The One With the Thanksgiving Party

November 25, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

This was a LONG week. The first week after transfers is always the longest and the hardest, in my opinion.  Wheweee.  But, everyone survived!  My new companion's name is Hermana Durham. Yupp, you read that right Durham. Now we have Burnham and Durham. If we didn’t confuse everyone enough already . . . now there's two of us! "If I wasn't enough of a freak already, let's add a tiara!" (Name that movie.)  

She is awesome. She is from California. I have had 5 companions now and ALL have been from California. I think I'm sensing a pattern. Next transfers I will just look at the board and narrow it down from all Sisters in the mission that I haven’t been with that are from California.  That should give me a pretty good guess of who my next companion is going to be, haha. Hna Durham came out with me, so we have been out the same amount of time.  

It has been a good week. We found a couple of really great new people to teach. We taught some good lessons. We set a baptismal date . . . "I’mmm dreaming of a white Christmassss". Life is good.

We had our ward Thanksgiving party this week! It went super well, and we had a good turn out and LOTS of food. Hispanics don't really celebrate Thanksgiving, but the whole idea behind this was: "We live in America and need to learn about/teach our children the traditions here, too."  So, we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  I made the stuffing--from a box of course.  I made a whole bunch of those hand turkeys . . . you know the kind that you make as a Kindergartener?  Yeah, those ones.  It was a lot of fun.

Inspired by Brother Adams, we have a little jar on our study table that we are filling with little "thankfuls" that we will then read on Thanksgiving. I am probably going to gain 10 pounds in the next few months.  Really looking forward to that.  Oh wait, I'm NOT. But hey I love the holidays!

I wanted to write a few shout outs:

Sister Hammer:  I just got your Halloween card this week. Thank you so much!

Brother Bennett: What a delight it was to hear from you. I loved the scriptures you included. And believe me, my mom tells me all the updates of the little kids who are now not little kids and always writes: "Do you feel old yet?" I can’t believe it.

Sister Rutledge: Thank you so much for your note. :)  It put a smile on my face! Give that new, little baby of yours some kisses for me!   

Being a missionary is the BEST THING IN THE WORLD. Speaking Spanish is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD.  Teaching people about the gospel in the BEST THING IN THE WORLD.  

I’m happy. Are you happy?  I love you all. You are in my prayers.


(Editor's note: from a second email): 

P.S.:  I am going to a member of the English ward for Thanksgiving. We actually visit with a lot of the English ward people because 1) everyone loves Sister Missionaries more; and, 2) the Elders don't make it to see a lot of them because they live too far away. So, the H's invited us over for dinner. I don't really know B, but I know our Elders do service for him. He walks up to me and church, and I go to shake his hand. He says:  "Now sister, we both know a handshake won't do" and pulls me into a big hug. It was very much needed. Then he walks away.  He walks back in a few minutes later and says, "Do you and your companion have plans for Thanksgiving?"  I said, "Not yet, sir." He said, "Well you do now. Be there at 1."  It was a little tender mercy from Heavenly Father. The English members down here are the best. The literal best. I am so grateful for them.