"And the winter is coming up fast, ready to kill!"

Email: 9/23/2013

Ok, sorry for the Les Mis quote, but I've been waiting my entire two months of my mission to use that, and it's FINALLY getting cold so I can use it! :) Everybody is saying it's so weird that it's getting cold so early. It normally doesn't get this cold until late October, but it's in the 50-60 degrees. During the afternoon it gets up into the 70's, but for the most part it's chilly. HELLO I LOVE IT. But I know I'm going to die... OH HEY! One of the less active women we're working with GAVE ME A GOAT!! She said it's the coat she used her first winter here in Utah, and it kept her plenty warm (she's from a warm part of California). So I can cross that off of my things to buy! Which is good, because I'm straight broke. But hey, this money I saved on buying a coat means I can buy nicer boots, more tights, sweaters, scarves, thermal garments, hats, ear warmers, nose warmers, everything else warmers... I'm going to die...

So yes, I have a coat. Great news. NOW FOR SOME FREAKING STORY TIME!! So we were in the East Elder's area, and we needed to give them something, so we stopped by the family's house they were at. They invited us in, we talked with the family a little bit, and BOOM. The mother is the family lived in Orange Park when she was an itsy bitsy child! So she said she'd ask her mom if she knew any Willis'. Sooooo........ about a week passes by and we find ourselves meeting the Elders at their house again. She tells me "Hey, I talked to my mom, and she said she did know a Willis family in Orange Park!" So I got SO EXCITED, and then when she said these next words I almost died... "Guy and Roberta?" "THOSE ARE MY GRANDPARENTS!!!" I may have yelled right at her, but whatever I was excited!!! She told me that grandma and grandpa were the ones who introduced them TO THE CHURCH. So try to wrap your head around this... My grandparents introduced this woman's family to the church. So she's here in Eagle Mountain with a son on a mission in Costa Rica because of MY grandparents! My heart almost exploded all over their living room. I love my geandparents a whole lot, and to hear that I'm in the home of this family BECAUSE OF THEM... Boom. JUST BOOM. Also, she said that when grandma died, one of the kids wrote to her mom and told her (Brenda/Barbara Blake?) I imagine that was you dad... I don't know why, it just sounds like something you would do. Hah So yes. SO COOL.

This week was Stake Conference, and GUESS WHO I SAW. TONY FISH! Do you remember Elder Fish?! Well, whatever. I was standing by the translation area where the members of the branch were going to be sitting, and I was looking around. I look not even three rows away and see this dude who looks incredibly familiar. I'm pretty sure he looked at me at the same time and thought the same thing (except I'm not a dude, obvi), because I heard him say "What the..." as he turned back to me. SO I got to see him, his wife and baby. MY GRACIOUS, WHAT A CUTE BABY. For real. But how psycho crazy! He lives just up the road from us! Well, up the road and down a ways, but still. We walk through his neighborhood frequently! Whaaat?! So neat.

So. I've been thinking a lot about Elder John Telford. Just about how awesome he is, and about how I wouldn't likely be on a mission without him. And then meeting this family who came into the church because of grandma and grandpa, that was just icing on the cake. Sooo, I wrote him a letter. I wrote a letter to Elder Telford. I just love this person so much! But he's not alive, so I sent it to you, dad. Don't cry. No, whatever you're going to cry no matter what I say. Haha I just want to MEET HIM! But I can wait until the next life, I guess. Also, dad can you send me the story about Margret (I don't remember her name... I think it was Margret...) The one who had a problem with her hands and couldn't do anything, but she read the bible, turning the pages with her crippled hands. Then she read James 5:14-15 , saw the Elders, asked them for a blessing, then the next day her mom woke up to the sound of her making breakfast (as in... her hands were better.) I want the real story, because the story from my memory is... well, it just sounds silly. Hah I love that story though!

So hey, remember how one of the ZL's is from France? Well not the other ZL is from SWITZERLAND. Holy moley I'm going to die. I'm surrounded by awesome accents and a multitude of different languages!! Will somebody ask Bro. Mitchell where he served? This Elder is from northern Switzerland... I don't remember where exactly. But yes. So fun. Seriously. I can't handle all of these languages and accents. This combined with the winter is for real going to kill me to death! Bahaha

The Spanish branch (yes, it's just is Spanish speakers!) is coming along quite nicely :) In real life I prefer to have church early (like 9am early. You know!), but on the mission I prefer it later. I like it at 1, so I don't know how it'll be going to church at 3... When we have church at 1 we have all morning to do studies and eat breakfast and have regular morning schedule (for the most part), but now it's going to be weird... Hmmm... We're going to be visiting members and people when they're (hopefully) getting ready for church. Hahaha Awkward... And guess what! WE ALMOST MET OUR GOALS FOR LAST WEEK! I was so excited. We have to walk a lot for the rest of this month (because we got miles taken away), and I thought walking would hold us back since we won't be able to cover as much ground as quickly, but it's had the opposite effect! We're having more lessons, and BETTER lessons too. My Spanish is coming along, too. Now that Hna. Hernandez is MAKING me speak... hahaha So the work is moving, I'm moving (I love walking!), my Spanish is moving... This week was A LOT better than last week. Hopefully it keeps moving up! :)

But hey! Mom! On last Monday I said "I need to get a B-complex vitamin" because I was seriously always in a bad mood. Like I want to kill everyone (um, not really). Then I got your email. WIN! I'm going to get a multivitamin when I have more money (October). And mom, I think you're right about the headaches. I'm not used to all of this processed food, and especially the MSG's. Mmmm. MSG's... xP But it's ok. Taking the B vitamin is helping me not hate everyone, it's helping my nausea, AND I think it's helping my headaches too! Or maybe that's just in my head. But now I have another problem. SLEEP. I slept like NONE last night. Sad. I just lay there... then when I wake up I felt like I wasn't asleep at all. Then I yawn at everybody all day (rude!) So that's a problem... When I use lavender, it does help a little bit, but I don't want to depend on things to make me sleep. What will I do when I run out of lavender? Hahah I'm drinking loads of water, dad. Quit sweating over that. Hahaha I think I tend to adjust to climate changes smoothly. I've been here 2 months and am just NOW starting to get headaches, nausea, etc. I don't think it's because of the climate change. And I never ever get nose bleeds :) Luke might have a problem with that when he comes to the MTC. Is he going to be here for 6 weeks, or is he going to try to get into intermediate Spanish? I'M GOING TO DIE, knowing he's in Provo and I'm only like 30-45 minutes away. Baah! But I won't really die. I'm just being dramatic.

HOW ABOUT LUKE. YOU REPORT ONE MONTH FROM TODAY. AND TOMORROW IS MY 2 MONTH MARK. Say whaaaat?! Golly. Time is flying now. At first I thought it was taking forever, but after I finished my first transfer, it's flying by. We're already done with the first week in the new transfer?! My lanta...

I have pictures for you! Like always :) So let me get those to you...

Love you all a whole ton!

Hermana Willis :)

I slipped in mud... OH! I forgot to tell you! We flooded our apartment :) I threw these shoes in the washer and we left (a-walking) for our appointments. We came home 2 hours and 15 minutes later and the washing machine was still just running water. Of course our landlords were out of town, so we called their daughter and her husband (who live just down the street) and they came over. They pulled up the carpet and got out the shop-vac(?). They ended up staying with us cleaning up until 11:30pm. Schnikeys! And we had to wake up at 5 the next morning for the temple... Yaaayyyy :) But they're the best ever. They helped us clean everything up, AND saved the carpet. I would have just thrown a towel on it and hoped it dried. But they know how to deal with floods (basements flood often, I hear?) so they knew what to do! Yay! Barney family to the rescue! :)

These shoes... x(

Our carpet... That's what's up!

At the temple!

The night before Elder Ramos was transferred!

This is my eye... I don't know if you remember what it looks like, so here you go. I like this picture. It focused on my glasses... I'm in love with my glasses! :)

Last night we went to visit a less active family after our dinner appointment. They're from DR (I just love Dominicans... so much). So we came right as they were finishing cooking dinner. We were talking, and they eventually made us eat with them (remember, we had just come from dinner!) So we ate with them, (almost exploded). SO GOOD. Seriously, Dominican food is the bomb! But then while we were talking to the husband, the wife was scrambling around the house, filling a grocery bag with food. Bahaha I LOVE them. She sent us home with all of this food. She kept asking us "Do you like this? Do you like this?" And she'd just keep filling the bag. Bahahaha I love love love this family!