Email 2/23/11

Wow mom this has been so extremely awful this week for us.... I thought the weeks before were rough, which trust me they were, but wow this week was awful and good at the same time. So, before I was explaining this new program or thing that they are doing in the mission. All of the zones are doing it, but there are two that all the missionaries within the zone are participating in.  Ponce, which is one of the zones (the one I am in), is a city where many people go and work from other towns. Like, the people that I serve in my area travel there to work, legal things, and etc.... The leaders of the church believe that this is a central place where diligent, responsible people can be found. Center of strength (centro de mas fuerzos)... so we received a call the night we had to leave that we all of a sudden had to drive 45 minutes to Ponce at night and teach the next night in an area called Tuque. I would be changing with another companion for the day and that every missionary in my zone would be doing this every Tuesday. We would be working from 6am-9pm and be with our changed companion in this area. The goal is to help create a branch in our area, Tuque. There is a lot of potential, but the problem was we didn't get to warn our citas, our investigators, because our district leader forgot to tell us until like 1-2 hours before. This was last Monday/Tuesday. Then we had our P-day in which we did not get to get everything done because we were with the other Hermanas which was fun, but a lot of stress because we had chores in Adjuntas. Then they changed last minute our zone conference, so we had to take 2 trips to Ponce. At the conference it was good and spiritual.  We talked about the BOOK OF MORMON which helped my testimony (strengthened it). It was stressful as well, because they just added more rules, assignments, and all that jazz, making our stress level sky rocket. I have to buy a bike and buy all the accessories with my Chase (debit) card. Today I'm going to buy a helmet, lights, and a lock, and possibly a basket.

Anyways so we had that, but as we were going to the zone conference it was awful, so we were stressed about the change, but at 6 in the morning I drove to Ponce cuz we had to pick up the sisters, in which we had to put a bike rack on the car, but they didn't know how to put it on and we were running late. Then we had a high schooler help us, and finally left, as we were driving I had 3 Latina voices telling me different directions (none drive so they don't know how you need to make decisions fast), so we were all over the place, very dangerous, stressful, and super late. It was a nightmare!!! We finally made it and then the elders took the car to the dealership for an inspection.... after the conference I asked President how Hermana Miller was doing and he said she is doing so great. It was funny cuz he explained that in her letter to him she wrote that she was not happy with him because he let me go from her, she wanted more time with me LOL.... and he was like I am so amazed the accomplishments you made in your first area (with Hermana Miller) and he was explaining that I have so many gifts and capabilities that is going to help the mission and people. I was talking to him about how I was still struggling and I feel like every day I'm fighting myself and the adversary. He was like why are you doing that to yourself and my answer is I don't know. I'm trying to get better and recognize the positive things, but honestly it’s hard when I have no time to think, breathe, or stop stressing. There is another assignment of the mission or an INSANE change that is unexpected affecting our area (and) our people that makes it hard to enjoy the mission life. They also gave us a couple of assignments on top of everything else.  We have to read 100 minutes in the Book of Mormon in every minute we have free every day..... I talked to president about these things because he is the only person I can talk to about these things and know that he can help me.

So anyways that was the day of conference.... so we were like okay we will work with our people on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday... leave to Ponce Monday night, work Tuesday, then P-day, planning, and Utuado. We have three days with our people in Adjuntas. We had to explain to them that we were sorry and we didn't know about the changes. Then Saturday night rolls by and we receive a call that the sister who trains us was coming to our area to be with us on Monday. We were like okay cool but last minute and it was a 1 hour drive one way at night. So we were ready to go get her Sunday night and we received a call 20 minutes before saying we were going to Ponce to work Monday and Tuesday. No notice.... we freaked out..... our poor people in Adjuntas. We missed really important citas with families, investigators, members, dinner appointments everything. It also changed all the plans of our trainer (she wasn't too happy).... anyways we didn't know where the town was so we drove and one thing about PR they don't know directions at all..... so we drove, hit a toll booth and we have a prepaid thing, but I didn't know where the lane was so we paid... barely didn't have the change, a lot of pennies, and when I reached to put the money in, it fell on the road, and there were all these people waiting at night and it was just awful. We also got lost and did a lot of turning around. Then we realized where we were and the person that gave us directions gave us harder ones and we could have found an easier, better way. Anyways we picked up the sister who is a total cutie and drove to Ponce. We ended up teaching Monday and Tuesday. Good thing is on Monday we had 10 lessons... which is great!!!! Bad news is it only counts for Ponce and we still need to make our mission goal in Adjuntas with only 2.5 days there. Not sure how that is possible. We also received another 20 minute notice about another change for a meeting, and it goes on and on..... see why I'm overly stressed?  Last minute, huge changes, and it’s not just effecting us, but everyone in Adjuntas.

Nester we found out that he is still fervently trying to quit smoking, but did not reach his goal of his birthday yesterday. We called him and wished him happy birthday.... he received a blessing and is fasting, so he can quit. He is doing so wonderful and sincerely trying to change, despite all his challenges and temptations. We had a baptism on Sunday of an 8 year girl whose mom is a menos activa, and so we taught her the lessons. It was great to see her be baptized and be a huge example for her family. Nester went to the baptism and was asking questions and was interested about the Holy Ghost the most.... unfortunately because of his smoking he will not be baptized this week. Also Juan we think we are going to drop because we can't get a hold of him. Sad stories.

Remind me to tell you more about the one girl and her family.

Also we had a lunch with a member in Ponce, she's very sweet, recent convert, and she has been having problems. This was the day I had broken down from being really stressed and I was at a huge low. I testified to her of how we are given things that our Heavenly Father knows we can handle, it's why we are here, to prove to Him that we are capable, that we can face whatever we are given. That He has that much confidence in us of overcoming those things. She later thanked me for my testimony and then the sisters thanked me as well saying that the Spirit was strong and powerful for them.

I have to go, sorry if none of this makes sense.....

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND MISS YOU GUYS TERRIBLY!!!!!!

ME

(I’ve been asked to ‘report on my missionary’ in sacrament on Sunday.  I asked Jessie what she’d like me to say and this was her response)  I don't know what you can say... my testimony has grown more about the BOM and I am in my process of true conversion. Also you can explain a little about the project I'm doing and how it’s an inspired thing from President Monson and (President) Alvarado.

Also, I think I had Tricia's new president as an institute teacher.

Email Chat 2/16/11

Jessie with Hermana Angel, Hermana Jimenez (from the Dominican Republic) and Hermana Estrada (from Guatemala).   Hermanas Jimenez and Estrada serve as companions in Ponce, PR.

Jessie with Hermanas Jimenez and Estrada in Ponce.



So how have things been? I received the letters and package and they were all fantastic -gracias!!! I decorated the room for her birthday (Hermana Angel’s) the day before Valentine’s because things have been so crazy, time is becoming more and more limited. It's really frustrating, cuz we are just so, so drained. People and leaders think that missionaries are super humans and the fact is we are not at all. Anyways.... Thank you. I loved the things and so did Hermana Angel. It was a great surprise. She knew I was up to something, but thought it was for Valentine’s. By the way HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MI AMOR ;p

So we had a fiesta and it went well.... so crazy things have happened this week..... on Sunday we had people tell us they were coming to church; one a menos activa, and the others investigators. So we were like okay we are supposed to go the Utuado branch today, but we will go for the sacrament meeting in Adjuntas and then leave to work in Utuado. We found a ride for the menos activo, but we were not able to find a ride for our investigator... so we went to find the menos activa and she didn't want to go and we couldn't get a hold of the person we wanted for our investigators who didn't have phones. So long story short we didn't have them come, but we did have one of our menos activo families come to church which was super cool.... so we ended up driving to Utuado and staying for the services like Sunday school and sacrament. After the services we were planning to work in Utuado until 7ish.... while we were in our services we ran into a missionary who ended his mission this January. I had his mom in my ward in Guaynabo, and he was serving in the same stake as his mom, and they saw each other during stake conference.  Crazy Eh!! (I double checked and Jessie confirmed he’s from Puerto Rico).  Anyways he was there and now he is engaged to Pres. Alvarado's sister.... but he knows our investigator who didn't get baptized that one time and knew where he actually lived. We didn't know where he lived cuz we would meet with him at his gf's (girlfriend’s) mom’s house and every time we called him, he wouldn't pick up, so we were starting to think he was a lost cause. And it was weird cuz not this Sunday, but last Sunday he was at church and acted like nothing happened.... strange, and we still hadn't learned where he lived and every time we wanted to make an appointment he wouldn't answer.... so this ex-missionary helped us out. We all went and found his house and he wasn't there, then we called him and he finally answered and said oh meet me at 3:30.... so we were like okay we will do contacts.....we arrived and he wasn't there, we were like "does he think this is a joke?".... we decided to go find other people, and as Hermana Angel was writing a sticky note, the (former) missionary started talking to the next door neighbor who was cool and knew tons about the history of the church. We started to talk to him too a little, inviting him for us to return and clarify and teach more. As we were talking to the neighbor, guess who shows up.... we chatted and it's interesting we aren't for sure if he really feels the Spirit. By the way this is Juan.... he is great, knows the gospel, but I don't know how much he really feels. He said that he truly has a desire to be baptized and we have him for the same baptismal date as Nester, Feb 26. So we have two baptisms on Feb 26. We also have one this week, with a young girl of a menos activa who is turning eight. We have been teaching and reviewing the lessons with her, just to make sure she realizes the importance of baptism and understands more of the gospel. Nester is doing great.... he has been so dedicated to changing. He wants to be completely ready on his birthday Feb 22 and he is really changing and progressing. He has dropped coffee, slowly dropping smoking, and he had a problem with the law of chastity, not a problem anymore. Mom seriously he is doing great!

……………my area is a small mountain town with nothing like Walmart, or other stores.  Did I tell you we are getting bikes : $90.... but, I don't know when we have to pay and get them.... not happy about that.  LOL.   I have no idea why they want bikes. We live on a giant rollercoaster, seriously really steep hills, we have a car, and our area is huge. All the sister missionaries are getting bikes.

I'm doing alright.... not amazing but alright..... thanks for the scripture (I sent  her Helaman 10:4-5), I'll definitely look it up!!! WE don't get to do anything on P-days but clean and email and shop for food. We are lucky if we have 20 minutes to write or sleep or eat.... seriously it is ridiculous. We have 6 in my district and none in my area but us. We all live about 30-40 minutes away from one another.  (She’s talking about the missionaries in her district.)

So every Tuesday Hermana Angel and I will be going to Ponce (35 minutes away) and serve in that area with the sisters (pictures) for only that day. It's a new program/revelation thing and my whole zone is doing it....  I don't have much time to explain right now, but remind me next time and I can explain the details with you....

I have had 5 comps (companions) and 3 areas in 4 months dang.....

I still can't understand them (the Puerto Ricans), my Spanish is awful.  LOL…...

(I commented that I thought Jessie would have a darker tan by now.   This is what she said:)  No, I'm still super white.  I don't really tan here.

Email chat 2/9/11

Warning!   Before you begin………Jessie and I didn’t have a lot of time to email chat and then she hadn’t written a letter, so it’s a short entry this week.   She is having some troubles and could really use some extra prayers.   Also, if you happen to go to the temple, please put her on the prayer roll.   She is still dealing with the transition of being a full-time missionary and is facing all the challenges common to young people doing the Lord’s work.   Thank you!!!!!!!

ummmmm........ okay can I just say this is not an ordinary place, so many crazy things happen and it wears me out... want to hear good companionship story? LOL.  So Hermana Angel and I are very much alike and we think similar too.... so I have been seriously craving Disneyland so badly. I'm so worn out, stressed, and emotionally torn, I need fun!!!! So for some reason I'm like I need a good fun filled day of Disneyland (in my mind). So funny, the other day we were in the car stressed out and Hermana Angel says "I want Mickey".  I was like what? Mickey???  Is it a food or some Spanish word, had no idea.... she wants Disneyland too. Heheheh.  We both this week have been craving a trip to Disneyland.

(So then I asked if Hermana Angel had been to Disneyland before and this is what Jessie said….)   no she has not been in the U.S. before but she randomly said it and I was like What?? cuz it was too funny!

Oy so bad. I think of all these things that have happened then I forget them.  (She was talking about things she wants to tell me, but then forgets when it’s time to sit down and write a letter.   I responded that she should keep sticky notes like I do.   I have sticky notes everywhere and when I want to remember to tell Jessie things I keep a list on a sticky note and use it to write her a letter.)   That’s funny about the sticky notes, I'm starting to do it a little bit more than before....

Hermana Angel is sick right now, so I have been trying to help her get better by forcing her to rest and eat soup and take medicine.  LOL.... I think she's somewhat recovering, I just hope I don't catch anything. So I finally got my mail from the office, it had been 5 weeks. Wow! Long time.... anyways I was absolutely thrilled and had a pile that I couldn't help but read all in one sitting.

Do you remember the investigator Nester? The one that we contacted for a long time and finally went to church, well wonderful news he is getting baptized.... he goes to church and Mutual and is getting to know the ward very well. He is a very energetic, kind, and enthusiastic man. He has a goal that by Feb 22 he will be completely ready for his baptism, which is on Feb 26. We were like that's great, but that will be a challenge for him because he smokes, drinks coffee, and has a problem with his marriage. So we are praying hard that he can really push himself to his goal which he fully is trying to be committed to. The chastity part is the biggest problem because apparently he is married, but has been separated from his wife for a long time. We don't know where she is or who she is? We have no idea what the situation is like, but apparently he is legally married, which most PR's are not. He has a lady friend, who we think is a girlfriend, so that is the problem. We don’t know what he is going to do, either find his wife, or divorce and not date the other woman. Very complicated process that we are very concerned about, but he is definitely willing to follow the things we have asked him. He is reliable in a sense, he keeps his commitments, and is always there for our citas.  It’s kind of a challenge to teach him cuz we always have to have a member present because he is a single male. Pray for him please!!!!

(I asked why Nester went to Mutual since it’s for the teenagers.)   .... and he goes because it’s a good branch members friend builder activity. Gets him involved with the people. Most of the members go, cuz our rama (branch) is super small. In Adjuntas (40) and in Utuado (30) members regularly. So it’s a good activity for him.... also when we taught about the law of chastity we had no idea it would be a problem and then all of a sudden he threw the hard ball at us... we don't know much regarding his status with her. Also I have the hardest time understanding PRicans.... mom people are not joking. Their Spanish is so so so hard to understand. I can for the most part understand Hermana Angel and the other Central Americans, but PRicans – nope.

(Here I was wondering if the Puerto Rican Spanish was at all influenced by American English because overall Americans have very poor enunciation and diction and we speak very fast.) Yep that must be it because that sounds exactly like them.  LOL.  They have very sloppy, fast Spanish and slang, I can understand Hermana Angel cuz she is slow, and pronounces her words completely.  LOL and oh PR's, I kind of have a problem with them. LOL.

Jessie and Hermana Angel with some investigators.  

 Look!   Jessie and Hermana Angel are almost the same size!

Jessie with Hermana Curl and her companion in Puerto Rico.

Email 2/2/11 - Happy Groundhog Day!

I saw Tricia's newsletter about her stake conference we had one too,  like a broadcasting one and this was a few weeks ago, and in this broadcast it was for all of the Caribbean. The speakers were Oaks, Uchtdorf, and the relief society counselor. It was in Spanish so there  was a lot i didn't understand, but I did get some of it. It was intense, we'll just say a serious smack down from the church to the people in the Caribbean of all the things they need to stop doing.  Every single thing they mentioned I am so glad they mentioned them cuz I don't want to be the one to say some of those things. Those leaders are more powerful sometimes than us and are better to communicate to the people about some things, than we are as missionaries.

Okay so we didn't have miles this week cuz we have a limited amount (car mileage allowance) and the same about as everyone in the mission. Problem is our area covers a lot of land, a lot of driving, extremely hard to not use miles. We tried to be obedient, so mostly all last week we walked and taught. It was a rough week for us, much stress,  tiredness, dehydration, happiness, unexpected.... interesting. I will just say that this place

has a lot of strange things. We have 4 new investigators which is fantastic. One is a man and his mother (who is old and is constantly falling asleep during our lessons) and the man is cool. He definitely understands the concept of gran apostasia, but I don't know if he retains information as well, or knows exactly how he feels. He is very cool though and we really hope he progresses. It was interesting how we ran into him, we were returning from a cita in the same barrio (neighborhood) and he was cleaning. We offered to serve and he said no, and then he made like a smart aleck remark about us painting and we were like yeah of course when. He laughed and continued on what he was doing. We were like we are serious we have clothes we can paint. When? So he gave us a time. We returned and ready to paint and he was like I'm not going to paint, but thank you. So he really appreciated that we took our time to come paint for him, so he invited us in. He allowed us to teach him and he had been given a Book of Mormon from other sisters earlier so he was familiar with the BOM and the story of Joseph Smith. So it was nice to have a base to teach upon.

The other story we have is a good one. So as we were returning home from a very long day walking around in the sun, all over town, there was a man who Hermana Angel always contacts and invites to church.   So every time she invites him he always says "mi casa es su casa" which is so funny cuz he says it like in every other sentence. He has a lot of energy and he is much older. So we invited him and he was like yeah I really coming, I'm going.... but Hermana Angel didn't believe it because he had been saying that since September. So we said bye and went off. This last Sunday we drove to one of our other areas that is far for the whole day. We arrived at the chapel and we received a phone call, who happened to be a member of the church here in Utuado. They mentioned that an investigator was at the church looking for us...

we were like WHAT!!!! WHO??? and we thought it was this family that we had been teaching, and in our last lesson taught about church. Nope it was our mi casa es su casa friend, Nester Rodriquez. He actually came to church and we weren't there LOL.... Hermana Angel talked to him and he wasn't sure if he was going to stay for all the meetings. We later found out that he absolutely loved church and the people. Later we went over and thanked him and talked to him about it. We later taught him the next day with our landlords who are members and gave him the first lesson. We invited him for baptism on Feb 28 and he said YES....

My first baptismal date YAH!!!! But there is more to work on, we'll have to see, pray for us that he will continue to want to learn. That night we also invited him to Mutual to check it out, and he CAME and checked it out. We wouldn't have known, but we drove by and saw him walking back to his place from the chapel area. SO I pray he will be serious and be baptized.

Next I talked to Hermana Miller and she is doing really well....Pedro finally got baptized yeah.... and the other two investigators don't want them to visit anymore (Wanda and Saima really sad).... it was so so so so so good to talk to her. ……………..

We have a menos activa who is a tough cookie. She is really hard hearted and against the church and every time we try to teach something she throws some theory or belief that she has. She was baptized and it’s sad seeing how she feels. She is rejecting the things she once knew.... so sad and we tried and tried and she would always find a negative remark. She claims she has never felt the Spirit and we tried to help her and explain to her, but nada. After, Hermana Angel was so distraught she explained that as she was talking to her, she pictured the king from Lord of the Rings who was old and evil looking kept popping in her mind. It is very sad because we know that Satan is working really hard on her. After we chatted we both cried and were distraught cuz ……….

We shared scriptures together, stories, and made one another feel better and to feel the Spirit again. She explained that she felt that within three week our hearts were interconnected and I have helped her to mature and understand her feelings more. She is so amazing Hermana Angel!!!!

I got my license today, they stole my USA one.... I'm officially a Puerto Rican.... I was so nervous because they require so much, it was in the really far town and I was stressed about miles, I didn't read the rule book until really, really late last night and this morning.... but with prayers and Hermana Angel quizzing me while I was driving I got my license. I barely passed my test, I got a 75 and 70 is the lowest passing grade. LOL such a blessing!