MERRY CHRISTMAS MADRID- AND SANTIAGO-STYLE !!!!!!!

Even though it looks like Fall, these next 6 pictures were
taken just two weeks ago!!  Winter isn't really winter here,
at least not like western Treasure Valley winters!!
Our lowest temp. so far is just 36!  Mid-day highs regularly
reach into the mid 50's!

Several cool things about this photo--The trees still have a lot
of their leaves, and the two old ladies walking down the path.
No matter the weather, no matter the time of day, you can always
see some of the "Jet Set" taking advantage of the park's  various
beauties.  

Today is December 25th, and we are missing our family!!
Christmas just is not the same without them close by.

We have had time to take a leisurely stroll through the big park just above our place, and to take a few pictures, which will appear below, later in the blog.

The Elders and Hermanas are here, having made our breakfast, and are settling in to reading their messages from home, and preparing for the opportunity to skype with their families a little later in the day,  (right now, it's only 4:30 in the morning there!!!)  Maybe some of the littler ones are up, sneaking around the house, trying to see what Santa has delivered!!  We always had a fun time, trying to find ways to fake out our kids, when they were trying to get up way too early!!'!!!

A couple of weeks ago we had the chance to fly to Madrid, courtesy of the Mission President and his wife, to spend some time with the other 'matrimonios' (senior missionaries).  They Pres. and his wife try to get us all together at least once per quarter, just so we know that they have not forgotten about us.  It is greatly appreciated!

We arrived at the airport in Madrid about the same time as the two new matrimonios who were coming in from the States, so we got to meet them and to help settle them into their motel rooms, where they stayed for the first two days, while meeting with the other matrimonios, and getting their residency approvals started.  One couple will head to the Canary Islands, to work with the JAS   (Young Single Adults), and the other couple will head to Oviedo, up on the north coast, in the Province of Asturias, not too far from where we are.
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After the matrimonio 'conference' we had time left in the day, so the mission office couple, the Larsens, had a neat idea to take the metro downtown, to the center of Madrid, and to join the throngs of people, out to see the Christmas lights.  Riding the metro again brought back some nice memories from our time there in Madrid, but coming out of the ground and seeing the veritable multitudes gathered there, to do the same as we were doing, about did me in!!  Elder Bake and big crowds do not mix real well!!! But. . . we are tough, and can do hard things!!!  After seeing the lights in the city center, we returned to the Temple Block, then drove to Atocha (where the main train station is located), and drove by some of the lighting there.  This is the same train  station bombed by the terrorists, back in '04.

It was this thick with people, for blocks and blocks!!
Think of Times Square in New York City!!!!

Beer Company--doing some advertising!!

A few minutes on the Temple Block put all things back into proper perspective!!

Headed back to Santiago, just before touching down.  This view,
out the window, shows the typical countryside, outside of Santiago.
The following--pretty much the same, just a minute or two before
landing.

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On the 17th of this month, a few scattered lights began to go up here in Santiago.  As time went by, more and more seemed to appear, until quite a few began to adorn the streets.  They are not quite the same as how we do it in the States, but it still adds to the  feeling of the season.

Doesn't do it justice!!  Just a few yards from our piso!!

Bo Nadal=Merry Christmas in Gallego!!

Stay with me here on this one!!  Because so many folks live in
apartment buildings, Santa has to be very inventive, in order
to get into your home!!  On the left, he is parachuting down!!
On the far right, he is climbing up the side of the building,
like in the picture below.  The middle shot is of the
Tres Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men), also climbing up to
bring gifts to well-behaved children!!  The most important day
for the people of Spain is on the 6th of January, (my Dad's birthday).
That is the most widely celebrated day of the Christmas Holiday, when
the Wise Men came, and the gifts are exchanged.

Los Reyes bringing their gifts!!!

Last night we were all invited to the home of our Relief Society President to have a nice dinner with her.  Her name is Etelvina, and she is from Colombia.  Hna. Bake and I were the first to arrive.  She greeted us at the door, then took us into a room to meet some people who were there.  One of them was a middle-aged woman, then two really old folks.  The man stood to greet us, but the elderly woman just sat (slumped) on the couch).  The old folks were the parents of the younger lady.
After the greetings, we were escorted up one flight of stairs into what seemed a separate living quarters, which I assumed were those belonging to Etelvina.

When we were finally all present, and dinner was ready to be served, we (6 of us) sat down to the table and she served up our meal,  Then she excused herself, and noted that she had to go downstairs and prepared the dinner for the folks downstairs.  It was only then that I realized that we were in their home, and that Etelvina was what they call an 'interna' (live-in caretaker of older people).  She had to have gotten special permission from them to even invite us to dine with her!!  And. . . they were kind enough to grant it!!  We made sure to heap upon them praise and thanksgiving for allowing us to celebrate Christmas with Etelvina, and for her being able to bring us into their home.  This makes one feel a whole lot humble, when you realize the sacrifices that others make in your behalf,  especially on behalf of Etelvina.   She told us that her family, years back in Colombia, would always have the missionaries over for Christmas Eve dinner, and she had wanted to continue that tradition.  What makes this even more amazing for me is that her family still lives in Colombia!!  She showed us recent  pictures of her husband, daughter, and two grandchildren, whom she got to see during a recent trip back home.  She lives and works here, alone, trying to make enough, to save, to try to bring the rest of her family here.  What a neat little lady!!

Etel, performing at our Branch Party!!

Our little car (burro) is only equipped to hold five, so. . .
when we take all of us somewhere, one has to ride in the
"maletero", where you put your suitcases!!!  Elder Hale,
fights to make the sacrifice.

Ferns, growing on the moist trunks of trees!!
It rains a ton here!!!!!!!

Christmas day, and these were blooming!!!

Same with this tree!!  Some bloom red, some white, and some pink.

ELK WITH MASSIVE ANTLERS!!!   Can you see it?

Famous educator!!  They never get the respect they deserve!!

Sea shells, symbol of Santiago, painted and hung from the tree.  

Hna. Bake will tell you all about the "Two Marias", These two sisters lived in Santiago.  Their brothers rebelled against those in power and had to live on the run.  The girls were not treated very well by those who were looking for the brothers.  They were seamstresses and would model their clothes as they walked through the park.  They were kind of eccentric women.  You can read more about them if you google two Marias Santiago de Compostela. This statue is to honor them.  (This really does look like them.) 

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve here in Santiago.  Our testimonies of Jesus have grown.  We know that He loves us.  He came to make it possible for us to live with our Father again. We are where we are for a purpose.  Sometimes I fell like we are being helped, as much as we are trying to help the wonderful people in Santiago. Our Father loves His children. He sent His son. This we know.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

WORLD'S END, (and a few other things)

You know that old saying, "It's not the end of the world,
but you can see it from there!",  well. . . I am pointing
at it.

When the pilgrims (hikers of the "way" to Santiago) finally get to Santiago, they have to make a tough decision--do they call that the end of the journey, or do they go the "extra mile" (so-to-speak) and walk on out to the real end.  The real end takes them on out to a place called Fisterra, or Finesterre.  If you have any background in any of the Latin-based languages, you can tell that the word means WORLD'S END!!  The word is that people have been going to that place for a real long time, historically speaking.  They actually considered it to be the place on the western coast of Spain, that you could walk to the edge and look out on the seas, and be looking at the ocean from the true end of the world.)

We have a visitor who came to church a while back, who had been out on "the way" and had finished the trek, having come more than 1,400 kilometros!!  She honestly looked worn out, but. . . she was going to go the extra mile, and finish all the way out to Fisterra--another 75 kilometros, and another 3-4 days, depending on how hard she wanted to push herself.

A P-day ago we loaded up the two Hnas. and the one Elder (his companion was headed on home) and drove out to Fisterra.  It was spitting rain and blowing like a bancheeeeeeee, but we went anyway.  By the time we arrived, the rain had let up, but not the howling wind.  (remind you of a song, Mark?)

We thought that there would not be too many people to contend with, but we were wrong.  I guess this place attracts a ton of folks, not just from here in Spain, but from all over the world.  There was even a huge tour bus there, full of Oriental folks!

The first thing you see as you arrive is this huge light house!

There is more than one way to say and spell the name.
This says, "Lighthouse of Finisterre"

The wind--what can I say more??

Kilometer zero--you have arrived!!

I really wanted to go down to the edge of the water,
and stick my feet,/ hands in the ocean, but the rocks were
slippery and  steeper than a cow's face, and the wind was nasty,
and Hna. Bake was ready to kill me if a tried, so. . . this is as close
as I was going to get.  They don't call this the "Costa da Morte"
(the coast of death) for nothing!!!

Same spot--same result!!

This is a big, bronze hiking boot, permanently attached to this
huge rock--a symbol of the worn-out boots from the long trek
along the way.  Many hikers, upon finishing the trek, actually
burn, not only their boots, but also their clothes  (as you can see
from the black on the rocks) as a symbol of beginning a new life
after the conclusion of their journey.

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Monument to the hikers, close to the end of the world.

The seas, the winds, the waves--all made for a great day!!

Elders Hale and Bake, comforting a 'peregrino'.

Hna. Bake often helps in the Relief Society by showing how to do some neat 'crafty' things.  One of the latest crafts was to use sea shells to create a Christmas-type decoration.  Having been raised close to the ocean, and having a desire to get close again, she volunteered us to go and collect the shells!!

She can be quite clever that way!!!!!     So. . . . off we went.

We went to Noia, where we had been one time before, but failing to find any good shells, we headed on down the coastline until we found another  beach to try our luck at "beachcombing".  Here follow some of the pictures and some of the results of our "serving the women of the Santiago R.S."

We purposefully went at low tide, so as to be able to go out
farther into the sea, to search for the shells.  This photo shows
a 10-12 foot tide swing.

Among the rocks are tons of these little muscles.  They do eat them.

They are everywhere they can get a toe-hold.

She really gets involved in her service activities!!!

REALLY INVOLVED!!!

Other things to do at the beach!!!

"Critters" inside some of the shells!!!

Our 'haul' for the day!!!

For this ole Idaho farm boy, some of these things are quite
fascinating!!

The missionary work moves forward.  We stay busy, helping the missionaries get to places too far away to walk (in our car).  We home/visit teach some of the branch families.  We participate in the branch activities--to show up with energy and zeal--to help them feel like things matter, which, or course, they do.  We show love and attention to all, and they feel our sincere efforts to help.

We are beginning to see--and feel--something that the mission President and his wife told us about, not too long ago: that when they see some of 'their' missionaries go home at the end of their missions, it hurts a bit.  We just had one of 'our' missionaries go home this past week.  We had worked side by side with him and his companion, for the better part of three months, and had loved and served with him.  It leaves a little hole in the soul, for a while, when you see them leave.  

We love where we are serving!  This part of Spain is so gorgeous, and green (even in December!)  Just the other day, we were driving around one of the larger roundabouts in Santiago, and noticed that some of the city workers were planting flowers!!!!!  Crazy--especially for the middle of December!!  But, the lowest nighttime temperature we have had so far is 36 degrees!!  Average daytime temps are normally somewhere between 45 and 55, and even up to 60!!  This coming Wednesday, it is supposed to get up to 65!!   I think a winter here in Santiago will spoil us for sure.

Well, time to hit the hay!!  Try translating that into Spanish!!

Elder and Hna. Bake