THANK YOU MOORES!!!!!!!

September 8, 2014

Hey Mom!!!!

 So this week. Was a crazy week. What's new?? We had Preparation Day, then Tuesday we had zone meeting, then right after we all ate lunch together as usual, then we went back to the chapel to do Stake Correlation.... we have to do it every month, and basically it's just a big boring report about all of our recent converts, our less actives, and the investigators that are actually progressing. Since our three companionships share the area we have to do it together every month and it takes a while. So by the time we finished everything it was after 4.... dinner at 5 and we left for our investigator's funeral at like 5:30ish.... went to my first Mexican funeral. It is different. I was the ONLY white person there. And the only other non-Mexican was black. So that was cool. The weirder thing was that I didn't even notice I was the only white person until I'd been there for like an hour.... blue eyes are freaking me out more and more because I only see black and brown eyes around here. It's kind of weird. White people scare me in general. Anyways.... so a bunch of men came out with mariachi instruments.... my investigator was a mariachi man. So his band came. And it's a Mexican tradition to perform at funerals... but not for the people there, for the dead person. So they all stood in a semi-circle around his casket and sang their hearts out to him. It actually was a pretty spiritual experience. I've never seen a live mariachi band in all my time here, just heard the music. Man they can sing. So that was neat. The sad part about this story (besides the fact that he died at age 39, leaving behind his wife and three sons ages 18, 16, and 5) was that about two days later his wife texted us and said that she didn't want us to come back. Her mother had come up from Mexico to help out and she's very Catholic and told our investigator that she didn't want us around. So she listened to her mom. Super bummer.

So that was Tuesday. Wednesday the zone leaders checked out apartment and then we drove about an hour down to Merced to go on exchanges.... had to leave my darling companion to lead the area for the first time.... we don't have a GPS so I had to teach her how to use a map quick the night before with a list of every where she needed to go. And she was with a brand new missionary from Canada, who is just starting to learn Spanish. So I was a bit worried. But it all went great. I worked with Sister Johnson who is going home in two transfers. She was great! She motivated me so much!!! And I thought I was getting into really good shape....she straight up DESTROYED me running the next morning. Offt. It was bad haha! So then Thursday I got home in the afternoon and we went straight to Weekly Planning for about two hours... taught a bit and then Friday was Leadership Training in Fresno, we got home around 5... Saturday we had studies until 1... and then activities from 3-8:30 at night. Then Meetings and church on Sunday. So we didn't get to teach almost anyone this week. Which doesn't feel good. And sadly this week doesn't look much better. But God will take care of my area while I have to do my calling. So. That's good.

I'm trying to think of any funny stories that we had this week... but nothing is coming to mind. What else is going on in your neck of the woods?? (that's funny because we have no woods here... I don't know if funny is the right word... but.... anyways...)

Got my first Christmas package!!!! Courtesy of the Moores. They had to send Benjamin's super early to get to Russia by Christmas... so they made mine too. CANDY COOKIES LLAMA KEYCHAIN LLAMA SUPER COMFY LLAMA SOCKS!  THANK YOU MOORES (please put that shout out on the blog)

Mom I super love you!!! We have to run because we have a zone activity and they're waiting for us!!!

Elder Boswell just called... he told me to say that he loves you and you did a great job raising your children.

I love you  much more than Elder Boswell loves you! Sorry this was a bit fast, we have to run!!! Talk to you next Monday!!!! LOVE YOU ALL WITH ALL OF MY HEART AND MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY AND YOUR THE BEST!!!!!!!

<3 Hermana Z