Dos Hermanas Sevilla 07/26/10

Hello family,
This week was good. We had zone conference. Another Elder stayed overnight with us at our place so we can all go to zone conference the next morning. It was his old area so it was really cool for him and especially really good for one of our investigator named Fidel. Fidel is making more progress this week than the whole one year and a half being taught, which is a miracle!
Could I pretty please bring this cute puppy back home?

The sisters in Sevilla planned a ward ativity. A few non-missionaries showed up, including some investigators and ward members. We all had a great time. We played water balloons, volley ball, watched the movie "Legacy" and had coke floats, cuz root beer can't be found here.


Sevilla was awesome last week. We went to the plaza of spain. It used to be the Capital building of the country, but it's actually the place where the "Naboo fight scene in Star Wars episode" was taken place, which was the coolest part for me. We went to the grocery store and bought some lunch and ate it in a really cool place in a giant park that looks like a jungle.


We're going to Sevilla again today. I am super excited. We're planning a spiritual concert and we're hoping to attract new investigators there. I have the feeling it's gonna be awesome.


There will be a super big holiday in our city this weekend. The city is having a giant flamenco concert in the middle of it and it's expected to bring lots of people. Everything will be closed down. I think this is a celebration in honor of the virgin Mary (lol)... so I have my own little celebration during Pioneer day too. Me and my companion Elder Larsen are doing good. Spanish food isn't too bad, but it's really different. Our city is having a bull fight sometime soon, but we're not allowed to go under this new mission President cuz some elders would use all their money to get the best seats.


We walk everywhere and use the train heavily. Our main meals consist of "courses". People use olive oil in everything. I do eat ice-cream a lot. It's fantastic! I do report to the mission President weekly. I havent seen any buffet restaurants yet. They seem to be super hard to find and I assume they must be super expensive too. Spain doens't believe in built-in air conditioning, or heating water. It's rather strange! I haven't been sunburned, luckily!!
Bye for now, Elder Bennett

Dos Hermanas Sevilla 07/19/10

On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 9:51 AM, Daryl Bennett wrote:
Thanx for the package. I finally got it when I went to Malaga for a training meeting...but the postage on the package was very expensive!! It was really really thoughtful though and I appreciate it. In the future, you could just add money on my card. We live next to the American base and our Ward Mission leader can get us stuff from there for very cheap... anyway thank you again for the package. the snickers were great!! We also had a father and sons camp at the Mission home in Malaga. It was cool seeing all the old crew there.
Click on the pics to see bigger images!

Training meeting with all 7 of the new missionaries who came to the Malaga mission over the last 2 weeks. Who said that Missionaries can't jump in pool??

Here are the next group of new Missionaries that had arrived in Fuengirola Malaga Mission.

Elders Talbot, Stowell, Pratt (Daryl's Mission Companion in Provo MTC) and Masterson are the newest Elders.

Last week, we visited Sevilla and it was awesome. Of couse it was super hot but we managed. We got baguettes and water and played guitar in a park. We played with some Ukraines and made contact with them. That was super fun.


Many people still have spanish flags draped out on their windows, they're all sill super happy about winning the World Cup. My companion Elder Larsen took me to all the European designer clothing stores. Clothes are super cheap during "rebajes" wich translates for "sales". I found a store that sold fancy suits for only 25 euros. Ice cream and juice is so super cheap here. It's like a dollar and people don't believe in refridgerating their milk and eggs. It's so odd.


This week, Isabell (the landlord lady) had a dispute with us missionaries. The Mission has agreed to pay 400 euros a month for our stay here but Isabell wanted everyone to give her extra money out of our own pocket to cover her cooking and cleaning. Unfortunately we are not allowed to give her more than what the mission has allready agreed to pay. The Mission has been informed of the situation but we decided to play the guitar and sing "If you could hie to Kolob" for her and afterward, she was like I'm not going to raise your rent, I like you and I don't want you to leave. We are back again to normal. The Mission takes care of our rent and she doesn't ask for extra money from us. Fantastic!!!

White shirt & tie: $65, new shoes: $135, trip to Spain: $2,500 converting a nun: PRICELESS...

We're teaching a lot and doing a lot of stuff that's spiritual and the Ward loves us!! All of our work is done thru referals. We recently had a Spanish bbq, which was awesome. It was a huge turnout, including 10 non-members came. We had American soda, everybody was laughing, having a good time and there were tons of little kids there, and giant slabs of steaks, ribs and real animals were grilled over fires. It was insanely awesome. This guy's house was in the middle of an olive tree orchard. It was totally awesome!!!!

1st Companion Elder Larsen - Dos Hermanas Sevilla 07/12/10

Hi Family,
I probably won't see your package for a long time. That's in Malaga. I'll send you a letter from my new address soonish.

This pic was taken later that evening on the day the new missionaries arrived in Fuengirola Malaga. They were told about their assignements but Elder Bennett actually guessed where he was going. The ayudantes were wondering how he knew? Was it just beginners luck or was it pure inspiration?

Well this is my generic message:
I'm in Dos Hermanas, it is super hot. It's just south of Sevilla, like ten minutes. It's 120 degree now and its supposed to get to 135. It's crazy cuz the sun is out past 11pm, and it's still over 100 degree by 8pm.

For the summer schedule, we get up at 730am and go to bed at 11:30pm. Then we get a mediodia (kind of like a short afternoon brake) from 2:30pm to 5:30pm where we don't prosolyte at all and go bak to the house. It's strange culturally everything shuts down at that time. Being in the mission field is fantastic. I absolutely love it.

My trainer is great, his name is Elder Larsen. He's a jazz pianist. He's taught me a couple of things and helped me get a flamenco, a spanish guitar. It's fantastic! He named his guitar "Isabell" and I named mine "Maria". He named his "Isabell" after the crazy old lady we live with. She's as short as a hobbit and hobbles around complaining, which makes her priceless and hilarious. We live in her piso (appartment) with a member named David. She calls us her ninos (children) and she acts as our maid. She does our laundry, cooks when we ask, cleans our dishes, puts away our food, cleans our rooms and makes our beds. I tried to help at first, but I got scolded by her in spanish. She makes us do nothing. lol. she always complains about us using water. My skin hates it here. I'm sweating all the time. Other than that, I'm doing good. I'm eating a lot, fruit is fantastic down here.
Everyone was enjoying a wonderful summer lunch on the patio in Fuengirola Malaga where the mission home and office are located. This is a wonderful pueblo on the Mediterranean.

We have a few investigators with baptismal commitments. It's been great meeting people and getting to know them. I'm excited to see more, learn more and do more. I went to church yesterday, and it is super small compared to the number of people coming, which is great. Many of the members are RM's and there are actually a lot of english speakng people. The bishop and ward mission leaders are super cooperative and always trying to help us in our efforts.

We started piano and guitar lessons. The church members have to bring a non-member friend to qualify for lessons. We also do english lessons. We started a church song repertoire. On a few of our visits we started with a hymn called "if you could hie to kolob", but in spanish. They loved it. Especially this one guy who won't give up smoking, and his whole family is LDS and he goes every sunday. He loved the song.

Elder Bennett, Furgenson & Marchello spent the night at the Misson home then left for their assigned Mission field "DOS HERMANAS" in Sevilla on the next day 07/07/10.

The World Cup Soccer game "Netherland vs Spain" was fantastic. Holland played so dirty, it wasn't cool but it was so intense in the last three minutes of overtime, and then "BAM" Spain scored, and the whole country erupted in HALLEJEUAH!! PRAISE SPAIN!! as that forward ran around the field with his shirt off. This was only a small city, and it was insane. thats all I got to say. hours and hours of cheering. They were so happy. When walking around, you could tell when someone did a bad play or almost made a goal. During the first half, we were at an investigators/nonmembers house watching it.One guy in there, he, obviously speaking no english, started swearing in english with his super thick accent, when the Spain goalie jumped up to catch a ball and missed. We scolded him, but it was funny to see how intense it was to everyone.
We're going to Sevilla later today and i'm excied to see the afermath of the festivities.
Elder Bennett
2010 FIFA World cup soccer CHAMPIONS!!! Netherland:0 Spain: 1 VIVA ESPANA!! Sunday 07/11/10

People draped their windows with the Spain flag to show their support to their Soccer Team. You can see the flag of Spain flown everywhere from the balcony of each appartement. This country is so excited as Spain has never been close to win the championship before. Viva Espana!!!

Elder BENNETT has arrived at the Malaga Spain Mission Office 07/06/2010

Bienvenido Elder BENNETT.


Elder Bennett & sister Hunt at the Mission Office.
The two pictures were taken and sent by Elder & Sis Hunt who are serving a full time mission in Fuengirola Malaga Spain. Sister Hunt sent these pics to her brother Denis Burke who happens to be a family friend. Denis Burke served a two year mission in Tahiti a few years back. It's so nice to have connection!!!! Thank you so much Denis & Sis. Hunt.

Meet the Mission Office Staff in Fuengirola Malaga SPAIN

Top row are Elder & Sister Hunt (Office staff), Elder Bader (an assistant), Elder Goodman and Elder Stanley (the office secretaries), and Elder Halverson (the other assistant).
Front row is Pres. and Sis. Clegg on the left and Pres. and Sis. Mellor on the right (Spain Malaga Pdt Mission from 2007 -2010)

Meet President & Sister Clegg (the newest President Mission of Malaga)

Hola to all the missionaries, family members and anyone interested in the Spain Malaga Mission. We are Presidente and Hermana Clegg, the newest lucky couple to be able to preside over this incredible mission. As of June 30th 2010, the Spain Bilbao Mission (where we served for a year) will be officially absorbed by the Spain Madrid and Barcelona Missions. Fortunately we aren't being sent home, rather we are traveling on a plane tomorrow morning to Malaga to start what we anticipate to be a wonderful, spiritual, growing, loving and fun experience.

We have heard nothing but wonderful things about the south and the members and the missionaries. We know we are going to love our missionaries and can't wait to meet the many wonderful people who we will have the privilege to work with. Hasta pronto!, Los Clegg.

WELCOME to the SPAIN Malaga Mission 07/06/2010

President Clegg, Elder Bennett & Sis. Clegg at the Malaga Mission Office

Dear Bennett Family,
We are delighted to have received your son here today in the Malaga Mission. We look forward to working with him. We have attached a few photos so you can see for yourself. We have a mission blog that you might want to look at and watch what is going on in the mission.

The site is http://spainmalagamission.blogspot.com/

Your son will start his service in Dos Hermanas. He will be writing by Monday and will be filling you in on the details.
Sincerely,
Pres. & Hna Clegg

This photo was taken at the train station in Malaga


Sis. Clegg, Elder Marchiello, Elder Bennett, Elder Ferguson & President Clegg.
They arrived by fast train from Madrid. 8 more missionaries are expected to serve in the Spain Malaga Mission. 4 will be arriving next week on Tuesday July 13th and 4 have been re-assigned temporarily in the USA due to Visa problems.

Madrid SPAIN MTC 07/05/2010

Here´s the group leaving with me to Southern Spain with the exception of President Earl (President of the Madrid CCM) and his wife.

I am leaving for southern Spain tomorrow Tuesday July 6th. Where in southern spain? I haven´t a slightest clue. My P-days will be on Wednesdays.

Elder Bennett

Madrid SPAIN MTC 07/01/2010

Hi Linsey,
Well, its actually afternoon here. It's almost time for la "comida" spanish word for lunch. I miss Mt. Dew, normal american fruits that's really big and not full of weird stuff, and I miss the restaurant "la Luna". I haven´t had cheese here yet, but I hear it's great. They have this carbonated water that tastes like Sprite called lasera but I call it gasolina. I love it! It comes in 1.5 liter bottles for like .45 cents. At the Madrid CCM, we have an unlimited supply of nutella, and a giant basket of pastries, cookies and all sorts of european goodies, including packaged croissants filled with nutella.
I´m not so dazed anymore about Spain, I feel like I´ve lived here forever. It feels like family here in the Madrid CCM. I will be out in a week, and I am nervous cuz I don´t speak spanish well...lol. We did some contacting in a famous park last week, and it was horrible, cuz my temporary companion was very shy and spoke less spanish. I´m excited to have a trainer who knows what he's doing and speaks spanish well. Maybe it will be elder Alpanalp. I´ll keep my eyes peeled.
I miss Wal-Mart. It has such a great selection. I´ll send pics whenever I can. Everyone at the CCM speaks English a lot so I barely speak spanish so far, except maybe with the teachers that can´t speak english. I can kinda read the book of mormon in spanish. I´m studying hard and doing a lot. We went to the temple 3 times this week.
PS: "queso" is how you say cheese in spanish.
Elder Bennett.

In the event your missionary does not send you a foto from the MTC, here are a couple that may be of interest. Some include other missionaries that were in here with your missionary at the same time. Pres. Douglas Earl
Missionaries from Brazil.

Madrid SPAIN MTC 07/01/2010

Yeah madrid MTC is much better!!! Provo is OK. We live on Temple ground after all. We went to the Temple the first time on Tuesday and twice. The portuguese Elders were going in live sessions. They were super excited. One didn´t have his ordination date of getting the Priesthood written on it, so he waited 4 hours for his family back in Brazil to get it, (It was 3 am there when they origianlly called.) So a number of us attended with him when he went. It was cool. I went again today, it was good. It's a pretty Temple, and the session was in English, lol. I finally got to see the other movie once. P-day is Thursday. I leave to my mission field in Malaga next week on Tuesday. I will write again on Monday (I think). I´m nervous to be cooking for myself. I am too lazy.
The weather is the same as SLC here. Just a hot summer day. Not incredibly hot, but about the same. Yeah I knew about Spain's winning to Portugal. Every apartment had a number of spain flags draped out the windows. And America did lose. lol.. I´ll send pix sometime.
That's cool that gma and gpa celebrated their 60th Anniversary.
Yeah we did some splits with other CCM missionaries in a famous Madrid park. It was not good. lol. absolutely no success and I don´t speak spanish.
I´m glad to hear about Jacob & dylan's Mission call. I am excited for them.
Elder Bennett