"Guys the mission is the best!"

She sounds good!  Much better than her feet look!!!  =)     Don't look too close!!!  =[ Seriously!!!

photo 685 - "mission feet are the best. My companions feet are SO FUNNY! 

She looks like shes got socks on!"

photo 343 - "the apartment"

So when she sent this, I about cried.  I thought this was where they are living with the exposed sky and cement floors - I thought the blue table was the kitchen with a microwave underneath it.  Looks like that right?  Well, she has said that their shower and toilet are "in this little place" outside.  I'd like to think this is THAT little place she was talking about!!!

Hello,

So how was your conference weekend?  I hope it was wonderful and you got to watch it all.  We didn't have any tickets available, so we watched all from home, except Priesthood session, of course.  The girls went to grandmas and had left over homemade Cafe Rio.  Did your investigators come that you were hoping for...I hope so.  Were you able to understand it in Spanish?

Conference was AMAZING!! I just love conference. I literally was stoked out of my mind all week! We would invite investigators and they just thought I was crazy because I was so excited! We had a couple investigators that ended up going. Which was a great experience for them. One is this kid Geovani. He is HILARIOUS. Seriously so funny. Hes 19, and he really has such a desire to know if the church is true. His challenge, like the rest of San Martin is going to church. He works every Sunday. And Sundays in San Martin is when we have the market. So its the best day to work because there's a million and one people. So it is so hard for people to humble themselves enough to quit working Sundays!  The other was this kid Carlos. He is 17...he looks like hes 12. We thought he was lying when he first told us his age...seriously. But he is the most timid kid I've ever met but he loves going to activities and church. His mom is is evangelico y muy orgulloso, entonces, we want him to turn 18 so he can be baptized, but he doesn't know when his birthday is....lots of people here don't. its weird!!

The weather was typical for conference weekend:  rainy and cold.  This whole last week was pretty awful, but this next week is supposed to be so much better.  Hopefully you aren't too hot. I have been so glad that you had cooler weather so that you don't have to deal with bugs.  I know that will come to you, but hopefully not too soon.  USE YOUR OILS!

The weather is HEAVENLY! And the mangos and the watermelon! WE bought 3 watermelons yesterday!! OHH YA! hahaha we love the fruit here. Its ridiculous when the people try to charge us 2x as much money for things here because I'm a gringa...hahaha I just laugh!

So what else...what is going on with you?  How did the mission end officially up for their 400 in March.

I thought I told you in the last letter, but we hit 364 baptisms in march. Which is amazing. and we are so excited about it! Also our zone has 87 percent retention with our converts which is the record of the mission. So we are excited about that too!!

How is JM doing now?  I hope he is doing great!  I hope he is able to be strong.

JM didn't show up for the priesthood session of conference....or Sunday. so we went to visit him Sunday night and he was drunk...ya my heart broke. I might have cried a bit. I just feel sooo sad for him and I don't know what more to do for him! It's SO HARD!

Do you have photos of you apartment?

Ya I will try to send some!

I was thinking...you should find someone, or ask your companion to trim off about 1" of your hair.  I think it be good for it.  I can't believe we forgot to trim it, but in your photos, it looks like it is ready.  Even if you just trim it a bit, it will help it grow better that way.

Ya not asking my comp....hahahaha not that I don't love her, I just don't trust her with that! hahaha we shall see...my hair is getting so light though..I don't like that part!! 

I have lots of questions, but I didn't write any of them down, so I always forget what I wanted to ask you.  Maybe I will start to take notes in my phone so I remember.

Emily Stewart is home now.  She was later than they expected, but she made it.  Laura was very excited for that.

Okay babe, your on.  What is your story for the week?  We cannot wait to hear.

So this week, aka yesterday we did divisions. I GOT TO WORK WITH HERMANA COLEMAN AGAIN! It was SO, SO fun! I loved it! She is so greta. The wheel of one of my suit cases is broken so she brought her nice big suit case and traded me because she goes him in like a week so now I have her suitcase (her parents will LOVE us =}) and its so nice and the wheel works! She is so great, huh! We had some great lessons this week. We had miracles! We found some people just incredible that i am so excited about. They are seriously amazing. One, Marvin, he is LOVING the Book of Mormon. He told us the other day that we have changed his whole perspective. So we invited him to church and he said he had to ask his pastor...WHAT! Why in the world would you ask your past...I don't get it! hahaha but he is changing so much. We just need to get him to church, along with the rest of San Martin. We found this girl, shes 18. She is amazing. She is living by herself to study and she has such a strong desire to know the truth. K I DON'T GET IT! ALL OF OUR INVESTIGATORS ARE MOVING TO THE STATES. It's ridiculous. The states aren't that amazing are they....hahaha nahhh --- San Martin is way better! Why are they all leaving us!! hahaha K but seriously this is the best area. I am more and more in love with the people every day. I just feel like they are part of our family. I hope one day you get to meet these wonderful people!!

Guys, I hope you enjoyed conference and realized how many times they mentioned family scripture study, prayer and family home evening. I hope you are doing it! If not, START. I know I am just the annoying missionary sister, but I'm serious, it changes. The BOOK OF MORMON HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR LIVES. We just finished the Book of Mormon as a mission the 4th! I seriously love this book. What a blessing that we have it! I am starting it again doing it with the intent to KNOW the characters. Really know them so I can apply the scriptures to the lives of my investigators. Also I am going to read it only in Spanish! This last time I did it in English and marked up my Spanish scriptures, but this time only in Spanish! I am so, so excited! 

Guys the mission is the best! I literally have never been so happpy! So tired, but so happy!! I hope you are all so happy and helping in this work! It is the only way to have success , if we are all working together!!

Take care--LOVE YOUR GUTS!

Mom

PS  Hopefully you get your package soon!!!

Got the package! THANK YOUUUU!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!