Surprise!

Mon, February 7, 2011 5:55:03 PM

First off I want to say it has recently come to knowledge that a package of letters I forwarded to my mom got lost in transit, so if you haven’t heard something from me recently, that may be why. Sorry! I feel horrible! I STILL LOVE YOU ALL AND THE UPDATES YOU SEND ME!!

Here comes a surprise! (well.. for some of you)

Guess what? I´m training! Weird, huh? What a joke! hahaha just kidding. Well it has been a week of surprises. Are you laughing yet? Well it is weird cuz I have only been here for a little bit of time and there are so many others who I feel could do such a better job or need the opportunity to train but yet.. here I am. And what is more is although two gringas haven’t been together here before, now I have a gringa hija (companion). Ahhhh Life is a funny funny thing. Also, so is our president. Because since the first day I came here he was always so cool with that whole deal and told me gringas wouldn’t be put together and everything but yeah, then this happened- haha. A bunch of my friends were at changes and when my pic came up to train (before we found out who we would teach) the whole ROOM was like OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! And that was interesting. I guess I am a bit more popular than I thought? It was actually kind of funny because my trainer (mission mom) was training, and the trainer of my trainer (mission grandmother) are also both training, and they are also both training the other 2 new gringas that came with Hna. Garff. And so it was kind of funny - we took photos of my mission grandmother, Hna. Wilford and all of the generations - I joked that it really was true what the scriptures say about posterity! Even here in the mission! hahaha. I wanted to post the pictures but my battery died after I had only gotten three pictures off of it so you will have to wait till next week. But at least you have the one of us with the President! Have I told you how much I love, appreciate and respect him by the way? He is an excellent human being.

Hnas. Garff and Rippstein with Pres. Arredondo

But it’s cool cuz I know the president and God trust me and want me to grow and all that and I feel good. Hermana Garff is from West Jordan, Utah. She makes me smile and she is so cute and sweet and a great help. I take comfort from knowing that at least I can understand exactly where she is at right now to help her through. Things are kind of crazy the whole first change but she is taking it like a champ! She speaks really good Spanish and understands a lot for someone who just came.. I have a testimony growing within me with the fact that this is a two person mission because even though she can’t speak or understand a ton - and me either - somehow we have still been able to experience some pretty cool stuff here and teach really well together. Vamos a hechar fuego!!! Idk- the whole thing has really humbled me.. especially cuz I have revisited now the sleeping disorder that I had before in my life... a few days before we found out about changes it started and I have felt hollow and weak and have had to rest a lot - consequences of little sleep - But we have still continued and persevered! I wanna be a good mommy! hahaha. I feel happy because I know that God trusts us and I know that He called US on this mission to be here in this time and we - not anyone else - are those that can help these folks specifically here in Ciudad Jardin.