Elder Phillip Brown
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A view of Parla Este (East Parla) where we sometimes work but not too often. It's a newer area and kind of hard to knock in. We affectionately refer to it as "the frying pan" because it's so hot in the summer, and there's nowhere to escape from the sun.
 Mariano Vidal Nchuchuma Obiang from Equatorial Guinea. He is so faithful in coming to church--white shirt, tie, and all--and he loves to help us out in lessons when he can. He's one of my favorite recent converts. So solid!
 Elder Karren and I with Esther and her sister, Christina. We're standing in front of the chapel in Parla. Esther teaches our Gospel Principles class and has such an animated personality. We never know exactly what she's going to say, but I'm often laughing in her class. Elder Karren and I are her "favorites" because we participate.
The Gordon family. Back row: Me, Gerardo, Marisol, Stefanie, Elder Karren. Front row: Valeria. (Yes, she looks like that a lot...she has a very strong personality. Makes me laugh.) Gerardo is a counselor in the branch presidency. Their family is so wonderful. They try to have the missionaries over to eat weekly, even though they are such busy people.
The Baque family. Yenking Baque is the branch president of Parla. This is another one of the amazing families in Parla.
Amauri (from the Dominican Republic) and his wife, Conchi (from Spain). Conchi was baptized just a few weeks before I got to Parla. I love teaching her the recent convert lessons. She is so faithful--she has a calling in the Primary and is beginning temple preparation classes. That makes a missionary's heart happy.
 Some of the contents of the package that Marta sent me.
Bowling on preparation day, at the same bowling alley I went to for my birthday last year.
The Caiza family. We visited this less-active family often. Yolanda and her husband, Jose Luis, are in the front, and two of their daughters are behind.
Elder Jacobs and I at General Conference. I'm sporting my new Spanish suit!
 Ah, the Madrid temple! The olive tree behind me is actually really old, and was transplanted from the Spanish countryside to the temple grounds. Cool huh?
 The Plaza de Toros (bullring) at Ventas, in Madrid. It's one of the more famous and significant ones in the world. (Not the biggest though--that one is in Mexico.) I love the Islamic influence in the architecture.
More bulls.
 The king's box, which he doesn't use. He likes to sit much closer and be "with the people."
 A view from just outside the ring.
 Here's a little sample of the costumes the bullfighters wear. They're way elaborate--gold thread, pearls, other jewels, embroidery, the works! The bullfighters are like the celebrities of old Spain.