That kind of friend

There are about a million other things I should be posting about -- over the last two weeks or so I've had about twenty Oh-I-should-blog-about-that-! moments. But instead of spending so long gathering my witty thoughts that I lose excitement for even one of those brilliant posts, I have to interject this one.

Last Sunday was Stake Conference. Aside from the fact that my roommate might have a pseudo-crush on our Stake President (I can't blame her though -- he's the most adorable, Godly man with the corniest love of music ever to work with young adults). Aside from that perk of conference, we got to hear from Elder Terry L. Wade of the Seventy. I can't even try to relate how wonderful it was, but I took 8 pages of notes in my little scripture journal (don't freak out too much; each page is only a few inches square ;) . Anyway, at one point he talked about us being "mortal beings having a spiritual experience" and asked us to think of a time recently when we felt we were having a spiritual experience. He asked us to jot down a few notes right then, but go home and write it out in detail. I thought of a really simple one. It's nothing special, but in obedience to a servant of God, I relate the following experience:

One day last winter I was sicker than a dog. Not only was I sick, but I was also discouraged. What hope had a girl of recovering from a physical ailment with so much weighing on her soul? After exhausting all my own strength, resources and personal moxy, I decided to ask for a Priesthood blessing from the boy I was dating at the time and his roommate. Without speaking too much of a sacred experience, here are just a few of the minor factors that made that tender mercy so memorable:

- the boys showed up in Sunday dress (on a weekday)

- we opened with a prayer to invite the Spirit

- the room was filled with the words of a loving Father to his struggling daughter

- after the blessing, one boy offhandedly suggested I look up a line from a hymn he'd been thinking about

- the other boy suggested I write in my journal about my frustrations, the words of the blessing, etc.

They left me better than they'd found me. I did take my friend's advice and wrote and wrote and wrote. I think that one little action may have opened up a lifelong line of communication between me and the Lord. I get some of my best insights when I'm ready to write down what He's ready to tell me. The song was uplifting too and I'm glad he'd had it stuck in his head. After they left I just kept thinking "Boy, I am so blessed to be surrounded by such solid people!" Sure, they'd humbly shrug off the credit if I ever said anything to thank them. But I'm content to eternalize in a blog the fact that I am extremely blessed to associate with people who make me better, who build me up, who fight for faith and encourage me to do the same, who keep themselves close to the Spirit so that they can be first ones called to the rescue. I want to be one of them. I want to be that kind of friend, that kind of disciple of Christ. 

Let the balloon go.

iPod...gone. Sickenly stressful. Literally, I have been nauseated for the past 36 hours just thinking about it and grasping at straws to get it back. Next to my computer not connecting to the internet at home, it was my only way to talk to the group (via Facebook), my parents (via Skype), draft my blog posts, and more. I took it to the movie theater on Saturday (where we saw The Avengers) and it fell out of my pocket during the movie. I went back twice on Sunday (during and after a movie in the same sala) but no such luck. I retraced my steps, but it is gone. My life is over. I feel like everything I have done in the last 3 weeks has required intense internet connection. It was so perfect to not be tied to a computer (if I had one that worked) because I could just carry my iPod in my pocket and get updates from the group without being a zombie in my room, constantly on Facebook. Now I'm cut off. I only know about things if Caitlin tells me what everyone is saying. I have nothing to do while I wait for lunch to start. I can't Skype my parents before I go to bed. I feel like I just got stranded on an island and silenced by having my tongue cut out. 

Except.............I have a madre española who cooks me three meals every day and packs me pan tomate lunches when I go on field trips and cleans my bathroom and sweeps my bedroom floor and washes my clothes and irons my Tshirts and even my undershirts. I have an abono (bus pass) that gets me everywhere fast. I can take the bus around Alcalá, the train to Madrid, the metro around Madrid, the bus to the airport, and it's all prepaid and I never have to wait more than 10 minutes. I live in a beautiful, 500-year old city, in the most advantageous spot in town - a geographical oddity, if you will - it's 5-10 minutes from everything. I have a 36-strong posse, whose personalities mix and match on a dime to form smaller groups of the most exciting quality. I have free reign of the city - discotecas, cinemas, ice cream shops, museums, parks, paseos, hikes - here in Alcalá and in Madrid, and most everything is free. I am learning another language. I am functioning in another language (I went to the drug store the other day to get some anit-itch cream and they packaged it in tissue paper - I felt like I was back in It's a Wonderful Life at Mr. Gower's). I am taking siestas every afternoon. I am learning about the history of Spain from someone who spent her whole life here. I am living la vida española. I am in Spain. Who cares if I lost my iPod? All my pictures are on my computer. All my notes are in my blog or my journal. All my
music is on my laptop or at my parents' house. I have class every day and can make plans with my friends before I go home for lunch. I have an angel roommate who will loan me her computer to Skype my parents. I am having the most incredible experience of my life to this point. Do I really need internet to enjoy it? I think not. I'm about ready to hold this balloon in my hand, take one last big breath and let go, watch it fly up higher and higher, and then go on a Madrid Walk with a few cool kids. I don't need my iPod to enjoy Spain or anything else in my life. If it turns up, I'll be overjoyed. But if it doesn't, there's nothing stopping me from having the time of my life. Vale?