Feliz Año Nuevo🥳

I feel like I begin all my emails by talking about the most recent holiday. For now it's ok, but I worry for spring when I'll be starting my emails with love from Spain this President's Day. My P-day was changed this week to the 1st . I'm not sure what percentage of the population can walk this morning, but I think it would have been an easy sorting mechanism to find those already keeping the commandments - haha.

We had Christmas this past week without much to report on. We had some meals with members and did our best to find people in the street without much success hahaha. Here in Spain Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas, and less important than New Year's eve which is less important than El Día de Los Reyes. It's all a little backwards and confusing, but the people here love to party. The why of the party, not so important.

Last week we met a couple from Columbia that are friends with a member of the ward. They want to be baptized and are really prepared already. They will need to get married, which in Spain can be a bit of a pain in the neck to say the least. It requires lots of documentation, money, and if done civilly, that one spouse be a Spanish citizen. All that to say, it can be difficult. We do have an online program from Utah that we will be using and hopefully by the end of January they will be both married and baptized!

This Sunday we were a little disappointed in the turnout of our friends. It certainly did not improve my mood seeing the other Elders, that we ward share with, with their friends in church (I know, don't compare). That said, as the meeting ended, we saw a few people that I hadn't met. We introduced ourselves and got their numbers. One was a friend of a member who had come randomly, and the other was someone we talked to in the street weeks back, but never got their number. We will be teaching both of this week! 

Another thought on what I've read this week... This week I was continuing in the Old Testament and read about Jehovah leading the Children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt:

Exodus 6

5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments

Similar to the past week, we learn that God hears our cries. He keeps His covenant. He is loyal. Including after years of difficulty and plagues, their freedom came. With that miraculous exit, He gave them a way to remember their part of the covenant. They ate of unleavaned bread and bitter herbs in a ritual that would become the Sacrament. A reminder of past victories, and future hope to come. Now, every Sunday, we partake of that same bread, in a similar ordinance. We remember the victory of Christ over sin and death: our freedom from the bondage of guilt and sorrow. We also look forward to Him coming again and the hope of His covenants fulfilled.

Have a great week, 

Elder Dougall