of the mission and of course, time to find out where they will be serving. They will both go with the Barcelona Mission, but where?

Here come the ayudantes with the map.

Elder DaSilva is going to Lorgono and Hermana Ruz is staying in Bilbao. They were both delighted. Elder DaSilva is the most pleasant person with a strong testimony of the gospel and Hermana Ruz is so sweet and eager to go to work.

We drove Elder DaSilva down to Logrono because we were meeting friends for dinner. Here he is with his trainer, Elder Renshaw and Elder Castellon for a week, as Elder Castellon is leaving in a week.

That night we had a wonderful dinner with Pres. Franco and his wife and daughter. He is president of the Vitoria Stake and with Pres. Ruiz de Mendoza and his wife Estrella. He was the District Presidente of Bilbao and now had served as counselor in the mission presidency. We love these people dearly and saying good-bye wasn't easy. We are excited because Sara Ruiz de Mendoza is one of our Hermana's in Malaga. Yea for that!

The next day turned out to be the last day in the mission for Elder Dredge. He is going to the Madrid Mission for one transfer to work with Pres. Watkins and help facilitate the division. We are going to miss him so much. He has done a fantastic job as an assistant and we don't know how we would have made it through without his ever present smile and positive attitude. He reflects the best of what all the missionaries of the Spain Bilbao Mission are like.

We drove to Pamplona where Presidente had a small training with Elder Ashby and Elder Dredge. Elder Ashby is going to be working with Presidente Hinkley of the Spain Barcelona Mission. Elder Ashby, along with his companion Elder Hansen will probably be in Barcelona for a few weeks during the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. It was another tearful day as we seem to be seeing quite a few of our missionaries for the last time. Elder Ashby and Elder Hansen are two wonderful missionaries. Elder Ashby staying on a transfer as is Elder Dredge to help make the change go smoother for our missionaries. We sure love them for all they are going to be doing.

Friday of this busy week brought two fun things to the office. It was Hna Belnap's birthday and so we had to wish her a happy birthday. Hna Belnap is so wonderful and we sure will miss both of them too. They will be moving to Barcelona and aiding the Hinckleys.

Then surprise, we have another new Hermana. Welcome Hermana Culverwell to the Spain Bilbao Mission. She has the distinction of being the last one to come. She is so wonderful and speaks incredible Spanish and has been a missionary for over 7 weeks in the Salt Lake South Mission while she was waiting for her visa.

She is such a young women of faith and she knows how to work, the two most important things any missionary can bring to their mission. She went to Santander where she will be wonderful with Hna Roerig and Johns. We sure wish she was called to Malaga, but we are sure there are wonderful missionaries awaiting us there! This week was very busy, very typical of a seven day stretch in the life of a mission president and his wife. But we love the work and we are so grateful to be here!

Santander is Delicious!

2010-06-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

We really aren't eating Santander, just eating in Santander. We attended church and then were so graciously invited by Hna Ofelia and her wonderful family. They decided it would be better to eat at the church after the meetings since her husband, Bishop Salgado is busy and this would be easier for all. It would be less time so the missionaries could keep their afternoon schedule. Chicken with mole sauce and rice, just to start.

We are all ready to start the feast.

Elder Griotti says, bring it on!!

After we downed the chicken and then had a second course of chicken enchiladas, it was time to surprise Elder Ryser with a birthday cake as today, June 6th, was his birthday.

Ghee Elder Ryser, you only have one candle and you can't blow it out? Sergio was making him laugh. It was fun to be able to celebrate with him.

Sergio is trying to show off his physique, but I think he is just really full after the delicious meal.

We wanted a photo with the entire family that is in Spain. Sergio and his beautiful wife Rosa, Lenora, Denise, Ofelia and Bishop Salgado! What an incredible family. We love them and will miss them so much.

And the day wouldn't be complete without a picture with our dear missionaries. Elders Ryser, Griotti and Hadley, as well as Hermanas Johns and Roerig. The day was complete and we left in great spirits. This next week is the week of our last zone conference and we are all getting very excited for it.

Visiting Madrid and the CCM

2010-06-08T04:53:00.000-07:00

We were off for a weekend in Madrid and stopped on the way in Benavente. The Colinas family are the mainstay of Benavente. We have grown to love them and will miss them. They are such faithful people.

We arrived in Madrid in the early evening and had time to go to dinner with our dear friends the Watkins and the Hinckley's. We are the 3 mission presidents of Spain in about 3 more weeks. With the consolidation of the Spain Bilbao mission there will only be 3, Barcelona, Madrid and Malaga. We had lots to talk about as all of us are sharing missionaries. We love Spain and we love our missionaries and we love our fellow leaders.

Cute Emma, the daughter of the Watkins has spent her entire senior year of high school in Madrid. She will be leaving the 1st of August to go to BYU. We will all miss seeing her and I am sure her mom will miss her the most. Good-luck at the Y Emma.

The next morning we attended and spoke at a morning fireside at the CCM. It was so special. We love being around missionaries and this was no different. Two of these 4 missionaries are going to Malaga. We are excited to get to know them better when we go there ourselves.

This group picture is with all the current missionaries at the CCM and with Pres. and Sister Earl, the MTC presidents and with the Hinckleys. Two of these missionaries are coming to Bilbao. They will be 2 of the 3 last missionaries to arrive in Bilbao. We are receiving one more Hermana a few days after they come.

We attended a session in the temple and had the joy of seeing Elder Chavez and his mother and his girlfriend, Naomi, there. We enjoyed so much our session then afterwards we ate lunch in the temple cafeteria. Oh it felt so good to be in the temple. Wish we could go more often.

We also had Hermana Calderon there too. She is such a beautiful and fun and pure person. We were enjoying a few laughs outside the temple together. Seeing our former missionaries is a special occasion that is only sweetened by being in the temple with them.

One last picture with both of them. Two great missionaries who served with all their hearts. We miss them so much, but rejoice in their goodness and happiness. It was off to Bilbao because the next day we are attending church in Santander. Life never stops in the mission field.

The Last Consejo!

2010-06-06T13:52:00.001-07:00

The last of everything and of course this is our last Consejo. It is always a wonderful day and this one was no different.

I took these pictures just before we started. We always have about 15 minutes before to sit and read and ponder and get ready for the meeting to start. It helps with the spirit of the meeting and helps us all to focus better.

Elder Roldan is contemplating his zone focus. He is such an outstanding Zone Leader and missionary. We look forward to seeing him after his mission down south as his home is near Sevilla which is in our new mission.

Elder Southwick is making a point about something! He is the new kid on the block, having just been transfered to Vitoria as a new Zone Leader. His enthusiasm is wonderful. We all love Elder Southwick!

Elder Dredge just looks content. He is having all the mixed feelings of the mission closing and his time to go home which is soon. He will be going on a special assignment to Madrid to help facilitate the change. We will be sending him off next week. Oh how we will miss him. He is an incredible missionary who has loved every minute of his mission.

Elder Holmes is hearing something from Elder Cairns. These are two hard working Elders. Elder Cairns has lead the Leon Zone to greatness and Elder Holmes has kept us all together. He is incredible in the office in so many ways.

I don't know what has frightened Elder Cairns. Elder Hansen seems to know. Elder Hansen is also one of the office Elders who has been so wonderful. We don't know how we would do all that is needed to be done without his happy, organized and calm style.

Elder Nelson gives us a thumbs up after the Consejo. ELder Gerber isn't smiling, but I think he enjoyed it. Elder Southwick, Roldan, McClanahan and Aston all felt like this was a great council with lots of challenges and work to do in keeping all the mission calm and happy during the change that is to come.

We had such a wonderful day that we again took our picture outside. Elder Plaskett, back row on the left, had a treat as a greenie to be able to attend with his companion, Elder Woods. We enjoyed the day and felt inspired by the work that the mission is doing and by the doctrine taught to us by Presidente.

Aviles to Ponferrada

2010-06-06T13:16:00.001-07:00

Aviles is a pretty little city and we have enjoyed going there and being with the branch members. They were having a missionary fireside and invited us to come.

As we were getting ready to start we had to get the smiles of two happy missionaries. Elder Jackson is Elder Blatter's trainer. They were happy and excited as the work in Aviles is progressing forward.

Here is one very special man with Presidente Clegg. His name is Presidente Emilio Villa and if we could clone him and put him in another 10 branches or more in Spain, we would have more Stakes. He is the most positive example of love and fellowship. He knows what to do and how to bring people back to and into the church. He lives in Gijon and has been the branch president in Gijon, Oviedo and now Aviles. We love him and his sweet family and will miss him! Presidente Clegg has told a few members that he wants them to be his neighbors in heaven, and you are looking at one of them.

That night we drove on to the beautiful city of Ponferrada. The hills and mountains that surround this city makes us think of home in Utah. It was a beautiful Sunday in Ponferrada with many beautiful people there.

We arrived to the church to find Elders Driggs and Reist coming to church with the newest member of the branch, Davian and his mother.

But the two speedy Elders from Wallsburg, Elders Nielsen and Flory were ahead in their stride and made it to the church on time!!!

These two sweet members promised to stay in touch and one day, if their dreams come true, come to the United States.

Two brothers who have been baptized during this last year. They are very faithful and adding to the branch in a wonderful way. Felix, on the right was made the branch secretary today!

4 great looking Elders doing the work with a smile!

We had a wonderful lunch afterwards at the home of the Martinez family, our wonderful District President of Leon. This is another family that "gets it." Presidente Martinez has the vision of one day seeing the Leon District become a Stake and it will happen. We love these people and hope this won't be our last time together. Definitely neighbors in heaven as well!

Some Must Leave

2010-05-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

It's lunch time at the office and we seem to have a few extra people there to partake! Yes, it is the day of the departing which comes with mixed emotions. This is a group with a lot of variety. We have Elder Plaskett who is new and being trained by Elder Woods and then the 3 departing, Elders Smith, Sayaz and Nestvogel. Actually Elder Hansen who is in the office was supposed to go home with this group but he was extended to help with the dividing of the mission. It was a day a little different for him to see his group go home, but his turn will be in a short 4 weeks. They all look ready to eat, so dig in Elders!

Here are our 3 departing. Elder Smith is going home to Utah, Elder Nestvogel is going home to Germany and Elder Sayaz is going home to Barcelona. It is amazing to think of the different lives they all had before and now they share an incredible journey that they all loved. These were wonderful missionaries who were great leaders and great workers.

"Please come home with me Elder Hansen" Elder Smith seems to be saying. Elder Hansen is giving him some comfort, or is it the other way around. It was an absolutely beautiful day in Bilbao. We enjoyed ourselves at the lookout.

Here they are again, just soaking it in. None of them had ever been up here, even Elder Smith who served in Bilbao for 5 transfers, so they were having a great time.

Emotions run high on this day. Elder Nestvogel is the one to comfort Elder Smith now. He just doesn't want to fly home by himself. You are just going to have to do it Elder Smith!

A group shot that is one of our best. Wow what a beautiful city Bilbao is! Oh yes, and so are the Elders!!

O.K. Elder Hansen, it just isn't your style! I think Elder Holmes agrees with me!

We decided to do a pose on the playground. Watch out Elder Smith, don't fall.

They all sat around and chilled with the Presidente before dinner.

Our testimony meeting was very special. We had a wonderful testimony meeting with these three Elders. It was a very special night filled with a few surprises! We said good-bye at the airport in the morning, again a little sad to see them leave. They all served so valiantly and were such incredible workers.

6 Incredible New Elders!

2010-05-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

6 new Elders arrived today, May 25th, looking happy and eager and ready to go to work!

There is always so much excitement when new missionaries come and getting a group of 6 was so much fun. 5 from Utah and 1 from Idaho made up this remarkable group.

We came to the mission home and immediately started signing quilt squares and getting settled and relaxing a little bit.

We know that they come hungry so we had 2 empanadas and some juice to start the morning. Pictured from r to l. is Elder Hadley from West Haven, Utah, Elder Blatter from Ammon, Idaho, and Elder Reist from BOUNTIFUL, Utah. This is the first Elder we have had from our home town. So much fun to see a fellow Brave!! Elder Dredge is happy with the group.

El Presidente and Elder Plaskett from Sandy, Utah are enjoying a little relaxation time before we get the orientation going.

Isn't this a great looking group? We sure think so and are we ever impressed by them. We are sad that we can't take them all to Malaga with us. The front row is Elder Woolsey from Morgan, Utah along with Elder Hadley and Elder Blatter. The back row from l. to r. is Elder Plaskett, Elder Stock from Provo, Utah and Elder Reist.

Orientation is done and it is time to eat. Desert is always the favorite part. Ice cream sandwiches were a hit today!

"The Field is White All Ready to Harvest"

They were very impressed by the sites of Bilbao. It was a beautiful, breezy summer-like day hence no jackets.

A fun group indeed. We already love each one of them and know they are all going to be fine, hard working missionaries.

The Ayudantes wanted to be pictured with this group because Elder Woods is going to be one of the trainers. We won't tell you who it is yet, but the excitement was starting to build as to where they would go and who would be their trainers. This also will mean which mission they will go with when the mission is divided. The tension is mounting.

Getting to the office means learning the details of how the mission functions. This is very important information and they all look like they are listening very intently to Elder Holmes.

Elder Hansen wants to make sure they understand it all too. Don't forget your pin numbers Elders!

The suspense is killing me so let's begin. Elder Blatter, middle elder, was the first one to find out his destination. Aviles with Elder Jackson. Elder Hadley, on the right, gets to go to Santander with Elder Griotti, a native which made Elder Hadley excited. Elder Plaskett, well he doesn't know yet, so just wait a minute.

Elders Stock, Reist and Woolsey are listenng intently as the ayudantes decide to tell Elder Stock next.

Wow, Ourense with Elder Esteves-Garcia, another native. He is excited and will love Ourense. The members love the missionaries and feed them always. Who will be joining him on the party train?

No, it isn't Elder Plaskett, he gets to stay in Las Arenas and be trained by Elder Woods. He was really excited as well as Elder Woods. It was fun to see his surprised face when he found out the news.

Elder Woolsey is excited to be able to go to Vigo. He is going to be trained by our dear wonderful Elder Quinn. He will love it in Vigo. He is the second Elder to be going on the party train. Who is left?

Oh, it is Elder Reist. Where can he be going. He gets to go to.........Ponferrada to be with Elder Driggs. He was so excited. Ponferrada is an incredible place with 3 incredible misisonaries there. They have 7 baptismal dates set, so Elder Reist is going to be working hard the minute he gets there. Party train here he comes!

One final look at a fantastic group of missionaries. Elders Stock, Reist, Woolsey and Blatter will all be in the Madrid mission in about 5 weeks and Elders Hadley and Plaskett will be going to the Barcelona mission. Oh we wish we could take them with us, they are so great. But the Lord knows where they need to be.

Last Part of Interviews, Part 3

2010-05-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

No, this isn't the new mission home in Malaga. While we were doing interviews we did take some time to go see a few other sites in Northern Spain. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting San Millan de la Cogolla. This is where it is said to have been the origins of the Spanish language, or at least some of the 1st writings in Spanish.

The monastery is situated at the base of these mountains in the area of La Rioja. It is really a beautiful setting to behold. This monastery wasn't the first thing here. There were two other places up in the hillside.

This is the 2nd location of the monks. This was a much more quaint sized place.

Here it is from the other side. But before this one, the 1st monk here, lived in some caves called suso up the mountain another 40 minutes. They started living here in the early 500's. The name of the first monk was Emiliano, or Millan, hence where this place derives it's name We didn't go there because of time, but the setting is so beautiful.

This is the view looking down to the valley. If you look closely you can see the steeple from the large monastery.

On the way out we also passed this typical Spanish monastery in the town of Canas. The entire countryside was full of places like this. It was a lovely afternoon.

But hey, then it is on to Leon. The missionaries here have been seeing miracle after miracle. Leon is a special city where so many people have been prepared to accept the gospel. Elder Pederson from UTAH, Elder Cairns, from Scotland, Elder Strickland from UTAH (and his mother is from Spain) and Elder Ciccio from Italy are a great looking group. Their faith and work has been a shinning example to the entire mission. They are baptizing their second entire family this coming weekend. The attendance in the Leon branch is now consistently around 50! It is wonderful to see.

Elder Flory from UTAH, Elder Driggs from UTAH, and Elder Nielson from UTAH are having incredible success in Ponferrada also. It must be the UTAH connection. Ponferrada is also seeing incredible growth. For that matter, the Leon District is being very blessed at this time.

I just had to put this picture in. As we were having a little meeting during the time the Presidente was interviewing we started with a song. We enjoyed it so much, we sang another one. I love hearing happy missionaries sing. They sing with such a special spirit. It was electrifying.

And we can't forget Elder Smith from UTAH and Elder Farnsworth from California. They are working hard in Benavente and had another baptism there. We are going to miss Elder Smith's happy smile.

The guapo Elders of Vigo are making a pose. Elder Quinn from Arizona, Elder Howard from UTAH is giving us the thumbs up, Elder Nelson from Virginia and Elder Aston from Idaho are all enjoying Vigo. We missed the Ourense missionaries before we were able to arrive so they will be interviewed later and I will have pictures of them too. Vigo is a wonderful city and these Elders are climbing the hills and finding people all the time to teach.

Vigo is also blessed with Hermanas. Hermana Fitches from California and Hermana Hunstman from North Carolina are doing great. They seem to have even more hills to climb, but they love it.

Hey, what's up with these two?

Elder Frank isn't quite sure because he isn't with his own companion. Elder Frank from UTAH and Elder Nye from UTAH are having an exchange with the Elders of Santiago. Pontevedra has seen several baptisms and are looking forward to another one soon.

Here is your companion Elder Frank. Elder Pyne from California and Elder Moya from Valencia, Spain are posing in front of the Santiago Capilla.

Now Elder Moya, that isn't a face a missionary should make! He likes to ham it up for the camera. Elder Pyne is getting a great laugh out of it. Happy missionaries are hard working.

Finally, we return to Bilbao to get this awesome group of missionaries. Elder Roldan from Dos Hermanas, Spain, Hermana Sandoval from Hospitalet, Spain, Hermana Patten from California and Elder Gerber from West Point, Virginia. Hard working is an understatement for all of them. They are perfect examples of missionaries with a purpose. We love our missionaries and know that whichever mission they go to, they will be loved and cared for by their new mission president and wife!

The Last Round of Interviews, Part 2

2010-05-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

Hello from Pamplona. This week of interviews we went out to different places and then back to the mission home each day. We found Elder Hansen from UTAH and Elder Ashby from Arizona as happy as can be. They are enjoying Pamplona and the great ward there.

Since we are leaving the mission before many of the missionaries we are having all of them sign a quilt square for a mission quilt. We also have a tablecloth that I call our "Graffiti cloth." It is fun to see the creativity of all of them. It will be fun to look at it over the years to come. We are in the new piso in Pamplona. It is nice and in a very central location in town.

El Presidente is taking a little rest while the missionaries finish up their signing and then it is back home to the mission home.

Another morning it was off to Logrono where we found Elder Crocker from UTAH and Castellon from Elche, Spain. Two happy and hard working missionaries. Since Elder Castellon has arrived they have reactivated 10 young people in the ward. They also have a baptism set for next week. Great work!

We went on to Burgos that day where Elder Dredge and Elder Sayaz got a little creative with the blackboard.

Now Elder Woods had to get in the act.

Finally Elder Bajana, the artist, showed them all how to do it. I think Elder Sayaz's patience was about gone!

Elder Sayaz is from Barcelona but originally Argentina and Elder Bajana is from Madrid but originally from Ecuador are a great companionship in Burgos. We leave them happy and working well together.

A few days later we took off for church obligations in Ferrol but stopped to take a few pictures of a few lighthouses on the northern coast of Spain. This area is called Cabo de Vidio.

The views were lovely. We stopped and had a small picnic here.

The next stop was at Cabo de Estaca de Bares. This lighthouse is on the most northern tip of Spain. All the yellow flowers of spring were out and it was magnificent.

We were wondering if this was going to be the new mission home in Malaga?

No, but it is hard to beat this view. The rocks appear to be whales swimming to shore.

These are the most northern rocks of Spain.

And we are sitting on the last place you can go. We propped out camera on a rock and snapped the picture. We can say we are as far north as we could possible go.

After the wonderful views on the way out we noticed this little town called Porto de Bares. It was a little cold to lay on the beach but I bet on a nice summer day this would be a sweet retreat for peace and quiet.

Oh my, has the dress standard of missionaries changed? Are they bringing back mustaches for missionaries? This is what we walked into in the chapel at Ferrol. Elder Skidmore who is from Idaho and Elder Blazian who is from Northern California were having a little fun. They know how to get a special spot on the blog.

Yes, out front of the church looking dapper are these two. They actually made me a wonderful mother's day card. It is a keeper that I will treasure. You've got to love these missionaries. They are doing great in Ferrol with a baptism set for a few weeks from now.

We drove up and saw our wonderful missionaries in A Coruna. Hna Moraza is from Huercal de Almeria, Spain, Hna Seiverts is from UTAH, Elder Sanchez is from Sabadell, Spain, and Elder Araya is from Tarragona, Spain, but originally from Chile. They are all relatively young missionaries who came out at the same time which hasn't been a year yet. But they are loving A Coruna and doing wonderful work here. We are so proud of them and their great efforts. We raced off to return to the mission home with one more swing to see all the missionaries.

The Last Round of Interviews, Part 1

2010-05-08T12:20:00.001-07:00

It's May and we are starting our last full round of interviews as the Spain Bilbao Mission. We were getting ready to leave from the office when I realized I don't think I have ever put a picture of our parking garage on the blog. We affectionately call it "the cave." Elder Woods and Dredge are ready to go. Looks like Presidente is too. We have split up the interview schedule a lot this time so this is only part 1 of 3.

On the way out to Gijon we stopped in little coastal town called Cudillo. It was so charming. We didn't have blue skies, but it still was beautiful. The Northern coast of Spain is incredible. We drive through it so much and we will definitely miss seeing the quaintness and beauty that is here.

This old Victorian house was just across from a lovely park. I can just imagine people all dressed up coming out of this house many years ago.

We started with the Oviedo Elders. This is Elder Anderson from Mississippi and Elder Saune from Barcelona, originally from Peru. They have been doing incredible work in Oviedo, so it is "thumbs up" for both of them.

Gijon is filled with Hermanas and Elders who are native Spanish Speakers except Hna Roerig. Elder Leon is from Alicante but originally Ecuador, Hna Abellan is from Barcelona, Hna Roerig is from Oregon, Hna Marin is from Castello and Elder Oscanoa is from Barcelona but originally from Peru. They are a fantastic group who work, and work, and work. The Hermanas had one week more lessons taught than anyone else in the mission. Yea for the Hermanas!!!

Besides their hard work, they also find time to do service. After interviews these 3 beautiful Hermanas are off to serve. Missionaries are so wonderful.

The Aviles Elders came over to Gijon for the interviews. Elder Jackson looks dapper with his umbrella as well as an always happy Elder Southwick. Elder Jackson is from Arizona and Elder Southwick is from UTAH!!! These two came out together a year ago. They love being together and they are doing everything they can to keep Aviles on the rise.

On the way home from Asturias we took a slight detour road to go through some of the Picos de Europa and to see Covadenga. Can you believe this view, wow!

This is the other side of our view. It is incredible here.

We wanted to say Hi from us! We sure love Spain and we are glad we are only moving to a different part, not leaving the country yet.

Hey Elders Dredge and Woods, where are you two going? Don't fall off the cliff!

This is the cathedral at Covadenga. This was a beautiful setting up the end of a canyon. Very secluded and beautiful. As we were arriving a wedding was starting in the cathedral.

As we continued toward home we came upon this bridge over the road. This is truly an incredible country to see.

Another day we drove out to Santander where we found our fearsome foursome working hard. Elder Griotti is from Barcelona, originally Uruguay, Elder Ryser is from UTAH, Hermana Johns is from Idaho and Hermana Gonzales is from Madrid, originally from Bolivia.

I had to put in this picture with the Bilbao Hermanas. They made me heart shaped cheese cake for Mother's Day. They are so dear. We will show the Bilbao missionaries in a later post. But thanks Hermana Patten and Sandoval, you are two sweet and hard working Hermanas. Oh and are they happy because this next week they are moving into a new apartment. Yippee! (no more cockroaches we hope)

A Visit From the Youngest Cleggs

2010-05-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Reunions are the best and this one didn't disappoint. After 10 months in the field we were excited to have another one of our children come to visit. This time it was our youngest son Zach and his wife Lauren.

Here the two of them are pictured in one of our favorite spots, the boardwalk of San Sebastian. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the promenade and to walk around the city.

They also enjoyed the outdoor exercise equipment in Las Arenas. Zach is currently a Senior in the accounting program at BYU and Lauren graduated two years ago in Business and is working for a charitable organization. They are fun to be with.

We had to take them to the Guggenheim where we visited with a Basque man. He likes to stroll as we do.

We enjoyed a walk about Old Town and had an gelato. It was unseasonable warm with temperatures in the 80's. It was great.

We took a little break while we were crossing the Plaza Moyua in Bilbao. We walked from the Guggenheim, to Old Town, to El Corte Ingles, (Nordstrom's of Spain) and were now on our way to our car to go along the coast and find "Capilla on the Rocks"

About one hour up the coast from Las Arenas is this fabulous church originally built back in the 1400's. The one you see here was built in the 1800's, yet still a site to see. As you find the walled stairs it is hard to appreciate the steepness and distance. We took this picture across a path that we descended and then climbed up. It was a beautiful day to enjoy this incredibly beautiful location.

The views from the top were equally breathtaking. We walked around and just took in the beauty.

You can see behind us some of the trail that we came from. We definitely got our exercise today.

The next day we drove about 1/2 hour out of Bilbao to a small city called Balmeseda. It was a charming town with two guards standing at the gate. Hey, wait a minute, I need a closer look.

Is that Sir Zachary guarding the entrance?

His royal Presidente looks stately in his armor of the day. What a fun picture spot and we didn't let it pass us by.

This is a very old bridge that is in the town. It was constructed in the early 1400's. It is still used as a footbridge today.

Zach and Lauren strike a pose for us. This was their last day with us as they flew out in the afternoon for one day in Barcelona, then on to Prague! Zach served his mission there and was so excited to return. He has been home 3 years but his Czech is still quite good and he was anxious to see members there and to speak it again.

We said good-bye to Balmeseda and before Zach and Lauren flew out, we ate a great lunch at the chinese buffet in Bilbao. The stay was short but fun. We have now had 4 of our 5 children visit us here. Our other son Garrett and his wife are planning to come this next November, but that will have to be to the south. Our next visit from home will be our oldest daughter Hillary and her two sons and our oldest granddaughter, Ellie. We can't wait to see them.

Vitoria is Quilting

2010-04-30T07:01:00.001-07:00

Saturday, April 24th I drove to Vitoria to spend the afternoon with the wonderful women of the Vitoria Branch. I was going to attempt to teach them how to quilt. To my delight and surprise I found the primary in the midst of an activity. They were dressed with rabbit ears and finding eggs. They are a cute group of young people and it was fun to see them "jumping" around the grounds trying to find the eggs.

Now I just don't think this will be a permanent attire for the Hermanas but they look cute with their ears. Hermana Bell and Stosich were helping with the activity. Two wonderful Hermanas who are doing wonderful things in Vitoria.

The women came and we went to work. I decided to take a simple square pattern and we made a hot pad. They were incredible. I just started to teach them and they just took off. They helped each other and moved forward.

Cutting, sewing, quilting, all so much fun on a Saturday afternoon. They worked together to make sure everyone was able to do their square.

"Look at the great work they were doing! Here Hermana Graciela and Ruth are working hard. Ruth, on the left, is an investigator and added a wonderful spirit to the day.

Hermana Sophia was doing great while Hermana Sandra looked on. Hermana Sandra is a professional seamstress and does fantastic work.

Nora in the levi shirt has a baptismal date in a few weeks. Hermana Cleide is also getting finished. You go girls!

Hermana Rosana is the Relief Society President who asked if I could come. She, along with her mother, Hermana Teresa plus her two adorable girls Sara and Marium were all there. A 3 generation family!

Here is the whole group showing their work of the afternoon. We had such a wonderful time'

Afterwards, to finish the night off right, they were having a baptism in the Branch. Alejandro was baptized. It was a sweet baptism that touched my heart. Elder Nestvogel baptized him. Elder McClanahan and Elder Nestvogel are the Zone Leaders in Vitoria and are doing great. What a great finish to a wonderful day.

There's Always Time for Zone Conference

2010-04-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Zone Conference got started in real style in Vitoria. We combined the Bilbao and Vitoria Zones for this conference and it turned out wonderful. The entire Bilbao Zone treated us to a musical number. It was great as usual!

Hermana Johns is with her new "greenie" Hermana Gonzalez. She is a wonderful missionary and we are so excited to have her with us. She is originally from Bolivia and I am convinced that the sweetest people seem to come from Bolivia lately. Hermana Johns thinks so too.

Elder Zamora, on the left is also from Bolivia. He has been in the mission since November, but he is welcoming another new missionary, Elder Bajana. He is originally from Ecuador and comes to us ready to work. He was trained at first by Elder Ashby and is now working with Elder Sayaz.

I wanted to honor all our wonderful Hermanas in this post. They work as hard as the Elders and we wish we could put them in some of the leadership positions because they are great teachers. We actually have had an Hermana companioship in the last two Zone Conferences present a small lesson. It has been greatly enjoyed and all the Hermanas have done a super job.

Here is a picture of the two Zones together. Elders Roldan and Gerber are leading the Bilbao Zone while Elder Nestvogel and McClanahan are doing a fine job as the Vitoria Zone Leaders. We had a great day and were greatly inspired. Planning was the theme of the conference which is a topic we can always work on being better at.

Elder McClanahan is sending us off with peace as we leave Vitoria to travel to Leon.

These 3 great Hermanas of the Leon Zone are Hna Roerig sporting her new short hair, Hna Abellan and another new missionary, Hna Marin. These 3 Hermanas taught and also did a beautiful special number. They love being a trio and are working extra hard in Gijon.

We have another trio in the mission and this time it is up to Elder Driggs, in the middle to keep a handle on his companions Elder Flory and Nielsen. It was a wonderful surprise for Elder Flory and Nielsen to come together for their last two transfers. They are both from Wallsburg, Utah and have been friends for life, but now they are companions in Ponferrada. Look out Ponferrada, this is truly a dynamic trio!!

Caught the Hermanas cleaning up in the kitchen. They are the best.

I am not sure if these 3 are solving a mystery or posing for GQ magazine? Elder Farnsworth, Cairns and Ciccio are good at striking a pose don't you think?

Oh Elder Smith, we are going to miss your great grin. This is his last transfer in the mission. Elder Dredge is trying to help him through this.

A great looking Zone lead by Elders Cairns and Pederson. Leon Zone has been leading the mission for months. They are hard working and faithful, just the way we like our missionaries to be.

Elders Jackson and Southwick I caught you both with my phone!! They just wanted to call Elder Gerber and say hi since he was no longer in their Zone. Now Elders!!

A wave good-bye from Elder Pederson and Cairns and we are on our way to Santiago for the Vigo Zone Conference.

I caught you Elder Esteves-Garcia. Yea, you and Elder Frank look like you stole all the candy and Elder Blazian and Howard are left out in the cold! Now Elders we need to share.

An unusually serious side of Elder Frank as he is showing something to his greenie and our newest missionary, Elder Pyne. He is from Tustin, California and we are thrilled to have him here.

The Hermanas in the Santiago Zone are doing great. Hna Sieverts and Moraza are handling A Coruna while Hna Fitches and Huntsman are enjoying the hills of Vigo. Again, great sisters who are always willing to do what they are asked to do and then some.

Watching missionaries take pictures of themselves is always fun.

A great looking group in the Vigo Zone. We love their enthusiasm and willingness to move the work forward. Elders Nelson and Aston are doing a great job as the Zone Leaders here.

And then it is time to pack up the tables, put back the chairs, and go back to work. We drive home the long 7 hours yet our hearts are full and rewarded by the wonderful spirit felt in each Zone Conference. Sadness also enters in as we realize we have only one more Zone Conference in the Spain Bilbao Mission. Wow!

Consejo and Then Some

2010-04-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

Eating isn't the only thing we do at Consejo, but it is usually enjoyed by 12 hungry Elders and one Hermana. This was the first Consejo that we had one of the Hermana's with us. Hermana Roerig was still recovering from her foot problem and so we were delighted to have her attend.

You will find her in this photo. The morning was great as all the Zone Leaders presented their focus for the next transfer. All the Zones have been working hard and all of the leaders are doing a great job in helping them to be better missionaries. The Presidente taught them about repentance which was a very powerful presentation. All of the missionaries seemed to enjoy it and learn a lot.

It was such a beautiful spring day so we decided to go outside afterwards to take a picture and just enjoy the sun for a moment. This was Elder Aston's first Consejo as a new zone leader in Vigo. His companion, Elder Nelson and Elder Pederson and Cairns are looking on.

Elder Nestvogel is taking a moment to throw the frisbee. Elder Nestvogel is a fantastic zone leader in Vitoria. We aren't looking forward to sending him home, he is such a hard worker and a great example to all of the missionaries in his Zone.

We decided it was just too good of day to take our picture inside. Everyone wanted to make sure that we got Hermana Roerig's shoes in the picture. She needed to wear them to protect her foot. We actually went to the Doctor in the morning and received some great news. The next day after Consejo she was on the bus back to Gijon. We did enjoy having her and she added so much to Consejo.

We traveled out to Vigo the next day and had the privledge of attending the baptism of Luis. His wife, Fabiola was already a member. They have this adorable daughter. A wonderful note about this family is a cousin of the Fabiola lives in Ponferrada. The missionaries contacted her and she was baptized. Her name is Blanca and Fabiola is her cousin.

Elder Howard and Elder Quinn were two happy missionaries on this beautiful day. This is a beginning of an eternal family.

These two sisters were happy to be there and support the baptism. Hna Beatrice and Hna Mirta both carry the spirit with them.

This was also a very special occasion. Pres. Hernadez on the left is the District President. Pres. Justino Gonzales, Pres. Clegg and Pres. Ruiz de Mendoza make up the mission presidency. Because of distances they are never all together. This night Pres. Ruiz de Mendoza was in Vigo for work. After the baptism he did a wonderful presentation on the Book of Mormon. It was a great night to be in Vigo.

Finally, this past Monday Elder Hansen celebrated his birthday. He was spoiled by Hna Belnap who fixed us all a wonderful lunch in the office and made Elder Hansen a delicious apple pie. Wow, what is more American than that!

The only thing more American is to add vanilla ice cream. Definitely a treat for all. Also in the picture you can see Nico. He is an auditor for the church and was in our office to do the annual audit. Unfortunately for him he got caught in the airline stoppage and couldn't get home to England for over 6 days. He even missed his anniversary. Well at least he got to experience the apple pie!

Do You Have To Take Ten?

2010-04-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Presidente looks happy surrounded by a lot of our Hermanas. What is going on? Hermana Roerig, who is by the Presidente has been experiencing a foot problem and needed to spend a week in the mission home to recover, 4 Hermanas are going home, and the Bilbao Hermanas, Hna Patten and Sandovol were here to take Hna Roerig to be with them for a day. But we all had to sit down to some beef stew and some girl time! It was so fun to have so many wonderful young women in the home. I wish we could do this a little bit more, but alas, not to be.

They all spent the night, but bright and early these 3 Hermanas are getting ready to work after breakfast. I drove them back to Bilbao where Hna Roerig would be with them until the next day. These are 3 great Hermanas who all love being missionaries and are doing a fantastic work.

So why do we have this great picture of the puppy? Well the 4 Hermanas that are leaving and I decided to do a short tour of the Guggenheim before we went into the office this morning. 3 of the 4 Hermanas had already had their exit interview and so we had a little time. A beautiful spring morning in Bilbao was the order of the day.

Hna's Miskin, Rudder, Sanchez and Calderon are all hugging this statue of a former president of Paiz Vasco. Are they getting anxious to go home and get back into the dating world?

We get to the office to find the rest of the Elders. Elder Webb seems to be ordering someone around! Elder Stevens is just taking it all in.

After all the interviews are completed it is lunch time.

Then it is off to the vista with this wonderful group. They are R. to L. Hnas Miskin, Rudder, Sanchez and Calderon. Elders Corbridge, Stevens, Webb, Hanson, Rowley and Moore with El Presidente and me. It was a beautiful day for a last look of Bilbao.

Elder Webb was demonstrating some of his skills.

Wow, what a great looking group of Elders. All served incredible missions, we are really going to miss them.

Back at the mission home we are so grateful for the help of the Belnaps. When we do Navajo Tacos, Hna Belnap is always ready to help.

Ghee, is Elder Webb in a pensive mood? Maybe just a little bit. What a wonderful and fun Elder. He will be missed by all. He is what legends are made of!!!

Elder Rowley took a little time in the backyard to throw a frisbee with Elder Corbridge. Less than 24 hours before heading home. Elder Rowley, we wish we could keep you longer!

Leave it to Hna Rudder to come up with a fun idea. Great desert, huh?

After a wonderful, heartfelt testimony meeting, we are posing for one of our last shots. Time is running out and emotions are running high.

Didn't we already take a picture of these great looking Elders. Just couldn't resist again.

Yea, we needed one of the Hermanas. Boy we are going to miss every one of them. It is so exciting for what lies ahead, but always hard to let go. I guess this is what life is about.

And finally, when they were all checked in, it was the time for one last picture. This was an incredible group of missionaries that had a huge impact on the mission. Everyone of these Elders were Trainers, District Leaders, Zone Leaders and just plain great old missionaries who loved the work. Elders Corbridge and Moore served as our Traveling Trainers for 3 months and made a huge impact on the mission. These Hermanas were examples to all of work and diligent efforts. We said good-bye and didn't know what a tender mercy the Lord would allow us to have. This was the very day of the closing of so many of the airports in Europe because of the volcano in Iceland, but everyone got home. The Americans left Germany just hours before everything was halted. Moms, we are so happy for you that they didn't get stalled. Just please give them all a huge and a kiss from Presidente and Hna Clegg. They really did "Return with Honor!"

The Arrival of One!

2010-04-15T06:18:00.001-07:00

We have been so excited to get new missionaries and in this group we were originally receiving 4, but visa problems pushed 3 of them back a transfer. But 1 or 20, it doesn't matter, we are always excited to receive a new missionary.

Elder Pyne arrived early Tuesday morning and we knew instantly he was going to be "golden." He is coming to us from Tustin, California and with some incredible Spanish skills it was evident he was ready to go to work.

Always have to have a picture or two with your Presidente!

And after orientation, it was lunch time. Hey, wait a minute, I spy Hermana Roerig at this table. She is suppose to be serving in Gijon. Well, we will fill you in on another blog about why she is here, but trust me, we are enjoying having an Hermana around for a few days.

The day was perfect to go to the vista! Wow, Bilbao is an incredible city and it is always an incredible moment to realize that "the time of your mission is now."

Hermana Roerig was with us so we could get a picture with the Ayudantes for a change.

Elders Hansen and Holmes are doing their thing. They are always very organized and try to help Elder Pyne with all the details of being a missionary. A missionary needs to have his money to be able to eat!

But it doesn't matter what any of us do, the time to find out where you are serving is always the highlight of the day. The Ayudantes do a great job in building up the suspense.

Wow, Pontevedra with Elder Frank! He is excited and even though he has a twelve hour train ride tomorrow, he knows where he is going and ready to do be a "real" missionary. Elder Pyne spent the rest of the afternoon doing contacts with Elder Dredge and Elder Woods; then spent the night with the Bilbao Zone Leaders. Early Wednesday morning he climbed on the party train to go to Pontevedra. Buena Suerte!

Departing Again

2010-04-10T12:51:00.001-07:00

Elder Dredge, what is that in your hand? It is early Saturday morning and what could be going on at the mission home?

Ah, it is clean the cars day! Actually, we are having a departing breakfast as usual on the 6th Saturday but today's breakfast doesn't come until the cars are clean! Elder Hansen and Elder Dredge are working hard on the the car used by the office elders.

Elders Woods and Holmes are working hard on the big van. We have 10 missionaries leaving this next week so we need all the cars.

Elder Corbridge and Elder Moore have been busy doing their wash and catching up. They just returned from 3 months of going around the entire mission. It was a wonderful success and all the missionaries learned and grew from the experience. The hardest thing will be to say good-bye to them and 8 other missionaries. But we are sure their families are getting excited. Especially Elder Corbridge's family as he extended for a transfer.

Presidente is flexing his muscles and ready to eat after an early morning of work. Elder Dredge is saying, "I am starved" and Elder Hansen is just showing us his ever present smile.

Ready for what seems to be the staple of the breakfast, breakfast burritos. Hna. and Elder Belnap are always there to chip in and help. We had a great morning with a good breakfast and clean cars!

Later that day the Presidente and I went to Oviedo for church the next day. These last few pictures are just some shots out of the window of the hotel as the sun is setting. Oviedo is a special town. They have been seeing many miracles as the branch is growing fast. They are looking for a new capilla. We are excited for them.

The sun is setting on another beautiful day in Spain. We love it here in the north and are starting to feel a little nostalgic as we will be leaving in less than 3 months. Oh my how time goes so quickly!

La Semana Santa

2010-04-07T05:40:00.001-07:00

This should be an interesting blog for all of you in the United States. La Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is the week before Easter. This is probably the biggest holiday in Spain. All the stores, grocery stores included were closed from Thursday-Monday, with just a few hours open on Saturday morning. Many of the people in the north go south. The biggest area of celebration I have been told is in Sevilla (Seville). We didn't get to see much of it, but catch this little parade as we were leaving the church in Bilbao after watching our General Conference.

There are parades that happen all throughout the week. This was just a small group with some instruments. I know what you are thinking, this looks like the KKK in the United States but it is not. I was told that the people cover their heads because they are not worthy to see Christ. I have seen in a museum some of the "floats" that are carried by men that depict different aspects of the Saviors life. They are beautiful pieces of sculpture, some as old as the 15th century.

This was a small group who were playing a song of sorts, and then they were finished. The people are coming off the street and starting to take their hats off.

In this picture you can see there are even little family members that are a part of the procession. It isn't the best picture, but I wanted to show that all ages of people participate. It was very interesting to see. Any clarification or explanation about this tradition would be welcomed.

And even though this isn't related, it happened the same day. Jenny, a member in Bilbao gave Presidente this soccer jersey from Bolivia. Her grandmother was in the same branch that Presidente served in when he was first a missionary in Bolivia. Now that one branch is a Stake. This was a sweet gesture and delighted El Presidente! Muchisimas Gracias!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-03-31T04:40:00.001-07:00

Elders, why are you running so fast this morning on your way to interviews? Elder Flory and Nestvogel are in a hurry to get to the Vitoria chapel. There must be something exciting happening this morning on March 24th!

Yes, it is Birthday time and who's birthday is it? Hna Bell, who is not in the picture, made this delicious apple cake. Well the word was out, it was Hna Clegg's Birthday. El Presidente e-mailed all the missionaries about my birthday and bright and early the phone calls were coming in. I was sung "Happy Birthday almost as many times as my age! It was fun.

We walked into a surprise in Logrono. They had made these cut outs for a ward party and then used them again for my surprise. Cleaver missionaries! Elder Crocker even shared some of his special brownie from home. Thanks Hna Crocker, it was delicious!

We had lunch in Burgos and then out came Elders Esteves-Garcia and Sayaz with a Hello Kitty cake. It was great!

In Leon that night they thought maybe we would be tired of treats so they all wrote me a letter. That was very special! Thanks Elders!

The next day seemed more like business as usual. We spent the night in Benavente and then went to Ponferrada. These are two nostalgic ayudantes. They both served in Ponferrada and missed their room with a view!

Elder Dredge and Woods loved their time in Ponferrada. They saw the beginnings of a great awakening in this city. The branch is growing so fast here and these two Elders had a lot to do with that!

They did sing me Happy Birthday, but Elder Gerber wanted to do an old fashion stick pull with his trainer, (father) Elder Dredge. Who won? I better not say, we don't want to hurt someone's pride!

Lunch was in Ourense where Elder Renshaw made stuffed peppers. Wow, they were great. Quite a sight.

Elder Oscanoa is impressed! But then he realized that Elder Dredge got the biggest one. Elder Dredge is proud of himself.

Elder Renshaw doesn't want us messing with his food! It was deliciosa!

In Vigo Elder Nelson was excited about getting banana nut bread! But he knows that they have a surprise for me.

Peach pie and cookies were the food from Vigo. Hna Huntsman, what are you doing? Hna Fitches doesn't know anything about it.

Pontevedra made a cake full of candles. Elders Frank and Aston, you shouldn't have. It was great. These Elders are great cooks. They made me work to blow out all the candles. I didn't do a very good job.

They also made me a card. Such goooood Elders!

The next morning was on to Santiago where I had a long awaited order for Elder Moya. He has vision problems and wanted the new Spanish Bible in the Large print. It finally came and we were both very excited.

Elder Nye and Moya are striking a pose. They are doing great in Santiago.

We walk into the A Coruna chapel and to our surprise, balloons and two pies. Thet were so good. If you really want to know my age, you can count the candles. I think they had enough for this old lady! It was hard and took me a few times.

The Hermanas made the pies. Elder Sanchez is excited to get a taste. Hna Sieverts, Calderon and Moraza did a great surprise on the 3rd day of birthday celebrations.

Aviles was all decked out with balloons and signs. They made a brownie cake to eat.

I guess they thought I needed help to blow out these candles. Elders Southwick and Jackson, where were you when I needed you in A Coruna?

The 4th day we were in Gijon. The Ayudantes told the Gijon Elders and Traveling Trainers that I had had enough treats. Boy, my ayudantes don't know that there are never too many treats! But I will forgive them and really, so will my waistline after this interview swing.

We had a few interviews left the next week. And what wouldn't be more appropriate than to leave you with a picture of Elders Webb and Zamora in San Sebastian. Elder Webb is always coming up with crazy ideas. As we entered the piso we blasted off into space. They are wearing the helmets. He has a light shining on his face. Believe me, you had to be there to appreciate the creativity. I don't know how Elder Webb gets everyone to carry out his ideas, but we love him. One thing about Elder Webb is that he knows when to be serious so when he is funny, we can always enjoy it. Thanks to all our wonderful missionaries for making my 1st Birthday in the mission field a real treat. Days and days of treats! I received so many sweet phone calls and notes. Almost everyone remembered. I won't mention those who forgot, I still love them too. My family was great and we heard from all of them and the Grandkids. Another year has come and gone, I look forward to another great year. Life is super! Feliz Cumpleanos a mi!

Movie Announcement

2010-03-31T03:28:00.001-07:00

Hola to everyone. We just wanted to let everyone know who might be in Spain to watch on Thursday, April 1st at 11:30 p.m. on the E.C.V channel, the program that will have the interviews of our missionaries and of members here in Bilbao. We hope it will be a great program. Just thought a picture of Basque country with Presidente and his two ayudantes, Elder Woods and Elder Dredge would go well with the announcement. Adios!

Baptisms are Incredible!

2010-03-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

We are having lots of baptisms in the mission and I want to feature a picture of all of them. I plan to put a lot of pictures later on, but this past weekend we were able to attend two very choice ones. We were doing interviews and were in Gijon on Friday night. The father in this picture, Juan Ignacio, is the one who was baptized. His wife is a member but was inactive. She was invited to the Branch Christmas party and even though she didn't know it was the "Mormon" church, she came with her family. When she walked in she realized it was the L.D.S. church. The missionaries at the time, Elder Moore and Araya, approached them and they agreed to have the missionaries over. Juan was not really a believer in anything, but when the missionaries gave him The Book of Mormon, he loved it. This was a very sweet and happy baptism. Elder Rowley on the left is the one who completed teaching him and baptized him and Elder Moore, on the right, was in Gijon with Elder Corbridge as our traveling trainers.

Saturday after completing our interviews we kept on driving down to Burgos. This dear sweet sister pictured is from Ecuador. Slyvia had worked in the mission president's home in Ecuador but never joined the church. She comes to Spain and finds the gospel. When she was ready to be baptized she asked if the Mission President could baptize her because she knew the Mission President in Ecuador was such a wonderful man, she wanted the Mission President in Spain to baptize her. Presidente said yes! He is going over the last minute instructions.

There were two baptisms this evening in Burgos. From l. to r. Elder Esteves-Garcia, Sylvia, Presidente Clegg, Cecillia and Elder Sayaz. When Cecilla found out Presidente was coming to baptize Sylvia she wanted the Presidente to baptize her too. What a privilege for El Presidente.

This is Cecillia with her beautiful family. Her 3 week old baby and her husband. She is from Venezuela and her husband is a Spaniard. He is having the lessons with the missionaries and we are sure with time he will accept the invitation to be baptized. In Cecillia's testimony she told us that her husband is a little hard headed, but she hoped he would come around. He is very respectful and helpful as a husband and we are sure he will.

Slyvia is from Ecuador and her sister came, but we didn't get a picture of her. The cute Ecuadorian couple are members of the Burgos Branch and are like family to Sylvia. We were all so excited for the baptisms to start. It was amazing. Both women were very emotional and the spirit was strong and sweet. It was a special night for both of these dear sisters and for Presidente y Hna Clegg, the feelings felt that night will always be cherished. This is the work of the Lord. We love it. In Leon, on this same night, they baptized an entire family of 5. Actually only 4 because one of the children are under the age of 8. We had 20 baptisms this month and many more dates are set for April. The faith of the missionaries and the members and the investigators is wonderful in Northern Spain.

Finally New Missionaries

2010-03-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

It has been 4 months without getting any new missionaries and we were so excited to finally have some arrive. Oh, and they were worth the wait! Elder Bajana who is Ecuadorian from Madrid, Hna Marin who is from Castellon, Spain, and Hna Gonzales who is Bolivian from Madrid. What a special group!

We felt an instant bond with them. They were so excited and eager to get going. The excitement that new missionaries bring to the mission is great and it helps all of us re-commit to be better.

They are earnestly writing a letter to themselves to look at in 1 year.

After the orientation and lunch, it is off to the vista of Bilbao. It was a beautiful spring day in Bilbao, a lot of sun and a lot of wind!

It was so windy on the Bilbao side we also took a picture on the side where you can see Las Arenas in the background. What a sweet, special group.

We had to catch a picture of the 3 Nepites?!? Yes, 3 Aydantes, but only for another hour. Elder Ashby is going to be leaving with Elder Bajana to go to Pamplona. Elder Bajana doesn't know yet, so don't tell him. Elder Dredge and Elder Woods are ready for the task ahead, but we will miss Elder Ashby.

Elder Hansen and Elder Holmes go over the information that they need to know about money and traveling and mission stuff.

The moment they are all waiting for. Who will be your companion and where are you going?

Hna Marin was so cute. She was in the CCM with Hna Hildalgo from Gijon and all Hna Hildalgo could talk about was Gijon. She told Hna Marin, you have to pray to go to Gijon. Guess where she is going? Yep, Gijon! Then, Hna Marin knew a few of the missionaries in the mission and she loves Hna Abellan. Who is her trainer? Hna Abellan and Hna Roerig. They will be a trio for a while. Anyway, you can tell that Hna Marin was very happy.

Dear sweet Hna Gonzales was ecstatic about going to Santander and being trained by Hna Johns. She looks like she approves too.

The Ayudantes are just about to tell Elder Bajana that he is going to Pamplona with Elder Ashby but first things first. Elder Ashby has been working the Presidente for a long time and finally convinced him to swap a tie. I don't know, but I am glad that I like the one Presidente received or I would have put a stop to that!

Elder Bajana was stunned and excited to be going to Pamplona with Elder Ashby. Everything he guessed was wrong, it was kind of fun. He looks like a great Elder and Elder Ashby was so excited to go back in the field and work with him. All in all, the day was fun and the mission will be enriched by these new missionaries. It is such an honor to have them here and we are excited to be able to work with them, if only for a short time!

Movie Debut!

2010-03-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

What do you do with two charming, good-looking, hard working Spaniard missionaries who are working in Bilbao?

Put them on the T.V. Yes, that is right. The Basque television station in Bilbao wanted to air a program during La Semana Santa, or Holy Week before Easter. They wanted to feature 5 other religions that weren't catholic. They are doing it on the Evangelicals, Scientology, the Orthodox, (We are not sure if that means Jew or Greek.) the Muslims and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! They wanted to follow two missionaries as they were contacting people. They also wanted to interview them and ask them all about what they do. We were so excited and wasn't it wonderful that Elder Roldan and Elder Cepeda were serving in Bilbao. They were hoping we had native Spanish missionaries and we were delighted to have these two do it. They also interviewed Pres. De Molino of the Stake Presidency to talk about the church in Spain and Bro. Inyake (oh so sorry if I misspelled your name) of the Bilbao Ward to talk about family history.

We took off from the Bilbao capilla and Presidente and I went along to watch!

They were incredible. The girl on the left was constantly asking questions and the two Elders answered with ease and fluidity. They wanted them to be walking slowly as they interviewed them.

They answered without hesitation and represented all of our missionaries in a wonderful way.

They walked like this for over 20-25 minutes, constantly asking questions and the Elders just calmly answered back. We know they were both nervous, but we knew they would do great!

They stopped to show them the scriptures as they talked about how we use the Bible and The Book of Mormon. The best part was when the woman asked them why there were here and Elder Cepeda told them they were here to invite everyone to come unto Christ and to be baptized by the proper authority. It was a very powerful moment and the Presidente and I were on the sidelines going "Yes, yes, yes." We felt like the proud parents we are!

It was early after medio-dia so there weren't too many people out, but the Elders walked up to this family and started talking to them. They did a wonderful job. The people also stayed calm and answered them. Afterwards the camera crew had to ask permission if they could use the footage on their show. They said yes. It was fun.

Presidente's smile says it all. This was a wonderful opportunity for thousands of people to get to know who we are. It will be broadcast two times during the week. I think the first time is 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 1st. If that isn't correct, I will change it on this post. They promised to send us a copy and it will definitely be the highlight of our next Zone Conference. These two Elders did an incredible job as we knew they would. Then, just like all missionaries do, they left and went out to work for the rest of the day. Bravo Elders! It is on April 1st, 11:30 p.m. on E.C.V., watch it!!!

Treats and Members

2010-03-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

We were surprised a few weeks ago in the office with a package from the States. We opened it to find a nice box of Sees Chocolates. Elder Nelson's mom was so kind to send them to us. What a treat! I am sharing them with Elder Hansen because even though they are delicious, I certainly can't afford to eat the whole box.

The ayudantes were happy to help in the eating of such a treat. Thanks Sister Nelson, you made our day!

Another day Elders Holmes and Hansen were helping the Presidente get the papers needed to sign up for the drivers test in Spain. This is a huge and costly test that they require all Americans to take. It is not fun, but we have to do it. We had to go to Mungia to get the papers. Notice the statue of the Basque farmer behind them. We are in the heart of Basque Country. It is a wonderful, charming culture.

For a weekend the Presidente and I had to drive out to Galicia to sign recommends for members who were going to the temple and also for those who were receiving patriarchal blessings. The wonderful Sanchez family in Lugo is going to the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. What a wonderful family! Elders McClanahan and Corbridge were in Lugo for the weekend as there were finding some investigators to teach.

Vigo was another stop on the weekend of interviews. This wonderful young woman, Maryanna was having an interview to get ready to serve a mission. What a wonderful young woman. She is pictured here with Presidentes Clegg and Presidente Fraguas who is the new Branch Presidente in Vigo.

The next weekend in the Vitoria Stake, the Stake Relief Society came together to celebrate the Relief Society birthday. It was so well attended and we spent a wonderful night together.

We took these pictures after the meeting was over, just before the delicious food. I had the honor to share my quilts and talk about being unified in the gospel. The women of the church all over the world are so incredible. These wonderful Spanish saints are special. A night to remember.

This is the young, Dolores Romero. She is one of the pioneer members in Bilbao. She actually joined the church in Argentina but came with her husband to Spain. Her husband passed away in June of 2009, just before we came to Spain. She is adorable and the evening wouldn't have been complete without her!

We spent the next Sunday in Benavente and here we are pictured with the Colinas family. They are the anchor of the church in Benavente. Bro Colinas has been the Branch Presidente for years. His wonderful wife, Ana was the Stake Relief Society Presidenta for 12 years. They had us over for lunch after church. The little branch is growing. They have had two baptisms with a few more baptismal fetches on the way. This is a pioneer family to honor for all they do for the church in Spain. They are a great help to the missionaries. Serving there now are Elders Smith and Farnsworth, two great, hardworking Elders.

Zone Conference by Districts

2010-03-19T10:24:00.001-07:00

This past set of Zone Conferences were fantastic. The Zone Leaders really took charge of their Zones and were very prepared. One aspect of the mission that I haven't talked about much are the District Leaders. These young men have a very important assignment to weekly hold district meetings. This is where so much practice and teaching is done. We have fantastic District Leaders who are doing everything they can to help their district. I decided to picture the missionaries in their districts and recognize their district leader. This is the Bilbao District. L to R. Elders Hanson and Roldan, Zone Leaders, Hnas Patten and Sandoval, Elder Cepeda, District Leader, with his companion, Elder Araya.

The Las Arenas District is pictured here. These are the office Elders and Hna!! (We love Hna Belnap) They function a bit differently and don't have a district leader, but everyone here adds to the success of running the mission. L. to R. Elders Woods and Ashby, ayudantes, Elder and Hna Belnap, Elder Dredge, ayudante, and Elders Holmes and Hansen, financial and secretary of the mission. Elder Ashby is leaving us next week during a mid-transfer. We are getting a native Elder and are excited for Elder Ashby to be his trainer. We have loved Elder Ashby in the office and he will be missed.

This is the Santander District led by Elder Griotti. Things are going great in Santander. L. to R. Hnas Johns and Miskin, Elder Griotti and Ryser.

Oh, the Hermanas like to pose! These are wonderful Hermanas who are working and happy.

Our cleaver Zone Leaders had a wonderful focus for the Bilbao Zone. You can see the creativity of these two Elders. They created this poster to demonstrate their point about helping new converts with love. It was great! Thanks Elders Roldan and Hansen.

A great looking group. We also had a visitor to each of our Zone Conferences. I don't have a picture of him, but Pres. De Molino, of the Stake Presidency came and talked about his conversion and how we as missionaries can work better with members. It was fantastic.

Oh yes, the crazy picture. It is a must!

Our next Zone Conference was the Vitoria Zone but we held it in Logrono so Pres. Ruiz de Mendoza could come and attend and talk to us. He is the second counselor in the mission presidency. He also shared some wonderful examples of working with members and his conversion. What a spiritual feast we had. The missionaries loved it.

This is our fearless District of Logrono. Elder Castellon is the District leader along with his companion, Elder Crocker. Hna Rudder and Sanchez are the wonderful Hermanas. It will be sad after this transfer as we won't be having hermanas in Logrono anymore. This is what happens when the missionary force is reduced. But they aren't going out quietly. They have a baptism set and are working up till the last minute. Way to go Hermanas!

Our Vitoria District is led by Elder Sayaz. He and his companion, Elder Esteves-Garcia are tearing things up in Burgos. Did I hear they have 2 baptisms set? Anyway, this district has the Zone leaders and the Hermanas of Vitoria. L. to R. Elders Esteves-Garcia, Elder Nestvogel, Elder Sayaz and Flory. With Hermanas Stosich and Bell. A great group.

The humble?!? Pamplona District is led by Elder Skidmore. L. to R. Elders Zamora, Hansen, Skidmore and the ever lively Elder Webb. This was his last Zone Conference and we will miss him! (as well as all that are leaving, but you just can't not notice Elder Webb)

A companionship of Hermanas in each Zone Conference taught the zones on how to use the "Testimony Glove." Every set of Hermanas did a fantastic job. We need them to teach more often, they are great. Thanks also to Hermanas Rudder and Sanchez for translating it into Spanish.

As Elder Nestvogel, one of the Zone Leaders along with Elder Flory is motioning that all went smoothly in Logrono. A great day.

O.k., time to let the hair down!

Our next Zone Conference was the Leon Zone, and as their Zone Leaders remind us, "We can't touch them" They are so on fire. They have been leading the mission in baptisms for the past few months. Many wonderful miracles are happening there. Pictured here is our Gijon District led so faithfully by Elder Rowley. He is pictured with his companion Elder Leon and the Hermanas Abellon and Roerig. This is a great group. Gijon has seen 7 baptisms this year with two more this weekend. Way to go!

The Oviedo District is led by Elder Anderson, who just left the office. We miss him but we are sure his leadership is appreciated in Oviedo. Standing is Elder Saune and Elder Anderson and sitting is Elders Jackson and Southwick who are in Aviles. Lot's of baptisms going on here. Aviles is having their second baptism this year as well as Oviedo has 4 baptismal dates set with 3-4 baptisms already this year.

Here is the powerful Leon District led by District Leader Elder Strickland. Leon has had 7 baptisms so far this year with 3 in Ponferrada and one in Benevente with at least 10 more dates set. These young men are working hand in hand with the Lord and are being led by the Spirit. We love this army of the Lord! L to R. Elders Driggs, Gerber, Ciccio, Pederson, Cairns, Strickland, Smith and Farnsworth. Elder Cairns and Pederson are the Zone Leaders and are leading this Zone with a lot of faith!

We had to take a picture with our "fearsome foursome." These four Elders were the first Elders we met that were coming to the Spain Bilbao Mission. We met them their 1st week in the MTC in Provo last April and they are approaching their year mark. They have shown they were a special group. Currently Elder Driggs and Gerber are companions in Ponferrada and Elders Southwick and Jackson are companions in Aviles. They are all working so hard, it tells us that friends can be great companions together. They seem to inspire each other to do better. It is fun to watch. We also had Presidente Martinez, the District President come and talk to us and the conference was held in Ponferrada. I didn't get a picture of him but trust me, he was fantastic and so inspiring. His conversion story is so special and he has the vision that this District will become a Stake. Maybe that is why this Zone is moving forward so fast. They have leaders all around them that have put missionary work first. That is the key!

Elders, what are you doing with my camera?

Taking a picture of our great Elder Smith, I can live with that!

The Zone Conference was very special; we learned a lot and left with our spirits believing in miracles and that we are doing the work of the Lord.

O.K., this isn't the whole group, but the funny picture was blurry. Which ayudante was holding the camera? This one will have to do.

The next and last day was in Santiago. What a great place for a Zone Conference. We always feel a strong spirit in this Zone and this time didn't disappoint us. Elder Nelson, one of the Zone Leaders is shown with his birthday surprise. His mother asked if I could get something for the whole Zone and she arranged to pay for it. Now mom's, you don't need to do this, I call all the missionaries on their birthday and we have something for them and recognize them in Zone Conference, but this worked out and it was fun. Empanadas for everyone to start the day off. It was a hit!

Presidente Justino Gonzalas came and spoke at this conference. He is the 1st counselor in the mission presidency. He did a wonderful job. This was such a great idea to have a member-leader in each of the Zones come and speak. The missionaries loved hearing from the natives and they added so much power to the conference. Thank-you to all of you who came.

This is the A Coruna District which is led by Elder McClanahan. They have been working hard and by the Zone conference they had 6 baptismal dates set. L. to R. Elder Stevens, Hna Calderon, Elder McClanahan, Hna Moraza, Elder Sanchez, Hna Sieverts and Elder Blazian.

Our Santiago District is comprised of the Elders in Santiago and Pontevedra. Ghee, Elder Frank, you didn't have to pose so well! Both companionships have baptismal dates set and are working to get more. L. to R. District Leader Elder Moya, Elder Frank, Elder Aston and Elder Nye. This definitely wins for most original picture, don't you think?

Elder Howard, the "baby" of the group along with Hna Huntsman is showing his district off. This district is led by the wonderful leadership of Elder Quinn, who is Elder Howard's companion. And guess what, they both play the violin incredibly well. All but one of the companionships have a baptismal date and the one that doesn't was hoping to set one in the next day or two. L. to R. Elders Renshaw, Nelson, Nielsen, Howard, Hnas Huntsman and Fitches, Elders Oscanoa and Quinn. Elders Nelson and Nielsen are the wonderful Zone Leaders here.

Our Traveling Trainers came to this Zone Conference. They felt prompted when they were in their first district meeting in the Vigo Zone to challenge the whole Zone to come to Zone Conference with a baptismal date set. At the time there weren't any baptismal dates set. What faith they showed as well as all the missionaries. Every companionship but one had dates set and as I said, the one that didn't was going to set one the next day or two. The conference was very spiritual and the closeness to the spirit that our missionaries demonstrate is humbling and magnificent at the same time. Elder Corbridge and Moore have been doing a great job at raising the leval of all the missionaries. We love them and will miss them as they are approaching their last weeks, yikes!

3 ayudantes. Elder Ashby is leaving the office next week and Elder Moore will be going home. Elder Dredge, you need to hold down the fort with Elder Woods. I know they can do it.

A great Zone Conference, what a Zone!

Oh yes, we have to have the humor!

Love in Leon

2010-03-15T00:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know, you thought you were going to see the city of Leon. We arrived in Leon to go to church but came early in the afternoon on Saturday so the Ayudantes could do an exchange and we took the afternoon off to go see the surrounding areas. We had heard there were ski resorts in Spain but hadn't seen any yet. About 1 1/2 hours out of Leon we found this resort. It is called . The day was very overcast and the pictures aren't the best, but it was fun to see a ski resort.

This is one of the lifts at the base. There wasn't too much snow here. We are sure there are more lifts as you climb to the top. There were some beautiful peaks that couldn't be seen very well because of the clouds. But the parking lot was full of people coming off the lift, putting their skis and snowboards on their cars. It almost felt like home!

We had a wonderful day in church on Sunday. Presidente (Elder) Ciccio has a vision to see 60 people in church each Sunday. Usually there were between 12-25. On this Sunday we had 43 and the spirit was so strong. Here we have some of the wonderful faithful members of the Rama in Leon. Isabelle, Carmen, me, a sister who's name escapes me and Ortesia. Such wonderful women who provide a lot of stability to the Rama.

We are pictured with little Lucy. She presented the Presidente and I with some gifts. She gave the Presidente a tie tack and some cuff links and a stuffed animal and she gave me a beautiful bracelet and the stuffed bear you see. What a sweetheart.

Here is Lucy and her family. They look so good all coming to church.

Javi is one of the newer members of the Rama. He is a wonderful addition that can be counted on. He is a strong, tender spirit and we love seeing him each time we are in Leon.

Pictured here is Samuel and his sister Sheyla. They come faithfully every week. I definitely see a missionary from the Leon Rama in the future.

Carol and Christian are new converts and a great addition. We watched them receive their baptismal certificates and Christian was given the Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood Quorum is growing in Leon.

Geraldine is also a fairly recent convert. Elder Woods was in Leon doing an exchange with Elder Roldan when they contacted Geraldine. It was such a joy for him to see her here in full fellowship and adding so much to the Rama.

Julio is a wonderful member of the Leon Rama. He taught the investigator/new member class which had 21 people in it. He did a fantastic job. He is going home to Ecuador for 2 months to visit his family. Hopefully he can bring them all back with him. They would add so much to the Rama.

This is another new family to the Rama. Myriam, the daughter was baptized first and then their mother Camila and Fabian were baptized. Fabian received the priesthood today also. I definitely see a future missionary here.

This is the wonderful family that Elders Corbidge and Quinn contacted about 4 months ago. Pilar and her husband Vicente are wonderful people who are so close to the spirit. Their 3 sons Marlon, Darwin and Oscar are wonderful as well. The young men participate in the discussions and they are all ready to get baptized. They have a baptismal date for the end of March. I have been in their home with the missionaries and it is truly a wonderful place to be.

After church we were treated to lunch with the missionaries of Leon. We ate salmon, mashed potatoes and salad. Who said the missionaries can't cook. We left full in both body and spirit. What a wonderful sabbath day. L to R. Elders Ciccio, Cairns, Pres. y me, Elders Dredge, Strickland, Pederson and Woods.

¡Consejo Magnifico!

2010-03-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

Please pass the orange juice Elder Roldan! Elder Roldan from near Sevilla on the right and Elder Nestvogel on the left from Ottersburg, Germany are two of our 3 new Zone Leaders. Elder Nelson is welcoming them to the Consejo breakfast of juice and cinnamon rolls courtesy of Hna Belnap!

O.K. you Wallsburg Elders, what did you hear from that man from Scotland? Elders Nielsen and Flory hail from Wallsburg, Utah, heaven on earth, as well as our only man from across the pond, Elder Cairns.

Elder Pederson, from Hyde Park, Utah is our third new Zone Leader. He has many questions for Presidente and Elder Ashby.

Lunch was served and eaten. Asparagus Chicken with potatoes and salad and delicious carrot cake for desert.

Elder Holmes sure got a laugh out of something Presidente was sharing with the Elders.

Elder Flory looks like he has had enough. Time for the Presidente's lesson on Prayer. It was wonderful. It gave us all many things to ponder.

Wait a minute, weren't you doing this earlier Elder Pederson? You must have a lot of questions.

Two Cottonwood Heights boys, Elder Hanson and Elder Dredge with Elder Cairns. 2 hard working Zone Leaders and an ayudante.

Elders' Nestvogel, Roldan and Flory are looking good. Ponder this thought, when Elder Nestvogel was a teenager he spent 6 weeks in Bountiful with the Hess family. Their son had served a mission in Germany and knew the Nestvogel family. How do I know this? The Hess family is in our ward at home in Bountiful, Utah. Did we even remotely think back about 4 years ago that this young man from Germany would one day be serving with us in Bilbao, Spain. Not a chance! But we are so glad he is here.

A great looking group of Elders. They have much to do to serve their Zones. We love them and appreciate all they do. They are all part of the reason that this mission is doing so well. They are great examples of humble, hard working, bold missionaries who are inviting everyone to come unto Christ and be baptized.

Los Partidas

2010-03-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's time to send some more Elders home, always a day with mixed emotions. But wait, the day didn't start at the look-out. Let's go back to the morning, where it all began.

We have Elders Johnstun, Alvarez, and Barber waiting for their turn to have an interview with the Presidente. The feelings inside each missionary at this time is a little surreal. They just don't know what to do with themselves. Elder Alvarez looks like he is getting nervous for something to happen!

Elder Harris looks happy, he must have had his interview. Elder Holmes is making sure they get their release packets and turn in the essential things that need to be left with the mission.

The day that every parent waits for. The first time you see your son or daughter after they have served their mission. Bro. Alvarez had business in Spain and arranged to come into the office this morning. I am glad I got the picture off quick. Hna Belnap and I had tears as we watched them have a long hung and shed a few tears of joy. Bro. Alvarez would stay with us in the office for a few hours and then planned to meet us the next morning at the airport and fly home with his son.

This is a very emotional moment for both father and son. We just felt privileged to be able to share it with them. I then sent them off to my office where they could have a little time together without all of us looking on. A proud father he should be as his son has fulfilled a wonderful mission.

Lunch time. Missionaries are always hungry and this day was no exception. Looks like Bro. Belnap is getting in on the food. He is feeling in reasonably good health for his age. (That's what he tells us every day. He is fun to have around.)

Elder Dredge is in a pensive mood. Do you think he is thinking about home? Not yet, he has too much work to do before he goes home in July. He is now going to be the senior ayudante. Maybe he has some things on his mind!

Here's the entire group with the Belnaps. From l. to r. are Elders Barber, Garcia, Johnstun, Harris, and Alvarez.

Now we have the whole group back where we want them. It was raining just a bit, and so we thought the umbrella's added a little artistic touch. But wait, who is that ayudante in the middle?

It is our wonderful new ayudante, Elder Woods. He was the Zone Leader in Bilbao and made a short move over to the office. We are enjoying his wonderful spirit and talents and humor. He and Elder Dredge will be a great companionship together.

Wait a minute, we have 3 Ayudantes? Well for half a transfer Elder Ashby will still be with us in the office. We are getting a new Elder in a few weeks and he will then be training him. Things will be super busy for the next 3 weeks.

Now Elder Woods, be nice to Elder Ashby, it is hard to leave the office. Or did Elder Ashby do something wrong and he is getting punished? I'm not telling.

We got back to the mission home where we have a lot of things planned. We actually had an eventful afternoon. The power kept coming on and off and finally it went off for about 2 hours. While we were waiting for the dinner to be totally done, Elder Alvarez was getting a little cat nap. He is awake now and ready for the rest of the evening. The dinner didn't actually get totally done, but we did fine.

Elder Garcia is telling me to be patient, the lights will come back. We actually had our testimony meeting around the "campfire." (It was a nice flashlight). It was very special and one that we will always remember.

The lights came back on just in time for the final picture.

The next morning, bright and early it is time to say good-bye. 5 young men who came as boys but now go home with excitement and wonder about what is to come. The smiles on their faces are full of hope and a little bit of uncertainty. But one thing for sure, they served the Lord faithfully and gave all they could. We love them and they will be missed.

El Fin de Semana fue Blanco

2010-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

It is the 6Th Saturday of the month and that means breakfast at the mission home for the office! Elders Ashby, Holmes and Dredge are busy cutting vegetables and pealing and chopping potatoes.

Elder Hansen is looking on while Elder Anderson is cutting the strawberries. This is the last week for Elder Anderson who is leaving for Oviedo the following Wednesday. We will miss Elder Anderson, he has done a great job in the office and his dry sense of humor has kept us all on our toes. He is a wonderful missionary who is an example to all.

We sit down to a meal of Breakfast Burritos and Breakfast squares with strawberries. This is also Elder Ashby's last breakfast in the office because he will be leaving us mid-transfer to be a trainer. Elder Woods is our new ayudante but he doesn't come in until Sunday night, so we will introduce him in the next blog. Elder Ashby has been super and as he said, "It's going to be quiet around here when I leave." He's got that one right. He has done a wonderful job and is always so willing to serve or do whatever we ask. He will be a fantastic trainer!

Breakfast squares with Choriso, a little bit different, but still very good! Thanks to the Anderson family for the recipe.

After breakfast it is off to play soccer with members in Bilbao.

We left in the afternoon to attend a double baptism in Santander. These two women, Monika with her little girl and Maria are two choice women who were getting baptized. Elders Farnsworth and Griotti are the two hard working Elders in Santander. Sister Ofelia next to Maria introduced the gospel to her hairdresser, Maria. Maria also knew Monika who had been approached about the church by some members and the missionaries. Maria invited Monika to come and listen to the missionaries. It is a great story and it was a beautiful night in Santander.

This looks like the picture we take when we receive a new missionary. Actually, this is going to be one of our missionaries in Malaga. Tamara Hildalgo lives in Gijon and Presidente and I were there to set her apart to be a missionary. She leaves this coming Wednesday to serve in the Malaga Mission. Not too many times you get the opportunity to set apart one of your missionaries. It was a wonderful day.

We were invited to have a real Chilean dinner with the Hildalgo family. It was wonderful. Tamara's oldest brother and his wife were there with their 4 children. Also her youngest brother and of course her parents.

This is little 2 week old Ricardo. He was adorable and not too phased by all the commotion.

We spent the Sunday in the branch in Aviles. Elder Southwick and Elder Barber are here with one of their investigators, Alejandro. They are also having a baptism later today along with the Oviedo Branch. It was an exciting Sunday. Elder Barber is leaving the mission this coming Thursday. A great way to end your mission don't you think. We will miss Elder Barber. He was the office finance secretary when we came and we all love him so much. Time flies for sure!

Elder Rowley and Elder Araya came over to Oviedo for the baptism. Elder Rowley was needed to play the piano and be a part of the baptism. Elder Rowley only has one transfer left. He has been such a fine missionary, we will miss him a lot. Elder Araya is one of our fantastic newer missionaries. I think in Gijon since Elder Araya came about 4 1/2 months ago they have had 4 baptisms. Way to go Elders, keep up the great work.

Here is the group of Elders and new members. The Elders of Oviedo are Elder Saune on the left and Elder Castellon in the middle. They have worked very hard in Oviedo and are excited to see Gerogio, the second on the left get baptized. Arianna is the baptism of Elders Barber and Southwick. It was a very sweet baptism with many members from both branches there. Arianna is actually moving to Oviedo so they decided to do the baptisms together so everyone could meet her in Oviedo. We drove home thrilled with the happenings of the weekend. All in all the missionaries have been doing a mighty work. We already have 39 baptisms in 2 months. The faith and the dedication of the missionaries and the members is fantastic right now. We hope that they all continue as they see the work grow in Northern Spain. It is great to be a missionary in Spain right now. To all the missionaries who are coming to any of the missions soon we want to say get ready for a wonderful experience if you are willing to work hard and trust in the Lord. It is incredible!

We Love Our Visits From Home

2010-02-27T03:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful visit of a few days this past week with our youngest daughter, Ally and her husband John Poulton. They live in Allen, Texas with their two darling sons and a baby girl on the way. They came to us by way of Paris. They took a train down which proved to be a fun and enjoyable thing to do. We picked them up at the Irun train station just outside of San Sebastian and for the next 2 1/2 days we were on the run.

The day was nice enough to go up to the mountains for a view of the Pyrennes and then it was off to beautiful San Sebastian.

What a beautiful late winter day. The temperature was very mild and we enjoyed our promenade on the beach followed by a late lunch.

I just thought everyone should see this beautiful beach. The only way to know that this is winter is the lack of leaves on some of the trees and the lack of people at the beach. This is a beautiful city that is enjoyed by many people from all over the world.

We had on a map a circle around a must see cathedral. We put in the name on our g.p.s. and off we went . We were surprised at the "must see" place. We were up a small road at the end of the road. We decided that it wasn't so must see, although the drive was beautiful. On the way down back to the mission home we came upon.....

This! This was the must see cathedral. This is the basilica in Loiola. Or in English, Loyola. This is where St Ignatious, the founder of the Jesuit order in the Catholic Church, lived and is buried. He lived from 1491-1556. There is a school here for men to become Jesuit Priests. It was beautiful!

We took a picture in front of the massive doors. There were priests singing in the distance. It was a "must see" cathedral for sure.

The next day we took a p-day and went to the Picos de Europa. It was sunny in Bilbao but when we went to a place called Fuente De, it was windy and a little cloudy, but we were able to see the snow capped peaks. Ally and John are trying to see where the gondola would take us up the mountain. I think John has found it.

If you look on the top left side, you will see a small shack where the gondola goes to. It wasn't running this day due to the wind. We are sure the view would be fantastic, but at least we could see the top.

On our way down we snapped this picture. These are beautiful mountains.

This quaint village was just below the stop for the Gondola.

We stopped to eat in Potes. This was a quaint town with lots of charm. Ally liked the view.

The small charming streets ran throughout the little town. We enjoyed a nice lunch and drove back to Mungia.

Our last day was spent in Las Arenas and Bilbao. We went to the mission office to have everyone meet Ally and John. This is the Puente Colgante which crosses traffic from Las Arenas to Portugalete. Notice how the ferry doesn't touch the water. It is all supported by the bridge. For a fee, you can walk across the top, or for 1/2 a Euro, you can ride it across. It is constantly crossing all day.

Portugalete is a beautiful city across from Las Arenas.

The ayudantes caught up with us and we walked a little further along the pier. It was a mild February day.

A fun thing that is found in a lot of parks in Spain are workout sections. These permanent pieces of equipment are there for the public to use. We had fun trying them out. This one was for twisting and strenghtening the core muscles.

Presidente and Elder Dredge are testing their flexibility. "Look mom, no hands!"

We took off to see the Guggenheim. It is definitely a different and unique museum. You will find all sorts of modern art inside. The building itself is spectacular. We had to take a picture of our pregnant Ally under the spider who's egg sack is also full of baby spiders!

This is a symbol of Bilbao and we love to walk around it. It was a mild day again, so we enjoyed seeing the sights.

For the last part of our time together we went to Gernica. This is a city with a lot of history. The tree stump you see behind the fence has a lot of significance to the Basque people. It is petrified now but for centuries the leaders of the Basque people met here under the oak tree. It symbolizes the ancient roots of the Basque people. It is over 400 years old.

This repilca of Pablo Picasso's "Gernica" was originally painted by the artist as an anti-war piece of art. Gernica was bombed during the Civil War in Spain in 1937. Franco allowed Hiltler's Lutfwafle Condor Legion and the Italian Fascist Aviazione Legionaria to bomb the town for practice and at the same time inflict damage to the Basque people. We enjoyed visiting the town and learning more about the Basque culture. They are an amazing group of people. Our visit was too short, but also we were so thankful to be able to see them for a few days. Quedense nuestros hijos!

Pontevedra Baptisms

2010-02-22T12:54:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day as we came into Galicia. This is a picture taken from the car as we were entering Vigo. We dropped off the ayudantes to do their exchange with the Zone Leaders in Vigo then we drove to Pontevedra.

We arrived in time to be at the baptisms of Ben Koffi pictured here and Erika Sineiro, the daughter of the Branch President. Elder Frank and Elder Aston are our two hard working Elders in Pontevedra. It is a wonderful branch that we always love to visit. We wish we were closer to be able to come more often, as it is it takes 7 hours to get there, but the drive is worth it, especially when we get to be part of a baptism.

Pictured here is Erika with her brother and mother. She was baptized by her father and her brother bore his testimony. They are a wonderful family and what a sweet spirit attended the baptism.

Little Sophia is the youngest sister in the Pereiras family. She loves to lead the singing and goes up in front of the branch and will hold the hymn book and try to lead everyone. She is adorable. We love little children, they are what the Savior wants us to be more like.

These are Sophia's two older sisters, Camille and Candela. Their entire family lived in Utah for a few years and both of these beautiful girls speak wonderful English. I feel like they could be my daughters and would love to take them home with me. It's friendships that we make when we are serving in the church throughout the world that are always so dear and will be hard to leave. We left Sunday after the Branch Conference where we enjoyed a wonderful spirit with the faithful saints in Pontevedra.