Hola Familia,
Thank you for the packages. I am so grateful for them and the wonderful support you have given me so far.
I am so great and wonderful!! We have been quite busy here and have had a lot to do. When I was sick, the medicine box we packed helped so much. It was so good to have on hand.
My Spanish is coming along. I understand what the people are saying, but speaking will just come in time. Hermana Romero and I speak in English sometimes and other times in Spanish. Whenever I do get transferred, I think it will be sad to leave Hermana Romero. But we will always have mission reunions. She goes to LDSBC in Salt Lake City, so we will not be the far away from each other.
I don't know if I told you, but we will have 19 new sisters coming to this mission. So, I have a high likelyhood of training.
My piano playing is going great. Our Spanish branch choir has asked me to play for their Father's Day special musical number. The song is Where Love Is, in Spanish. I practice it quite frequently. It is so necessary to have a musical talent especially with the piano because not a lot of people are taking up musical talents anymore.
That's so funny that all our stuff doesn't fit in our new house! As far as all my books and Twilight stuff, just keep them for now. I will figure out what to do with them when I get back. Tell Littles to keep the room clean. It can't look like a tornado went through it!!
I really don't need anything special. But since you asked, something easy are gift cards to the Whole Foods nearby, Jamba Juice, Target, and any other stores.
My clothes are great, I really don't need anything but maybe some long pencil skirts (like the red and navy from Sis Mish Mall) if you can find them.
Picking was really fun!! Only the strawberries, potatoes, and avocados were ready so we will have to go back. I really like choosing my own food instead of going to the store. I will be making more smoothies with our fresh fruit. I'm enjoying all the dried fruit you sent me, too. I should just become a fruitarian, but it's way too unhealthy to only eat fruit.
This week we had another baptism in the Spanish branch. His name is Efrain. He is from Peru and has been investigating for about two years. Now he was finally ready to be baptized. We had his baptism on Sunday. We helped all that we could. I played the piano and we did a special activity.
We have an Investigator named Sandy who was supposed to come to church yesterday but didn't. We will have to meet with her again and see where we can help her. She works Sundays at the swap meet. She mostly does it for the social aspect.
We are working with a lot of less actives and helping bring them back into the fold. Yesterday, one of our recent converts named Pablo (my first baptism, my first Sunday) bore his testimony. It was short and sweet but you could tell that he really is embracing this gospel head on.
Most of the problems that we see in the church are from part member families, going inactive very young, etc. This is the first place where we have heard of people asking to get their name removed from the church records. Some who still have their records in the church are a DNC- Do Not Contact. We have so many situations that we as missionaries deal with. When people think of missionaries they think of them as teaching the gospel. But we are not able to go to some people's homes because of hostility or violent behavior toward the church. These are just some of the unique circumstances that we have heard of. Some of the other things that we are dealing with are the Branch not keeping their temple covenants. It is our job as missionaries to help them, but we can't do it alone. We need the help of the members help too.
We have been struggling in our English speaking ward because they don't want to put in the effort or the energy in helping further the missionary work. We have been doing our part. They just aren't doing theirs. It's totally different from the wards we have lived in. The ward isn't united at all, and the RS has cliques. We send our dinner calendar around each week and no one even signs up. It's like we are a burden to the ward. We are having a meeting with the bishop tonight. I might share what Elder Bowen of the Seventy said in our stake conference before I left; we are the part time missionaries, serving for only 18 months. The members of the ward and stake are the REAL full time missionaries.
The other issue is that the Bishop and WML told my companion and I that they are jealous that the Spanish branch has had two baptisms and they have had none. We are working our hardest with people but the members are not pulling their weight. But things will get better.
I miss y'all so much and can't believe how time has flown. Send me some pics of the house . I don't care if they are full of boxes and papers or not. I especially want to see how the pool looks.
Love always,
Hermana Fitzpatrick
Kenzer Lou
Hermana Romero with her 'Pickins'.
Here's my 'Pickins'. Don't they look delicious!!
I could get used to this!!
No comments:
Post a Comment