Excellent Week

I have awesome news again. Remember how last week was the best week ever? So was this week! Alicia and Janet got baptized and Victor was confirmed. Pictures to come from the baptism, you’ll have to notice how Alicia had to be stylish and wear her own white clothing. Which is SO Alicia.
AND! During an adorable lesson in which we were teaching Victor how to tie a tie he admitted to us that he wants to serve a mission. YAY! I baptized another future missionary! Did you get the letter with all the pictures from the temple and his baptism yet? Tell Sister Child’s thank you for the money and tell everybody I said hi out there!
Sounds like the kwoon is growing right along. Wow that’s crazy! Nick is getting married?! And he’s a police officer! Wow. It’s crazy how we grow up… I remember that kid. Crazy. CRAZY. I hope Jensen and Chantal are gearing up for their test.
Laney memorized the Jabberwocky poem!? Oh, my heart! That makes me so happy. There’s a street called jabberwocky in our area. Well, not really. It’s on the map. Actually it’s on all the maps, old and new, but we CAN’T find it, which is to bad because we really wanted to knock it.
District meeting was really weird. We actually watched Elder McGary and Elder parker playing Darth Vader. (This means that Elder McGary would pretend to choke him from across the room and Parker would choke from his seat).
The only other thing I can think to say is that my feet are pretty mangled these days. I took a picture. It’s bad. And those spots are coming back, the ones that mean I need more sunlight. The missionary dress-code and lack of tanning salons are not good for my skin. I need sunlight! And Vitamin D. Which is sort of like the best part of sunlight. All in all, I’m a little messed up physically, but that’s okay. I’ll take care of that later. It’ll have to be dealt with eventually.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! For the Halloween package. I was SO happy when I saw it waiting for me at the office there. I LOVE candy. Too much. I shared with the other missionaries and I’m sure we might get a couple of trick-or-treaters. We’re supposed to stay in at seven on Halloween night. I’ve got the pulga during the day, so it’ll be nice to just relax a little. Pulga is always SO draining.
I’m not too worried about school. I guess I should ask somebody about this whole GRE thing? I’ve got my interview with president coming up. Or I guess I could just write about it in a letter, I forget who it is who takes care of schooling stuff around here. Anyway, Creative Writing major sounds interesting… Then I could be a creative writing teacher. I could also pursue Spanish too.
I’d be totally comfortable going English for a little while. Some people freak out about the idea, but I’m open to it. I love Spanish though… I’d like to finish my mission as a Spanish missionary, but if he wants to send me English for a couple of transfers until we get a few more English Sisters out here, that would be alright with me. I know the language. I don’t feel uncomfortable speaking it at all anymore, so I think I wouldn’t have a problem if I stopped for a few months and then came back to it. And that’s the risk with sending Spanish missionaries English, is that they might forget their language. I don’t think that would happen to me.
Dang, poor BYU. That’s pretty terrible. One of our assistants is a BYU football player. I hope he hasn’t heard. I’m sorry about health care too, I hope nobody gets sick! I’m working on not getting sick out here myself. And yes mom, I’ve gotten A LOT of ideas for books. It’s actually not to bad, being unable to write. I thought I’d be really frustrated, but I’m okay. I just jot down some ideas in my journal every once in a while, and then I feel better. I don’t know how interesting my journals are going to be. Most of it’s jokes the Elders tell, or just a quick note of “Man, so much is going on, I wish I had time to write about it. Bye.”
I’m trying to do better, but I think this is the worst Journal keeping I’ve ever done. Sister Hansen and you both brought up the importance of keeping a good journal in one week though, so since then, I’ve been trying to write every day, a least a little. It’s tough sometimes though. I’m just SO busy. And on that note. Tell everybody who I should be writing right now that I’M SORRY!
On that note… Short letter this week. I’m so sorry, it really was an amazing week. My journal entries for this week are good actually, but I’m afraid my letter is going to be a little bit lame. I LOVE you all, so much. More than I can ever tell you. I hope everyone has an amazing week, and that I’m able to write a less-lame letter next week. I miss you, and I love you!
Sister Lillywhite

In Awe

I am in awe. This was probably the best week... of my mission. Possibly. I don't know. I've had some pretty amazing weeks, but this one... it's up there.

Laney’s ‘notes’ from conference read like some of the modern poetry I was forced to read in the English department at the University of Utah. Very interesting stuff. I’d love to show it to a psychiatrist.

Speaking of. I think it’s best that I go into the English department. Jan. 15th huh? So what do I do, anyway? I didn’t even think about this before… I probably should have. I’m sure there are some people who are thoroughly disgusted with my lack of foresight about my whole life.

So the Kung Fu test happened for some but not all?! Chantal wrote me about how he kept changing the dates… I hope Jensen get’s the opportunity to test soon. Study hard, m’baby! I’m o ashamed, I don’t remember ANYTHING. We are going to have to whip my bum back into shape, I’m telling you…

Everything sounds like so much fun. And all the food sounds delicious:)

I had a very amusing freak-out moment once when I was still back in Crosstimbers. It wasn’t a bad freak-out, it was more just very, very funny that my whole life suddenly came to me in a flash and I found myself sitting on the floor of an apartment in the ghetto of Houston, in an ugly jody-dress with a black nametag and some chick talking about the eternal salvation of a couple of cholos. And I just paused and looked up at Hermana and said, “How did I get here? Where am I… WHO THE HECK ARE YOU!?”

Every once in a while that happens. I really can’t figure out how I ended up a church lady, but hey! All’s groovey. I’m blissfully happy and fulfilled and I’m pretty sure I might actually be sort of like a good person. Maybe even a messenger of Jesus Christ.

Wow. I sure do miss you all a LOT sometimes. It’s weird to think that Christmas is sort of coming up… I’m excited to hear all your voces dulces again.

This was an incredible week. One of the best of my life. I had two, really amazing baptisms that I got to go to, a temple trip… I met some new amazing people and I feel like the ward here really sincerely wants to help with the work here. It’s an amazing new place… I miss my old areas, I always do, but I LOVE Louetta.

The two baptisms were Silvia, who’s story I think I’ve already told… if not, I’ll write in on the back of the photo I’m going to mail home. (Probably next week with another package.) and Victor. Victor is AWESOME! Yet again, I’ll have to send that story with a picture. But it was a very powerful weekend we had. And I’ve got another baptism this next Saturday as well. The field is really coming alive out here. I’m so excited to be a part of this work.

I am also so excited for Nanette! That’s so great that she’s coming down here to gorgeous Houston. She’s going to be such an amazing missionary… the East Mission Huh? It’s the Houston East mission, but here, we just call it East. Sometimes they refer to us as North, but we’re just “Houston” really. Anyway, we might actually see each other if they do another multi-mission conference, like the one I just had last transfer. I met lots of missionaries from the East and South mission then. But those aren’t scheduled in advance, they just happen sometimes, and we usually don’t hear about it until a few days before. And yes, Elder Costa came and spoke to us at that last one, he’s very entertaining and very inspiring.

Oh! Fun fact: Sister Willis, one of my new companions, loves the Mighty Boosh. I sort of snorted in the car after remembering a random joke from the show, and I started to explain it to her and she was like: “Oh my gosh…. You just discovered a really deep part of me because I LOVE THAT SHOW!”
It was excellent. I’m pretty sure we’re the only two people in Texas who’ve ever heard of it.

My story telling habits are now pretty well known. It seems that whenever I run into a new missionary they look at my tag and say, “Oh. You’re the one with the stories.” So. Now, I occasionally host story time. I’ve tried encouraging others to share, but they just want to hear.

Just FYI. I don’t know anything about how transfers work, but I had a funny thought the other day and I think… maybe… I’m not trying to prophesy or anything like that, but I DID have this thought and I wanted in on the record just in case I’m right.

I think… I might go English next transfer.

I just did the math and I realized that in order to keep all the English sister’s areas open (and there’s only five) one of the Spanish sisters is going to have to switch to English for a while, and I just have this feeling it might be me. I have evidence to back it up too—President only sends Sisters English when their Spanish is good enough that when they go BACK Spanish speaking after a transfer or two, they will still remember everything and be able to communicate just like before without loosing any ability. He also doesn’t like to send sisters English right near the end of their mission, but more in the middle… and out of all the sisters, I’m probably the only one in the middle, with good enough Spanish and who would be totally okay with it.

Honestly, I think going English would be really interesting. Most Spanish Speaking missionaries are ardently against it. like… violently, violently opposed to ever teaching white people, but I think I’d be okay with it. it could be interesting to go teach white people in the belt-buckle of the bible belt for a little while, and I know I’d learn a lot.

But then, Hermana Willis pointed out, “Because you’re okay with it, it probably won’t happen to you. It’s more likely to happen to a Sister who will throw a huge fit about it and then learn a lot and grow as a result.”

So, she’s got a point. Whatever. I’m just saying, if you get an Email from me and I’m all like “HEY folks! I’m getting banished out to college station to serve English for a while!” just know, I’m totally cool with it and prepared for that kind of a change, and I’m not one of these lame “Spanish-pride” missionaries who are dissin’ on the English missionaries while still trying to figure out how to roll their rrs and use subjunctive tense.

I wanted to try and explain all the spiritually wonderful stuff that happened this weekend… but it’s hard to write about for some reason. I’m working on getting over that, sorry:) But I’ll include at least some explanations about the baptisms.

Also, there was one other baptism this weekend that touched my heart… I didn’t get the opportunity to go, but all the same, I’m so happy I got to be a part of it in a sort of round about way.
Do you remember Veronica? My recent convert? I walked up to her in a parking lot and then she and her two children who were old enough got baptized with her? I love that woman so much.

She joined the church, terrified that she was going to be spending every Sunday sitting alone on the bench, because her husband used to listen to missionaries but had sent them away forever when they started talking about baptism (this was years ago). She had always been curious about what they were teaching him and about why he had been so opposed to the church, so that’s why she invited us to come and teach her. Anyway, she wanted to her husband to be with her in the church. But he refused to have anything to do with it. He didn’t come to her baptism or anything, and whenever we were over there, he wasn’t. I’ve never actually met the man…

Then Elder Dorion and Elder Morin white-washed my old area after Hermana Frieszell left. And Veronica still had a number of recent convert lessons that she needed, so they were over there all the time. Vernoica’s husband, did NOT like it. He would get drunk and make up all kinds of things in his head about what was ‘really going on’ between his wife and the Elders. So, they were welcome over there. It was really horrible for Veronica, but she stayed strong, coming to church and bringing the kids and talking to the missionaries when he was out.

Then… apparently kind of out of the blue, he called the Elders up one night, tearful and repented and explained that he and his wife had been talking and he knew the church was true (had apparently known if for a really long time) and he knew he needed to defeat all of his vices and get baptized.

And yesterday, he was baptized!

Alright… there’s my stories for this week. I’m overjoyed. I really want to bask a little in the glow of the Lord’s success in this campo for a bit… but, I sort of can’t. Not for very long at least. There’s a lot more work to be done.

I LOVE you, my darling, sweet family.

Louetta

Fambly,
Hey! Sounds like everything is groovy back home. Dad’s continuing with his Bishoply duties, huh? Senior Bishop? Is that a thing? Does that mean he’s been Bishop the longest in the stake? Yeah, that’s crazy, but I was thinking about it the other day, and I don’t really remember a time when dad wasn’t in the Bishopric, and I have to stretch my little mind back to before he was Bishop to when he was a counselor. I do have vague memories of when he was first called into the Bishopric though, but before that… nada. Me mente esta quebrantado ya.
That’s the weirdest funeral I’ve ever heard of… I don’t think I’ve ever been to a secular funeral. I must not have, because that’s just foreign to me. Why would you want to be remembered like that? Crazy. Don’t worry mommy, I won’t let that happen to you, or to you, daddy. There will be classiness for all to disfrutar.
Lane’s so adorable… I haven’t gotten her newsletter yet! It’s transfer week, and they like to hold the mail and packages until we’re all in our new areas and settled, also, it’s Columbus day. But, lucky for us the church’s employment office is open, so we came to do our mail since it’s fairly close and we had to drop some stuff off at the mission office (right next door) anyway.
Jen’s enjoying her classes? I just got that AWESOME picture she did of Poison Ivy, with MY costume. Everybody dug it. It’s gorgeous and it looks so great, I’m glad you’re continuing to improve, and that you FINALLY drew something I asked you to draw ginna! Bien hecho. Laughing stock sounds hilarious! Please, please continue to tell me everything you can remember about their shows. I can just see it all in my head. Man, that’s funny.
The garden sounds gorgeous, I love veggies… today, while I was shopping, I ended up getting mostly veggies without even realizing it. I hadn’t grabbed any sweets at all (accept for some pop-tarts). Not because I was making an effort to be healthy, but just because I wanted to eat veggies. Thanks for describing the food again mommy. We had a bit of a funny experience last Friday (my third day in our trio). There was something wrong with the tire on our car, so we went to NTB and had to sit there for THREE hours while they fixed it, argued on the phone with the mission car-guy for a little while, and dealt with a crisis (money missing from the register. Lots of cussing and angry mechanics). So, there’s a big old TV that they have to leave on during business hours, but because we were the only people there, they did let us change the channel (but not turn it off). We finally switched it to the news in Spanish and decided to call it slightly Apostate Language Study, just because we didn’t know what else to do. I learned some new words. Cabellos de fuerza (sp?) = Horsepower.
But before we got them to switch the TV for us, Rachel ray was making something that looked pretty amazing. And Dr. Oz suggests that the color of my alarm clock might be keeping me awake at night, and that it’s too warm in Houston to get proper sleep. Anyway, watching the cooking show made me so hungry. I love hearing about the food. Dinner sounds like it was delicious.
After a bit, the mechanics got tired of fighting with their boss about the missing money and one by one tried to escape. We ended up teaching two of them about the Apostacy and Restoration for the last hour and a half or so while we were waiting there. One of them was Iranian and didn’t know anything about religion in general, he said, but he was very nice and open minded about it. Said he was curious to know what the big deal was. The other guy was Hispanic, but clearly preferred speaking in English, though he tried to bash with us using that good old “Well, if you read the bible in Spanish, which is really more correct it says this…” one of my favorite arguments that people bust out when their talking to gringos, so then I just pulled out my brand new Reina-Valera and was like, “You mean this bible in Spanish?” and he kind of went, “Uuh, yeah. That one.” And didn’t knew where to go from there, because he was lying about the difference in the Spanish/English translation. He stopped trying to argue with him once he figured out that we speak and read Spanish fluently. I think he was kind of impressed actually, because he just took the pamphlet and read a little while I continued to explain about modern day revelation and prophets.
Very fun day.
Saturday we had the pulga again. We ran out of supplies, which turned out to be a really good thing, because then people who talked with us, couldn’t just take and card and run off, they had to stay and chat. I taught a woman named Yazmin who used to meet with missionaries in Spain and seemed genuinely interested. She lives in… I think Elder Dorion’s area (my old area) which is typical. He’s just going to go ahead and baptized everyone I find, which is cool with me:) I’ve really got a firm belief in the right missionaries being put in place to teach the right people. It’s something that’s been proven to me again and again, which makes it easily to turn over the wheel to someone else once you’re finished with whatever you’re part in their story happened to be.
Have I told you guys about Pulga music yet?
Okay. Remember the Weird Al Spoof where he redoes a bunch of rock music as Polka music?
Pulga music is that, but they also translate the lyrics into Spanish. Then, get yourself a cowboy hat and some very classy stingray leather accessories (that’s who’s buying all of your merchandise dad, Pulga people.) and you’re stylin’ for intercity Houston Texas and you’re very, very cool here.
It’s incredible.
My Trio is so fun! I love these Hermanas. Hermana Willis is super smart, she’s only two transfers older than me and Hermana Bastian, but she really knows what she’s doing. And Hermana Bastian is a real sweety. Very in tune with the spirit, especially when it comes to spur-of-the-moment changes in plans. I don’t think we’re ever going to be just sitting there after everything falls through and going, “Uh, what do we do now?” she always seems to have lots of ideas popping up in her head. She and I went into the MTC on the same day. In fact, I think in one of my earlier letters I told a story about the companion that Hermana Thomas was supposed to have? That’s Hermana Bastian.
Guess what? I’m finally funny in Spanish. And not because I’m making mistakes, but just because I’m clever and saying clever things. This is cool, just because I was told once that I’d never be funny in Spanish, but I have told at least five jokes and I’ve made investigators/members/my companions laugh. In Spanish, “Ja ja ja ja”. So. I win.
Also, learning to play the piano has turned out to be one of my best assets on the mission. It’s sort of a rare thing here. I played the piano in sacrament meeting and relief society in my last ward and now it looks like they’ll need me to do that here too. I also do it for most of the baptisms as well. Or, at least for the ones when Elder Meade wasn’t there. Very useful thing that. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to be relief society pianist in our ward abck home, otherwise I’d have no luck trying to play all these hymns on the fly. But I know most of them pretty well now. Finally. So, in case you were wondering, I think that was the purpose for that.
The last thing I wanted to tell you about was Victor.
Victor. Is. AWESOME.
He’s twenty years old and he’s getting baptized this Sunday. I’m so happy I arrived here in Louetta just in time to teach him. He’s such a great young man, de Honduras, he likes to speak in vos sometimes, which is my favorite. He’s very funny and he’s got such a strong testimony that’s developed in him so fast, and he’s just smart, he just totally gets it. I hope everything goes well, he’s determined that this Sunday is his fecha. Very secure in that. So… Yay! Also I’ve got another baptism this Saturday back in Crosstimbers. Silvia is eight years old, barely. Her parents are waiting on a divorce to mom’s real husband hiding somewhere in Mexico, and some vicios, so they’re not members, but still very much a part of the ward in the mean time. She’s such a great little girl! Adorable, I can’t wait till you see her and go, ooooo cute!
So, that’s all the news I’ve got for now… I love you all tonz and tonz, and I miss you like crazy, but I’m sooo happy here and I can tell that you’re all safe and happy back home. I’m sorry if there’s some questions I forgot to answer ect.
Les amo a ustedes.
Hna Lirioblanco
P.S. Do I need to worry about registering for school next spring at some point? Somebody pointed out to me that it’s something I’ve probably got to take care of, before I return home. HEARTS! Mwah.

me voy otra vez!

Wasn’t conference amazing?! I LOVED all the talks, but I think Elder Holland’s is the one I can’t wait to make every single one of my investigators watch, again, and again, and again for all eternity. Powerful man, that. Powerful talk! They were all so great, I LOVE conference as a missionary. It’s intense, but it’s incredible. Some of my recent converts and investigators were able to come and watch conference with us at the capilla. I was so glad to have them there…
Well, the only other bit of news I’ve got is that Transfer calls were Saturday night and I’m apparently finished in Crosstimbers for a while. Hermana Forsling is staying here and she’s going to be companions with Hermana Thomas—one of my old MTC companions. And I’m heading out to Louetta area to be in a trio again! My new companions as of this coming Wednesday will be Hermana Bastian and Hermana Willis. I know them both a little bit and they both seem really nice, and I’ve been to Louetta a couple of times on exchanges. I like the area, its right next to my old place in Gunspoint, so I’m still in the ghetto. Home sweet home.
I’m sad to be leaving, but I know it’s the right thing for everybody. I think it woke up a few of our recent converts. We told them a couple of times that this might happen, but I think they didn’t really believe it until I told them, “Ya me voy.” And then they were kind of upset… Antonia said she would have been better behaved if she’d known I wasn’t going to be here much longer. (She gave us all a heart attack last week when she ran away from home, but she’s back safe and sound and was just hiding at a friend’s house.)
Oh, drama, drama, drama. And from what I know of Louetta, I’m about to dive headfirst into some more drama. I’m bound to have the most dramatic mission ever. Okay, well, that’s an exaggerations if there ever was one; Dan Jones? Ammon? Alma? Abinidi? My mission is a different level of dramatic, not even tickling theirs, but still. Days of our lives… Or, more likely, “Dallas”. Hah. Houston, we’re a little off from Dallas…
Anyway, I’m probably being silly and not making much sense. Sorry! I’m a little jittery, having to pack and say goodbye to everybody while simultaneously being llenada del espiritu santo por medio de La Conferencia General.
I’ve obtained quite a lot of stuff since getting here four and a half months ago, but Hermana Forsling gave me some vacuum bags to pack with, so I should be okay for now. I’m going to have to start giving my clothes (that I took from Sisters who went home) away. Don’t worry mom, I’m keeping all the nice stuff that’s really yours… I don’t know if you’re going to want any of it back though. Heh. Sorry. The mission is hard on clothes.
Your guy’s conference weekend sounds amazing! I love La Puente, of course I remember that place… it’s too back they lost the reservation, but Bucca de bepo is my other favorite, so good for you guys! Fine choice, well done everyone, well done. Papa’s joke to the waiter is pretty funny and adorable. Macbeth sounds like it’s going to be amazing! Ooo, I wish I could see it! You’ll have to tell me all about how is goes and what it looks like and what Dan and Philly are doing/wearing. Beards nice and long, ya?
I’m sorry you can’t find good serviceable shoes. I have the same problem. In the missionary dressing guidelines for sisters it says that shoes must be practical/comfortable/attractive. I don’t think they realize that they’re asking for a miracle with that particular combination. Size 8? Good job! Are you a six then? Clearly, I was the problem all along. I should learn to cook/eat healthy. I’ve been doing pretty much all of the cooking for the last four months and I’ve found I REALLY like it, but I should learn how to make stuff that good for you and not just delicious.
I LOVE that conversion story! It’s so great! I love it when everything just lines up like that. Like dominos. It’s so beautiful to watch somebody’s life change. I especially enjoy the effect of seeing the truth and God closing in on all sides around somebody! Beautiful. Great, great story… It must have really been something to hear him tell it in person.
Well, my letter’s going to be short again this week, I’m afraid. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go! Thank you so much for details about how everything is going. Everybody sounds good and happy. I hope Grandma has a speedy recovering and that all of this helps with her pain. I LOVE you and I pray for you all the time, I hope everyone is healthy/happy and was fully inspired and uplifted by the words of our living prophets; God’s representatives on the earth.
Hugs&kisses and amor for everyone!