September 10 letter

so all these are pictures of food :)

one is the food i just ate (when ya'll come i already know the restaurant we are going too. it's delicious. and one of us is getting this. it's a ton of food. we just finished a fast so i ate it all.... i don't recommend that part hahaha)

another is elder stradling and I with the sisters celebrating the year mark. we made halusky. it was really good and a really fun time.

the last is part of my choco collection... only part :) i forgot some in the fridge and i found a new flavor today so i had to get it :)

i'll send some more in the next email

in other food news we made hand-made milkshakes last p-day with the district. it was delicious! milk and ice cream. super simple but incredibly tasty. nothing makes a preparation day like milkshakes and watching the restoration film :) teehee

as far as this week goes: it was awesome!

we had a great lesson at the end of preparation day with some new people (they are reading in the book of mormon and really enjoy religious books) we had a great first lesson with them last week and have another meeting this week! we're super pumped. the only downside is that one is an artist, with a show coming up (so he's busy enough). but it's really worked out perfectly. it's just been miracle after miracle with those two. everything is just falling into line as if there was someone in charge... hmmmm funny having that thought while being a missionary! everything we do is for some reason or another. and it really does all build up to great events.

District meeting was really great. we focused on LOVE. becuase that's what it's all about, right? without quoting the beetles, I emphasized love as much as possible this past district meeting. and have been trying to think about it more and more as of late. it's interesting that sometimes we show love without thinking about it at all. our last dist meeting of the transfer is coming up, which is quite scary. i'm not ready for it. but it's going to come anyway (tomorrow. as if that's not soon enough) so i'm going to love it when it comes and have faith that the spirit will tell the missionaries what they need to hear rather than it coming out of my mouth.. goodness mee! haha

it was just a great week. a few more highlights:

we started a stop smoking program with a kid. his desire isn't super strong so we'll see how it goes on his end, but stopping smoking is not easy. but it is pretty stinking cool to see how the program works. i had never really done it before. he'll be coming to english tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

thursday was prolly one of the most spiritual days in a while. we had a few lessons that were just crammed with the spirit. it was pretty cool to be a part of. and nothing really motivates you to get the spirit more than getting the spirit a little. sorry if that doesn't make sense. 

we went to sports day this week (with a member kid here who wants to go on a mission, we just got to get him consistent at church first :/ it was a blast though! we played soccer and basketball, the shot came back after a time. and i don't have much to say other than i am certainly not in the same shape that i used to be in, and my legs may be feeling it a little bit still... it was a blast though. just a blast. goodness me.

the awesome part of sunday was the talks. we heard from many young men/women this past sunday, which was really really cool. many of them had gone to the temple with their family this past week (it was like half the branch went. killer. :) it was just cool to feel the spirit of their testimonies. but the capstone was something that a young man said who's leaving on his mission in a week. his talk was full of jokes or funnies, and scriptures (i love the kid. it was great). but toward the end we got his testimony which was no doubt the highlight. he said, among other gems, "it's (the mission) is something i will look back on for the rest of my life."

it was a great sunday. we had a family there from india.. only half of them speak english. let me just say that teaching them is a real treat :) i love it.

I'm learning tons and tons every week, and if there was one thing that stuck out this week it was the importance of attitude. and today has only emphasized (sp?) it. goodness me. life really is all about how we take things.

sure do love ya'll 

(especially you momma)

p.s. i got the packages ya'll sent :D diky! a ton! the shirts are great. fit wonderfully. and the candy/stickers/pens are very much appreciated. the district loves them :) and i love them too! goodness. it really is all about love.

love ya'll again!

momma, you're the best!!!!