06-06-2016

Hello my favorite people everrrr

I love you and I miss you. Mucho grande.

As always we met with my favorite person ever Rick this week.
Unfortunately we had a little bit of a set back but that's okay. One
step at a time. Rick is still the best and makes me laugh EVERYTIME we
see him. He makes sure everyone is smiling. If he sees someone that
isn't smiling he goes "excuse me mamm, you dropped something. And they
look around and say I did? And he says your smile and then they go oh
haha" it's so funny. He also has learned to say hello how are you in
most languages and if he sees someone of that ethnicity he says hello
to them in that language.. A few times some Asians have been like umm
I speak English dude hahahha another good one that he does is that he
goes up to older Pilipino women and goes "hey I've met you before
isn't your name muganda (which means beautiful) their expressions are
always so cute. My favorite thing about Rick is he TALKS  to everyone.
The other day we were having a lesson outside and he sees an old
veteran and Rick goes right up to him shakes his hand and tells him
thank you and then salutes him as he walked away. WHO DOESNT LOVE
RICK? Better yet his first name is really Ricardo so it just makes him
that much better

This week we had zone conference. It was really awesome and very
spiritual. After zone conference I am ready to go go go and get to
work. At this zone conference we talked about the term repentance. To
a lot of people, repentance has a negative connotation. But in reality
repentance is love it's joy it's becoming better. It's about Christ's
redeeming love. My heart was so full during this meeting as I realized
just how much the savior had done for me. That even though I've made
mistakes, I can be forgiven. That despair becomes hope.

Hellloooo summer means helllooo heat. 105 all week baby! My body is
adjusting to the heat a little too well it'll be like 75 and I'm like
ooh should I bring my coat haha BUT I AM STILL pretty WHITE. I know
it's so sad. But I love the heat I know why people come to California
sunshine is too great

My companion LOVES comics and is teaching me everything about them.
Let's just say I am horrible confused because there is two universes
of comics or something like that but I do my best. I nod my head even
when I don't get it and then she'll ask me a question and I'm like a
dear in headlights. It was funny she was in the car and she goes "do
you like comics?" And I go "oh sometimes I like to read the Sunday
comics" hahahahahaha she goes "not quite." I now get a taste of how
confused she is when I talk about my boy steph curry. EVERYONE HERE
LOVES STEPH CURRY. My kind of people. I stop every person to tell them
I like their golden state shirt, so pretty much every person I see.

Had some not so hot days at the end of the week. I was feeling
homesick and very disappointed discouraged and frustrated. I just am
struggling with this area and finding the balance between the speed I
want to go at and the speed my companion wants to go at. I just shook
it off and thought to myself tears are for the weak (lol tears=my
whole life) Sunday morning was a rough start and I just wanted a mom
and dad kind of hug. Obviously I am a little far from home so I
remember praying I just need sister wright (who is the mission
presidents wife). It was stake conference and we drove to a different
building for it. As we sat down, we heard the speaker say and with us
today we have President and sister wright. I can't even describe the
love I felt. I had absolutely no clue they were supposed to be here.
Talk about an answered prayer After the conference I told my companion
that I wanted to say hi to the mission president and his wife. As we
walked toward them they saw us and came up to us. President shook my
hand and told me he was so happy to see me and that he loved me. I
could not help but have tears fall down my face and then sister wright
runs over and gives me a big mom type of hug and I couldn't even help
it. I started crying in her arms in the middle of the chapel. As she
was hugging me president told me that sister wright wasn't planning to
come to the meeting but at the very last minute decided to come.
President goes I think I know why she came. She came for you. AMEN.
Like I have said earlier God works by a principle of one. I'm over 2
hours away from the wrights home and yet my prayer was answered.
Coincidence. Absolutely not.

I am so grateful for the wrights. Sometimes you just got to let it out
and you feel that much better.

Finally decided to stop being such a downer and I had a good talk with
my companion and it's all sunshine over here now. The longer I am out
the more I realize that I lack a lot more than I thought I do. I have
a lot to learn.

Sister wright sent me a story about a bush who didn't realize it
needed to be trimmed for it to produce fruit. the ending reads "Thank
you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down, for caring
enough about me to hurt me. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

I'm thankful for hard days because I need a little time in the
refiners fire every once in awhile.

Love you and miss you all

Sister t