Week 15

Hello! I just want to tell you that you are very fortunate to receive an email today. Seeing as it is a holiday every place with a computer is closed. But we had to venture to the mission office to retrieve our car and there were two open computers and the Rose's said that we could use them since we were here. Blessings from heaven. I am doing well. This last week has been a little crazy. I'm sure you have seen some of it on the news but there are some unhappy people in the state of California. Luckily we haven't ran into anyone yet but it sure makes me nervous. Apparently there are commercials that are targeted at missionaries so people have a really bad image of us. We have to call in every night and report that we have arrived home safely. President had us stay in the other night after our 5 o'clock appointment. It was nice to have some extra study time but you feel like you are breaking the rules cause you are just sitting in the apartment when you should be out knocking or teaching. Honestly I am a little scared but I know that I will be protected. President Sexton is very in tune with the spirit and I am confident in his abilities to guide us through. Things have quited down a lot so hopefully it will continue to do so. They had like 2000 protestors on Thursday at the temple and the had to close the temple because people were trying to get in. So crazy. We also had to have members patrol the building during church on Sunday. Why can't we all just get along? Speaking of Sunday, I gave a talk this Sunday. Me and Elder Anderson were asked to share our testimonies about the atonement of Jesus Christ. Of course I cried, I guess I take after my parents ;). I talked about I have come to appreciate the atonement more than ever since being on a mission. I have really learned to trun to my Savior and humbled to my knees. I have learned that it is the only way to feel peace and love when we are discouraged or when we are having a hard time. Even when we have a great day we are on our knees praying to our father in gratitude. My testimony has really been strengthened as I have come to know my Savior and confide in him. We are so blessed to have someone who knows us so well and knows exactly how we feel. It is comforting to know that I can talk to him when I am having a hard day and he will make it alright. I got the picture of Matthew the other day. Man is he growing up! He changes every picture. I can hardly believe it! We had some great lessons this last week. Yesterday we taught all day and didn't have time to come to eat. Three of them were in Spanish. It still gives me a headache. One day it will just click. Until then I will just keep going and learning and trying. I have a great spanish story for you. I just know you will laugh. So we teaching this spanish family and we were talking about prophets. I was trying to describe the role of prophet and why he is important. In spanish I said "El es un MAN... I was supposed to say "El es un hombre..." Where does this spanglish come from? I sounded so brilliant. We were with some members so my companion couldn't laugh at me until after we had dropped them off. So funny. She did it yesterday though so we had a good laugh about it. So remember how I was so excited about Tongan food? Well it wasn't the best I have ever eaten. It was good but at least it wasn't horse or dog. He almost got us octapus. We had some cooked green bananas. They were pretty weird. I'm not a fan of cooked bananas. Speaking of food we ate In and Out yesterday. It was good. Theelders were super excited to have hamburgers from In and Out. We had to rescheldule the hour and they thought we were cancelling. They almost died. PS a member from Long Beach is moving to Murray this week. I told her to stop by. She has our address so if a random member comes to say hello its ok. Her name is Crystal and she is a poly. Her sister is going on a mission to Uraguay in December. So great! Meag Sister Colwell was pretty excited to hear that she is wanted. She was already planning on coming over to our house before I got home. She has pretty much adopted Matthew and Brooklyn and says that she will take care of them until I get home. I will let you know when her homecoming is so you can go. ¿Que más? We ate the Vamanrov's this last week again and sister Colwell was relieved that it wasn't fish. I made some brownies for them and some other members. I tried it with the butterscotch and vanilla. Very good creation. They loved them and wanted the recipe. They are spreading like wild fire up here. The secret is out and everyone loves it cause it is so easy. Gary called us like 3 times to tell us thank you and that they were so good. It was his birthday and he was so excited. Zone conference is this week and I am so excited! It is my first one and I can't wait! It will be in spanish so I will probably have a headache afterwards but it will be spiritually uplifting! Well I should probably let you all you go. I love all of you and miss you so much! The gospel is true and I love being a missionary. Don't worry about me, I am safe just nervous. I love you! Have a great week!



*I am on top of things this week, Steph's P days are on Tuesday. I am usually to busy to post them on Tuesday. Not today! I wouldn't count on it happening again...well maybe once or twice more. Meags