Sarah Cate: Deeper in the Heart of Texas

Alrighty!! Happy Happy birthday Amy! Happy Birthday Aunt Marge! Hope you've had a pioneery weekend. I know and trust my family would. You asked if pioneers are mentioned here and guess what....THEY ARE! They are super fun and as always in Texas, its go big or go home. We had a huge stake activity and there was line dancing (of course I did not participate) and they had a tractor with a covered wagon top and painted on it was "Utah or Bust"-- yes, I took a picture of it and I felt at home. I would have taken a ride but I was not about to fight off the 5 year-olds. They also had some milking booths where you could milk oxen. It was beautiful. This all happened on Saturday. It was very hot so they had a huge breakfast and then let the horse shoe tournament begin. They also had pony rides for the kids as well. We had a couple non-members come so it was very fun. 

Right now my companion and I cover two areas. Bulverde and Encino Park. We are not allowed to proselyte in Bulverde but we meet with a lot of less actives and we get referrals. Bulverde is a lot more spacious and has a greater variety of peoples. Encino Park is a very nice area and mostly gated communities. Its very scary because people call the police (mostly threaten) on us hourly. We have to find out ways to get all the gate codes so that we can work in other areas. There are a few neighborhoods that are not gated and so we knock a lot in there. We meet lots of very unhappy people who yell at us. Most people have some sort of religious background. We met a man this week that when we told him who we were he said "Oh really?! dang. We are doing this funny weird thing at our church about trying to get all the Mormons to come to our church" haha they are a funny people here. There is a church here that has a carousel inside of it! Yes....its huge and so when we talk about our church, we cannot tell kids that it will be "fun" because they will ask if we have a carousel at our church. 

My companion is amazing at Spanish. She lived in Ecuador for 10 months working at an orphanage. She loves rules. She is a very beautiful person inside and out. She is from Boise Idaho. Her first name is Emily and she just got her little sister's wedding invitation this last week...hahaha she is really silly though. I like that. Sometimes I feel boring around her. I am growing up though. :) You would be proud. 

This Saturday we are baptizing Courtney Lee!!! She is about 35 and has two beautiful kids. Katherine is 11 and Rex (Buh Buh) is 5. Katherine should be getting baptized here soon as well. We don't have a date for her yet but it will come soon. She just got back from her Dad's. Courtney is dating a member of the church but she started getting into the church before she decided to be baptized. We are praying really hard for more people to teach in Encino Park. We work hard every day. We knock a lot of doors. and on occasion...WE GET TO SPEAK SPANISH!! yahooo!

Well today has started out beautifully. We got the opportunity for a little bit to clean the San Antonio Temple up here. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PRETTY. Seriously...I think its my favorite. I have no bias or nothin! ---oooo double negatives...used all the time here. I hope you enjoy. ;) It has a lot of stained glass which is so beautiful. It is a lot smaller but oh so pretty. I got to clean the Temple offices. The aircon was broken so it was, once again, a billion degrees. Este es mi vida so its all good. So fun and pretty. The baptistery is simple but so pretty. I love it.(Did I mention that)...

The lady we live with (Sister Scott) has her daughter-in-law visiting this week with her three kids. It brings some interesting life into the house. Oooooohhhh i didn't tell you but guess what: decorations for the house in which I currently live: all Native American stuff. She listens to Indian drum circles when she gets up in the morning. The church may be the same everywhere but so is Indian music and Kachina dolls. The dogs are going crazy....don't worry the visiting family brought their Boston terrier!! ha!!! 5 Bostons in the house!!! I love it. They are so crazy and really ugly dogs. I probably will never own one but I love their individual personalities. One of them is blind and she runs into everything. When she runs into your leg, she will lick it for a good 20 mins. no joke. It is so funny.

I received a ton of mail this week! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Its all the stuff that was forwarded to the mission home after I left Del Rio so I got your letter Mom and Dad and Susu and Gus and Luny and Kelan! Thank you thank you thank you! Keep me posted on the chicken-egg count. Thanks Mom for the letter. It was good to hear from you. I've been worried about you. I love you. please don't work your self to death. I want a Mom when I get back. Dad, you too. Please don't work yourself to death. Pete: don't work yourself to death on the fountain. Sorry its such a beast. All I can do is pray for y'all. Thanks for the updates. I appreciate them greatly.

I love you all soo much. Don't forget it.

Hna. Sorensen

Libbi: A Vida Boa - The "Good" Life

This week was another week of missionary work! (surprise!) No it was a week of highs and lows as is every week on the mission..I think I´m new at this. First of all I have been really bad about birthdays and greetings and such. I will give a few shout outs. Aunt Marilee thanks so much for you notes..I received yours and kimmi´s the first week and they were very welcome after a long week of adjustments. Also I received your latest this last week- we had an elder renew his visa in Cuiaba and so I was able to get some mail. Mom I also got your epic family letter...thanks it was great to hear in so much detail all that is going on with you!

Birthdays this month! I´m sorry I know July is pretty much over but happy anniversary Joe and Brittney on the 10th and happy birthday Ainsley on the 11. Mom and Dad happy anniversary on the 14th and Ben and uncle mike Happy birthday on the 16th. Amy HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!! I hope it is a great one! And Aunt Marge happy birthday tomorrow. I think that is it for now. But I would love to hear more about how everyone is doing. It is crazy that summer there is almost over...wow time flies when your having fun. This week we have been trying to establish ourselves in this new area. We have been trying to meet people and find others we can share messages with. We had 5 people at church yesterday which was really exciting and my language is getting better (I think) I am understanding more and more but it is a constant battle. I know I am receiving a lot of help from the Lord and thank you for your prayers. Last week on p-day we went on the onibus (a bus) (that was quite the experience) to the Central of the city Campo Grande. We ate at McDonald's- hahaha it is really expensive here...and everything is much smaller (in general not just at McDonald's) But we had a fun experience going downtown and returned standing body up against body on the onibus...It was very intimate...then we went to work. We have a few people we are teaching that are very interested and we are hopeful that Bruna and Peterson will feel the need to get married. Also Cesar and Aldimira. We are also teaching Saulo and Oswaldo. The work continues. We are still trying to find more people that are interested in our message here. Many are not. But I´m hopeful that as we work the Lord will provide. We tried a new approach last night...we tried playing and singing hymns at the park near our house. It was kind of a fail....Most of the people there were not interested and a blond American with a violin was all they really saw. But we will continue to work and find people to teach.You never know...

I think that is about it for this week. I continue to learn and be humbled everyday. I am a stone in the river and I have many many many rough edges. I hope one day to be made smooth. Luckily this life is a progression and as long as we are striving to be better everyday the Lord will bless us. Whenever I´m discouraged I remember that if I have faith I should never feel sadness. When I´m discouraged it is a lack of faith. Remember faith gives us hope and when we have hope we are happy and excited for all that we have and will have in the future. I love you all! Continue to do what is right and stay close to the Lord! I love and pray for you all daily and wish you all the best in your many activities.

Love,

Sister Libbi Sorensen

Sarah Cate: Deep in the Heart of Texas...

I know it won't make you happy but its going to be a shorter message this week. I am doing well but I have been beating myself up all week because I didn't give a shout out to Uncle Mike and Ben for their birthdays! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And my dearest parents@! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! Holy wow....30 years is incredible. I hope to be as incredible as you one day!

We talked to a man this week that was the first person that has ever chased us off a lawn and told us that we weren't welcome in his city! hahaha oohhh I love it. He was actually quite rude to my companion which made me very very sad. I prayed for him a lot. And I prayed that my heart would forgive him. I love learning very very much. Every day on the mission is a growing experience, I feel like, and I'm sure I sound like a broken record.

Ayumi, whom we were going to set with a date this week, told us that she was not going to be able to continue with us because her husband does not agree with organized religion. She knows its true so it was quite heartbreaking.

We are teaching a lot of young girls here. They are kids of new members or step children. I love them very much. Whitley is one of them. she is 13 and she has been antied by her dad pretty hard core. If you could pray for her, I would greatly appreciate it. Please pray that we find some more people to teach here. I know that the faith of our family is so strong. I am blessed to have such a good one. Don't let Satan attack our family! Stay strong all of you!!...I guess we can't avoid the attacking but we can sure withstand him. Read pray and go to church. It changes the world. Its true.

I love you all so much. Don't forget it! I am hoping to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. I hope to one day be a fine tool that the Lord can always go to!...kinda like a leatherman. I am blessed. Thank you for your love ands support. 

I love you all forever and ever!~

 

hna. Sorensen

Libbi: BRAZIL!!! OH IT IS SO VERY REAL NOW!

Oh my dear Mother, Oh my dear Father, Oh my dear dear dear ones! Has it really only been a week in the mission field? I feel like I have already experienced a life-time worth of experiences. I am in BRAZIL!!! OH IT IS SO VERY REAL NOW! I cannot rely on English anymore...I am trying and with the constant help from the Lord am learning this language. I also have the most amazingly patient and loving companion you could ever ask for. Her name is Sister Naciomento...she is from Sao Paulo and has been in the field almost the same amount of time as Sarah Cate. I love her! She is a master teacher and I hope to be able to speak as she does someday. I also live with two other sister...Sister Fernades (she is in my same group from the CTM and is new also) and Sister Randal- she is from St. George and after serving in Montana for 3 months waiting on a visa she has been in Brazil for 2 Months now....OH my goodness I admire her courage and strength...I learn so much from these sisters everyday. I am currently serving in Campo Grande...it is the capital of the state of  Motto Grosso do Sul and because I am approximately 12 hours by bus from the mission home I only receive letters once every transfer...so I will receive your letters about every 2 months while I am here. But thanks you so much and I look forward to them that much more.
       I will try to fill you in on my life....ok first of all my last week in the CTM I went to the Policia Federal so that I could stay in the country (I passed) after this, I finished up all my learning of the language (yeah right! ha) and My old companiera Sister Heydorn and I traveled with a group of  7 other Brazilians to Cuiaba...I experienced for the first time walking out of the plane by steps and not into a terminal...Cuiaba was as everyone has said muito quente (very HOT). I love my Mission President and he is very nice...I don´t know him very well and needless to say my first day was very overwhelming -espcially with the language...My Mission President doesn´t speak very much English and this scared me at first but now I´m excited and ready to communicate with him better. We had lunch at the mission home and spoke with Sister Olivera a little and then we were taught the rules of the mission and some logistical things (I don´t know how to spell or speak any language right now so forgive my horrible spelling).  Then that same evening we arrived, I boarded a onibus (your basic Greyhound) to Campo Grande...sister missionaries only serve in these two cities Cuiaba or Campo Grande but tudo bem. I love it! After 12-13 hours on the bus through the night I arrived in my mission area. I was kinda freaking out at this point but then I met my companion and the other sisters and I can do this! With the Help from the Lord I can do this! I do believe this will be quite a challenge though....that has been very very real to me this week.

But more about the work...we began work right away...I have initiated my first contact, I have committed someone for baptism, I have lost the baptism that we acquired and taught and heard teaching in a lot of Portuguese. I have said many prayers (because everyone loves to hear the new American try to speak ) and I have attended my first church meeting and I played at a baptisms of Olivia a member in the ward. I know this isn´t very clear but in summary it has been an amazingly long hard awesome wonderful stretching humbling and encouraging week! The Lord is this work and I know I can do this! But I know that it is work! My testimony does not waver and when I think of my situation I have absolutely nothing to complain about! I love you all! I´m so happy to hear about all the fun summer things you are doing! Stay strong and do what you know it be right. If you don´t know what is right..pray and seek council from your Loving Heavenly Father! HE IS THERE! HE IS REAL! HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW HIM! I love what I am doing and the opportunity I have to learn and grow as I help others to do so. I will have more composed thoughts next week but have a wonderful week and know that I love you and pray for you- mom thanks for your words...you brought me to tears in the Internet cafe it was exactly what I needed to hear! I love you! Have a wonderful week!

Com Amor, Sister Libbi Sorensen

P.S. I think I have way too many clothes and other things...I feel like I have a lot of stuff but maybe that is because of travel and carrying all that stuff but my cloths are working and if not there are places I can get more...I am totally taken care of I will let you know if there is anything I need next year (when I receive any sort of package hahha) I love you and know you are there..I feel your prayers and your support everyday...I need it! Thanks!  Eu tenho saudades por minha Casa esta semana mas eu vou perseverar! Eu amo voces!

(Here's a note and a photo we received from someone who met Libbi in Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Hey Sorensen Family!!
I met your daughter in São Paulo a couple of weeks ago, I'm on an
internship here and I ran into her and her companion when they were
doing proselyting practice in the MTC.  She seems to be doing very
well, her portuguese was very good, and she was shining with the
missionary spirit, I could tell that she loves the work she is doing!
Here's the picture we took, congratulations, she is going to be an
excellent missionary!!!!
Hillary Chamberlain

  

Sarah Cate: Of Time and Change...

As far as the change. I have never experienced the pain of leaving people and an area that have helped me change so much....oh wait.....it was EXACTLY like leaving home all over again. There were similar tears and prayers to help me get through the rough transition. I was so broken hearted to leave Del Rio. As most of you know, i was working hard in figuring out how to work with my companion. This last transfer was a tough one with her. She is an amazing person and i believe she can be an amazing missionary so I am excited for her. We were doubled out. There were no obedience issues on my part (don't worry, I talked to President about it). I knew my time had come but that did not make it any easier to leave. I was hoping so much that i could stay but because God is so merciful and loving towards me, he blessed me with a new opportunity to love and grow.

I am now in Encino Park, San Antonio. It is truly the exact opposite of where I have been working. It is known in the mission as "The rich-white-area" We cover two wards here of about 300 people each! That is crazy huge!!! I am completely baffled by it. I was very worried because the culture shock was quite significant. However, I am so lucky to have one of the best Sister Missionaries in the Mission.  She is ssooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool!! When I talked to President, he said that she and I are who he wants Missionaries to be like. What an honor! I am sooo happy. She has taught me how to love so much. I am sooo blessed to have her. She has changed my life and my mission already. Her name is Sister Emily Larsen. She is from Idaho. She has lived in South America for a total of 10 months -working in various orphanages...wow sound out that word.... I am blessed. We live with a member right now in San Antonio.

My address Is:

2318 Park Farm

San Antonio, Tx. 78259

YAHOOOO!! I know I'll be here for AT LEAST another transfer. (President told me). He has been a huge blessing in my life. I am so so so blessed and happy to have such a great man who truly knows his missionaries and wants whats best for him and for us. I am blessed.

My clothes are so worn! I am going to need to get short sleeve t-shirts. I feel like i need to get a whole new wardrobe being around all these very rich people but i don't care. They are just going to have to love THIS sister Sorensen! it's less hot here but A LOT more humid. Life is good. I am going to need to get some more garments as well. I am wearing them out! Man i am just so blessed.

Well i have to run but i love you all so much. Please write me. I am praying for you all. Now i have more time to write its going to be better!! Oooohhh we live with a member who has 4 BOSTON TERRIERS and they love me! YAHOO.. I LOVE THEM. They all have first and middle names and are treated like children. One of them is blind and runs into everything but is the sweetest dog. Oh is so funny. So great. I love it. I am blessed. I love you all!!!

Hna. Sarah Cate Sorensen

Libbi: Mom, Congrats on your Chaco Tan!

HELLO FAMILY!!!!!!
Another week down! Time flies by and yet the same thing occurs pretty much everyday! First off Ben remember when you sent me a letter in Provo a day after I left......well....guess what....i got that letter because a sister that arrived 2 weeks ago finally found it in her stuff and she brought if for me from Provo!!! HAPPY DAY!!!! Anyway, I wrote you back but i´m sending it to MOM and DAD because I don´t think i have your address. Ok, SUSU AND KIMMI HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!! I love you both so much and I´m so happy that you have another year of experience and growth! MOM- CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CHACO TAN!!!!!! Probably the highlight of your letter (not really I love to hear from you) but I laughed out loud when I heard that...I have not had a chance to wear mine yet here but I know I will be able to. Everyone wears sandals here. Ok, once again thanks for your letter it took about a week for it to arrive here...actually exactly! I loved hearing from you! Oh and I found out that Missionties.com only takes like 1 day because they print them or something so SEND ME SOME MISSIONTIES.COM FAMILY! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL!!! I am so glad to have the family that I do! You are all so wonderful and I really do love you so much! You have all taught me something or helped me to be who I am and all the experiences I have had up to this point have been facilitated by you so thanks! I love you. Alright, So no trip to the center of Sao Paulo this week but I believe next week we will go for sure. I was sort of hoping to have double the experience but no worries, I am so excited either way. We had a nice group of Brazilians arrive this week and we have 6 Brazilians going to CUIABA!!! YEAH sister Heydorn and I won´t be the only missionaries there! Ha ha They are a really nice group and I´m really excited to get to know them all better. We also have 2 new Brazilian roommates here and they are both going to serve in Sao Paulo sul and they are really nice women. I never have enough time to share with you all the things on my mind but I did get the opportunity to speak this past Sunday...the way it works is that every week you prepare a talk and then the speakers are chosen at random on that day. We always talk about Christ Like attributes. This week I studied humility and before i forget all of you should look at the examples of humility and service found in Math 20:19, Mosiah 2:14-15, and John 13:1-16. i specifically focused on being a leader and having humility and serving the people you lead. I think that the talk went very well and I was just so happy for the promptings of the spirit that helped me and allowed me to learn more about this amazing attribute we all seek to have. PS I found a scripture that totally articulates how I feel about this work check out Alma 29:1-2 are good but verse 9!!!! WAHOO SO AMAZING! Alright,  well I am running out of time but I just had a great week...I´m trying so very hard to learn this language..it is easy to be discouraged but I didn´t come on a mission because I knew it would be easy! I´m so happy for the chance I have to choose to be happy! I love looking forward to everyday and I´m so grateful for all the support i feel from all of you! This work is real and changes lives. We had a group meeting get together thing with our whole zone on Sat. night and we heard a clip from Elder Holland...oh my goodness what a powerful man anyway he said something like,` I´m always really hard on missionaries and I´m constantly apologizing but its because MY MISSION MEANT EVERYTHING TO ME! DON`T WASTE A DAY An hour a min! That is how I feel! I don´t want to waste a single second of the Lords time! I love these people and this language and most of all this message! It is so happy! I love you all and congrats to KIRSTEN ON HER MISSION CALL!!! I  Love you! Sister Libbi Sorensen!!

  

Sarah Cate: How Hot Can it Get?

Happy Birthday to Kate on the 19th, Grace on the 23! Also happy birthday week to Kim and Susu on the 29th! James and Uncle Bear, you already got your Happy Birthdays--I'm just kidding. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ALL! hope IS a Fantastic day!!

 

Texas is sooooooooo hot. I guess that this summer has been the hottest summer since 1918 here. We have had a month straight with over 100+ temps. Its just crazy talk. It really drains you and you have to drink so much more water than you ever thought possible. Its fun. You never have to go to the bathroom because you sweat it all out! Its great. You live on the mission in a constant state of sweat. Apparently its like this all the way till January so yahooo! IT was fun to hear from Libbi and how she is just rocking the socks out of Brazil. I am inspired. I wish i could have set a better example for her. ooohhhh well. Two people from my district already have gone home. Yahoo. We are dropping like flies out here. It's 100% heart breaking. They were my good friends but i know i can't do anything to change it. Oh well. I don't want to talk about those sad things. 

 

This week we had a return apt with Carolina (the sign language lady) And it was......NONEXISTENT! It was sad. I believe she was home but unfortunately, she is only in America on Fridays and i don't know if any of you have ever tried to contact a deaf person in a normal house, the regular "tocar" approach does not work. We jumped and thudded outside her door hoping she would feel some vibration. We stuck a card in the door and wiggled it around to see if she would see that. We tried...i am hopeful though that the missionaries will find her again. She was such a beautiful lady and i love her very much. I can only imagine how much God loves her. It was a tender mercy to have met her in the first place. That is cool. 

 

I appreciate all the words of support and the incites to people's lives in Utah. Good Luck Gus. I love you so much. I pray for you! I can't wait to show you my cowboy boots I'm going to buy right before i come home! -bright red!  I'm completely in love with cowboy boots. Why don't we wear them more often? people sport them with everything down here..coupled with the hat of course. I am hoping and praying that i will be able to sport it after my mission as much as people do down here. 

 

Mike, my pal from Missouri that got baptized about a month ago has started to disappear. We are NOT happy about this. Mike and his brother have been a solid but they are having a rough time right now. John is in the Air force down here but his wife lives in Mexico and does not have a passport so she can't come here. I guess she and her kids have had some health problems and there is not a whole like John can do from across the border. They have been super stressed out about that and distant so we are not exactly sure what is going on. Stories like this happen every day here. -- One of my favorite families in the Spanish branch actually just moved here from none other than LOGAN UTAH!! ---yeeeeessssssss!!!! we immediately bonded and i love that family but her husband was deported and so they moved down here to be closer. She goes over on the weekends to see him. They have 4 kids. Its truly incredible and heartbreaking.    

 

That is why it is so important to trust in God. He knows the beginning from the end and we are just toys in his hands. We can think we are doing our will but its always the Lord's will. He knows a lot more than we will ever. We have to let that trust comfort us through the rough and rocky times. Trust is not an easy thing but it is necessary. I am not a wise missionary. I am working on trying to be any sort of a missionary but i do know that God wants us to be happy. He's given me family and friends that answer my prayers every day. I am so blessed. I am so lucky to have y'all. Don't ever forget how much i love you all.

 

hna. Sorensen

 

Libbi: "The Lord can´t steer a ship that isn´t moving"

Oh MY DEAR DEAR FAMILY (ps I told sarah the same thing about living in the moment haha funny)
GREETINGS FROM BRAZIL!!! First off HAPPY WAY LATE FATHERS DAY DAD!!! I love you and I´m so proud and happy that you are my father and I learn so much from you! Happy Birthday to Kate on the 19th, Uncle Bill and James on the 21st and Grace on the 23! Also happy pre-birthday week to Kim and Susu on the 29th! Oh it is a great day in the Lord´s Army! Congratulations to all that are in California...I´m sure it is wonderful there but I have to day I really don´t mind the winter here in Sao Paulo...pretty much the perfect temperature all the time...kinda make me way scared for the summer in Cuiaba...if this is cold I think I might just be uncomfortably hot for the next 18 months...but I guess I knew that.
So we had round 2 of contacting on the street this week..double the practice and this time it went WAY better! We gave out all our Livro De Mormons and we talked to a bunch of people...guess what I actually understood some of the Portuguese that people spoke to me! Crazy! The Lord is so good to me! I know I am being blessed so much by the Lord with help with this language! I love it here! I love my teachers, people around me...I´m a little sad because a huge group of missionaries left for the field today including many of my dear friends...I may have only known them for 2 weeks but you truly do build life long friendships in the mission. CALDER!!!! how could I forget! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BAPTISM! From what I hear you were a one man show! I wouldn´t expect any less! I´m so proud of you and the steps you are taking to return to your Heavenly Father! It is so important! I´m so happy for you! Meg I´m excited for you and your decision to play viola...since you no longer will play the same instrument as me I guess you can be in my band when I get home! It is going to be pretty awesome!  So, this coming week I will go pass out LDM in down town Sao Paulo...pretty crazy we  are going a week early because we have an elder in our district who is a week a head that is also why we got to go out on the street twice as well...but I love it I´m way scared and excited and I love the extra practice I really need it! I don´t know how to press enter on these Brazilian computers and it is driving my crazy! Anyway, Sorry I don´t have much more time but I love you and I wish you all well this week my thought for you is, "the Lord can´t steer a ship that isn´t moving" -if we do our part the Lord will provide a way! I know this to be true...I´m the evidence of this! Also Mom my journal and other letters and such are in the mail...please let me know when they arrive so that I can have an idea of how long it takes and also to make sure I don´t lose those precious pages of my journal! I LOVE YOU!!! HAVE A KILLER WEEK!!!!!                                      

 

-LOVE SISTER LIBBI SORENSEN xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sarah Cate: I prayed like I've never prayed for the gift of tongues.

OK family, I FINALLY HAVE A STORY TO TELL!!!!

 

YAHOOO!! I am sooo happy to hear about Calder's baptism. What an awesome thing Calder. Way to represent and play your violin as well!!! Double yahooo! Happy birthday James and Uncle Bear! Hope all is going well and hope this next year is a blast for y'all !!

First of all: I truly mean the things i said about sister Collins. That does not mean that we get along every second. We are different. She keeps me "in line" and I am working on not needing her to. I don't think y'all think i am not working out here but i am truly working my tail off. Texas is not a dream. I feel the mission rarely is. Its OK though because the work aspect makes it real. It makes it something that will be worth it in the end. I have no regrets. I am here serving and here I will serve till I am done.

 

So this week was pretty normal. Just missionary work as usual. Friday we got a call from the Elders that the lady that lived next to them was trying to speak to them but she was speaking in sign language and they wanted me to go over and speak with her! At first i was very very nervous because i haven't spoken sign language for over 6 months and my vocabulary has greatly decreased without practice. I prayed like I've never prayed for the gift of tongues. I was also very nervous about the possible fact that she may speak Spanish sign language but i went in faith, hoping that things would work them selves out. Well we didn't know what to do because we couldn't knock on the door as usual. We couldn't do anything like that. we tried pounding on the walls seeing if maybe she could feel a vibration or stomping on the floor. Then one of the Elders stuck a pass along card in the door and started to wiggle it around. Eventually, (we're not sure by which method she knew someone was at the door) she came and opened the door. She was very happy to see us. She is about 50-55 years old and she has big glasses. She started to try to talk and it was in Spanish. i started to sign and asked her how she was. She immediately started to light up and shot off like a rocket with her sign language. Yes. it was Spanish sign language but some things were similar so for the next hour we sat down and talked with her about her life and about God. I have never learned any signs about God or religion or anything to do with things like that. but, thanks to my final project in sign language, i learned the word believe! yahooo some sort of break through. I remembered Jesus Christ and a few varied signs from when i was a child learning songs in primary. Nothing miraculous happened but i we were able to set up a return appointment with her and am so excited to see her again. I know she felt the spirit because i prayed in sign language. (also another thing I've never done or tried to do in this life) but she cried when it was over and i told her that i loved her and she said she loved me and that she was so happy to talk with someone. IT was so beautiful. I don't know sing language, let alone Spanish sign language but the spirit was present and that was all that i needed. I am blessed. It was a very neat experience.

 

On Sunday, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Sister Collins and I got asked to speak in Spanish branch. I nearly died because i don't know how to speak Spanish. It was very very very very very very very x's 100000 scary....but I lived through it. When I sat down, the member of the district presidency turned to me and said that I did a great job and that I only messed up on a few words. :) He said I brought the spirit though so its all that matters. Afterwords he said that sister Collins and i had nearly opposite talks but that together we make a perfect person. sssaaaawwwweeeeeeeeeeeeettttttt!! I can't wait to take this place by storm.

 

We have some people we hope to be working with soon. No solid names yet but i will keep you posted. I love you all so much. Never forget that.

 

hna. Sorensen