August 27, 2012

Helloooo Family,

Well, I still can't get over how every picture you all send me looks like straight out of Tourist magazine. Everyone is living the dream. I think Eric doesn't have anything to complain about with missing Disneyworld, when I missed a 3-week southern hemisphere excursion! Haha just kidding :) But it looks like so much fun, and I can't wait to meet this kid Jacob, and I especially can't wait to see how much he eats haha. I also loved all the pics of Michigan, it looks like a mid-west version of Bali itself.

So, familia, ch-ch-ch-changesss. Last pday seems like an eternity ago, but then it's so weird to me that it's almost September. So, I am officially out of Liahona 1st :( My last day there was a really weird one, kind of a hard day. Saying goodbye to all these people that I love, and feeling just like really transient and wondering and hoping that I made a difference. It was kind of weird, but it's all good because I still see a lot of them all the time, and I love them stillll! I went back for a baptism on Saturday evening, and so I got to see a lot of them there. I feel so grateful to serve in a place where it's all so close knit, and where it's all so close-by. I'm probably a pretty big wimp compared to other missionaries that get transferred by plane and never see people again. So, I am grateful. Anyways, so I bid farewell to Liahona 1st, and entered Liahona 3rd. Liahona 3rd is the place to be. I think it was time for a change, I realized how much, without change, you can just get in a rut and lose faith and get worn out. So, this change was very necessary.

So...first change, BIKES! I am on a bike, I bought one from Walmart. Me and my comp have matching helmets, and our bikes are identical, except hers is purple and white, and mine is pink and white. Can you say precious? Hahaha, so I actually really love bikes. Everyone makes fun of me, because I've been in a car my whole mission, pero finally me toca! So, bikes are great because they get you outside and moving and exercising and in the fresh air and you just feel like more of a missionary, and it's more fun than going in a car. Luckily, we live on a mesa (in case you didn't put that together), so we don't really have to worry about hills at all. So, bikes are fun. I haven't fallen yet, and I only almost got kind of close to getting hit by a car my first day (don't worry, that sounds worse than it was), and that same day this dog bit Sister Watkins foot as she was riding in front of me haahahaha.

So, that is change numero uno. Numero dos...nueva companera! Sister Watkins, cousin of the Bill & Lois Johnson family. She is awesome. The first couple days I was just like "She's incredible!" and now I'm like "Oh man, she's incredible...I gotta get to work!" Hahaha. But really though, she's awesome. Just to give you an idea, I've written in my journal like once in the last 5 days, because we are working and planning up until 10:25. She's super smart, super hard working, super disciplined and goal oriented, and she's not afraid to take initiative. She's only one transfer out and didn't know Spanish before her mission, but she participates just as much as I do in teaching,street contacting, working with members, everything. So, she's awesome. I won't lie, I feel like it kind of caught up to me/humbled me yesterday, because I feel like I'm like this tired, worn-out missionary compared to her! It reminds me of when I was in my first couple transfers, and I'd be like "What's next? What's next? Now what?" and my trainer would be like "Calmese, hermana. Calmese." So, I'm really grateful. I feel like I have to just get over the fact that I am way more tired than I was at the beginning of my mission, and allow her to restore my greenie fire! You know what I mean? So yes, she's awesome.

Que mas...I'm also back in the house where I lived for 4 weeks when I got bed bugs. It's funny, because I keep expecting that when I walk out the door, it will be autumn, because that's how it was when I was there. But it's really cool to be there, and to see myself in the same place, but how much I've changed and progressed. The two other sisters are awesome, Sister Christiansen and Sister Slater. We all went to BYU before the mission, and Sis Christensen went to BYU Jerusalem. They're both great missionaries. So it's us 4 plus the zone leaders all in Liahona 3rd, so I feel like we have a good group. There's a pretty good chance I'll only be here one transfer, because it's a full-field area, but I would love to stay more.

So, I wrote in my letter to the president about our investigators. We have lots of people with lots of potential. I was thinking about it this morning, and I decided that in Mesa there are two things...Mormons and Mexicanos. AKA, perfect for the third group of people, Missionaries. So yeah, we have tons of Hispanics in our area.

Oh! Before I forget! The story of the subject line. So, we had an 11 yr old girl that was supposed to get baptized this past Saturday. She has her interview on Thursday, and the district leader comes out and tells us we need to postpone her baptism. Why? Coffee! She's been drinking McFrappe's all along with her little buddies! Hahahaha we had no idea. BUt it was a tender mercy, b/c now her LA dad can prepare more to baptize her himself. Heavenly Father has a sense of humor, no?

Anyways, I love you all! Love, Sister  Fors