04/02:
Dear Everyone,
We had another awesome FHE last night. The hispanic culture loves slap-stick humor, and it worked to our advantage. We played the sign game, the one where you have to send the sign on beat, and they had the HARDEST time getting it down and everyone just laughed their heads off for probably 20 minutes. Geovanni's already turning into a super member losing his shyness and making friends and answering questions in class and whatnot. We couldn't find anyone from our ward to drive us and our two investigators, so I called in the Amazing Laura, the member we lived with in Plymouth (about an hour away) and she cancelled her other plans and came with us to provide transportation and her lovely self. It was a blast.
We had another FHE will some members earlier in the week, and the former elder's quorum president (the one who hit the RS president) made it very clear that he was making a move on me and it was disgusting and I'll fortunately not have to see him again because he's not in our ward anymore!
And to celebrate April Fool's Day, we wore bright colored pyjama pants under our skirts and pulled them down full length at members' houses, etc. It was fun.
Oh, this was unreal! Last week we stopped at a cafe for lunch and phone calls and LO AND BEHOLD, who should be there but Pat Cotton, one of my absolutely most favorite people from Plymouth. We had lots of great lessons sitting in the hammocks in their front lawn. They are DEFINITELY my kind of people. Unfortunately, they weren't quite so interested in the gospel. Fortunately, it turns out they love me just as much as I love them, and after chatting for an hour we promised to keep in touch forever.
In that same cafe, they had chalkboard walls, so we drew on the Plan of Salvation.
We played baseball with some little kids in a low-income area. That was fun, too.
We had an unusual preparation day today. We saved exercise for after study and cleaning, then ran for about 30 minutes, climbed a tree barefoot and sat looking at the lake. It was enormous fun.
We're upping how much we run from 3 to 5 miles to try and get Sister Williams enough exercise (and I, in the mean time, am getting kicked into shape). We also run from the car to houses and everything, just because we feel like it.
We're going tonight to the Wabasha Street Caves, caves that were carved out during Prohibition to make speak-easies. They're supposed to be amazing. I'll send pictures. They have swing classes every Thursday at 6:15 and live jazz and dancing 7-10. Good thing we have appointments set...
We have a recently reactivated member in the hospital with pneumonia for 2 weeks now, and he seems to just be getting worse, although he tells us he's just in there for complications with diabetes. it's really sad to see. It really throws Sister Williams for a loop.
Oh, and you know how the whole reason I was called Spanish was to train my last transfer? Well, that sister had to go home from the MTC because of back problems. I'm now guaranteed (and this is straight from the mission president) to spend my last transfer in this same spot working with the same people and helping Sister Williams. That makes me so happy! It's just what I wanted.
The amazing Sister Farr who was my companion this time last year visited last month and promptly sent me the Book of Mormon in Spanish on CD, and the general conference on DVD in some 17 languages. We're getting the BOM copied for Geovanni, and we're using the DVD's to prep for this weekend's big event.
They put in new leadership in almost every part of the ward, and the overarching theme was that they just pulled up all the humble people. I'm way excited to see how this helps the atmosphere in the ward.
We found a new family to teach who met with missionaries about 5 years ago in NYC. They also just happen to be moving in with a lady I street contacted. She was pretty apathetic although not unkind, but I didn't feel good just closing the conversation and walking away (they were in the middle of moving although refused my help) so I just stood there awkwardly and after a few minutes she turned to me and very sincerely asked us to come visit in their new house down the street. Just about then her roommate comes out, and it turns out he's a less-active member!!! So we pretty much plan on making that apartment Zion.
Sister Williams is making awesome, awesome progress although she's still really struggling with depression. We've identified specific thought patterns (all-or-nothing mentality, the I-should-be-doing mentality) and specific ways of countering those (what's your happy thought? or Argue that.) I'm really excited for the progress she's making, and I totally count her as one of my mission converts : )
Gonna go tour. Love you all!
Erin
We had another awesome FHE last night. The hispanic culture loves slap-stick humor, and it worked to our advantage. We played the sign game, the one where you have to send the sign on beat, and they had the HARDEST time getting it down and everyone just laughed their heads off for probably 20 minutes. Geovanni's already turning into a super member losing his shyness and making friends and answering questions in class and whatnot. We couldn't find anyone from our ward to drive us and our two investigators, so I called in the Amazing Laura, the member we lived with in Plymouth (about an hour away) and she cancelled her other plans and came with us to provide transportation and her lovely self. It was a blast.
We had another FHE will some members earlier in the week, and the former elder's quorum president (the one who hit the RS president) made it very clear that he was making a move on me and it was disgusting and I'll fortunately not have to see him again because he's not in our ward anymore!
And to celebrate April Fool's Day, we wore bright colored pyjama pants under our skirts and pulled them down full length at members' houses, etc. It was fun.
Oh, this was unreal! Last week we stopped at a cafe for lunch and phone calls and LO AND BEHOLD, who should be there but Pat Cotton, one of my absolutely most favorite people from Plymouth. We had lots of great lessons sitting in the hammocks in their front lawn. They are DEFINITELY my kind of people. Unfortunately, they weren't quite so interested in the gospel. Fortunately, it turns out they love me just as much as I love them, and after chatting for an hour we promised to keep in touch forever.
In that same cafe, they had chalkboard walls, so we drew on the Plan of Salvation.
We played baseball with some little kids in a low-income area. That was fun, too.
We had an unusual preparation day today. We saved exercise for after study and cleaning, then ran for about 30 minutes, climbed a tree barefoot and sat looking at the lake. It was enormous fun.
We're upping how much we run from 3 to 5 miles to try and get Sister Williams enough exercise (and I, in the mean time, am getting kicked into shape). We also run from the car to houses and everything, just because we feel like it.
We're going tonight to the Wabasha Street Caves, caves that were carved out during Prohibition to make speak-easies. They're supposed to be amazing. I'll send pictures. They have swing classes every Thursday at 6:15 and live jazz and dancing 7-10. Good thing we have appointments set...
We have a recently reactivated member in the hospital with pneumonia for 2 weeks now, and he seems to just be getting worse, although he tells us he's just in there for complications with diabetes. it's really sad to see. It really throws Sister Williams for a loop.
Oh, and you know how the whole reason I was called Spanish was to train my last transfer? Well, that sister had to go home from the MTC because of back problems. I'm now guaranteed (and this is straight from the mission president) to spend my last transfer in this same spot working with the same people and helping Sister Williams. That makes me so happy! It's just what I wanted.
The amazing Sister Farr who was my companion this time last year visited last month and promptly sent me the Book of Mormon in Spanish on CD, and the general conference on DVD in some 17 languages. We're getting the BOM copied for Geovanni, and we're using the DVD's to prep for this weekend's big event.
They put in new leadership in almost every part of the ward, and the overarching theme was that they just pulled up all the humble people. I'm way excited to see how this helps the atmosphere in the ward.
We found a new family to teach who met with missionaries about 5 years ago in NYC. They also just happen to be moving in with a lady I street contacted. She was pretty apathetic although not unkind, but I didn't feel good just closing the conversation and walking away (they were in the middle of moving although refused my help) so I just stood there awkwardly and after a few minutes she turned to me and very sincerely asked us to come visit in their new house down the street. Just about then her roommate comes out, and it turns out he's a less-active member!!! So we pretty much plan on making that apartment Zion.
Sister Williams is making awesome, awesome progress although she's still really struggling with depression. We've identified specific thought patterns (all-or-nothing mentality, the I-should-be-doing mentality) and specific ways of countering those (what's your happy thought? or Argue that.) I'm really excited for the progress she's making, and I totally count her as one of my mission converts : )
Gonna go tour. Love you all!
Erin