It is SO wonderful to hear about everything that's going on---mommy thank you for beinga busy body, I completely agree with your suggestions. Elder Porter took charge (which is good, as I mentioned before the leaders in my ward are more likely to listen to an Elder than a Sister,) and took all of our suggestions to the Bishop for us. We've got a list coming together of people who'll offer to give rides to investigators and less actives... the only thing I haven't been able to get ANYONE to agree with me on is the nessecity of getting these poor kids to church with or without their mom.

I really didn't think this would be a hard one, but apparently there's some interesting opinions about teaching/baptising/doingANYTHING with children who's parents aren't members or aren't active. Elder Porter (our fearless leader who sort of resembles a muscular red-neck Pooh-bear, though if you mention this to him he turns into "grumpy bear") says that he NEVER teaches or baptises the children of in-atives, or helps them get to church because it's their parents respondsibility to step up and take care of their child's spiritual well being. Although I agree with the sentiment that Ideally one would re-activate the family in order to baptise their children, I'd have to say that I think it's silly of him to outright refuse. If the children have a real desire to go to church and be involved, I wouldn't let their dead-beat parents get int he way of their spiritual education... I think it's different in different circumstances. Anyway, so, it seems everyone else agrees and isn't interested in helping the children if they can't help their parents. This makes me madder than I can say without breaking the white-handbook rules about correspondance with family members, so i'm just going to say that I'm working hard on loving everyone who is realy, truelly, sincerely trying to help me, I can tell... in the mean time, I'll just have to keep working with the parents. I can't figure out what Orfelda's hang-up about church is. I think maybe she's just scared. She doesn't know anything about religion, and she doesn't believe us that church isn't scary and filled with people who are there to judge her. I just know that if we could just get her there, she'd make friends and probably really love it and then she could take her poor kids and their adorable cousins to church.

That's so wonderful about Brandon and Kelly and little Merrick! I can't wait to meet the little guy, I bet he's precious and adorbale just like his padres.
A blizzard?! I am so happy I am in Texas, although the weather here was a little crazy last week. Mostly it was warm but it was FREEZING at the Pulga on saturday morning. (Pulga is like a little outdoor mall thingy where people set up tables and sell things, we stand at our little table and try to get people to stop and talk to us long enough that we can get them to give us their name/address/phone#.) We taught an entire first lesson to a Jehova's Witness and he actually listened politely and then told us no. He was nice though, kept complimenting us on our Spanish and asking if we were from El Salvador. I think he was just trying to be nice, I'm clearly a white girl who looks lost and speaks bizarre spanglish.

It also hailed last week, while we were tracting. I bet you never thought I'd write home and say that I'd gone tracting in the hail, huh? You'd think people would have sympathy on us and let us inside, but no. We still taught a lesson but it was in the doorway (before the hail started).

I'm getting pretty good at recognising where hispanics live. There's an art to it. Look for the following staples: Aloe/Frog figurines on the lawn/next to the aloe, dirty work-boots left outside, poka music, heavy richly patterned drapes obscuring the view into the apartment or house, an impressive collection of satalite dishes, virgin-Mary light-up clock in the window or outside on the balcony. Avoid: American-flag paraphanelia, cutsiey arts and crafts décor, horse-shoe themes or interesting door-knocking shapped like bull-horns etc.
Actually, we taught a lot of lessons in English this week. We were doing a lot of tracking and West-field (the English missionaries in our area) told us to go to a couple of different aparment complexes because they swore that there was a ton of hispanics living there—so we took their advice and found a lot of black people who were very interested to hear more about the gosple, but who we can’t teach because we have to refer them to the missionaries in their ward: West-field. I told Hermana Frieszell, “I think we’ve been dupped.”
It’s so good to hear from home, mom are you still crusing the boards all the time? Please tell me stories, I’m sure to face some of the exact same junk out here, you’ve got more experience dealing with these people than I do. Jensen, I think I forgot to tell you last week, your penguin picture is SO COOL!
It’s weird being out here with all these people who didn’t see The Dark Knight because… well, they were out here! Pretty much, everyone has a least heard a little about it (enough to be very anxious to see it when they can in about August-September (when the majority of the whole mission is going home, including my companion and the reast of my Zone except for Elder Herrman who obviously came in the same time I did and Elder Porter who’s about a year in.) So, let me just say, I’ve been getting questions, which is a little bad because then I have to TELL them about the movie, and then I want to watch the movie, which I can’t do. Batman is just so cool. He wins. He wins the universe.
Also, thanks for telling me about the Kung Fu test, can I see pictures of battle-wounds?! Did Chantal go?! When did Randy and Ian come back?! Why haven’t I heard about this from you or Chantal?! You must tell me all! Is Mike gone? Who is KEVIN?! Tell Sifu to write me. In Spanish.
I saw some Jehova’s Witnesses our tracting the other day. A couple of girls like us. I turned to Hermana Frieszell and asked, “Should… Should we rumble?”
I thought it was funny. She just blinked at me.
The birds sound like car alarms here. It’s what they hear when they are young and they group up learning to speak this way. A bit like an accent, but for birds.
I’m sorry about not sending the picture card yet, there’s so good stuff on there too… A picture of a typical hispanic doorstep and a door we knocked on before we realised that that huge bolt on the knob meant that somebody didn’t pay their rent (don’t you love the ghetto?) And everything from the MTC too… I’ll work on that.
I wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you for granpa’s testimony grandma, it became the subject of my personal study when I got it, and was very lovely and touching to read. I think you’re right that I got some of my writing talent from him, for sure. I’m glad he enjoys my letter as well. I try not to make them too terribly useless.
I need some help. In the white handbook it says not to ask for donations to local causes, but I really need some help with this one. Remember my investigator Carolina? I think I figured out what she needs.
Do you happen to know a smart, good-looking returned missionary who speaks Spanish and would like to marry a sweet, spunky, VERY pretty 31 yr old with two children, two teenaged sisters and a mother who all need financial support?! I think we might be able to not only get her baptised, but we could possibly figure out a fast-road to the celestial kingdom if we could just find this guy.
We took them to the employment office and that was basically what the guy told us “What they really need is a man. Preferably an American, to take care of them all.”
I swear, this society. At first I was exasperated by his response, but the more I think about it the more I start wondering if any of my teachers from the MTC would like to move to Texas. I could play the song for them and everything.
My companion sings in her sleep. It’s ADORABLE. Almost Laney-type songs too, with a little squeaky “lalalala” voice.
Mom I got one of your letters, I don’t think it’s the one you were talking about in your e-mail today though because you didn’t mention the preacher or my Bishop, but you did mention my music! I’d love to get some ‘acceptable’ songs put on it. I’m seriously so dissapointed that it’s come to this… but now there’s the sadness that I’m not sure my Ipod is working. I think it’s a little problem that could be fixed by a trip to the Istore, but I just don’t have time. The light still comes on when I plug it in to charge, but then it won’t play… so, I’m going to send it back and maybe it just needs to be looked at by someone compitent. CDs, might be a better idea for now, just because all the cars have CD players and in the car is one of the only times we get to listen to music.
Okay well, my companion is looking bored, I think I’d better wrap up this letter and go home, but as usual I’m going to do a hand-written letter that should arrive later this week… I love you all! I miss you, but I’m not homesick, I really love it here, and I’m enjoying every day… but at the same time I can’t wait to see you all again and tell you everything about it. Gosh, it seems like I haven’t seen you in ages or something, we should hang out pronto. I’m really busy right now, but let’s get together when we’ve both got more time… how about in like a year and half?
Hermana Lillywhite