Hello family, or should I say hello all of my adoring fans? Carrie you are more than welcome to send me a package and yes I do remember you, specifically I remember when I was little and would blow raspberries on the back of your neck, so yeah I you can count yourself as a personal friend! My sister Amy told me about how some random people are reading my blog and I feel really funny, like people are reading my journal or something, but it is funny to me because my journal is super boring and I don´t get why anyone would want to read it. But I hope you are enjoying! Personal shout out to Rochelle, Andrea, and unpersonal shout out to everyone else!
Okay, back to my family, sorry for the interruption family, it is hard being a famous missionary. amy I´m not actually sure on the address but I will find out, I think it is 1167 though. This week was lame and I really have nothing to report. We did have interviews with the president and the hermana and that was fun for the 10 minutes i was with them but the rest of the time the assistents do a big lesson thing and it was super dry. Dreams, Goals, Covenants, yeah yeah baptize baptize. Anyways, I wasn´t going to tell you about this because I don´t think it will happen but since I have nothing else to say I´ll tell you anyway. Hna Sol wasn´t suppossed to tell me this but in her interview i guess the president was asking about me and if I am ready to be a senior companion. A SENIOR WHAT?! I said, did you tell him NO WAY! I´m still not even sure if I want to stay here after my next change, my plan has been give it six months and then split! You can take away my crutch! Well as I said I don´t really think it will happen because I am definitley not ready for that. I guess he was only asking because they are having four new hermanas coming and they don´t really have a ton of older hermanas to handler all of us newer ones, but I think that he can figure out a better solution than using me. I would be just fine with going my whole mission as the junior companion, and let´s not even talk about training. (I am aware that I overdramatized all of that)
Mom and Dad! I am excited for you to go on your trip. make sure that you take a camera-charge it before hand and take the charger with you-and actually use it to take pictures okay! oooh, Frankie Valley and the four seasons just came on the radio in the cyber cafe, you´re just too good to be true! Anyways, that will be a really fun trip I think. Ryan, take good care of Sally! Speaking of Ryan I have a postcard to send you but I do not have stamps so it might be a while. Amy what card did you recently receive? Jennie I have not have received your package yet but a HUGE thank you in advance. Hopefully I will get it tomorrow, and thank you for your email! How was your Yellowstone trip by the way? Has anyone sent me stickers by chance? That would not require a package, just a regular envelope, so I am not going to feel guilty for asking for stickers-they are super useful.
Let´s see, today our pday will be cut short because we are going to a little pueblo where Blanca and Ricardo are getting married. I didn´t tell you much about them because I sent you a letter about them. But they are an awesome family and all 5 of them are getting baptized on Friday. They weren´t married but they immediately understood and accepted our "marriage proposal" and they are getting married today. It is kind of weird and humbling to think that two young american girls showed up at their house one day and told them to get married and they are doing it. It is one of many evidences of how the Lord´s hand is in this work.
My time is up. I am hoping to get lots of emails tomorrow at district (wink wink) and hopefully your letters will arrive. Oh I did get a letter from Melody the other week, Ro if you see her give her a big hug from me. And Amy matt harris is the guy I saw in the airport in buenos aires from my home ward, you can email him if you want and my email and facebook are open access to you and you too jennie, maybe you can have me socially set for when I get home. Feel free to add some juice to my personal ad.
Okay really do gotta go. I miss you and love you. Give sally a scratch for me and hugs to everyone! Hi back to Bishop Workman, and...I think that is everything. Over and out,
Love, Jessica
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Ending the Trip
Hey hey! It was kind of funny and cool today to open my email and have messages from my mom and my sisters, I don´t know why that occurred to me but I just think it´s awesome that we are close and keep in touch so much.
Okay, well the Montevideo temple trip was so much fun. While we emailed you Hermana Heaton let us use her washer and dryer, we had brought all of our garments so that we could wash them. It was so nice to have clean clothes that had been dried in a dryer. It was also fun saturday to be at the mission home because it was the Heaton´s 40th anniversary. Not that we really did anything but still, we got to hang out with them on a really special day. And then when we needed to leave they drove us to the bus station and I was laughing in my head watching President Heaton try to hide his frustration about the traffic. They both make me think a lot of mom and dad, that is probably why I like them so much. I think Hna Sol is getting sick of me talking about how much I love the Heaton´s and how great they are. Anyways it was going to be close for getting on the bus but we got there with 5 minutes to spare, or so we thought, Hna Salisbury had confused the time and it had actually left ten minutes before. Haha. So we ended up having to wait seven hours for the next bus which left at 12:30 in the morning. We probably could have called the president to pick us up but we felt too sheepish. We had to call him last night anyways though to ask a question and he asked us if we made the bus and we told him what happened and i think he felt bad and he said we should have called him. But oh well, it actually ended up being a really fun and productive seven hours and we are both glad for the way it worked out. We got pictures printed for the family and for Carla who was baptized on thursday and I bought a new straightener and some post-it marker things for my scriptures and we got some colored paper. We also wrote letters, I wrote to my converts in Artigas, and we ate at Mcdonalds. The only mcdonalds in uruguay is the one in the terminal in montevideo. It was actually pretty good. Oh and Hermana Heaton sent us with Peanut Butter sandwiches. Mmm..mm!
So yesterday we got home at 6:30. I was really tired all day and it was good to go to sleep last night. Yesterday was a pretty dull sunday. It has been really gloomy and rainy here.
Well out of time. I love you all and I hope the pictures come through!
Love Jessica
ps hna salisbury leaves in about two weeks and i am trying to plan some suprises for her but I am also freaking out and I think I am going to have an emotional relapse when she is gone!
Okay, well the Montevideo temple trip was so much fun. While we emailed you Hermana Heaton let us use her washer and dryer, we had brought all of our garments so that we could wash them. It was so nice to have clean clothes that had been dried in a dryer. It was also fun saturday to be at the mission home because it was the Heaton´s 40th anniversary. Not that we really did anything but still, we got to hang out with them on a really special day. And then when we needed to leave they drove us to the bus station and I was laughing in my head watching President Heaton try to hide his frustration about the traffic. They both make me think a lot of mom and dad, that is probably why I like them so much. I think Hna Sol is getting sick of me talking about how much I love the Heaton´s and how great they are. Anyways it was going to be close for getting on the bus but we got there with 5 minutes to spare, or so we thought, Hna Salisbury had confused the time and it had actually left ten minutes before. Haha. So we ended up having to wait seven hours for the next bus which left at 12:30 in the morning. We probably could have called the president to pick us up but we felt too sheepish. We had to call him last night anyways though to ask a question and he asked us if we made the bus and we told him what happened and i think he felt bad and he said we should have called him. But oh well, it actually ended up being a really fun and productive seven hours and we are both glad for the way it worked out. We got pictures printed for the family and for Carla who was baptized on thursday and I bought a new straightener and some post-it marker things for my scriptures and we got some colored paper. We also wrote letters, I wrote to my converts in Artigas, and we ate at Mcdonalds. The only mcdonalds in uruguay is the one in the terminal in montevideo. It was actually pretty good. Oh and Hermana Heaton sent us with Peanut Butter sandwiches. Mmm..mm!
So yesterday we got home at 6:30. I was really tired all day and it was good to go to sleep last night. Yesterday was a pretty dull sunday. It has been really gloomy and rainy here.
Well out of time. I love you all and I hope the pictures come through!
Love Jessica
ps hna salisbury leaves in about two weeks and i am trying to plan some suprises for her but I am also freaking out and I think I am going to have an emotional relapse when she is gone!
Monday, July 19, 2010
At the temple
Did you think I would ever email you this week? Well i finally am. A lot has happened lately as far as finding another great family to teach and stuff but I sent a really long letter explaing that so I won't go into it now. I tried to make the letter interesting to read and spiritual but I think I overdid it and it is probably just lame. But enjoy! And for the record I am out of stamps so there may be a lull in letter writing until the ones you have sent get here.
I also told you more in my letter about our first sector conference with President and Hermana Heaton. They. are. awesome. I already love them so much and get this, when we got here to montevideo yesterday morning for the sealing of the family galvan, we went to check into the hostel and they said they didn't have a reservation for us. So we called the mission secretary who was going to get us a room and told him there was a problem and he said that there weren't any rooms available so we were going to stay at the mission home! BOO YA! Party with the Heatons! So we came over to the house and the hermana welcomed us in and showed us to our BEAUTIFUL room that had really nice soft beds with fresh sheets and bedding and...the room has a HEATING! It was so comfortable and nice to sleep in a nice bed and a warm room, I forgot what a great thing it is to be able to get out of bed and step onto carpet and not feel a plunge in temperature. So nice. Anyways, there was a Zone Leaders training yesterday too so for a while we helped hna Heaton get breakfast and lunch ready for all of them until it was time to go over to the temple. It was fun to help out in the kitchen and get to know her better. The temple was so good and it was the first time I have ever been to a sealing. What a lovely experience. Do you remember me telling you about the Galvan family and how they are so special? I felt so lucky to have the privelege of seeing them sealed for time and all eternity as husband and wife and then seeing stefani and esteban come in dressed in white to be sealed to their parents. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and the restored gospel.
For the rest of the day we just hang out at the hostel with them playing uno and telling jokes and then we came back to the mission home for dinner (oh and we ate navajo tacos at the mission home for lunch-so good!) and we did our studies and stuff. the president and his wife had to leave to go do something in the evening and it was really kind of funny but nice to just be in the mission home by ourselves. but it was really peaceful and quiet to study. THen when they got back we chatted with them and showed pictures and stuff and ended the night eating brownies and ice cream in our pajamas until we went to bed at 11:00. That's right we broke curfew with the president and the hermana! It was so so so fun though. Today we got up and exercised, took a really nice shower where I did not get cold when i got out, ate breakfast and then went through another session of the temple with another lady from fraybentos. We later brought the galvan's over to meet the president and wife which was really nice and they cried as we sang the first hymn the hna's sang with them. Hna Salisbury had also thought so much about a gift she could give to each of them and ended up giving the wife her coat which is very coveted and I probably have seen 50 women hint that she should leave it for them. It was really sweet to see her give it to mari who was so gracious.
I am now emailing you on the presidents laptop and we will be leaving to get our bus in about an hour. It has been a really fun little trip and today I got to help the Hermana unload and load the dishes in the dishwasher and stuff. It made me think so much of home. I really was missing my family today in the temple, I wonder if I will ever have a whole day with out feeling an ache in my heart for you! I love you so much. Renita, I just want you to know that one day when Hermana Salisbury and I were walking down some train tracks to get to a lesson I told her that in my family there is a famous story about my aunt becky and so when I read your email she was reading with me and we both laughed and i said, i told you it is a big story in my family. And then I got pretty teary eyed which I think is partly from how I was feeling in the temple today.
Well I got to go but I love you and will email you again on Monday I think. And by the way judy and mom the packages sound really great, thanks a bunch but you shouldn't spoiling me so much! Amy DID YOU GET THE HOUSE! The pictures look really awesome. Besos,
Your missionary hermana, Jessica
I also told you more in my letter about our first sector conference with President and Hermana Heaton. They. are. awesome. I already love them so much and get this, when we got here to montevideo yesterday morning for the sealing of the family galvan, we went to check into the hostel and they said they didn't have a reservation for us. So we called the mission secretary who was going to get us a room and told him there was a problem and he said that there weren't any rooms available so we were going to stay at the mission home! BOO YA! Party with the Heatons! So we came over to the house and the hermana welcomed us in and showed us to our BEAUTIFUL room that had really nice soft beds with fresh sheets and bedding and...the room has a HEATING! It was so comfortable and nice to sleep in a nice bed and a warm room, I forgot what a great thing it is to be able to get out of bed and step onto carpet and not feel a plunge in temperature. So nice. Anyways, there was a Zone Leaders training yesterday too so for a while we helped hna Heaton get breakfast and lunch ready for all of them until it was time to go over to the temple. It was fun to help out in the kitchen and get to know her better. The temple was so good and it was the first time I have ever been to a sealing. What a lovely experience. Do you remember me telling you about the Galvan family and how they are so special? I felt so lucky to have the privelege of seeing them sealed for time and all eternity as husband and wife and then seeing stefani and esteban come in dressed in white to be sealed to their parents. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and the restored gospel.
For the rest of the day we just hang out at the hostel with them playing uno and telling jokes and then we came back to the mission home for dinner (oh and we ate navajo tacos at the mission home for lunch-so good!) and we did our studies and stuff. the president and his wife had to leave to go do something in the evening and it was really kind of funny but nice to just be in the mission home by ourselves. but it was really peaceful and quiet to study. THen when they got back we chatted with them and showed pictures and stuff and ended the night eating brownies and ice cream in our pajamas until we went to bed at 11:00. That's right we broke curfew with the president and the hermana! It was so so so fun though. Today we got up and exercised, took a really nice shower where I did not get cold when i got out, ate breakfast and then went through another session of the temple with another lady from fraybentos. We later brought the galvan's over to meet the president and wife which was really nice and they cried as we sang the first hymn the hna's sang with them. Hna Salisbury had also thought so much about a gift she could give to each of them and ended up giving the wife her coat which is very coveted and I probably have seen 50 women hint that she should leave it for them. It was really sweet to see her give it to mari who was so gracious.
I am now emailing you on the presidents laptop and we will be leaving to get our bus in about an hour. It has been a really fun little trip and today I got to help the Hermana unload and load the dishes in the dishwasher and stuff. It made me think so much of home. I really was missing my family today in the temple, I wonder if I will ever have a whole day with out feeling an ache in my heart for you! I love you so much. Renita, I just want you to know that one day when Hermana Salisbury and I were walking down some train tracks to get to a lesson I told her that in my family there is a famous story about my aunt becky and so when I read your email she was reading with me and we both laughed and i said, i told you it is a big story in my family. And then I got pretty teary eyed which I think is partly from how I was feeling in the temple today.
Well I got to go but I love you and will email you again on Monday I think. And by the way judy and mom the packages sound really great, thanks a bunch but you shouldn't spoiling me so much! Amy DID YOU GET THE HOUSE! The pictures look really awesome. Besos,
Your missionary hermana, Jessica
Thursday, July 8, 2010
MUNDIALLLLL!!! and the chosen one...
Happy fourth of JULY!!! and happy birthday to JENNIE and RYAN!
Well it has been another week. Mark that one off! We actually aren´t going to montevideo until next week on the 15th, they changed it, so I think next week I will be emailing that day. Well Uruguay is crazy excited about the world cup. They did not expect to do so well. The day of the game it was like being in a ghost town and we got nothing done. Finally we went over to the house of Hermano De Los Santos who is a really cool convert and we ended up watching some of the game with him. It was a super good game too. And All of the houses erupt everytime a goal is made, so imagine what it was like when they went to penalty kicks. After the game was over we were walking on the streets and we ran into Martin Conti who is a young married guy and usually pretty business like but I though he was going to cry he was so flabbergasted and he was all sweaty and just kept saying angels must have helped us. It was hilarious but really no good for missionary work. I was not feeling well either so we ended up just going back to the house and I laid down. I have been kind of sick this week. That day I had a fever and then I couldn´t really sleep all night, I was super hot and was having chills and my head hurt worse than it ever has before. I did sleep at first but then I woke up at 1:00 and my had was just killing me and my face was burning up. I got up to get some water to drink and then I just sat and sipped it for a while. I was having nausea too and I even went and got a bowl to keep by my bed but never did throw up. I am mostly better but I have a sore throat and stuffy nose. I haven´t really felt like eating either, so actually really haven´t been eating today which is kind of weird for me. But I think I will be fine in another day or two.
Yesterday for the fourth of july we wore red white and blue and as we walked in the streets we would sing patriotic songs and we even recited the pledge of allegience. It was funny and also kind of sad because we really didn´t do anything fun to celebrate, but we kept the patriotic spirit igual. Oh! and our lunch appointment fell through which isn´t normally a huge deal because we can just buy something instead, but it was sunday. Luckily though, my awesome aunts had sent me some macaroni grill pasta mix that we threw together and made a really good lunch. Thank you again!
Yesterday we had a really good lesson with Elisabeth. I don´t know if I have told you about her but she is a miracle for sure. One day we left church to go find someone that hadn´t come, we never did find them but when we were coming back into the church there was a lady going in at the same time and we didn´t recognize her. We started to talk and it turns out she is a member and was going for a long time and her son even served a mission but then she stopped going but wants to come back. So she even invited us over for lunch. When we went during the week her sister Elisabeth happened to be visiting from Paysandu. She has been praying and searching to find the right church. She has gone to many but feels that none of them have the truth. She also had a lot of questions that we were able to answer and she finally understood things that she had not been able to understand. She is so awesome and it is a miracle how we found her. We stopped by them on Saturday night and they were having a party for Vilma (the sister who is a member) and her husband´s anniversary. They gave us cake and empanadas but we didn´t have a lot of time so when we started to say we needed to go Elisabeth was like, oh no don´t go, stay! It was so cute! and they just worry so much about us and for some reason seem to think I am like a little helpless child dependent on my companion and so they are really worried about me for when hna Salisbury leaves, they said I should come stay with them to wait for me new companion! They are so funny. But yesterday we had to teach her the ten commandments so we were reading them in mosiah 13 and when we go to the one that says thou shalt not steal we were going to include tithing and so hna salisbury asked, how do we rob God? And without a seconds hesitation Elisabeth said, in tithes and offerings but I paid my tithing to the bishop today! WHAT!! It was only her second time at church, we hadn´t even taught her tithing and she already paid it!!!! What does Heavenly Father need ME here for? These people teach themselves! She has also read almost all of 1 nephi and when we got there she was reading teachings of the prophets. She lives in Paysandu but in the outskirts because her husband has some sort of blueberry plantation, but it is closer for them to come to Salto then to get the the city part of Paysandu so they come here on a bus every week and Elisabeth wants us to come to her house some day and we really want to go but we are going to have to get special permission. She and Vilma are now planning a goodbye party for Hna Salisbury too. THey are easily some of my favorite people we have met. I can´t wait for her baptism on the 16th. Also they have an almacen so they sometimes give us cookie packages or other treats. DREAM investigator.
Last pday I made a white cake with vanilla frosting and put strawberries on top and it we shared it with Miriam and Javier. I must say it was DELICIOUS. We also put half of it in another pan and I made chocolate frosting and we took that to a Noche de Hogar (fhe) with the familia De los Santos, they really liked it and they were baptized when hna Flores was here, so you know they are awesome.
Anyways, so it has been a busy week but actually kind of a tough one. We did divisions three times which probably absolutley my least favorite thing to do and then being sick was no fun, plus when I´m sick all I want to do is just be home and so I sat up all night thinking about home and how mom baby´s me when I´m sick and I was really missing some good old motherly tlc. I know you have said that 4 months seems to have gone by really fast but honestly to me it is crawling and I still have 14 months left...ugh. But I am trying to count my blessings because we are having success and I have a great companion so I really shouldn´t complain. Tomorrow we have district so I will look forward to getting your letters, Jennie send an email to the mission email and tell me about your 4th and birthdays! And on Wednesday we have conference with the new president. So next week I should have a lot to tell you too. I´m out of time though, so bye for now, I love you
Love Jessica
(*Note - the first few photos were stolen from Hermana Salisbury's blog)
Well it has been another week. Mark that one off! We actually aren´t going to montevideo until next week on the 15th, they changed it, so I think next week I will be emailing that day. Well Uruguay is crazy excited about the world cup. They did not expect to do so well. The day of the game it was like being in a ghost town and we got nothing done. Finally we went over to the house of Hermano De Los Santos who is a really cool convert and we ended up watching some of the game with him. It was a super good game too. And All of the houses erupt everytime a goal is made, so imagine what it was like when they went to penalty kicks. After the game was over we were walking on the streets and we ran into Martin Conti who is a young married guy and usually pretty business like but I though he was going to cry he was so flabbergasted and he was all sweaty and just kept saying angels must have helped us. It was hilarious but really no good for missionary work. I was not feeling well either so we ended up just going back to the house and I laid down. I have been kind of sick this week. That day I had a fever and then I couldn´t really sleep all night, I was super hot and was having chills and my head hurt worse than it ever has before. I did sleep at first but then I woke up at 1:00 and my had was just killing me and my face was burning up. I got up to get some water to drink and then I just sat and sipped it for a while. I was having nausea too and I even went and got a bowl to keep by my bed but never did throw up. I am mostly better but I have a sore throat and stuffy nose. I haven´t really felt like eating either, so actually really haven´t been eating today which is kind of weird for me. But I think I will be fine in another day or two.
Yesterday for the fourth of july we wore red white and blue and as we walked in the streets we would sing patriotic songs and we even recited the pledge of allegience. It was funny and also kind of sad because we really didn´t do anything fun to celebrate, but we kept the patriotic spirit igual. Oh! and our lunch appointment fell through which isn´t normally a huge deal because we can just buy something instead, but it was sunday. Luckily though, my awesome aunts had sent me some macaroni grill pasta mix that we threw together and made a really good lunch. Thank you again!
Yesterday we had a really good lesson with Elisabeth. I don´t know if I have told you about her but she is a miracle for sure. One day we left church to go find someone that hadn´t come, we never did find them but when we were coming back into the church there was a lady going in at the same time and we didn´t recognize her. We started to talk and it turns out she is a member and was going for a long time and her son even served a mission but then she stopped going but wants to come back. So she even invited us over for lunch. When we went during the week her sister Elisabeth happened to be visiting from Paysandu. She has been praying and searching to find the right church. She has gone to many but feels that none of them have the truth. She also had a lot of questions that we were able to answer and she finally understood things that she had not been able to understand. She is so awesome and it is a miracle how we found her. We stopped by them on Saturday night and they were having a party for Vilma (the sister who is a member) and her husband´s anniversary. They gave us cake and empanadas but we didn´t have a lot of time so when we started to say we needed to go Elisabeth was like, oh no don´t go, stay! It was so cute! and they just worry so much about us and for some reason seem to think I am like a little helpless child dependent on my companion and so they are really worried about me for when hna Salisbury leaves, they said I should come stay with them to wait for me new companion! They are so funny. But yesterday we had to teach her the ten commandments so we were reading them in mosiah 13 and when we go to the one that says thou shalt not steal we were going to include tithing and so hna salisbury asked, how do we rob God? And without a seconds hesitation Elisabeth said, in tithes and offerings but I paid my tithing to the bishop today! WHAT!! It was only her second time at church, we hadn´t even taught her tithing and she already paid it!!!! What does Heavenly Father need ME here for? These people teach themselves! She has also read almost all of 1 nephi and when we got there she was reading teachings of the prophets. She lives in Paysandu but in the outskirts because her husband has some sort of blueberry plantation, but it is closer for them to come to Salto then to get the the city part of Paysandu so they come here on a bus every week and Elisabeth wants us to come to her house some day and we really want to go but we are going to have to get special permission. She and Vilma are now planning a goodbye party for Hna Salisbury too. THey are easily some of my favorite people we have met. I can´t wait for her baptism on the 16th. Also they have an almacen so they sometimes give us cookie packages or other treats. DREAM investigator.
Last pday I made a white cake with vanilla frosting and put strawberries on top and it we shared it with Miriam and Javier. I must say it was DELICIOUS. We also put half of it in another pan and I made chocolate frosting and we took that to a Noche de Hogar (fhe) with the familia De los Santos, they really liked it and they were baptized when hna Flores was here, so you know they are awesome.
Anyways, so it has been a busy week but actually kind of a tough one. We did divisions three times which probably absolutley my least favorite thing to do and then being sick was no fun, plus when I´m sick all I want to do is just be home and so I sat up all night thinking about home and how mom baby´s me when I´m sick and I was really missing some good old motherly tlc. I know you have said that 4 months seems to have gone by really fast but honestly to me it is crawling and I still have 14 months left...ugh. But I am trying to count my blessings because we are having success and I have a great companion so I really shouldn´t complain. Tomorrow we have district so I will look forward to getting your letters, Jennie send an email to the mission email and tell me about your 4th and birthdays! And on Wednesday we have conference with the new president. So next week I should have a lot to tell you too. I´m out of time though, so bye for now, I love you
Love Jessica
(*Note - the first few photos were stolen from Hermana Salisbury's blog)
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