Lighting Our World...

Querida Familia y Amigos,

We hosted the Lleida District for an activity in the farmhouse on Monday, which was their preparation day.  After an omelet made with 18 eggs, we were off to an adventure in Andorra.  Once a month the District holds their meetings up here to give our Elders a break.  It seems that they spend much of their time commuting on a bus, so it is a blessing for them to have a meeting up here once in while.  We really live on the very edge of the misson and it take our Elders 2 ½ hours by bus just to go to go to District meeting each week.  Of course, all the missionaries want to see Andorra so we had a grand adventure with them!

Lleida District in Aristot

The traffic congestion into and out of Andorra has been grueling this week.  Everyone from France and Spain journey to shop in tax exempt Andorra. Last Tuesday, Elder Fowers needed to drive to Andorra for a temple recommend interview. He was in line for nearly an hour with the afternoon shine blazing into his window.  As he inched along, and being alone, he nodded off for a moment and smashed into the back of a Jeep.  No damage to the Jeep, but our tiny, little Prius has a big nose bleed.  Traffic is still plugged up today and we are on our way home from our afternoon group meetings. I am writing this blog as we creep along trying to get home! (it took us an hour and 50 minutes to drive 15 kilometers!

Ugh!  Christmas Shoppers

We plan to visit all of our members with a message and a little homemade Nativity craft ( by Hermana Fowers) to each as we encourage them to keep Christ at the center of their holiday.

Reason for the Season

Juan and Carmen, our neighbors with the cows, also have a couple of pigs they fatten and kill each year in December.  Some of you might remember from our blog entries last year at this time. Tuesday the first pig was slaughtered and placed in a large pot to boil. Wednesday morning Elder Fowers volunteered us to help Juan and Carmen with their butifarra (sausage making) production again this year. We were up to our elbows in pig parts including the blood sausage that Elder Fowers is mixing below.  What a way to break in our new Elder Warr to our Andorra farm culture!

Boiling the Pig

Elder Warr tying Butifarra

Elder Christensen sampling the Blood Sausage

A unique way to "Light the World"

The highlight of our week was our Senior Couples Conference held in Mallorca.   The Baleares Islands, which are a few hundred miles off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea, and are part of our mission. We have five mission branches and a District organized out there.  Three of the ten married missionary couples in our mission are on the islands, so President and Sister Dayton organized a three-day retreat for all us out there this week.  What a delight! 

President and Hermana Dayton and other Senior Missionaries
in front of Mallorca Cathedral

1000 Years of Experience standing
 in front of a 1000-year-old Olive Tree 

Standing in Chopin's (the Composer) Private Gardens

Each couple was able to give a report on their stewardship.  It is so evident that each one of them has received the perfect calling.  Each couple detailed how they have used their talents and experiences to define and enhance their missionary service.  (Just think about it, how many other missions would give Elder Fowers the opportunity to milk cows and make friends with our farmer neighbors while he serve the Lord as Branch President?)  After a day of training, we had an awesome time exploring the antiquities of these beautiful islands, but even more so, we enjoyed just chatting and getting to know each one of them.  We were so blessed to work shoulder to shoulder with these remarkable, faithful saints.

Sunset on Mallorca Beach

Con Mucho Amor,

Los Fowers