A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER:

Well folks all I can say is this has been a flip flop week.  on Wednesday the weather officially decided to turn into fall.. literally in a days time.  it has not stopped raining since. and no it's not just a sprinkle it's a continually down pour.  I don't even remember what the sun looks like anymore... my skin may start to sparkle soon. (get it Twilight joke.)  I had to officially pull out clothing from the air tight packed away suit case and air them out.  everyone teases me but hey a winter coat keeps me warm and warm makes me happy!   i'm like a marshmallow and it's not even technically October yet... oh boy. remember how I didn't bring winter stuff with me really... everyone start praying NOW for my visa... haha otherwise I may have to break down and go shopping and or grow fur. one of the two options.  so this transfer we had our "checkups"  with the Choi's.  In and out in five minutes, speedy and effective but once again it was well worth it.  Sister CHoi wants me to help out with the choir and well president choi and I just talked Utes vs byu in football (thanks dad for the updates), I technically thinks missionary approved to talk about now.  hehe  I do miss the autumn colors though.  For being such a forest, it's the emerald city, and not much changes color. I get excited over the small trees filled with oranges and red (my own form of sunshine).  

Tender mercies

A week of tender mercies!  blessed small things that make the wheels turn continually turn, driving me forward:

Sunday:  president choi and sister choi visted our branch for sacrament meeting.  while they talked president martinez translated into the beatiful language of spanish.  Between all three it was kindof like getting spanish and english with a hint of korean.  it was great and I loved it, the only hard part about sundays is no longer do I get to enjoy the meetings.  no I have to force all my brain power to catch a word here and there try to connect the dots and form some kind of sentence.  It's like a giant puzzle, and i've never been all that great with them.  I just need bubbus and dad to help me out and then i'd be golden!  regardless, president choi is awesome.  If I could I would shrink him down into a bobble head size man and carry him with me everywhere.  He'd constantly motivate me, make me giggle, and push me forward.  he's one heck of a mission president and it's always a treat when he's around.  He loves to sing, and so definitely do lots of it!  Having fun with the spirit is his motto and having fun we do!

On tuesday we knock for about 2 hours and have no success.  finally we head to the car when we see a festive christmas lights appartment with lots of shoes... can only mean one thing, hispanic!  so we head there.  after sharing a message we feel  a lot better about ourselves and not wasting the Lord's precious time.  again we keep heading to the car when just like sweet motab music we hear the loud laughter and mexican music force us to a hault.  without a word said to eachother we turn around and are lead to the house by sound.  this is where we meet carlos and his family of 6.  Now they are great and were very welcoming.  We sung to carlos and just like that everyone elses little-big feet scampered to the door to hear our caroling.  One thing president choi knows is that hispanics love to be sung to and feel the spirit.  It's always a great way to draw the crowds, regardless of our capibilities in actually hitting the notes.  well yesterday on sunday we had another lesson with them and took two members from the ward.  after much mind power and well a lot of translation help from my compaion it turns out their family is struggling and the only reason why the parents are sticking together is for the kids.  Well luckly we brought the strongest priesthood holder men in the ward to bear testimony and fill the room with the spirit!  after watching a cheesy lds film on family and teaching them how to pray as a family, we all gathered around and Carlos offered up a prayer.  I wanted to burst out in tears it was so awesome!  the spirit was so strong and all I could do (since I couldn't talk)  was continually pray that they felt and recognized it as God sent.  We have another lesson with them next week, which I am looking forward too!  I know that this gospel will bless their lifes more than anything else.  They need it!  If they were to come closer to Christ they would come closer as a family! It's the biggest blessing someone could have. 

Am I still in America?

For starters sorry there were so many mistakes in my last email. I was writing very fast, and when i'm stressed my fingers cramp.  haha just think of it as a game.  I know you're all at home bored and you're looking forward to translating, :) 

This area is like crossing into a whole new world as my good friend Ariel would put it.  I traveled from the long road to somewhere with a completely different culture. and by long it's about 15 minutes.  haha I left mini Asia to mexico/India.  As I arrived I couldn't help but say "we're not in Kansas anymore Toto."  talk about a different life.  It doesn't even feel like the same state.  I'm more ocean level and so I feel the heat more.  Threes aren't quite as dense and i'm no longer living in the Ritz.  In just two days we doubled the lessons of my last area and have had more referrals than the whole last transfer.  I've become very connected with my best friend Lucille ball at this point.  Why?  because if you remember correctly she doesn't speak any Spanish. Neither do I.  My eyes are as big as hers and my accent is about the same. all I need to do is dye my hair red and start calling my companion Ricky.  you know when she gets that look when Ricky starts getting mad at her and she says "it wasn't me"  well i'm about the same.  When someone starts babbling off to me in Spanish, I look all cute, innocent, and say "es verdadero" or "yo se que...."  I feel sympathy for that woman. 

BIG WEEK!

Ok first things first,

I've been transfered. this is how it goes down.... 

the three of us sisters pray that we stay together, we've become extremely attached and are the three amigos. so we are sitting around and the clock reads 10:20, ten more minutes and it means we're all save... and then,,,ring ring  "hello?"  "is sister alley there"  "This is she."  "you are being transferred.."  my heart sunk.  what, no I'm not ready, I'm just starting to get the hang of things!! you can't make me leave.  what happens if I refuse?  ahhhh so after many goodbye hugs and expressions of love, I packed my now very large suitcases, said goodbye to my mother and grandmother and received an envelope with the news. goodbye first home it's time for a new adventure  so....

I'm going to be in a Spanish area!!!  even better, a Spanish branch (meaning our ward is all in Spanish).  we have a brand spanking new apartment. which means we have lots of shopping to do.  I am once again in the three some, with hermana laney (shes been out a long time. 11? maybe?)  and guess who the other one is.... HERMANA GARDNER! my best pal from the mtc, the lovely lady who traveled up with me. tears of joy as once again we are reunited.  she also came from an English area which means, no Spanish experience for her either. aka poor hermana laney is left in the dark by herself.  ahhhhhh!   folks I am now going to start learning this language.  whether or not I'm ready, it is time.  some good news though, hermana enos (came in two transfers before me)  got her visa and headed out this week!  so she was here for three transfers, the hermana she came out with had been here for two.. so that gives us a rough guess of how long I'll be living here in the states.  one or two more, hopefully.  Not that I don't love it here, cause I do!  but I'm Argentina bound!  this Spanish area is just baby steps towards.  a little English here and there, and then I'll head south to learn my real Idioma! 

First transfer in the field is up!

So we get this crazy text message yesterday saying that due to disobedience there would be no emailing privileges this week.  for the first time on my mission I was ticked. you can't take away my family.  Once a week is not near enough and now someone is ruining it for us all!! well that night we got another one that gave us the opportunity to write a quick one today.  I already wrote a very lengthy letter home so expect the details on that and I'll fill the rest in on here.  

This week was great.  We are getting hyped up about family history.  Folks our tree is lacking on family search, someone needs to pick it up back home.  we have a huge event tonight that is inspiring people to do their work online.  Hopefully a massive amount of people come, that the interest has been sparked in the community!  I've already seen the biggest miracle from family history here in the field.  and like the siblings have said the alley fam on the other side of the veil is rooting for me.  This area I'm in is huge on family history approaches and taking advantage of them.  And I can see why, families need to be webbed together for the eternities. I know it brings me the greatest comfort to know we are stuck with each other, as if forever was long enough!  

A highlight this week was yesterday, the Choi's (our mission presidents)  held a mission choir practice.  this is going to start picking up every week.  I am stoked about it.  I wish I could spend every day in their company.  I just adore them, and besides mom and dad, they are the cutest couple :)   when they laugh I laugh, and when they cry I cry.  And I  ALWAYS feel the spirit in their presence.  They know exactly what I need, and have been called of God, to lead this mission.  And there is just something about getting all together as missionaries in one room.  the positive energy is just so alive, and everyone can't help but just sing like angels. or at least attempt to do their best with the vocal cords they've been given.  :)  not everyone can hit a note,,,, even if it just a primary song, a child prayer.

Well More to come just by the post lady.

next week is transfers. I find out on Sunday, but that means p-day is on Tuesday.  Pray for whoever makes the assignments that my next adventure, staying or going is inspired by the Lord. :)  

LOVE YOU!