Week 13: The British are coming! The British are coming!

Hello A Todos!

Another Week in the work of the Lord and things are going great! 

The weather here in Spain has started heating up! We have even had some days where we have had to put the car´s air conditioning on level 5!...I bet you can tell the other walking elders really hate us haha. However, with the heat, the ants have come marching one by one into our house and the other bugs are sure to come soon! This area has started overflowing with outsiders. The pueblos around here increase in population by at least 100,000 people during the summer months when everyone comes to enjoy the beach and so the amount of English Im hearing and fancy cars I´m seeing is increasing drastically. 

This past week, we had an awesome activity at the church called the Fiesta de las naciones. We had a bunch of different tables set up and every table represented a Spanish speaking country and so people from that country came and brought food and flags for their country. It was such an awesome cultural experience and I got to see the dancing, hear the music, and try a ton of food! There are so many different spanish speaking cultures I was unaware of. I´m excited to go back to the United States afterwards and realize that everyone who speaks spanish isn´t from Mexico...

Speaking of Spanish, the language is going really well! Sometimes, I forget that I´m not speaking English in the lessons. I am kind of hoping for a native companion next transfer though so that I can really work on refining it by speaking all the time. Really, Elder Whetten and I only speak spanish during lessons and the rest of the time we speak in English. Sometimes I try to speak a little more spanish to him, but he just answers in English haha

I think one of my favorite things about being a missionary is feeling the love that you develop for the people around you and how much love they have for you. Some of our investigators really had some hard challenges this week and it was hard for me to believe that they would turn to 2 20 year old boys to help them feel better. It was even harder for me to believe that we actually could, and did, help them feel better. ¨Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies¨ I gain a testimony of that statement more and more every day. One of the best things I heard this entire week was when one of our investigators said, ¨I want my kids to grow up to be like you two¨. For me, that was one of the most spiritual moments I have had on my mission so far. It was a testimony of my purpose here. I know that I´m not just here learning a language or experiencing cultures, but truly helping people every day. Its the most satisfying feeling in the world. 

This week for the mission is the ¨week of consecration.¨ Its a week where we really focus on trying to give everything we have to the Lord, be exactly obedient, and make ourselves worthy of the miracles He has in store for us. I challenge you all during this week to find even just one way that you can make yourself just a little bit more consecrated to the Lord. Be a little better in one aspect of your life and I can promise you there will be a noticeable difference in even just a week! 

Love you all and hope and wish for the best! Adios!

Elder Jenkins

Things that are different here in Spain

1. They put their doorknobs right in the middle of their doors!

2. Most of the hot dog buns don´t come pre-cut

3. Love handles are called ¨Michelins¨ like the brand of tires

4. There are two smells you encounter when walking into a grocery store, one is the smell of freshly baked bread, and the other is the smell of fish sitting out on big piles of ice

5. You can be anywhere on the road and just put on your warning lights and stop. We call them your invisibility lights.

6. You can be REALLY forward in spanish. I have had people tell me that can bare to look at my face when I have a pimple and if you are getting fat people will definitely tell you!

7. You don´t have to tip hair cutters here

8. A goodbye takes like a minute because there are a ton of words you can use to say goodbye and some people use them ALL! Hasta luego, venga, adios, tenga un buen dia, igualmente, hasta ahora, venga, adios. 

9. Salutation kisses are a big thing here, where you just touch cheeks and make kissing noises, its pretty much a substitute for a hug. 

10. There are vending machines that sell ciggarettes

Here are some pictures of the Pig Leg I love So much!

Week ?? (12 actually)...: Ive Lost Count

Hola Queridos Hermanos y Hermanas

Sorry for the wait this week! I promise Im not being disobedient, but I was assigned as a mission taxi driver this past monday so I went around and picked up all the new missionaries here and took them to Malaga to get their residency cards. At first I thought about complaining, but then I realized people fly thousands of miles just to see southern spain and we just casually stop in Granada to get some mcdonalds. I feel like in the 6 months I have of driving here, Ill have driven more here than I did in my entire time driving in the United States!

So I have gotten a lot of questions about the Jamon leg. Unfortunately, I forgot the pictures at the house but I promise I will send them next week. Basically, you walk into the store and there are literally just a bunch of pig legs hanging on the walls...hoofs and all...and so you just pick one and then you take it home and set it up on a special stand and then feast for the next month. The crazy thing is that the leg has never been cooked! They just seal it up in a container full of salt for like a year and a half and then you eat it. A lot of people don´t like it but I am definitely a fan! It does make the house smell a tad bit interesting though...

This week, we definitely saw some miracles. One of them was with an investigator who has made an incredible change. I remember looking at her teaching record and the exact words for this lady were ¨muy mala¨ or very bad. Apparently she had kicked elders out of her house and wouldnt let her sister join the church. This past week, she was at church with her whole family and she loved it! We went to her house before and decided that we would try and watch the restoration video with her. I went over to the computer and started to set it up, but then literally the computer just turned off without anyone touching it! It took about ten minutes, but we finally got it to work. During the first 2 minutes of the movie, her house was bussling and loud with people running around and kids screaming, but then all of the sudden everyone except her two youngest kids just left. Then her two youngest kids passed out for the entire rest of the lesson! It was a miracle and we were able to watch it and have a really powerful lesson. 

I can´t believe how fast time is flying. This past monday was my 3 month mark, but I feel like I barely just left! Elder Whetten barely has a month left of the mission and its inspiring to see how sad he is to leave. I know he loves the people here with all of his heart. I´m not quite there yet, maybe half a heart, but I can feel my love growing as I serve here with them. 

I hope all is going well back in the United States! Its crazy how isolated I feel from everything that is going on there! Yesterday, I heard a song playing that I never heard before...that was a reality check! But I wouldnt rather be anywhere else! Love you all!

Elder Jenkins

1. I always wondered why people in the passing lane would put there left blinker on! I just thought people here were really forgetful, but it turns out thats the way of telling someone to get out of the way! It works like a charm and now I don´t have to look dumb waving my arms around to get people to move!

2. Also, Im still learning how to use the horn right here. I still feel so bad when I honk at someone, but people here literally honk if you even wait a second after the light turns green to go. 

3. Being a virtuous person doens´t mean bad thoughts never come to your mind, it means they never stay. But remember, the goal is ¨unceasingly¨

4. Hot water is not unlimited

5. There is a Very good reason for the ¨conmigo¨ rule - only understood by spanish speakers

Week 11: Transfer 1: CHECK

It´s hard to believe that the first transfer of my mission is already over! The time truly does fly by and I can´t believe one more of these and Elder Whetten will be gone and I will most likely have to be teaching another missionary everything about this area that Elder Whetten has taught me...SCARY THOUGHTS. 

I haven´t really talked about food a lot, but its been a working progress. For those who don´t know, I was a VERY picky eater before my mission so I have been trying really hard to change that. I have been able to eat everything, but somethings just take me a little longer. Really, the culture here is so diverse that we eat things from every country. Some of my favorite things, however, are Spanish tortillas, chocolate filled croissants, and paella. 

We had a really fun P-day as a zone today, because a lot of the missionaries are leaving for transfers, so we climbed this mountain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and at the top there was an old World War 2 Cannon lookout. It was so awesome to see all of the cannons and the watch towers, and then we even got to go into one of the cannons and explore. The view was amazing too. Every day I´m more and more astounded by this country. 

I had a really awesome experience in a lesson this past week. We brought out the stake president with us, who is pretty notorious for being long winded, so we didn't really expect to have to do a ton of talking, and we were definitely right. Right from the start of the lesson he took over and started talking, using such beautiful and amazing words and examples. I was pretty impressed and I felt kind of inadequate to try and talk, but after about 20 minutes I decided to just slip in and give a small little testimony to let him catch his breath. As I was talking, I saw her eyes get super big and after I was done she told us that she felt something so strong as I was talking. She said even though the words of president were beautiful and eloquent, when I spoke she felt like there was a knot in her throat. I was absolutely amazed and humbled. The Lord had used my measly 5 weeks of broken Spanish in order to touch the heart of one of His children. It reminded me that we as missionaries do so little. We find, and open our mouths, and the spirit does the rest. 

Also, I remember talking last week about the feeling of disappointment when an investigator doesn't come to church. Well this week, I got to feel the total opposite. The excitement and fear of sitting next to an investigator who finally came and wondering what is going through their head and if they are liking it or not. So many emotions, but in the end its really just a pure joy in knowing that someone took a step toward Jesus Christ. 

As a mission this month, we have been studying chapter 6 in preach my gospel, which is about the attributes of Christ. There is an attribute assessment at the back of the chapter, and so we all took it, extremely honestly, and are now in the process of trying to improve on these attributes. I would challenge anyone reading this to do the same. Either take a PMG, or just think of an attribute, assess how you are doing, and then make goals and study to improve. As we strive to become more like our Elder Brother, we will be more able to receive guidance in our lives, surmount our challenges, and recognize the hand of God every day. 

Hope you all have an amazing week! 

Love, 

Elder Jenkins

Week 10: i-Spain, i-conference, i-easter, i-...

Wow! What an amazing week and ending it with General Conference was just the icing on the cake. It was pretty hard to watch all of the sessions here because of the time difference. We did get to watch them all in English, but we watched the Saturday morning session, Saturday night at 6 and then spent all day Sunday starting with the priesthood session at 11 am and ending with the Sunday night session at 10 pm. Take a bunch of 19 year-olds who have been going to bed at 11 for the last 6 months - 2 years and stick them in a room listening to general conference at midnight...it was an interesting scene, but I am so grateful we got to watch all of the sessions. Everything that was said I was able to apply directly to myself as a missionary and I feel like I've been given a breath of life for this work; however, I know that it only applied to me as a missionary because that's what I need right now. I hope that you all enjoyed conference as much as I did and if you didn't get to watch it then please go back and watch it! You will be edified and find guidance for your personal situations and trials, I can promise that.

This week we weren't able to get a ton done because I was in Malaga for half of the week. Because I´m one of the only missionaries legal to drive, I had to drive 4 zone leaders to Malaga for the zone leader meeting. Really I should say, ¨got to¨ because it was an amazing experience. Every time I drive across Spain, I'm appalled by the beauty of this country. One minute you are driving down steep canyons, the next you are in the midst of miles of olive vineyards, and then in the snowy mountains, and on the beaches of the Mediterranean sea. I also got to eat at the mission home with President and Sister Deere and meet all of the mission leaders. Not a lot of missionaries can say they got to go to the zone leader meeting as a greenie. This meeting was also a pretty special meeting because there was a pretty huge announcement...

May 4,5,6, the Spain Malaga mission will officially become an IPad mission! There is going to be a HUGE mission wide conference and two general authorities are going to come to talk to us and then give us all of our IPads. I'm so excited to see how this work can improve with the proper use of technology, and it will be nice to get a touch screen back in my hands! 

After missing so much of the week, it was really difficult to switch gears and get going on the missionary work this week, but we definitely still saw miracles. One thing I was reminded of this week is the power of the message of the Restoration. We were able to share it three times this week in lessons and every time the spirit witnessed so strongly to me of its truth. It reminded me of what was said in conference. Sometimes we talk about these powerful messages of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of the Restoration so much that we take them for granted or don´t give them the sacred attention they deserve. We are so blessed to live in a day where we have a knowledge of both of those amazing miracles, and I am even more blessed to be here in Spain spreading this glorious message. 

Hope you all had a great Easter Week and were able to find time to remember what this holiday is really about. We did have a little zone Easter egg hunt in between sessions just to keep the American Tradition alive but we had to look for boiled eggs instead of plastic ones with candy in them because they don´t have them here...which really made it a lot less motivating to find eggs. 

Elder Jenkins

Things I learned

1. Apparently the right turn on red lights thing doesn't apply here...good thing a native told me and not a policia....

2. You can choose to be right, or choose to be happy, but most often you can´t have both (This one is easier in theory than in action...)

3. The smaller toilet looking thing next to the real toilet is NOT a baby bath, contrary to my prior belief

4. There is a mission wide obsession with this super intricate way to shave your face, Once I grow enough facial hair to try it Ill let you all know how it is...

5.  You lift me, and Ill lift thee, and we´ll ascend together¨