A little bit of Hawaii in Spain!

Aloha! So this week is my second week here in San Sebastián de los Reyes and it's going well. There's a lot of work to do here and we're doing our best to be better missionaries and to serve the Lord as much as we can.

Last Friday the ward had an activity and the Hermanas here planned a luau. Every other week the ward has a Noche de Hogar and the missionaries work with some ward leaders to plan it. Hermana Saili, from New Zealand, and her companion taught all the young women and their leaders the Hula, and she taught all the young men and the Elders the Haka as a part of it. So at the activity, the other Elders shared a spiritual message, and then after closing the reverent part with a prayer, the Hula and the Haka were performed and there was food and other activities. There were a lot of people there, and even though it was my first one, apparently there was a better turnout than there has been for a long time.
On Saturday the ward also had a fundraiser for the youth to go to EFY in Segovia this summer, which was a dessert auction. They did well, and the ward members donated some great looking food, but none of them got close to a Vince Cioffi cheesecake.
Today for our pday we went to a pueblo called Buitrago del Lozoya near the edge of our area. Our area basically goes up north to the end of the province of Madrid, and there's a lot of cool stuff up there. I gotta say too that northern Madrid reminds me a lot of Southern California as far as the landscape. The pueblo had a small castle that is under renovation, but it was all really pretty.
As district leader, I have to do exchanges with all of the Elders in my district, so this last weekend I spent the day with Elder Stulen from Arendal, Norway! In case you were wondering, it's pronounced the same way as Elsa and Anna's city in Frozen. Anyway, it was a fun day because he was in the MTC at the same time as me last July. He's a very cheerful and nice missionary.
As district leader, it's a lot of work. I need to plan district meetings every week, help all the missionaries in my district, and work with the zone leaders, among other minor responsibilities. But it's been something that has really helped me to learn how to rely on the Lord's help. Planning district meetings takes a lot of work for me, but as a result I've felt the spirit guide what I say and what we all learn there. Receiving that revelation and knowledge of what to plan is an awesome experience, and I love being able to serve the Lord in this way.
I hope you all are enjoying your summer! Have a great week!
-Elder Dobbs

Typical Spanish food at a bar we ate at in Buitrago del Lozoya (going to bars is a big part of culture here; there are some that are bad but there are family friendly bars where you can go in and sit down and order a meal)

The streets of SanSe

Buitrago del Lozoya