Hey everyone....and welcome back to so you THINK you can DANCE!
I just had to say that. haha I hate starting my emails. The greeting always gets so old. so anyways, now that that's out of the way, on to more important stuff.
First off, I got a really cute package in the mail this week from the young women of the Holladay 3rd ward. or maybe just the mia maids or something. but it was really funny. they each wrote me letters telling me how Spencer is going out with McKenna Tholen and how no matter what she says, it's true. They're together. hahaha then her letter was totally like "don't believe anything they say...it's not true!" it was fun. She said it all started because they were going around saying who they thought were the cutest boys in the ward and she said you Spence. I wholeheartedly agree. haha. smokin'.
Secondly, this is week six of the transfer. That means a couple things; first, we had to cut back on our groceries because we don't want to have a full fridge of wasted money at the end of the transfer in case we get transferred. It also means we're spending p-day at the broadway chapel with everyone there to enjoy the "nearly dead" missionaries one last time. Yesterday was stake conference so we were all there just barely and Elder Petersen found me and said that when I come, I need to give him my address because i'm basically dead! and so it begins... It also means that me and Hermana Gibson are going through our "lasts" together because we've decided to assume she's getting moved so that it won't be so hard on us if it really happens. hahah we're having some preemptive separation anxiety. I have no idea what's going to happen. This one is a tough one to call. Too many variables with a greenie coming out and all. Anyways. happy week six.
We had a cool miracle this past week with Manuel. He is scheduled to get baptized on the 12th but he's struggling hard with an addiction to smoking. This past week, when we got together at the chapel to teach him about the word of wisdom, we talked about getting a Priesthood blessing to help him break the habit. We had tried to get an Hermano to come to the appointment with us but it fell through, so we were just going on the faith that somebody at the chapel would be a righteous priesthood holder to help us out. (it was activity night) Anyways, when it came right down to it, he wanted a blessing and so I went to go find the branch president and saw an hermano standing outside the office waiting to talk to the president and I don't know what came over me but I just asked him if he could help us out. I didn't even know if he was in our branch. All I knew was he was wearing church clothes and I felt like I should ask him. Turns out, he IS in our branch. He's a high priest, and he got baptized about five years ago, after breaking a 25 year smoking addiction. He talked to Manuel, and then he and another brother were able to give him a blessing. Pretty powerful experience. He was so supportive and understanding and just sympathetic of what Manuel was going through. Plus it was awesome to hear him tell him that he could do it and that they were behind him! It's going to be tough, I don't know if he'll get there by the 12th but he's smoking a lot less than he used to. He's a good guy, and he's come a long way.
This was really a crazy week for me and Hermana Gibson. So last monday we went to NASA, right? That day it was about 70 F. The next day, it dropped to thirty five, and it kept dropping, until by Friday they had cancelled all our meetings and wouldn't allow us to leave the apartment on car or bike because there was ice all over the roads. IT WAS SO COLD! They finally let us go out in the afternoon but we were dying. 10 F with wind chill making it about 2-3 F they told us. We're just not equipped for that here. It was kinda funny though. It never even snowed or anything, just froze, but nobody went to work and the streets were just dead. school was canceled. it was ridiculous! the freeways were all closed down. I guess it's because they have no way to handle the ice so it's just too dangerous to go out on the roads. Makes me grateful for the simple pleasure of having machines that throw salt on the roads in Salt Lake. haha. but that was crazy. And by saturday it was back up to 60 F. Texas weather...
Hna. Gibson and I also had an eye-opening experience this week. On Tuesday, we were invited to attend Zone Leader Coucil. yes. The Zone Leader Council. I guess they always invite a companionship of sisters to it to represent the female side of things and get our voice out. So we were the lucky winners this time! That means we got to go to the mission home and sit around the living room with the APs, and about six companionships of zone leaders and just, you know...talk about the secrets of the kingdom! hahaha Finding! Teaching! and BAPTIZING the Father's Children! hahaha it was actually really interesting and we learned a lot. It's cool to be around the "cream of the crop" missionaries and hear their opinions on the work. Any time we said anything we had fourteen heads turned our direction and tons of attention focused on us. haha nerve-wracking. We also got to listen to them debate the topic of sweaters and whether or not they were appropriate for the elders to wear. They had a hard time for a while trying to describe a certain style of sweater and they were using all kind of hand motions and drawing patterns on their chests until Hermana Gibson and I shouted out simultaneously..."ARGYLE." hahah so I guess it's a good thing they had us females there. What would they do without us, right? haha. The best part was, afterwards, they gave us lunch and we got to eat and talk and I found myself seated at a table with TWO other U of U fans! I don't know if you appreciate how rare that is in a group of out-of-state, byu lovin' mormons. But it was incredible. haha.
I had a great "open mouth, insert foot" moment at that lunch. I've had a bunch of those lately. I told Hermana Gibson that she's going to think that I'm a huge ditz by the end of the transfer. Here's what went down: As the meeting was coming to a close, a young couple walked in. Turns out, the guy was a missionary in our mission who went home about a year ago, and the girl with him was one of his converts. . . yeah. . . so we were all thinking the same things you're thinking right now. I asked Gibson if they were dating or something and she just did the "idunno" shoulder shrug to me (i always ask her stuff as if she knows something I don't...then I realize that we're ALWAYS TOGETHER so that isn't technically possible. haha) but they sat down at the end of our table. fast forward about ten minutes and now I'm talking to U of U fan Elder Bernard, who was in my very first district in THE mission. He's telling me about his trainer, Elder Trappett (my very first district leader) and the previous Hna. Aune who have now begun dating! WHAT?! I know. I don't know what it is with this mission and dating eachother afterwards but it seems to be free game. Somebody forgot to tell them. So that makes it nice and awkward for all of us out here in the field still. When we hear about people dating back home I always feel like we look around at eachother and then inwardly shudder. haha. gotta love missionary relationships. So anwyays, I said, "they're going to get married." and he said "do you really think so?" and I said this doozy...drumrolll please...."well you don't go and date someone from the mission unless you're serious." which was followed by a couple splutters and coughs and then a lot of laughter from the happy couple at the end of the table. In my defense, I didn't realize they were listening and I didn't TECHNICALLY even know for sure if they were dating. haha but it was pretty funny. serves them right, I say.
But yeah, hahah it was a crazy week. hopefully this next week will be a little calmer. (If there is such a thing as a calm week on a mission.) We're putting together a musical fireside for our branch which will be on sunday so that should keep us hopping all week long. I'm excited for it though.
Hey I love you guys so much. and I miss you! Every day now I think about you guys and miss you. I finally had to replace all my family/friends pictures with pictrues of mission people so I don't think about it too much. haha. But i've still got one picture of you guys up and you're all just such good looking people! hahah. i love you. keep writing me. I dont' really deserve the letters but i really love getting them. Thanks for everything! have a great week!
love,
goober Becca
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