words and wanderlusts: Cádiz, Trios, and the Stomach Flu...

I´m alive in Cádiz (but just barely). I got here late Wednesday night after passing through some tricky bus to train changes in Sevilla and then Friday morning I woke up throwing up! Lovely, right? I had a fever all day and then by Saturday it was gone but I still couldn´t eat normal food. But now I´m all good and trying to eat real food. My companions took really good care of me and are literally like little mothers. Here´s the run down on them. Hna Moreno like I said is from Spain, has been a member all her life, and ends the mission in Sept with me. She is the sweetest most loving thing ever, acts like a Disney princess, and goes around calling everyone guapa (beautiful) and a "Princesa" haha. Hna Fumero is from Venezuela, got baptized there 4 years ago, and has been living in Barcelona almost 3 years. She is super open and they both love to talk and help everyone in sight. So it´s a good trio and I´m really lucky to be with them both!

Cádiz is beautiful. We work in the newer part but this morning we passed by the older side where the elders work and saw the market, the cathedral, and ate at a place that supposedly sell Cuban food (but really it didn´t...sigh). Next week we will probably go see the castles by bike :) The people here have a funny little accent and are all very friendly and open. There is live seafood and snails to buy everywhere and the climate is literally perfect right now. It´s not hot because there is always a breeze and it feels like Key West or Florida every now and then. (But obviously it is ancient). There are tourists but not like Benidorm so that´s nice. What else? The ward is currently the stake center but they are going to change that soon. There used to be two big wards but a lot of people have moved out. There is a lot of work here right now for the Hermanas' which is good because I was expecting the opposite from what I heard in the beginning of my mission. We have one investigator that is literally AMAZING. Her named is Isi (short for Isabel), she is 25, she knows a ton, calls us to set up appts, and when I was sick she would check up on me (since she studies nursing). Seriously the best.

I still miss Murcia a ton and the people, it was sad to leave, but I am happy to be in Cádiz to die (aka end the mission). Yesterday as we were going between appointments we passed by a little older lady and Hna Fumero noticed that she was struggling and offered to help. She was reluctant at first but we insisted and she let us. Turns out that her sandal had broken and she had a really heavy bag and cart to hull along. She had been inching along one load at a time and thought she would never get home. We carried her things to her apartment and she was thanking us so much she started to cry and told us that she had been praying someone would come and help her. She apparently had even had former contact with missionaries before and we have her info to stop by again. She loves us now and gave us very long hugs and besos. I love little miracles that show that God is aware of literally everyone. And more than anything I love being an instrument in his hands.

Love you all and have a wonderful week!

Hermana Thompson

ps- photos! ok so i accidentally left my important camera card at home so I will only be able to send a few pics today. you´ll all have to be patient...

1. last district meeting in Murcia!

2. transfer day! Hna Johnson and I are going the same direction again! she´ll be my leader in the Jerez zone

3. the port in Cadiz this morning :)