May 2 2016

To those of you who maybe trying to understand or learn what we are doing in Spain I am sorry that our blog is so inconsistent. We definitely keep busy. For over three weeks we did not have Internet connection here in Córdoba. Therefore it was impossible for us either to read any emails and also impossible to send our blog. After receiving the Internet, That was just a week ago, I sent my sister an update of what we have been doing. I have also started sending a weekly, to him I call it a weakly Report, recap to our mission president.  Since it summarizes what we have been doing  I sent it to her and now to you. Therefore attached you will find the letter I sent to my sister and then the to weekly reports to the mission president.

Since sending the report to him not 24 hours ago we have been to the funeral viewing of the branch president's father, Rafael Clavero, and then the Catholic Mass and then to the cemetery where he was put into an above ground vault. Rafael was a Shoemaker and shoe repair man most of his life. He had four sons. His wife had died over 20 years ago. She had already been into in this vault. Prior to our arrival at the cemetery her remains had been removed and were placed in the coffin with him.

After our church services on Sunday we invited a single sister and her two teenage daughters to our home for a meal and Family home evening. Afterwords sister Hopkins told me that she felt that we have probably accomplished more in that evening than in each of the other meetings we had held in our home previously. The one 15-year-old daughter is struggling to know who she is. Her mother a convert to the church when she was 18 served a mission when she was 21. The mother grew up in Córdoba and served a mission in Barcelona three years later. After her mission she married an immigrant from Africa, had two children and then went through a divorce. Now the girls are 15 and 12 and having the normal stresses and complexities that go with those years complicated by living in Spain with a divorced mother. We were later told that the 15-year-old opened up more to us then she has to anyone prior in her life. We talked to her of spiritual gifts and how to get them. Now we will see if she wants them bad enough to read and pray and fast. We told her we would be happy to do it with her if that is what she would like.

This Friday is the operation on my foot. I will stay overnight in the hospital. The doctor told me that with what the x-rays are shown he will actually be breaking three of the bones in my foot and putting them back together with screws his comment was that the third and fourth toes we'll actually be shortened because of the breaks and how he has to put them back together. I am looking forward to having it done and then getting through the three weeks that The doctor indicated the rehabilitation wouldn't take.

Anyway that is the latest with us. What now follows is the letter to my sister and the two letters to the mission president. It will definitely give you an idea of What we have been doing. I do note there is not much pizzazz (sorry faithful reader who shared that insight), just a telling of activities. If you are an insomniac I would recommend reading it when you want to go to sleep, it may have enough chloroform or other soporific qualities to relieve you of your insomnia.

First greetings and salutations

20 minutes ago we finally received our Internet connection. Since we arrived here in Cordova we have not had that convenience. It is hard to believe that we have been here going on three weeks. The first week was very harried, we were here Saturday and Sunday and left Sunday night. Monday was the conference of all zone leaders that is held each month in Fuengirola and we needed to be there so the transition of us going to Córdoba would not affect other parts of the mission. On Tuesday the conference was over and by four in the afternoon we were able to return to Cordoba.

Then on Friday was the Sevilla zone conference. We are part of that zone and therefore put two elders in our very small car and drove the hour and a half to Sevilla. As we talked to the zone leaders they wanted to know if they could stay in our extra bedrooms that very night. So when we got home at 6 o'clock in the evening the zone leaders we're arriving by train and spent Friday night and Saturday with us. Sunday of course was a day to meet all the branch members. 

On Tuesday morning we again picked up two of the elders and drove back to Sevilla for our district meeting. Our car is a very tiny opel. The model is not sold in the US. It is larger then a smart car, if you are familiar with that model-I don't know who makes it, but not larger by very much. If we pull our front seats forward two missionaries can sit in the back. Anyway we went back to Sevilla. The district leader of our district is one of the missionaries in Córdoba. But he also has eight other missionaries that are serving in Sevilla and in that area to the north east of the city. Again it was late in the afternoon before we were able to arrive home.

You had stated that I didn't mention how I broke my foot. We are not sure. the first Sunday of March when we were visiting in Córdoba it happened. We had parked the car near our apartment and walked to the branch. We had not yet moved-in to our apartment. As we were walking along the sidewalk there was a 4 inch stepped Down that I did not notice. I stumbled stayed standing up but in part was helped by holding Sophia's arm. It hurt but I continued walking to church and walking back to the car. As we drove back to Fuengirola my foot Hurt considerably and I wanted to stand on the last two toes with the heel my other foot. Or if not to somehow pull out on those toes. On Monday I was walking barefoot in the backyard of our apartment. I was on a cement pathway and stepped on a small stone's smaller then my little finger finger nail. This really hurt a lot and I quickly stepped to the grass lifted my foot and saw the small rock embedded in the skin. No skin was broken I flipped it out and continue with our activities. The next morning that entire foot, no I exaggerate it was only the third of my arch and the four toes were all swollen and black. I could not put on a shoe. We went to an emergency room had x-rays And learned  that I had re-broken the fourth metatarsal of my left foot. You might remember that I  broken my fourth and fifth metatarsal of that foot six years ago. All we can figure out is when I stumbled on Sunday I sprained or strained or cracked that weak Union. Then when I stepped on the stone and it was exactly embedded between my third and fourth metatarsal that it caused the break. Anyway the first break clearly had not healed correctly. Then the crack and the second break we're obviously not going to heal correctly. So I get to learn how these Spanish hospitals and surgeons work.

I did not know that papa Had chemotherapy. Please tell him I received his letter. It was here in our mailbox and was the first letter we received. Please thank him for writing us.

You really keep a very busy schedule. We would love to see you in Cordova, but know you would not want to stay with us. We do have a three bedroom apartment. But our bed is a double bed and our other rooms are even smaller. But you would definitely be warmly and enthusiastically welcomed.  will write again soon but must go for now.

I am also enclosing the weekly letter I have just sent to Pres. Anderson. It gives you an idea of our second week here here in Cordova.

Weekly (weakly?) Letter to Pres. Anderson

Week of April 22

This has been a wonderful week. On Sunday we had planned to have Ada, an investigator who should be baptized soon, and the branch president and his wife and daughter over for dinner for a family home evening. On Saturday the branch president became sick and he had to cancel along with his wife and daughter. On Sunday at church we met sister Mata who returned in January from her second Temple Mission. She is a single older sister. She agreed to come for the Home evening. We had a wonderful time with dinner and then the family home evening. Sister Mata bore her testimony of her conversion and also of her mission. It was wonderful, even perhaps better than if it had been had the branch president been present.

On Monday the Redds were here and we were a tourist for a day. Cordova has many interesting and very ancient ruins to see. I also met with the doctor in the afternoon about my foot operation. It will take place on May 6 at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I will stay overnight in the hospital but then should be walking back to normal within three weeks. The operation did not take place yesterday because of an error that I made in not re-meeting with the surgeon after going and having the x-rays at the hospital. But the operation Will be taking place shortly and I am very grateful. 

Tuesday we had the district meeting in Sevilla. I gave a short 5 to 10 minutes talk on courtesy. Next week I will be more specific and will teach the Elders to rise as they are greeting sister missionaries as well as the older sisters. We also mentioned how loud volume can be offensive to others and how we as missionaries need to control our enthusiasm when we are in public.

On Wednesday In the evening we had the English classes at the church. We had about 15 non members in attendance. Sister Hopkins taught the advanced class. I had two men who hadn't been to church before, one a chemistry professor (retired) and the other a translator of documents from Arabic to French. They both wanted to improve their conversational English. It will be much tougher with fewer elders to have as many divisions of English in the classes starting next week. We are trying to reactivate Martin, a member in the branch who we have been told speaks very good English to help us in the classes (two birds with one stone). 

On Thursday morning we had Ward missionary correlation meeting with the ward mission leader Brother Heberson. He is very serious in this position and directed a very good meeting. We have three baptisms that we are planning for in the near future. On Sunday we will have the first Ward correlation meeting.  One has not been held in a very long time. We've then left his home and met with all six missionaries to plan the coming week. We had hoped to have  dinner at our home on Sunday afternoon, but the ward correlation meeting will be during that time. We also have another first discussion at 6 o'clock. Later that day Ada come over here and she showed Hermana Hopkins how to cook a Bolivian meal. We had the missionaries over to enjoy it. 

On Friday we taught a first discussion to Sarah, in her home, and it was the best discussion I have been in. Her prayer at the end was excellent, and she wants to attend church on Sunday. She was actually excited two come to see how we worship God. 

Yes there have been a few problems, some a little larger than others but overall it has been an incredibly wonderful and spiritual week.

We have just heard of the transfers for Wednesday. We thank you for listening to the spirit. The problems last week we're with Elder Diaz and not having him will aid our ability to work with the missionaries. If there was one Elder that I definitely wanted to have stay in Córdoba it was Elder Padilla. He has such a fervent testimony and desire to do the work. I feel a wonderful brotherhood with him. We will definitely miss Elder Sant and Elder Van Leuwen. Both of them are wonderful examples of How a missionary should be. Neither one is afraid to open his mouth and invite others to learn of the gospel of Christ.

second weakly letter 

Again it has been a busy week. Going through transfers here in a branch and in a small district is a lot different then transfers in the mission office. Losing three of the four missionaries here in Cordova was difficult for my wife. There is no question Elder Van Leeuwen can go home saying he worked very hard as a missionary. Elder Sant can also say he was very diligent and that he learned from a wonderful first contactor.

Last Sunday evening my wife with the missionaries taught a wonderful Second discussion with three Women. She then had the pleasure to take them to administer the sacrament to an invalid sister who hasn't been to church in many weeks, Perhaps even years. She cried as the missionaries shared their spiritual message with her.

Although five of 10 missionaries were being transferred it was still deemed important to have our district meeting. I again gave a short presentation on manners.  Elders should stand up when they are shaking hands with sisters,  members of the church or when they are greeting sister missionaries. I also talked about simple table manners, good posture at the table and not spreading out as if you were going to sleep while eating. Some took it better than others.

Sister Hopkins in Costco as we were coming home from District Meeting made her first contact by herself in Spanish. She grabbed the Elders to finish the contact and write down the young woman's name and phone number. We later called the Sevilla Elders to ensure that they would contact her, we will follow up to make sure they have.

We gave a health blessing to a non-member in the hospital on Thursday. The Branch President's father has severe diabetes and we offered to take the presidents place on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights as he sat with him. He died late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The father, not the branch president. Today we did attend the viewing of the body with the two missionaries. The Branch President and his wife were very grateful for our concern for the family.

On Thursday evening we had the ward council meeting and the primary president expressed a desire to learn how to follow-up when she had given a book of Mormon to her friends. We invited her and her two daughters to our home for dinner after fast and testimony meeting. After dinner we showed her how to use the gospel art book to give an enthusiastic intro and recap of the book of Mormon. To our surprise her 15-year-old daughter who is struggling with activity in the Church became much more interested than her friends. We talked and so we will fast with her, the daughter, as she begins reading the book of Mormon and preparing for a blessing. We talked of fasting and she will want to do a fast to put herself in a position to listen to the spirit. All five of us at the table were enthusiastically happy to join her in such an activity.

We did miss two opportunities to place books of Mormon but did testify of Christ this week. But we are getting better accustomed to opening our mouths to whomever we are around. Although the Branch President and his family were not at church we had 41 people in attendance today. Two inactive and one investigator!  Only 19 more to become a Ward!  We are excited to be here and to share our testimony of the living and loving savior and Christ. You are in our sincere prayers daily. With great love elder and sister Hopkins.

 it has been a busy week. Going through transfers here in a branch and in a small district is a lot different then transfers in the mission office. Losing three of the four missionaries here in Cordova was difficult for my wife. There is no question Elder Van Leeuwen can go home saying he worked very hard as a missionary. Elder Sant can also say he was very diligent and that he learned from a wonderful first contactor.

Last Sunday evening my wife with the missionaries taught a wonderful Second discussion with three Women. She then had the pleasure to take them to administer the sacrament to an invalid sister who hasn't been to church in many weeks, Perhaps even years. She cried as the missionaries shared their spiritual message with her.

Although five of 10 missionaries were being transferred it was still deemed important to have our district meeting. I again gave a short presentation on manners.  Elders should stand up when they are shaking hands with sisters,  members of the church or when they are greeting sister missionaries. I also talked about simple table manners, good posture at the table and not spreading out as if you were going to sleep while eating. Some took it better than others.

Sister Hopkins in Costco as we were coming home from District Meeting made her first contact by herself in Spanish. She grabbed the Elders to finish the contact and write down the young woman's name and phone number. We later called the Sevilla Elders to ensure that they would contact her, we will follow up to make sure they have.

We gave a health blessing to a non-member in the hospital on Thursday. The Branch President's father has severe diabetes and we offered to take the presidents place on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday nights as he sat with him. He died late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The father, not the branch president. Today we did attend the viewing of the body with the two missionaries. The Branch President and his wife were very grateful for our concern for the family.

On Thursday evening we had the ward council meeting and the primary president expressed a desire to learn how to follow-up when she had given a book of Mormon to her friends. We invited her and her two daughters to our home for dinner after fast and testimony meeting. After dinner we showed her how to use the gospel art book to give an enthusiastic intro and recap of the book of Mormon. To our surprise her 15-year-old daughter who is struggling with activity in the Church became much more interested than her friends. We talked and so we will fast with her, the daughter, as she begins reading the book of Mormon and preparing for a blessing. We talked of fasting and she will want to do a fast to put herself in a position to listen to the spirit. All five of us at the table were enthusiastically happy to join her in such an activity.

We did miss two opportunities to place books of Mormon but did testify of Christ this week. But we are getting better accustomed to opening our mouths to whomever we are around. Although the Branch President and his family were not at church we had 41 people in attendance today. Two inactive and one investigator!  Only 19 more to become a Ward!  We are excited to be here and to share our testimony of the living and loving savior and Christ. You are in our sincere prayers daily. With great love elder and sister Hopkins.