You thought I forgot about you didn't you...? ;-) 9/4/2012

Hello!

I hope all is well in the motherland! :) To start out: I LOVE you! Anyway, real quick, I just have a few funny stories from things that have happened this week I thought you might enjoy. Perhaps my life will bring a little joy to you, as you have done for me.

• First, there was in fact a cockroach in my house! That's right, I freaked out. It was HUGE...ish. It was a good sized roach climbing on the wall behind me. My companion saw it moving and was like, "What is that?!" That's a tree roach, that's what that is! We totally went over to our landlord and had him come kill it for us. Seriously, I wasn't get close to that thing. And further more, it CAME BACK TO LIFE! And we made him kill it again. True story.
• Now, my companion is a very interesting girl...we are quite different. She acts like a ten year old, and she says I act like a thirty-five year old. Which I will neither confirm or deny. She also called me a stick in the mud....which can't be true. We all know that. Anyway, one of the Elders dared her to swallow a cherry tomato whole. What do you think she did? That's right, she swallowed a cherry tomato whole. She almost died, so I don't recommend it. But now you know it is possible to do. In case you had "find out if someone can swallow a cherry tomato whole" on your bucket list, you can now mark that off because I saw it with my own eyes.
• There is a magical thing down here in Texas called Blue Bell Ice Cream. Now, the Texans have been humbled and finally decided to share in various places throughout the states. I'm not positive if Utah was one of the luck ones, but if so get some. It's some pretty good ice cream. Grandpa, if you find it you need to get the Key Lime Pie. I know you'll enjoy it! :) Katrina you'd probably like the Krazy Kookie Dough...the normal cookie dough one is good too.
• Okay, funny story. So you know how I was in this area for three weeks before I got a new trainer who had never been in the area. Do you remember that part of my life? Well, turns out we never actually found an accurate map of our area, and we may or may not have left the mission more than once, and knocked doors in the North mission. I'm a little missionary rebel preaching the word in the other mission. :) Don't worry we got a map now, but now we need a new one because they are changing it and giving some of ours to the Elders. So we still go not in our area, but at least we stay in the mission.
• Something interesting: I am no longer living in my apartment above the garage. Why? you ask. I will tell you. There is mold all up in my vents! Okay, so for the last month I having been breathing in mold. Don't worry, I'm not dead. the Lord has protected me. However, I'm living inside the Allison's home now. Same address though so don't worry. I'll be at this address for about seven more weeks for certain. After that no promises. I'll send a reminder when it gets close to transfers and that week send any mail to the mission office (the Sugar Land address). I might get transferred or I might stay and get a new companion. So...just be aware I guess.
• So, somebody thought it would be funny to play a joke on the missionaries. We have been getting referrals from mormon.org to the 1st Baptist church, St. some one's Seminary, and to a Jehovah's Witness in an office building. The thing is: we didn't know until we got there that that's were we were going. Although, we did in fact track down the J.W. in the office building and talk to him, but he shut us down fast. It was an interesting experience, and I'm sure it's not the only time on my mission it will happen.

Now that I'm done with a handful of random stories. I will give you some more uplifting experiences:

It has come to my attention that we get the highest when we're coming up from our lowest point in life. I am constantly amazed at how much these people are going through in order to be prepared to receive or to accept again in their lives the restored gospel.

On Wednesday we met a woman who just came back to America because she had a stroke, and couldn't work anymore where she was. She is an older woman, with a tender heart and a solid desire to learn of God. She was listening to the Book of Mormon on lds.org before we taught her the first lesson. When we teach her she comments on how it relates to her, or how it makes sense, or why it would be important. Physically she isn't doing too well, but she is growing spiritually every day and soon she will probably be the strongest she's ever been. It's miraculous to see what the Lord can do with a "broken heart and a contrite spirit". She has such a desire to learn more.

I have seen this same phenomena in Bro. ----. He is getting baptized this Saturday, and I am excited to see him enter into such a beautiful, strengthening covenant with the Lord. In the coming months he intends to move to Utah. If he does I would hope you might get a chance to meet him. Grandpa, I really think you would like him. He loves history, he was a teacher, and he has traveled lots of places. I have seen him grow in the gospel, mostly I have seen how happy it has made him. He is the happiest he has been in a long time, and I'm grateful to have been able to see it happen, and to have been an instrument that the Lord could use to help His precious son feel the love He has for him.

 

Read the Book of Mormon! We all know that it's true, and if you don't, find out now! Don't wait until tomorrow. It's true and it holds the key to the mysteries of God and the answers to questions of our soul! Feast upon the words.

Have a most wonderful week my loved ones!

Forever,

Sis. Chris.