Okay, I’m going to be super fast because we don’t have ANY time today. I’m sorry for that, but here’s the biggest news:
We have a baptism this weekend; my very first one!! His name is J. and he is so awesome! I am so excited for him to be baptized and am so thankful to my Heavenly Father we found him! We contacted him while looking for his mom one day, cuz we’d contacted her in the street, but when we got to her house, she wasn’t there, but he was, and so we talked to him. He was really interested in the Book of Mormon, and invited us over two days later to talk more about it and to share the Gospel with him. He’s never been baptized, and he’s really excited to make his very first covenant with God. He loves Church, and is excited to serve. We taught him about callings in the church yesterday, and he was excited to receive one after his baptism! He really is so awesome and it’s been really cool to see him change his life. He doesn’t smoke, or drink, or drink coffee or tea, so it’s insane how easily he accepted all of the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. He was definitely prepared by the Lord. You could say he was already a member, he just hadn’t found his religion yet.
We had a weird thing happen this week, Pres. Smartt called and transferred Hna. Brotherson, and she’ll be serving in Mayaguez with my trainer, Hna. Flores. I’m not sure why they did transfers early, but I’m excited to be working in a three-some this week with Hermana G.and Hermana E. It’ll be a great learning experience. I’ll be working with Hna. G. for another six weeks, too. I’m thankful for her and am learning a lot.
Well, anywho, I didn’t have time to read your email, but I love you and hope all is well!
BYE!
-Hna Erickson
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
#17 [Pontezuela - 15] July 8th, 2013
THIS WEEK WAS AWFUL!
Jokes! This week was actually one of the best ones I've had in a very long time. So lemme tell you about it! We had a week full of miracles and it was absolutely amazing!
The first miracle we saw this week is named R. Hna G. and I contacted him within her first week here, and we taught him a resumed version of the Restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. He said he is already a member of a different church, but that he'd read the book and that he was excited about it. It'd been a few weeks since we'd gone to see him since the first visit, so we went to his house a week ago and set up an appointment with him and asked how his reading was going. He said he'd been reading the book, and we set up an appointment for Monday.
When we taught him on Monday, it was amazing because the Spirit was so strong. He didn't agree to come to Church with us on Sunday, because he said that his cousin is the pastor in his church, but that he'd like to try it out someday. But honestly, we didn't think he'd progress at all. Then, on Thursday, out of the blue, we got a phone call during companionship study. It was HIM!
HE CALLED US TO ASK US FOR A RIDE TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY! WHO DOES THAT!?!? Definitely not anyone I've ever met here in Puerto Rico. It was seriously so unexpected, and such a wonderful surprise. But I'll write about what happened on Sunday later, to keep you in suspense and what not... :)
Investigator #2: A. We contacted her one afternoon and she let us in to teach. So we taught her the Restoration, and she really loved it. We've been teaching her twice a week, but she hasn't come to Church yet since she goes with her daughter to a different one every week. But we suggested doing a tour of the chapel, and she loved the idea. So we went over to her house one afternoon and took her to the chapel, where we showed her everything: the chapel, the baptismal font, the classrooms, the Relief Society room. She felt the Spirit so strongly, and so did we. We prayed and sang a hymn in the chapel. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and then we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She committed to be baptized July 28th! She's SO excited to be a member of the Church and I can't wait for her to attend Church next Sunday!
Okay, Investigator #3: His name is J. This past week, we taught him twice, too. J. is super cool. We found him through his mom, who we'd initially intended on teaching, but then when we went over to her house randomly one day, we found him instead, and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was amazed to find out that there were prophets in the ancient Americas. He agreed to another appointment. Well anyway, long story short, he's got a baptismal date for the 21st, and he is SUPER excited to be a member of the Church, too. He's never been baptized, even though he was raised as a Catholic/Evangelicalist. He's very smart, and loves learning about the Gospel. We taught him the ten commandments last night, and he said, "That was easy. Teach me something that's going to be difficult." I thought, "Just wait till we teach you about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, then." Hehehe... BUT anywho, I'm just so excited to see him change his life! He's already an awesome person, and the Gospel is just making him even more awesome!
Okay, so now, the good news! Sunday! R. came to Church and loved it! He felt so much peace! We have an appointment with him on Tuesday, and we're planning to extend a baptismal date. J. came as well, and brought his 9 year-old son along, too! So that was an unexpected surprise. But it was an amazing Fast and Testimony meeting, too. Just a very special meeting all in all.
Then, after Church, we had a lesson with a new investigator named O. At first, he said, "I don't have a lot of time right now, but you guys can come in for a half hour." So we went in and ended up teaching him TWO lessons! The Spirit was so strong, and I don't even know how it happened, but then, BAM! ANOTHER BAPTISMAL DATE. July 28th is when he wanted to do it. I've never seen someone accept the Gospel so easily. But for him, he just kept saying, "It makes sense," and all this stuff, and "Now I understand!" It was just really awesome. I am really excited to see how far he progresses within the next few weeks.
But yeah, it was pretty much a super awesome week and I'm so excited to see what will happen in the next month.
Okay, now I will write you all back!
Heather: Thanks for your update about EFY! I didn't read through all of it yet, but if I finish this email in time, I'll be sure to read it! I'm glad you had such a good time. EFY is such a fun experience. And way to go on your first French braid! It looked awesome!
I DIED laughing here in the computer lab because of the photo-shopped picture of me with the Wardies. (Madeline, Ashlyn, Chel, and Tor). I love them! I've been having super weird dreams about Madeline's wedding. I'm sad I'll be missing it! But I'm so excited for her! To my dear friends: YOU ALL LOOK BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Be sure to send me pictures from your iPad of the wedding and all, k? I wanna see the dress and the ring! AND EVERYTHING! :) Such an exciting time!
Still no sign of the scripture covers yet. I haven't been to the office to see if I got any packages or any mail for like, two weeks. So who knows.
I also almost died laughing again when I saw the GOODBYE LITTLE HOUSE ice cream cake. I'm glad you took my advice! Hopefully Santa will bring all 10 seasons (or however many there are) for Christmas... :)
AWW! Missionaries knocked on our door? That's precious! Where were they from? I'll bet it'd be hard to work in Utah.
I haven't been able to contact any of Carmen's family yet, but now that you've sent me the valid number, I'll try again and let you know how it goes! We'll do it tomorrow!
To answer your question, yes we got to meet the new mission President. PRESIDENT SMARTT! We met him and his family on Tuesday at a last-minute meeting. They are a super young family, their oldest daughter is 12. She reminded me of Heather. I admire them a lot; I can't even imagine how hard it'd be to pick up your family and leave. Leaving by yourself is hard enough, but taking 3 other people with you, two of whom being so young, that would be difficult. AND learning a new language. Sis. Smartt was so cute, she'd written her talk in Spanish and could hardly pronounce a thing, but she tried. I admire them so much and can't wait to get to know them more. They are amazing people and I have a lot of respect for them.
Well anyway, wow. I just feel like I wrote so much! It was a week of amazing miracles that I know only God performed. For the past three months, I've had such a hard time, but wow, the Lord DOES answer prayers, and He DOES comfort us right when we need it. The trials He gives us truly are for our benefit. I love the Lord so much and I love this work. It is incredible how the Spirit can soften people's hearts. THIS IS SO AWESOME!
And now, since I can, I will share some of the scriptures I read today, and I did LIKEN them unto myself... :)
Alma 38:2 And now, MY DAUGHTER, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
Alma 38:3 I say unto you, MY DAUGHTER, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the PUERTO RICANS.
Alma 38:5 And now MY DAUGHTER, MARISSA, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma 38:10 And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.
Alma 38:11 See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.
Alma 38:12 Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.
I just love the scriptures. :)
I love you and miss you a lot. Thank you for everything you do for me! Keep being awesome! I LOVE YOU!
-Hermana Erickson
Jokes! This week was actually one of the best ones I've had in a very long time. So lemme tell you about it! We had a week full of miracles and it was absolutely amazing!
The first miracle we saw this week is named R. Hna G. and I contacted him within her first week here, and we taught him a resumed version of the Restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon. He said he is already a member of a different church, but that he'd read the book and that he was excited about it. It'd been a few weeks since we'd gone to see him since the first visit, so we went to his house a week ago and set up an appointment with him and asked how his reading was going. He said he'd been reading the book, and we set up an appointment for Monday.
When we taught him on Monday, it was amazing because the Spirit was so strong. He didn't agree to come to Church with us on Sunday, because he said that his cousin is the pastor in his church, but that he'd like to try it out someday. But honestly, we didn't think he'd progress at all. Then, on Thursday, out of the blue, we got a phone call during companionship study. It was HIM!
HE CALLED US TO ASK US FOR A RIDE TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY! WHO DOES THAT!?!? Definitely not anyone I've ever met here in Puerto Rico. It was seriously so unexpected, and such a wonderful surprise. But I'll write about what happened on Sunday later, to keep you in suspense and what not... :)
Investigator #2: A. We contacted her one afternoon and she let us in to teach. So we taught her the Restoration, and she really loved it. We've been teaching her twice a week, but she hasn't come to Church yet since she goes with her daughter to a different one every week. But we suggested doing a tour of the chapel, and she loved the idea. So we went over to her house one afternoon and took her to the chapel, where we showed her everything: the chapel, the baptismal font, the classrooms, the Relief Society room. She felt the Spirit so strongly, and so did we. We prayed and sang a hymn in the chapel. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and then we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She committed to be baptized July 28th! She's SO excited to be a member of the Church and I can't wait for her to attend Church next Sunday!
Okay, Investigator #3: His name is J. This past week, we taught him twice, too. J. is super cool. We found him through his mom, who we'd initially intended on teaching, but then when we went over to her house randomly one day, we found him instead, and gave him a Book of Mormon. He was amazed to find out that there were prophets in the ancient Americas. He agreed to another appointment. Well anyway, long story short, he's got a baptismal date for the 21st, and he is SUPER excited to be a member of the Church, too. He's never been baptized, even though he was raised as a Catholic/Evangelicalist. He's very smart, and loves learning about the Gospel. We taught him the ten commandments last night, and he said, "That was easy. Teach me something that's going to be difficult." I thought, "Just wait till we teach you about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity, then." Hehehe... BUT anywho, I'm just so excited to see him change his life! He's already an awesome person, and the Gospel is just making him even more awesome!
Okay, so now, the good news! Sunday! R. came to Church and loved it! He felt so much peace! We have an appointment with him on Tuesday, and we're planning to extend a baptismal date. J. came as well, and brought his 9 year-old son along, too! So that was an unexpected surprise. But it was an amazing Fast and Testimony meeting, too. Just a very special meeting all in all.
Then, after Church, we had a lesson with a new investigator named O. At first, he said, "I don't have a lot of time right now, but you guys can come in for a half hour." So we went in and ended up teaching him TWO lessons! The Spirit was so strong, and I don't even know how it happened, but then, BAM! ANOTHER BAPTISMAL DATE. July 28th is when he wanted to do it. I've never seen someone accept the Gospel so easily. But for him, he just kept saying, "It makes sense," and all this stuff, and "Now I understand!" It was just really awesome. I am really excited to see how far he progresses within the next few weeks.
But yeah, it was pretty much a super awesome week and I'm so excited to see what will happen in the next month.
Okay, now I will write you all back!
Heather: Thanks for your update about EFY! I didn't read through all of it yet, but if I finish this email in time, I'll be sure to read it! I'm glad you had such a good time. EFY is such a fun experience. And way to go on your first French braid! It looked awesome!
I DIED laughing here in the computer lab because of the photo-shopped picture of me with the Wardies. (Madeline, Ashlyn, Chel, and Tor). I love them! I've been having super weird dreams about Madeline's wedding. I'm sad I'll be missing it! But I'm so excited for her! To my dear friends: YOU ALL LOOK BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! Be sure to send me pictures from your iPad of the wedding and all, k? I wanna see the dress and the ring! AND EVERYTHING! :) Such an exciting time!
Still no sign of the scripture covers yet. I haven't been to the office to see if I got any packages or any mail for like, two weeks. So who knows.
I also almost died laughing again when I saw the GOODBYE LITTLE HOUSE ice cream cake. I'm glad you took my advice! Hopefully Santa will bring all 10 seasons (or however many there are) for Christmas... :)
AWW! Missionaries knocked on our door? That's precious! Where were they from? I'll bet it'd be hard to work in Utah.
I haven't been able to contact any of Carmen's family yet, but now that you've sent me the valid number, I'll try again and let you know how it goes! We'll do it tomorrow!
To answer your question, yes we got to meet the new mission President. PRESIDENT SMARTT! We met him and his family on Tuesday at a last-minute meeting. They are a super young family, their oldest daughter is 12. She reminded me of Heather. I admire them a lot; I can't even imagine how hard it'd be to pick up your family and leave. Leaving by yourself is hard enough, but taking 3 other people with you, two of whom being so young, that would be difficult. AND learning a new language. Sis. Smartt was so cute, she'd written her talk in Spanish and could hardly pronounce a thing, but she tried. I admire them so much and can't wait to get to know them more. They are amazing people and I have a lot of respect for them.
Well anyway, wow. I just feel like I wrote so much! It was a week of amazing miracles that I know only God performed. For the past three months, I've had such a hard time, but wow, the Lord DOES answer prayers, and He DOES comfort us right when we need it. The trials He gives us truly are for our benefit. I love the Lord so much and I love this work. It is incredible how the Spirit can soften people's hearts. THIS IS SO AWESOME!
And now, since I can, I will share some of the scriptures I read today, and I did LIKEN them unto myself... :)
Alma 38:2 And now, MY DAUGHTER, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
Alma 38:3 I say unto you, MY DAUGHTER, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the PUERTO RICANS.
Alma 38:5 And now MY DAUGHTER, MARISSA, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma 38:10 And now, as ye have begun to teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.
Alma 38:11 See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.
Alma 38:12 Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.
I just love the scriptures. :)
I love you and miss you a lot. Thank you for everything you do for me! Keep being awesome! I LOVE YOU!
-Hermana Erickson
Friday, July 12, 2013
#16 [Pontezuela - 14] July 1st, 2013
Hello, Erickson fambly!
Usually, I write to the Mission President first before beginning my letter to you guys, but I dunno, seeing as we got a new Mission President, it's weird because I haven't met him yet. President Smartt got here yesterday afternoon. We will get to meet him tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the office in Bayamon. It's going to be strange, but I am excited, too, because I know he is just what Puerto Rico needs right now. I will miss President Alvarado, and I am thankful for his service.
So I'll reply to your email! What an exciting week you all had! Thank you, Dad, for keeping me informed in such great detail! It's always fun to read about everything happening at home, and I always find myself giggling at what you say.
First of all: JOSH! Congrats on getting your job! That's so awesome! I'm glad you're not playing video games all day! And you can make some money! Hurray! I'm just so proud of you! I've got a little brother in uniform!
Jeff, you should probably shave. That's disgusting. I hope you're feeling better, though. Don't die, okay? Did you guys find out what he had?
Thanks for the scripture cases, too. Hopefully those will arrive this week. When we went shopping today all I could find were Bible cases with crosses all over them. Those wouldn't do. So thanks a bunch! I don't care what color they are, either. But thanks!
HURRAY FOR DISNEYLAND! Do you know when you guys will be going? Dad, you need to practice on sounding excited! I know you've won dozens of times, but still. Think about the losers and how sad they feel, and just be glad you aren't one of them this time! That should make you excited! ;) Hehehe
That's great that Jacob could stop by and get his stuff! Thanks for visiting with him! He's so awesome.
Dad, congrats, again, on your 14-year anniversary with Financial Fusion! You should celebrate with cake!
Mom, I miss hearing from you. You should write more. Stop being so involved in Jake's life. Jokes! I'm glad you're magnifying your calling, Mom! It'll make all the difference in Jake's life to know you were there for him.
So I'll answer your questions:
Best part of the week: Me and Hna. G. got lunch at McD's this week because we just wanted to, and I had a KitKat McFlurry, and it is officially my go-to dessert. Super good. Caramel, vanilla ice cream, and KitKat pieces. I don't even like McD's! But they did that one right, that's for sure. I feel like we've been eating out a lot lately, which is probably true, but don't judge me.
Best/worst food: Speaking of food... :) We went over to a member's house on Sunday evening and had dinner there. Angel, a 19 year-old young man, is leaving on his mission on Wednesday to Idaho, and he'll be entering the Provo MTC, made us dinner! It was super good. We don't eat at members houses often, but it was super good. None of the food here is complicated, but it's super flavorful, and I love it and have no idea how they make the beans taste so good, or how they cook the rice so perfectly, but it's always yummy and I eat a lot. :)
Funniest thing that happened: Hna G. is really clumsy. I think I've told you that before. She just does all these little awkward things, I can't really pinpoint a specific time within the week where it was hilarious, but there's always something every day that she does that's just so awkward, you just have to laugh.
We found a coqui today! (The little frog that makes the little chirping noise!) It was in the chapel at our District Meeting this morning! I took pictures. Hna G. held it in her hand while I took the picture.
Happiest moment: We had a really spiritual lesson this week with a 17 year-old girl named E. We taught her the Restoration but for some reason didn't have a Book of Mormon to give her, so we came back on Saturday night and gave her the book. Then, we decided to invite her to be baptized and she said that if she got an answer to her prayers, she would be. And then J., another investigator we've been teaching, accepted a date: the 21st of July. The coolest thing about teaching these people is being able to see the potential they have. I love watching people change their lives. That's what makes me happy.
Testimony-building experience: We were teaching J. yesterday about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all week I've been feeling really lame because my Spanish was just not coming. I hadn't really struggled until now, but all of the sudden I'm forgetting words mid-sentence, but with J., it didn't happen, and it was awesome because my mind was clear and the words just came out. The Spirit was really strong during the lesson and I felt like Hna G. and I both had an equal part in teaching as well; we were more unified than we've ever been before, so it was a cool experience with the Spirit. I really do love doing this work. I love learning more about the Gospel and being able to share it with other people.
We have a lot of less-actives in this area, but on Sunday I got to go to a different ward because I got to sing in President Alvarado's ward for his last talk as a mission president. I attended a ward that was the complete opposite of the one I'm in right now; progressing, baptizing weekly, and the members are participating a TON. It was really awesome: you could FEEL a difference. I don't even know where I'm going with this, but I know I've been called to Pontezuela for a reason. I got to see a vision of what the ward WILL be, if not now, in a few years, and it made me excited. I've been studying the Plan of Salvation a lot, about the kingdoms of glory in Doctrine and Covenants 76, and it is really sad to read about those who weren't faithful to their covenants with the Lord. Hopefully all the less-actives will buckle down and take their baptismal covenants seriously so we can turn the Pontezuela ward into a powerhouse. Moral of the story: STAY STRONG! We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! :)
And to answer your question, things are getting better. I'm doing okay. Thank you for your prayers and support. I can feel myself getting back to normal.
I've gotta go now, it's time to write to the new President! My hands are sweaty cuz I'm nervous! Jokes. :) Well, have a nice week. Love you all! Thanks for everything! BYE!
-Hermana Erickson
Usually, I write to the Mission President first before beginning my letter to you guys, but I dunno, seeing as we got a new Mission President, it's weird because I haven't met him yet. President Smartt got here yesterday afternoon. We will get to meet him tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the office in Bayamon. It's going to be strange, but I am excited, too, because I know he is just what Puerto Rico needs right now. I will miss President Alvarado, and I am thankful for his service.
So I'll reply to your email! What an exciting week you all had! Thank you, Dad, for keeping me informed in such great detail! It's always fun to read about everything happening at home, and I always find myself giggling at what you say.
First of all: JOSH! Congrats on getting your job! That's so awesome! I'm glad you're not playing video games all day! And you can make some money! Hurray! I'm just so proud of you! I've got a little brother in uniform!
Jeff, you should probably shave. That's disgusting. I hope you're feeling better, though. Don't die, okay? Did you guys find out what he had?
Thanks for the scripture cases, too. Hopefully those will arrive this week. When we went shopping today all I could find were Bible cases with crosses all over them. Those wouldn't do. So thanks a bunch! I don't care what color they are, either. But thanks!
HURRAY FOR DISNEYLAND! Do you know when you guys will be going? Dad, you need to practice on sounding excited! I know you've won dozens of times, but still. Think about the losers and how sad they feel, and just be glad you aren't one of them this time! That should make you excited! ;) Hehehe
That's great that Jacob could stop by and get his stuff! Thanks for visiting with him! He's so awesome.
Dad, congrats, again, on your 14-year anniversary with Financial Fusion! You should celebrate with cake!
Mom, I miss hearing from you. You should write more. Stop being so involved in Jake's life. Jokes! I'm glad you're magnifying your calling, Mom! It'll make all the difference in Jake's life to know you were there for him.
So I'll answer your questions:Best part of the week: Me and Hna. G. got lunch at McD's this week because we just wanted to, and I had a KitKat McFlurry, and it is officially my go-to dessert. Super good. Caramel, vanilla ice cream, and KitKat pieces. I don't even like McD's! But they did that one right, that's for sure. I feel like we've been eating out a lot lately, which is probably true, but don't judge me.
Best/worst food: Speaking of food... :) We went over to a member's house on Sunday evening and had dinner there. Angel, a 19 year-old young man, is leaving on his mission on Wednesday to Idaho, and he'll be entering the Provo MTC, made us dinner! It was super good. We don't eat at members houses often, but it was super good. None of the food here is complicated, but it's super flavorful, and I love it and have no idea how they make the beans taste so good, or how they cook the rice so perfectly, but it's always yummy and I eat a lot. :)
Funniest thing that happened: Hna G. is really clumsy. I think I've told you that before. She just does all these little awkward things, I can't really pinpoint a specific time within the week where it was hilarious, but there's always something every day that she does that's just so awkward, you just have to laugh.
We found a coqui today! (The little frog that makes the little chirping noise!) It was in the chapel at our District Meeting this morning! I took pictures. Hna G. held it in her hand while I took the picture.
Happiest moment: We had a really spiritual lesson this week with a 17 year-old girl named E. We taught her the Restoration but for some reason didn't have a Book of Mormon to give her, so we came back on Saturday night and gave her the book. Then, we decided to invite her to be baptized and she said that if she got an answer to her prayers, she would be. And then J., another investigator we've been teaching, accepted a date: the 21st of July. The coolest thing about teaching these people is being able to see the potential they have. I love watching people change their lives. That's what makes me happy.
Testimony-building experience: We were teaching J. yesterday about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all week I've been feeling really lame because my Spanish was just not coming. I hadn't really struggled until now, but all of the sudden I'm forgetting words mid-sentence, but with J., it didn't happen, and it was awesome because my mind was clear and the words just came out. The Spirit was really strong during the lesson and I felt like Hna G. and I both had an equal part in teaching as well; we were more unified than we've ever been before, so it was a cool experience with the Spirit. I really do love doing this work. I love learning more about the Gospel and being able to share it with other people.
We have a lot of less-actives in this area, but on Sunday I got to go to a different ward because I got to sing in President Alvarado's ward for his last talk as a mission president. I attended a ward that was the complete opposite of the one I'm in right now; progressing, baptizing weekly, and the members are participating a TON. It was really awesome: you could FEEL a difference. I don't even know where I'm going with this, but I know I've been called to Pontezuela for a reason. I got to see a vision of what the ward WILL be, if not now, in a few years, and it made me excited. I've been studying the Plan of Salvation a lot, about the kingdoms of glory in Doctrine and Covenants 76, and it is really sad to read about those who weren't faithful to their covenants with the Lord. Hopefully all the less-actives will buckle down and take their baptismal covenants seriously so we can turn the Pontezuela ward into a powerhouse. Moral of the story: STAY STRONG! We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! :)
And to answer your question, things are getting better. I'm doing okay. Thank you for your prayers and support. I can feel myself getting back to normal.
I've gotta go now, it's time to write to the new President! My hands are sweaty cuz I'm nervous! Jokes. :) Well, have a nice week. Love you all! Thanks for everything! BYE!
-Hermana Erickson
#15 [Pontezuela - 13] June 24th, 2013
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| On the streets of Old San Juan |
How'd Joshy's High Adventure camp go? And Head's girl's camp? I miss girl's camp; she needs to enjoy it while it lasts. And tell her I want more info about EFY! I'm so happy she got to go! And did Jeff have fun river rafting? Since when was he the outdoorsy type? Jokes, jokes! :)
Jake, I miss watching movies with you! I hope you aren't too lonely, bud!
We did get to watch the worldwide broadcast of the Work of Salvation. It was AMAZING! I seriously can't even describe how it feels to be a part of this, on the front lines so to speak. And seeing all these changes in missionary work! And member missionary work! I just want to be a part of it all! We are so lucky to live in this dispensation! I love reading Jacob 5 when I think about the work rolling forward like this. It's incredible and so exciting! And about the Facebook thing, it makes me nervous, to be honest. But we'll see how it goes I guess. I'll let you know when all that is announced for our mission.
Dad! Congrats on 100% home teaching two months in a row! That's awesome! Keep it up!
Yeah, we'll be getting a new President next Sunday. That's when they arrive, and it's gonna be exciting! I'm excited to meet him. I'm really sad President Alvarado is leaving, but I know that President Smartt is the man called of God to lead the mission as the current chapter of the Puerto Rico San Juan mission ends. It's gonna be an exciting next few weeks!
And you're right, we've been given a new schedule. I like it a lot better, it's more organized. We are at the house until after lunch – studying: 8 am - Personal Study; 9 am - Companionship; 10 am - 12-week training program; 11 am - Language study; 12 pm - Lunch. After lunch, we're unleashed into the world of darkness! Muahahaa :) I'm so weird.
My address is:
#AA16 Calle Castilla, Carolina, PR
I dunno the zip code thing, but it's probably 00959. And I dunno if it's "Carolina," or "Pontezuela,"but you should find it. My house is orange, with two floors. We live on the top floor. It's so ghetto ;)
Tell Tanner Nielsen congrats for me! He'll be a great missionary! And let my friends know, please that I'll be replying to their letters soon; my 40-day fast is almost over! And it's been GREAT! I urge everyone to try it: give something up for 40 days and dedicate the time normally spent on that to the Lord, and see how your life will change. It's awesome!
I trust the Lord completely in the fact that I am supposed to learn something from this. Or maybe she is? I dunno. Either way, it's a learning experience for SOMEONE. And it's okay. Just keep praying for me, K? Thanks.
We went to Old San Juan today and spent half of our P-day there as an entire mission as a kind of final mission activity. It was a BLAST! And it also just so happened to be the first day on record that I didn't put on sun screen, so I am fried. My poor face is just as pink as my dress. (And p.s. it's not my dress. It's Hna. Tuitavake's, but she left it in our apartment, so I figured I'd put it to good use! Tee hee) So I'll send the pics. But it was a really fun p-day!
Well anyway, thanks so much for everything. I love you all so so much and I pray for you all the time. Keep being awesome! I'm the luckiest girl ever and have been so blessed to have been born into a family that is so strong in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this truly is God's work. I know Christ lives and that He loves ALL His children. I am so happy and feel so humbled to be a part of this sacred work. THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE!
Until next week,
Hermana Erickson
Oh, and as far as progressing investigators go, we have none. We're teaching a TON of people, contacting and teaching. It's been crazy how many Books of Mormon we've been giving out lately. But we're taking the mandate seriously to Preach to all who will receive you. The most important thing we can do is preach the Gospel, share the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the most incredible gift we've been given aside from the actual restoration of the Gospel. It is a witness that God truly is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I love sharing it with people. So that's what we've been doing in the work here in Pontezuela. Hopefully we'll be having some investigators show up at Church next week, any ideas on how to get them to come?
Okay, that's all my time. Love you!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
#14 [Pontezuela - 12] June 17th, 2013
Hi! I love you all so much!
Dad, first of all, I just want to wish you a Happy Father's Day. I am glad you received my card, and thank you for delivering it to Grandpa for me. I thought about you all day yesterday, and I hope you felt loved. :) I LOVE YOU, PA! Hehehe. And be sure to buy some donuts this week to make yourself feel better, and eat a few for me while you're at it.
Okay, now to reply to your email. It was so exciting this week!
To answer your question about Carmen and her family names stuff. No, she never contacted me before I left, and she hasn't emailed me either. But thank you for doing that. I've got 3 more weeks or so until the next transfer, so I'll be sure to contact those right away. I'm excited to meet them! And is she sure she wants the "Families are Forever" video?
Dad, what will we do without Little House!?!? I guess that means we'll have to buy all the seasons. Aren't they selling the DVDs at Sam's club? What'd be wrong with that?! But thank heavens they're still broadcasting the Brady Bunch. I've got that to look forward to.
You guys went to GreatClips? That's awesome you saw/met H. I remember her! She's a nice gal. I still scrutinize people's haircuts everywhere I go here. There's a fad right now with men's cuts, where (I honestly don’t know how to describe it.) But it's like, a rat tail growing out of the middle of the back of their head. And lots of guys have nasty dread locks here. I just wanna take my clippers everywhere I go so I can correct their strange thinking. Cuz it's NOT cute.
Dad! Congrats on winning the money, too! I'm so lucky to have a family that's so lucky! I can't wait to get into the contest-winning business when I get back too! That's definitely something fun I learned from you guys.
This week was kind of a downer. Thank you for your kind words and support.
Hermana G. and I are okay. I really have never had my patience so tried in my life. But the crazy thing is, I came out on my mission with the intention of developing that Christlike attribute, so Heavenly Father is helping me with that FUR SHURE.
So funny story. Saturday night, when I'd finished writing in my journal, I was moving my stuffed animals outta the way so I could hop into bed, and guess what I found sitting on my pillow? A BABY LIZARD! That's right, folks. A LIZARD! At first, I was scared cuz it just surprised me, if there's anything that should be in my apartment, it should be cockroaches or some type of spider, but a lizard!? It was just super random to find it on my pillow. So before it could go anywhere, I grabbed a little tupperware from the kitchen and trapped it in there, then took it outside. I thought of leaving it there, but who knows if it was poisonous, it was a weird color. But seeing it made me think of the good ol' days, catching lizards in the desert as a fam. Thank you for raising me to NOT be scared of those little creepy crawlies. :) I see them everywhere.
It's funny that ex-Elder Jacob Smith spoke in church yesterday, cuz I did too! All the missionaries in our ward spoke yesterday, and I talked about the lizard in mine. Everyone laughed. I know, I know, I'm hilarious. :)
In Church, we've been learning more about family history work, and I'm really kicking myself in the behind for not caring/learning more about it before my mission. I really want to participate in the work, but seeing as I'm devoting all my time and energy to this part of the work, I can't. But when I get back, that'll be a goal of mine.
We celebrated Hermana G's 28th birthday on Saturday. We bought a cake on Monday (last p-day) and ice cream. It was great! And guess what!? THEY SELL MY FAVORITE SAM'S CLUB CAKE AT WAL-MART! It's the SAME one! So I'm gonna buy it. No worries, I won't get fat. We run every day. :)
We had 3 baptismal dates set on Monday, but since none of them came to church due to the Father's Day holiday, they aren't valid anymore. (Our investigators have to attend church 3 times before being baptized). But Father's Day here was crazy; everyone uses any holiday here as an excuse to drink and party hard. It's not a good/safe time to be out and about on holidays. Lotsa drunk people. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
We visited a 93-year old less-active man this week. He's not even losing his mind like you'd expect most people around that age to be. It's amazing; ALL the older people here have no mental defects, their minds are just as clear as any young, healthy person's would be. And they don't even look old. No one wrinkles! It's amazing! A youthful countenance is what you get I guess after years and years of suffering and sweating so much in the heat every day.
Oh, and we went to Wendy's this week. Hna. G. tried her first Baconator. She liked it, like I knew she would. I got a Frosty, too, and it was a total let-down. Not good whatsoever. But I thought of you while eating it anyway, Momma. :)
Oh! AND, we have a Dairy Queen here! So that made me happy. If I'm still here for my birthday, I'll be sure to celebrate it with one of those ice cream cakes just for a good time.
Well anywho, I love you all so much, and I hope you guys keep fortifying your faith in Christ. He lives. His Atonement is real. I love this Gospel and am proud to be His missionary and chosen representative.
Gawl, I wrote a lot. Hopefully it didn't bore you to death.
Until next week,
Hermana Erickson
Dad, first of all, I just want to wish you a Happy Father's Day. I am glad you received my card, and thank you for delivering it to Grandpa for me. I thought about you all day yesterday, and I hope you felt loved. :) I LOVE YOU, PA! Hehehe. And be sure to buy some donuts this week to make yourself feel better, and eat a few for me while you're at it.
Okay, now to reply to your email. It was so exciting this week!
To answer your question about Carmen and her family names stuff. No, she never contacted me before I left, and she hasn't emailed me either. But thank you for doing that. I've got 3 more weeks or so until the next transfer, so I'll be sure to contact those right away. I'm excited to meet them! And is she sure she wants the "Families are Forever" video?
Dad, what will we do without Little House!?!? I guess that means we'll have to buy all the seasons. Aren't they selling the DVDs at Sam's club? What'd be wrong with that?! But thank heavens they're still broadcasting the Brady Bunch. I've got that to look forward to.
You guys went to GreatClips? That's awesome you saw/met H. I remember her! She's a nice gal. I still scrutinize people's haircuts everywhere I go here. There's a fad right now with men's cuts, where (I honestly don’t know how to describe it.) But it's like, a rat tail growing out of the middle of the back of their head. And lots of guys have nasty dread locks here. I just wanna take my clippers everywhere I go so I can correct their strange thinking. Cuz it's NOT cute.
Dad! Congrats on winning the money, too! I'm so lucky to have a family that's so lucky! I can't wait to get into the contest-winning business when I get back too! That's definitely something fun I learned from you guys.
This week was kind of a downer. Thank you for your kind words and support.
Hermana G. and I are okay. I really have never had my patience so tried in my life. But the crazy thing is, I came out on my mission with the intention of developing that Christlike attribute, so Heavenly Father is helping me with that FUR SHURE.
So funny story. Saturday night, when I'd finished writing in my journal, I was moving my stuffed animals outta the way so I could hop into bed, and guess what I found sitting on my pillow? A BABY LIZARD! That's right, folks. A LIZARD! At first, I was scared cuz it just surprised me, if there's anything that should be in my apartment, it should be cockroaches or some type of spider, but a lizard!? It was just super random to find it on my pillow. So before it could go anywhere, I grabbed a little tupperware from the kitchen and trapped it in there, then took it outside. I thought of leaving it there, but who knows if it was poisonous, it was a weird color. But seeing it made me think of the good ol' days, catching lizards in the desert as a fam. Thank you for raising me to NOT be scared of those little creepy crawlies. :) I see them everywhere.
It's funny that ex-Elder Jacob Smith spoke in church yesterday, cuz I did too! All the missionaries in our ward spoke yesterday, and I talked about the lizard in mine. Everyone laughed. I know, I know, I'm hilarious. :)
 |
| June 16th -- Missionaries serving in PR |
We celebrated Hermana G's 28th birthday on Saturday. We bought a cake on Monday (last p-day) and ice cream. It was great! And guess what!? THEY SELL MY FAVORITE SAM'S CLUB CAKE AT WAL-MART! It's the SAME one! So I'm gonna buy it. No worries, I won't get fat. We run every day. :)
We had 3 baptismal dates set on Monday, but since none of them came to church due to the Father's Day holiday, they aren't valid anymore. (Our investigators have to attend church 3 times before being baptized). But Father's Day here was crazy; everyone uses any holiday here as an excuse to drink and party hard. It's not a good/safe time to be out and about on holidays. Lotsa drunk people. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
We visited a 93-year old less-active man this week. He's not even losing his mind like you'd expect most people around that age to be. It's amazing; ALL the older people here have no mental defects, their minds are just as clear as any young, healthy person's would be. And they don't even look old. No one wrinkles! It's amazing! A youthful countenance is what you get I guess after years and years of suffering and sweating so much in the heat every day.
Oh, and we went to Wendy's this week. Hna. G. tried her first Baconator. She liked it, like I knew she would. I got a Frosty, too, and it was a total let-down. Not good whatsoever. But I thought of you while eating it anyway, Momma. :)
Oh! AND, we have a Dairy Queen here! So that made me happy. If I'm still here for my birthday, I'll be sure to celebrate it with one of those ice cream cakes just for a good time.
Well anywho, I love you all so much, and I hope you guys keep fortifying your faith in Christ. He lives. His Atonement is real. I love this Gospel and am proud to be His missionary and chosen representative.
Gawl, I wrote a lot. Hopefully it didn't bore you to death.
Until next week,
Hermana Erickson
Monday, June 10, 2013
#13 [Pontezuela - 11] June 10th, 2013
Well, I’m going to be completely honest, it was a very difficult week
for me. I found out on Monday of last week that I’m training again, and
on Tuesday we went and picked up my new child in Trujillo Alto. Her name
is Hermana G..., and she’s from Guatemala. She’s turning 28 years
old this weekend!
Hna. G... and I are getting along fine, and I love her a lot
and am thankful for the opportunity I have to work with her. I just get
down on myself a lot, because I feel like I’m not worthy to train her!
She already knows so much, and I feel like SHE’S training ME! She was an
institute teacher in Guatemala before she came, so she knows the Bible
inside and out. I’m teaching her English, and it’s great.
But, we have very VERY different personalities, I just have to get used to her is all. And she talks to me like I’m a little child (which is true I am young, but I’m not HER child...), and she shakes her pointer finger at me and says, "No, no, no, Hermanita Erickson," But like I said, she means well, and I do have a lot to learn, and I am happy for the opportunity I have to learn from her. She’s super accident-prone, too, so we have a few super funny things happen all the time. For example, on Wednesday, we made lunch, and the stove top was still hot since we’d just finished using it, and she threw a towel over top of the pan, and the edges were touching the stove top, and it almost caught fire. It was really scary, but luckily, no damage was done. I’ve gotta keep a careful watch on this one...
We had a pretty lame week as far as numbers go. BUT! We did find a gold mine in a neighborhood the other day; all of the people we met were super receptive, and we got 5 new investigators in that afternoon! It was great! A goal we have as a companionship is to give out 5 Book of Mormons every day, and so far, we’re doing really well. Being so bold with the Book of Mormon has really strengthened my testimony about the truthfulness of the Gospel, and how badly this world really does need another testament of Jesus Christ. There’s so much confusion in the world, and it makes perfect sense that our Heavenly Father, Who is most definitely NOT a God of confusion, would provide a way for us to know the truth, to provide another precious witness of His Son. I LOVE the Book of Mormon and I just want everyone to read it!
We’re doing a 21-day challenge, too, where we read 11 chapters of the BOM every day, in order to finish it in 21 days. And holy cow. It’s tough to find the time every day to read, and I think I’m a day or two behind, but I do plan on doing it. :)
We challenged one of our investigators, S., to be baptized on the 7th of July, and she didn’t necessarily accept, but it was good practice for Hna. G. S. is a really great investigator because she reads in between visits, but she’s never been an active Church-goer, so I think that’s going to be the trial we have with her. But she’s a super awesome student, and I think that has to do with the fact that she’s a 12th-grade teacher. I really like her and I hope she gets baptized! She reminds me of Claire A. :) And she loves cats! So they’re long-lost twins! (But S. is like, 20 years older...)
Happy Father’s Day this week, Dad! (And Grandpa!) I love you guys!
Okay, now about YOUR email! :) There’s so much going on in the fambam, I can’t even get over it! Thanks for keeping me updated!
Congratulations to Camille! That’s awesome! Who is he? Where’s he from? How’d they meet? What’s the latest!? Temple marriage? I’m so happy for her! That’s wonderful news!
How’s Cole doing?
I’m not sure about the credit card thing, it’s been a long week, and I don’t remember anything. But it probably does have something to do with the DMV. That was an awful experience. I need not say more.
I am freaking out at the fact that Jacob Smith comes home this week. I can’t believe he’s been gone for almost two years now. SO crazy! His homecoming speech is on Sunday I think, if I remember what he said in his letter, so I dunno if you’d have time or if you’d be willing to, but I’d love to hear about it. :) And thank Chel and Tori for the poster for me. LOVED IT! Super duper cute.
Congrats to Jason on his baptism! It’s awesome that Josh got to be a part of such a special part in his life. I’m so proud of my little brother’s missionary efforts! Way to be a member-missionary, Joshy!
That’s an awesome idea about getting new investigators through chalk art. I have NO idea how those elders had time to do that, and I wish we did, but I dunno. Maybe we’re doing things wrong? If you want to see different results you have to do something you’ve never done, so it seems to work. We’ll put it to the test here. :)
It worries me that Jaker forgot what I look like. I wanna see pictures of everyone sometime soon, K?
Head! That’s awesome you’re going to EFY! Don’t let all the boys chase you around! EFY is so much fun, I’m excited for you!
As far as hurricane season goes, it’s getting warmer and warmer here, and the rain comes almost 4 times a week. We haven’t experienced anything crazy yet, but we have no idea what will happen since we don’t watch the news. We always find out about what’s going on either during the drama or a few days after. It’s crazy, how as a missionary, you live in the real world, but you are in your own little sphere and completely ignorant of everything going on. Ignorant is the wrong word to use, but I’m forgetting my English speaking skills, so pardon me please. But anyway, to answer your question, I’m guessing it’s gonna be a pretty crazy hurricane season. All of the hurricanes in the past have actually just barely missed the island; they haven’t been "hit" by a hurricane since 1993. I don’t think it’s coincidence that that was my birth year, so it’s probably meant to be that we’re gonna get hit while I’m here and we’re all going to die. Jokes, jokes! But seriously, it’s kinda creepy. :) We’ll see though. "Keep a weather eye on the horizon!" NAME THE MOVIE!!!!
Speaking of movies, I really miss Harry Potter, and The Count, and Pirates, and the Happiest Millionaire. Dad, be sure to watch that last one for me, K?
Well anywho, I’m pretty much outta time. But I love you all so so much, and I hope you all have a good, safe, fun week. Ta ta!
-Hermana Erickson
******************************
I forgot to mention what happened to Hna. Brotherson! We still live together; she has a new companion, Hna. E., from Spain! Hna. E. has been out for a year now, she’s really nice.
Also, I did Hna. Brotherson’s hair today. She had some Joico haircolor that her cousin or someone gave to her, so she brought it along, and I put my apron on and went to work. Boy, that felt super good, doing hair again. I really miss that. I forgot how much I love to do it. But that was a fun p-day activity. :)
Well anyway, that’s about all I’ve got to say. Love you!
But, we have very VERY different personalities, I just have to get used to her is all. And she talks to me like I’m a little child (which is true I am young, but I’m not HER child...), and she shakes her pointer finger at me and says, "No, no, no, Hermanita Erickson," But like I said, she means well, and I do have a lot to learn, and I am happy for the opportunity I have to learn from her. She’s super accident-prone, too, so we have a few super funny things happen all the time. For example, on Wednesday, we made lunch, and the stove top was still hot since we’d just finished using it, and she threw a towel over top of the pan, and the edges were touching the stove top, and it almost caught fire. It was really scary, but luckily, no damage was done. I’ve gotta keep a careful watch on this one...
We had a pretty lame week as far as numbers go. BUT! We did find a gold mine in a neighborhood the other day; all of the people we met were super receptive, and we got 5 new investigators in that afternoon! It was great! A goal we have as a companionship is to give out 5 Book of Mormons every day, and so far, we’re doing really well. Being so bold with the Book of Mormon has really strengthened my testimony about the truthfulness of the Gospel, and how badly this world really does need another testament of Jesus Christ. There’s so much confusion in the world, and it makes perfect sense that our Heavenly Father, Who is most definitely NOT a God of confusion, would provide a way for us to know the truth, to provide another precious witness of His Son. I LOVE the Book of Mormon and I just want everyone to read it!
We’re doing a 21-day challenge, too, where we read 11 chapters of the BOM every day, in order to finish it in 21 days. And holy cow. It’s tough to find the time every day to read, and I think I’m a day or two behind, but I do plan on doing it. :)
We challenged one of our investigators, S., to be baptized on the 7th of July, and she didn’t necessarily accept, but it was good practice for Hna. G. S. is a really great investigator because she reads in between visits, but she’s never been an active Church-goer, so I think that’s going to be the trial we have with her. But she’s a super awesome student, and I think that has to do with the fact that she’s a 12th-grade teacher. I really like her and I hope she gets baptized! She reminds me of Claire A. :) And she loves cats! So they’re long-lost twins! (But S. is like, 20 years older...)
Happy Father’s Day this week, Dad! (And Grandpa!) I love you guys!
Okay, now about YOUR email! :) There’s so much going on in the fambam, I can’t even get over it! Thanks for keeping me updated!
Congratulations to Camille! That’s awesome! Who is he? Where’s he from? How’d they meet? What’s the latest!? Temple marriage? I’m so happy for her! That’s wonderful news!
How’s Cole doing?
I’m not sure about the credit card thing, it’s been a long week, and I don’t remember anything. But it probably does have something to do with the DMV. That was an awful experience. I need not say more.
I am freaking out at the fact that Jacob Smith comes home this week. I can’t believe he’s been gone for almost two years now. SO crazy! His homecoming speech is on Sunday I think, if I remember what he said in his letter, so I dunno if you’d have time or if you’d be willing to, but I’d love to hear about it. :) And thank Chel and Tori for the poster for me. LOVED IT! Super duper cute.
Congrats to Jason on his baptism! It’s awesome that Josh got to be a part of such a special part in his life. I’m so proud of my little brother’s missionary efforts! Way to be a member-missionary, Joshy!
That’s an awesome idea about getting new investigators through chalk art. I have NO idea how those elders had time to do that, and I wish we did, but I dunno. Maybe we’re doing things wrong? If you want to see different results you have to do something you’ve never done, so it seems to work. We’ll put it to the test here. :)
It worries me that Jaker forgot what I look like. I wanna see pictures of everyone sometime soon, K?
Head! That’s awesome you’re going to EFY! Don’t let all the boys chase you around! EFY is so much fun, I’m excited for you!
As far as hurricane season goes, it’s getting warmer and warmer here, and the rain comes almost 4 times a week. We haven’t experienced anything crazy yet, but we have no idea what will happen since we don’t watch the news. We always find out about what’s going on either during the drama or a few days after. It’s crazy, how as a missionary, you live in the real world, but you are in your own little sphere and completely ignorant of everything going on. Ignorant is the wrong word to use, but I’m forgetting my English speaking skills, so pardon me please. But anyway, to answer your question, I’m guessing it’s gonna be a pretty crazy hurricane season. All of the hurricanes in the past have actually just barely missed the island; they haven’t been "hit" by a hurricane since 1993. I don’t think it’s coincidence that that was my birth year, so it’s probably meant to be that we’re gonna get hit while I’m here and we’re all going to die. Jokes, jokes! But seriously, it’s kinda creepy. :) We’ll see though. "Keep a weather eye on the horizon!" NAME THE MOVIE!!!!
Speaking of movies, I really miss Harry Potter, and The Count, and Pirates, and the Happiest Millionaire. Dad, be sure to watch that last one for me, K?
Well anywho, I’m pretty much outta time. But I love you all so so much, and I hope you all have a good, safe, fun week. Ta ta!
-Hermana Erickson
******************************
I forgot to mention what happened to Hna. Brotherson! We still live together; she has a new companion, Hna. E., from Spain! Hna. E. has been out for a year now, she’s really nice.
Also, I did Hna. Brotherson’s hair today. She had some Joico haircolor that her cousin or someone gave to her, so she brought it along, and I put my apron on and went to work. Boy, that felt super good, doing hair again. I really miss that. I forgot how much I love to do it. But that was a fun p-day activity. :)
Well anyway, that’s about all I’ve got to say. Love you!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
#12 [Pontezuela - 10] June 3rd, 2013
Okay, I'm going to try to write this as quickly as I can, I decided to write to you guys first today because I felt like it, and because I was anxious to hear about you all! The sad thing is, I don't have time to read everything you send me, so I’m sorry that I’m going to be selfish in this email, and mostly just write about the gist of what’s all going on here.
We had an interesting thing happen last night. We went to bed like normal, and then at 11:30 pm I was woken up by a loud pounding on our door. It was two guys, I could hear them talking, and they were banging on the door really loudly. THEN! They came around to our windows, and started banging on those. Sis. Brotherson didn’t wake up, but I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do, especially because the phone was out in the front room, where the windows were, and I didn’t want them thinking we were in here. And so I woke Sis. Brotherson up, and she was scared, too, but then finally, they said, "Sister Erickson! Sister Brotherson! It’s your Zone Leaders! Are you there!?" And that calmed me down. I seriously thought we were going to be kidnapped or something. But they’d all been apparently trying to call us, but we’d left our phone out in the car, and I had just figured Sis. Brotherson had it, and she thought I had it, but when I went to bed, I didn’t know where it was, but I was too tired to search through her bag, so I figured it was there, and I’d hear the alarm go off in the morning. But we’d left it in the car, and so they’d all been trying to call us: our District Leader, the Zone Leaders, the Assistants to the president... ALL because they thought something bad had happened to us! And we had no idea! We felt so bad, they had called ward members, too, asking where we were, and when I went outside, two members were there, too. Sister B and I felt pretty bad, but we laughed for a long time about it, too. It was just an awkward situation, but it made me feel good to know they’d be freaking out that much if something HAD happened. But no worries, we’re pretty safe, even though we live in a ghetto neighborhood.
As far as our investigators go, we had a pretty disappointing turnout at Church yesterday. No one came. BUT one of our less-actives did! And she brought along her 8-year old grandkid. SO that was good. :)
But Faith isn’t doing so well; she’s really depressed, and she went to the hospital for treatment this past week. We're really worried about her. She’s not quite ready yet for her baptism, so we’re going to have to postpone that. I’m really sad about it.
And yes, it’s transfers this week, but we didn’t get interviewed by the President, so I don't have any idea what’s going on. There’s only the two of us here now, Sis. B and I. Sis. Tuitavake was transferred to the island of Antigua, and Sis. Felix's mission was changed to the Florida mission just because the hospital is closer there in case something else happens to her; but she’s perfectly safe and perfectly healthy as far as I know. We packed up her stuff this past week and sent it on to her.
We don’t have weekly service projects, no. But, I want to do one.
The meeting with Elder Cornish was good; he was kind of reprimanding us, but it was a good time anyway. I learned a lot, and have been applying what I'm learning. It was cool to meet him though. Isn’t he Mr. Cornish’s brother? (My 1st or 2nd grade typing teacher. Haha, it’s thanks to him I can type to you so quickly!!) Jokes, jokes. :)
And you are correct, I went to McD's last week and ate a lot of food. It was great. :) Hurray for getting fat! Not..
I'm reading Jesus the Christ, too, and I absolutely love it. And I'm obsessed with the New Testament. I just want to read the scriptures all the time... It’s kind of weird. WHY DIDN’T I DEVELOP THIS HABIT BEFORE!? It’s crazy how I think back on what I did before my mission and how much time I wasted on unimportant things. Studying Christ’s life is making me want to be like Him more and more each day.
We went to the DTOP today, the Driver’s License place today, after our Zone meeting. And we were there for FOUR hours. It was insane, absolutely insane. No organization whatsoever. No wonder the people here drive like crazies, the place where they get their licenses is, too. I’m sure that’s not the main reason, but still. I am amazed at how unorganized this place is.
Congratulations on Heather's new teeth; from what I could see from the pictures, they look good! She’s gonna be a babe.
Hope Joshy gets the job! And that’s great that Jason is getting baptized! HURRAY FOR BUILDING THE KINGDOM!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer; it’s super hot here, and then it rains and gets even hotter with the humidity. I miss the weather there, but it’s okay. I know when wintertime rolls around, I’ll be just fine being here.
Mom: I’m sorry to always ask for so much stuff, but could you send me a scripture case of some sort? I need something to protect my scriptures. Not the English quad, but my Spanish ones, the ones I bring around all the time. The BOM, D&C, and POGP are all in one, and then the Bible is separate. So if you could get me something that’ll hold and protect both of them, that’d help me a lot, because they’re already getting ruined, and I haven’t even been out for 6 months. No hurry, though.
Rachel is getting black! She needs to put on sunscreen so she doesn’t get cancer! I’ve been wearing it every day faithfully, and I’m not getting darker at all, which is fine. I like being different. And be proud, I STILL haven’t missed a day flossing. :) I’ll keep you updated about that.
I love and miss you all, and hope you all have a good week, but I’ve gotta go now. Keep being awesome, and thanks for everything! I LOVE YOU!
We had an interesting thing happen last night. We went to bed like normal, and then at 11:30 pm I was woken up by a loud pounding on our door. It was two guys, I could hear them talking, and they were banging on the door really loudly. THEN! They came around to our windows, and started banging on those. Sis. Brotherson didn’t wake up, but I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do, especially because the phone was out in the front room, where the windows were, and I didn’t want them thinking we were in here. And so I woke Sis. Brotherson up, and she was scared, too, but then finally, they said, "Sister Erickson! Sister Brotherson! It’s your Zone Leaders! Are you there!?" And that calmed me down. I seriously thought we were going to be kidnapped or something. But they’d all been apparently trying to call us, but we’d left our phone out in the car, and I had just figured Sis. Brotherson had it, and she thought I had it, but when I went to bed, I didn’t know where it was, but I was too tired to search through her bag, so I figured it was there, and I’d hear the alarm go off in the morning. But we’d left it in the car, and so they’d all been trying to call us: our District Leader, the Zone Leaders, the Assistants to the president... ALL because they thought something bad had happened to us! And we had no idea! We felt so bad, they had called ward members, too, asking where we were, and when I went outside, two members were there, too. Sister B and I felt pretty bad, but we laughed for a long time about it, too. It was just an awkward situation, but it made me feel good to know they’d be freaking out that much if something HAD happened. But no worries, we’re pretty safe, even though we live in a ghetto neighborhood.
As far as our investigators go, we had a pretty disappointing turnout at Church yesterday. No one came. BUT one of our less-actives did! And she brought along her 8-year old grandkid. SO that was good. :)
But Faith isn’t doing so well; she’s really depressed, and she went to the hospital for treatment this past week. We're really worried about her. She’s not quite ready yet for her baptism, so we’re going to have to postpone that. I’m really sad about it.
And yes, it’s transfers this week, but we didn’t get interviewed by the President, so I don't have any idea what’s going on. There’s only the two of us here now, Sis. B and I. Sis. Tuitavake was transferred to the island of Antigua, and Sis. Felix's mission was changed to the Florida mission just because the hospital is closer there in case something else happens to her; but she’s perfectly safe and perfectly healthy as far as I know. We packed up her stuff this past week and sent it on to her.
We don’t have weekly service projects, no. But, I want to do one.
The meeting with Elder Cornish was good; he was kind of reprimanding us, but it was a good time anyway. I learned a lot, and have been applying what I'm learning. It was cool to meet him though. Isn’t he Mr. Cornish’s brother? (My 1st or 2nd grade typing teacher. Haha, it’s thanks to him I can type to you so quickly!!) Jokes, jokes. :)
And you are correct, I went to McD's last week and ate a lot of food. It was great. :) Hurray for getting fat! Not..
I'm reading Jesus the Christ, too, and I absolutely love it. And I'm obsessed with the New Testament. I just want to read the scriptures all the time... It’s kind of weird. WHY DIDN’T I DEVELOP THIS HABIT BEFORE!? It’s crazy how I think back on what I did before my mission and how much time I wasted on unimportant things. Studying Christ’s life is making me want to be like Him more and more each day.
We went to the DTOP today, the Driver’s License place today, after our Zone meeting. And we were there for FOUR hours. It was insane, absolutely insane. No organization whatsoever. No wonder the people here drive like crazies, the place where they get their licenses is, too. I’m sure that’s not the main reason, but still. I am amazed at how unorganized this place is.
Congratulations on Heather's new teeth; from what I could see from the pictures, they look good! She’s gonna be a babe.
Hope Joshy gets the job! And that’s great that Jason is getting baptized! HURRAY FOR BUILDING THE KINGDOM!
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer; it’s super hot here, and then it rains and gets even hotter with the humidity. I miss the weather there, but it’s okay. I know when wintertime rolls around, I’ll be just fine being here.
Mom: I’m sorry to always ask for so much stuff, but could you send me a scripture case of some sort? I need something to protect my scriptures. Not the English quad, but my Spanish ones, the ones I bring around all the time. The BOM, D&C, and POGP are all in one, and then the Bible is separate. So if you could get me something that’ll hold and protect both of them, that’d help me a lot, because they’re already getting ruined, and I haven’t even been out for 6 months. No hurry, though.
Rachel is getting black! She needs to put on sunscreen so she doesn’t get cancer! I’ve been wearing it every day faithfully, and I’m not getting darker at all, which is fine. I like being different. And be proud, I STILL haven’t missed a day flossing. :) I’ll keep you updated about that.
I love and miss you all, and hope you all have a good week, but I’ve gotta go now. Keep being awesome, and thanks for everything! I LOVE YOU!
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