My family! I miss you guys still so much. It is so brutal sometimes to think "One year ago, I was in Hawaii with my family." Texas is sure not Hawaii haha. It is so HOT. You would not believe it. The humidity is intense also, I hate going running in the morning because you walk outside and it's just like "Sick. It is already moist out here." It has been the hottest year ever, apparently. Awesome. However, my skin is so healthy and soft. Silver lining, right? Speaking of weather, I had my first Texas rainstorm on Saturday. Or Friday. I can't remember. But it was crazy! We really need rain down here so it was wonderful, but oh my gosh, I have never experienced rain like that! We rain outside of an appointment to get into our car and I was legitimately soaked within 5 seconds. Crazy. People tell me that the hurricane-storms are supposed to pass us by this year? That's good, I guess.
I'm going to send pictures this week! I will send some of my MTC district and then some of me and Sister L. Sister L is so great. She has been so nice to let me ease into this whole "being a missionary" deal. I'll send a picture so you can visualize her. She has been in Porter/New Caney already for 3 months so she has solid relationships with everyone. That has been a little weird for me, because I feel like an outsider. But we talk about it a lot and I need to open up with the members more and then everything will be great. There are a couple of members I want to tell you about. The Crosby family. I LOVE them. We have had dinner with them twice since my arrival and they are so funny and crazy in a good way. The laugh all the time and are loud all the time. It's great. Also, they have introduced me to BlueBell (it's true - everything they say about BlueBell ice cream being better. It is like 9000X better. I will have to find some way for you guys to try it. I am going to gain 90 pounds on BlueBell alone. Beautiful.) and then last week for dinner they fed us Brisket. So delish. The other family in the ward I really have connected with is an extremely old lady named Sister Temple and her son. Sister Temple is so sweet, and she believes so much in prayer. She has been a member of the church for 10 years I think. We saw her the second day I was here and she gave me the tightest hug and said, in all her southern lady charm, "Ohh, you're good aren't you?" I might have already told you that. But she was just so little and sweet and southern. I love her.
We have pretty much only one investigator. That's been interesting for me. Investigators just appear at the MTC haha and they always tell you to come back. So it's interesting to have it be the real thing. It's much more difficult. I have definitely had my downs this week. It feels like I am never coming home. Ever. But time has slowly started to pick up it's pace. And It will just get better from here on out. I really believe that.
James, I am always trying to remember what you said about "Don't be hard on your trainer. She will be the perfect trainer for you." She really is an awesome trainer. And we communicate very well, so that makes it so I'm not hard on her.
Y'all are so busy!! (Do you like that, my little "Y'all"? Yes. You will hear it forever when I get home. Lucky you!) Your fourth of July sounded so so fun! I loved hearing about the weddings and the baby blessing and I'm SO excited for you all to go on TREK!!! Jony- you are going to love it.Feel free to write me a letter. My mailbox is a pretty sad sight most days :]. But Laurie and Julie/Craig/Katie and my friend KATE (from London) all wrote me this week. I'm so blessed. Dad you had asked me to about e-mailing vs. printed. I prefer printed letter mailed, because I can't really print them here, or I haven't figured out how to, but EITHER WAY. Mail is mail, ya know what I'm sayin? I love it in all forms.
So, you know how I love riding my bike? (Kimmy, if you read this, I call my bike "Daphne". haha Sweet.) Well, there is this monster of an animal that loves to chase us down the street. It is enormous and brown and so vicsious it scares me to DEATH. And this week, I was in front and so he decided to chase me and bark at me and terrify me. So. I'm riding as fast as I possibly can, yelling at him to "go home!" and then he like lurches in front of my bike! Like right in front of it. I almost KILLED him. Apparently, as I share this story with other missionaries, this is a very common occurance. Dogs like to run directly in front of the bike. I'm told to just kick them. Ha. Right. This thing would take hold of my leg and drag me away. It is a monster. I shouldn't freak out about it, though, because then I'll be freaked every time I ride down the street. I still love my bike though. SO much. I can't wait for it not to be 1000 degrees outside because then I'll be able to ride it more often.
The CRAWFORDS are HERE! We got to see the mission home the day before they arrived and holy smokes. It is gorgeous. We had a meeting with them and I told them that I knew the Weavers and they said how much they loved them in the MTC. I really like President Crawford, he is like you in that he cries when things get "tender" haha. So we'll get along great. And Sister Crawford is just such a nice and classy lady. She is sweet to me and gave me like, 4 hugs haha. I'm apparently really missing hugging people cause whenever they do it I just appreciate it so much. I'm so excited to get to work with them! So cool. President Crawford kept saying "I will never tell you to do anything I haven't done or am not willing to do myself. I bus my own tables." He said that like two times. I'm thinking it will be somewhat of a theme for him. :] They are awesome examples of service and faith and hard work. It's going to be such a party with them here!
My fourth of July was P-DAY! How perfect. I love P-DAY. In the morning, we went to the parade in Kingwood. The Kingwood Ward had a float in the parade and so we cheered them on. It was crazy hot though. I wore (this is for you Mom. I'm pretty sure you're the only one who cares what I wore for the holiday :] ) my blue pocket skirt and my white down east shirt and had my red hair down. Bada-bing we have ourselves a flag. Then we went to Pei Wei for lunch - ALL the missionaries in my area. It was so fun. I love seeing Sister Cochran and I am starting to love the Elders in our area. Which is good. After Pei Wei we all went to the church. I was... persuaded to play basketball with everyone. And I didn't even try because I'm afraid of sucking too much and making all the competitive elders mad. But Sis L says not to worry about that. So I'll try to loosen up. They told me I have a good shot. I have two awesome brothas to thank for that right?
At night we had dinner at a family in our Ward's house. It was good barbeque chicken drumsticks. Baby Baby Baby, oh. (Jony that is Bieber. Cause I know you miss me singing Bieber around the house). They were legitimate BBQ. Then we went to visit a single lady in our Ward and do a FHE with her and her nine-year-old-son. We are having trouble getting out of appointments on time. We always stay to late. But we have talked about it and we're going to be better.
All in all, it was a good week. It has been kind of hard for me. I don't know how to do this very well yet. But I am going to keep trying. Days will pass and with practice I'll be better. I want to be a good missionary. I really do. But this is much different than practice and MTC style teaching. So I feel like I'm slow in getting started. But I know if I pray I will recieve help. Prayer is so incredible. I love prayer and I am so grateful for it. Like I said last week, if you pray with faith it is basically magic. If it's the right thing, the Lord WILL always come through. You have to believe He will, though.
Good luck with your big things, plans and decisions this week family! I love you all so much. I would LOVE to hear from my BROTHERS........ :] Thank you for your prayers and support. I still miss you a lot and it's good to know that someday we'll all be together again. We're blessed to know what we know about families. I'm not sure what else there is to tell you about. Let me know if I'm not answering your questions, okay? I adore your letters and just eat them up. I hope mine are even a little as good in return. I love you! Please tell me about Trek and life and etc and everything.(Dad did you get my letter?) Love you. Here are some pictures.
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