Time is Flying

Dear Family and Friends,

Time is really flying by. And I really realized how little time I have left as I did a survey this morning for the zone conference we're going to have in a couple of weeks with Elder Zivic and had to move a little slider-bar thingy for how many months I've been out and moved it to 15 (because that's where I'll be by the end of the week). It felt like it just kept going and going.

Anyway, on to my week!

Tuesday: It was p-day because of the temple trip, but we did have a couple of appointments. We were able to clean our apartment. We had an appointment that evening with the Soto family, who accepted a baptismal date, so that was exciting! I think I talked about how we found them last week, if not, ask me for more details and I'll fill ya'll in. We went to the church that evening for our missionary coordination meeting with the Spanish ward, and the Primary all sang to us "I Hope they Call Me On a Mission"--but in Spanish. It was pretty cool. Then they gave us a bunch of food--cereal, bread, peanut butter, lunch meat, ramen, cookies, juice--just because. It was so sweet! All 3 companionships got a ton of food!

Wednesday: It was kinda rainy. We went and did service for the McDermed family to help them get ready for the funeral of Sister McDermed.

Thursday: We had district meeting. We needed to leave early, because Sister McDermed's funeral was that afternoon, and they had asked Sister Jardine and I to sing for the funeral. It was a beautiful service celebrating her life. She is definitely in a better place now, and free of pain and suffering.

Friday: We had weekly planning, then coordination like we do every Friday. But this week, when I went to put on my shoes, I felt something rather LARGE wiggling around by my toes. I screamed my Spider Scream (which doesn't come out very often because normally I just kill them and it's done) and kicked my shoe off. A GIANT Brown Recluse came running out of my shoe. Seriously--the body was over an inch long, and then with the legs... Yikes. We're being haunted because we baked Bob the Tarantula. Then I chased it down and killed it, after I slowed it down by spraying it with cockroach Raid. At coordination, we planned a service project to do for the English ward--we're all pretty excited.

Saturday: We went down to Fabens because they asked me to play the piano at the baptism they had. Then we went to the Relief Society Broadcast. It was so good! There were lots of good points that stood out to me. I also had a flashback to last year--3 weeks in the field. I was super homesick, and couldn't understand Spanish, but we had to watch it in Spanish. I sat there and sobbed clear through the whole thing. This year we were able to watch it in English because we didn't have any Spanish investigators there, but even if we had to, I would have been able to understand.

Sunday: We went to Church. We were able to set another baptismal date with another new investigator, Rosa. Also--another sad point that made me realize that my time is drawing short-- Sister Jardine and I flip-flopped. She now has more time in the mission than I have left. Que Triste!

So yeah, that's my week. Nothing super exciting happened. Okay, other than setting 6 baptismal dates. The bishop was super shocked when we told him. We're actually getting somewhere now! It's going to be a great month!

Love you all!

Hermana Good

Time is Flying

Dear Family and Friends,

Time is really flying by. And I really realized how little time I have left as I did a survey this morning for the zone conference we're going to have in a couple of weeks with Elder Zivic and had to move a little slider-bar thingy for how many months I've been out and moved it to 15 (because that's where I'll be by the end of the week). It felt like it just kept going and going.

Anyway, on to my week!

Tuesday: It was p-day because of the temple trip, but we did have a couple of appointments. We were able to clean our apartment. We had an appointment that evening with the Soto family, who accepted a baptismal date, so that was exciting! I think I talked about how we found them last week, if not, ask me for more details and I'll fill ya'll in. We went to the church that evening for our missionary coordination meeting with the Spanish ward, and the Primary all sang to us "I Hope they Call Me On a Mission"--but in Spanish. It was pretty cool. Then they gave us a bunch of food--cereal, bread, peanut butter, lunch meat, ramen, cookies, juice--just because. It was so sweet! All 3 companionships got a ton of food!

Wednesday: It was kinda rainy. We went and did service for the McDermed family to help them get ready for the funeral of Sister McDermed.

Thursday: We had district meeting. We needed to leave early, because Sister McDermed's funeral was that afternoon, and they had asked Sister Jardine and I to sing for the funeral. It was a beautiful service celebrating her life. She is definitely in a better place now, and free of pain and suffering.

Friday: We had weekly planning, then coordination like we do every Friday. But this week, when I went to put on my shoes, I felt something rather LARGE wiggling around by my toes. I screamed my Spider Scream (which doesn't come out very often because normally I just kill them and it's done) and kicked my shoe off. A GIANT Brown Recluse came running out of my shoe. Seriously--the body was over an inch long, and then with the legs... Yikes. We're being haunted because we baked Bob the Tarantula. Then I chased it down and killed it, after I slowed it down by spraying it with cockroach Raid. At coordination, we planned a service project to do for the English ward--we're all pretty excited.

Saturday: We went down to Fabens because they asked me to play the piano at the baptism they had. Then we went to the Relief Society Broadcast. It was so good! There were lots of good points that stood out to me. I also had a flashback to last year--3 weeks in the field. I was super homesick, and couldn't understand Spanish, but we had to watch it in Spanish. I sat there and sobbed clear through the whole thing. This year we were able to watch it in English because we didn't have any Spanish investigators there, but even if we had to, I would have been able to understand.

Sunday: We went to Church. We were able to set another baptismal date with another new investigator, Rosa. Also--another sad point that made me realize that my time is drawing short-- Sister Jardine and I flip-flopped. She now has more time in the mission than I have left. Que Triste!

So yeah, that's my week. Nothing super exciting happened. Okay, other than setting 6 baptismal dates. The bishop was super shocked when we told him. We're actually getting somewhere now! It's going to be a great month!

Love you all!

Hermana Good

Horizon City, Texas, Transfer 10, Week 1

Dear Family and Friends,

No, I can't believe that I'm already in transfer #10. Time is flying by so quickly. This week, Sister Jardine and I will flip-flop--I'll have less time left than she's got out--she's been out for 3 1/2 months.

Monday: It was our p-day. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Tuesday: We have been here in Horizon for 6 weeks. We had a FANTASTIC day! We were able to make lots of contacts, because we listened to the Spirit as to where we needed to be and who we needed to visit. One of those visits was to a widow in the ward who has some health problems and needed help cleaning her house. We were able to do in about 1/2 hour what would have taken her all day long with as often as she needs to sit down and rest. It was great.

Wednesday: We had another great day, and had lots of prayers answered--including the maintenance man showing up about 5 minutes after we prayed because we locked our keys in the house and the manager wasn't there (he's got a key to all the apartments too). It was close to 100 degrees. We were roasting. This is very abnormal for us this time of year. I keep forgetting it's almost October, because it feels like July.

Thursday: We had district meeting, and met the 2 new Elders in our district. We've now got 6 missionaries in the wards we cover. After that, we went to an appointment we had with a sister we'd contacted last week when we were early for an appointment and only had time to knock one door, so we prayed about where Heavenly Father wanted us to go and were led to her door. It was an amazing lesson! We also were looking at the map to find a street to knock doors on. We chose an area and were looking in that area, and I happened to look over one square and found a street that we've been looking for since we got here, but had been spelled wrong on the referral paper so we couldn't find it. We went to try to contact her, and she wasn't home. But we had a terrifying experience. It was cloudy and windy and looked like it was going to rain, and just as we got under her porch, lighting struck on the same street that we'd just walked across to get there. Yikes! Yes, if I'd been 2 seconds later I very well could have gotten struck by lightening this week. Heavenly Father is protecting His servants.

Friday: We had weekly planning and coordination meeting with the English ward. Then we went to the Mexican Independence Day activity with the Spanish ward. It was fun to be there, but I so wanted to dance with the music. 4 more months...

Saturday: It was hot. We taught a few lessons.

Sunday: We went to church. That night, I finished reading the Old Testament! That was pretty exciting. I started around Christmas time last year with the goal to read the Bible from cover to cover by the end of this year. That goal seemed a little far-fetched, especially as I was reading the first part that is all names and places and doesn't make sense. But the past few weeks, I've really gotten into it and flew through the last few books. And now I've re-modified my goal to read all of the standard works by the time I get home. I'm currently reading the BOM in Spanish, so that takes care of that one. I've finished the Old Testament, so that's done. And I've only got to read like 6 pages a day to finish the Pearl of Great Price, D&C, and New Testament before I go home. Doable? I think so!

Well, I hope you all have a great week. I know I will after having gone to the temple yesterday. (Speaking of, what do you get when you fill a 15-passenger van with 5 companionships of missionaries and a ward mission leader? A very entertaining ride.) And as sisters, we were glad we were in the front of the back so we could mostly ignore them and talk to Brother G. We left our apartment about 5:45 am and got home about 10:15 pm. It was a long day, but oh so worth it. I feel very rejuvenated today to go out and conquer the world! (or at least this little corner of it.)

I love you all!

Hermana Good

Horizon, TX, Transfer 9, Week 6

Holy cow, has another transfer really come and gone already? I'm really not liking how these numbers are going. And every time I get discouraged thinking about how much I still want to improve on and how little time I have left to do it, my companion gets after me. In just a couple weeks I'll have less time left that she has out. And she's only been out for 3 months. But anyway... It was a good week and I really do enjoy the time I've had here in Horizon. I can feel great things coming!

Monday: It was p-day. One of the families in the Spanish ward invited us and the Elders for breakfast. They fixed pancakes and eggs and it was SO good! They also had menudo (cow intestine soup) that they offered to us, but we all turned it down. We had dinner with the same family that night too. Then we went and did our laundry and wrote a few letters. That evening, we taught a lesson with the Elders because we found (or got the referral for this brother from one of Sister Jardine's friends in Utah who was unloading his semi up there in Logan and talked to him about the Gospel and discovered that he lives down here, but in the Elders' area). After the lesson, we were standing outside for about 5 minutes, and I got attacked by 33 mosquitoes. If any of you remember how allergic I am, you can imagine that I was pretty miserable when my ankles swelled up to be the size of softballs.

Tuesday: I got 2 more mosquito bites. I have since learned my lesson and put on repellent before we leave the house. We also found a couple new investigators.

Wednesday: My companion was sick again. When we called Sister Miller, she told us to find someone to go with me and someone to stay with her, so I went on exchanges that night. That was weird. REALLY weird. It was the first time my whole mission that I haven't been with my companion. I mean, I was still with someone, but I don't know WHAT I'm going to do when I get home in a few months and can do what I want when I want and don't need anyone with me to do it. Mom and Kesha, you better be ready to spend some time with me because I don't know if I'll be able to handle being alone.

Thursday: We had district meeting--the last of the transfer. Weird. It doesn't seem like a whole transfer has gone by already. Probably because it's been so out-of-the-ordinary. I also got a letter from Emily Mower, and want to say CONGRATULATIONS on the mission call! The people of Honduras will be greatly blessed!

Friday: We did a little weekly planning, then went to a lunch appointment at the McDermed's house. We have been spending a lot of time with them, as Sister McDermed has cancer and doesn't have much time left. They also had a non-member friend there, and we were able to share a spiritual message with all of them. It was so great! And before we left, we sang a few hymns to Sister McDermed. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. And that night we had several really powerful lessons. What a great day!

Saturday: We had one heck of a companion study talking about Revelations chapters 6-11. We were really wishing we had the institute manual, but for now the scriptures had to do (not that they're bad, just the institute manual could have helped us understand things a little more clearly). I can't wait to get home and have SO many more resources at my fingertips! We went on an adventure to the absolute middle of nowhere trying to find a referral from some of the English Elders. The street showed up on my GPS, so we headed off to find it. An hour of driving and many dirt paths later, we got to where the house should have been and found nothing but broken beer bottles and sagebrush. But it sure was an adventure. We also had double dinners that night, and were SO full we didn't want to think of food ever again. We helped a recent convert who is a geometry teacher grade her students' latest tests for service time. That worked my brain--in a good way. I guess that's something I've got to get used to. As we were driving home from her house around 9:25 or so, I realized that we were getting transfer news that night. Holy Cow! I'm ALWAYS freaking out all day on transfer news day, and it hadn't even crossed my mind. As we were pulling in our driveway, the phone rang and it was Elder Pearson. He asked us if we like our apartment (which now we do) because we're both staying! Yay! I'm so excited for another 6 weeks of work here in Horizon! And so happy that I only have to go through another 2 transfer news days. (With that said, where do y'all think I'm gonna "die"--Horizon City, Rio Rancho, or Santa Fe--the other sister area was closed because we now only have 7 Spanish sisters since one is going home this week--also leaving me the oldest sister in the mission. how weird is that?)

Sunday: We had stake conference. It was only the second one I've been to my whole mission, because I was transferred just a week or two before stake conference in Cortez and Santa Fe. It was a way good conference. And it was nice not being in church all day long so we could make some good visits. I'd forgotten what it was like to only have one meeting to go to on Sundays after 5 weeks of 2 wards. Also, in talking to the Zone Leaders, we are now the only sisters in the 3 zones south of Albuquerque. That means there are like 7 companionships of sisters up north, and us. I feel VERY outnumbered. If we have zone conference combined with the other zones (which we very well could with a member of the 70 coming in October and Christmas coming up) we are going to be so extremely outnumbered it's not even going to be funny. And it's gonna be weird for me to go home and start hanging out with girls again, but I don't think I'll be able to hang out with guys either after 18 months of missionary friendships. Whatever. I promise, sooner or later, I'll get over the awkward RM stage.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Good

Horizon, TX, Transfer 9, Week 5

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, another week has FLOWN by, and it's been a good one. Things are improving in our area. We're starting to find some investigators. Things are looking up!

Monday: It was p-day. We went and practiced "Grande eres Tu" (How Great Thou Art) with a couple of Elders for Zone Conference, and we did our shopping, and we had a lesson with a less active family. It was a good day.

Tuesday: W hat a FABULOUS day! One might say "Best day ever!" We were in appointments all day long, and found a couple of new investigators. It was amazing!

Wednesday: September 1. Do you all know what that means? (Hint: I went into the MTC on July 1). Yup, I officially hit 14 months in the mission. That totally blew me away. I can't believe how fast time is flying. We had Zone Conference. We won cleanest car for car inspections, and were told that they weren't going to check our apartment because they trusted that it was clean--which it was. Oh, and for car inspections, we were showing the elders how to do it, because I guess they've never done them down here. It was great. I'm a girl, and was showing the Elders how to do it, and finished first, even though some of them started before us.

Thursday: We switched drivers. Not because I wanted to or was told that I can't drive any more. I really don't know what to do with myself not driving. But I know from experience that one can learn the area so much better by driving, so I figured that I'd let Sister Jardine drive to learn the area better. It's weird for me to be backing her up. I haven't backed anyone up since my first transfer--and even then I was driving for like half of it! We had some more good lessons, and had one of the Laurels from the Spanish ward come with us for our appointments that evening.

Friday: Cockroaches fallin' on my head (sung to the tune of "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head") You're probably all way grossed out by that. I just laughed. I opened the cupboard in the kitchen, and the downstairs bathroom door that morning, and both times had a cockroach fall on my head. Don't worry--the exterminator will be back tomorrow. We just laugh about the cockroaches now. Congrats to Chad and Leah who were married. It's really weird for me to think that my little cousin is married. Really weird. It was kind of a rough day. Our poor elders are having to put up with two very emotional sisters, bless their hearts. Their advice was to go feed the ducks. To which we responded, "Where are we going to find any ducks?" And then we remembered the golf course out back and the ducks that live in the pond. but we didn't feed them. We also, to switch things up a bit, pulled our mattresses off our beds and had a sleepover on the floor. But by doing that discovered that the squeaky mattress that I thought I had is really a squeaky box spring. Dang it, because until we cleaned out stuff and took it to the dump we had an extra one. Oh well.

Saturday: We had a great day. Another Elder, upon hearing we've been struggling, called us and said that we're like Nephi and should go build a boat. So this week we've been feeding ducks and building boats. (We really were doing much better on Saturday.)

Sunday: We went to church. It marked one year since my first fast and testimony meeting in the field. That day I couldn't understand anything. I had flashbacks to Bernallillo, sitting on the back row of the Relief Society room, next to a recent convert, and totally not understanding anything, but feeling the Spirit more strongly than I ever have in my life. Then I remembered that I used to check my progress with my Spanish based on how much I understood in testimony meetings. I haven't done that in a while. As I thought, I realized that a year ago I never would have imagined myself being where I am today--with my Spanish, with the success I've had, training, let alone on the Mexican boarder. What a year it has been, and I can't wait to see what the next 4 months have in store for me!

That's right, I'm getting down to the wire. I was kinda stressed when I realized that this week, because I still have so much more I want to accomplish, and I don't feel that I've really been the best I could have been. But I have an amazing companion who has helped me a ton! And heck, I've still got 4 great months ahead of me to go out and be the VERY absolute best that I can be and go home with no regrets.

I love you all!

Hermana Good