Caceres, Spain

This past weekend, Sunday, we headed to the southwest about 300 kilometros, to a 'little' town of about 100,000 people, called Caceres (accent on the 'a').  Paco and his wife Susi, and Sister Bake and I all went down there at the invitation of Elder and Sister Redd.  They are a missionary couple serving in Member Support.  We met them long ago (2 1/2 months) at the conference for YSA, in Toledo. They have a lot of members who could take advantage of the principles of self-reliance.  We finally were able to work out a time when they could get together, and that we could come.

On the drive down there, I asked Paco what Caceres was famous for, and his answer surprised me:  he said that a lot of the 'conquistadores' of the Americas left from there!!  I thought for sure he was pulling my leg, but he stood by that answer for the entire trip.  As we traveled there and back, I was able to figure out why, possibly, the 'conquistadores' went from there--there is nothing else to do there, so they got bored, and had to travel!!!  (Maybe?)  Another answer was: they are famous for the bulls and the pigs!!  A lot of the meat eaten in Spain is produced there, and we saw evidence of that as we drove along.  I did not take any pictures, but we did see a lot of bulls along the way.  Not so much on the pigs, however.  Some of the bull-fighting bulls are raised there, also.

The first thing we do to help people is to put on a 'Devotional'.  This is a class/presentation where they have some forms to fill out that show them exactly where they stand, financially, and how much more they need to make in order to become self-reliant.  It takes about 2 full hours to go through the forms, and to then decide on which of the three groups they join in order to achieve their self-reliance.  The three groups are: Job Search-- Education for Better Employment (this is to qualify for a loan through the PEF)-- Start/Grow My Own Business.  Each of the groups will then meet once a week for 12 weeks, working their way through church-produced materials, to help guide them on their way to self-reliance.

We had more people come that they had originally thought, and two of them were not members of the Church.  We had a great time with them.  None of them were of Spanish decent--all were immigrants from Central or South America.  Those folks, especially, have a tough time making it here.  If they have studied in their native lands, and have achieved some level of professional  growth, most of the time, those studies and titles, and degrees, and not recognized here in Spain.  It is so tough to have the money, and the time, to start all over again.   When that happens, all they are qualified to do is a lot of the menial work, that does not pay much.  Also, many of them are taken advantage of, because employers know that they have them over a barrel, so to speak.  They truly have the odds stacked against them, but . . . we try to show them that the Lord has promised them that He will " . . . provide for His Saints." It takes a lot of faith, and a lot of determination, but the system works, if they will work the system.  They were so appreciative that we would come all that way, just to try to help them..  It makes one feel rather humble, to have so much, when they are happy, having so little, but that they are thankful for the little that they do have.

One of the ladies in attendance there, came up after the closing prayer, and with tears in her eyes, thanked us for making the effort to come to them, and to teach them.  They were all grateful for the fact that we thought them to be important enough to make the trip, just for them.

My first "real" attempt at teaching in one of the Devotionals!
Elder and Sister Redd in the background.

The "maestro" Paco, He is a real 'pro' at this!!

All seeking better employment--a better life--SELF-RELIANCE!!

                   It takes work--to look for work!!

Of course, Sister Bake made treats for them!!  And, Sister Redd had made real chocolate-chip cookies, with chocolate chips bought from the only COSTCO in all of Spain, in Sevilla! We really need to make the trip to Sevilla--sooner than later!!

Even though it made for a real long Sabbath Day, we had a few minutes of daylight left before heading home, to walk through the Plaza Mayor (major) (main one).  Caceres is modern now, but at one time had some ancient beginnings, like most of these Spanish towns.

Driving with Paco can, and does, get a little hairy!! Narrow streets, in the older parts of town, are nuts!!

These old buildings are so neat, especially the old wooden doors.

Some of the 'modern' among the old,  If you want your business to thrive,
get it as close to the 'old' as you possibly can.

We left later than expected, to go home.  We (Sister Bake and I) could have made it all the way home without eating, but these crazy Spaniards are used to eating late.  We stopped at a gas station/convenience store/bar, at 10:30 night, to get something to eat.  Way too late for my stomach, but not for our dear friends who were doing the driving.  Anyway. we arrived home at 12:40 am on Monday morning, and had to be at work early enough to make it a real short night!! We had a good time, but were worn out from all the driving.  On the way home something weird happened--we were still about 96 kilometers from Madrid, when, all of a sudden, traffic came almost to a stand-still.  A couple of times, we were not progressing at all.  It was a good two-land road, similar to our freeways, but the traffic was like rush-hour.  I asked Paco what was up, and his answer really surprised me--"People coming home to Madrid at the end of the week!"  I thought, "No Way!", but he assured me that that was the case.  Crazy--and so far out from Madrid.  After some time, the traffic began to stretch out again, and we were able to make it on into Madrid, at the aforementioned time.  

See you all real soon--when there is something fun to report.

Elder and Sister Bake