jilli

I just saw a camel..Monday, July 25, 2011 6:12 PM AllSAM_2809.JPGSAM_2805.JPGSAM_2806.JPGLiterally, I did. There is a camel at the library. So nuts. They were putting him away when we pulled up so I didn't get a picture.

HELLO! I just love you guys so much. I am doing so much better than before. It still an uphill battle, but I am feeling better about it. I think it will always feel like this, but that's okay because "this" feels really good sometimes.

Last Monday we had ZONE P-DAY and watched "The Best Two Years" . Holy. That is SO much funnier now. And also, it is much more real. There are actually people like that and I can imagine how all of them feel at different points of the movie. Zone P-Day was fun.

Tuesday and Wednesday were "Leadership Training" days, so since Sister Lundgren is training me (and Sister Higley is training Sister Cochran) me and Sister Cochran were companeros for a few hours while our trainers were trained. SO FUN! I will put the pictures up that we took. We rode bikes. And I love to take ugly helmet pictures. Becuase I sure do hate helmets. BUT, since we have a car, we had to cart the Elders around to their Doctors appointments, which just happened to be both Tuesday and Wednesday. I was tired of driving them around by the end of Wednesday. Me and Sister Cochran had such a good time and we laughed so hard, like usual.

Also, I have now recieved TWO letters from MTC-District-Elders!! It is so cool to hear from them, I just love them. I'm finally (finally, and the transfer is over next week) starting to warm up in the same way to the Elders here.

This week was kind of strange. All of the sudden, on Thursday morning, I am in tears. Because I miss my family and I miss my friends. I am seriously regretting my suck-tastic missionary writing in the past. Because it I love it so much when you guys write me and I miss the people that don't write me! I agree with Charlie Brown, we should get all the people we like together in a room and keep them there. Haha that sounds creepy. The quote is cute, not creepy I promise.

We are working more and more with Karen. And it has been stressing me out so bad. She wanted to be baptized this coming Saturday and originally we thought that would be fine - no problemo, and go without a hitch. But, as it's getting closer we are realizing she cannot be baptized. For one thing, she has two cigarettes left and she says things like "God will understand and forgive me for one cigarette" "one can't hurt" and it's like "ummm... no. acutally you have to stop now." But she just wants to get baptized so bad, and I was talking about it non-stop, helping her to get so excited to be baptized... and now I feel like I have to tell her she can't be. At least, not as soon as she wants. But me and Sister Lundgren have talked about it and planned out a schedule for teaching her and etc. So I feel much better.

Yikes, church is so interesting. It is so stressy. For one thing, I am always looking for investigators or less active members that we have invited to come and then I feel like there are people that are SO easily offended in the ward. It's just a little different than at home because I feel more responsible for people. It's not just me going to church for me. Yesterday in Relief Society there was nearly a smack down. The lady who was sitting next to me (who is kind of less active) got all up in arms that the service project the Relief Society is doing is enabling people to abuse their children. Yeah. Don't ask me how she got there, its way to complex to explain. But it was like SO intense in there. Luckily we take the meal calendar around to primary and nursery and all the other classes, so we got to leave. Yikes though, people. I feel like wearing a war helmet when I go to church sometimes. haha.

Things are so good here, though. A lot of people we are working with are coming to church and our main focus this week is Karen. Since she wants to be baptized so bad, we are going to spend a lot of time teaching her and making sure she is ready. We took her to baptism on Saturday. It was so cool. The spirit was... I guess the best way to describe is palpable, I mean you could FEEL it. And she said she wanted to be baptized right then. Haha somebody was like "Hey, the font is still full, why don't we just do yours now?" Karen is great. She is like, the definition of "Golden".

Another person we have been working with is Larry. He is a recent convert and he is less active. I love talking to Larry. For some reason I can connect with him and I feel like I can be bold and still loving. I can teach by the spirit so easily with him. Why is that? How come with Larry, I feel like I'm teaching better? Who knows. Anyway, Larry came to church yesterday!! I was SO excited.

There are so many people we are working with, I don't know who to tell you about haha. We definitely have some full days. I still can't get enough of tracting, and I don't know why. It's my favorite thing, especially if it's after dinner. Because then it's like only 85 degrees and that is legitimate heaven. It's so funny becuase we will be outside and I'll be like "Oh, my GOSH it feel so good out here right now." and we'll look at the temperature and it is 80-85 degrees. At home, I would have been like "IT IS SO HOT" at 85 degrees. Nope. It is nice and balmy when it gets that low. We're about half way done with the summer so I'm looking forward to the nice temperate autumn.

Mom, thanks for you letter and your package! We will play the game soon and I'll send you pictures. You are the very best. I miss you so much, I wish I could have gone to the softball games with you. Hows work? Any other field trips? I still need to send you guys a picture of Elder Hunt and Elder Shelton so you understand how my district is. It's a riot. And kind of bizarre. This picture will explain it perfectly.

Padre, how is work and church? Keeping you so busy I bet!! Trek sounds like it was a resounding success. I can't wait to see the video of it when I get home - or did you guys do a video of it again? If you have President Weaver's address, I would love it.

Jaaaames. I have a favor to ask of you. Can you send me a list of the best P90X exercises. We want to do some of them. So send me a list of your favorites from the different work outs, if you will. That would be so nice. You will be blessed for it. And I will not gain 7000 pounds. Gracias.

Jonny. Holy freak. YOU ARE GOING TO BE 18 A WEEK FROM TODAY!!! That is so crazy bizarre. I am sending you a card in the mail. Do not open it until your birthday. Or else. How is everything going? Are you gonna have a partay for your birthday? Oh my gosh, I really can't believe that you will be 18. That's too weird. I feel like I'm still 18. If you want to rob a bank, you better do it this week while youre still a minor. Just keep that in mind.

Yall are so great! (Haha I am slowly saying it more and more! Mas y mas! I think I said it once this last week.) I really appreciate all you do for me. I love your letters, I pray for you and I am so grateful for you. If there's ever any thing I can do for you from here, please let me know. If there's ever something specific you need that I can pray for. Prayer is so nutso powerful. Sister Lundgren says missionary prayers are that way. So if you want a missionary prayer for something in your life, I can arrange that. I love you, and I can't seem to say that enough, huh? LOVE YOU and am so grateful for you.

Jillian



OH, P.S. - very important P.S. I have attached a picture of Elder Morgan. I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but his face looks (and talks) exactly like Tyler Wixom. It blows my MIND. Seriously, the first time I talked to him I was just staring, trying to figure out where I had met him before. No where, he is just the lost Wixom triplet. If you can find a picture of Tyler and Tanner (haha even though I do not know where you would have one of those. Jonny, did you ever do a photo shoot with the twins? I'm so funny) send it to me!! I want to show elder morgan.





AMIGOS!!!!!! i DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE READS THIS BLOGGY THAT MY MADRE DOES, BUT I WOULD LOOOOOOVE YOU HEAR FROM YOU. AND I MEAN YOU. I GUARANTEE IT'S BEEN TOO LONG. UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO BE A SHAMAN AND WRITE ME ALL THE TIME :] LOVE Y'ALL. WRITE ME AHORA.