Hermana Letendre en Espana!

Here is a picture of Hermana Letendre and her companion, Hermana Sturgess, in Ciudad Real!

**Picture from http://spainmalagamission.blogspot.com/**

Greetings from La Mancha!!

Hola!

I am in my first area! I was called to serve in Ciudad Real, which is in La Mancha (Home of Don Quixote)!!!! It is great. It is a smaller city. It is small enough that we can just walk everywhere and do not have to take much public transportation. The buildings are mostly relatively modern. Our apartment (piso) is pretty nice. We even have a balcony where we do our nightly planning! La Mancha is the hardest district in our whole mission. It is a district, not a stake...so there are not many members. There has not been a baptism in Ciudad Real for a year...but we can feel it changing! We are teaching some great people and we are working so hard! We are praying so hard that we will see a baptism here by the end of the month! I am so happy to be here in a difficult area. We as missionaries have to do a lot for the members as well as our investigators...to keep them strong and to make sure that the branch runs smoothly. I met some of the members yesterday when we went to General Conference! It was great!!

My companion is Hermana Sturgess! She is wonderful! She is American, and she has been in Spain for about 9 months. Her Spanish is amazing and she is such a loving and kind person. I love being with her! She is teaching me so much, and even though my spanish is not great, I have been participating a lot in lessons and also in street contacting.

So Don Quixote is everywhere. In the Plaza Mayor here in Ciudad Real there is a clock and on every hour, the bells go off and Don Quixote comes out!! Haha it is so cool! I will send photos soon. I forgot my card reader today! BUT go on the mission blog to see the photos of when I was at the mission home. I looked at it this morning! it is soooo cool! My companion Hermana Crowder is in Sevilla.

SPAIN MALAGA MISSION BLOG

Take Care,

Hermana Letendre

Hola de Madrid!

Hola!

S0! things are going great here. I love being here. let me see... Since I e-mailed you last, we have had a few good days! Today, we went to the temple in the morning with all of the people from the MTC. There are about 30 missionaries here right now, which is almost double of what is usually here. So cool! While we were out today I didn't really talk to anyone about the gospel, but I made small talk with a few people. i really need to practice my spanish!!! Tomorrow and Saturday we will be going to a park to do some street contacting....so we will be able to practice a little more!

Today we got to do a little sight seeing! It was really great...we went to see the Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real, and the Catedral Almudena. You can google these places and see where I went! It was great!! I'll send photos home soon... ( Click on the links to see the sites!)

Let's see, things are great. I am excited to go to the park tomorrow. I am still pretty tired....actually I feel more tired today than I did yesterday. Maybe the time change is really hitting me...but I'm sure I will be fine in the next couple of days. I really love Europe so much...Since being here I have realized how much I have missed it. There is just a different feeling here...like a feeling of enjoyment...of not rushing around just to get things done, like in America. I love walking around outside and seeing plazas with lots of outdoor cafes and things. I can't wait to get to my mission so that I can see what the area is like. Madrid is great, but it is just a big city...I hope that I get to serve somewhere that is a little smaller.

It seems like I will be here in the MTC in Madrid until Tuesday (9/27), then I will travel to my mission.

Take Care,

Hermana Letendre

Comments for Valerie

Hello friends,

If anyone would like to comment on Hermana Letendre's Blog Posts I'm sure she would love it! If comments are made, I will forward them to her. I'm sure it would brighten up her day to hear from friends and family back home!!

Thanks!

~Crystal

(Valerie's Sister)

Hermana Letendre está en España!!

Hola Amigos!

We made it to Spain. We are now in the Madrid MTC and will be here for one week (until next Tuesday). We arrived this morning at about 10am Spain time, and it is about 2pm. I am quite tired because I did not sleep much on the plane. Today we are just going to be having a little class, I think...I think we are going to et to go to sleep early tonight!

Things are going well. I am just very tired. The MTC is right on the Madrid Temple grounds. We can see the temple from our bedroom window--it is very nice. The temple here is very beautiful...

Madrid, Spain Temple (http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/madrid/)

We will definitely be able to go to the temple Thursday, but they also said that we might get to go tomorrow as well.

I am really tired right now...I am not sure what else to say. I think on Thursday we will be able to see Madrid. On Saturday we will be going out to the biggest Park in Madrid and we will be doing some contacting! Wish me luck! I hope that I can understand people. I am excited, but also a little nervous!

Take Care!

Hermana Letendre

Heading to SPAIN!

Mom & Dad received a call from Valerie on Friday night. Valerie, AKA Hermana Letendre, was very excited to inform us that she had received her Visa and was leaving for Spain on Monday!

So, Valerie left SLC today, Monday, September 19th, to Madrid, Spain with her companion, some other Hermanas and an elderly missionary couple. She is very excited to arrive and start sharing her special message with the wonderful people in Spain!

Edith "Annie" Fox -- 5/10/22-9/10/11

On 9/10/11 Valerie's Gramma Fox passed away. Valerie was able to speak briefly with Mom & Dad that evening. It was a great comfort to Mom and I'm sure to Valerie too.

This evening was Gramma's wake in Massachusetts. While we were there, we received an unexpected email from Val. She was given some extra time on the computer to write a little something for Gramma's Funeral the next day. Here is what she wrote:

I sincerely wish that I could be there with all of you to celebrate the life of Grandma Fox. SHe played such an important role in all of our lives, and I wish I could be there to give each of you a warm embrace. It is difficult for me to not be with all of you, but one thing that has brought me much comfort in being away from home during this time, is my knowledge that Grandma was ready to move on to the next phase of eternity. I continually think about the fact that Grandma used to always speak about her "invitation". What a beautiful perspective she had on what was to come; and what a wonderful depiction of her faith. She had great faith that as her time on Earth came to a close, that she would be "taken home to that God who gave {her} live." just as it says in Alma 40:11. This faith has provided such a wonderful example to me, as I prepare to leave the Missionary Training Center next week to enter the mission field. As I have been reflecting on Grandma's life over the past few days, I have realized that without ever serving as a full-time missionary, Grandma Fox has brought the Gospel into the lives of so many individuals simply by accepting the gospel herself. Especially at this time in my life, as I prepare to preach the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ to the people of Spain, I am so grateful for Grandma's decision to accept the gospel, and pass that knowledge on to her posterity--including me.

Even thought I am comforted by the knowledge that Grandma has now entered into the rest of our Heavenly Father, I will inevitably miss hearing her stories, songs, and rhymes. I continue to marvel at the fact that Grandma seemed to remember more about her childhood at the age of 89 that I do of my childhood at the age of 25! Despite the sadness that we feel at this time, I cannot help but be excited for Grandma--for her to experience new things and new adventures in the Spirit World, where she will prepare a place for us all. I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and that Grandma is truly living in peace right now.

I love you all, and I love you Grandma!

Love,

Hermana Valerie Letendre