Updates

Hi! How´s it going? Amy your picture is sooo awesome! I love Paul´s costume, wow his knees are looking good! Haha,

Well good news! My neck fungus is gone. I have just been having really dry skin for so long and I think it was just dead skin turning black or something and after scrubbing really really hard and having a lot of skin flake off, my neck is back to normal. Sorry that is kind of gross. I have had weird skin in general is Uruguay. My eye has really dry rashy stuff on the lid also, Hna Garnder gave me some vaseline to put on it and that is helping but now it is itchy and bumpy and puffy like I´m allergic to the vaseline, ay que cosa. And lately my lips are super chapped and dry but today i finally found some good chapstick at a farmacia, but you could stick some in a package if it´s not too late :). Also, mom thankyou so much for figuring out my debit card. I don´t really get it though, did you arrange it so the one i have works until the new one comes? Because Friday night we went by an atm and i decided to try it again just in case and it worked! I was like, oh my gosh my mom is AMAZING! Seriously though there are so missionaries who can´t get their families to do anything for them which is kind of hard when you are in Uruguay and you just can´t do some things for yourself and it is so frustrating. But not me, my family rocks! And now I have another task to ask of Judy and Renita. There is a 16 year old girl named Varinia that accompanied us the other day and she was telling me that her mother was baptized about 34 years ago by an elder who later in his mission encouraged Varinia´s father to reactivate himself and serve a mission. Years after her parents married they realized that it was the same elder who had made such an impact in both of their lives and they wanted to let them know how much he had done for them and that the two had married in the temple, but they don´t know how to find him. BUT, he is from Pocatello and he is know about 54 years old. Do either of you know a Glade Gunnell? Could you look him up in the phone book or something and let me know if you find anything? If you do maybe you could even call him and get his email and send me that and his address so they can write to him. I just know how happy it would make me to hear that my converts are still strong in the church and their children are now sharing the gospel and marrying in the temple because I served a mission. Anyways, let me know.

Yesterday was stake conference, it was a satelite transmission and Elder Costa spoke along with Jean A. Stevens and Elder Ballard and President Packer. It was really good and Elder Packer told some interesting stories, one about an experience he had as a soldier in Japan and another in Peru. In japan there was a young boy he saw from a train that was starving, he tried to open the train window to throw his some money but the window would not open and then the train started to move, the little by ran alongside but the train started to pick up speed and he could not keep up. Elder Packer cried as he told of the sadness that he has carried with him for so long about not being able to ease the suffering of that suffering child. It was really touching.

Now that we have an oven I was wondering if someone would send me some more recipes. Maybe for pizza dough, lemon cookies, chewy brownie cookies and anything else that you can think of that is quick, easy and requires basic ingredients.

Mom, I like the dulce de leche spread on soft white bread with bananas cut up on top. Also good on any kind of cookie or I imagine graham crackers. And I think that the office Elders read an email that hna salisbury sent us titled ''urgent'', so they might have started the rumor or i think hna ung wrote something about it to hna crofts, we didn´t start the rumor though. It´s just dumb mission talk though. That´s cool that jerica is going on a mission, do you know when she leaves?

Yes I am taking my premarin and I still have a lot for a while. No I don´t think Hna Gardner has a blog.

Amy, justo I am writing a letter to you and paul that answer a lot of your questions and I will try to deliver on the pictures.

I gotta go, and I didn´t get that suprise sent yet but I will today, it´s just a tape. Okay, I love you so so much! Halleluja I am almost at my nine month mark. Miss you!

All my love, Jessica

I have a neck fungus. Yuck.

Hey mom and everyone else! How are you all doing? Well I always feel like I have business like things to say before typing all of my email, so here goes:

Mom, I tried to use my debit card today and it wouldn´t work. I called the 1800 number and got a ways into a conversation, put on hold, and then my phone died. But right after it did I realized the problem, silly me, my card expired in july. I don´t really know what I can do about that, any ideas? Okay well that was the biggest thing.

So, changes, I´m staying here with Hermana Gardner! Yay, I am really glad for that. this next change will be seven weeks too so I am glad to know that I will have a good comp that I get along with. I have high hopes for what we will be able to accomplish together this change. This week we contacted an earlier made contact named Beatriz. I was a little wary to actually pass by her house because frankly she kind of weirded me out the first time I met her, but i think it was her brazilian accent and the fact that she tried to sell us underwear and showed us the top of her bra for an example. But turns out she is super cool. After the opening song and prayer she suddenly told us she wanted to cry because she really misses her family in Brazil. told her i could relate. She also asked us some good questions, such as ``what do you believe happens after death, the testigos say the pbody and spirit sleep but i think the sirit goes to some world of spirits, but i don´t know why i think that´´. Yeah, we can work with that. And Martin who is progressing with quitting smoking says he is seriously considering being baptized...at the end of the year. that we can work with too though.

Today for pday we went to the temple since it is usually closed on our normal monday pdays. it was really nice and later we ate at mcdonalds and bought peanut butter. i love being in montevideo. We also bought some halloween stuff to send to the other hermanas.

Guess who got a haircut? me!!!! It was so long and hna smith came for a dentists appt and I had her cut off 10 inches!!! I have SHORT HAIR!! Just kidding, just got a trim!! haha did i get you? It is still super long and I like it. It was fun to see her and hna halladay too. I worried about them together but they are actually really compatible and also didn´t change.

Dear Amy, Happy birthday! I love you my beautiful still very young and hip sister. I look up to you so much and tell my comps all about you. Hope you went skydiving and got the card I sent. Also I got your package this week! I read all your blogs aloud to hna gardner and we both enjoyed them a lot. And glow sticks!! you know me well. love you!

Judy I also got your articles, they were so good, especially kloved the austin collie one and so did the elders who now think i am a colts fan. but maybe I am, it is pretty cool that they have team bible study. mira.

SO i have a neck fungus on my neck under my ears. I don´t actually know what it is but for a few months I have had some discoloration and dryness but this morning it was a dark color and looked like dirt. It doesn´t bother me but it is really gross.

Mom I don´t really want to ask for anything for christmas because your ideas are usually better and you already have done more than enough for me...but..hehe...my journal is almost full and I would like a new one. Hna Gardner has some from shopko that i really like. the brand is markings and I like the one whose picture is attached to this email. i like journals that lay flat when you open them too, not spiral. sorry i know i sound really picky and rude. some other ideas would be short sleeve summer shirts, and they can actually be really casual, mission dress is way more lax than i thought it would be. And I may have mentioned this already but i would really really like just a basic straight edge cutter if you think that would be possible. these are all just ideas though, don´t stress over getting packages to me, you are amazing and that is confirmed to me all the time because I see a lot of missionaries who don´t have the home support that i do.

Well I am out of time, I hope you like the pics and I will email again soon, monday, thank you for your letters and emails they were super good this week! I love you all!

Jessica

Emailing from the mission home...

Hi! How's everything going? We have had a pretty good week and today we got our oven! We are excited but it was a bit of a pain because last night they called us to tell us that we would have to stay inside today and wait for it to be delivered to us. It didn't come until 3:30. So most of our pday we were stuck inside which was no good because we actually had a lot of things to do today. Hermana Gardner needed to come to the mission home today to show Hermana Heaton the health powerpoint presentation and we also needed to do our laundry, so we brought that with us to wash while we were here. It's almost seven now though and our pday ends at six so waiting for the ovens kind of threw everything off. This week was good because we felt like we were not only working hard but our numbers reflected that hard work. for the most part. We found some news, although none of them have been there when we go back, and we were getting more lessons from our knocking and we were getting all of our contacting done. The biggest frustration this week was that none of our investigators could meet with us. They all cancelled their appointments and would not answer their phones and weren't home when we went by. So that got really annoying because everything that we plan falls around our appointments with them and when they cancel it just kind of messes us up.

We went to the offices again this week to work on that health presentation. When we got there we put down our stuff and went into one of the other rooms where one of the elders has his desk to grab an extra chair and there was this picture of a girl on his desk and Hermana Gardner asked "hey who is that?" but she didn't it in this really intense way that got a funny look from the elder and then she's like, "i think i know her, what's her name?" and she didn't know the girl in the end but then we go back out where the other elders have their desks and another one of them has a picture of some girl and Hermana Gardner said, geez, did you all get pictures of your girlfriends this week, then we look around and sure enough the other two elders had pictures of girls by their computers too. Turns out they forgot we were coming so they didn't get a chance to hide them this time! It was so funny, Hermana Gardner and I cracked up about it. When we go back this week we are going to take some pictures of our own to set up while we work.

So before forget, next week is changes because President has to go to Argentina, so I won't be emailing next monday, I'm not sure what day it will be. Also, Amy I was wondering if it's not a bother, could you maybe start sending my the text of your blogs to the mission email on a weekly basis? And Renita I'm sorry I haven't been sending my emails to your address, I wasn't sure of what it was and I just figured you would get forwards, but I have you in my address list now. And thanks again to both of you and grandma for the wonderful package, we are going to put those mixes to good use now that we have an oven! And I'm going to throw in a package suggestion for maybe christmas or something, I would really like a straight edge cutter. If you could maybe find a cheap light weight one that would be really nice. I make a lot of notes by cutting out from colored paper to give to members, investigators and other missionaries. And you. And sometimes I just really wish I had a straight edge cutter. But nothing urgent, just an idea.

Oh I also wanted to tell you that last week I got a letter from the priests and from Sister workman. It was really nice of them and I wrote them back today and will send it off tomorrow. And I am hearing rumors that Hermana salisbury is getting close to engagement. Hermana Gardner and I have not heard really anything from her and we are gettin a little upset so if you talk to her tell her to write us. And did she ever give you the package i sent?

Okay my time is short and I didn't get pictures sent. Sorry, but tomorrow I am sending a suprise in the mail that I hope you enjoy. I love you so much!!!!!!!! Keep writing, I need to hear from you! Love Jessica

ps amy will you please send to the mission email a copy of president monson's talk in the women's conference and a copy of the talk by elder holland cast not away therefore thy confidence? you might need to shrink the font, if it is too long i may not get it. thank you!

Package, General Conference, and Ciudad Vieja

Hey there! I really loved my emails this week, sounds like good stuff going on at the home front.

Well we had a pretty busy week, not so much for missionary work but on thursday we went to the mission office because hermana gardner who is a nurse was asked to put together a health presentation for the next zone conference so we went to work on that and while we were there I got a suprise package from Judy!! Wow that was an amazing package, thank you so much! THe candy is delicious, the stickers are awesome, and I loved the hot dog singing card, typical. And we should be getting our ovens in a couple weeks so I will be able to make the cake and sugar cookies! It was kind of weird to see the fall stuff that you sent though, its spring right now to me, but candy corn tastes just as good!

General Conference was so enjoyable for me. It was partly just nice to be able to sit and listen to someone else talk about the gospel in a much better way and also of course the talks were really good too. Mervyn Arnold that told about his wife and the cow that broke through the fence and ate week was the man that spoke to us last change and told us that same story. Hermana Garnder and I had fun taking our matching study journals which we have decorated so they are obviously hermanas notebooks and I really enjoyed taking notes from the talks, we didn{t watch the r.s. session because they are rebroadcasting it next saturday for a r.s. activity in our ward and we are going to watch it then. I really liked Elder Christoffersen and President Uchtdorf{s talk, wasn{t he so funny?

Today for Pday we got up and cleaned and studied then we took a nap then we went and ate lunch at the church with the elders, and then we went to a place called Ciudad Vieja. It was so cool. THere are just lots of vendors selling really cool things and lots of large buildings with really cool architecture and just an old charm to them. Oh english translation-Old City. While we were there we also went to the tomb of Jose ARtigas and saw the changing of the guard and we got our shoes shined by a guy in the plaza. He told me he didn{t have any grey polish, he was joking because my poor shoes were in such desperate need of polishing. It was fun and kind of a random thing, but worth in because 30 pesos later, or a dollar and half later and my shoes look like brand new.

Well I{m sorry that my letters took so long to get to you. I always send them early but I think sometimes the office elders don{t always get the bolsas out like they should and sometimes misplace things and then they resurface later. Today I didn{t and probably won{t have time to make some halloween cards to send out, let alone write letters, so sorry about that, I will try to get some letters off next week. I love you all so much, thanks for your letters, packages, emails, love and support.

All my love, Jessica

Here we go...

Hey hey! How´is everyone? THings are okay here, just another week, kind of slow with a lot of knocking and contacting. I am really looking forward to general conference next weekend the watching the women´s session saturday morning and then we watch the other two sessions in the afternoon and evening. The time here jumps forward one hour on sunday, when do you guys change again? The investigators that we are working with right now are martin, victor, and lucia. They are all middle aged. Martin is really upbeat and excited but he is trying to stop smoking, victor is too but not doing super well with it and we are kind of at a stand still with him. Lucia is good but here daughter who was living in switzerland was killed in a car accident at the beginning of the year and that has been hard for Lucia, she has a lot of questions but I think she is looking for an easy answer and is having a hard time doing the work to really allow the gospel to help her. We had a good lesson with her this week though about the atonement and then we shared nobake cookies with her-have i mentioned that there is peanut butter in montevideo? its is pricy though. anyways she liked them a lot.

I haven´t heard from susie yet about her visit, how did she hurt her ankle and who is taylor? I´m glad that grandpa had a good birthday, sounds like fun, i wish i could have been there. did seth every go visit them like he asked, or have you heard from him at all?

Jennie I got your letter this week with the pictures, thank you! I love the one of emma´s big smile in her brown shirt with the flowers, so so cute. Mom you really don´t need to send another package, i was just going to tell you that in case you had one that you were going to send.

My key board is not working very well so i´m sorry if this email is kind of weird. Today we are planning on going to a botanical garden so i´m pretty excited about that i miss the way that in utah there azre landscaped yard everwhere not to metnion parks and other really pretty planted areas and mountains. So i´m interested to see what the garden that we go to is like. I will let you know and try to take some pictures. I made some sandwiches and we are going to have a picnic too. should be fun. Next week we might change our pday to another day so that we can go to the temple since it isn´t open on mondays, but I am not sure so monday i may or may not email. also they are making this transfer only 5 weeks long instead of six because president heaton has to go to argentina for something so that will throw thing s off later on. and the change after will be seven weeks long.

Sorry I really don´t have very much to say again this week. Missionary work has just been kind of boring lately...I miss you all a lot, I love fall time in utah, it is fun to read about the drivesyou have taken to enjoy the colorful leaves and the nice weather. Give sally some loves for me.

Until next week, All my love, Jessica