First P-day!!!!! in Spain

Why hello, all my family and friends!!!

I guess since it was our first week last week, we didn´t get a P-day on Thursday!! :P That´s okay though because it was still a great week! Everyone who told me a mission is the hardest thing you will do must have not been serving in Spain Madrid because I love it! The MTC life in Spain is a lot different than Provo and the missionaries here that have been to both say this one is a billion times better. What is cool about the Spain MTC- 26 missionaries here right now, we go to the temple every Thursday morning, Saturdays we go to the GIANT park in the middle of Madrid to talk to people and place Book of Mormons, and for an hour almost everyday of the week we get to go running through the streets of Madrid to the local sport courts! AHH! Pretty sweet!

My district is composed of 5 Americans two girls and three boys. Two of us are from utah then the others are from Maryland, Indiana, and Idaho. Even though the MTC is in Madrid, only 6 of the 26 missionaries are serving in spain! There a group of Portugese Elders that will serve in Portugal, Americans serving in Russia, and girl from france serving in Switzerland. There are so many languages getting spoke around me its crazy!

Spanish... uhh, I think I have learned more in a week then I learned in two years of high school French... I still have much to learn though. It´s alright though because pretty much all the other missionaries serving in spain have about the same amount of experience as me. I finally was able to get some stamps and I am going to try and write a few letters with the very little time I have. Oh, by the way I apologize for the many errors this email will probably have. I am timed exactly an hour and am rushing to read as many emails and send as many as possible!

I have gotten to play both a lot of soccer and basketball each day and that has been fun. I placed my first book of mormon while at the park in Madrid on saturday with a group of teenage girls... not sure if they were interested in what we had to say or if they were interested in us Elders... Oh well, maybe someday they will pick it up and read some of it.

I am in a trio companionship and they are both very nice. Their names are Elder Gorge and Elder Batis. Elder Gorge is from Indiana and is 21 and Elder Batis is from Idaho and turns 19 on April 13th.

The food here is very.. different.. It isn´t bad but it definitely will take a little bit of adjusting. My companion dropped 10 lbs the first week but I have been eating everything just fine. So I totally forgot to pack a black belt.... haha. luckliy my companion from Idaho said I could have one of his because he brought two and didn´t need both.

The days were kind of long at first but it feels pretty normal now. Today I am getting to go to downtown Madrid..! We ride the subway pretty much everywhere we go in Spain I guess. We rode it to the Park on Saturday. The park is comparable to Central Park in New York but there are giant roman gothic statues and architecture all around you. The temple square in Madrid is sooooo beautiful. I like the inside of the draper temple better but the outside of the Madrid temple is so beautiful.

Well.. I guess they are cutting my time short...

I will start writing letters and I guess talk to you all next week!

Love Elder Saltzman