Week #2

Hola mis padres!

 

Como esta usted? 

I saw Elder Clarkson the other morning! It was super good to see him! And man he has the best missionary hand shake I have received yet!

 

You asked about food... yesterday I ate cactus for the very first time in my life! It was actually okay. I thought that it was a slightly fried pita with cheese and chiles on top... I didn't actually know it was cactus until after I had eaten it all!

 

Last Friday for service the sisters went and helped in the laundry service!  I now know how to fold flat and fitted sheets like a pro because i folded like a bajillion! I have never seen so many sheets in my life!

 

Hermana Howton and I really enjoy playing soccer and volleyball with the elders in our district it is super fun! Elder Larson is super funny during soccer because anytime he comes up to get the ball from either of us he yells at the top of his lungs ''I'm sorry HERMANAS!!!''  And I think I might actually be kind of good at volley ball by the time I leave!

 

Okay I thought it was super funny in your letter this week how you were telling me what to do to not get sick....ummm I got sick LAST week and am totally over it this week! But I had the first feeling of homesickness on Saturday because I had to take a nap during gym because I was feeling so poorly and I thought about your homemade chicken noodle soup and honey lemon tea and just about lost it... but want to know what snapped me out of it?!? the thought of supertonic! lol as soon as I thought of that i was instantly 100% happy again although I can't say i was 100% healthy too! lol anywho I just wanted to say that I missed you and that I am super grateful that you have always been there for me!

 

Oh and having my first priesthood blessing by someone that wasn't you, dad, was ridiculously funny! Elders Johnson and Washburn (my district leaders) I think it might have been Elder Washburn's first time anointing... i practically got an entire vile of oil on my head... and my hair had an oil spot... but the blessing was beautiful, they used the priesthood, I had faith in them and in that and I am completely better now.

 

Okay funny story an Elder in our district, Elder Nanto (yes, he is part Japanese! - I thought josh might think that is cool) told a super crazy story! so  one morning he got up and was getting ready and got out his white shirt and put it on then went and brushed his teeth. after he had finished he went to his bed to get the white shirt he had picked out and it wasn't there so he went to his closet and put on a white shirt and went to class...  It wasn't until gym time when he started to unbutton his shirt that he looked down and so yet ANOTHER white button up shirt! he had been wearing two fully buttoned shirts for 8 hours and hadn't noticed at all! It is super funny to hear him tell the story... and I just realized it sounds kinda dumb on paper... oh well

 

I saw the biggest butterfly of my life the other day at choir practice! It was at least the size of dad's hand and it was all BLACK! it was super cool looking and it was kind of ironic about how chill I was about seeing it and how freaked out everyone else was... that had never happened to me before! anyways I wished I had my camera but it wasn't p-day so I didn't have it with me!

 

I now have a calling in my branch! You will never guess! I am the....wait for it... primary teacher! (lol jk) I am the choir director for our branch! I think that is pretty awesome! We get to sing any hymn or children's hymn we want!

 

Yesterday we had TRC where we got to share a short message and visit with a member from one of the local wards here! It was a really cool experience. At one point Hermana Lopez started to share her testimony about the atonement with us. I couldn't understand what she was saying because she was speaking in SPANISH! But I started tearing up because the spirit was so strong and beautiful!  And I learned how the Spirit is able to testify of truth in any language and at any time!

 

That being said... apparently I can speak Spanish really well...(that is what Hermano Smith - my teacher, and Hermana Howton say....) Like my pronunciation and grammar is really good... I just can't understand what anyone is saying.... and my companion is opposite she can understand practically everything and can speak but not as grammatically correct... but I have no idea if this is true because I can't understand what she is saying in SPANISH! But I know the Lord wouldn't have called me Spanish speaking if I wouldn't be able to do it. So I am just trying to have faith and be patient with myself.

 

I have learned a couple really cool things in my personal study this week that I want to share.  First off is that I was studying about the Atonement and how Jesus was called to be our Savior before the world was... and that got me thinking about my calling to earth. of course I can't remember it and the closest experience I have is receiving my mission call. So I started to imagine me in the spirit world bouncing up and down just waiting to see what I would be called to accomplish who my earthly family would be and how I could bless others. I imagine that I was as ecstatic and joyful to receive my call to earth as I was to receive my call to Arkansas. Because I am the same spirit as I was in the spirit world and as I will be when I leave this earth... anyway I thought that was super cool to think about.

The other major thing I learned is to NEVER judge! There is absolutely no way to tell from the outside of a person what is going on inside or what has happened in their past. We had a district meeting last week and some of the elders in our district shared their experiences that told them they needed to go on a mission. (we have one that is terminally ill - another who actually tried to commit suicide - and another who struggled with several bad habits....) You could never tell by seeing or with these elders that they had ever had such serious problems. So that has made me try to be better at not judging merely on appearances.

 

I am super happy that you are working in the Temple now mom!  You are going to tell me everything you are learning!

Dad! Thank you so much for being my GPS buddy on the plane! I appreciate it! :D That is super sweet! and I am still waiting for your answer about why rain clouds turn gray!

 

I am super sorry about PC! I love Grandma Caye so much! Tell her how much I miss her and love her! I have been praying for her and I miss her bunches and bunches! 

 

I love you SO much! You are the best parents in the entire world and being here has been such a blessing because it has helped me realize how blessed my entire life has been!

 

Stay strong! Pray everyday and make sure to laugh!

My companion and I came up with a saying, ''when you can choose between laughing or crying always choose to laugh because laughing is funner!''

 

I love you with all my hear!

Hermana Ives!

 

P.S. Give Grandma Caye my love. I hope she and Spud will be able to cope. I know PC is a lot happier in heaven now that he can see and run and play!