Update from Santa Cruz

Hi to everyone'
We are doing very well here now.  We had done all the hard things associated with getting settled (we think).  Now we are buckling down working with the young people here helping them with the young adult program.  They plan fun activities, do service for others, build friendships and spirituality.  We are all learning to use our talents or improving our talents to help this to be a great program for everyone that attends. 
We do a lot of cooking for them and the missionaries.  That is a common theme around the world.  Everyone loves to eat!  We feel a bit healthier here because they eat very light for supper.  An example of some of their favorite supper foods are green olives, white cheeses, popcorn, cookies, nuts and juices.  There are many steep hills here so we have walked up and down the streets many times just going to visit someone and as a result we have gotten our heart rates pounding and our breathing hard!
We are making friends and learning the language.  As they say here,,,,poco a poco.  Little by little. 
We are getting involved with figuring out the medical situation here in case the missionaries needed medical attention. We will then know what the hospitals are like and who is a recommended doctor.  There are many hospitals and doctors in the area so that will be a process.
We love being members of the church and it is a great blessing to us to see the fine people here with strong beliefs too.  It is a great uplift to us as we work together.

One of our special dinners!

A birthday party with the pinata on Alejandro's head!

A sample of the apartments on the hillsides.

Two of our favorite young people!

The 1700 year old Dragon tree (in the background).  On p-day with the missionaries.

A sampling of the old country clothing that people wear hear for festivals.

We love all of our family at home and pray and wish them all well.  We think of everyone often and miss everyone!

Our Mission to Santa Cruz, Tenerife!

We are finally up and running here on the island of Tenerife.  We just got our internet in our apartment (piso) on Monday and we were very happy to communicate again.  It has all been a big adventure and taken some adjustment because everyone speaks little english here, so spanish is a must.  Also the traffic has been a steep learning curve.  We thought maybe it would be a sleepier island but it is very populated with some heavy traffic and small streets.  The interstate (autopista) is wonderful but has some fast drivers.
We are learning our way around little by little.  There were several things we had to do to be able to stay here on the island for our mission.  We had to get a bank account, get registered with city hall and register at the foreign office.  These were all important but hard to get to and figure out the instructions!  However, Mike has enough spanish that it helped us get out of some jams.  He has also excelled in his driving skills, maneuvering the traffic and parallel parking in tiny spaces.
The church is strong here in our branch.  The people are wonderful and the youth we work with are very fine young people. They have all helped us and welcomed us.  They have expressed their love for us from the first day!  We hope that we can make a difference by supporting the young people and visiting many that are not coming.  It is a  testimony to us of those that do come out to church because it is not physically easy to get there. Many ride the train or the bus and then walk a way to come.
The missionaries are great here!  What wonderful young men.  They have strong testimonies and are an inspiration to us.
Here are some pictures of the area where we live and some of the people we have met!

 President and Hermana Watkins with Elder Ottesen!

 The view from our balcony!

 All our elders at our weekly district meeting.

 Two of our favortie friends.  Christina, next to me, is a great cook!

One of our least favorite streets!

 At district conference.

 The church is on the main floor of this building. 

 This is the parking in front of the church.  We are lucky when we find a spot.

 A beautiful mountain and oceanview.  This is all a volcanic island.

 Wonderful architecture of a huge church in Madrid.

 Maria is going to be baptised in a few Saturday's!

 An old cobblestone street we saw today in Orotava, Tenerife

The city hall of Orotava we got to see today.
Love to our family and friends back home.  We miss them a lot.