I Can See Clearly Now

Hello everyone, this week had some crazy Seattle weather. Lots of rain and wind, but nothing too crazy. What is crazy is that tomorrow I hit 6 months in the mission! It really hasn't felt that long and I've been in training for almost all of it, but that's what reassignments do i guess.

Other than that this week has pretty pretty normal. All of the new missionaries left and transfers finally happened, so we're back to a normal 4 person piso. 

We've been focusing a lot on getting to know the members, which is really awesome since I realized I basically didn't know any of them. So we've been swinging by a lot of doors (thankfully not knocking random ones), learning about football, and getting just a little lost.

We also found a lot of people this week, with one or 2 still progressing! Going super well, but our main one from last transfers going to be out of country for basically all of this one.

For a spiritual thought:

We're back to planes finally. While visiting some members (which we at first thought were completely other members), we shared a bit about opposition and the gospel. I shared a quote that I love from Elder Holland, where he says "Chrsitanity is comforting, but it is often not comfortable." One of the members said in response it's a bit like flying in a plane. She said when flying, planes need to get through the turbulence to reach the smooth and thinner air higher up. 

Turbulence is not often comfortable, especially when it is unexpected, but is often encountered on the path to the more comfortable, smoother, and easier air above the clouds. 

Now in the small little Cessnas that I'm familiar with there's turbulence all the time. They are simply incapable of reaching those types of heights. Neither is the pilot when they're not pressurized. Sometimes life or living the gospel can feel like that. Like we can never reach those smooth skies, always being blown around by turbulence. In these moments, it's important to remember that you're still in the air. You're still climbing.

For those who have fears of planes, especially small ones, you may be happy to hear that it is actually pretty hard for a plan to fall out of the sky. In fact, it's basically impossible, unless you let it. You could get thrown into a stall (already very hard to do by wind alone) and start a spin, disoriented and in just a little of a panic. If you know what to do, you stay calm, hit a PARE, and ya esta. Or you could sit back, let go of the controls, and await a swift reunion with the earth. 

So we're all in our different flights toward this smooth, comfortable air, with beautiful views and all cares tens of thousands of feet below us. There may be times of turbulence, tossed left, right, up, and down, but climbing. In those moments of panic, when all hope seems lost, it is only up to us to either let go and sit back, or take hold of what we know to be true, to the One who is always there in the right seat. He has set the path, taught us the way, given us everything we need to know to reach our smooth destination.

I am so glad I could finally get a plane reference in one of these, but of course it probably went longer than needed. Hope you are all doing well, I want to hear from you!

Id con Dios, vuestro copiloto 

- Elder Puzey

Snowed a bit 

Foreground is just as beautiful as the background

7 person setup

Duality of Madrid weather (it was raining still)

Mop duty when the wash machine flooded