THE TIMES-- THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

I suppose it is quite 'normal' for things to change from time to time.  The folks in charge of things must not believe in the old adage about teaching an 'old dog new tricks' because we are  now taking the third different 'direction' since we arrived in the MTC, as it relates to Self-Reliance!!

What we began to learn upon arriving here in Madrid , was a little different direction from what we had been taught (or, at least what I thought we were taught) in the MTC.  Now, we are in the third phase of the learning, and this time it seems 'official', thankfully!!  Really, what has been happening is that all the process was in the 'refining stage' of development, and now, we really know what direction we need to head.

This 'initiative' (as they call it) is supposed to be Priesthood-driven, and now we are going to try again to get the ball rolling in that direction.  We man ("women?!) the Centro four days of the week in order to coach people on how to prepare a sharp resume, and how to be smart in their job search, etc.  But, the people don't take good advantage of the Centro.  So. . . . we need to get the church leaders on-board, and then the folks will come.

With that in mind,  in August, we will put on another push.  Our main emphasis will be to train the leaders, and to keep them informed on how their own people are doing--doing the job that we have been doing the past two months.  We hope to staff the center with volunteers that have been called by their leaders.  We will then train the volunteers to keep the Centro up and running, leaving us more time to go our throughout all of Spain and get the other leaders trained.  Big Job!!!  We start with the three Stakes here in Madrid, then branch out to the other districts and Stakes in all of Spain.

To make room for all the people that we think will come, there has been (these past two weeks) a renovation project going on, to enlarge the space available to us to teach and train.  We have gained some of the space formerly occupied by the Distribution Center (right next door to us).  In fact, tomorrow we won't be able to use our own space because they are going to breach the wall between us, and create a new opening for our expanded space.  The new 'doorway' will go right here:  behind the water cooler:

The pictures that follow show some of the work already done.

To the right of the picture is the remodeled entrance to the Distribution Center, and to the left, down that hall, is the new space created for our office. 

This shows the size of the two new classrooms we will have available, plus a small office and a small area  to meet around a table.  Now we won't have to split time with the FHC but will be able to be open any time we need to be.  Big improvement!!  Big expectations!!!  Big job to do!!!  I hope we can keep up with it.

With added training responsibilities comes the need to be more 'mobile', says Paco.  To that end, we have been issued a car to drive!!  Not sure if that is a blessing or not, when  considering the traffic here in Madrid.  We picked up the car at the mission office this past Tuesday afternoon, and had quite the adventure just getting back to our apartment!!  After a couple  of wrong exits taken, we finally arrived at a point that I recognized from some of our long walks.  We were able to make it safely, although a bit 'jittery'.  We took the car out the next night to drive south to Aranjuez, to visit one of the groups that meets there.  This time we (I) did better.

The car is an Opel--Meriva.  Yeh, I hadn't heard of it either.  It is diesel, tiny, and will be all right, when I begin to get comfortable in this traffic.  Remember the round-a-bouts?

Think: Fruitland orange, with a little 'burn' on it.  Diesel is 1.24 Euros per liter.  A liter is less than a quart, but not by much.  YES,  it is expensive!!!  Hopefully, the mileage is awesome.

With a temple right in our back yard, it is not difficult to get there whenever we feel the need.  But,, these past two weeks is has been closed for one of the semi-annual cleanings.  That has also had a small bearing on how many people have been  coming into our Centro, because they try to do business at all the Church offices when they come into town.  Anyway, it (Temple) is now  up and running, and we are enjoying the blessings.  When people come onto the grounds they get to experience a little bit of Heaven, with the Temple, the gardens, and the greenery and such--a nice oasis in the middle of all the chaos of the world.  We especially love  to spend time admiring the flowers and plants.  So. . . the other day we (Sister Bake) took goodies to reward all the  gardeners who keep the place looking so nice.  They get overlooked a lot, we think.  

It is really a pretty place to spend some quiet time, and we use it a lot.  Plus, our church meetings are held on the grounds, and, our office is right there also.  We are spoiled, indeed.

A lot of the Church members here are from other countries--people who have left their homes in Central or South America--looking for a better life.  A lot of them have found it here.  We met a man just this week, who came into the office looking for work, who was from Peru.  He had just arrived, was going to spend some time in the temple, but was wondering if we could help him get work.  

Where he had come from, it was too dangerous to stay--drugs, gangs, 6 different friends of his children being shot and killed.  All sorts of chaos going on.   He had left his two children in  Brazil with relatives, while he had traveled alone, seeking a better way.  Your heart just goes out to them!!

Like I started to say, at least in our ward, most of the members are not from Spain originally.   You walk into the chapel, and notice a lot of darker-skinned, darker-headed people.  The Spaniards are more European--fair-skinned.  When you bring a Spaniard to church, they come in and see that they are in the minority, and they decide that this church is not for them.  They are not prejudiced, it just seems different for them to not see so many of their own countrymen in attendance.  But thank Heaven for those who have come, and who have given great strength to the Church.  These people are very strong and active and have been a great boost to the growth of the Church here in Spain.

When you get outside of Madrid, out into the interior of the country, that dynamic changes a lot. You will see more of the native Spaniard among the membership.  That is, in part, because Madrid is where most of the work is, so. . . they come here to look first.

There is so much to do to help people, all over the world, to become more self-reliant, and to stop depending on other people, organizations, and governments for their well-being.  Being governed by principles of faith, hard work, and obedience will get more people to self-reliance than any other way.

That is our job, and at times, it is overwhelming.  When I get thinking that I don't really matter here, I am reminded of the story of the young boy walking along the beach and throwing back into the water the starfish he was finding along the way.  An older gentleman asked him what he was doing, and the boy explained.  The gentleman said that there was no way that the boy would be able to make a difference, whereupon the boy picked up another starfish and said, "I made a difference to this one!"

If we can only help a few, we will have made a difference.

MORMON HELPING HANDS--MADRID STYLE

For those not already acquainted with the logo, this is the Spanish version of Mormon Helping Hands.  Known for the many varied acts of service rendered around the world, Latter-day Saints (Mormons) attempt to live what they preach when it comes to serving their fellow beings.  This past weekend in Madrid, in the cultural hall of the chapel located on the Temple Block, we gathered to lend a 'helping hand' to four separate projects, all happening at the same time:  1)  bring in donated non-perishable food items to be given to one of the local food banks;  2)  assist the local Red Cross in providing the place, and most of the bodies, for a blood drive (donation);  3)  make small heart-shaped pillows for use by newly-operated-on  breast cancer patients;  4)  the Young Women of the three Madrid Stakes provided a service (which I did not get to see) to the older couples who live in the 'dorms' and who serve in the Madrid Temple.

The food drive resulted in over 500 kilos (2.2 lbs./kilo) in non-perishable items being donated for the needy of this area.  The donated items were sorted, boxed, and then transported to the local food bank.  Lots of hands made the work go rather quickly.

The blood drive was a huge success also.  Even though flyers were posted around the  community, and anyone may have come and donated, most of the donors this time around were members of the Church.  They filled out the questionnaire in the hall (to see if they qualify) and then took turns on the few beds set up for the actual drawing of blood.  I think we may have surprised the officials with the number of volunteers who wanted to help.
                                                                                                 

The part of the project with the most participants was making of the heart pillows.  The pillows are use by the patients after surgery--the pillows being placed high up, under the arm, to keep the arm away from the incision, thus offering a small amount of relief.  I believe the total for the day was a bit over 200 pillows!!  Some traced the outline of the pattern and others did the cutting.  Ladies with sewing machines were in stand-by mode, ready to sew the two halves together, leaving a small place for the stuffing of the cotton batting.

Ahhhh, the stuffing!!!  Huge bags of loose cotton stuffing were brought in and 'stuffers' (rhymes with duffers!!!) were put to work making certain that enough of the 'stuff' was put inside in order to make them (pillows) worthwhile.  (the bags reminded me of the type of bag that bulk seed comes in for the farmers--or maybe bulk wood pellets).  

Stuffing hearts, and having a lot of fun doing it!!!

Even old duffers can be stuffers!!!  Or, at least keep the tables full for the other stuffers.

The most tedious part of the project was to then sew up the stuffing hole.  That probably took the longest.

.

The very last part was to wrap each heart individually in a clear cellophane wrap.  It was impossible to stuff and sew fast enough to keep up with the wrappers, but the entire project was completed within a time span of about three hours.  We probably had about 200 volunteers there, sacrificing their time, on a Saturday, and seemed happy to be doing what they were doing.

We will wrap this entry up with a scripture from the Book of Mormon prophet-king Benjamin:  "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."  Service blesses both--the server and the receiver.

'CORPUS CRISTI' IN TOLEDO, SPAIN

This past week Sister Bake and I (along with the other senior couples in Spain) were invited to a conference put on by the Area Advisors for the JAS (YSA--Young Single Adults).  The conference was planned to coincide with the 'festivo' (festival--holy day) of Corpus Cristi (body of Christ) in Toledo, Spain.  This festivo is celebrated here to a greater degree than in any other Spanish city, I believe.
 
The whole world was there on Thursday, the day of our conference!!  You need to Google up the name Corpus Cristi, to find out some of the traditions that are practiced there.  Obviously being a major Catholic rite, the celebration (procession) began at the main square in town (Plaza de Zocodover) and wound down those nifty, narrow streets all the way to the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada, the magnificent Catholic Church of Toledo.  It was shoulder-to-shoulder all the way.  We had to keep an eye on each other, so as to not get separated.  Fun!!!

The cobblestone streets were strewn with some sort of herb, that when trodden upon, gave off a sage-like smell.  With all the people doing the trodding, there was plenty of smell in the air.  The balconies were draped with banners and ribbons and all sorts of lights, and the main path of the procession was covered, high up, between buildings, with a wide and long (very long) piece of what looked like canvas, from the Plaza, all the way to, and around the Cathedral.

We were able to be in a good spot to observe as the people in the procession came near and then enter into the Cathedral.  The pageantry and color and excitement in the faces of the participants was enough to make one want to be a part of it.  Those in the festivo ranged in ages from young to old, and from dignitaries to commoners.   Even  the military took part.

Beautiful, stately,  Spaniard woman.

The Cathedral was the centerpiece of the day, but we common guys did not have a chance to go in on this particular day.  We had to return the next day in order to get a tour.  Wow!!  What an experience!!  The main chapel is 120 meters long, and 60 meters wide.  Construction began in 1227 and was not completed until 300 years later.  That length of time will account for the two different styles of architecture--Gothic, and then more modern.

Here is some of the Gothic stuff.

Below are some shots from inside:

This is one of many side 'chapels'--on either side of the main one.

Some of the ceiling work!!

Ornate work that must have taken years to complete!

Each side of the main chapel looks like this--there are 81 columns!!

This wall contained 7 large murals--some with scenes from the life of Christ, others with historical themes.

Some who pushed the work along were able to be buried here.

Columns, glass-work, and side chapels.

The treasure room houses many of the Catholic Church's artifacts of gold, silver and gems.  The crowns were the main ones that 'spoke' to me:

The photo does not do them justice!!

Now, back to the reason for being there in the place.  Young Single Adults (ages 18 to 30) are at great risk in Spain.  Work is hard to come by.  Discouragement can set in rather easily, and discouragement can lead to despair and hopelessness.  The conference allowed different couples from different regions of Spain to share ideas of what they had done to keep their YSA encouraged and active in Church activities.  My part was to inform the others about the work of the Self-Reliance Center in Madrid: how we teach and train them to create good resumes, and how to project themselves as the best candidate for the jobs they are seeking.  When they leave our office they know how to be prepared for the job interview and how to respond with positive statements about their abilities.  

An example:  Dani, a middle-aged man who had worked in security jobs, but had not worked for nearly two years now, came into the center about the same time as Sister Bake and I.  Our center director has worked very tirelessly in helping Dani know how to go about looking for work and learn how to correspond with different companies, and to create a powerful resume.  These abilities do not come naturally to him, and it was difficult to get him to open his mouth and appear confidant.  This last week, he had identified a company that he wanted to work for, and sent them an introduction letter, along with his resume.  They told him that the opening was already filled, but that they wanted him to come in anyway, because they were impressed with his professional-looking application and resume!  He interviewed--it went better than expected--did not get the job--but they wanted him to be available because they knew they would need him in the future.  He said that they were very impressed with how he presented himself, and that they wanted to stay in touch.  He returned the next day to our office and was full of excitement and was encouraged for the possibility of possible employment in the near future.  It was the most success he had had in two years.  

If we can teach, and train, and help others to become self-reliant, rather than to depend on others for their well-being, we will have saved a generation.  That is the miracle of self-reliance!!

We are loving the Spanish people!  Except for the sound of their words, they are just like me, wanting the best for themselves and  their families.  Beautiful people.  Even though we have been here for just over a month, and we do miss our families, some of these wonderful people will be hard to say good by to.

Lucy has gone to Peru to visit her family.  She comes back at the end of this month.  We want you to meet her.  She is the embodiment of love and service.   Seventeen years ago she was told that she had 3 months to live.  She was given a priesthood blessing, and a promise from her mom.  Her mom read her a scripture and told her that she would live if she would serve others.  She is doing that every day.  A truly wonderful lady!  I am blessed by her example.  We will introduce you when she comes back.