My dear family!

 

Yeah, *brick'd* is one of my favorite expressions. Kinda like when you tell a bad joke and people throw tomatoes at you, except it's bricks cos it's even worse of a joke or pun or whatever. That kind of expression works too, though. Haha! Also, it doesn't surprise me that Dad's been keeping closer track of how long it's been than you. (Blue stapler, anyone?) Out here whenever people ask me how long I've been out, I just tell them the length I've been in the field (so it's still about a month and a half). Date-wise it's been two months and a bit, but I don't wanna seem like I'm counting for more than that. Hehe :)

 

I compiled a list of things I wanted to share with Craig before he left so he can be more prepared than me ;) And I think the CCing thing should work, so hopefully it gets there ¯\[°_O]/¯ but anyway! 

• don't forget the importance of using people's names.
• bring pictures of your family, since lots of people will ask to see. try to find an especially good one of mom. :)
• always always always be honest.
• eventually, you'll get out into the field. sisters can always get away with this easier, but short thank-you notes are an AWESOME way to build ward trust. when the members trust you, they will let you teach their friends and the work will move forward twofold. (along with that, write neatly :)
• two really easy ways to start a conversation: the weather, and the dog.
• before you leave, make sure you print out a good list of jokes. (try to stay away from the you-had-to-be-there kinds.) they're fantastic icebreakers!
• if you are like me, and I daresay you are, you will quickly find you have a huge capacity to love people.
• There will come a time when you need a little extra strength. Here are some scriptures to help! D&C 38:7; 84:88; 25:3 (you'll have to change the pronoun in that one); 6:36; 24:8; 64:33; 68:6; Mark 9:23. (I got this list from Sister Elaine Dalton while I was in the MTC. Let it help you too :)
• laminate your Preach My Gospel. there's a place in the MTC to do it - ask around.
• get a pocket-notebook to write notes in. use this for all the little whispers of revelation you get throughout the day - for yourself, and for the people you're teaching. you'll find it changes how frequently you get answers to your prayers.

That's all I can think of there. Hope it helps! I still don't have an address to write you; emails are fine, but I'd like to send real letters while you're in the MTC (it goes by so fast! and you'll want a letter!!). 

 

The days are long and the weeks are short. They so are! It's been two months already? Crazy. We're going bowling with my district again today, so exciting :) the last time we did that I did fairly well, haha! I got a strike throwing it backwards, did I tell you about that? Good times. ^_^

 

For the record, we're still on the hunt for a bassoon- I'm not holding my breath. :P I don't think we'll find one, but that's okay. I can still sing.

 

It's been HOT here of late! So even more people are trying to go on last minute vacations to escape the heat. Part of me wishes I could go with them. (I'm melting!)

 

This week I kept reading in the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. I love how we can apply the groups of Lamanites and Nephites to ourselves, in all situations! For example, I read this morning about how Helaman divided his army and camped outside the city that the Lamanites had taken over while the other part hid in the wilderness. The Lamanites saw that there were only a few Nephites, so they thought that since there were a small number of them, they could run out and slay them all without losing the city. Yay. So the Lamanites come out and Helaman and his army take off, and the Lamanites chase them. But the 2nd part of Helaman's army come out of hiding and take over the city while everybody's "out to lunch", as it were. Helaman and his army get away and the Lamanites come back to find the city taken back, and they flee again. But I love that we can apply both sides to ourselves! Take Helaman and the Nephites. They could've attacked head-on and lost a lot of people, but they thought outside the box and thought about the weaknesses of the Lamanites on how to draw them out of the city so they could take it. But, if we look at ourselves in the position of the Lamanites, we need to remember that when we're in those places of strength and fortification, we have to keep ourselves well protected if we're going to go out and try to get something more that we want. There's so much strategy in this part of the BoM, I think it's so great that we can liken them to ourselves, as it were :)

 

Anyway! That's all I have time for today, familia! I love you bunches and I pray for you often :D Hugs from me, y'all are the best :3

 

LOVELOVELOVE,

Sister Nelson