Yes, you heard right! I've been moved. We knew that there were changes coming, due to the fact that we had 14 missionaries leaving and none coming in to replace them. Several areas have been combined and a few have been closed. Barrio 1 Sur (my previous area) and Barrio 1 Norte have now been merged into one, huge, ginormous area! Elder Fronce stayed and is now in charge of it all, along with his new companion. Elder Ostler, whose parents you met, and Elder Parry, my first companion, are now home, and I got moved northwest of the city of Madrid, across fields and plains, to Segovia! (for Dad) Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chaaaaanges!! (name that song!) But the change is good!
Segovia is a beautiful, historically rich city that is about the size of my old area (so it's a whole lot smaller than Madrid). It features 3 basic things: The Castle, The Cathedral, and The Roman Aqueduct (which is my favorite). The air is much cleaner and the weather is a bit cooler, which is a definite blessing. My new companion
is Elder Zollinger, who has a reputation for being one of the most obedient and hardworking missionaries in the mission. I'm super excited to be working with him and I'm sure we'll get a whole lot accomplished together! We've already hit it off real well and I think this is going to be a great transfer.Just a little, random fun-fact: Elder Zollinger is Sarah Monson's cousin! This is made especially crazy by the fact that both Elder Ogden and I were great friends with Sarah in high school! We've decided that we're going to have to write her a letter to let her know the crazy coincidence that has just taken place.
Strange, funny happenings? Well, here's one of the strange things that happens just about every day in our piso. You see, we live next to some Gypsies, and for no reason that we can yet understand, they make strange shrieking noises, sing loud songs, and clap their hands early in the morning and late at night. Elder Zollinger says that they've always done that, but it's new for me so I find it to be quite interesting. There are always interesting things that happen. None very recently, because I'm just getting used to this new area, but I'll be sure to include them when they happen.
As for pictures, we ended up not being able to do photos last time due to bad timing, and it's starting to look like today will be filled up too because of us having to get something fixed in the apartment (a light fixture in the main room). But I will keep taking pictures, that's for sure, and I'll try to send them as soon as possible. Also, keep in mind that I'm always willing to receive more pictures from family and friends! :) They say a picture says a thousand words. As for the voice tape, I've been recording on it here and there and I think I may be near finishing both sides. When that does happen, I'll be sure to send it immediately.
Ok, you asked about requests for the next package [note: Elder Knorr's family is taking care of these needs - but friends, feel welcome to send him Kool-Aid or other treats. Sounds like he can use an infinite amount!]: I have really enjoyed the Kool- Aid. I would like more of that if possible, and in more variety, but don't send as much Pink Lemonade. I don't know why, but that flavor just hasn't been agreeing with me. 
Also, I would not mind at all more Speed Stick deodorant, in the same scent. The deodorant here in Spain is not up to par with American kinds, so just sending one or two sticks a package will go a long way towards keeping me smelling like a representative of the Lord should smell. Other than that, I'm all for surprises! There won't be any need to send me more peanut butter for now, as the huge jar you sent me will probably last me my whole mission (no joke).
Well, once again, my time is over! I have quite a few letters that I haven't responded to due to time constraints my last couple of preparation days, but I'm planning on responding to as many of them as possible today. Thank you, family, for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I'm doing my best over here and the Lord knows it. Please keep the letters coming! I love you!
-Elder Knorr
My next transfer is almost here! It's crazy to think about...it just makes me want to work all the harder so that I don't waste a single minute of this experience.
Good to hear that the whole Knorr family is still alive after their various and sundry adventures. I'm glad to hear that the natural gas adventure was a success! An RC plane? That sounds really fun! Good to hear that Dad and Ethan are having some good quality time together. Speaking of hobbies, has Dad been using my airsoft gun? He's totally allowed to if he wants. The plans for the coming weeks sound like fun ones! I always really enjoyed family visits. And EFY was fun for me the one time that I went. 
Good luck on the Timpanogos hike! That's one thing that I really wish I could have done more: hike Timpanogos. Oh well, the mountain will still be there when I get back! Night hikes are the way to go on that.
I'm very grateful for the support that I've been given so far as a missionary. I have all kinds of people back home who I know love me, including, apparently, Brielle Giles, Kristen's 3-year-old sister, who I've been told is set on marrying me when I get home. :) As for letters, I've received lots so far from a wide spread of people.
I'm glad to hear that the blog is getting lots of attention! Looks like it will continue to be a reliable way of letting people know what's going on.
TODAY IS THE DAY that we are going to do pictures. I have pictures on the old camera (broken), pictures on Elder Parry's camera, and pictures on my own, new camera. We'll try and get it all sorted out and mailed by the end of today or tomorrow. Not sure what kind of crazy format everything will be in, but I think it will all work out. Have you been posting the pictures on the blog?
Ok, time to answer some questions:
Our typical day goes like this. We wake up at 7, go jogging for 15 minutes, come home and I do push ups and crunches for another 15 minutes. At 7:30 we start taking turns in the showers and eating breakfast so that everyone can be fed and showered by 8:30, when we begin an hour of personal study in the scriptures (which always goes by too fast. I love reading the scriptures! I'm currently in the book of Psalms, the Book of Ether, and reading topically in Preach My Gospel). At 9:30 we have companion study, which involves sharing insights we gained during personal study and also planning for and practicing for lessons that we'll teach that day.
At 10:30 we begin a 30 minute language study, which is when I usually read out loud from the Libro de Mormon to work on my pronunciation and then I usually conjugate a few verbs. On that note, my Spanish is starting to increase a lot in fluidity, which is good. At 11, we leave the piso for la calle and start to go to our appointments and contact people on the way. We work until 2:30, which is when mediodia starts, which is basically a Spanish tradition of taking a break smack-dab in the middle of the day. That's when we eat our main meal of the day and do a bit more language study if we can. At 4:30 it's back to the streets, going to appointments and contacting. The rule about being home is that we should be home by 9:30, unless we're in a lesson, in which case it's extended to 10. As soon as we get home we go back into the study room and prayerfully plan the next day. After that, we do what we need to do to be ready for bed by 11 and then it's lights out!
As for finding people, we usually find on our own efforts. The members in our ward haven't quite caught the fire, but we're working on it. They treat us very kindly, but we don't eat a whole lot with them like in some other areas here. Mostly, we view our meetings with them as a chance to practice our teaching skills and also get them excited about missionary work. Right now, we meet with the Silva family and the Bersosa family, who are both from Ecuador, as well as with Hestrobel from the Dominican Republic, who is our ward mission leader.
My health is great! My health philosophy right now is to get my food groups, including fruits and veggies, and also drink lots of water. Also, I try to avoid eating sugar before bed, seeing as how that tends to ruin my sleep. I haven't noticed the weight go away, but I figure it doesn't matter too much as long as I'm doing my best to keep a healthy lifestyle.
I have plenty of money to eat decently. We shop at a grocery store called Mercadona, where a somewhat lacking variety of foods are sold. 
They just don't have the same scope of variety as does the United States, but it's ok. I usually buy some fruit, a bag of fresh spinach, a loaf of bread, some hamburger, bacon and eggs, a box of corn flakes, some premade pizzas, milk and yogurt. Pretty basic. I've still got tons of rice and pasta left over from the previous person who lived in my place, so I buy those only when I run out. I also usually buy a liter and a half of Caribe Juice, and then use that bottle for Kool-Aid for the next week.
My clothes situation is really good. In fact, all of my equipment has left me satisfied and not wanting or distracted, which is all very good.
The work goes well here! We've been trying to find new investigators and work with the ones we already have. The big thing that I'm working on right now is learning the area, seeing as Elder Parry leaves next week and I'll have to teach this area to another missionary. It's a lot of pressure! But I know that if I work hard that I'll be able to keep things moving here, with the Lord's help of course.
I love you all! Take care and keep the letters coming!
Your favorite Elder (if that isn't too presumptuous) -Elder Knorr
Well, this is another packed preparation day, so I won't have very much time to respond to letters, yet again. I'm sorry about that, but I promise that I will do my best to respond to every single one of them, as time and circumstances permit. Good to hear about everyone's fun little adventures! I've never been to a YW camp (imagine that!) but from what I hear they're fun, spiritually uplifting events. Any kind of camping sounds pretty fun, come to think of it. And a natural gas adventure for the boys? That sounds like a lot of fun as well. Hopefully they don't run out of fuel in the middle of the desert and find themselves up the crick! 
I'll bet that you're all wishing you had the old, blue blow-up pool back to cool down. At least that's what I'd want if the weather in Utah is anything like the weather is here in Spain, which people are saying it is. It's hot, hot, hot here! Thank goodness for short-sleeved missionary shirts!I'm quite excited for the 4th of July. No reason in particular. We won't be having much of any kind of celebration. I just really love and miss the United States of America. All of you Americans reading this, I'm going to tell you right now: Appreciate Your Country. They do things differently here. Good, but differently. Religious freedom is only a little more than 40 years old. The police force here is a bit more heavy-handed, in a lot of aspects. For those of you who have a house, appreciate it, because almost everyone here lives in apartments, and a good number of people have to even share apartments with others because they're too expensive to afford on their own. The unemployment rate is much higher here than it is in the United States. One thing I'm definitely taking away from this mission is a greater appreciation for the little things. So, when this coming 4th of July rolls around, I'll try not to shout "God bless America!" too loudly in the streets (I'm just kidding....). I'm just happy that it's the native land of my upbringing, that's all. On a somewhat unrelated-but-at-the-same-time-related note, I believe today is Canada Day (if my sources are correct). Hooray for Canada too! I really enjoyed my visit with Elder Ogden. It was just like old times! We spent pretty much all the time we had together just talking about anything that came to mind, and it wasn't all that much time, mind you. Just the time in between coming in for the night and then going to bed. We did, as he said, record a bit of singing on the tape, which still isn't full but it's getting there. The story is the same with the memory card. In 2-3 weeks, I hope to make a CD or two or three with all the pictures from various memory cards that I've had to take them on due to my "unique circumstances." There are a goodly number of pictures, and I think you'll enjoy them.I really like President and Hermana Farnsworth and it's going to be sad to see them go so soon. They're really good for the work here. We all know, however, that the new mission president will be just as good, and we are all eagerly awaiting and anticipating his arrival.
The work is going on well. Familia Mejia is progressing wonderfully! They've set a goal to all be sealed in the temple! :) We're working with Angel Jr. and the mother of his children Carla so that we can get them legally married. Once that's taken care of, then Carla can be baptized, and a year after that they'll all be able to go to the temple and realize their goal! It will take some time, but I think they have the ganas (tener las ganas=have the desire) and can really do it! 
The gospel of Jesus Christ is really all about taking away people's pain, as Jesus Christ would. There's a lot of suffering out in the world right now. A lot of the time we talk to people and they just want to tell us about their lives, which oftentimes are quite difficult. I'm fine with being a sponge that absorbs people's problems. Everyone needs someone to tell things every now and then and I'm here as a representative of Jesus Christ to help them. I really love the people here and I'll help anyone in any way that I can.
In other news, we're working with a couple of other new investigator families and things are going well. We're doing our best to find more investigators to teach. Elder Parry is leaving the mission soon for home (he only has 2 weeks left), but he's doing his best to keep his focus on the mission, and we're having great success!
A little birdie told me that Elder Patrick Ketchum was saying stuff about me... in response to that, I'll just have Sister Ketchum know that her son is already an excellent missionary. I haven't seen him in some time now but I greatly enjoyed the time we were able to spend talking and sharing insights in the CCM. He's very smart, very sincere and very eager to make a difference. I would be a happy missionary if someday in the future I got called to be his companion. In any case, I have no doubts that he has great things ahead of him in the future and I know that the Lord will likely forge him into one of the greatest missionaries this mission has ever seen.
Well, it's about time I hit the dusty trail once again! Keep taking care of yourselves and each other, and be sure to have a spectacular 4th of July!
-Elder Knorr
The last week has been a precious and fast one. On Thursday after weekly planning we went on a four-hour train ride to Madrid, where we stayed for the next two nights. Elder Morris and I got to the missionary apartment just before 9:30 and were the first ones there. Next came Elder Fronce and Elder Ostler, who let us in. Elder Morris and I got ready for bed and then we heard the door open. I heard familiar breathing and got ready around a corner from the 
hallway. I heard Elder Parry's voice say, "You can go say 'hi' if you want," and I prepared to spring. I caught Elder Knorr totally unprepared. Elder Fronce took a picture afterwards and a daily planning session later we got to chat. That night (and the next one, for that matter) I hardly slept, not due to any conversations we might have had (we were in different rooms) but because that apartment is with the majority of missionary apartments here in that they don't have the convenience of air conditioning. 
Plus I was sleeping on the floor on two couch cushions and a blanket for a pillow. But we did have some good conversations and we got to sing for the other elders and on Elder Knorr's tape recorder. We'll be doing more of that as occasions permit.
I'm now on a bus heading out to Valle de los Caidos. It basically means "Valley of the Fallen." It's a memorial/cathedral/gravesite/huge cross on a hill that was built as a memorial for those who died in the Spanish Civil War. The cross is supposedly the largest cross in the world! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. [picture on previous page]
[afterwards] That was a hard hike! 6 kilometers both ways, and I think I started getting shin splints. But it was awesome! The cathedral is a HUGE tunnel going deep into a mountain. The tunnel is actually the shape of a cross, and at the intersection of the cross there's some pews and this altar thing with a life-size carving of Christ on the cross. It was actually very dark and scary, and they burned incense and the music was pretty, but also kind of creepy. There were lots of huge statues of angels and saints that were pretty neat looking. Yeah, we actually sat in for a mass. It was all really ritualistic. It didn't feel good or right. I just look at that and contrast it with the temple. It's so different!
Hello!!! It's Elder Knorr, your son/brother/friend/acquaintance/grandson/nephew!
Just emailing in to let you all know that I'm doing fine and enjoying missionary work here in Barrio 1 in Madrid! First off, it's good to hear that the mail is making it so fast! I try to be very quick in writing replies and then sending them off, so it's good to hear that the Spanish mail system is doing their part as well!
I'm still happy about the baptism, but I can't let any kind of lull set in. If I just act satisfied and loosen up the work, who knows what kinds of opportunities I'll miss? There are other people out there who need the gospel as well. For instance, the other son of the Mejia family, whose name is Angel, has two children with a girl named Carla, who isn't a member. For all intents and purposes, you couldn't tell them apart from a married couple except for that they aren't married! After a lesson in priesthood this week about the temple and sealing and eternal families, Angel seemed really set on getting married in the temple! So Elder Parry and I let him know what that was going to take. First we have to get them married, and it's really hard for people to get married here if they come from another country, due to a lot of paperwork and government stuff, but I think that they have the desire to work at it until it's a reality. After that, Carla will be able to be baptized and we'll be one step closer to helping the
Mejia family get sealed in the temple for eternity! :) "Missionaries leave their families for 2 years so they can bring other families together forever." That quote really sums up what it means to be a missionary. Sure, we work towards baptism, but eternal families are where it's at!
The Church here is much younger here than it is in Utah, and it shows. There are very, very few people born into the Church. I have a lot of respect for the members of the ward that I'm with here. Most of them are immigrants from South American country or from Africa. There are six missionaries who serve in our ward. Our chapel is nice, but it's not its own building like in the States. Just think about the NYC temple and you'll get an idea of what it is.As missionaries, we spend time teaching members, for practice and also to get referrals, but we hardly ever get dinner appointments (at least in my area). I've become quite apt at cooking rice and hamburger. Yum! Oh, on that note, I made some Chicken Fallbrooke for my companions a few days ago. It was delicious! I don't think they caught the vision though because they kept mixing it with pepper and barbeque sauce and stuff, but that's ok!
Some exciting things that have happened recently: We live in a large apartment building on the second floor right next to an empty lot filled with dry, yellow grass and weeds. A few days ago I was brushing my teeth at about mediodia when I heard a cracking sound. I followed the sound to the window. When I looked out, I saw that there was a small fire that had started in the lot next to us. It was small, but I knew that there was no way it could be a controlled fire, considering where it was. I shouted to the other missionaries to have them call the emergency number (112) and report it. We took pictures of the blaze, and within minutes there was a fire truck filled with bomberos valientes parked on the street next to the lot. The fire had really picked up and it was burning through the field really quickly! They took it down in no time with the high pressure water hose. I got pictures of that too. I'll be sure to send them in the next batch!
Today, we went to a place called Valle de los Caidos. You can look it up on the internet, probably. It's an enormous Catholic cathedral tunneled into the side of a mountain. We attended a mass there! It was really different, that's all I'll say about the experience. There were somewhat scary-looking stone statues all along the walls of hooded figures and winged angels. It's in this cathedral that the famous dictator Francisco Franco is buried, along with many of the casualties of the Spanish Civil War. One of the defining features of the Valle is an enormous, and I mean ENORMOUS cross on the top of the hill that the cathedral is tunneled into. It's the largest cross in the world. I got pictures of the outside of the cathedral and of the cross. It was all pretty cool! We had to hike 6 kilometers in and 6 out, but that was good exercise too.
Well, I need to get going and go shopping so that I can eat this next week. Thank you for all the letters and emails and love and prayers! Let the good times roll!
-Elder Knorr
Yes, you heard right! I've been moved. We knew that there were changes coming, due to the fact that we had 14 missionaries leaving and none coming in to replace them. Several areas have been combined and a few have been closed. Barrio 1 Sur (my previous area) and Barrio 1 Norte have now been merged into one, huge, ginormous area! Elder Fronce stayed and is now in charge of it all, along with his new companion. Elder Ostler, whose parents you met, and Elder Parry, my first companion, are now home, and I got moved northwest of the city of Madrid, across fields and plains, to Segovia! (for Dad) Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chaaaaanges!! (name that song!) But the change is good!
Segovia is a beautiful, historically rich city that is about the size of my old area (so it's a whole lot smaller than Madrid). It features 3 basic things: The Castle, The Cathedral, and The Roman Aqueduct (which is my favorite). The air is much cleaner and the weather is a bit cooler, which is a definite blessing. My new companion
is Elder Zollinger, who has a reputation for being one of the most obedient and hardworking missionaries in the mission. I'm super excited to be working with him and I'm sure we'll get a whole lot accomplished together! We've already hit it off real well and I think this is going to be a great transfer.
Strange, funny happenings? Well, here's one of the strange things that happens just about every day in our piso. You see, we live next to some Gypsies, and for no reason that we can yet understand, they make strange shrieking noises, sing loud songs, and clap their hands early in the morning and late at night. Elder Zollinger says that they've always done that, but it's new for me so I find it to be quite interesting. There are always interesting things that happen. None very recently, because I'm just getting used to this new area, but I'll be sure to include them when they happen.
Also, I would not mind at all more Speed Stick deodorant, in the same scent. The deodorant here in Spain is not up to par with American kinds, so just sending one or two sticks a package will go a long way towards keeping me smelling like a representative of the Lord should smell. Other than that, I'm all for surprises! There won't be any need to send me more peanut butter for now, as the huge jar you sent me will probably last me my whole mission (no joke).
