Hola! 03.23.2009 (Email)

Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you´re all doing great. First off, before I forget, we got a letter saying that our families shouldn´t send anything FedEX or DHL (?? I don´t remember if that´s how it really is and I don´t have the paper with me). I don´t even know how you have sent things in the past, so I don´t know if it applies. Anyway, I guess it´s because it´s pretty pricy to receive them. We do have to pay to receive packages, and I believe the price depends on the size and weight. I don´t know for sure, but until now, I haven´t had any problems. So no problem. :D

Things here are going well. I tried out my first ¨Daily Dose¨ english class this last week, and I think it actually went really well. I really didn´t know how to do it, but I think it went well. It was actually perfect because more people had gone this week as well. We learned ¨Introducing Yourself¨. Good times. This way, the ¨students¨are actually talking the whole time instead of just writing and listening to me talk, so I think it´s much better this way. We tried to make it fun, and not scary to talk a different language in front of other people. It turns out it´s hard for everyone to talk in a different language! :D No really though, it made me very grateful for the progress that I have been able to make with spanish since I started the mission. I know that I haven´t done it on my own. I have definitely received A LOT of help from Heavenly Father.

Nyah, Happy Birthday!!! ¨Que los cumple feliz, que los cumple feliz, que los cumple feliz, que los cumple feliz!¨ (That was me singing) :D Two years old! I´m sure that you´re going to celebrate, or have already celebrated again since the trip to Colorado where you celebrated both she, and Shari´s birthday. Wow, I can hardly believe it has been two years already. How time flies by.

No, we still don´t have a bishop. However, Hna. Mansilla, is basically the bishop, and things are going well. Some less-active members have gradually starting coming to church recently, so we´re excited about that. We´re going to keep working on it.

We have been really blessed to be working more with members recently. I don´t remember if I have written about the Rocha family. We met Aide, the mom, in the street and she said we could pass by her house. We had gone two times. Her husband, Fabian, has really been more interested in everything. Anyway, we went yesterday with Sylvana Espinoza, a RM who´s like 27, to teach them again. We got there, and it was pretty sad. Fabian wasn´t there, and Aide told us she´s very content where she´s at, and she has no intentions of learning more or changing anything. It about breaks my heart everytime it happens, because I´m convinced that they really have no idea what they´re rejecting. Because if they really understood, I don´t think they would reject it. But we can´t learn and open their hearts for them. It´s their responsibility. We as missionaries have the responsibility to teach clearly and with the Spirit, and the rest is really up to them. So sad. I just wish they would understand!

So I think I mentioned in the last letter that we have started going to a neighborhood, that missionaries haven´t been in for like 3-5 years. I must say, that I´m thoroughly enjoying it! We feel like we´re opening an area in a way. :D We have found some really good people.

Yesterday for example, we were in this neighborhood (Barrio Colonizadora). We were knocking at one door, where nobody was there, and noticed a lady a little further down the street. So we started talking to her, Antonela, and her daughter, Cecilia. They had talked to elders a while back. Then we started teaching her son, Manuel, who even went to church before. As we were teaching the restoration, another son, Ruben, got there, and he listened into part of the lesson as well. It turns out that Ruben, is the boyfriend, of another investigator´s sister, and we already had an appointment to go to their house to teach this coming Tuesday. So anyway, very interesting. The neighborhoods here kind of remind me of Whitaker road. Everyone´s family! So anyway, we´re working and finding, and I know we´re going to find people that are willing to study, search, and keep commitments, so they can progress in the Gospel.

We´re still teaching Hna. Panero, who needs to get married before she can be baptized. She´s progressing. I don´t want to leave here until she´s baptized!

We´re still teaching Carla Ruiz, her daughter-in-law, as well. Lisa, Carla kind of reminds me of you. I´m not sure why, but she does. One of her little kids even reminds me a little bit of Hallie. It´s fun. :D Anyway, she´s trying to decide what to do as well. She wants to be baptized, and she´s trying to make big decisions in her life.

Do you remember the Ormeño family that Hna. Ramirez and I met a while back? The less-active family? Everytime that we go there, we ask again if they´re reading their scriptures and praying. This is so important! Well, if they can´t say anything else, at least they can say we´re persistent!

I finally ordered a new book bag for my scriptures, etc. the other day. My other one had really had it. I think I had sowed the strap back on like three times, and the zipper was broken. But now I have a brand new one. :D Fun fun.

I had the same question about the spirit world as well. In Preach My Gospel¨ it really doesn´t specify if it´s a ¨state of mind¨or actually two different places. After reading DyC 138 I came to realize that there are definitely two different places. Kind of tricky sometimes.

Hna. Wilches is doing well. She is a great companion. I can´t believe that a month has already gone by. I would love to be her companion for another transfer, but I´m afraid we don´t have much of a choice. haha. She´s a good egg. :D

So I hope you are all doing well. From what I hear, it sounds like you´re doing well. I´m grateful to be a missionary. I want to be better and improve everyday. It´s part of the adventure. Thanks for your examples and love always. I´m grateful for having a lot of wonderful teachers in my life. Remember I love you all ALOT and that I know that this church is directed by Jesus Christ. There isn´t any other way to live with our Heavenly Father again, but by Him. How blessed we are that we can change, and become better every day. Love you lots!

Love Always and Forever,
Hermana Jana Banana Pincock