All You Zombies (show your faces)

Familia mia

In honor of Jensen's zombie contingency game, and messages about the gathering of Israel hidden in pop culture.
Jensen, get your application in before I come home--I know you want to save it to the last minute like you do, but I want to play, so pretend like the date is the 28th and get it all done so we can chill without threat of death from stress hanging over your head. But, obviously, do your best and stuff: ) I bet Laney has changed. She sounds really different on the phone, all grown-ed up and shiny. It's so good to hear how everyone is doing. It sounds like they are all in very good places right now.

My poor companion. I don't know if I've already mentioned that her and her sister are polar opposites. She just sent her some new (very myspace-esque) pictures of herself, showing of her new hair and new tattoos. She's got a couple of classy stars right on her chest, filled in with leopard print and then a cross on her ankle with the date when their father died and a 'my hero' written underneath (which is ironic since her father hates tattoos) she's also got an owl on her forearm and my favorite are her two new ones on either wrist that say 'thug' and 'nasty'. Yeah... she's kinda ghetto, but hey, so am I after living in Houston for a year and a half.

But also, I understand that the two of them are good friends in spite of all their differences. her sister is just young and angry at God right now, which is hard for the rest of her family to watch. Hermana Taet's mom seems very chill to me. From what I hear, I gather that she's exactly like my companion except not a member of the church yet and with a few tattoos herself. I've got a charming picture on my camera of a little girl we're teaching after her sister decided to write 'Thug 4 Life' on her chest with an eyeliner pencil.

It makes me appreciate my own sisters. I really miss you folks like crazy sometimes! Yesterday was hard. I think it finally hit me that I'm actually leaving. It was ugly. My poor companions didn't know what to do, so they just watched me sort of bawl off and on through all the church meetings. But I'm at peace now. I prayed about it last night and basically said, 'I know that Jesus already suffered through all of this, so I'd like to not deal with it thank you. help me be happy.' and that seems to be very effective, because now I'm just excited to work hard this last week and then hang with you guys next week.

One more funny story:

To start, does anyone know the movie practical magic? If you do, this story is even funnier.

So, as is fairly common among Sister Missionaries before they leave on their missions, Hna. Taets had a lot of people who were like "Sooo... Ya know... a mission is a GREAT place to meet guys. Eh? Eh?"

Rolling eyes forever.

In exasperation she finally said to one friend, "Look, if I go to Texas and I meet a Black and Mexican man with green eyes who speaks Spanish and is a Texan cowboy, then maybe I'll marry the dude, alright?" she was trying to come up with an absurd combination so as to never risk finding him. Ever since then she and this friend have periodically mentioned her mythical black/Mexican green-eyed Texan cowboy who speaks Spanish jokingly. In all of her letters this friend was like, "Hey, have you found him yet?"

Sooo... guess who we tracted into this last week?

His name is Herby Francois, he's Haitian with those sort of green/hazle eyes and he knows Spanish because he's been living in Mexico for a while going to school there.

HILARIOUS. I could have died laughing. Next time we go over to teach him, I really hope he's got a cowboy hat on. Hermana Taets will flip. Exact plot of practical magic, except we're Mormon instead of witches. Sweet.

But, she probably won't marry him. He's a nice guy and all, but nah. They'll just be friends.

Our recent converts are so cool. Alexis (15) and his little sister Cindy (9) both want to serve missions. We let Alexis wear Hna. Taets tag for a minute and it looked so perfect! I also got news recently that Victor Alvaranga, who got baptized when I was in Louetta back in November and then moved into the south mission recently got the Melchizedek Priesthood and is preparing to serve a mission! It was kind of fun how we finally heard from him. I've written him a couple of letters, but I haven't gotten one back from him in several months, so I was just praying hard that he was doing well. When Hna. Bastian was at the temple a few weeks ago, she ran into some sister missionaries from the south mission who did a double take and were like, "Hey! We know you! You're in Victor's baptism pictures!" Turns out they know Victor because they serve in his new ward in the south mission and they'd seen his baptism pics. Soooo cool. So, we got to hear about how awesome he's doing. Alicia is serving in the relief society and all I keep hearing from people over in 6th ward is how amazing the Ovalle family is and how totally solid they've become in just a year. It makes me so happy that my convert friends are still active and are progressing so rapidly in the gospel. I've had such a blessed and successful mission.

To be totally honest, I'm not sure I really did anything. Well, correction. I know I didn't do anything. I just showed up and tried really hard and exhausted myself thoroughly and kind of made an idiot out of myself, but inexplicably got to have joy in a ton of success and good times. Beats me how it works out that way, but I'll take it.

It seems to me that this is a common theme in missionary work. The Lord doesn't always let us see the success that comes from our own efforts, but rather works in such a way to keep those things veiled, while we instead see the success from previous labors and from the spirit of God working on the hearts of men.

It's a little sad now, because we're setting baptismal dates with people, but I won't be here to see them enter the waters of baptism. Still, I'll get pictures in the mail and how great will be our joy in heaven.

With all of that said, I have had the most amazing mission. And I'll be telling you all about it for the rest of eternity.

I LOVE YOU! I will see you very soon.

Hermanita Lirioblanco