October 31, 2011

Hi mom!

 

Yeah I missed our party this year but we'll just have to have our own, me and my comp. We'll make treats and watch finding faith in christ or something :) I love those little ghosts! My comps family sent her orange candles so we made a little display on the counter. Send me pictures of the party!

 

Yeah dad told me, that's so sad. I didn't know him very well but I know his family. What a hard thing to go through for them. I'll be writing them soon. Talicia too, this has got to be really hard on her.

Tell me about work! What are you doing different now? Awww she's cute. I show people her picture and they all marvel that she's as old as she is, she looks good! I've got a card for her on the way :)

 

This week was interesting. We had a small medical emergence but it's okay now. We both got sick when the weather suddenly dipped (it's back to it's usual 80's now again though) and we got colds. My comp got pretty sick and had a bad fever, so we got her some meds and she slept most of the morning. She felt better later so we went out but that night she had a fever again so she took some ibuprofin. In the morning she took some more, and about an hour later we learned that she has an allergy to it. Booooooo. She got hives all over her body, though luckily not on her face, and they wouldn't go away, they got worse. So we doped her up on benadryl and while she was out I got to call the mission presidents wife. That was fun, she's really nice. The meds haven't really started working yet although they do seem to help, she's still got the hives. Fun fun.

 

We got to take our investigators to the visitors center last friday! It's beautiful adn they loved it. One less active woman we'd found said she wanted to work towards getting to go in the temple in a year. Her family is amazing! They also had a disply set up in one room that was beautiful! It's was all artwork about Christ. Plus these really cool pictures from Reflections of Christ. So amazing!

 

We've had a pretty quiet week, although I have to laugh because you know it's the end of the month when if members buy you a pizza it's a gourmet meal. We ate like queens :) I love how giving anf unselfish the people here are. One sister in our ward just finished making a wedding gown for a girl in our ward. She's getting married in a few weeks. We were at her house and so she took us back to see it before the girl picked it up. It was amazing! And she did it all by hand and by sight. It was incredible and beautiful and looked very expensive. She told us that as a gift she wasn't going to take payment. This family is very poor and her sewing is how they make ends meet. She's incredible, they all are. Basically I love it here :)

 

We'll be careful tonight, love you!

October 24, 2011

That's so great to hear about all the good things that are going on for you guys. I'm excited to see what happens in the next few months!

 

Still hot here! We had a week of good weather then it jumped back to the 110's again. But it's been slowly cooling since then and now people actually have lawns down here! Hopefully we'll hit winter weather soon.

 

Fun! The missionaries are going to have a little party too. A picnic during the day because it's on our p-day and then we'll hang out in the apartment since we can't go out that night. Send pictures of the party! Crazy how time flies!

 

Hmmm well the only thing I can think of would be a water purifier, the kind you put in the fridge like a water pitcher. Our apartment water tastes nasty! It's drinkable, just a little gross so we always freeze it, seems to help. So that as a christmas gift would be awesome! Other than that I can't think of much. But yeah, sooo nice to have the mail like this!

 

Cool! I look forward to seeing the house when I get back :) Also give Darren a hug for me for his birthday! I'll write him in a bit :)

 

I'm glad we get along too, and I very glad that we didn't get changed last week for transfers! I love this area and we work together very well. I hope to be here for a nice long time!

 

I'm doing good, nothing new to report. It's like my comp says, "Sometimes a mission is just about having a good meal and talking alot." We met lots of people and our investigators are progressing well but otherwise a pretty quiet week. We got a new missionary on tuesday, fresh from the MTC. Listening to him talk I realized that my spanish has gotten pretty good. I can understand pretty well now and can usually say exactly what I mean too. It's crazy how fast you pick it up when you use it all day. My comp is to the point where she tried to pray in English and slipped into spanish without noticing. I pointed it out after and she just said, "Wait I was using Spanish?" We all laughed pretty good about that.

 

The only problem we really have right now is that we could ahve five baptisms tomorrow if people would just get married. It's just not very important to a lot of people down here. They just think they can live together, have kids, and do all the work, and just never actually get married. It's frustrating, especially since half the time it's because the husband doesn't want to comit, but it's like, "You've been married for thirty years, have kids, and grandkids. Get married already!" But the good news is son one of them will get married, as soon as the husband can get his divorce papers from his first marriage.

 

This week I made a basket for our bikes, because it's really annoying trying to get cards out of the backpack on a bike when people are trying to catch a bus. So I took some hangers, plastic bags, and some hot pink zebra striped ducktape and fixed the problem. We have a waterproof basket now and it doesn't look half bad :) I'll send pictures next time of it.

Love you mom! I'll be safe :)

 

Hermana Watson

October 17, 2011 - Pictures!

I found a talent I didn't know I had. Face making. I'm getting pretty good at it.

A cute drawing one of the primary girls made for us!

October 17, 2011

Love you! How's everything going for you guys?

 

I'm doing good here and things are going very well in the work.

 

I can' believe that half a year has already gone by, that went by way too fast. I was just writing to Elder Spencer and his request to extend was denied so he'll be home in Dec 15th. He's a little bummed about that, he doesn't want to leave yet. But he's excited to work while he can.

 

Nothing much happened this week really, I'll add more details in a letter to all of you, but you should all go and make a profile on mormon.org. Have you seen the commercials yet? Or the billboards? It's really cool! Go and watch all the videos on there, you'll love them. But especially the ones of Rose, Vance, Allan, Paris, and Cassandra. But they're all soooooooo good! Go do it!

 

We went knocking on doors alot this week, but over all it was quiet.

 

Well I've got some pictures for you all! Love you!

October 10, 2011

I'm doing really well, we had a great week! I missed you guys too, I went through my letters from the MTC and loved reading them again :)

 

From what you two say it sounds like things are going really really well for you all at home! Wow! That would be amazing if he could get that! Sounds like things are just as busy for you too though! Are you thinking of stepping up or do you want to stay where you are for now? That's sad but I'm sure you two will have fun get togethers later on as well :)

 

Bones is cute! She's always been so against dying her hair, I definatly want a picture! I think it'll look super cute on her! Yay for getting brave! It's good practice for when she goes on a mission ;) Sometimes you just shovel whatever it is down with a smile. I like what a mission president said, "There's no growing in a comfort zone, and no comfort in a growing zone."

 

That's awesome about connor! Where does he want to go or does he know yet? That would be so good for him and he would love it! He's really growing lately.

 

I'm really really happy to hear that. I just know that this work is going to bless so many people and I'm so happy that we're seeing the blessing for our family coming. By the way do we have missionaries in our ward serving there? If so you should go out with them, it's a blast and we really love it when members come with us. Tell everyone hi for me and thank them all for their support and prayers!

 

I miss you guys too, but I like how Hna Kigueta said it, "Ever since I left my family I've gotten closer to them than ever." I really feel like that. I love getting to talk to him too when he can, it's nice to have a little chat with him :)

 

Thank you for all the love and boxes! I really appriciate it mom!

 

Hna Kigueta has been teaching me how to write poems more often and I'm finding some good ones. Bit of a growing zone for me, but she's teaching me to share them a bit more. I have a poem for you guys. I was thinking about one of the girls we taught. She has had a really hard life and just had another upheavel. She's in Cali right now and we just hope that she stays with the gospel, it's the only thing she can count on with the father she has. 

 

Sobs wracked her frame as she mourned for her pain.

Sitting on her heels she felt the weight of this heartache crush her into the floor.

She couldn't do this alone.

She wasn't strong enough to live through this.

She'd feel lucky if she could just survive.

 

Oh my child, I said softly, why are you trying to do this alone?

Look up and see where you are.

 

You sit on your knees pleading for support,

not realizing that you're resting your head on my knees.

 

You cry for comfort,

but I've had you in my arms all this time.

 

You hope someone will help,

I've already planned for your escape.

 

So why do you suffer so?

Look, take my hands, feel the marks.

Remember that you are mine,

that I've already paid for your pain.

You don't need to suffer so.

 

Daughter be of good cheer.

I am with you and will carry you through your trials.

 

Oh my child, if you would only let me.

`````

  

Any snow yet? It's 75 right now outside. We had a sudden switch and the heat is gone, now it's a little chilly in the morning but nothing bad, and wonderful during the day! Although the sudden change got my comp sick. She's slowly getting her voice back. Made it hard when she couldn't talk at all so I ended up teaching most of the lessons. It was good Spanish practice.

 

A boy got baptised this weekend! He's a really cool 11 year old and was so excited all this month to get baptised. I like the way he put it he said, "I feel like I'm in a big warm quilt!" Awesome kid and he really has a hunger to learn. He told us how he reads his BoM under his covers with a flashlight. Cute!

 

It's been an odd week. Sometimes you go out fishing all day and don't catch anything. Sometimes that goes on for a week. But we somehow managed to make our goal of 5 new investigators for the week. But even when no one wanted to talk we had a good time! One woman answer the door after we knocked on her window (the door was painted and didn't make any noise) and yelled, "IS THAT HOW YOU KNOCK ON DOORS?!" Us, ".....no? The door didn't make any noise." She yelled a bit then slammed the door. We left and Hna turned to me, "Is that how you knock on doors? Didn't your father ever teach you?" Me, "I never had a father!" I love tracking with her, we have so much fun! Also chiuahuas hate me. Hna can walk right by them but the minute I try they freak out. However any stray cat near by runs over to me for some love.

 

This was a great week over all! I love you all so much!

 

Hermana Watson

October 3, 2011

Hi mom!

 

Yup, it got nice for about a week, in the 90's during the day, then jumped back up to the 110's again. But we've got a nice breeze lately so that helps. Lucky! We keep hearing about snow in other places and get jealous. Fun! Haha! I wish I could have seen that, I'll bet they both really freaked out about it. I went on exchanges this last monday and they house I stayed at had this huge fat old cat named Mr. Pip. It was cute, he jumped up on my bed and didn't want to leave.

 

Conference was amazing! Honestly it's like Christmas for missionaries, we were so excited for it! We drove to the stake center with a Sister in our ward to see it in English and it was fun watching it in a group. Everyone exclaimed and Ooooo'd when Pres. Monson spoke about the temples. By the way isn't he just the cutest! "Hello!" We all cracked up so hard! All the talks were amazing and we've been talking about them all this morning. I really liked the poem about the crows. Because the young crows have the speed, and the old crows can tell them where to go. Oh! I forgot that he was his mission president! I loved that talk!

 

Ummm, ew. And yikes. Makes me really happy that we live on the top floor of our apartment complex. A sister was teling us how their house is infested with scorpions and they get it all the time. Scary! Actually though I haven't see either tarantula's or scorpions yet, just spiders and cockroaches and the random giant centaped.

 

Us too! He's now got the priesthood and this coming saturday he's going to baptise his nephew! How cool is that? Also we had a miracle and one of the girls we've been teaching got baptised yesterday! She's been waiting for more than a year and her husband finally consented to let her do it! And yes that guy I yelled at is better. He's reading his scriptures now and coming to church. He knows it's true, he just needs a bit more time before he's ready so we're not pushing him.

 

Such a cute little boy! We're teaching him mom and older sister and he lied to us that he was eight because he wanted to get baptised. Well we were reading with them and he came and sat by me because he wanted to read too and needed help. So I whispered in his ear what to say for a bit then he got up and got his own Libro de Mormon and came back saying, "I can do it on my own now!" I still ended up doing the same thing but he did pretty good on his own, he just needed help with the big words. But after we finished the chapter he looked at me and asked, "My turn again?" "No, we finished it now for tonight." Then he closed the book saying , Oh, then smiled and let out a happy sigh and said, "Que bonita a leer!" (How beautiful to read!) Awwwww!

 

Sounds like work is going great! That course will be a blast but make sure and have fun with all that work too, not that I'm worried you won't. Office pranks are the best. We do it whenever we see the Elders bikes out somewhere. You're going to be awesome!

 

Thhhaaaannnnkkkkk yyyyoooouuuuuu! I loved the package and we both cracked up at the can dad put in. Thank you so much for doing all this for me! You're the best mom! And thank you for all the handsanitizers, they smell great and help alot! Although tell Larissa that I was squeezing one to smell it and it blew up in my face. Yup. Oh! And tell her too that if she could put the song, "Esta son las mananitas" on the cd I would love her for it forever! It's what they sing down here for every birthday/holiday/everything.

 

Love you too mom, I really appriciate the support you give me out here :) Tell everyone in the ward thank you for me!

 

Love you mom!

September 26, 2011

Hi mom!

 

Haha! Thanks, it was pretty fun actually, and it seems to ahve done some good.

 

The kermes was so much fun! We met some fun people and lots of people came! It's was crazy! I'll send a few more pictures of it. Also the man in the yello shirt was the MC and he's 80 years old. Wow! He and his wife danced later as well.

 

Yuck, sounds like no fun. Hopefully things will heal up better now. Just take it easy till then :)
Haha, dad's funny. I haven't gotten the package yet, but I finally figured out what dad put in it. That's so cute that he did that! But poor guy, hope he feels better soon.

 

Fun! Wish I could have seen it. We had our this last sunday too and the kids were so cute! Plus it really helped our one investigator. She's got a house full of kids and wants this for them to grow up in and to keep them out of the gangs here.

 

Lucky! Ah snow, won't be seeing that for a while. So funny story, Hna Kigueta got this bag of chocolates ant in the wrappers are sayins and over half of them were things like, "Catch a snowflake on your tounge" or "Enjoy the simple winter games of childhood" It mocks us down in the, once again, 107 degree heat.

 

Have fun with the party!

 

And I was happy I could send you something :) Love you so much mom!

 

So this week has gone by fast. We've had straight lessons with people, only about four hours of tracting total for the week. We've just got a lot of work right now! But we still work to our goals and let me tell you, if you do all you can and can't meet them, God helps make them happen. The mission goal is to have five new people a week who are interested to learn, it was saturday night and we had two and were sad about it, but made time to go knocking doors the next day and asked for some help. There's a saying that goes, "Dios pone los medios." Or God makes it possible. We went to church and by the end of church we had our other three! These people just showed up or their friends brought them and they all lived in our area! Wow! And we were able to focus on the lessons for that day too! It was a miracle for us!

 

One of our investigators got baptised this week! He's an amazing man and so firm in the gospel. It was sad though, all his family either couldn't go or didn't come. He showed up alone without them and wanted to be baptised still. He gets this, he knows what this is and why he needs it. He's ready to do everything he needs to get these blessing for him and his family. We're so proud of him!

 

The man I yelled at is doing much better. He's doing those basic things that he knows he should and has been coming to church again. Hopefully this is the turn around for him, but we're not holding our breathe, we'll just see how he does.

 

So today I made empanadas! Yum!It's been an adventure! A few days ago I made the filling from a pumpkin we bought. We let it all cook while we studied in the morning and at the end of it all we tried it out. I was pretty happy with it and I loved what my companion said. She had some them looked at me and said, "Who are you?! This is good!" I've discovered that I'm pretty good at baking and at mexican food in general. Awesome! I'll make them for you guys when I get home.

 

This was a great week and in six more days is conference! Woohoo!

 

As for the package, not really anything, but more recipies would be awesome! And tell Darren to give me his borstch recipie or I'll mail him a scorpion. (Actually some Elders joke about doing that to their siblings. You catch it or a tarantula and freeze it, them ship it out so it crawls out when they open it.) And ask Ribs if she's made me any CD's :)

 

Sweet! Check out the mountains and stuff near it, that's my area :)

 

Love you all!

 

Hermana Watson