Hi flamily :)

Email: 9/2/2013

I'm so blank right now! You know how I always have a bazillion things to tell you? Well, this week was even slower than it had been before. Which is really slow. BUT! (If you buy 4 completos! Bahahaha...)

OH YEAH! Last Sunday I forgot to mention (I think) that TWO of the inactive families we're working with came to church! For real, I was smiling so daggum hard my FACE was going to tear in half! My face hurt so bad. I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM THERE THOUGH. Fo rill.

Our landlords are still the best. I think I'm going to mention them in my emails every week until they're not there anymore. And even then, I still might. I love them so much. THEY'RE INVITED TO MY WEDDING in the future. Seriously, they're like an extra set of grandparents! It's torture that I can't hug Pres. Johnson! But I can hug sister Johnson, so that makes up for it. But I love them so so so much. Seriously. I want to keep in touch with them forever.

So last Monday, we had our lunch... UM SO MUCH FUN. But I wanted to kill all of the Elders. I felt like I was babysitting 6 boy childs. "Don't jump over the fence, you're going to break it!" "Stop throwing the ball on the roof!" "Who left the gate open? Go find Max!" "Um, why is there a trail of watermelon? Who threw it?" (Then I saw watermelon on one Elder's shirt, and a guilty look on another's shirt. Children, the lot of them!) "Please finish your food." But it was a lot of fun. When I fill up this flash drive, I'm going to send it to you and you can look at all of the pictures/videos, and then stash it away in my things. We did the game where someone starts a story, and then every person in the circle contributes some to the story. It ended up being about Charlie, the Frankin-Llama-Duck. Don't ask. You'll find out eventually. But yes, that was fun, even if I wanted to kill them... all. Hahaha

OH! And Elder Stevenson left my watch on the table, so I finally stole mine baaack! Reunited and it feels so goooood! I love this watch.

Mommy, I got never thought I'd catch the sickness, but... I encountered a virus that gets almost every missionary within their first couple transfers. I thought my immune system would fight it off, but I did in fact... fall victim to... becoming "trunky!" Also, I was feeling physically sick, which made me MORE trunky! I felt like a sick zombie (a zombie who, on top of being a zombie, also was sick. That's pretty bad) and really all I wanted to do was play the "What's wrong with Elisabeth" game with you. You know, the one where I lay down on the couch and pretend like I have some life threatening illness, and you look in all sorts of books and on the internet, and ask me endless questions about my symptoms, and I refute each diagnosis? I love that game. I wanted to do that, but I'm a missionary in Utah, and you're far away... But I lived! :)

And I freaking miss my brothers. Will you tell all of them I love them? Then punch them REALLY hard on the back, or arm? That's just to remind them that although I love them... I still love to inflict pain on them. And um, my sisters? I don't know how I ever thought I could live without them. I'm such an idiot. I miss them like a craaap ton. Seriously. I love them so much. I want to go to the movies with them and get frozen yogurt! Or go adventure in Downtown with Courtney! Or go work at the YMCA with Sara! I simply just love and miss them. Blah. BUT I GOT OVER THAT! No more trunksies here :)

OH AND DAD... Did you know I love the Bible? I've always loved the Book of Mormon, and honestly didn't know much about the Bible. When you were my Seminary teacher for the Bible years, it was awesome, but then I just kind of lost the fascination I once had. But then I started studying it more... and you know how I love linguistics and etymology? Well... After a LOT of unofficial and completely frivolous thinking and consideration, I decided I want to spend a semester at the BYU Jerusalem center and study the old/new testament and Hebrew. Arabic was on my list of languages to learn, but I really really want to learn root languages (Hebrew, Greek, Latin), and I can't think of a better place to learn Hebrew than IN JERUSALEM. But yes, I'm falling in love with the Bible. It's fascinating, and I love it. I found really really old pictures of Galilee and Jerusalem online, and I shared them on Facebook. I LOVE THEM.

We got a referral! Did you know that Utah missionaries live and breathe referrals? It's true. We can't survive without them. So we're meeting with her this week (YESS!) and then... WE GOT ANOTHER! We contacted him the next day and he is so thoroughly made of gold it's ridiculous. YES!

We went to dinner with a woman, and she's a vegetarian. Did you know I loved vegetarian food? Because I do. A lot. We had stuffed peppers and rice. Baaah, I was in heaven. I love it. I miss Pinterest... Hahahaha

OY! Then we FIIIINAAALLLYYY contacted this less active family we've been trying to contact for the entire time we've been here, and we FINALLY got in contact with them! So we're beginning to work with them now! Yaay! I love them!

So get this... we sisters in the Utah Provo mission get NuSkin products. SAY WHAT? The original price is knocked down 75%, and with this discounted price, we get $10 worth of stuff every month. BAAAH! :D So you don't have to worry about your high maintenance daughter having access to high end hygiene products. My pathetic need is being met.

However, I've been over a month without my weird hippy naturalistic remedies! I do have my essential oils and our kitchen smells like On Guard every Monday (LOVE), but my skin is SO dry. I'm buying coconut oil today! Yaaay! :) And more baking soda, and more vinegar (thanks to Spanish, I have been spelling "vinegar" wrong for weeks!) Also, I CANNOT wait to finally receive my weird alien feet! I can't wait to go running! I'm convinced I'm becoming a humongous fat lard. My clothes fit the same (some even looser, actually), but that doesn't convince me. I need to start running again. Yay, weird people shoes! :)

We came home last night and the Johnsons had peach cobbler and ice cream waiting for us, so we went and ate with them. I realized that my everyday morning nausea was caused by late eating (like when I would come home at 11:30 and eat dinner? DUMB). So I was already full, then I go and eat a second dessert at 9pm. So we came down stairs and I almost died. So I was like "I want to take some DigestZen, but I don't have my capsules!" Hna Hernandez had some vitamins in capsules and she let me empty a capsule to use. So I awoke feeling perfectly fine :) But that's another thing I need... the bag of empty capsules. Or, a place where I can buy them :) I'm sorry I'm so needy!

OH! I'm speaking on the 15th! It's on missionary work. I would LOVE it if somebody could find my farewell talk on mom's computer (it should be either on the desktop or in my folder). If you can't find it, Jess has a copy. BUT I would greatly appreciate it if you could email me that! I want to use a couple things from that and I can't remember it all. And I'll have to translate it into Spanish, so yes. I'd love that, prease and shank you :}

Dad! We were in Provo for a meeting, and one of the Elders here in Eagle Mountain has a bad addiction to Taco Bell, so he asked us if we would bring him some. I was planning on using my debit card to pay for it, because he was just going to pay me back, but... I had like 75 cents on it. Que pasa? I almost had a heart attack. When you told me the balance in my account, that was my savings account, which I obviously can't access with my debit card. And I know I'm super needy and stuff... but I need some money in my checking account. I have none left (just checked VyStar website: $0.00 :(. I can't use mission money for clothes, and eventually Hna Hernandez and I will be going to Provo to buy winter clothes. If you could do that, I would be ever sooooooooo grateful! Just let me know how much money you're willing to loan me for clothes. I need a good coat, boots, a few more sweaters, and tights. I have no idea how much that is going to cost. I'm sorry I left home with like no money in my account. I hate asking for money. I really wish I could contribute some dinero! Will you add that to my tab so I can pay you back when I come home and get a great job that pays me a lot of money? haha Because I have a guilty complex, so I can't handle not contributing or paying you back.

Every house has a colored door. There are so many different colors. It reminds me of the Lizzie McGuire episode when Lizzie's mom is painting their front door, and she keeps changing it, like everyday. Sorry... that's just what I thought of...

OH! And there's a girl here who is going to the Milan mission in October! Yaaay! She's wonderful. I told her Sara's going to train her. Duh.

Wow. My letter is kind of short today... Hmm... I guess it's time now... time to tell you about things that I "need"... I'M SORRY I'M SO PATHETICALLY NEEDY!

Things this terribly high maintenance missionary desires:
-All of Josh Groban music, including Christmas (I can skip the romantic songs, so don't you fret.
-the bag of empty capsules
-my farewell talk
-ALL CHRISTMAS MUSIC EVER
-love

That's all I can remember right now. But I loooove you all! Tell me about my house! Is it weird how quiet it is without me? Was I really that loud? LUKE, I want a letter FROM YOU. A LETTER. And Kaleb, would you PRETTY PLEEEAASSSEEE draw a picture for me?! I would DIE for a picture from you. Mommy, can you send me more pages of healthy reminder things? The page you sent me in the MTC was goooold. I loved it. Also, I desperately need to see PICTURES. I need to see my brothers, parents, sisters, and BABIES! Also, can I get a hard copy of a picture of my grandparents? Not a fancy one, just one of them, like... sitting on our couch or something. Because I miss them.

Oh, and P.s. Adam, I saw Mackenzie (yeah, don't even ask me how to spell that). The redhead who grew up with Morganne? I saw her walking to school (I assume) when I was in Provo on Wednesday. Que crazy!

Anyway, LOVE LOVE LOVE...

Hna Willis :)