Letter from Megan 9/23/13 was one I thought needed to be shared, so here it is:
Dear Family,
First of all I would like to share how excited I am that I bought all the ingredients to make Moms meat loaf... I know it doesn't sound like much, but I plan to leave Spain a chief! I figured I won't be able to master any of the intense Spanish dishes unless I get some familiar ones down first. It's so funny, every time I tell people I don't really know how to cook they begin talking about my "pobre esposo" or poor husband. Its a big deal here for women to know how to cook. Every home we have been to the women know how to cook VERY well. I love the food here. Most meals here have chicken and different types of rice. I had crepas the other day, which is...actually I have no idea what it is, but to me it was like mashed potatoes but better. I also had Paella which is this special type of rice with crazy seafood. I ate it with my Dueños (the people that we are renting the apartment from) and she had a massive pot on the stove just for that! It was nice eating with them, they have had missionaries renting from them for about 15 years but have had little exposure to the church. I'm going to guess they were all afraid of developing an awkward relationship with the dueño...so we will see what we can do there.
Yikes, I must be hungry, I better move on ha, ha.
People here are very straightforward, which is being very good for me. I realize that I can be a very sensitive person sometimes, but here I just can't be. The members tell it like it is and don't sugar coat anything. Its nice though because they let us know how we can improve and if we do something well, we know the compliment is sincere.
I get laughed at sometimes because of how animated I am when I talk. The other day I was explaining something to my companion as we were walking down the street and walking by a less active members home that had the lights on...nothing too complicated right? But they started busting up laughing, I thought I had made a Spanish mistake, but no, turns out I am quite the actress when I talk, compared to people in Spain that is (they are very serious and you are lucky if you get more than a smile out of them).
Something I noticed this week is that there is an extremely noticable difference in the spirit in some homes than in others. I couldn't put my finger on it for awhile, but now I know what it is. The homes with a strong spirit are the ones in which there is a worthy priesthood holder. It's as simple as that. While on my mission I have received a new found testimony of the priesthood. I feel like I took that for granted a little at home; I am learning that the priesthood is more than just being able to get a blessing when you are not feeling good, more than just being able to pass the sacrament. It is truly the power and presence of the Lord on the earth. That is what makes our church different from the rest, we have that sacred power and it truly does make all the difference. The comfort and love the priesthood brings to a home is unmistakable and I am so grateful to have been surrounded by worthy priesthood holders thru out my life.
Thank you for your emails and prayers. I love you family,
Love,
Hermana Bennett
