Wednesday, September 2, 2009

"I got shot at!"

Ok, ok, alright, I'll describe the subject line! A few nights ago some teenagers drove by and shot at us with airsoft pistols from inside the car. At first we were walking along and we just heard the impact of some of the bb's behind us on the wall we were walking by. I thought it was gravel or something or maybe they were throwing little stones. But then I heard the extremely familiar sounds of single-action airsoft pistols going off and I knew what was going on. We just kept walking like normal and ignored them. Frankly, having a broad and detailed knowledge of airsoft weapons as I do, I was disappointed by the weakness and cheapness of their guns (in Spain, to say "Cheap" we say "Chapuza"). They didn't even leave any good marks on us! So it was more of a lame story than a cool one, but it still made Elder Zollinger and I laugh really hard and it was definitely our happy thought for the day! :) And Mom, I'm sorry if the subject line scared you or anything. I'm just learning a different sense of humor, mostly from my companion Elder Zollinger.

Thanks for bringing it to my attention that I haven't said much about Elder Zollinger. I'll take some time today to tell you about him: Elder Greg Zollinger is from Idaho Falls, Idaho. He's a half an inch shorter than me, but he is stronger. He's a very fun, very funny guy, as well as a very sedulous [diligent] and focused missionary. His favorite thing is baseball, and he's taught me a ton about it in our time here together in Segovia. I never knew there was so much to it! He was on his high school's baseball and football teams and worked overtime for a long time before the mission. In turn I've taught him a lot about music and other interests. He enjoys shooting clay pigeons with shotguns for target practice. He also really loves reading. Before the mission he was a big reader and he also loved audiobooks. He has been on the mission for over a year and a half. He has plans to attend BYU-Idaho when he returns, and thinks he might want to get a degree in Biology.

Elder Zollinger and I get along great! We have a lot of fun together, we know how to work hard together and we've begun to understand each other well. If there's one thing that I'm starting to learn from my companions it's that there is ALWAYS a mountain of things that you can learn. First off, every companion is different so you have to learn how to adapt and work in unity with them. That's something that I've noticed has come with time spent together, as well as the desire to learn and understand the other person. Secondly, we all have different interests and areas of knowledge which we can share with each other and learn. Every person is a world in themselves from which can be learned a wealth of things, and I'm grateful for these opportunities I've been given.

The time has finally come: I'm going to send the audio tapes today! I know I've talked about it before, but this time I'm serious. We've planned it all out and everything. I'll be going to the mail center here in Segovia to get the proper packaging so that I can ensure that the tapes arrive safely and in good condition. As for the CD with pictures, I still don't feel like I have enough to justify burning a disc. I take a few more every preparation day, but I admit it's a slow process. Also, since my first camera bit the dust, I haven't been able to find a good, reliable way to take the rest of the pictures off of the old memory card, so I think I'll just end up sending it (the memory card) along with the CD when I burn it. I know that this has been advised against, but you already have almost everything that's on it, and if it's sent in tandem with a CD I think it will be safer. Please send me your thoughts on this and tell me what you think.

It's good to hear that my cousins who have successfully completed their missions are doing well! And it sounds like Matthew's living the good life now! That's all great.

I was amused by the description of the doggie obstacle course and Max's completion of it! I can only imagine how fun that would be to watch! I miss that little black dog. I can still remember playing with him in Rocky Mountain Park, getting a good head start and then trying to outrun him across the field. Fun times! As always, it was good to hear how the family is doing and recent developments in things.

I'll have you all know that we are going to go to the buffet here in town again and I hardly ate any breakfast so that I will be ready to really get my money's worth of egg flan, pudding and jello. :)

I love you all and thanks so much for the letters and the emails and the love that you send! We'll keep plugging away here in Segovia and hoping for things to take an upward swing!

-Elder Knorr