Horizon City, Texas, Transfer 11, Week 5

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and that you didn't overdose on Turkey. I had a great day.

Monday: It was p-day. The Elders had told us that we'd play volleyball, but changed their minds, so we went and looked around World Market instead. We had a great FHE with the McDermed/Longoria family and one of their non-member friends that evening.

Tuesday: I woke up with my jaw locked mostly shut (I could barely fit one finger in). I don't know what brought that on, but it's fine now. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was fine, and when the alarm went off 3 hours later it was locked. I couldn't open my mouth very wide, and it did hurt to chew, so eating was a slow process for a couple of days. I called Sister Miller about it that morning. She said it's probably because of stress or clenching my teeth at night, and to call her if it continued to give me problems. She told me to put a heat bag on it and massage it. I got a blessing for it the next day and it started getting better. We did lots of walking to contact former investigators. It was a beautiful day--I didn't need to wear a coat during the day and was fine with just a light sweater after dark.

Wednesday: We had district meeting. We also went and did service for the Browns again. I love them! We had dinner with all the Elders that night at Delia Lincoln's house. She is one of the most amazing converts I've ever met. While we were on our way to our appointment after that one, we got a nasty phone call from the wife of one of our investigators telling us that we should have stayed away from her husband and that because of us they were splitting up and she was cussing up a storm (at least I assume that's what was going on, because they were words I don't know and cuss words are not in my Spanish vocabulary). We'd seen her husband twice in a one month period. But needless to say, we'll stay away--which is sad because he was so interested in the Gospel and was one of our few progressing investigators. We had a second dinner at our next appointment that night. It kind of reminded me of Rio Rancho where the people would prepare us a dinner just because they knew we were coming whether we wanted it or not.

Thursday: I hope you all had a happy Turkey day, and ate lots of Turkey because I didn't eat even one little bite of turkey. At our first dinner, we had tamales and ham and played Bingo. Then we visited another family for pie. Then we went to our second dinner and had ham and corn and beans and biscuits. It was all real good food, but I'd been looking forward to a good piece of turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes with gravy. Oh well. I guess there's always next year. We also got our Christmas tree put up (it took us all of 10 minutes--6 ft, pre-lit tree.) So our house is looking Christmasey. I also filled up journal #2. So now I'm using a little notebook, because I don't have enough time left to fill up another journal on the mission.

Friday: We did planning. Then we went to Sister Gladden's and did service. And once again, all of our Friday night visits and back-up plans failed.

Saturday: I learned my lesson the hard way. Mom's been nagging me to go get a flu shot, and I didn't listen because I'm broke. Well, I was in bed all day long oober sick with the flu. One of the counselors in the Spanish ward Bishopric was going to give us dinner that night, so he brought us dinner, along with Bishop and they gave me a blessing. I did start feeling better after that, but I'm still not 100%.

Sunday: I still felt pretty sick in the morning, so I slept in a little longer, and we didn't go to the Spanish ward. But I got up and was feeling okay-ish to go to the English ward. So we went to church, and did a couple of visits after church.

It was a good week, aside from getting sick. But everything will be all good. I'll be back to my normal, chipper self in a day or two. Transfer calls are this weekend. I'll find out where I'm spending my last transfer, whether here in Horizon or in some other area (Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Anthony, or opening a new area) Any predictions of where I'm "dying?" We know that we're getting 2 new sisters this coming transfer. But I really don't know if I'll be training again or not. I kinda feel like I'm staying with Sister B. But who knows.

We should be having a baptism this weekend. Celali, the 18 year old girl we've been teaching just has a couple more lessons to be ready, and she has such a strong testimony. We're planning on having her interview tomorrow evening, and the baptism on Sunday after Church so the young women she has come to know can all be there. She is so excited. What a blessing this will be for her. When we saw her last Tuesday, she said that her grandma was still unsure if she should be baptized, but we talked to her on Wednesday and she told us that her grandma said that she was so happy after she got home that evening and that if she wanted to be baptized she would be supportive. What a blessing this will be for this sweet daughter of God! I am so grateful to be a part of helping her progress in the Gospel. This morning I looked back at the Survey for the Fundamentals of PMG that I did back in August, and re-did it. I was amazed at how I have improved. As I've been studying these 8 lessons, I've found myself subconsciously doing things from the trainings, and I have seen the blessings that come from it. I am so grateful that I've been able to be here in the mission at a time when we have this new training and for the way it has blessed my teachings.

Hope you all have a good one, and enjoy the snow up north!

Hermana Good