Hey everyone!

So today I have even less time then usual today so I'm going to have to be very quick.  Last week was good. Transfers ended up going pretty smoothly and there weren't any big problems so that was nice. 

So the big reason I don't have a lot of time is that we moved our pday to Tuesday today, so we could go to the temple with a recent convert from La Laguna. My companion, Elder Johnson and I, found her back in October. Then after we left she kept meeting with the hermanas and eventually got baptized.

President gave us the permission to go with her today to the temple so we could do baptisms with her in the temple. It was a very special and spiritual experience. She asked me to be baptized for the men in her family, so I did that, and it was a very special experience. The Spirit was there so strongly, and it was very beautiful. Lucia started to cry as she was being baptized. She said that she just felt so happy. It was a really humbling experience that really reminded me about the power and beauty of the plan of salvation. It is something that is so special and powerful to know that all those we love who are seperated from us now will be united with us again one day. 

I love you all! Sorry I didn't have more time have a great week!

- Elder Bassett

Mission Tour

Hey everyone!

This week our mission is being visited by Elder Sabin from the area presidency, so we are down in Madrid for a couple days for a big conference that we are going to have tomorrow. That-s why I have p-day today instead of yesterday. 

This morning I had the opportunity to go to the temple again for the first time since I left Mostoles. It felt so good to be there again to feel that special spirit that is there. It made me think about all the members in the world who live so far from or don't have access to the temple. I only had to wait 8 months, but there are members who have to wait and sacrifice so much more than that. So much sacrifice goes into temple work, but the blessings and joy we can receive from those sacrifices are so incredible and always worth it.

Being in the tour, I've also been able to meet up with some old friends in the mission, which was really cool. I got to say Hi to Elder Simmons, my trainer, who I haven't seen in a super long time. I also got to see Elder Brasher again and a lot of old friends. It's been really cool.

Once upon a time, I was hungry

That moment is now. Like right now. I want food so badly. 

This week we had temple day, so that was fantastic! We woke up super early to go to the temple; though, and didn't have time to eat. Now we are on the train back to Móstoles for another hour until we eat, so it's just the waiting.....I'm pretty pumped though, because we are going to hit up Dominoes when we get back.

It’s been a while since I wrote last, and unfortunately again, I don't have a lot to write about. Last week was pretty standard, no big meetings, no service projects nothing unusual, just a bunch of walking, talking, and teaching. I can update you on the weather here: it's getting HOT. Now, I'm sure my friends serving down in Malaga our probably laughing at me right now, but it's getting up there. I can deal with the heat during the day, but what is really starting to get me is that it's still super hot at night before we go to bed. There have been a couple of nights where I just lay in bed sweating unable to sleep for an hour or so.  

Plus another bit of info, the piso we have here in Móstoles is the biggest one in all of the Madrid Mission. I have heard there is another one that gives it a run for its money, but I've been told by many that ours is biggest. So the reason that the mission has such a big piso is because the utilities are included-like air-conditioning, water, etc. So that’s great, right? One downside, the air-conditioning in this piso doesn’t work. So yea, it gets pretty hot. We have 2 fans that we all fight over, so we get some coolness every once in a while. I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually, but for now it’s a little crazy.

One thing that did stand out is that we did intercambios with the zone leaders. That was pretty fun. I was with Elder Jepson. He is a pretty good guy, a real máquina when it comes to talking. I learned a lot from it. I have been trying to get better at my conversations throughout the day.

We were super busy last transfer and for most of this transfer, too, but the last week we had a lot of time in the streets. For all that time, I decided I want to get better at having good conversations with people I talk to. It can be so much more fun, too, when you can come to get to know people from all over the world. I've had some pretty cool conversations, some weird ones, too, but that is always bound to happen.

I want to share a scripture this week that I really liked from when I was studying diligence. It's in D&C 58:26-28. Our agency is a very special and important gift that has been given to us. God has given us commandments to guide and protect us and to help us to have happiness in this life and in the next. Then He let's us choose how, when, and to what extent we follow them. He hopes we follow them all and that we do our best, because He knows that that is how we can be happiest, but He doesn't force us. We have to take the initiative. We can always improve, and we can always become better. One of the things I have been striving to be better at is being diligent with my time. In the short amount of time I have been working on this and trying to make improvements, I have already felt and seen the increased blessings it has brought me. God let's us be free agents, and when we are diligently following and obeying Him, we can be so much happier. He wants that for us, and He is always going to be there to help us along the road.

I love you all, and He loves you, too. Until next week!

- Elder Bassett 

Sorry I don't have any pics this week. I am trying to get that nametag background pic, Mom, but there aren't a lot of pretty scenery options. I'll send it when I can. 

Hey everyone!

Again, sorry that I didn’t send the email last week! I totally thought that I had sent it, but I guess that I didn’t. And today was super busy, so unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to write, so I'm going to need to be super quick.

Elder Simmons and I at the Madrid Temple

Today was our p-day instead of Monday, because it was our zone’s turn to go to the temple. The temple was really great, and it was good to go back again. One weird thing though was that I got a random bloody nose right towards the end of the session, luckily none of the blood got on anything, but it really caught me off guard. After that we went and played futbol back in the pit once again for a while which was a lot of fun. Then it was back to our Piso for groceries and naps (naps because we had to wake up super early to go to the temple).

This past week has been super busy, and it has been really great. The Tuesday after p-day we had zone conference, which was awesome. It was really fun to meet with a bunch of other missionaries and a bunch of missionaries from the MTC were there, so it was cool to see them again. A big focus of the conference was about talking versus contacting. It was a good conference, and it answered a lot of questions, so that was nice.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

 Hey everyone!

Man, it really feels like it's been a busy week; a lot has gone down. So starting from last p-day after emails and the temple, we went to a museum that was pretty cool.

 The next couple of days were pretty good. My park companion was Elder Pierce from Alaska. We did pretty well and had a bunch of good conversations, some weird ones, too. Like the one old guy who wouldn't stop talking about capitalism, and how it's ruining the world; at least, that's what I think he was saying. He was talking pretty fast and had a thick accent.

After the park we had an experience that I'm still I little frustrated about. We were on the metro back to the MTC. Elder Pierce and I kept getting looks from this one guy. I kept telling myself, “No, he's on the opposite side of the train; there's no need.” Finally, we decided to go talk to him. Immediately, I could tell he was super receptive; he definitely seemed eager to listen to us. But as soon as we said we were missionaries, we reached our stop and had to get off. I was so annoyed at myself and wished we had gone and talked to him sooner. He took a copy of The Book of Mormon, and it had a pass along card inside. I just hope that he calls to find out more.

2nd Letter!

OK! Officially the second email! Ha! Every p-day morning, we all countdown until 8:30; we all get so anxious and excited. I was definitely so pumped to write.

Well, things here in Spain are going great; the language is coming, and we are having a great time. Where to start? Last week after I wrote everyone, we went to the temple. That was a great experience. I did it in Spanish, which was a really cool experience for me. I had a great time, and it really helped me focus. After that for our p-day excursion, we went to the Plaza Del Sol in Spain. It was so cool, but unfortunately, I had problems with the SD card in my camera, so I won't be able to send photos from that until next week, but I was able to take some.

Plaza Del Sol e Fuente

At the plaza we got churros with chocolate; they were so good! The chocolate came in a little chocolate mug and was thick and super rich. I loved it, but everyone else wasn't that big of a fan. I definitely think that everyone in the family would love it, except you, Whitney; it would definitely be too much for you! We had a good time then the day ended, and it was back to work.

FIRST OFFICIAL LETTER!

Hey everyone! First email! Man it feels like it's taken forever to get the chance to write everyone. I've literally been watching the clock counting down until I can write everyone; I've never been more excited to write an email in my entire life.

OK, so where to begin? I guess a good start would be the beginning, that makes sense right? Ha! Well. OK The flight in was fine; it felt pretty long, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I just spent the whole time sleeping and writing in my journal. When I got to the Salt Lake airport, I was able to meet up with about 5 other missionaries. From there, we all flew to Paris. In Paris we picked up another missionary from England, then it was off to Spain.

It was definitely really exciting to get to Spain. Our Paris flight was delayed an hour, so I was worried there would be nobody waiting for us, but there was a guy there to welcome us. We loaded the vans, and it was off to the MTC. The MTC is right next to the Madrid Temple, and it is so beautiful! I'll try and see if I can get a pic to send in a bit, but we are only allowed to take photos on p-day and the last day. Since this is our first p-day, I don't really have any pictures, but I'll send some as soon as I can. The MTC really is a special place. It is always so easy to feel the Spirit here. A lot of the missionaries are bugged by the strict rules and busy schedules, but I love it! It's so nice to feel productive, and obeying the rules really helps to bring the Spirit to the environment.

We got here Tuesday afternoon. The first couple of days were just an intro to everything with a lot of devotionals that were really great. We didn't really have our first language lesson until Friday. While I've been here, I've discovered my Spanish is a lot farther along then I've realized, and while I have been here I've progressed so much more. The gift of tongues is real, and I can see it in all of the other missionaries and their progress. It really inspires me. My MTC companion is Elder Heninger from Canada. When he got here he was only able to say the word ‘much of’, which is not ‘mucho’ at all, ha-ha. But just this Monday, we were teaching a lesson, and I was having a convo with our investigator. While Elder Heninger couldn't speak, he was able to tell what we were talking about. After 3 days of language lessons, it is honestly amazing.