Jazz hands

Oh my sweet family,

I am just happy as a clam to be writing you!!! You would think after this long on a mission, email would have lost some of it's magic by now. WRONG!

 

So, things are good! TOMORROW WE GET OUR MISSION TEMPLE TRIP!!! This past week we had zone conference- it was all about establishing a culture of high expectations. So good. Our focus on the work has really increased over the past month as we have focused more specifically on baptism. We set all our goals to help achieve this end. And we're supppperrrr excited. We're praying that we can have a baptism in January. We have been so blessed in our finding efforts- almost all of our work is with member referrals or part-member families, and it is the BEST. I love it.

 

Last night we attended the stake choir performance- every ward's choir sang a song. It was such a joy to see NoHo 5 sing- all the members and menos activos we worked with, ah. That ward really has a special place in my heart.

Kind of like when Alma Jr and the sons of Mosiah all see each other again and they rejoice because they're all still active and faithful and keeping their covenants. That's how I felt.

 

ALSO at the end of the performance, there was a solo number by this 7-yr-old girl from the San Fernando ward. She sang O Holy Night, and she was really good. It was so sweet. Hahahaha so then after she hits the high note, both times, a few people started to clap- but these good saints of the San Fernando Valley know that clapping is not appropriate in the chapel. SO WHAT DO THEY DO? JAZZ HANDS. Yes, everyone raised their hands and waved them as a form of reverent applause.

 

Would you like me to write a whole paragraph about food? Okay fine stop begging I will. This week I was blessed to eat some of the most DELICIOUS salmon, chili baked potatoes, cornbread, and this morning I finished off a jar of those peanut-butter filled pretzels, because I love myself. hahaha I went through the whole thing in 2 weeks. ALSO there is a Trader Joes in our area, so we are going there for our grocery excursion today. Hna Hartt is from DC and so she and I have reallly talked this up haha.

 

The Plan of Salvation "3 Kingdoms" activity went surprisingly awesome. We had everyone sit in the chapel, told them they had just been in a plane crash and now they are all dead.

Took them to the gym where two angels presented choices.

Candy or pic of Jesus, Penny or pic of Temple. Invited them to choose what they had chosen in this life.

Took them to the room that corresponded to their choices. (We were the gatekeepers of the telestial kingdom- only 3 10-yr old boys had chosen the candy and the money. no chairs, just a small room with a sign on the board, and a small, dim star light inside. They started playing tag which sounded like howling spirits, so it really completed the effect hahaa.)

Once everyone was assigned to their "Kingdom" we took everyone together on a tour from bottom up, and then all together in the celestial kindgom (christmas lights, white tablecloths, soft piano music playing, a family dressed in white baptismal jumpers sitting at the front) we talked about why it's important to make good choices in this life, why we want to come to the celestial kindgom, and why it's important to share the gospel with our friends and neighbors so they can come here, too. Whew. I actually can't believe how well it went. Everyone loved it and kept bringing it up during lessons and stuff on Sunday.

 

The Noche de Hogar with the Flores' family friends went so well!!! We watched a Christmas video, talked about the atonement, and now we have an appt to teach them the restoration on Tues and we are going to the temple visitors center on THurs!!! (We talked to Thelma, the mom, on the phone on Sunday and she REMEMBERED THE QUOTE. I ususally scream when that happens.)

 

Hna Watts had an interview with Pres yeseterday, so while I waited for her I looked at the bookshelf full of Book of Mormons in every different written language in the world. Like, not literally but pretty close. At one point in my college career I had to learn the name and location of every country in the world, minus a few very tiny independent island nations. So I was surprised and kind of embarassed that there were so many languages that I had no idea existed, or where they were spoken. LIke, they had Mayan up there. Pretty sure the only Mayans still alive live in pockets of the Amazon, and pretty sure there are 15 of them, tops. Lots of indiginous dialects like that. And weird asian languages. and weird middle eastern languages. and weird european languages.

More than anything, it just made me really grateful that the Lord knew I needed to learn to speak "Spanglish". Because I am smart. But I am not that smart.

 

Yeah, that's about all I've got haha. We'll skype next week! Not sure what day or time yet (whoops) I'll let you know next Mon.

 

It's been a lot warmer these past couple days. Low 70s. Now THAT is the southern california mission I signed up for :)

 

You are all awesome. Thanks for being such good examples for me!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXO

and I love you a lot.