Are you ready for this?
LAST EMAIL. ever.
haha and so begins my week of "lasts!" Everyone keeps asking me how I feel. It's reminding me of when I opened my call. I just say, "weird." and then I sit there in an awkward silence. haha no jk. i try to accurately portray the conglommeration of nostalgic, frightful, anxious homesickness, mixed with an "i'm going to disneyland" feel of seeing my family again and moments of terrible, nauseating, "i'm leaving my mission" realizations. It's impossible to communicate. But I feel like I swallowed something way too big for my throat and there's something alive in my stomach. It's easier not to think about how I feel, but everyone keeps asking me about it! hahaha
This was a good work week though. We met a woman named Rosa that I am sure is going to get baptized. She lives in the apartment right below one of our recent converts and she was sitting out on her patio one night and he noticed she looked sad so he started talking to her. She lives here alone - all of her family is in california- and her husband died two months ago. It's really sad. He started talking to her about the gospel and she told him that she had been meeting with missionaries in California but stopped once she moved here. She has already read most of 1st Nephi and she prayed asking God if this is what He wants from her. She said that her husband had been telling her that they needed to find a church to go to and so after he died she told him that he should send her someone to point her in the right direction. Next thing she knows, we're sitting on her couch. She's pretty sick though, she has kidney problems, so she didn't feel well enough to come to church yesterday. bummer. but we'll get her feeling better and then she'll be good to go. It was interesting because she was describing how she has felt these last two months and she was saying she feels empty. I can't wait for her to feel the spirit and have it fill up all that emptiness inside of her! She needs it. She is a really good lady.
We had fun this week, too. The elders don't get fed much in this ward so Hna. Warner and I volunteered to make them dinner on Sunday. (it actually happened because they heard us planning out the dinners we were going to make that week last p-day and then one of them was like, "you make actually dinners?" and...yeah. hhaahaha we took pity on those ramen-noodle/cereal eaters.) So we made them sunday roast! with mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls! hahaha i know. it was so yummy. we even had brownies and ice cream to top it off. They came over and sat on our steps because they're not allowed inside our apartment but it was way fun. (really hot though. we were all sweating. gross. it felt like a swimming pool outside yesterday. today is much better) And for the record, I think we're the best hermanas in the mission. haha. And I think they agree because we had a nice heart-to-heart with one of the companionships and we were let in on quite a few of their secrets. Let me just say one thing: the human drama that happens in a mission will blow your mind. Hermana Warner and I like to tell each other that everyone in our mission is taking crazy pills except for us. After what went down this week, we just looked at eachother and said "CRAZY PILLS!" haha but i'll explain all that when I get home. (indoor plumbing...it's gonna be big)
Tonight we are going on exchanges and i'm going back to Broadway 2 with Hermana Warner's baby, Hermana Naufahu. She's is my grandbaby. that's right. I'm kinda scared though, in all honesty. She's a scary hermana. haha. but it should be good. I'm excited to get to be back in that area for a day.
Today is zone p-day and we're getting together with two other zones and having a waterfight! I can't wait. It is going to be SO much fun. Such a great last p-day for me! haha I get to see everyone I know and love pretty much.
and then I begin my LAST week! ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I hope everyone is buckled in tight and ready for awkward RM Becca to be back in their lives. In preparation, I think I'll list a few things that might happen, just so that you're not shocked and appalled at me when i get back.
don't be suprised if...
-I have a sudden fear of being left alone in a room, even for a moment.
-I cringe when you turn on the radio
-I say things like "this skirt isn't THAT bad" because it only has one hole in it.
-I make dumb scriptural jokes that only missionaries think are funny
-I schedule out what I'm doing each hour of each day and have a running "to do" list
-I ask for a comp inventory if you're getting on my nerves
-I wear long sleeves and long pants and any reference to my large, white body in a bathing suit makes me cry!
-I jump out of the car saying, "i'll back you"
-I write down funny things that happen "to write about on Monday"
-I finish every conversation with "is there anything we can do for you?"
-I listen to spanish music and forget random english words
-I start to sweat whenever I see an airplane
-I try to share my testimony in awkward situations
alright, the list could go on forever but I am out of time! I won't tell you which of the above mentioned might really be true. haha. Just be ready for anything! haha jk i am SO EXCITED to talk to you guys on sunday and to SEE you on Tuesday! I love you so much! Thanks for all the love, support, and letters. you are the best!
love,
Becca
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Happy Easter!
I hope you guys had fun. Were you all candied out? haha. Let me guess, you all got a bunch of chocolate egg whoppers and ended up giving them all back to Mom. That's why she buys them, you know. haha just kidding. I love you Mom. You package didn't come! I'm hoping it will be in the mailbox today. Hermana Warner's mom sent a package that didn't get to us either, so we were both bummed together. But, her aunt sent a random Easter package so we had a little something to celebrate with. Plus, Sandra and Felipe celebrated FOR us! There is a tradition here to drain the eggs and fill them with confetti and then smash them on each others head. So when we went to our appointment with sandra and felipe they waited until after the closing prayer and then pulled out a bunch of those and WHACK! right on the top of our heads. We started running and screaming but they caught us and felipe took a couple and smashed them good in my hair. I was pulling out eggshell and confetti all day long! haha. it was funny. We also went and had a special Easter dinner (shrimp cocktail...you can imagine how excited I was about that...) at a member's home. Then we went to our second Easter Dinner at a different members home, which was a completely American meal, seeing as she is an American girl. (in fact, she's the American girl that came on a mission here and then five years later married her investigator. weird! hhaha) But they're a really fun couple and she gave us a ton of clothes to go through so she's on the top of my "favorite people" list right now. Plus, she fed us ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, ROLLS, and jello! it's was so bizarre. And so delicious! haha. Afterward, we went to the chapel to see a satellite showing of "Savior of the World" in Spanish, which was really cool. Everyone loved it. And the best part was, we got to see all the Spanish missionaries. I LOVE THAT! a bunch of us are going bowling for p-day today. it's going to be fun. they're going down!
I don't' even know what to write about this week. We had our "week of becoming" which was cool. One of the requirements was that we were with members from six o'clock on, every night of the week. So it was good to work with them like that and really get to know them better. We had a baptism on Saturday for one of the Elders' investigators who has been investigating for a YEAR now. It was good to see him finally go under that water! He bore his testimony afterward and he was so solid. He knows exactly what he just did. We've been working a lot with a girl named April who has seen some really hard things in her life. She wants to be baptized, but she didn't come to church yesterday because she had to go to the hospital with her mom, who is really really really sick. I don't' know if she'll be ready for baptism before I go, but I hope so. We're going to see what we can do. It was actually kind of a somber week for us, missionary work wise. Sometimes people like to unload on missionaries, and I don't blame them, because we're great secret keepers and we just sit there and listen and then offer consoling advice from the scriptures, so who doesn't want that in a time of crises? but anyways. There are some people that walk around with really heavy burdens. And we talked to more than the usual amount of them this week. It just makes me really grateful for the life and the family that I am going to be coming home to. And the future that I have ahead of me! The best is yet to be! haha. But me and Warner are still living it up together. I wish she could come home with me and live in my bedroom! haha. She is really good when I start freaking out about the whole "going home from my mission" thing.
well, I'm sorry if this is a lame e-mail. Next week's will probably be much worse, just to warn you! hahaha. Alright. I love you so much!~ Be good. We get to talk on the phone soon!
love,
Becca
I don't' even know what to write about this week. We had our "week of becoming" which was cool. One of the requirements was that we were with members from six o'clock on, every night of the week. So it was good to work with them like that and really get to know them better. We had a baptism on Saturday for one of the Elders' investigators who has been investigating for a YEAR now. It was good to see him finally go under that water! He bore his testimony afterward and he was so solid. He knows exactly what he just did. We've been working a lot with a girl named April who has seen some really hard things in her life. She wants to be baptized, but she didn't come to church yesterday because she had to go to the hospital with her mom, who is really really really sick. I don't' know if she'll be ready for baptism before I go, but I hope so. We're going to see what we can do. It was actually kind of a somber week for us, missionary work wise. Sometimes people like to unload on missionaries, and I don't blame them, because we're great secret keepers and we just sit there and listen and then offer consoling advice from the scriptures, so who doesn't want that in a time of crises? but anyways. There are some people that walk around with really heavy burdens. And we talked to more than the usual amount of them this week. It just makes me really grateful for the life and the family that I am going to be coming home to. And the future that I have ahead of me! The best is yet to be! haha. But me and Warner are still living it up together. I wish she could come home with me and live in my bedroom! haha. She is really good when I start freaking out about the whole "going home from my mission" thing.
well, I'm sorry if this is a lame e-mail. Next week's will probably be much worse, just to warn you! hahaha. Alright. I love you so much!~ Be good. We get to talk on the phone soon!
love,
Becca
Monday, April 18, 2011
ALOHA!
I know what you're all thinking... that's not spanish! That's the thing. We had a luau this week! We had a crazy week actually. We had a luau, a Relief Society program, and a shotgun baptism!
Luau: So the Hermanas in Broadway 2 are Hermana Lealaisalanoa and Hermana Naufahu. (yeah, picture the mexicans trying to say THOSE names! They can't even say Tingey! hahaah it's always fun to hear them try). But Lea is from Samoa and Naufahu is from Tonga. So they put together this huge luau ward party with cultural food, music, and dances. They wanted us to come and bring investigators/recent converts/ less active members and to help them serve the food. I had so much fun! I'm sending pictures. The best part was the dancing. They taught a bunch of members how to do hawaiian dances and then they had the Elders do the hauka (spelling? i know that's probably way off). And they had some Hawaiian members from the area come and do a legit series of real dances which were amazing! I felt like I was right back at the PHI summer luau, watching Sarah get peer-pressured into eating a pig's eyeball! haha not quite...but almost. There was one dance that was kinda funny. The girls had this big red furry thing on their hips in the back and they would shake it all over. I was laughing so hard! Especially because all the Elders were sitting behind us with their jaws on the floor. That was a little much for us missionaries. But we had a fun time. haha.
okay...next...
Relief Society Program: Anyone heard of Woman At the Well? Our Relief Society put it on this week. It's a musical program about women in Christ's life. Anyways, Yours Truly was the pianst for it. (see picture) It was really fun, but took way too much pros time. (Sarah, you're fine! Missionaries love their pros time, okay? haha) I think Hermana Warner has special blessings reserved for her in heaven for sitting through all the musical programs out here. She comes from a very musical family and has a very sensitive ear. I don't think she heard a right note the whole night! haha but it's amazing how strong the spirit can be in those things, regardless of musical talent. haha. It was a nice night. They worked really hard and it came together well. I'm pretty much the stake pianist now. I played for THREE sacrament meetings yesterday. Yeah. I guess Bonnie was right all along. Thank you, my dear mother, for making me practice! hahaha
which brings me to...
Shot-gun Baptism: That actually took place this morning! I KNOW. on p-day! Last night, the Elders found out that their baptismal candidate who was scheduled to be baptized next saturday, just got a job in El Salvador and he was leaving today for the next four months. They called president and he said to go ahead and try to get him baptized today if possible. A billion phone calls later, he was on for a baptismal interview, and service, and a confirmation this morning before he left! The seminary kids turned on the font for us at five in the morning. The whole morning was what could be called a Series of Unfortunate Events. Hermana Warner and I set our alarm wrong so it didn't go off so we didn't get our laundry in until seven. Then, the machine in our complex was busy so we had to go to the washateria down the street. Turns out, they're way expensive and we didn't have enough quarters so we had to drive to the car wash to get more quarters, then mid way through our laundry cycle, up to our elbows in cleaning the bathroom and mopping the floor, the elders call us and say "he's at the church right now, can you come get us asap?" So our laundry got left in the dryer, we threw our hair back into ponytails and spritzed some perfume, and next thing we know we're setting up the relief society room for a baptismal service. The water in the font was all green for some reason, and someone had locked the accordian doors that cover the font from the viewers and we didn't have a key...the list goes on. One elder was trying to pick the lock with a paper clip and the rest were running around finding white clothes and people to speak on the spot. When all was said and done, I think this was actually one of the sweetest, most spiritual baptismal services I've been a part of. We had a fairly good turn out and we never got the door unlocked so we all just crowded into the bathrooms to see him baptized from the side. We were all smiling at eachother and sorta metaphorically shaking our heads at the crazy situations we find ourselves in during this whole mission gig. Like our zone leader, Elder Jex said, "another buck wild morning as a missionary." so true. Unforgettable experience though.
Well that was my week in a nutshell. Hermana Warner and I have so much fun together, it really shouldn't be allowed. We got ourselves "trunked out of our minds" talking about going salsa dancing once we're both home. (that's the thing. we're mexican now. ) We both agreed that we need to come back and go dancing with some of the young adults out here. They go all the time and it sounds so fun! Anyways, I can't stop thinking about May 10th! I got a letter from President today telling me that on Monday of that week we'll be doing FHE at the mission home and then on Tuesday we're going to a 10:00 session at the temple and then heading to lunch and the airport! That sounds and even kinda feels so unreal to me right now. But it's coming! ready or not. Alright I love you guys! Have a good week! HAPPY EASTER!
love love love
Becca
Luau: So the Hermanas in Broadway 2 are Hermana Lealaisalanoa and Hermana Naufahu. (yeah, picture the mexicans trying to say THOSE names! They can't even say Tingey! hahaah it's always fun to hear them try). But Lea is from Samoa and Naufahu is from Tonga. So they put together this huge luau ward party with cultural food, music, and dances. They wanted us to come and bring investigators/recent converts/ less active members and to help them serve the food. I had so much fun! I'm sending pictures. The best part was the dancing. They taught a bunch of members how to do hawaiian dances and then they had the Elders do the hauka (spelling? i know that's probably way off). And they had some Hawaiian members from the area come and do a legit series of real dances which were amazing! I felt like I was right back at the PHI summer luau, watching Sarah get peer-pressured into eating a pig's eyeball! haha not quite...but almost. There was one dance that was kinda funny. The girls had this big red furry thing on their hips in the back and they would shake it all over. I was laughing so hard! Especially because all the Elders were sitting behind us with their jaws on the floor. That was a little much for us missionaries. But we had a fun time. haha.
okay...next...
Relief Society Program: Anyone heard of Woman At the Well? Our Relief Society put it on this week. It's a musical program about women in Christ's life. Anyways, Yours Truly was the pianst for it. (see picture) It was really fun, but took way too much pros time. (Sarah, you're fine! Missionaries love their pros time, okay? haha) I think Hermana Warner has special blessings reserved for her in heaven for sitting through all the musical programs out here. She comes from a very musical family and has a very sensitive ear. I don't think she heard a right note the whole night! haha but it's amazing how strong the spirit can be in those things, regardless of musical talent. haha. It was a nice night. They worked really hard and it came together well. I'm pretty much the stake pianist now. I played for THREE sacrament meetings yesterday. Yeah. I guess Bonnie was right all along. Thank you, my dear mother, for making me practice! hahaha
which brings me to...
Shot-gun Baptism: That actually took place this morning! I KNOW. on p-day! Last night, the Elders found out that their baptismal candidate who was scheduled to be baptized next saturday, just got a job in El Salvador and he was leaving today for the next four months. They called president and he said to go ahead and try to get him baptized today if possible. A billion phone calls later, he was on for a baptismal interview, and service, and a confirmation this morning before he left! The seminary kids turned on the font for us at five in the morning. The whole morning was what could be called a Series of Unfortunate Events. Hermana Warner and I set our alarm wrong so it didn't go off so we didn't get our laundry in until seven. Then, the machine in our complex was busy so we had to go to the washateria down the street. Turns out, they're way expensive and we didn't have enough quarters so we had to drive to the car wash to get more quarters, then mid way through our laundry cycle, up to our elbows in cleaning the bathroom and mopping the floor, the elders call us and say "he's at the church right now, can you come get us asap?" So our laundry got left in the dryer, we threw our hair back into ponytails and spritzed some perfume, and next thing we know we're setting up the relief society room for a baptismal service. The water in the font was all green for some reason, and someone had locked the accordian doors that cover the font from the viewers and we didn't have a key...the list goes on. One elder was trying to pick the lock with a paper clip and the rest were running around finding white clothes and people to speak on the spot. When all was said and done, I think this was actually one of the sweetest, most spiritual baptismal services I've been a part of. We had a fairly good turn out and we never got the door unlocked so we all just crowded into the bathrooms to see him baptized from the side. We were all smiling at eachother and sorta metaphorically shaking our heads at the crazy situations we find ourselves in during this whole mission gig. Like our zone leader, Elder Jex said, "another buck wild morning as a missionary." so true. Unforgettable experience though.
Well that was my week in a nutshell. Hermana Warner and I have so much fun together, it really shouldn't be allowed. We got ourselves "trunked out of our minds" talking about going salsa dancing once we're both home. (that's the thing. we're mexican now. ) We both agreed that we need to come back and go dancing with some of the young adults out here. They go all the time and it sounds so fun! Anyways, I can't stop thinking about May 10th! I got a letter from President today telling me that on Monday of that week we'll be doing FHE at the mission home and then on Tuesday we're going to a 10:00 session at the temple and then heading to lunch and the airport! That sounds and even kinda feels so unreal to me right now. But it's coming! ready or not. Alright I love you guys! Have a good week! HAPPY EASTER!
love love love
Becca
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Happy one-month-left mark!
that is a weird thought.
here is a weird story: So the weather here has been a little crazy lately. Well, okay. it has been hot. and muggy. (what else is new?) but the WIND has been crazy! I think it's all of those 90 degree afternoons that get the wind going wild. So the other day, Hermana Warner and I had been knocking a lot of doors and we took a break to eat our lunch in the park. It got really hot and I got pretty sunburned and so we decided that we would swing by mcDonald's and get an ice-cream cone before heading back out. (benefits from serving stateside and driving a car...:) if anyone says ANYTHING about any sort of diet...that's what I thought.) so there I sat with my little ice-cream cone and I was facing my sweet little companion and we were talking and then through the window behind her I saw a little old homeless man in a dirty little wheelchair, wheeling up to the door which was immediately to my right. In anticipation of his struggle to open the door and wheel himself through, I jumped up (ice-cream cone in one hand) and grabbed the door for him. But it went terribly wrong. He must have thought I was trying to get out, so he told me to go ahead... so I went out and then held the door with one hand (cone in the other) and whooooooosh! A huge gust of wind....right under my skirt!!!! Next thing I know, I'm smearing ice cream all over my skirt, which is now somewhere around my ears, while i'm trying to pull it down without dropping the door on the poor little homeless man! And of course a cute trendy young black couple comes walking up and witnesses the whole thing. I went back inside, covered in ice-cream, to a rolling-with-laughter companion who had just seen it all through the window. And she told me that I had done "a lot more than just open the door for that man." hahaha oops! We had to walk past him on the way out and he had a bit of a creepy grin on his face. HELLO MCDONALDS! I am the girl with the white shorts.
so that was weird. and not very spiritual.
But we had a really cool miracle this week, speaking of spiritual things. I dont' know how much attention you pay to my investigators that I write about (John, you keep an area book at home with details about them in it, right?) but about a YEAR ago exactly, we met a woman named Angelica. (we being me and harry) We found her knocking during a four hour knocking session in the middle of what president lovingly called the "week of sacrifice" which was the week of easter and which has now become the "week of becoming" so yeah, we're doing it again this year. anyways, she was someone we met during all that. She was so amazing and she felt the spirit so strong! She was pregnant at that time with her first child, and the only reason she didn't get baptized was because she wanted to do it together with her husband and he wouldn't go to church with her. she came to a few activities and even came to sacrament meeting once but we had to drop her because she really wouldn't do it without him. Well this past Sunday, Hermana Warner and I were walking into the chapel to go to our correlation meeting and I saw a car that looked exactly like angelica's. ( warner and I were the ones that really taught her, harry adn i just found her together) I told Warner "hey look! angelica's here." and she said "don't' even tease me" and tried to smack me. I just laughed and said, "can you even imagine if she were just here?? that would be so cool!" Well... fast forward about twenty minutes and I'm sitting on the piano in sacrament meeting for Broadway 2 (turns out our ward mission leader didn't show up for correlation and I got roped into playing for them even though they're not my ward anymore because i love them and they don't have anyone else who plays...) So there I am playing the sacrament hymn and I see this little family walk into the back of the chapel out of the corner of my eye. I turned to get a closer look and it was ANGELICA and her husband Marcos and her eight month old baby girl jacquelin! oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CAME! hahahha I just about fell off the piano bench. I have to confess, I hardly paid any attention during the sacrament, I just kept looking at her and smiling and looking at warner who was making huge eyes at me on the pew behind them and I just wanted to jump or cry or something! That was the coolest thing ever. After the meeting, she came running up to me in the foyer to show me her doll of a baby girl. That was the first time they had both come together. It was cool. God is good. planting seeds! that's what I'm talking about! I KNEW she was good.
This has been a crazy week. I feel so weird lately. It's a lot like the four weeks before my mission. You just kinda want to either be staying forever or to be gone. Because everyone starts talking about the future and your future is just a big blank spot in your mind and it's just weird. You emotionally detach. But that's okay. it's all a part of the process I guess. I think the best way I could possibly describe what I'm going through right now would be to say that I feel like I do when I've been water skiing for a really long time and I'm exhausted, but I just hit a beautiful patch of glass and I don't want to let go. You know that feeling? So you just keep cutting and then pretty soon you have to stop in between cuts and just lean backwards and drag a hand in the spray to rest it, and the let boat pull you for a second until you can catch your breath and hunker down for another cut. That feeling? yeah. that's how I feel right now. I am so tired. I don't WANT to stop, but I NEED to stop soon. Every night it's like I drop into my bed completely dead (dragging that hand in the spray!) and opening the door the next morning is going out for a few more cuts on beautiful glass! It's a good feeling. but exhausting. So that's about where I'm at.
Alright. I love you all a whole lot. Have a good week! Take advantage of the last few chances you have to write me a letter! my mailbox has been a little dusty lately! haha (i wish I could say jk right now, but that wouldn't be true.)
love love love!
Becca
here is a weird story: So the weather here has been a little crazy lately. Well, okay. it has been hot. and muggy. (what else is new?) but the WIND has been crazy! I think it's all of those 90 degree afternoons that get the wind going wild. So the other day, Hermana Warner and I had been knocking a lot of doors and we took a break to eat our lunch in the park. It got really hot and I got pretty sunburned and so we decided that we would swing by mcDonald's and get an ice-cream cone before heading back out. (benefits from serving stateside and driving a car...:) if anyone says ANYTHING about any sort of diet...that's what I thought.) so there I sat with my little ice-cream cone and I was facing my sweet little companion and we were talking and then through the window behind her I saw a little old homeless man in a dirty little wheelchair, wheeling up to the door which was immediately to my right. In anticipation of his struggle to open the door and wheel himself through, I jumped up (ice-cream cone in one hand) and grabbed the door for him. But it went terribly wrong. He must have thought I was trying to get out, so he told me to go ahead... so I went out and then held the door with one hand (cone in the other) and whooooooosh! A huge gust of wind....right under my skirt!!!! Next thing I know, I'm smearing ice cream all over my skirt, which is now somewhere around my ears, while i'm trying to pull it down without dropping the door on the poor little homeless man! And of course a cute trendy young black couple comes walking up and witnesses the whole thing. I went back inside, covered in ice-cream, to a rolling-with-laughter companion who had just seen it all through the window. And she told me that I had done "a lot more than just open the door for that man." hahaha oops! We had to walk past him on the way out and he had a bit of a creepy grin on his face. HELLO MCDONALDS! I am the girl with the white shorts.
so that was weird. and not very spiritual.
But we had a really cool miracle this week, speaking of spiritual things. I dont' know how much attention you pay to my investigators that I write about (John, you keep an area book at home with details about them in it, right?) but about a YEAR ago exactly, we met a woman named Angelica. (we being me and harry) We found her knocking during a four hour knocking session in the middle of what president lovingly called the "week of sacrifice" which was the week of easter and which has now become the "week of becoming" so yeah, we're doing it again this year. anyways, she was someone we met during all that. She was so amazing and she felt the spirit so strong! She was pregnant at that time with her first child, and the only reason she didn't get baptized was because she wanted to do it together with her husband and he wouldn't go to church with her. she came to a few activities and even came to sacrament meeting once but we had to drop her because she really wouldn't do it without him. Well this past Sunday, Hermana Warner and I were walking into the chapel to go to our correlation meeting and I saw a car that looked exactly like angelica's. ( warner and I were the ones that really taught her, harry adn i just found her together) I told Warner "hey look! angelica's here." and she said "don't' even tease me" and tried to smack me. I just laughed and said, "can you even imagine if she were just here?? that would be so cool!" Well... fast forward about twenty minutes and I'm sitting on the piano in sacrament meeting for Broadway 2 (turns out our ward mission leader didn't show up for correlation and I got roped into playing for them even though they're not my ward anymore because i love them and they don't have anyone else who plays...) So there I am playing the sacrament hymn and I see this little family walk into the back of the chapel out of the corner of my eye. I turned to get a closer look and it was ANGELICA and her husband Marcos and her eight month old baby girl jacquelin! oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY CAME! hahahha I just about fell off the piano bench. I have to confess, I hardly paid any attention during the sacrament, I just kept looking at her and smiling and looking at warner who was making huge eyes at me on the pew behind them and I just wanted to jump or cry or something! That was the coolest thing ever. After the meeting, she came running up to me in the foyer to show me her doll of a baby girl. That was the first time they had both come together. It was cool. God is good. planting seeds! that's what I'm talking about! I KNEW she was good.
This has been a crazy week. I feel so weird lately. It's a lot like the four weeks before my mission. You just kinda want to either be staying forever or to be gone. Because everyone starts talking about the future and your future is just a big blank spot in your mind and it's just weird. You emotionally detach. But that's okay. it's all a part of the process I guess. I think the best way I could possibly describe what I'm going through right now would be to say that I feel like I do when I've been water skiing for a really long time and I'm exhausted, but I just hit a beautiful patch of glass and I don't want to let go. You know that feeling? So you just keep cutting and then pretty soon you have to stop in between cuts and just lean backwards and drag a hand in the spray to rest it, and the let boat pull you for a second until you can catch your breath and hunker down for another cut. That feeling? yeah. that's how I feel right now. I am so tired. I don't WANT to stop, but I NEED to stop soon. Every night it's like I drop into my bed completely dead (dragging that hand in the spray!) and opening the door the next morning is going out for a few more cuts on beautiful glass! It's a good feeling. but exhausting. So that's about where I'm at.
Alright. I love you all a whole lot. Have a good week! Take advantage of the last few chances you have to write me a letter! my mailbox has been a little dusty lately! haha (i wish I could say jk right now, but that wouldn't be true.)
love love love!
Becca
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Annnnd....WE'RE BACK!
I had the most tiring, hilarious, fulfilling week! So as you all know, I'm back with Warner...and I had forgotten how much I love her! We are like two little girls at a sleepover all day every day. haha. Last monday I lost my voice because we were talking so much! I get to listen to Michael Jackson again (she sings in the shower). haha. And it's really cool to be with her because she has changed a lot from the last time we were together. Her spanish is incredible and she is a really good missionary. i'm learning a lot from her. She keeps saying, "my how the tables have turned!" hahah because she's the one showing me around and introducing me to all the members and all that fun stuff that I was doing for her in Broadway 2. I feel a little weird in this area though because I KNOW that I won't be staying. So it's tempting to just let her drive everyday and just to follow her around, but I told her she can't let me do that. I have to learn the area for myself. It's a crazy area too. It's the closest Hermana's area to downtown. The elders in our ward are basically tracting in the shadows of the skyscrapers. Lots of freeway driving, homeless bums, and taquerias! We mostly tract houses, but they have ditches like cloverleaf! haha weird combination of the other areas...
We had a crazy week because on Friday we had a wedding and a baptism! This was a couple that Hermana Warner and her last companion have been working with for about three months now, but they finally got everything arranged and we were the wedding planners! Craziness, let me tell you. That was the first wedding that I've actually PLANNED on my mission. But it was great! They looked amazing, they got married, and then they got baptized that same night! They have two adorable little kids and they are already looking forward to the temple a year from now. It's actually a really cool story. They call it the story of the four Felipes. You ready for this? Stay with me. It starts with a man named Felipe (#1) who married a woman and had a son (Felipe #2). They ended up getting divorced, and he married another woman and had another son (Felipe #3). She passed away and he got back with the first wife, so now his two sons are friends. Felipe #2 was a recent convert, and while showing Felipe #3 around town, he told him about the church. The hermanas went to go visit Felipe #2 and his mom, because she hasn't gotten baptized yet but comes to church every week, and they met Felipe #3 and his girlfriend, Sandra. Sandra loved the message and referred her family. They happen to live out of our mission so we dont' know many details but the bottom line is, they ALL ended up getting baptized! She and Felipe were just waiting until they could get married. After ironing out some relationship issues, they finally decided to take the plunge, and as of April Fool's Day, they are officially Felipe (#3) and Sandra Chavez! and mormons. haha. I know I know, you're all wondering where the fourth Felipe comes into play, right? Did you remember that I told you they have two kids? Well, their kids are Bryan and Valeria. (cutest kids ever by the way) so nope. it's not a felipe jr. jr. But while the Hermanas were teaching them, the Elders played a trick on them and told them that the dog's name was Felipe! So they spent the whole three months calling it Felipe until finally Sandra asked them why and they said, "isn't that his name?" and she laughed way hard and said, "no! why would we name him that? we have enough of those as it is!" So there you go: fake Felipe # four. And just to bring this gig full circle, Felipe #1 (who was totally against them getting baptized) showed up to the wedding reception with his mariache band! He is the lead singer. (just don't tell our Bishop, who asked us to not have music at the reception since it was right after their baptism and he wanted to "keep it spiritual" In our defence, we had no control over it. And he was in Mexico visiting his sick mother so ...i don't think he knows. !) Anyways, their reception was pretty rockin. and they got frosting allllllllllllllll over hermana Warner's face after they cut the cake! haha. (maybe I was kinda glad they're not that close to me yet. haha)
Then, we had conference! That was good. It always is as a missionary. My favorite part was that when we walked out between sessions, the Broadway 2 ward was there! Do you guys remember Noel Ramirez? Well he's been breaking my heart for about five months now because he quit going to church! I've been writing him letters but that's all I could really do. Well he was there! and I got to talk to him in the foyer! He said that he messed up and quit coming because he was ashamed, but now he realizes that he has been miserable these past five months. He said the three months after his baptism were the happiest months of his life. He said he has it in his heart to give everything he's got to coming back and staying. That was so good to hear. He was excited to see me and Warner together again. So were a lot of the members. One lady made us go over to the side of the foyer and she took our picture! haha she's so sweet. It made me feel like I had Grandma Woodbury with me! hahah. We need more of them in this world!
We also had an investigator named Rosa who came to the conference. I haven't taught her yet so I'm still just getting to know her but she seemed to like it. That was her second time to the church.
I've been really tired all week but it is such a good tired! I feel like i can't wait to get out of the apartment in the morning because I know everything we touch is going to turn to gold! I love the way Hermana Warner works. She is high energy! hahaha it's all I can do to keep up with her but I feel like this was the best "last transfer" situation I could have possibly chosen. Life is so good! Time is so short! I hope you all liked conference. I thought it was awesome. Can't we just freeze time? haha when it goes fast like this, it scares me. Alright, have a good week! Spence...still waiting on that story.
Love you!
thank you for your letters!
Love,
Becca
Monday, March 28, 2011
My Baby is Killing me!
Is everyone sitting down?
alright. GUESS WHAT???? I got transferred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wait.
it's not over yet.
Still sitting down???? gues who my new companion is??????????? Hermana WARNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOW! I'm sooooo excited! You can't even imagine. hahah it's like a sleepover party or something. We haven't stopped talking since we got together this morning at six forty five. my throat is killing me. haha. I can't believe my baby is killing me. that is blowing my mind. (and everyone else's as well). So I don't know what went down but somewhere in my youth or childhood I must have done something good. haha. I miss Hermana Gibson already, but I know Hermana Warner is going to pound it hard with me these last six weeks. Also, our converts from last june (the last time me and warner were together) Claudia and Mariana Collazo from Broadway 2 have moved into this ward so they are hosting us tonight for family home evening! she's getting ready to go through the temple come June and she has a calling in the young women's. does life get any better? I submit that it CANNOT! I can't express to you how happy I am right now. We're going to make these the best six weeks of my mission. I can feel it. Oh before I forget, my new address is:
5718 Eskridge #9
Houston, TX 77023
Anyways, that's the big news. As far as missionary work goes, Iris got baptized on Saturday! It was such a nice service. She got baptized around three in the afternoon in Texas, and her eight year old son got baptized at six in the evening in Honduras. So they did it together! Yesterday she got confirmed and then was asked to bear her testimony in sacrament meeting in front of all the stake leaders that were there for ward (branch) conference. She did great! She had invited us four missionaries over for dinner and she made us fish soup with bananas in it, coconut rice, and cow's tail. hahaha. but it was delicious! she's a great cook. Honduranean food is really yummy. really sweet and lots of fruit.
Our zone went to the temple on Thursday. It felt so good to be in the temple again. I am really looking forward to being able to go whenever I want. (I know that sounds missionary goobery to all y'all, but hey, I'm six weeks out) Speaking of six weeks...yeah, mom it's p.m. sorry! haha right after we got done e-mailing I told hermana Gibson that I had forgotten to write am or pm but we decided you'd realize it was pm since otherwize I'd be getting up at like two in the morning to get there on time. But it was especially cool to be in the temple this time because we had a lady come a few months ago and talk to us about the process of building the Houston Temple and I didn't realize that they had artisans from all over the world come to work on the temple! They have these glass walls that have been etched that are so beautiful and the woman that did them isn't even mormon but she's the best glass etcher in the world right now so that's why they chose her. It was cool to go and pay more attention to the details.
Let's see...I'm sorry this is so scatter-brained, but given the circumstances...let me look in my planner and remind myself what we did this past week.
Alright. So last Monday we went to dinner with a newlywed couple in the ward. They are Cesar and Karla and they totally grew up here so they speak perfect english and are basically your typical mormon american couple. She was telling us how they wrote his whole mission but then broke up when he got back because he was so weird. For example, she said he used to ask her, "is there anything I can do for you?" at the end of their dates. WEIRD. hahahaha so anyways drama drama drama they ended up together happily married. (sound familiar?) BUT. Now it has opened my eyes to MY OWN WEIRDNESS. weirdness isn't the right word. I will let you know when I think of one that is better to supplant it. And for the record, I would NEVER ask that at the end of the date! I'm not THAT weird yet. haha. pot calling the kettle black, eh? Naw, but I'm just a little scared of the real world. It's strange because I know that I like things like TV and stuff, but I just can't imagine myself watching it. I just don't want to! I don't know why! So everyone is just going to have to be kinda patient with me. haha. i'm sorry. But I just don't want y'all to be havin' huge expectations. I'm going to try to ease back into it all. But not yet. Right now I get to soak in the missionaryness of it all as much as I want! Get ready to hear some miracle stories.
Alright I'm not good for anything right now. My head feels fried. I'm going to go buy some groceries with the five dollars I have left on MSF (I thought I would be eating all the food I had been collecting all month! there it sits in the jacinto city fridge...it lay there on the table...). and then i'm going to go to the chapel and try to write a few people back and then i'm going to NAP IT UP. (haha warner disagrees. she says that's lame and I should play soccer. we'll see.) so anyways. I love you all, Have a great week!
Love,
Becca
p.s. Spencer, you're a lucky dog! and i think you owe me a letter and a story...."I am sixteen going on seventeen, I know that I'm naive...." (apparently not) love you!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Chiropractors are WONDERFUL.
All the Gang:
Hey! Happy week six of the transfer. That means we went slim pickins on the grocery shopping today because we weren't sure whether we'd be staying or leaving. The next week will be spent silently trying to tally and figure out whether we'll move or not and then anxiously awaiting our phone call on Saturday night. Pray for us! haha.
This was a somewhat crazy week. We had exchanges, a visit to the chiropractor, and a special delivery in the mail.
First off: Exchanges. I went to Baytown to work with Hermana Keele's greenie, Hermana Arbon. We had a blast. And I was able to walk out on a dock over the bay! so that was cool. We met some sweet people that want to learn more. They of course have lots going on and several baptismal dates...but I'm not bitter. haha. miracles follow greenies! It was an interesting experience though to be with her and remember back to the first transfer of my mission and all those feelings came flooding back. Lots of stress and fear but hope as well. Some days I feel like I'm still just the same as the day I walked off the plane but being with her was a huge reality check and I've changed a lot. Like, for example, I know Spanish (somewhat) now! She was asking me for some "words of wisdom" and tips for missionaries and it felt so weird to be actually vocalizing some of the things I've learned. Well...haha I hope I've learned! So that was a fun day.
Next: Chiropractor. Elder Gardner's back has been really hurting him so he set up an appointment with a chiropractor this morning. The doctor is actually a member and so he told him to bring us all in for a free "adjustment." Basically I got my neck massaged and popped and my back popped for free! It was so nice. haha. felt awesome.
Final: Special Delivery. Our trunky papers came this week! Let me explain: a couple nights ago Hermana Gibson went to check the mail and I was hoping a letter from my family would be there since I hadn't gotten one this week yet, and I was waiting outside the mail room when I heard her scream. She came running out, holding two manilla envelopes above her head and yelling "we got trunky papers!" and generally just freaking out. haha. so we took a bunch of papers and then opened them and wow. Talk about trunky papers. We had heard that they come but that was nothing to actually seeing them. They sent us our flight plans! and a letter thanking us for our service and encouraging us to keep up these good spiritual habits that we've developed in the field for the rest of our lives...such as, praying morning and night with our SPOUSE and family! what?! yeah. totally weird. So we of course had to call all of the hermanas that are going home with us and figure out who is leaving first and who is on whose flight. that was hilarious. Every time we called someone they would just answer the phone screaming. So funny. anyways. that was weird.
okay that's enough of that! hahah alright I"m basically out of time. sorry, that spotlight took me longer to write than I thought it would. We had some cool miracles this week! We've got a teenage girl named Dulce with a baptismal date so pray for her! I love you all and can't wait for your letters. have a good one!
love,
Becca
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