El horno y la sauna [The Oven and The Sauna]

Querida Familia Mia-

In Arizona I lived in an oven (un horno) in the summertime. Here I am living in a sauna. It was over 40 degrees celsius here the other day... which is over 100 degrees for those of us who use ferenheit (I cannot spell either of those temperature measuring words...) It´s been toasty. In a wet kind of way. For this I am sending two pictures of me getting very close to the cool, wet water... and not touching it. :-)

I need some more addresses (thanks mom for the last ones). I wrote a letter to Anna (now Canning) and also to the Grant and Donnie Tayrien family. Thanks for the help. I should probably just get all of the family addresses so I can write to all of my aunts and uncles.

It´s been a good week and a bit of a long week. Now that we are three working together here we´ve been able to do some inter-cambios (splits) and teach lots of people. But the days where we don´t have very many citas (what do they call them in English? Appointments? Because in Spanish cita means a few things... no sé [I don't know]) those days are rather long and especially hot walking around in the streets. The buses here are air-conditioned... but sadly we don´t have a lot of need for the bus in this particular area. I´m pretty sure that most of the other areas I will use the bus or the metro more. Until then, I walk. With my two companions. One of the members referred to us as ¨un ejército¨['an army'] approaching people´s doors with so many of us.

The best part of this week was that our investigator Wilson has a baptismal date set for August 8th. It´s a little hard for him because his wife is Catholic and doesn´t want to listen when we teach. We´ve been praying and trying to help him feel the spirit and recognize how important it is to take this step in his life.

I´ve been enjoying my time here in the mission. I have great companions and the members are the best. I love where I´m serving too. It´s a good life.

Les quiero por una semana más[I love you for one more week]-
Hermana Diehl

Palma todavia [Palma still]

Querida Familia Mia [Beloved Family of Mine],

I wrote some letters last preparation day after my email disaster... and I don´t have the addresses to mail them. So I´m going to have to wait until next week when I get the addresses to send them in the mail (yes, I thought about just sending them all to Mom to deliver for me... but I already put stamps on the envelopes. Not my smartest day.) So if someone could please send me the addresses of Jesse and Mindy, Grandpa Diehl, and Grandma Tayrien. Thanks. I thought I had Jesse´s, but the zip code is wrong and I really can´t remember the zip code for Camp Verde. Muchas gracias.

Another request. Brownie mixes in boxes don´t exist here in Spain, so if someone could send me a relatively easy recipe to make brownies from scratch, sería genial [that would be great].

Bits of news this week: I am still in Palma with Hermana Grant. But about half a week into this new transfer we found out that we were going to be in a trio. So on Saturday Hermana Bentley (from northern California) came out here to be with us. Hermana Grant leaves in just over two weeks to go home and get ready to start law school this fall at BYU. So we get to live in cramped quarters for a bit and then it will just be Hermana Bentley and I here. The scary part is that she has less time in the mission than I do... I just started my fourth transfer and she just started her second. So I´m going to be the senior companion and have to be in charge of the phone and such and helping to translate for her until she understands a bit better... It´s going to be fun!

In Sunday school this week we were talking about the Responsibilidad Familiar [Family Responsibility]. And I have a theory as to why I have such a great family: mom and dad taught us how to work. Work in the house, work in the yard, work at the property digging and digging and digging, and working TOGETHER. I love my family so much and I´m so grateful that we all learned how to work and how to take care of each other and use our time and money wisely. Que buenos son mis padres y mis hermanos[How great my parents and siblings are].

Thanks for the blog updates (I sadly was NOT able to view the video of Eliza... no funciona[it doesn't function]) and the letters. I loved hearing about the chillens. I´m glad someone missed me amidst the chaos. It´s nice to not be forgotten!

Gotta go, sorry there´s no picture this week. Next time, bale![Okay!]

Hermana Diehl

Cuarto Traslado

I wrote you a letter. But it got erased. I´m just going to try and attach a picture today and that´s all I really have time for. I´m sorry.
Happy Birthday Alyn!
Love you all,
Hermana Diehl
The photo is of me in the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting stadium... a really old one). We walk past it all the time and one day it was open, so we went in and took pictures.

¡Les amo!

The photo is of me with some missionaries and some members... on top of an old wall... Don´t worry it was stable.

Bon Dia Querida Familia Mia- (that´s a mix of Catalan and Castellano to say Good Day My Dear Family)

Thanks once again for the letters and the blog updates. I really loved seeing Eliza and Charlotte together- they look like they´re the same size... maybe Charlotte´s just small for her age? Or maybe Eliza´s just big? No importa. Son guapas. I´m glad that everyone (or mostly everyone it sounded like) got to be there for Tanner´s blessing.

Gracias por la carta, Isai. Siempre me comporto bien, no se preocupe. Me parece que Maya es tan grande ya. Cai tambien. Por favor darles besos. Tiene que enseñar a Cai como responder en Español por lo visto. Que listo es mi sobrino- él puede hacerlo.

I really am trying to write real letters to more people... little by little. I sent off a couple last week... I´m sorry I´m so floja.

We got to meet President Hinckley and his wife this week. He really does look a lot like his dad, and his voice is kind of similar in some ways also. They´re so great. They came to a baptism that was happening in my branch that night (the elders that serve in the same branch had one of their investigators get baptized) and they were talking to everyone in Spanish. Presidente speaks well (he said he´s re-learning spanish, but he did very well) and Hermana Hinckley has learned a lot in the last few months. She did so good. She isn´t very sure of her words yet, but she´s trying and she´s going to speak very well if she keeps it up for the next 3 years. I´m so happy to have them here.

I don´t have much time left, but as always, I love you all-

Hermana Diehl