Moving our mail to CA

Guys-

Hahaha. I love reading about your lives. Dad up in the middle of the night recording the siri email. I really miss you guys! 

YES. The package arrived last week on Tuesday, but I couldn´t pick it up until Saturday. But I have it. And I love it. So much. Thank you SOOO much. You need to stop doing things for me. I don´t know how to express my gratitude. The gratitude I feel can´t be expressed with simply words, and I am on the other side of the world. I saw the postage fee, and I can guess that the contents weren´t too far off that amount either. That was one expensive package. It´s like liquid gold to me of course. Especially the tace sauce. I didn´t think anything could be more valuable than peanut butter. But I was wrong. Thank you so much. It really was perfect. I appreciate you guys so much. Don´t send me another package until Christmas or something though. I am beginning to feel really selfish and spoiled. I can´t do anything to repay you or show you my gratitude. 

Things sound like they are going really well there.  I am so proud of Tean!! How great.  I hope he is ready for this. It is the hardest thing I´ve ever done. And I have done some pretty hard things before. This is way more exhausting than college. The stress and worrying is even worse than my grades and exams. Go figure. I guess the things I am stressing about have a tad bit more eternal significance, but still.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED hearing about Clayton´s experience in Seminary. WOW. What a blessing. And him marking his scriptures!!!!! Brigham needs to work hard with him.  I am so happy for you guys. I can imagine how thrilled you are. It´s a really good sign. I love Brad Wilcox. He makes everyone feel so special and loved. SUCH great news!! 

First off, I can´t move out of this apartment. I really do believe that the spores are still in the air. But Pardo about bites my head off everytime I mention anything about it. We get along. Mostly. Pardo and I get along mostly, but we have our spats and differences. I am not gonna lie, living with him might be my biggest challenge right now. But it´s all for my benefit. I have to learn to just let things go and take one for the sake of the Spirit. Which is getting easier. I know I bug him too. We only have four more weeks though. And we will miss each other for sure!! But we will also be relieved. I am praying for an American companion. I need a breath of fresh air. With Webb, we were SO different. But we got along pretty great. I miss him a ton. With Pardo, we are similar, but it´s harder for us to get along. I have learned lots from both of them!! I just hate being the junior comp. Anyway. Mold. I just need to deal with it until I leave Jerez in four weeks. Nobody wants us to move. So I am just going to live with it. 

The work is going well. We have three baptisms this friday. Victoriano for sure will be baptized. He is so ready. And I get to baptize him!! My first one. I am excited. I have been doing extra pushups lately too, cause he´s a big guy. Haha. The other two are Emilio and Rosario. I hope things go well with them. Emilio quit smoking. But I am super worried that he will relapse and have to cancel his baptism. We will see. I am praying for him. 

 Apart from them, our investigators are ok. Before a baptism, you kind of focus on your candidates and make sure they go through with it, and then start working with the others after the baptism. Something good happened though yesterday. Maribel and Antonio came to church. The relatives of Emilio and Rosario. Her work slowed down, and they said we can come visit them. We had a GREAT first lesson with them, and then nothing for like a month, until yesterday. I hope that with Emilio and Rosario being baptized, they will realize the importance of the gospel and follow their example. Other investigators are the same. Still waiting for marriage papers. We need to start finding again. 

Today I didn´t email till late because we went with the other elders in our district to San Lucar, a little town outside of Jerez. There are three sets of elders in our district, one couple, and one set of hermanas. Soon to be two, when our hermanas finally get here. All six elders went to San lucar, where two of the elders live, and spent the day with Diego, an older man that is about to be baptized. He is crazy, but awesome. He has a farm out in the fields of Spain and has animals and an orchard and bees and just about everything. It was super cool. We went and bought tons of meat to have a "BBQ" which is different in Spain. They don´t have BBQ sauce, so I guess they use salt instead. He just cooked the meat with heaps of salt, and it tasted awful. But we ate it. The cool part was how he showed us around his farm and orchard, and just plucked fruit off of every tree and threw it at us saying "comalo!!" and I was SOO full. We ate so much fruit. Things I have never seen before that are DELICIOUS. I loved it. We ate honeycomb and this rice milk stuff too, that he made. It was a good day. We got back to Jerez late and now we are emailing. It was a good day. 

I go to Malaga next week, so that is when I will catch up on all of my letter writing. It means about 8 hours of train rides for me. Which I don´t mind at all to be honest. I love traveling here. 

Have I ever told you about how exhausting church is in the mission field? I remember days when church was just a show up and relax kind of deal. You sit with the fam, go to class, talk with friends, and then go home to a cool, refreshing house and do whatever. Here we stress about how to get certain people to church, we worry about who will end up coming, we plan who will sit with who, we walk forty minutes in the blazing sun and then sweat through all three hours(we have to wear suits to church), hoping that our investigators will come and aching when the less actives that we have literally done everything we knew how to get them to come, don´t show up. We count all of the people in sacrament meeting and have to worry about how to increase the numbers. And we have to talk to EVERYONE. Everyone needs to be greeted, meetings and appts need to be set, and then there are meetings and everything. Plus it´s all in Spanish, which makes it even more difficult for me. Hahaha. My brain gets so tired. We do the forty minute death walk in the sun again and come home to a hot piso, just about as tired as can be!! That´s the life of a missionary though. But it´s just that the day of rest is our busiest day. I bet that is how the bishop feels sometimes. Endless meetings, people to talk to, stressing about who didn´t come and why. I think I understand a little bit about how all of the ward and stake leaders feel! 

This week is a normal week until Thursday, when we have zone conference in Seville from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. And then we have the baptism interviews to do with the DL that night with our candidates. And then baptism friday. I am excited!!  I really do love all of this. 

If you write me tell me about the missionary meeting. I don´t know if I will get to see it, and if I do it will be in Spanish. So let me know if anything super important was said. 

Well things are going well here like I said. I am almost out of time so I will end now. Thanks for everything you do for me. I really really really loved the package. I love anything from home, and you always send me the perfect things. I actually really wanted a shower smoofie thing. How did you know?? I didn´t even ask for it! And of course glow braceletes were definitely perfect. Haha. Anything from home is wonderful. 

I hope you guys enjoy your last trip to CA for a while! I really want you boys to know how lucky you are to be doing what you are doing! Spencer, enjoy it while you have it. And I don´t know why his papers went in last night. I thought it would have been Tuesday night. But yeah, I am thinking July 3rd. Hopefully it comes. It does feel weird that my brother is expecting his mission call soon. Wow. Time flies!! I love hearing from all of you. And yes I got your long letter mom :) So far I think I have received everything that you´ve sent!! Enjoy the time you have together as a family!! And with the Adams of course. I miss you guys. And I am not a brown noser Brig. I think I am just starting to realize how blessed I have been all my life. Baptisms this Friday!! 

Have a blast!! I love you guys 

Elder Sharp

3 Month Mark

Tuesday is his three month mark.  It feels like he's been gone forever, really.  Much longer than three months.  I'm glad he doesn't feel that way.  I'm so grateful that he's happy.  I wish I could understand just what exactly is making him realize how blessed he is/was.  I would love to give a little of that to his brothers.  :)  His feelings about Victoriano are awesome!  I loved that part of his letter. 


Hi

Things are going well here. We didn´t quite reach our goal of 8. But it wasn´t a goal set by the Spirit. And the one family still doesn´t have their papers. So that is minus three. but things are still wonderful in Jerez. I really love being a missionary. Man the weeks just fly by!! Where to begin. I am super jealous of the pictures you sent me. Haha. Quite the difference from the week I had. Last week was HOT. In the 90s. Being outside is hard, but it´s bearable. What ISN´T bearable is the nights. I am physically not capable of sleeping if I am really hot. And everyone in Jerez knows that it gets really really hot in the Pisos during the night. Way hotter than outside. The first night that it was hot I about died. I didn´t sleep at all. Elder Pardo and I basically walked around the house all night moaning. Even he can´t handle the heat. My body just isn´t used to this!! I had my fan on full blast like two feet away from me on my mattress and I was sweating. The first night was awful. The next night I froze my pillowcase and it was great for about five minutes, and then it was back to normal. So today I got it soaking wet and then put it in the freezer. It should last longer. Elder Pardo tried sleeping on the kitchen floor. Apparently it´s cooler there. The worst is my bed though. I can´t sleep there anymore. It is the top bunk, so it´s even hotter up there!! This is the guy who, during the wintertime in Provo, opened the window in his bedroom just to make it more cold. I love sleeping when it´s cold. I just love being cold! Today has been a miracle however. It is cloudy and cool. Well kind of. But the clouds are moving away it looks like. How sad. You know how after you shower you walk out of the steam filled bathroom and the normal air in the house just feels so cold for a few seconds?? You are hit with a blast of cold air as soon as you leave the bathroom. Well they don´t have that here. I walk out of the bathroom and there is no difference in the rest of the house. This is the first time in my life that I have ever showered with cold water purely by choice!! Anyway. That rant is over. Sorry! It isn´t really affecting my happiness though. The heat is a great conversation starter. Hace calor, no? Si, un montonasa de calor. Si. Estoy muriendo de calor. Si, yo tambien. That conversation happens about 10 times a day for me.

I am so happy!! I cannot even explain how much joy I feel after having seen the conversion take place in Victoriano´s life. We had an FHE with him and some members last week and he just seemed SOO happy. There is a huge difference. And then on Saturday we had another lesson with him and it was going really well like usual, and somehow baptism was brought up (he has a date for the 29th with a "i hope so" as his answer) and he said "oh yeah I wanted to talk to you about the whole baptism thing" and I was thinking "Oh great. He is still afraid. What is he going to say?" and then I heard the best words I have ever heard in my life!! Yo quiero bautizarme!!! I about started shouting for joy. I then heard him bear his testimony for the first time, and I realized why I am here. He talked about the change that he has felt in his life, and how he has been changed forever by the gospel and his Savior. He said he feels so much closer to Jesus Christ, and his doubts are gone. He also said that he knows the hand of God was there that day on the bus when I first contacted him. He has a light and happiness about him that was not there before. I am not just saying that to be a cheesy missionary trying to impress his family or whatever. He really really does look different. The change is visible. I feel so amazing to have been able to be a tool in the Lord´s hand in bringing Victoriano into the gospel. He will be baptized on the 28th of June. I can´t explain the joy I feel. THIS is why we do this. Yesterday I watched him as he walked up the steps to the chapel doors (he walks to church by himself, about a forty minute walk) and he was wearing a white shirt and tie with a dark suit carrying his book bag with all of his scriptures and gospel manuals and I about burst with pride. I feel like a proud father or something. He has changed so much, all for the better. And I have seen all of the change!! I couldn´t be happier. I don´t have time today to write alot. I am sorry. I wish I had more time to email.

There is so much that I could say, but I will just write about the important things.

I have really come to appreciate my life this week. More specifically, my family. I am not homesick anymore. I am completely engrossed in my life right now. Here. But I am overwhelmed when I think about how blessed I have been throughout my life. My parents have done so incredibly much for me, and I was ungrateful and unappreciative. I wish I had enough time to fully explain myself. Letters I guess. But wow. I owe you so much. I never understood just how much you did for me. And do. I won´t fully understand until I am a parent. But I have been so blessed. I wish so badly that I could relive my teenage years with the understanding I have now. I would have been a better son. A more obedient son. I would have been a better brother! I have so many beautiful memories. And I did not appreciate them enough while I was living them. Only now do I realize how precious they are. Being raised in a home where I was taught to pray to my father in heaven ever since I could talk. Where the gospel was taught AND lived. I have always had an incredible example of a worthy priesthood holder right there in my home. My father works so hard for his family, and I never thanked him like I should have! I have lived under my parents testimonies for a long time. I have had my own for a while of course, but I didn´t appreciate the safe haven that was my childhood. So many people don´t have what I had. And I didn´t even realize what I had! All the hours we spent talking as a family, all the times I played basketball with Brigham during summer nights, or the countless hours singing with Spencer, or listening to Lincoln offer the family prayer at night, and lying down with Quincey and Lincoln in their bed at night and just talking about life, or listening to Clayton´s really long stories. All of the hours we spent crammed in the suburban together when I could have expressed my love and gratitude for my wonderful brothers and to the two people that gave me everything and I didn´t!! I didn´t even realize it. Families are literally a small piece of heaven. The most celestial thing that exists in this fallen world. And Satan is attacking it from every front. How crucial is our responsibility to defend this sacred unit!! I love my family more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anything. I am so so so eternally grateful for my childhood. For the parents that raised me. For other people my childhood probably wouldnt´seem that eventful or exciting. But those memories are some of the most precious things I have. The safety and comfort that I had in my home with my family was so important to me. I realize now that every good thing I ever did was simply to make my parents proud. A large part of why I am here is simply that. I want to make my parents proud of me. I have always craved their approval. I have been raised by some of the best of God´s children, and I am so thankful to my Father in heaven for them. I am afraid to be a parent. I am much more comfortable with the role of brother and son. But when that time comes, I have the best role models in the world to look to for answers and help. I don´t know how to express how grateful I am to you guys. And to my brothers. Sometimes I will sit down during my journal time and stare out the window and think about my life. I feel like sometimes my whole childhood flashes before my eyes and sometimes I just break down crying!!! I am so thankful for what you have given me. I know that you both faced so many challenges in the beginning and yet you worked through them. You suffered a lot being my parents. But I know that I would not be here without your sacrifices. I am so thankful for them. I have never felt so much gratitude in my life. And if I feel this for my earthly parents, I can´t imagine just how much my heavenly parents have done for me. Wow. Words can´t explain how I feel. Especially with so little time. I love you so much. I really really do. People always ask the youth ¨what´s the most important thing in your life?¨ and the answer is always an automatic "family/gospel". I am sure it was the most important thing in my life, but when I answer that question now there is something so different. I truly understand what the most important thing in life is. It really really is families. We are so blessed.

I have to go. Things are so well here. I am SO happy. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I love you.

Your son

Day 85- Made it through transfers

O Madre De Mi Corazon, 

My week was alright. A little less successful than the last two weeks, but we are working hard. We fasted again yesterday for their marriage license. I hope it comes. I really really do. I know it will, as long as that is God´s will. Victoriano is doing well. He´s still scared. Haha. We have a new date for him, the 29th of June. We have worked really hard with him. I wish you could meet him. Sometimes I feel so out of place when I take a step back and look at my life. I am just a nineteen year old kid that goes around and preaches to people that are old enough to be my grandfather. Missionaries don´t really have a choice but to grow up fast. Victoriano is basically at the edge of the water, dipping his toe in the water, knowing that he needs to jump in. And we´re just about ready to push him in. He needs a bit more pushing I think :) 

Emilio and Rosario are a couple with a seven year old daughter. At first we didn´t know about them cause it seemed like they only wanted the church for food. But they really do have testimonies. Especially Emilio. And his wife is just a little slow. When we teach she doesn´t really pay attention, but we have worked with her alone recently and (after buying her a HUGE Book of Mormon that she can actually see) she is making progress. They have been investigators for a while. They both have dates for the 29th of June. I am sure that they will both be baptized that day. He works a lot, and they are living in humble circumstances, but I really believe they have a testimony of the gospel. 

Maribel and Antonio are another couple we are teaching. Kind of. Antonio is the brother of Rosario. The first lesson went so well with them. Maribel had been going to church for two weeks before we even taught her. They both felt the Spirit really strongly, and agreed to be baptized on the 29th of June. But we haven´t been able to teach them. She works a ton, and couldn´t come to church yesterday. And he apparently doesn´t want to be taught alone. So it´s stressful. I really really hope that things work out with them. 

Jose, Ana, and Jose Jr. are a small family that have been investigators for like a year. They are so great. These are the ones who are waiting for the marriage license. Their son is 12, and is awesome. Lately he hasn´t been coming to church. But his parents have both come the past few weeks. Jose and Ana are so nice. Jose gets mad at Ana every once in a while and when they are fighting it is awful to be there. Mostly because Ana just looks so hurt. I hate seeing people I love in pain. They argue a lot, and the other day we went over there and Jose was upstairs and Ana just looked so sad. I just hurt for her!! I can´t describe it but I felt so much love for her and I was sad because she was. Sometimes as missionaries we feel some of the love that Heavenly Father has for His children. That is one of the best parts about the work. Right now they are doing great. Jose has been in a good mood, and we are just waiting for their papers. We want to baptize them on the 29th. 

We have other investigators, but this week hasn´t been really good for them. They are off and on. But we have some futures that might work out. We will see. There is this one girl named Paula. Her name sounds super cool when you say it in Spanish. Anyway. She has been to church the last two weeks with a member, and her parents are members just really inactive. She is about 17 and we really want to teach her but she never has time. She is super busy with school or something. Hopefully we can start teaching her soon. Children with inactive parents are really good investigators. Much more willing to accept the gospel. 

This is the first week of the new transfer. I am staying here in Jerez with Elder Pardo for another six weeks. Which is good :) I like Jerez. I think I will leave after this transfer. That´s usually what happens after one´s training is over. 

The lasagna I made was alright. It would have been better but the ovens here are different. The way the air circulates. I didn´t know how to work the oven so it didn´t cook exactly right. And the cottage cheese here is literally flavorless. So that was unfortunate. But other than that it was great :) I made a lot and then freezed it. Oh and they don´t have vanilla here. So I can´t make like half of the recipes you gave me. I think I´ll put that on my Xmas list. And all the have is oil of sunflower seeds and olive oil here. What is canola oil made of?? What can I use for oil? And also, I made beans this week. Refried beans. It was magical and I am so thankful for the recipe that Grammie gave me. I have never been so happy eating beans in my whole life. Which is saying something cause I am always really happy to eat beans. They don´t have cream of chicken or cream of anything here. So the rice thing won´t work. Elder Pardo thinks I am so weird for cooking the way I do. Hahaha. Apparently it´s not common for missionaries in this mission. I dunno why I all of the sudden feel the need to cook every day. I definitely didn´t at home. But I have the time and I enjoy it!! 

My eye has gotten worse lately. It never hurts, but it basically twitched all day yesterday. It hasn´t twitched so far today though. I will try the oils you sent me. 

I got a letter from Kylie this week that was "Missent to Malaysia!!!" How weird is that?? I will keep that envelope forever. Missent to malaysia. You know... I think we have all been missent to malaysia at one point in time in our life. We feel like we don´t belong and it´s hard to find out where to go. But with the atonement, and a lot of faith, we will always find our way back home. Hahaha. That really didn´t work out. But I really want to think of some gospel application for the phrase "missent to malaysia." It´s just a gem. 

I got all of your pictures!!!! Wow. Quincey already looks older. I can´t believe he´ll be almost eleven when I get home. And Spencer looked great at graduation. It´s crazy that he is already graduated. Time goes by so quickly. I almost have three months!!  It was cool to see all of the pictures of Mr. Thorpe and the choir. I miss that kind of stuff. And Kayla!!! She just looks so happy and excited to begin her service!! I think she´ll be such a great missionary. I hope she got my letter. It was awesome to see all of those pictures. Really. I feel like I am missing so much stuff!! But that´s life. Remember to post Spencer´s opening on the blog. And give me the BLOG ADDRESS. I don´t remember what it is. I can´t go on there and check it every week or anything, but there is nothing wrong with watching the video of Spencer opening his call. That won´t distract me from the work. 

I just got your letter from the mission office. We had zone conference last week. I got the letter that was written my first day in the field!! Also, I have not gotten the really long letter you sent me. Hopefully it finds it´s way here. And I sent you a really long letter that should be there today. I guess Dad will have to bring it to you since you are already on your way to California. 

I am happy for all of you to be going on so many trips :) Although I would love to eat out every day and hang out with the people I love most, I know that this is more important right now. I LOVE that you love to travel Mom. I hope my wife loves traveling, because I definitely want to travel a lot. I love it. As long as it´s with family. I am not a huge fan of traveling alone. Haha. I was so lucky growing up to have a family that got to travel as much as we did. I hope you guys have fun!! With Duane and Misty and Grammie and Grandpa. UGH. I am trying not to be jealous but it´s hard. Drive safe!! I hope that my brothers appreciate all of that. They DO NOT realize how lucky they are. 

Well I have grown a lot already. I don´t know how to explain it. I just feel a little different. I still don´t feel like a missionary yet. I don´t know what I am expecting. I guess there are moments when I do. After really great lessons. But my life will be better once I am fluent. That will make a huge difference. Emotionally I am just trying to learn to be more patient. With others and with myself. There is so much that I want to do in the next two years. I am also being humbled every day. More humility would do me lots of good. So I am grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father gives me. Oh and guess what!! It has been a really odd week because Elder PArdo and I have been talking about gospel confusion.  I know that there is so much I don´t understand. But Stronger than anything else is my faith. My faith has really grown. My faith is stronger than any doubt that I might have, and because of that I am ok with not understanding something. Joseph Smith was a prophet of
God, and the Book of Mormon is true. There is beauty in simplicity. Now i know that no matter what is thrown at me, I will not falter. The only thing that matters are the things that I DO know. And I know that this is God´s one true church. 

Anyway, I don´t have more time. I love you all so much!! HAVE FUN in California! Be safe. I hope you know how important you all are to me. My family and friends mean so much to me. I appreciate you in my life so very much!! 

Con Amor, 

Elder Sharp

Videos!!

 

These are obviously both from the Madrid MTC.  It looks like it was a party everyday!  These guys sound like they would be a lot of fun and they'd keep things entertaining- that's for sure. 

Patriots, Gardening, and Nick Jonas??

Dearest Woman that Gave Me Life-

 

 

Eye twitch hasn´t changed. The mission nurse and I decided not to go to the doctor. She is emphatic that it´s only a muscle twitch. Sigh. I dunno. Thanks for the photos. I always LOVE the photos you send me!!

I am changing. Faster than I thought!! I don´t really think about much besides the work anymore. This week has been monumental. There are good days and bad days. When the work is going really well, I obviously can´t stop thinking about it. When we have hard days with lots of walking and no appts, then I am a little more distracted. The other day we passed by a burger king and I started singing the national anthem and patriotic american songs for a half hour as we walked to the other side of the city. I am a pretty patriotic american, if I do say so myself. I forgot the pledge of allegiance though. For about an hour. But I finally remembered it. I was a tad freaked out!! But that was a momentary distraction. Usually I am focused!! I have a long list of things to say, so I will start with that. First off- I haven´t gotten your package yet, so I don´t know if you sent it or not or what. But yeah. And I would love it if you gave me a salsa recipe. Cause they don´t have salsa here. I prefer salsa with more sauce than vegetables. Anyway. That´s all. I love you so much.

The other day we went to a member´s home and helped them weed their garden. We were there the day before eating during medio dia and I offered to help them, so they told us to come the next day. I was SOOOO excited. I have missed pulling weeds!! not even kidding. I was seriously excited to go and do that. Elder Pardo had never pulled weeds before, so this was new to him. Haha. He didn´t like it. I loved it though. I felt like I was just at home and I could look up and see one of my brothers in front of me pulling weeds too!! Except it was Elder Pardo. But it was still great! I really enjoyed it. As I did that I was thinking about my future. I remember the things I used to say to you and Dad, about how my yard will be 100 percent concrete so I don´t have to pull weeds, or how I will pay someone to take care of my yard. Ha. Jeez. I said some pretty foolish things over the years. I want exactly what my parents want now. Just a big yard that I can work in every saturday with my family. There´s something beautiful about that. I am also grateful that I was taught to work. It has made a huge difference in my mission. Knowing how to paint, and work in the yard, and knowing how to do simple projects!! Lots of people don´t know how to do that stuff, because they have never done it before. I am so grateful for parents that taught me how to work. I was thinking about everything that you guys wanted me to do and to learn, and the thoughts and feelings that you guys had about things that I did not agree with. I remember fighting with you about so many things. I remember TOTALLY disagreeing with some of the ways that you did things. And now I do a little self reflection and realize that I want the exact same things as you do now. I have completely become exactly what you guys have wanted me to be (not really, I have a mountain of flaws and stuff, but when it comes to how I feel about life and things in general). I don´t know you you did it!! It was a slow process but now I am totally just a younger version of my parents. It´s kind of weird!

So I made greek chicken on Thursday, to celebrate Spencer´s birthday by myself in Spain while you were all eating cake and living it up. It turned out pretty decent, except they can tomatoes differently here. And the tomatoes weren´t really stewed. But it tasted fine. Just kind of runny. I even sang happy birthday for him. It was a cute moment. Haha. I only had two homesick days this week. Thursday and yesterday. ALWAYS the sundays. Elder Pardo made fun of me for making greek chicken!! He says that nobody in the mission field makes grand recipes or something. Just cook as fast as possible and eat. I like to cook though. I am going to try and make lasagna this week. We´ll see what happens! They have these things here called Kebabs. They are turkish food!! From Turkey. Ya know?? I LOVE LOVE it. So good. There are tons of muslims here and they all own kebab shops. I can´t explain it. I´ll have to send a picture. We didn´t go to Gibraltar today, btw. That´s ok though. They also have this stuff called chicharron. It´s literally fried bacon. I am surprised I haven´t heard of that before. Why wouldn´t America be the first one to take the most unhealthy meet there is, and then fry it? I dunno. I think Dad would love it though!! It´s pretty amazing. Everybody loves snails here. They boil them and then suck them out of the shell. People order huge cups of snails and just eat them one by one. I haven´t tried them yet. It looks disgusting.

The work is going so well. We have been working so hard in Jerez, and this month we will finally see the fruits of our labors and the blessings of the Lord. We have a goal of 8 baptisms. The mission goal is 55 for the month of June (55 for the whole mission) and elder pardo and I will have 8!! I know we can do it if we have faith. Victoriano won´t be baptized this week. He is a little scared. He is 69 years old and isn´t too eager to change everything, but he knows it´s true. So we are taking things a little slower and I will probably recommit him to the 29th of June. We have four other people that are set to be baptized on that day right now, and a family of three that will be baptized as soon as they get their stinking marriage certificate!!!!!! UGH. I am praying that it comes soon. And then we have like four other investigators that we are trying to set dates for. We work so hard, and I am becoming so engrossed in this. At first it was different. I obviously cared about it, but I didn´t think about the work before I went to sleep at night, or while I was walking. Things are different now. I am starting to love this so much. I really care about this work. The badge on my chest has taken on a new meaning for me. I am representing my family and my Savior. Nobody else. My name is not on the badge. Missionaries need to forget about themselves and remember who they represent. And I have really begun to do that. I have my days of course. But they are getting less and less frequent. That´s for sure. I am so happy. I honestly have never been so exhausted in my entire life. I am always tired. In every way. Physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted. I feel like I am back on the 50 miler. Every single day. And I don´t know why!! We don´t walk that far or anything. And we usually just sit on people´s couches and talk. But my brain is tired, and so is my body. I feel a great satisfaction though. Haha. I just wrote that and realized that they are the same words my blessing uses. Great satisfaction. Well it´s definitely true. SO exhausted, but SO happy. This is what I am supposed to be doing. I know that without a doubt. I am relieved that it is finally happening to me.

It is so hot here. And humid. I am glistening 24/7. I carry around sunscreen always and everyone makes fun of me but I don´t even care. After that day on the beach in California, I am NEVER going to risk it with sunburns. It´s not flipping worth it. Plus I don´t want skin cancer. So I haven´t been sun burned. But I am still sweating constantly. My best friend is the little black fan. Haha. And I am sick too. I don´t know why. I am always using oils and taking vitamins and doing all this stuff to try and keep myself healthy when I start to get sick, and it´s been that way for a week. I am not quite sick, but not totally healthy. And it makes working out even harder because I am dead tired and kind of ill, but I do it anyway. I seriously sweat a lot. It´s stinking humid. I am not used to humidity. I miss the dry utah air so so so so much. But I am not too bothered or anything by the heat. I will look down at my skin when I am in our piso and see sweat just running down my arms and laugh. Maybe I will lose weight or something. Right now my attitude is kind of like "bring on the suffering" cause I know the more I get the better I will be. So I am excited for July and August. Bring on the heat!!!

People think I look like Nick Jonas. I have no idea why cause I totally don´t see it. But I can´t tell you how often I hear that I look like the youngest Jonas brother. BUt there are definitely worse things in life!! The members are great. We are working hard together. Yesterday we had four investigators in church, and in the gospel principles class they were talking about gifts of the spirit. And then the teacher started talking about the gift of tongues and he looked at me and asked if I have ever had any experiences with this gift recently, and all of the sudden my investigators started talking about how I "always have the gift of tongues and can understand everything" and all this stuff and I just felt awesome!! I am really being blessed with the language.

Well I am out of time. Elder Pardo is done. The days go by really slow. But the weeks are flying by. I can´t believe I will have three months soon. The time really does fly by. I love you all so much. I will finish your letter today mom.

Spencer, send me an email about how to make that breakfast sandwich with the ciabatta rolls or whatever. I am sick of muesli. Thanks.

I love you,

Elder Sharp