Blog for End of January

What a week it has been! We had 40 missionaries into the office to begin their paperwork for their extended Spanish visas. We have the opportunity that one sister for two nights then five missionaries for two nights then with six missionaries. They were wonderful to have in our home. On Thursday night it was our turn to take the group who we're staying overnight out to a buffet dinner. I had forgotten how much missionaries can eat. On Wednesday we had several missionaries waiting in the office and it was wonderful to use them to get so much of my filing caught up and closing files for 2015. I almost wish I had that many assistance all the time but then I would worry about having them have enough to do.

The president returned on a surprise visit on Monday, he was supposed to be doing interviews to the east of the mission but he got a call saying he could take his drivers test on Monday afternoon. The last three people in the office who took the test failed it. To get an appointment to take the test can have up to a 30 day delay. He is now requiring that everyone have a valid drivers license for them to be permitted to drive a mission car. He has studied for six months and taken practice test over 100 times. The other two missionaries, one a junior missionary, the other a senior missionary both failed for different reasons. You must take at least 10 hours of instruction to be permitted to take the theory test. People study and cram for it as if it were a test  to enter graduate school. After the theory test is taken and passed you have six hours of compulsory driving practical. And if you have passed those your then permitted to take the test. One elder has already spent over $1400 and still has not passed the test. The president had spent well over 40 hours and I am not sure how much to get ready for the test. But the good news is he passed!

I have come up with an idea on how the mission can save $800 per month and it has passed the presidents tentative approval and the APs (assistance to the president’s) approval. We will implement it next month, actually in the month of February, and see if it works.

On Friday night we went out to NERJA and had family home evening with a mother and two Young daughters. Sophia took the makings for oatmeal cookies and bake them while we were there. As we drove out we saw large cumulus clouds forming. We were concerned because it had only sprinkled on us. I said we went to NERJA  actually we went to a community just before nerja. It's name is Acarroba. It is built on A Steep hillside. You can only Drive to about 25% of the community. The rest of the way the streets are so narrow you can almost touch from one side to the other with your arms outstretched. The streets are all cobblestone with two or three story houses I need side of you. Then the streets that runs up the hillside are just stairways. I counted one and it was 68 steps to the next street. Some of the tree of the steps, the part of the step you walk on, are the normal 12 inches but others can be four feet. There are not very many over weight people in this community. Nor is it handicap accessible.We had a fun time baking oatmeal and peanut butter cookies.

As the evening was ending, about 10 o'clock, we heard thunder. The sister assured us that it hasn't rained for weeks. Then it started to rain. No that is not true it didn't rain and it was so far beyond pouring that I can't describe it. We waited a half hour and decided we would brave it and and walk/run to our car. The car was about a half mile away. We were Lent an umbrella and we were off. After two minutes we realized the umbrella was doing nothing. The stairway look like one in the waterfall after another. The streets had six to eight inches of water flowing down them. After we got to the car we made the circle and Sophia took several pictures of the water pouring off the roofs running down the stairways and flowing down the streets. The pictures do not do the experience justice.

The above was written three weeks ago we continue overbusy at least I will tell you we are well.