Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Short but hopefully sweet. Not much time to go around...

Hello family! I have very little time to email today. We slept over in the mission home so that we could go to the temple last night and have a zone activity here today. It's all going well but I don't have much time as the computer here is in very high demand.What a great week! To sum it up in a train of words that I won't have time to explain:

SUN...


SNOW...


GOLD FIELDS...


STRONG WINDS...


GOOD TIMES!



Thanks for the new shoes, I promise to
start changing my shoe-wearing habits. Anything to keep me walking strong, right? The new year has started off well, my companion and I are contacting in new ways and loving it! The cold is back. I'm starting to yearn for the summer.

Just want to let you all know that I got EVERYTHING, including about 15 letters and 2 packages. I hope there isn't anything frangible in them, because they're getting tossed around a bit in my luggage. THANK YOU!!!! It's all wonderful.

Also, I'm still alive and I'm loving the mission. I had a wonderful, eye-opening experience in the temple (don't you just love those?) and now know how I can improve as a person and as a missionary.

I love you all very much and I endlessly thank you for all the love and bondad [kindness] that you show me. Let the good times roll!

-Elder Knorr

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I have survived 20 revolutions around the sun outside of my mother's womb. Wow!


Kind of fun to think about it that way, isn't it?

I realized yesterday that I am no longer a teenager, or an "Eevo Teenayjo" if you will [that's what Emily used to call teenagers when she was little]. Oh, I wish I could have done just one more impulsive, poorly thought through, rash action...just kidding!



Thanks for celebrating my birthday! Sounds like you guys had lots of fun! I did something fun and special too: Missionary Work! Sure, there were no balloons, but in all honesty, yesterday was an exceptional day as far as the work goes. We d
id lots of contacting, and we got two references! TWO! We are quite pleased. Hopefully one of these days one of these references will turn into an investigator.

The recently converted Cardenas family, who I go so far as to say are my
2nd family, gave us some delicious roasted chicken and chocolate cake to eat at home to celebrate! My companion and I enjoyed it very much. I also opened the present that Kristen sent me in the Christmas package. Thanks Kristen! :) I'm one of the happiest missionaries in Spain right now, for sure. The other packages haven't come through yet. I should be getting everything a week from now at Zone Conference. It's been awhile since the mission has got my mail to me...it'll come through eventually. Thanks for your birthday wishes and thanks for every prayer.

Surprisingly, it's suddenly gotten warm here! The other day we went out proselyting without coats on and didn't experience any tremulous shivering as we have for the past couple of weeks. The Spaniards all say that this is very irregular, and that we should have two feet of snow by now. They all blame "cambio climatico" [changing weather]. We're going to the village of Coca today, where there is supposedly a big, sweet castle that we hope to photograph and enjoy.

So Daryn's going to San Diego? YEEEEEEAAAH! I actually wondered the other day what he was up to, so it's good to hear that the call came. Rock on, Daryn! And Blaine too! That's way sweet to hear about. I'd like to get both of their mailing addresses once they leave, if that would be ok.

Matthew in the New Testament grabbed me this past week so I actually didn't do any reading in 2 NE this time around. The doctrines of Christ are so perfect! And his teachings so sound. I've been loving it. But yes, just so that I can get caught up with you guys, I'll have 2 NE read all the way through Chapter 33 by next week. Well, I have to get going now, so I'll send this email and call it good! I love you, family! Thanks for everything you've done for me and thanks for loving me so much!

Ever your humble servant,

-Elder Knorr

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Preparation Day, once again!

I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused by the change in Preparation Day [last week]. Mission orders... and it was for a good reason too.

Lately it's been quite cold here in Segovia, some days more cold than others. Sometimes rain, sometimes snow, usually wind. It's fun, but it makes contacting a little harder to do, so we have to work extra hard to meet our goals!

Our meeting with the mayor went well. I got pictures with him! To be frankly honest, it could have gone better. He didn't seem too eager to talk to us. I got the feeling that he was meeting with us just because he felt obligated. Though it was nerve wracking talking to someone so important who didn't show very much interest, I know the Holy Ghost helped me communicate effectively and fulfill my purpose. We explained in simple terms who we were and what our purpose was. Hopefully we did some good.

Very excited to get those packages!!!!! No, I won't be down to Madrid before my birthday, but better late than n
ever, right? It doesn't matter, don't worry. Kristen sent me a small birthday gift so I'll at least be able to open that one up. The rest will just be a nice late birthday surprise! :)

Emily sounds like she has a good plan for college, and I wish h
er luck in finding a new job! It sounds like the job market is pretty tough for people her age (judging from what Kristen's told me of her job-hunting troubles).

Yes, I studied 2 Ne 20-24. The Isaiah chapters, whoopee! :) and I have a few little commentaries of things that stood out to me this time:

Obvious reference is made to the life of Jesus Christ in Chapter 21 verses 1 through 5. I love thinking about how this prophecy was written many hundreds of years before Christ was born. Christ's fulfillment of these words should be enough evidence to convince anyone that He is the Messiah.

Up until now in my life, I just haven't fully appreciated the meaning of these prophecies. Now, as a missionary, I'm starting to understand the seriousness and reality of it all. Isaiah was a real man who really lived many hundreds of years before Christ. That someone would come along and fulfill all the prophesies that had been given the way that Jesus did is obviously too much to be a coincidence, and I would present that as a glaring evidence to any doubting sign seeker.

Knowing what we know about the premortal existence, I find Chapter 24, verses 12 to 17 very interesting. It g
ives us perhaps the most complete and comprehensive description of the origin and destiny of Satan, or as he is called in this scripture, Lucifer, the son of the morning. I like the scriptures that talk about how, though now he makes the earth tremble, enjoins the sinful and terrorizes the nations, one day he will be a reproach and a despised weakling, and good will ultimately triumph over evil.

Right then, there are my thoughts on our reading. Where are my siblings' insights? They're smart, they can read, why haven't they sent anything? I expect responses next time, alright? ;)

In other news, things are going well here in Segovia. We teach Luis Enrique a lot, helping him and his recently converted family focus on their next goal: Temple Sealing. We were able to successfully set up a temple trip for them so that they could go do baptisms for the dead in Madrid. It worked out great and they had a great experience!

Saturday, we'll begin teaching English and quit-smoking classes with the end of finding new investigators. We've been putting up lots of posters and flyers to spread the word. I hope we have a good turnout! I'll give Elder Ogden's idea a try if I get a chance [a stop smoking trick he used with one of his investigators].

Ty Bullough is back from his mission? Wow... I can hardly believe it. It only seems like yesterday that it was his farewell.

Everything's going great for me here in Segovia, Spain! Just working hard every day. I've destroyed my slip-on Ecco shoes (too many kilometers on cobblestones.) Now I'm wearing my goretex lace up Eccos and let me tell you I LOVE them!!!

Now it's time for me to be going... I know the Book of Mormon is true! That's why I'm here! I love you all, Mom, Dad, Emily, Megan and Ethan. Don't you guys forget about your ol' big brother serving in Spain! I never forget about you.

-Elder Knorr

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Feliz Dia de los Reyes Magos!

Yup, yesterday was the day of the Reyes Magos! [That's why this email's a day late.] The night before, the Three Wise Men visit Spain (and most of the latin world, from what I understand) and leave presents and candies for the kids. I didn't get anything...but that's because Santa already had me covered I guess, and they have some kind of coordination going on between them so that no one can juke out the system and get presents twice. Oh well...maybe I'll find a loophole next year. :)

The work re
cently hasn't been all that great. All of our investigators have gone AWOL and suddenly don't want to meet with us, hear anything or make or keep any commitments. This happens sometimes. I guess this means we're in a "finding stage" again!

To find new investigators, we're starting up some free classes that we're advertising with little flyers all over the place. One of the classes is a conversational English class for people here who want to learn English. The other class is a "Dejar de Fumar" class, or in other words, a support class for people who want to give up smoking. There are some great suggestions in Preach My Gospel for helping people give up addictions, so we'll start there and see how it goes!

Thanks for the packages sent! I look forward to receiving them in the near future.

It's been cold here lately. It's snowing a lot today: big flakes. We probably have about an inch or two out there! My companion especially loves it. It fills him with a happy brio [mood]! Being from Pleasant View, Utah, he's used to having snow half of the year.

The biggest bright spot in the missionary work here lately is the Familia Cardenas (that family of recent converts that we teach). They're so great! I love them a lot. We teach them about three times a week and they're all such good people. I feel a real connection with them. We always have good lessons with them where the Spirit is present, and we always manage to laugh a bit too. Just really good people!

Oh, here's something exciting: today we're going to have an appointment with the Major of Segovia! :D We set the appointment a few days ago and have been preparing to present ourselves to him. Our goal is to let him know who we are, what we do, what the Church is all about, and also get some ideas for ways we can give service to the people of Segovia. I'm pretty nervous but I'm also pretty excited! This is a great opportunity for us to establish good relations with the people here. Wish us luck!

Well that's about it for now! I've been dabbling in fish lately, cooking up some salmon and fillets of fish and also eating smoked trout. Yummy stuff, and much healthier! President Watkins has been exhorting us to eat healthier so I figure this is a delicious way to be obedient! :)

I love you all so much! Thanks for supporting me in what I'm doing here. I know it's the work of the Lord and I'm loving it!

-Elder Knorr