WEEK ONE AND I HAVEN'T DIED YET. This is an accomplishment :)

4/11/16

Okay. This is crazy. So last week we finished up our classes and got pictures with our maestros that they're supposed to send to us hopefully. I seriously...wow...the promise is so real that if you seek
or ask ye shall receive or find. I've never really seen how much these promises really are real in my life. I seriously prayed all the time before and during the CCM (and I'm still praying for it now) that God would allow me to feel a portion of His love for all those around me. Boy has He given me that blessing!! I just look at everyone in white...seeing them in the temple just glowing (it's a little hard to see the catcallers as beloved children of God sometimes, but it's amazing what does and doesn't matter when you focus solely in and on Him).

God really has helped me to develop this charity, just this crazy love and attachment for everyone. Thus, leaving the CCM was really hard....Conference was awesome and we got to spend some time with our little district. We said our last prayer together as a district Sunday morning. DL offered it up and we were all cryin (other than Stoker cause he and Cafe are stones). That night we watched our farewell video (they show those pictures I sent you of every district leaving then we all sing "Para siempre Dios esté con Vos"....my comp played and Hermana Spencer led the music....This was the only time we could sit next to the elders (cause for everything else elders and sisters can't sit on the same row) so it es Café on the end, Stoker, me, Hermana Spencer, Hermana Ashford, and then Hermana Gucake. I'm sitting there, trying to sing.  I wasn't crying at all, but I just didn't have
a voice. I sang maybe half the song... It was sad... Then after the video session (we watched "Meet the Mormons") we had testimony meeting.  Almost cried, but didn't haha!! Success. ;)

Monday morning we woke up at three, took our stuff down, got on the bus, said our goodbyes, and headed out. We got to the airport around five and I didn't feel very good. My stomach was really sick feeling (like I ate something bad...which I think I did cause Hermana Ashford felt the same but she actually ended up throwing up and getting a blessing from the elders before we got on the plane). We made it through everything fine, only I got buzzed so I had to get checked. We hung out with Elder T --he's serving in Chicago so he had a different flight (he's the big poly from west valley)-- boarded the plane, and we were off!

Well, since I talked to you guys on the phone at the airport, I hope you got the pictures the lady took of us:) I got off the phone and gave it to Cafe.  It made me so happy to see everyone so happy!!:) Stoker's call dropped on him but his mom called him back so fast and he had this big ol grin on his face haha. It was so cute to see everyone so happy!! After the calls we all loaded up on the plane. Me and Cafe were by each other on both flights. Man, I miss that kid haha!  He's awesome. Gonna do some great work.

Anyway, we landed in New York (they checked our carry ons in Atlanta cause there wasn't room in the overhead thing so we didn't have anything) and were running to try and find our luggage gate. We come running down the stairs and this lady comes just bookin it towards us and it was Hermana Reynolds. President wasn't too far behind. They gave us hugs and handshakes appropriately and were super welcoming and happy to see us. They helped us get our luggage and then we went to wait for "the van". It was raining a lot and we were loving it.

The assistants to the president drive the van and they were with the other missionaries coming from Salt Lake. We all joined up, loaded luggage, and piled into cars. I was behind president so we talked a
lot on the way to the mission home (we had president and his wife, and five hermanas; the assistants drove another van with the elders and the other two hermanas). The traffic here is crazy so we took almost 40 minutes to go 12 miles from the airport to Port Washington where the home is. The hermanas slept in the basement on huge bunk beds, it was so fun! There were seven of us total, only four Spanish speaking. The elders slept on the top floor and they were all English speaking I think other than our two elders. Maybe one was mandarin... Oh there were I think eight elders total too. We ate right away after getting to the mission home and HOLY COW. THE FOOD, OH AND THE DESSERT, AND THE BEDS THAT NIGHT.....man, they got it good over there!!   Anyway, that was when we wrote our letters, had our little two minute interview with president, and got to just hang out. We talked with the assistants, everyone, and it was super fun.

We had a little devotional by the assistants and president after all was said and done, then they took our pictures with president and his wife --can I tell you, my eyes would not stay open man...and I haven't seen the picture so hopefully it was good haha!-- then it was finally off to bed!! We all crashed so fast!

Next morning the assistants made french toast which was AMAZING and then we did personal study for an hour all together in the living room. Our companion study was lead by the assistants and that was super fun. Directly after companion study we loaded into the vans and headed to the mission office in Queens. President Reynolds drove separately so I road in the front with Hermana Reynolds and got to talk to her the whole way. She is awesome. I love them so much!!

We got to the mission home, went downstairs, and began our little prep class.  They told us about money stuff, iPad stuff, basically anything you can think of. Then they gave us our iPads.  Right after we were handed our iPads--literally right after--we were lead into a room where all our trainers were sitting and president was standing here with a list of all our names and pictures with our comps names. (Fun fact: He told us he knew what missionaries would be training but he didn't know who would be training who when we got to the home. He interviewed all of us and then put us with our trainers) he read of Hermana Ashford first. Holy cow. Her comp has more energy than she does!  I didn't think that was possible.  They seemed perfect for each other.  Next he read off a different elder, then Cafe. It hurt my heart a little haha! I didn't want to let them all go! But lo and behold I was next.

Ready aaaaaaaaaaaand drum roll...

My compañera is Hermana Bugingo! *cough cough* women's conference anyone?? Sister Burton's talk?? Yeah, that's my trainer. Literally fifty people at least said "you've got the best trainer ever! She's awesome!" And she most definitely is!! We are serving in BROOKLYN, Dyker Heights.  We are in zone two I think. It's crazy. We take public transportation EVERYWHERE. Our area is huge.

......Kay....this email is ridiculous.....so Imma send this and let you start reading through this novelia while I type up the rest of what happened the last, oh I don't know, five days - not too much, just background, base information and all, then I will reply to all of the preguntas!!)

Love you!!! I'll keep typin!!!

Sent from my iPad