My english is getting worse and worse as I am speaking more and more español.
me in front of Madrid Temple.
Okay, Let us begin.
Last week was a bad note to end on. Sorry I sounded so down to the ground low. I was tired and needed a sister, but she didn´t come until Wed. Anyways. To all those reading...Especially the moultons, I had a momento o silencio ayer for Shayla. I have found out that she will come into the Spain CCM the day after I leave. But some people have been having travel problems, so I might be able to pull something out of my sleeve to have to stay one more day. BUT, I dont think it will happen. But Shayla, you are doing great!!! I know this is hard, but it is worth it. Love your companions.( P.S. would someone forward this to shayla through Dear Elder. Nothing better than getting mail in the MTC. Makes it easier knowing someone loves you.) Find the good in them, because you will come to Madrid and have a native companion, and then you won´t be able to do anything else, except love them.
I have a companion now. She got here yesterday. Her name is Hermana Garcia. She is orginally from Bolivia and moved to España 10 years ago. (maybe, she doesn´t speak any english, so with my limited spanish this is what I understood.)
my comp hermana garcia
I love my Hermana so much. They are a very touchy feely people here in Spain, I am gettting more and more used to being touched and kissed. Still weird. But I am learning to love these people. They are cute and great. My companions and I have decided that in my room, I will only speak español and they will only speak english. This way, we can kind of be able to understand eachother. And if we forget, 5 cents goes into a jar, and then when we get ready to leave, we celebrate. This is very difficult, but I am learning to speak much more. I said "comó se dice" to one of the sisters and she said, "no, no, no, hermana, no, no, no, (I thought I had offended her or called her a bad name or something) , but she said, " hermana, we are in España. No comó se diCE, hermana, lo es dithe (with the theta. Really hard to explain in words, i really have to say it." Anyways, so I am learning much about pronounciation and about new and more vocabulary. I listen alot, and they are inclusive with me often. Always asking, "¿Comprende?" and other things like that. The hard part is if I don't understand, they usually explain it again in spanish, or try to explain it in english, but for alot of them, their english is worse than my spanish. so we all have limited vocabularies, but we are working hard to try to understand eachother. They are sooooooooo nice and I love them so much. 
Entonces, I went with the sister missionaries on Saturday. Usually, all the missionaries go together to the park and we talk to people and try to share the gospel with them, but because I didn't have a female companion, I ended up going with some of the sisters in the madrid mission. They are sooooo nice. Shayla, you will love them! I told them all about you and they are so excited to have new sisters. Especially for you. They love you already. I am trying my best to make sure that everyone knows you and all about you, so you can just have the best time possible here in Madrid. But, I am going to warn you, I have been told that the Barcelona mission is el mejor mission en el mundo. And I think i will have to believe them on that one. Sorry Charlie!!! But you get some of the bilboa mission that will bring some of the pretty north country into the mission. (love you shayla). TANGENT:: So I went with the sister missionaries and we have a blast. Just knocking doors and pretending I knew what I was doing. It was a really good experience. :hermana schiffler and nockles who are madrid missionaries and took my out tracting on saturday.Anyways, I have to go soon, I will tell you more sometime. Send me questions, letters, packages, pictures, prayers, etc. I love it here. I love the people and I love the opportunity I have to learn Español. I am getting better. But still have a long way to go. The Hermanas are soooo Helpful. Anyways.
Love you lots.,
in Sol in Madrid ( the city center near a fountain)
