Birthday Boy Dodges a Transfer

Dodging a Transfer

So luckily I am staying here with Elder Norrell for at least another transfer. With the group of 27 Missionaries leaving this transfer, we were worried because we only get 5 new missionaries as well. There are 10 areas that closed this transfer. Elder Norrell is the DL now.

I have not received my package yet. I won't get it until we have our next Zone conference and we  only have those once a transfer. (Or every 6 weeks) we haven't met the Pack's yet. I'm sure they are great! We don't really go to the mission home ever. Also I haven't been to the temple since I've been at the MTC. Apparently our area that is 45 mins away from Madrid is too far for us to go the temple. But it's cool. We love our area. 

Spanish is Coming Along

We have set some pretty big goals for this next transfer so we are hoping to work really hard. We are going to have to rely on the Lord a lot because the people here just aren't willing to hear us out. I'm very excited though. My language skills are improving tremendously. I believe it's because we're trying to be completely to be the Lord. I've never been able to learn something so foreign so quickly. It's truly an amazing blessing.

 

Hear a sample of  Elder Harris' Spanish on a tour of their 'piso' (apartment): (as we can see, his housekeeping skills have not improved)

 

 

 

It is just plain HOT!

The days are very long, and the members don't really do a ton to help us so it's hard to contact for 6 hours straight in 108 degrees. But moving forward we are just going to work harder. 
 

A tad warm in Aranjuez

Whatever...

The shaved legs are great actually. Haha! It is actually tradition amongst the Elders in Aranjuez to shave their legs. Elder Norrell did it last transfer. 

Awesome Friend!
We actually aren't going to be baptizing Txxx after all. :( but it's not because of anything we did. She still comes to church and is very active. Her husband told her if she is baptized he will divorce her. So she just wants some time to look at what she wants her life to be in an eternal perspective and if she doesn't see her husband in that, we might still baptize her. She's really awesome! I actually am attaching a picture with her!

Elder Norrell, Txxx, Elder Harris

But, this week I still get to have my first baptism. His name is Hxxx and he is an 8 year-old child of one of our recent converts so I'm pretty excited. It's going to be a really special experience for me.

Birthday Boy

I'm excited for my birthday! I guess it will be cool, we have district meeting and then we don't really have any other plans so I'll probably just buy some ice cream for something special. 

 They do nothing for the 4th of July here. Most people don't know what it is. Also most people here were excited to hear that the U.S. passed gay marriage. They think it's a good step forward. The political viewpoints here are crazy! They also think that America is the home of racism and that we hate all races besides white people. Spain is a crazy place! I can definitely see the chains the people have here weighing them down. It's sad to see all this stuff. 

 

Mom hopes Elder Harris helps Elder Norrell do dishes!

If people only knew...

But anyway, I love being here. Things are just getting better. I love the people here even though they make it really hard sometimes. I love Spain! It's a pretty country that's for sure. I love that I am here as an ambassador for the Lord. If people would only realize that they would hear us for a minute. 

JAMON - the main craze
So, here's some photos of the main craze here in Spain, it's called Jamon (ham) I personally don't like it,  but it's kinda a big deal here. This is a pig leg! This is Elder Franson, my first DL. He goes home today.

Elder Franson, first District Leader

 

Harris and Norrell having some laughs

Parque de Principe

This is in Parque de Principe! It's super beautiful! It's the most beautiful place in Aranjuez! Check out this sweet peacock we got to stand next to!!!



Elder Harris and Elder Norrell in Parque de Principe -- check out that PEACOCK!



Mr. Peacock up close and personal

I pray for you guys always and wish you the best. How's Randi doing? 

Can you please send like official stuff about the gay marriage passing? I want to see some more info about it. The news here is all skewed. 

I love you guys and thanks for the Birthday wishes! 

Love,

Elder Grayson Harris

Regular and CRAZY Missionary Antics

"This week has been really good.

THE FEET!

My feet have been healing super well. I bought a new pair of shoes from a store. The brand is Fluchos and they are like the highest quality shoes you can find here in Spain. They were kind of expensive but better healed than not. [WHEW! Mom is relieved!] I bought them on sale for 80 euros that's why my account has less money in it now. 
 

That's crazy about Mason's [Wheeler] first companion being from Spain. I'll ask around about the name. It's crazier that Joe [Critchlow] is leaving for his mission next week. Ah! Also my birthday is next week too! Wow this is all kinda crazy!"

 

The Apartment

"In my piso we have no yard. I'll try to take some photos to send next week. The bed is pretty comfortable. Elder Norrell actually because he is an amazing companion, gave me the queen size bed in our piso and he took just a the twin size bed. He's really awesome and I love him. We actually get along super well."

Elder Norrell - his mom posted this on Missionary Moms Page

Today the temperature was 108 degrees. It's going to be like this basically all the rest of the summer it's just how it is here. It's very hot here. And after 2 no one is outside until like 7 so it's really hard to proselyte as well."

 

The Language & the Book of Mormon

"The language is actually going pretty well. I've been told I speak really well compared to most of the other greenies when they come out but I have to speak. I'm usually very quiet during our meetings. But I'm reading the Book of Mormon. I'm already in Alma and it's going super well. I love this book, I love the spirit that it can bring. It's sad when people won't listen to us because I want to share with them something that I treasure but they just see it as something crazy. I have 2 favorite scriptures right now. One is Alma 7:11-13 and the other is Mosiah 26:30. Both talk about the Atonement and the Savior's love for us. That's one of my favorite this to share with people. I love sharing that God loves us. He really does he wants to help us as much as he can. All we have to do is ask. 

 

Madrid Temple (photo from their mission newsletter)

"Txxx, she is so awesome. She had some Word of Wisdom issues but as soon as we told her it was a commandment from God she said she would obey it. She was so prepared to hear our message it's a small miracle for us to be seeing her progress so fast. Less than 2 weeks now and I'll have my first baptism. I'm pretty excited that I am getting one in the beginning of my mission. A lot of people don't get one until later on."

"This Ontigola - a small pueblo close to us. LOOK AT THAT VIEW!!"

"Dad - My camera uses normal SD cards. The cards I can't use or exchange anywhere here so I'm going to send them home one at a time. Um other than that things are good. With my feet I'm really not suffering too much anymore. I'm just trying to work hard. We are really witnessing a lot of small miracles here every day. The people here are great and I love them but they really are just super culturally different. I have the desire to change Spain but it's going to be very hard, no one lets us get past hola coma esta? We are working though and I feel the work is going to progress here soon. I can almost taste it."  

CRAZY ANTICS -- WAIT FOR IT...

 

"So something new about me. I shaved my legs! Haha! I guess it's cool but I definitely like my normal hairy legs. This is a pretty different change for me. So here's actually the story of how it happened. I was sitting in a less actives house and we were just about to eat dinner and then the wife walks over with some wax strips and is like "okay Elders, you guys both have to take at least one of these and put them on your leg. It's tradition here in Aranjuez." So we said alright. And so she waxed like my entire right leg  and then I had to shave the rest and then I just shaved my entire left leg. I still don't really know how I feel about it."

 

 

 

"Haha so yea there's an update on my life. Things are going well. I pray for you all everyday. I hope everything can get done that needs to before Beth and Blair get there. I'm always happy to hear from you all. Did gay marriage get passed in the U.S. Yesterday? Some members told us that it did and we said no way--but I just figured I could ask you guys." 

I love you all so much,

Love,

Elder Grayson Harris

 

HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HE IS IN.  I DOWNLOADED THEM FROM THE MISSIONARY MOMS FACEBOOK PAGE -- THEY ARE FROM THE MTC BEFORE HE WENT TO ARANJUEZ.

 

Ha! Tourists...

 

Beginning July 1st (Wednesday), Elder Harris will have a new Mission President (and family). President Scott and Sister Ruthanne Jackson will be leaving, and President Kevin and Sister Cindy Pack will be taking over the reigns. We've read a lot about the Pack Family from Hattiesburg, MS, and they sound like they will be wonderful! 

 

Pack Family

From an Aranjuez Bus

Elder Harris has had another great week! He experienced some 'firsts' and has gained an appreciation for the southern hospitality of Tennessee...or hospitality of any kind, I guess.

They're getting lots of help in their little branch, and the branch President is a great example to him.

"So this week was interesting and here's why. We had a baptismal date set but then our investigator decided she wanted to wait a couple months to see if this is really what she wants. Also this week we walked around a lot...like so much! We have super good investigators right now but we just don't have very many lessons otherwise. Our goal is to get to like having 20-25 lessons a week. Right now we have like 10-18. We are actually having a ton of success right now and the members are growing to want to help us more and more. Our branch president is amazing! He served a mission in the Bilbao Spain mission but I don't think he has ever really stopped serving a mission, he is so willing to help us like anytime. It's awesome!"
 


Elder Norrell in the chapel of their church

 

Piano at their chapel

 

The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round...
"Right now I'm on the bus to Madrid for my first intercambio (companion exchange) ever. It'll be sweet! I love being here in Spain. Right now I'm struggling with the desire to contact on the street here, it's difficult for me. I'm also learning that here what Americans consider rude is totally chill here. The people here are just different. The normal conversations here would be considered like really tacky in the U.S."

Elder Harris in front of yet another unidentified historical site

He has also learned that where there is smoke there is...well, the smell of smoke.
 "Here's a really scary statistic, 45% of all Spaniards from age 14-60 smoke cigarettes. Eewww...but it's super true it's gross when you see a really attractive girl walking down the road here and then you'll see the smoke cloud and realize that she smokes just like all the rest. It's a really annoying thing here. I'm like getting used to always smelling cigarette smoke. 

This week we set a date with our investigator Txxxx for July 11th :)! She's awesome, and hopefully we will actually get to baptize her. She has been taking some heat from her family as she continues to meet with us but she says she knows that what we are teaching her is true." 

Elder Harris' mother has now officially told him to get to the Mission NURSE:

"So my blisters turned into calluses and then they just filled up with this nasty pus juice so yea I have pretty bad blisters still and I can't hardly wear the shoes that I actually have to tie because they just kill my feet. It's been a pretty difficult week when it comes to my feet. [WHAT IN THE WORLD...?!]

So you guys sent me a package? What address did you send it to? Is it the mission home because if so I will have to wait until the next zone meeting to get it. I'm making the shampoo I have last as long as possible. So yea my birthday is coming up here pretty quick wow! That's weird! It's weird to think I've already been here a eighth of my mission. 

It's also crazy that we have 16 areas closing in our mission by the end of the Summer. Because we have a lot of missionaries leaving in the next couple months and not nearly enough coming to take their place our mission is going to shrink a little bit."

Missionary Chores...

"We actually spend the first 30 mins every pday cleaning up the piso. Also the laundry thing here is a big hassle you have to plan like a couple days in advance when you are going to do your laundry we are lucky though because our washer actually dries the clothes too it's a 2 in 1. 

I'm glad to hear everything is going well at home and it'll be cool having all the family over and going to see Chris and Nath here in a little bit." 

Love Always,
Elder Harris

Settling Into Aranjuez

Elder Harris got his iPad this week, so he's a happy camper! He is finally able to take and send photos. He and his companion, Elder Norrell are the only missionaries in the city of Aranjuez, so they have lots to do! 

 

"So life here is pretty interesting on a day to day basis. We eat pretty well and I'm really starting to trim up. We spend like 4-5 hours a day proselyting on the street. We don't really knock doors but we have done it a couple times. We usually walk up and down the same streets. We are the only companionship in Aranjuez the next closest are in Toledo and Madrid which is a 40 minute bus ride in either direction.

 

We are pretty isolated out here which is why it is good that we are pretty good friends with the members. The day's are really long here. The sun comes out at 6:15 and goes down at 10. It's crazy how long it's out! I'm starting to get kind of tan so I guess that's a plus. Last night I was really sick. It's probably from whatever the members fed us. But, that's just part of the life of a missionary. Today we played soccer for p-day. 

 

Companions: Elder Norrell and Elder Harris

 

Elder Norrell and Elder Harris in front of Madrid Temple

So Txxx and Pxxx are both doing super well! Pxxx we have on date for July 11th and Txxx will have a date pretty quick here. We have a new investigator named Lxxx and he was actually a reference from some other Elders. He is awesome. He's from Venezuela and like with a few of our other investigators he was very prepared to hear the Gospel. We will actually probably have a baptism here in 2 weeks so that's another really good thing. I'm super excited for the time to come. 

"Look at the cool rainbow!" (but Mom can't get over the mustache --
are the razors not working? He says he is shaving every single morning.)

My feet are a work in progress as well as my Spanish. My trainer and I really starting to work on only speaking Spanish which should help with my ability to speak the language. My feet have some large calluses but they don't hurt very much anymore so I guess you could say it's improving. I love being in Aranjuez. Next week I'm going to try and send a lot of photos. This week I'm going to send a few.

 

Please help pray for our investigators Txxx, Pxxx and Lxxx."

With love Always,
Elder Harris

_______________________________

 

Final REMINDER:  Elder Harris' birthday is on July 8th, and it takes 2-3 weeks for mail to deliver. I'm sure he'd love to receive cards and hugs from home on his first birthday in Spain! (address at top of blog)

We're Walking...We're Walking

Missionary Monday started out early today! I had just gotten up and checked email, and there was nothing...a few minutes later, "you've got mail!" haha   Elder Harris has had a good week, settling in to his new home in Aranjuez. They are taking lots of photos, but unable to upload them anywhere until they get their iPads this week. So THAT will be nice! Next week should be photo-mania!

In the meantime...courtesy of Google...

Beautiful Aranjuez, Spain

"This week has been an interesting one. We had 4 investigators last week and this week we have 7. The work has only grown since i have been here. It´s really quite amazing. Will you please pray for TXXX and PXXXX. Both of these investigators are so ready for what we have to share with them. They are amazing people. We will likely have a baptism in the next month, so that will be exciting. The investigators are at varying levels of interest but our most promising 2 are PXXX and TXXX. This is the hardest i´ve ever worked in my life and it´s definitely been a learning experience already. We think about other people all the time and it makes your life so much easier. I don´t really feel tired or hungry. We just keep working and move on..."

Elder Harris and his companion, Elder Norrell, are spending lots of time WALKING, and WALKING. He has huge blisters on his feet that are starting to heal now, so he's able to do walk with more comfort. [Yes, we got him good shoes...! I don't get it. They must really be walking a LOT.] Hopefully this first period of adjustment will end soon, and his feet will feel back to normal.

And, of course, what teenage boy doesn't want good food?! Gratefully, the members feed them their midday meal on weekdays.

"So the food here is really just not that great. The food that we do get that is really good though is all the food that comes from the South Americans that live here. We have some pretty amazing members here. We are fed 5 days of the week for Medio Dia by members. They feed us anything from Arroz con pollo [chicken & rice] (which unlike in the states has no cheese unfortunately :( ) to perritos (hot dogs that are stuck into pan) or bread. The BREAD here is amazing! You can buy a loaf of bread for 60 cents. The restaurants here are all very expensive. I did try a new thing though called a kebab. It´s a Turkish dish that is kind of like a Greek Gyro but it´s very different. Look it up. They are my new craze. We get them from a restaurant called QFC (Quality Fried Chicken). The Chinese food here is also really good!"


Foods he's enjoying... 

"Side note: So I thought ramen noodles were cheap everywhere but they are actually pretty dang expensive here. I mainly eat sandwiches and tuna. [I've also heard they can't get peanut butter there...YIKES!] I´ve slimmed up quite a bit so...you could say i´m looking pretty good. [HAHA! He's ever so humble...] We usually work out every morning together and now that my blisters are healed we can go running so i´m excited for that."

Foods he's missing

"Everything is going well. Also just an FYI our district is made up of 6 Elders. No Hermanas :(. We go to district meeting every Wednesday in Toledo. Which by the way is a BEAUTIFUL city. Please look it up...My Spanish is slowly improving."


Toledo, Spain

"You can pick the barber that you want to go to around wherever you live. The one we go to only charges 5 Dollars so that´s like super cheap. He does a very good job though. They use straight razors here so that was my first time ever having that done!"

"...I probably associate most with Alma. In either case the younger or the older. I love their stories of preaching to people that completely reject their messages because for the most part that´s what it is like here. Lots of rejection but we are loving the work and the people. I´ve actually been reading a little bit about Stephen Chadwick Perry, too. [Grayson's 4th Great Grandfather, who was a bodyguard to Joseph Smith. See more HERE or HERE.]  He was a beast. And it only makes me want to be better now because our ancestors left HUGE shoes for us to fill."

"Quick Spiritual Thought: On Sunday i gave my intro to the members in Aranjuez at the end of testimony meeting. I was muy nervioso and was really worried that i wasn´t going to be able to convey what i wanted to. But as soon as i stood up the nervousness went away. I felt calm and at peace. I delivered everything i wanted to in Spanish and i felt the Spirit so strong. It was just another testimony that the Lord takes care of us so much. I have already grown so much since being here."

 

I Love You All,
Elder Harris
--------------------------------------------------
REMINDER:  Elder Harris' birthday is on July 8th, and it takes 2-3 weeks for mail to deliver. I'm sure he'd love to receive cards and hugs from home on his first birthday in Spain! (address at top of blog)

 

First Week in Aranjuez

Sounds like Elder Harris has had a great first week in Aranjuez! Love that he sounds so full of enthusiasm and excitement for all the new things he's experiencing (he's even patient with the 'uber big' blisters on his feet!). I believe all these photos are at the MTC, singing in the park, at the mission home, and saying farewell as everyone heads off to their new areas.

 

Singing in the park at the MTC - week of May 24

 

From this week's letter:

"So this week has kinda been a whirlwind but its also been very exciting. My companion [Elder NORR-ell] is great. His name is pronounced just how it is spelt. (Or the first ejemplo you sent me) He is from Longview, TX. We get along super bien. It´s funny he actually speaks like way better Spanish than he does English anymore. It will be weird when i get to that point. We both LOVE futbol so that and basically everything else we get along in. We are pretty similar and we really do get along so i´m really excited for this time with him. He´s been out for 20 months so..he´s dying. It´s just a mission term. He works super hard all the time. I´m also his only begotten. (a.k.a. his only person he is going to train) I´m very excited for the next 12 weeks. 

 

 

Lunch at the Mission Home

Saying so-long at the Mission Home

 

He and Elder Acevedo (in sweater) have been the Zone Leaders at the MTC -
Just before leaving the Mission Home

So our piso [apartment] is actually pretty nice. Our area Aranjuez is a area that contains three cities. Aranjuez is where we are most of the time but starting this week we will take trips to the other 2 cities Valdemoro and Ciempozuelos. We have a bajo (or bottom floor apartment). Our Chapel is also a bajo. We have a branch of about 60 members that come from those 3 cities. When i got here we only had 1 progressing investigator. Now we have 4. So in my first few days we have already gotten 3 more. It´s amazing! The people here are lovely. I truly love them so much. We have a recent convert that reminds me so much of Sam it´s weird.

With meals its really quite different what we do everyday. Some days we eat everything with members, others we eat at the piso. We´ve cooked a few of our own meals. So with the recipe book, it´s great but...we don´t have an oven... :(. Also you can´t buy sour cream in Spain they dont have it. Can you send me any recipes you can find to make alfredo. They can´t involve sour cream or an oven. Also i can´t send pictures yet so i´m still taking a lot. 

We don´t have Ipads yet. We don´t get those until June 10. So next week. It´s going to make things so much easier once we get those. 

 

Aranjuez is pretty! It´s a town of about 45,000 people. I still don´t know the area very well. But i´m picking it up. Because we don´t have very many investigators we do a lot of walking. It´s been a tough first week but i love it. I´ve got some uber big blisters but it´s okay they are recovering now."

 

Studying in the park

 

It takes 2-3 WEEKS to get mail from the United States! So...his birthday is July 8th. I'm sure he would love to get cards and letters from home, so I'm posting his address here again now, just in case you would like to send a card. Postage is a $1.50 international stamp. (The address is worded/spaced a little differently from what we gave out originally. This one comes from the mission president's wife):

 

Elder Grayson Harris

Calle Fuerteventura, 4

2nda Planta, Oficina 8B

San Sebastian de los Reyes, 28703

Madrid

Spain

 

We are so excited to get some more photos of his first area. I guess with their Wi-Fi and computer issues, it takes a long time to upload photos, so they have a sister who works at the MTC(?) or mission home(?) send photos -- and they're a little behind. When they get their iPads, I think (hope) they will have more control and send more photos themselves as they go along.

 

Thanks to all our friends and family for your support!



First Area Assignment!

We were anxiously awaiting word on where Elder Harris would be assigned for his first area in Spain. He emailed us on Monday, Memorial Day (May 25th) and said he would be leaving the MTC on Tuesday, go to the mission home, get an iPAD, get some additional training, receive a new companion, get an area assignment -- and head out!

Here's the last photo of his group at the Spain MTC. Some of them are heading out to other countries, as well as his group going to  different corners of the Madrid mission:

We got an email this morning (May 27th) from his Mission President's wife, Sister Jackson, saying he has been assigned to Aranjuez, a little "pueblo" (old community, small town/village) about an hour south of Madrid.

His first companion will be Elder Norrell, from Texas. Sister Jackson says Elder Norrell is a "happy, obedient missionary who will be a good companion to your son."

We welcomed your son into our mission Tuesday morning. We brought him to the Mission Home and fed him lunch. We gave him an overview of the mission and some of the rules and expectations, and spent most of the day with him. He was excited, and seemed ready to get to work...We look forward to getting to know him and working along side him in this great work here in the Spain, Madrid Mission. We have confidence that he will be a great missionary. Thank you for sharing him with us! We already love him.

 

Here is a photo of him with President and Sister Scott T. Jackson at the mission home:

 

The rest of his MTC group at the mission home before they head out to their first areas in the Madrid area:

 

 

 

Of course, I Googled Aranjuez and found out some great information and beautiful pictures!

 

 

Aranjuez is just a little smaller than Franklin, TN at about 55,000 people. There are many palaces, museums, churches, theaters, estates, parks, gardens and historic sites in Aranjuez.

 

In 1178, the area was acquired by the Order of Santiago. Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs, converted Aranjuez into a royal site, and it has been a spring residence of the kings of Spain from the late 19th century.

 

It will be a BEAUTIFUL area for Elder Harris to enjoy while he learns to really work with the people of Spain and teach them about Christ!

 

His "Preparation Day" (P-Day) will now be Monday, so that's when we'll get his emails. Look forward to his first one next week so we can see what he thinks of Aranjuez!