November 12th Letters and Pics

The earthquake was kind of fun in my opinion, we were just studying and it wasn't that bad, just stood in the doorway for a few seconds. Everyone here was terrified though, so its been kinda good for business, everyone is like ´´i knew i needed to repent´´ and we were like we can help you with that! My comp´s name is Shroeder. Her dad is retired now. They never lived anywhere we have, he was an MP. I was sad i didn't get to watch the elections, but my comp and I wore red white and blue, and I painted my toenails red with blue stars. A member let us know that Obama had won.Oh I sent a package for you all, it isn't a lot because well there is a lot here but hopefully you get it for the holidays! The only thing I can think of that I want is some multivitams, not chewables...those disintegrated here, not sure why. Anyways spanish is coming slowly, my comp is super patient and sometimes I understand and sometimes I cant so we will see. Everyone says to give it 6 months. The members here are really nice, they say my spanish is good and then they say to each other ´´Remember Elder ****...he didn't know any spanish´´ I don't know this poor elder, but he makes me feel a little better about life. So because of my lack of spanish, I found out my comp volunteered me to teach the yw country dance. She asked me if I knew it and I was like, if I have a good partner and she was like whatever, so on Saturday I had to like make up a routine for these girls. WE did a combination of a line dance, a square dance, and some swing...and did it all without music It was hilarious. Then my teeny tiny bishop started singing and dancing around me and my companion. it was so funny. So the exciting things in my life this week ' I found a leaf that smelled like a fruit loop.WE set a baptism date with one of our investigators yesterday. He was so happy, you could just see him waiting for us to ask him, because we've been trying for a bit to get a date with him and finally he was ready! The spirit was so sweet and I'm so excited for him! So our new convert, she likes to exaggerate and she told me and my comp that she had gone to the doc and had had a temperature of 140 degrees...I told her that wasn't possible and my comp told her she would have been dead yesterday! That is exciting for Remmington! Tell him congrats! I wish I could see your hair, do you feel like you have more fun now. Thank you and thank Craig and Nannie for me. Also tell Pres Scott and and Bro Teague I say hello. and don't worry, I am protected, like it says in D & C 6 if the powers of earth and hell combine against me I will be okay as long as I'm built upon my savior, and I am. I love you!

This pic is not from the earthquake.  It is construction from behind the church building.  They are expanded to make it larger.   But Emily says you can pretend it is the earthquake if you'd like.  :) 

November 5th Letters

Hey Mama! Tell Nannie I love her too and Aunt Annie congrats for me, I hope the reception is fun! Yes the package I got was Halloween, it was great! We didnt do a lot on Halloween but we did have to go in an hour early at 7 just for safety even though they dont really celebrate Halloween here, they did have Day of the Dead the next day. But for Halloween my comp and I bought some candy, but they dont have much here, they think cough drops are candy so they mostly sell those, but we did find some chocolate and had stuff the package you sent! So we have started teaching this cute little old couple and the man knows a ton and they are really receptive! like in our first lessone with them the man said ¨I dont think you just go to heaven, there is a place you wait before that´´ My comp looked at me in the middle of our lesson and in english was like ´´what the heck?´´ not many people know about the spirit world! It is exciting and fun teaching them! THe woman is funny, she is always cracking us up. She told us she needed to walk with a cane because without it she looks like a drunk, but then she just holds the cane, and doesnt use it. its funny. They told us the last time they went to chuch she had the hiccups and the pastor told her she had a devil in her and so he baptized her and her kids right then and there, so they were wanted to make sure we would give them time to learn before we baptized them, we assured them we would. Speaking of baptisms I had my first on this week! It was exciting. It was neat to be apart of it, though im not really close to this women but i was really happy for her.So can I just tell you life is different here and it just makes me laugh, like we went to go visit a recent convert and outside her house there is always a raccoon chained to a tree. it paces back and forth and it just cracks me up that someone has the raccoon as a pet! Also one family was super sweet this week and made us hot chocolate, mind you it is over 90 degrees outside with humidity and were sweating but they made it from scratch so that was nice, Oh and I made tortillas the other day, Im not good at it! The family and i and my comp were cracking up! I was not meant to make tortillas which is okay because thats all they make here. I went to the hospital here this week to visit a member and it was super different, there were lots of people in the room and of course no AC, it was really interesting to see, Im grateful for the hospitals that I go to. My contacts are 8.4 Things are good here, im exhausted all the time but some of the people make it all worth it, some of them are so sweet and I love the kids here, they think it is hilarious when my comp and i speak english, it cracks them up! But i love you! Tell Zoey Congrats for me! 

Hi Danielle! The pics are super cute!!! Halloween sounds like it was fun, no they dont really celebrate here, on nov 1, they did day of the dead but they just visit cemetaries and get drunk, but thats what they do every holiday apparently. THats awesome that you are keeping a gratitude journals, it is true, that someone is always happy with less, especially here, some people are very sweet even though they have little. Im so glad you are using PMG, it is wonderful and so inspired, i love that book. What are some of your lesson plans. Im excited for Andrews baptism, I really want to record my self for him, but i dont know if thats possible here, the techonology isnt as advanced, but i will try if not, is there anything else i can do to participate, write a note? And Andrew is an overacheiver because of you! haha Im excited tohear about elections! Living here has made me appreciate America so much! WE are so very blessed to have laws and the blessings we have there! So I will take you through a typical day and if it sounds bad at parts, thats not my intent, im just trying to be real. So My comp and I (we live alone, just the 2 of us in an apt above a non member family, our apt is really nice, it is made out of concrete, a majority of the people here, their homes are made out of some concrete and aluminum) get up at 545 and run and go to a itty bitty gym down the street! WE love it! THen we go home and get ready, the shower is cold, but we prefer it that way since it is always hot here and we are constantly sweating. Then we study for awhile or have meetings in the morning. THen we teach, we usually teach 5 to 6 lessons a day. WE ride around on these 3 wheeled little cars called tuc tucs. I love them, if i lived here, id want to be a tuc tuc driver. We usually have lunch with a member, but we try to get out of it because first of all it isnt sanitary how they prepare their food and it is usually hot food, and they arent really ever ready so we dont like to sit there when we could be out contacting. Time doesnt exsist here. People say that we can come by at 3 but they arent there or everything runs 30 mins to an hour behind or we try to make appts with people and they say ¨well i might leave, my feet may just leave´´ they dont understand they are in control of there life. THen we go home and study more and then finish the day with appts.WE usually stop by and say hi to the family in the ward that lives on the corner, they are so sweet and they sell tortillas....everyone does! THen we usually stop on the stores on the side of the road and by dinner which is usually bread or chips or cereal. My diet is great here, but really all they eat here is tortillas and coke. Ive had so much soda since ive been here, it is gross.The pan is so good! I love it so much! THen we go home at 8, hermanas go in earlier for safety reasons and we plan and then I was my clothes by hand in this basin we have outside our apt, i feel like the woman in the little mermaid! It is kind of fun! It is so different here but Im happy and my comp and i have so much fun! I love you and hope everything is good! Tell everyone I love them too! 

Letter October 29th, 2012

Hey Hey hey! I;m am in the field! Thanks for the pictures of the boys. they are so cute! Also I got your halloween cards and packages! Thanks so much! Me and my companion loved it! My trainer is spectacular. She is just who I needed. We get along really well and have a good time together. Today our zone carved pumpkins for PDay. I dont think I need anything right now, but Ill make sure and tell you next week. So the field is super different the the CCM and I love it.! It is super hot and humid and I look gross all the time but the people here dont care because Im white and have blue eyes. Ive never had my eyes complemented so much! So I found out that in our mission we are allowed to email friends, because probably the mail is unreliable. THanks! So I feel pretty legit because guess what happened on my 2nd day, I was bitten by a dog! Can you believe that! My comp was real brave and whacked it with her umbrella...speaking of which I'm getting a new one today because mine is already broken, it rains a lot her, like making rivers every afternoon in the streets. But anyway don't worry about the bite its fine the owner says it has its vaccinations and its been 3 days and its still alive so im good. My comp felt so bad but I just laughed about it. I would get bit my first week. My life is super cliche. So how is home. How is life and work. Make sure to tell me about the election please! Tell everyone I love them and tell Aunt Annie....Congrats for me! Take care and know I love you!!!!