Callete your eyes! Oct 27, 2014

Querido Familia y Amigos,

Before I forget, this from President Bonham:

Now is the time to send your “Christmas list” home. Parents are not quite sure what you want or can have and so end up sending things that aren't useful. Please remind them that you can’t use: non-mission library books; toys, games, or Magic cards (or similar things); non-missionary music (review the description in the Missionary Handbook) or music playing devices that have a screen or connect to the Internet; other stuff you think they might send that won’t work for you (especially large, heavy stuff). Tell them about things that you could use, such as clothing (tell them to check the website), journals, thank-you cards, General Conference recordings, pens, updated family photos, family history information and books with testimonies of family and friends. You can imagine more. You might be so kind as to mention that including some little thing for your companion would be a nice gesture—sometimes we see well-to-do families send piles of presents for their missionaries (they are trying to show love through gifts) when their companion comes from a family that has limited means or shows love through prayers. Avoiding this sort of material goods contrast is helpful and if you come from a more well-to-do family it won’t be a burden for them to send thermal socks for your companion as well as for you. In order to have the packages arrive, be sorted, and get stored safely for delivery at the right time, they will need to be shipped so that they ARRIVE (not get sent, but actually arrive) by December 15 at the MISSION OFFICE (remind of them of the address for packages which is 16124 35th Ave SE, Mill Creek, WA 98012; for letters they should use P.O. Box 13390, Mill Creek, WA 98012-1390).

Preparation Day changes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will move our preparation days from the Monday before those holidays to the actual holiday. Be sure to warn your family so they don’t think you've forgotten them when you don’t email on that Monday. The Monday will be a regular proselyting day. Also, in the first week of December, email your family about when you will call for Christmas so that it is planned out ahead of time and doesn't require extra, emergency calls.

The only other things I think I would need that were not mentioned here are just basic things I always need; white out (preferably not the liquid kind), sheet protectors, nutella, mascara, eyeliner (preferably the liquid kind), clear packing tape, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, amor... I don't know what else. I am aware that I will new new luggage before I return, as mine are falling apart. If I'm still English, I would want a pocket size hymn book (it's hard to not be able to just whip out my hymn book at members houses and sing with them) and biking shorts. The missionary library books I don't have are Jesus the Christ and Our Search for Happiness.

Also remember that it's not necessary to send me anything. I understand that finances are harder around Christmas, and on top of that to have to send gifts in a package with shipping costs... Yeah, I understand. Don't stress too much about Christmas.

Okay. Moving on. This week was awesome, except that the brakes on my bike didn't work well and I almost died going down these hills in the rain. Then, when they were (kind of) fixed, my tire randomly popped going down a hill on the way to a lesson. That was fun. Thankfully, it wasn't raining that day.

This area is awesome! The members are still great. They feed us almost every night. I had Albanian food last night... It was good, but salty, and suuuper spinachy. Eww.

Sister Mahoni is crazy cool, and super obedient. Best combination in a companion ever. I didn't even know it was possible. She's super funny. I talk to her in Spanish, and she talks back to me in 'Spanish,' but it sounds more like Japanese to me (she doesn't know Spanish, so she makes it up). She did that one time when zone leaders stopped by to fix one of our bikes (hers has issues, too) and we were getting their lunch out of the oven (we made them lunch for using their time, effort, and miles for us), and I said something, and she responded, and two of the zone leaders (they're three packing) were like, "Woah, you taught her really fast!" Sister Mahoni, Elder Ditlevsen, and I just started laughing. Elder Ditlevsen has 10 months left, and he's been waiting for a visa for Brazil that finally got approved last week, but he just turned it down, and somehow he knows better Spanish than Portuguese.

We have this awesome investigator named Emily. She's Vietnamese from Hawaii, and she lives downstairs from us. I don't know if i mentioned her last week. But the sisters before had been wanting to meet with her, and had brought her to a few activities, but she just wasn't interested. So we invited her to the Pinewood Derby, she came, asked for a church tour, we gave her one, it was awesome. We met with her again, and she loved it. They met with her when we went on exchanges, and she got a blessing, and told them that ever since she'd seen the baptismal font on the church tour, she's wanted to be baptized. So she's on date for December 1st. (: Well, we went to see her the next day, and she told me ALL about the lesson they'd have before, and she was like, "They told me to write down my feelings after the blessing, but I couldn't. You just can't describe those feelings. It's not really possible." Her husband is not quite on board, though. She says this is a big step, and she wants to be baptized, but she wants him to approve, as well. She came to church on Sunday.

Also, Katie is awesome. She doesn't believe yet that Christ died and was resurrected, but she's willing to learn. She texted us after the Book of Mormon lesson to ask if it was okay if she downloaded it on her kindle. (: She also came to church this week.

Like I mentioned before, we had exchanges this week. I was with Sister Slade, and we had this lesson with a recent convert who has problems feeling worthy enough for things. So before our next lesson, I was praying, and I still pray in Spanish when we're not in lessons, so I was like, "y que ella puede saber que los demas la aman," and then Sister Slade was like, "Amen!" and opened the car door to leave. I looked at her so confused, and finally said, "... I didn't finish the prayer..." and she was like, "Oh! Sorry!" and closed the door.

Ummm.... I think that's it. Love you all!

Hermana Miller