La Sierra Nevada

This last week has been great. Jhizel (we found out that´s how you spell her name. We were really surprised and a little embarrassed. But yes, Gisel is actually spelled Jhizel) She passed her baptismal interview. We were not really worried to be honest, but we were really happy with her when she came out. The missionary that did the interview was really impressed as well. The interview took place right before the annual Granada Christmas concert. In the Granada ward, they hold a Christmas concert where the Granada band comes to perform. It was packed. There were so many people that we did not fit inside the sacrament room. We had arrived a little bit late because the interview went long, so we ended up talking with Jhizel in one of the back rooms, waiting to help clean up the concert. While we were waiting, we started talking with one of her friends that had come with her. Her friend is not a member, and is not familiar with the church. But as we were talking with her, Jhizel was able to bear a really powerful testimony about the church and the benefits that she has had in her life from living the standards that she has learned. It´s been a really incredible, to see her change. She will be baptized a week from yesterday. She is so excited, and I can´t wait for her.

So Elder Black and I have decided to sing ´White Christmas´ for the mission talent show. Although the south of Spain gets about no snow, we are blessed to be one of the only parts of our mission that might get the chance of seeing at least a part of a white Christmas. Hence, the song choice.

Today was one of the best p-days I´ve had on my mission. We decided to take the elders from Motril and head up to the Sierra Nevada. It was incredible. It was literally like walking into the Sundance Ski Resort, because there was snow!  It was pretty great. Granted, a lot of the snow was artificial, because we have been having a really dry year here in Granada, which is a little disappointing, but at least today we got to go on a Russian sled and finish off the day eating churros and chocolate. (I think I´ve mentioned this before, but it´s basically this amazing Spanish dessert. It´s a lot of plain churros that you dip in chocolate. Then you drink the chocolate afterwards. Delicious.)  Anyway, it was a really fun p-day. We´re not allowed to go skiing, so seeing all of the skiing gear and people going skiing was really hard for all of us, who had all skied or snowboarded before the mission. We are hoping to take the rest of the zone up with us this upcoming p-day to go sledding. So today was great. Really, really fun.

Today is also one of those days where I really wish I had a little bit more time. This week has been great. I will probably just sum it up in highlights:

• We did an exchanges with the elders up in Jaén, because they had a candidate ready for baptism and needed a baptismal interview. 
• The Venezuelan family that lives next to us is playing secret Santa. 
• The Granada Kebap, which is the best Kebap (kabob) in the entire mission.
• Guitar sessions in our apartment, which probably keep the neighbors alert. 

It really has been a great week. We have been very blessed. We have also had a lot of people fail us this last week, but after the trials come the blessings. So we are sure that a lot of blessings are waiting around the corner. We have been blessed with a lot of success in our area in the past, but a number of investigators have stopped wanting to listen. So we start again. That´s what I love about a mission. It applies directly to our lives. When things don´t go exactly how we want them to, we can change and begin again. It really has been a great week. It's a great day to be a missionary. 

Love you,

Elder Weenig

Zone Conference
From Alicante District. Elder Fisher and Hermana Garcia

SNOW!!!!