Letter dated 2Apr2012

[Dear friends and family, I hope you are all doing well. We are having wonderful SPRING weather today -- which is nice. I hope that you are happy and well -- wherever you are! Send any notes you have as a reply -- and I will forward them to Weston! Weston's editor - BWS] Dear Family, Hello there. I´m so glad to have heard so much from you all about what is going on back in A-Town. (Auburn) I´m also very, very excited for Brigitte and Doug! Marriage isn´t what brings us together today, [a quote from a movie!] but it´s so exciting that they´re getting married so soon. I actually just got the invitation to their wedding in the mail today, via airmail. The letter arrived a bit later but I wish the best in the preparations you are all doing right now for both of them. Take lots of pictures for me! Today was a good day and the reason that I´m writing a bit later than I usually do is because we had our Interviews with the President earlier today in Barcelona. I had a great time with the office Elders and a Phillipine member made us some delicious rice and it was some of the best food I´ve had in a while. It definitely beats tuna fish sandwiches, which Elder Call has called me out on. Now, as for other food, I love eating at members' houses since I don´t have to spend time to cook it myself, but also they always make delicious foods for us. Here in Spain, they like to serve random foods with other foods, but I´m used to that thanks to you dad! [I don't know what to say!?!] I did buy myself some hamburger patties that were on sale as well as some fancy Spanish cookies (they´re not too fancy, they look like Oreos). Ahh, but after eating I took a walk down a place called the Rombla in Barcelona and walked down to the shore. The whole calle is filled with shops and people and we went to a market and I saw all sorts of fresh fruits and fresh meats. In Spain, they like to just cut off the legs of cows and pigs and hang them up in their shops. But down at the Rombla I saw a wonderful statue of Christopher Columbus, which is over 100 years old, and I took some pictures but I´ll have to send those at another time. And now for General Conference. We were able to watch it right in the chapel here in Gerona, but of course, it was in Spanish and it was hard to understand everything that was being said. The only session I didn´t see was the final Sunday one, since the first one ended at 8:00pm here in Gerona but the first session was amazing. I also loved what President Uchtdorf said about keeping contention out of our lives and living better lives. We had 29 people in the Chapel for the first session and then even more for the final session on Sunday. 7 of our investigators attended at least one session of conference and this upcoming Saturday we have two baptisms lined up and four more on the following week. I want to write more and more, but sadly I am out of time now so I´ll finish my short message to you and write more next week and answer all the questions people have had for me during this past week as well as next week. I have a lot to share, definitely, and I want to know that you are all in my prayers! Love, Elder Xander Weston Schindler P.S. This is a shout out to Sarah Lane, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!