Transer Eve

Hello my friends, I greet you. 

This is the last p-day before transfers next week, and there are going to be some big changes. Elder Simmons is for sure going to head out; both Elder Phillips and Elder Ferguson will be going home, and we might be getting a new companionship of sisters. It's gonna be crazy! We'll see though. It’s not for a while; and we never really know what's gonna happen till it happens, but onto the week!

Not a lot happened, just a lot of talking and a lot of calls. It's been getting hotter and hotter every day. It’s been an average of 37 Celsius (100° F) the past couple of days. A little more everyday, not as bad as the Malaga mission or anything, but still pretty hot. We're surviving though.

There were 3 new things we did this week that were fun.

The first is that we did service in a residency center nearby in a pueblo called Navalcanero. We brought Alvaro with us, and we went and just talked to old people there for about an hour. It was good; although, I understood practically nothing of what was said. There were some very think accents being spoken; even Alvaro was having trouble understanding, so you can imagine how lost I was. We also did service at another pueblo; we just helped move a bunch of stuff on this little farm into a storage compartment. 

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.