It is crazy being back in Spain, this past week was really tough on me. Felt like I put my mouth on the end of a fire house, and BOOM! It'll all get better for me when I get back on my feet again, it was tough right when I first got to California and then it was good, and it's been tough here, too. Things began to get better as the week went on, though, they'll be just fine with some time under my belt.
I'm happy to hear that Hermana Jackson sent that email to you, right now has been the first time I've been able to email you since I left California. I'm not in Azuqueca, though, I'm in Alcalá de Henares. My companion is Elder Johnson, he's from Washington state, and he's been here for 6 months. He and I are opening up a new area book here in Alcalá. Each area has an area book that contains all of the records of all the missionary work that has been done in an area, such as teaching records of investigators. We have been assigned to start from zero. So we have zero records, zero investigators, our job is to just begin to build it up with more and more investigators. We spent so much time this week contacting out in the streets and in the plazas all around. One of the main spots we go is the Plaza de Cervantes, I'm sure you can google photos of it. It's really beautiful here.
It's definitely hard here, Mom. The Spaniards really don't want to talk to us, so we've been rejected a lot, it was tough not to get discouraged at all this week. But it'll get better with some time, as I mentioned earlier. I felt really small though, too. Everywhere I've been before here already had an area book with investigators we could work with, it would have been nice to transition into that, but it's alright, I've been given this assignment for a reason, it's definitely stretching me out, but that's what a mission is supposed to do. Just need to buckle down a little harder and forget about myself.
I love you Mom, keep staying strong. You'll find your way out of the stress, you always do. Thanks for all that you, Shane and the rest of the family do for me, I really, really appreciate it.
Talk to you soon. Love, Elder Koeven