All is quiet on the Lorca front. The work is kinda slow right now, it's kinda rough. But hopefully it will start to pick back up soon through hard work and a little help from the big man upstairs. 

We had the chance to go visit Ivan in Aguilas this week so that was good. He was the guy who we gave a blessing to help with his tobacco addiction, and then said he wanted to get baptized. He still is interested but isn't progressing very fast... or at all really. But its all good.  So Ivan's mom is a member but nobody else in the family is. His father, also named Ivan, is a good guy. He comes to church and listens but has some problems and I'm not quite sure what they are regarding. They have a daughter who doesn't believe in God, she's all about science. She's only like 16 so I think she doesn't really know what she believes, she's just being a teenager... or something weird. Haha but we will keep visiting them and hoping for the best. 

It's finally starting to warm up!! I have a feeling its going to be like a light switch though... cold and then blazing hot. 

I don't really know what else to say... it's just been a slow week. I cooked a bunch of chicken and pasta and made pre made meals so I can just eat fast throughout the week. So that was pretty sweet! I feel like a relief society woman or something! I'm ready to go feed the needy in the ward! 

Hey mom, remember how you were always so concerned that my comps would hate me because my room was always so dirty and whatnot? WELL, you'll be happy to know that i'm probably the cleanest missionary in the apartment! Yesterday I witnessed a missionary cross contaminate the whole kitchen with a raw chicken that was also probably rotten... so that was awesome. I wont say who but he had raw chicken in his hands, put it down, grabbed the salt, grabbed the chicken again, and then wiped his hands off on the dish rag. Needless to say I'm currently washing that rag. Somehow we are still alive... thank The Lord. Oh and this chicken smelled rancid... and he still wanted to eat it! I had to make another missionary convince him that he would probably die if he ate it. He told me that we just needed to pray before we ate, and I told him that God expects us not to be idiots. If he really wanted to, God could make you not get sick from this chicken, but God gave us a brain so we should use it. 

I'm stealing this idea from Elder Neilson, I'm just going to throw in random quotes from the best TV show of all time- Pysch. Because I miss it and because they are funny! I highly recommend you all go watch this show.

"Gus, don't be a rabid porcupine."

Love Elder Rex

Oh PS, Its Holy Week here In Spain. Google Semana Santa Lorca  and look at some pictures. It gets pretty wild...

This week was pretty interesting but same old same old. We rearranged our piso so know all 4 of us elders sleep in a big room together. Im not sure why but I think it's because the natives just wanted to be able to speak spanish to each other haha

It's rained a lot this week which I liked! It was nice for something out of the ordinary to happen! 

This week I had probably the most stressful moment of my mission so far. Me and my comp were teaching a man from Ghana named Francis. He has a terrible stutter on top of his terrible English to the point where when I'm putting all my effort into listening to him. I can maybe understand him on a good day. So we were teaching him and he pulls out this notebook with names written down, and each name had a certain amount of money next to it. He points to a name and begins to say something about it. I discerned that he was saying he gave this guy 50 euros and he hasn't paid him back. He started to get more worked up which doesn't help with me understanding him! He said he wanted me to go with him to this guys house because if i was there they wouldn't fight (like literally punch each other) because I am a man of God. I told him we didn't have time today and maybe another day. Then he said something but I don't know what. When we left his house he left with us and I told him we had to go the opposite way of the way he was going, but he wouldn't accept that and said it would takes 5 minutes. So we went to this guys house and while walking there I was just praying he wouldn't be home because I had no idea what was going on really and my comp just kept looking at me asking what's going on and I would just shrug my shoulders and laugh... luckily the guy wasn't home. Then Francis took us to his bank and then this African shop where he kept saying stuff to me and I literally had no idea what... I would just reply and say "oh are you buying something here" or "you ready to go?" and he would just look at me. I literally had no clue what he wanted or what we were doing. We left the african shop and at this point I'm kinda just over all of it. I told him we need to go but he kept saying no and I said why and he said something about a police report and wanting to go to the police station. I just imagined in my head getting to the police station and Francis just looking at me wanting me to explain whatever he wanted to tell a police officer in my non existent spanish. That wasn't happening. I kinda just dropped the hammer and said we have to go to the piso right now and we will see you later. And then he invited himself to our piso, and I declined his invitation.  

Also like 6 times in the middle of the sidewalk he would grab our hands and make a circle and chant some African prayer which is SUPER awkward when there are people walking by. 

It was more stressful than it sounds, I was basically alone because my comp doesn't speak english. Not that Francis does either! 

Well that's my story for this week!

Love Elder Rex

Taco Bell with Elder Lowry and Elder Bussell!

So this week was fun! 
I was able to go to Malaga to finish my residency on Wednesday and Thursday! which is fun but also a super long bus ride... I left Lorca at 8AM and got to malaga at like 4:30pm! Then we went to the mission home and President and Hermana Deere took us to Subway! Woohoo! That was a nice treat! Still not as good as the subway back home though! We went back to the mission home and had a short lesson type thing and ate homemade cookies which might have been better than subway! If only I had some real milk to go with it! I still don't trust the milk here... it doesn't require refrigeration!!! Soooo sketchy! Hahaha the next morning we went to the police station and finished our residency, and I got my Spanish ID! So I guess I'm an official residence of Spain now! But don't worry my heart still belongs to America. 

So after that, we ate Taco Bell at the train station!!!! Like Subway, not as good as home but it was still alright! I miss Del Taco... anyways then another super long bus ride home! The next day I was sick and I think Taco Bell might have poisoned me so thats another reason why it's better back home! But other than that not much has happened! It's kinda rough right now because I don't know the area or the people super well and I kinda have to take the lead since my companion is new here. It's strange because I'm supposed to be getting trained, but its like I'm training him on the area and people. I'm surviving though! Plus I'm still struggling with Spanish, so that makes it harder, but it's all good! I'll be a stronger and more knowledgeable missionary because of this! Whoohoo! 

Well I am super excited to see myself progress and grow spiritually and mentally over this time! As of now it's pretty weird to think I will be fluent in Spanish eventually! But I know as I put in the work, and with the lords help, I'll do some pretty epic things!

As always, 

Love Elder Rex!

The view from the Mission Home! I miss pools... mostly jacuzzis.

Visit to Águila

All is well here in Lorca! I said goodbye to my first companion Elder Bassett on wednesday! Super weird knowing he is home now! But I have my new comp now! Elder Justinano! A native speaker from Bolivia but his family lives in Madrid. So far so good. Communication consists of terrible english and terrible spanish! woohoo! But life is good! It's still been pretty cold here, but not as cold as last month. I got a picture of my friends at the river and it looked so warm!!
On Tuesday Elder Bassett, Elder Filmore and I went to this little town on the coast where there is a part member family. I think the town is spelled Águila, its the Spanish word for eagle. We gave the non member son a blessing because he is addicted to tobacco and wants to quit. We had lunch and chatted about the mission life and where we were from. He knew about Newport Beach from the TV show The OC and was asking if that's how life was actually like for us (Elder Fillmore is from San Diego) it was pretty funny. On our bus ride home his mom called us and said that Ivan (her son) wants to baptized and serve a mission! We were pretty shocked by that because I'm pretty sure he lives quite the party life! So that was quite the miracle! And after seeing the baptism last week it got me pretty excited. 

Sadly I am out of time but here's a few pictures! The beach pictures are in Águila

Love Elder Rex

My brothers! (family in Aguila) 

Elder Fillmore and I-- true SoCal men missing the beach.

Reminds me of home!

New Companion!

I have to be brief this week so sorry to all of you who wait so eagerly to read my weekly novel. 

I get a new companion on Wednesday, he's Bolivian. Native speaker, should be interesting Since I still don't speak much spanish. But It should help with my spanish pretty fast which I'm excited for. 

Elder Bassett and I re activated a guy this transfer so that was pretty cool to see. He was baptized before I was born, I think in 1991 in Nigeria. He fell away from the church but he's super awesome and I have faith that he can be a super strong member here in Lorca. The other two elders had a baptism this week that we went to, so that was fun to see! 

I stained 3 shirts this week... not the best thing I've ever done... I guess thats what happens when you just wear white shirts all the time! 

I'll write more with more pictures next week! But here is some pasta with homemade sauce I am pretty proud of.

Love Elder Rex

ps. I would love to hear from anyone and everyone!