#67 [Ponce - 4] June 24th, 2014

New comp

Hi family!

Okay, thanks a lot for the pictures of Rae's homecoming... Now I'm SUPER excited to come home! I started CRYING looking at the pics. Feelin like a fool at the university library. Rae, you look BEAUTIFUL!! I can't even wait to be there! I'm so glad that she got home safely and you've all been enjoying the time together. The family picture you took looks so... boring without me... Hahaha. Jokes, jokes! :)

This week has been crazy. I have a new companion! Her name is Sister Leonardo and she's from the DR! So she's been making me a lot of Dominican food and will probably be teaching me how to make it so when I get home, I can satisfy your taste buds with some delicious Puerto Rican and Dominican Republic cuisine! She is a VERY good cook. She's 22, and has been out for 13 months now. She reminds me of Madeline A. (Vance) SO much. :) Their personalities are really similar, too. It's fun.

Sister Dye's companion is from Honduras, she's been out 9 months now; Sister DaCosta. I miss being her companion, but it's nice because we still live together. So it's a party. But we are working hard!

We found a new family to teach, the mom's name is N__ and she has two twin boys, six years old. She lives alone and is really hard-working. She has a little more time now though because it's summer vacation. She mostly wants us to teach the boys, but we all know that she'll probably be the one that will learn the most. I think if she takes the kids to Church, they'll be baptized. She knows a lot of the members and has been looking around for a good Church to go to. The Jehovah's Witnesses are coming over sometimes, too, to teach her kids, but she never lets them in the house. But she lets US in, so that's gotta count for something. I'm excited about her. She's super nice.

We've been searching around for less actives on the list. Tonight we have a Rescue activity; planned with the ward where we will go out and visit some of the inactives on the list by surprise! I'm kinda excited but a little nervous. We really hope it will run smoothly.

A few weeks ago, we met a lady named M__, she's Catholic, and her son died when he was 16 of cancer. She's really cool. We left her a BOM and then didn't make it back to see her till Sunday after church. She'd been reading and taking notes and looking at the footnotes, too! It was super cool! I've never met someone so studious before out here! She and her son really like to study, so we're going to hopefully be teaching them more often. Her son doesn't go to Church, but he'd make a super good member, too. The whole family would! I just really hope they'll keep reading and have a desire to visit the Church.

We found a less active named J__ who will most likely be coming back to Church. We'd just met her, but she and I connected instantly because of some of the things I've been going through for the past 2 or 3 transfers and what she's been going through in her life. It was really really cool. The Spirit was so strong! My companion fell asleep, so that was kinda funny, but luckily J__ didn't get offended. I really hope she comes back, she needs the Gospel so badly, and needs to distract herself from thinking so much about everything that has happened to her. I've never felt so close to a stranger before. It was really special.
 

Sisters conference reunion. 

Former comps meet up at Sisters conf.

We had a "Sister's Only" meeting with Sherri Dew yesterday in Guaynabo. We had to stay at the Sisters' apartment in Juana Diaz Sunday night. Their house is infested with cockroaches! I slept awfully due to the fact that there was a dog barking all night and then my mind kept thinking I had baby cockroaches and bedbugs all over me. I woke up about every hour. But to be more positive, the meeting was SUPER great! I think that was the last meeting we'll ever be having with the Zwicks, too, since our new Mission President gets here this week. So it was bittersweet. I'll miss them a lot and I have learned SO much from them. Sherri Dew spoke a lot about grace, and I really liked it. I want to read her books. I was thankful to meet her. But anyway, since we didn't get to write yesterday, we got to write today. I'm thankful for that, too. I was really anxious to hear about everything that happened this past week!

I'm really trying hard to focus, I can't believe how quickly the mission has gone by. Seeing all the new sister missionaries that came in and not seeing all the ones I knew when I first came in really makes the end seem so imminent. I'm an oldie in the mission! So we're just not going to talk about it anymore, k? k. Cool. Except I have a request: for my first dinner home, I want dipping meat. :) Or Shoots. Okay? Thanks.
 
We still need to clean out our luggage. I know Sister Dye's luggage still has some bedbugs in it, apparently on Sunday she found some in her backpack. But so far, no bedbug bites. I don't know when we'll take care of that, but we will. :)

Okay, well, I've gotta go. It's time to work now! We just had a short p-day to buy groceries and write to you guys. Guess who has ZERO clean clothes this week? This girl. Does it matter? Not really, because I smell bad all the time because I'm so sweaty. But it's fine. I'm not bitter. :)

I LOVE YOU! Keep sending pictures! I like that the most. I LOVE YOU and pray for you every lumping day!

-Hermana Erickson... Now THE ONE AND ONLY!

Former house mates

#66 [Ponce - 3] June 16th, 2014

Dear fambamily:

This week was full of craziness. I honestly don't know where to begin. It's like one thing after another was thrown my way! I'm surprised I survived!

 After a week or so of waking up with red bites all over our bodies, we discovered we have BEDBUGS, so it's been real nice being eaten alive every night. We figured they were mosquito bites until we saw the blood spots on our sheets. However, we're taking care of the problem, slowly and surely. But getting new mattresses was nice because at least the beds are bug-free. I'm not so sure about our luggage, though. We've still gotta take care of that. We can't really kill them all because we don't have a clothes dryer, either, so even when we wash our clothes they're still there. Those things are indestructible! It's fine, though.

We had Zone Conference as well. That was sweet. I honestly love the Zwicks. They're the greatest. I'm going to be sad getting a new Mission President. But it'll be exciting, too! 4 Mission Presidents all in a year and a half!

Anyway, we found a few good people this week that we'll be excited to work with. Even 2 families!! But the most exciting thing that happened was that we spoke in Church yesterday, all four of the sisters here in Ponce 4, and the Bishop is super pumped about missionary work! We met with the ward council immediately after church and began discussing what we would all do to rescue our fellow inactive/less-active members. I felt like we were on one of those training videos: "How to hold a Ward Council." It was super productive! Everyone started naming off specific people they wanted to invite themselves to Church, and we even set up some appointments with specific members to go with us to investigators' houses, who also committed to invite them to their homes at the end of the appointment! I'm really excited about the synergy in the ward, so it'll be an exciting time here in Ponce! This makes the ridiculous heat here completely worth it.

We got the call about transfers. Both Sister Dye and I are staying here, but we're both getting new companions. It's like Pontezuela all over again, because we have to divide all the contacts and investigators we have. I'm nervous because the other sisters have been mainly working with less actives, so I honestly don't know where any of them live, but I guess we'll figure that out.

To be honest, I'm excited and kinda sad about transfers. Even though Sister Dye and I have only been together for 6 weeks, I feel like we've been with each other for forever! We've been through so much more than I can say in the past six weeks and I feel like I've grown closer to her than I have to any other companion. This has been the most difficult transfer of my entire mission, but it's a good thing, and I'll miss her being my companion. But at least we're still living in the same house! That'll be fun. I'm excited to have a Dominican companion. Her name is Sister Leonardo. She's been out for about a year I think. Hopefully my Spanish will get even better as I work with her! And I'll be asking her about the DR all day every day, probably!

I'm so sad to hear about M__ B__. I'm in complete shock. But I know without a doubt that she's where she needs to be, serving the Lord the way she had hoped to on earth: as a missionary. She said that she'd planned on serving a mission if the cancer went away, but I guess the Lord has a whole other dimension she's needed in. My best wishes to her family and everyone who knew her.

I can't believe Rae is already coming home! I feel like we just said goodbye to each other in the laundry room! It's been such a quick year and a half. I feel like my mission is automatically over now that she's coming back. SO WEIRD. Rae, can't wait to see you!!!!! I can't wait to hear about the whole family reunion, too. Dad! Don't forget to iPad her talk for me so I can watch her! I'll definitely be missing out! It'll be lonely knowing I'm the only missionary serving from the fam for a little bit.

Well anywho, I'm not really sure what else to write about, so I think I'm just gonna end it there. I love you and miss you and will be thinking about you probably all week and about the whole airport scene. That's probably going to be a Kleenex moment, right Mom!? :) You'd better record the whole thing! I love you!!

-Hermana Erickson

#65 [Ponce - 2] June 9th, 2014

Dear family:

I just want you guys to know I love you and am so thankful to have been born into such an incredible family. I feel so blessed to have been raised by such "goodly parents!" I love you guys so much and miss you so much. There are so many things I need to tell you, too!!

I'm excited about the references we can receive from Carmen; hopefully she'll get back to us soon. Transfers are next week and I don't know if they'll keep us here or not, Sister Burgess is the next one to go home because Sister Castaneda is going home next week (a day after Rach). I can't believe I only have two transfers left now... Time has flown by. But our guess is that we'll be staying here. So either way, send the references, and I'm sure they'll be contacted!

Okay, Krispen's daughter looks so gorgeous! I can't wait to meet her! How are they doing? How's KaLynn doing? What's she up to? Lyndsee?

I got an email from Josh Thill, thanks for giving him my email. It was good to hear from him.

We have a Zone Conference this week on Wednesday.

I'm in the Ponce 4th Ward. But that could change, so feel free to stalk me for this week! Hahaha!

The front of the house looks great, I'm so excited for Rachel to go home! I can't believe it's been so long since I've seen her! I'm excited to hang out with the kids, too. It's just going to be a good life. But I'm NOT even trunky. I'm LOVING this! It's super hot here in Ponce, and I'm dying every day, but Ponce is the most Puertoriqueno you can get, and everyone gives us food ALL the time. I love Puerto Rican food, guys. And I'm sorry to say, too, that I even like Coca-Cola! Who woulda thunk I'd ever say that in my life!?! I drank it with my breakfast yesterday... I've changed! Hahahaha.
 
Anyway, I guess I'll get on to telling you about everything we've been up to this week. Contacting, contacting, and more contacting. I'm getting darker every day! Holla! I'm excited about it, but I am kinda nervous because I feel like all this sun is going to cause me some skin cancer. So I'll be sure to take your advice and slather on the sunscreen even though I know it just comes off anyway. The funny thing about Puerto Ricans (well, Caribbeaners in general) is that they compliment us on how "pretty" we are when we feel like we're disgusting, sweaty street wanderers. But it's fine, it sure makes us feel confident! Hehehe

We've been contacting and giving out Book of Mormons. So many people call us "Mormons" without even knowing the reason why. So we invite them to read about it and it gives us a reason to follow up, too. I love testifying about the Book of Mormon. Even if I'm completely exhausted and so tired of doing the same old every day, every time we can place a Book of Mormon, I fire up! I LOVE teaching about the Book of Mormon, because it's like a whole other piece of the Gospel puzzle. I hope that the people we invited to read will do so. The Book of Mormon really is the key to a testimony. I know it's true and love it with all my heart.

I feel like we eat rice pretty much every day. A few days ago, a member invited the four of us to lunch and made a lasagna with RICE, instead of lasagna noodles, and it was DELICIOUS! I'm sorry to talk about food so much in this email, but I guess I'm hungry. :)

We had a ward activity, too, all based on Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. We set up a tree made of cardboard and put Blow pops stapled to a picture of Jesus Christ as the "fruit." The chapel was dark, and the members were blindfolded, and they had to follow the "iron rod" (a piece of string that wove in and out of the rooms, all over the chapel) until they reached the tree. We (the missionaries) were, ironically, the one tempting them and trying to lead them astray. It was kinda fun acting like the bad guy! But they all really enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun. The members were impressed. Hopefully all the activities we do in the future will be that well attended and that they'll invite their friends, too. We extended the invitation for them to invite their friends, who are currently wandering around in the dark, to be able to partake of the fruit by inviting them to follow the Gospel, to read the Book of Mormon, etc. It was really spiritual.

Well anyways, I've got to write to my Mission President. I'm excited to meet the new one, but I'll miss the Zwicks a lot!

I LOVE YOU!

-Hermana Erickson

#64 [Ponce - 1] June 2nd, 2014

"Ponce is Ponce and all the rest is parking"

Dear seres queridos: (Dear loved ones)
 
Aqui estoy hablando Espanol de nuevo y estoy tan feliz y tan animada para estar aqui en mi querido Borinquen!! (Here I am speaking Spanish again and I am so happy and so excited to be here in my beloved Puerto Rico)

So we got to Ponce on Thursday night, our new area! We live here with two other sisters, Sister Burgess (who used to be on Tortola before I went) and Sister Castaneda. Both are going home soon. Sister Castaneda started with Rae, so they'll be on the same return flight home on the 18th. Sister Burgess goes home six weeks after her, and then I follow. Being with them makes me kinda trunky because they talk about going home ALL THE TIME. My poor companion, though, just starting out. It's hard for her to get her mind here knowing that they're going back home so soon. And then with this sudden change in language and climate, it's rough. She'll be the only one left here out of the four of us. It's hard for me to share an area with other sisters, though. I forgot what it's like to live with so many people and our fridge is TINY! But I guess it's good school prep, right?

But anyway, this week has been good, just finding our way around Ponce! This is the HOTTEST place in Puerto Rico, so I'll probably be kinda crispy when I get home. Or even black... You probably won't even recognize me! I'm happy to have Sister Dye with me through this whole experience. There's really no one else I'd rather be with opening an area. She gets homesick when we are doing studies, though, because her mind has time to wander. I think that's normal, though, at the beginning. I still can't believe she's only been out 9 weeks. She's an incredible missionary and I look up to her a lot. I just love training. President said that that's what I'll be doing for the rest of my mission, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got another trainee in the next two weeks. I dunno though, I don't want to think about it.

Although it's hot, we're doing well contacting people. We live in a super nice neighborhood, too. I've never seen such beautiful houses in Puerto Rico. We got a ward directory and the Patriarch in our ward helped us out yesterday and gave us the status of each name on the list. He gave us blessings last night, too, and it felt like another patriarchal blessing! SUPER COOL, especially because it was all in Spanish. This ward has amazing potential, so I'm excited to see what we can do to hasten the work here. We plan on getting the members involved a lot more. We've all got to get a baptism each month, so we're excited to alcanzar (I think that means reach?) that goal.

Sorry there's not much else I have to tell you; I feel like there isn't that much excitement in the first few weeks of opening an area, but we're finding a lot of nice people. They have ward activities every week, so that's exciting. There are 6 missionaries here: 2 Elders and 4 Sisters. It's kinda crowded, but hopefully having so many will help the work along.

I thought about Joshy on Friday night when I was drifting off to sleep. I remember my graduation and can't believe it was already two years ago. Time is flying by. Joshy wrote to me, too! So that was great. I felt so loved. <3 OXOXOX Thanks, Joshy!

I didn't know that kids could catch AND COOK their own pot guts at Clear Creek! I never did that. Hopefully Jake will videotape it. (It's a joke.) He's going to have a blast! Good ol' Clear Creek days. I loved my childhood! Mom, Dad, thanks so much for signing me up for so many fun things! I loved it!

Anyway, since I'm back in Puerto Rico, people should be aware that my address is the same:

Urb. Jardines de Caparra
#500 Calle Marginal Norte
Bayamon, PR 00959

I'm really happy to be back in Puerto Rico and speaking Spanish with the Boricuas (Puerto Ricans). I was feeling like my Boricuan Spanish accent was turning a little bit Dominican on me since there are so many Dominican Republicans on Tortola. And the best part about it all is, the FOOD IS SO CHEAP, HERE! I felt overwhelmed going to the store today. I LOVE BEING IN PUERTO RICO! I miss Tortola, though, especially all the people; we had SO many investigators! But hopefully the Cards will be taking care of them...

Well anywho, that's really all I've got to say. Here's a picture of us before we left Tortola! That's the first time I've curled my hair in about a year.

-Hermana Erickson