Wasn't Conference Great!

Hello!

Wasn't conference great! I sure loved it! And I have a few more conference tidbits for everyone!

First, We watch the exact same broadcast as you, only we have the translators. We can hear a little bit of English before the Spanish kicks in, and they don't subtitle the music. So unless you happen to know the song, or have a hymnbook of your language handy, you are kinda out of luck. But that is why they sing the same "basic" songs every year. Because everybody has "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet" and what not, so yes we sing-along only we do it in English.

Second, and way more cool, is that those general authorities who know and speak Spanish pre-record their talk in Spanish! So when a seventy from South America gets the opportunity to speak, we get to hear him in his native tongue. (I noticed that when we listened to Sis. Allred during the Relief Society Meeting, that the Spanish version sounded just like her English, only it was in Spanish. And after the recording ended, we finished listening in English.) And did you know that Elder Scott speaks Spanish? He pre-recorded his talk as well. It was really cool!

Plus, it was way fun to watch conference in the Stake Center. Lots of people brought food and had picnics between sessions on Sunday. And we got to see lots of the missionaries in Madrid, and it's suburbs. Almost like going to the conference center...almost.

It was cool to hear about the new temple in Provo, what a great way to use the land, and whatever happens to be left of the tabernacle! I was about the only one who laughed, or chuckled, at the temple in Star Valley - nobody else knew why Pres. Monson would go there and fish. But we, or those in Madrid, were way excited for the temple in Paris. We had actually heard some rumors about a temple in Paris. It sounded like the members in Paris knew the temple was coming from the newspaper articles that they were reading. There was, or is, a law in France that says that every building has to be completely open and available to government officials, even religious buildings. Basically they couldn't build a temple before because the government officials can't enter all the rooms of the temple. I'm not quite sure what happened to that law. But still pretty cool.

I'm glad that Sophie is looking forward to Halloween, I'm kinda excited to see what they do for Halloween in Spain.

It's been starting to cool down at night, but in the day it still gets pretty hot.

For p-days...my first p-day here we just chilled in the piso, last week we went to the mall, and today we went to the Zoo. It was really fun! And while we were sitting there waiting for the Sea Lion show to start, we were watching the penguins, and I couldn't but help to think of Ryan. First, because he was a penguin (for Halloween) last year, and Second, because I think that Ryan would make a great Dolphin Trainer! Can't you see him running the Dolphin Shows at Sea World or somewhere! I think he's got the personality for it!

I'm still getting used to the new area. Not that it's bigger, it's just different. So many more people, buses, the metro. And the streets are all about the same. But I love the new area, and I have a great companion. Hna. Pulgar and her trainer (who I replaced) actually opened the area....well, maybe not opened, because there have been elders here for about forever (It's hard to pull all the missionaries from the ward that happens to have the APs) But there weren't hermanas here for about two years. It's tough to open a new area, and we are always looking for new people to teach! But there are a lot of people here...so I'm sure we'll find some!

Love you lots,

Amber