22 March 2011 - El fin se acerca

Hola familia!

I am still in denial that these are my last moments at the Fallbrook library and my last moments e-mailing you as a full-time missionary. How did 18 months go by so quickly!? Man. I LOVE mission life and I'm gonna miss it (well, maybe not a few parts.) And I'm also looking forward to totally different experiences with a whole new outlook.

PS Is it possible that some of you will see me before you read this e-mail? That would be super funny :D

So Hna Stratton asked me: "Was your mission a turning point in your life?"

My response: "No. More like a setting point."

I now KNOW that God, our loving Heavenly Father, has given us the Gospel of Jesus Christ for our benefit and that it is the only true way to happiness. Hna Stratton and I talked semi-long (after she was fed up with loving me and then went to her room to make a list of all my strengths. he he All's well.) about how we are now firmly on the path to happiness. And it's great!!

D & C 28:16 touched me (spanglish?) in our district meeting this week: declare the gospel with the sound of rejoicing. That's right! I do need to rejoice more. This is the best news ever. I just love it. Are you guys pumped and ready to keep sharing? What can you tell me about the full-time missionaries in our ward?! And how is the gospel principles class going with JJ as a teacher? Seems like it would be great. (oh bummer. I won't even read the answers to these questions. Ah well. Maybe I'll remember to ask them again...eventually.)

Did I mention yet that I'm still kind of in denial? Even though my bags are packed (fingers crossed the weight is ok. Questionable scale makes it hard to know.) and I'm basically out of here. Man, I'm leaving behind so many beloved friends (many of whom have offered their homes...and beans ;D ) and so many memories. It's incredible how serving others can help us form such strong bonds. I think I'm going to be on the phone lots keeping in touch -- it's great because I can practice my Spanish!!

So yeah. Yesterday was great. We had some long visits with some beloved people. And FOOD. Heavenly Father is so merciful! He often gives us the desires of our hearts. Hna Maria Reyes invited us over to learn how to make 'gorditas' her way. (They are more like sopes....) and then we made them and chatted long with her and her friend about families, prophets, Adam and Eve, etc. It was entertaining and delicious. And we were protected from the very cold weather.

Then we had a very neat moment where we answered the sweet, humble prayer of Hna Maria Rodriguez. As she finished preparing her food she thought/prayed "I would love for las hermanas to come over and join us in this meal." She went and sat down, opening her triple to read some...and we knocked on the door. She was super surprised. For the next 10 minutes. And she was super excited too. She basically quoted a scripture in 3 Nephi 18:19 about God giving us our righteous desires if we ask in Jesus' name. So then we talked and shared about faith and miracles. And then we ate enchiladas, rice, and.... beans! It was a really neat experience. I felt Heavenly Father was also showing me His love and mercy by giving us neat experiences on my very last day. I am grateful.

Well then. We also had a good lesson with Hna Torres and Hno Romero. They seem sad I'm going and offered their home and a couch (I couldn't remember how to spell that word!!) if I want to return and visit. Guess I'd better.... We had a good visit and Hna stepped on a cockroach in the middle and then it became an example to be used in the lesson. It was pretty great. We talked of how we never know when the end will come "and so we'll talk about what we need to do now to prepare ourselves! " says Hna Green to re-direct the lesson. "The gospel!" He he he. It was fun.

Well, I'm zoning off a little and it does honestly feel a touch weird to be writing to you when I'll be seeing you so soon. Are we all sure about this?! Should I stay a touch longer? Just kidding. Heavenly Father has a timeline for each of His children. The key is accepting His timing - on a big and little scale. I finally realized how to do it better on a little scale as a missionary (be less impatient and go with the flow) and now I get to re-learn and apply in a new situation.

Dude, I can't believe I'll be home so soon. Eek! Well, I love you all. Sending hugs from sunny SoCal. And I guess I'll just give you some later. ja ja ja

Hey Shantaye - would you be willing to be my companion for my talk on Sunday and talk with me? Maybe just for a little part of it? Thanks, that'd be so awesome.

I love you all! I know God lives and is our Father. I KNOW Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior and Redeemer. I know He loves us unconditionally and the Book of Mormon and the Bible teach us of Him so that we can improve ourselves and those around us and achieve the incredible goal of having all our Father has to give us. WOW. The knowledge we have is truly incredible and liberating. Let's go share it with the sound of rejoicing!

Love,

Hermana Green

PS I'm super glad I can use my same title even when I'm no longer a missionary :D I'll sure I'll miss my plaque though. Just this week I summed it up well "This little black tag has power." It's crazy. I love it and loved it.

Thanks to everyone for your support and love throughout this incredible experience. I can't wait to see you all!! (And let's have a reunion in the temple where everything culminates and begins. How does that sound?)

15 March 2011 - Stuck in a river, first time at church, chocolate chip cookies, and such fun things!

Hola Familia!

Can't believe we're near the end. It's crazy. We've had a pretty darn good week. Still with struggles but many neat experiences too!!

Yesterday was pretty hilarious because we chose to drive into a seemingly dry river bed...then we got stuck. 3 nice firemen called the tow truck (which I was super unexcited to pay for but knew I should) and then they pushed us out and so all was well. Ha ha! I snapped 2 pics. Fun stuff. Yeah for Pala! Sadly we didn't get to visit the less active member that lives just across the river. In order to get there we have to go out of our area...so won't happy probably. Hna Stratton wanted to wade across and go for it. I didn't. And then we had another little struggle but on we go!

And Familia Bailon came to church on Sunday. It was so super great!! Church was pretty crazy as we got everyone there and settled then we had a bunch of parts in the program and yeah. Jesus is an active RM and is really a great example for his mom. She basically seems decided to truly learn and know ... and be baptized. It's awesome!! (actually her current baptismal date is 16 April. It'd be super cool if it worked out.) She had a good experience at church and so did 8-yr-old Jeffrey. I Love having the kids and youth with the English ward because they have great supportive leaders now. It's such a huge blessing! It is almost a surprise when I see leaders go up and talk to the parents about their kids or activities coming up. It's just such a beautiful thing!

And so then Jonny (former investigator) and Rosalio (former investigator) also came to church this Sunday which was pretty great. They both have some semi-big hurdles but hopefully soon they will be able to be baptized. Both seem to have a testimony and are reading in the Book of Mormon -- the most powerful life-changing book I know of. I LOVE the Book of Mormon! I know it contains God's words for us and answers to questions. And it is how we come to truly know God our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

So there was a fair amount of running around to get all these people (7 in total) settled and in their respective places. Then Hna Stratton and I had offered to sing in sacrament meeting and all was set for that. I haven't wanted to tell people I'm leaving but decided I had better do so and so in our meeting with the bishopric I mentioned it and was given time in sacrament mtg to speak. Ah! My first and last impromptu talk on the mission. Guess I couldn't leave without giving at least one :D In that meeting they also assigned one of the elders to speak because all the speakers flaked out. And then when we walked into sacrament meeting (it's last), they assigned Hna Stratton to speak as well. eek! She had only 15 mins of prep. So Elder Stevens spoke, then I shared some thoughts, then Hna S and I sang, and then Hna S spoke. Sweet stuff. I think the song was poweful which is wonderful. I'm excited to sing in the home ward too...at least I'm thinking about it. I am not however excited to speak for so long in sacrament meeting. That's crazy! That is an entire lesson and usually I have a companion to bounce off with. What am I going to say for that much time?! Ugh. Guess I'll use those 2 plane hours to think about it.... (Thanks Mom for the head's up.)

Well, we looked into the pumpkin pie and decided it was not worth it. We've never done it before and didn't have much time. We settled for chocolate chip cookies and they were a hit. I never knew that spooning dough onto the cookie sheet is a talent. It was fun. The family was happy but they still really want pie -- apple pie. And we ate the food, not the plate Dad. You really aren't going to eat cooked beans? Wow. I don't know how that'll go down. They have beans and rice with nearly every meal. And I realized I'm totally converted to tortillas. Can't eat Mexican food without 'em. I just love 'em!! I'm totally going to learn how to make them when I return home. It'll be some fun adventures. I'm glad we're adding them to the menu.

Well. We have a bunch of new investigators and we had lots of lessons. We are working to have daily contact with them as PMG teaches and we've done before. We're excited to see some results. We haven't seen Hna Diaz this week. But Hno Romero (not the family) said the closing prayer even though he wasn't super happy about it. And he did a great job. He now has 3 proud mothers :D His blood mother even clapped her hands after he finished his prayer. It was cute. She loves us and I'm not super excited to tell them I'm leaving when we go over tonight. Oh well. Has to be done.

Hmm...well. Things are pretty good. Oh yeah! We taught Victoria in Pala yesterday. It was pretty great. She went to an English ward in Valley Center about a month ago and enjoyed it. And so she is open to learning more. Funny Pres. Cook said "I don't want to see any 'scalps' so be careful on the reservation." We just won't do any proselyting when we go to visit her. All should be well. Oh and she hasn't had electricity since Dec. Can you imagine? yikes.

We had a good FHE with Fam. Martinez last night. They are fun. I'm excited for them to continue learning and progressing. The Hna is going to start temple prep classes. Oh and Sunday afternoon we found our beloved Hna Maria Rodriguez. She went to Mexico for a month and we missed her. (Mexico is like a black hole that sucks people in! And often doesn't let them go.) She came back very content and is sad that I'm leaving. But life is pretty great.

So, overall missionary life is great. Hna Stratton just told me she counted all our investigators and we have 27. That is nuts. Seriously. We have lots of families which is great and lots harder.

I love being a missionary and I'm working to not think about the end (even though I know today is my last P-day. eek). I have been so grateful to serve and I have learned so so much. I know God lives and is our Father. I know that His perfect plan is the way to have happiness now and forever. I know Jesus Christ came to give His life to make the plan possible. On Sunday I read 2 Nephi 25: 23, 26, 29 (b/c they go with the hymn we sang "I Believe in Christ" and I'd just studied that chapter) and shared some thoughts.

I love you all! The church is true and I know it. I also know LOVE makes anything and everything possible. One of the big lessons I've learned as a missionary.

Love ya!!

Hna Green

PS Correction from last week. The scripture was D&C 50:14 in that we are the preachers and the Holy Ghost is the teacher.

PPS Mum I haven't seen a package and about this time they begin holding them for transfer meeting so I might get it next week :) And could you please send a beautiful scarf so I can give it to Sis. Cook?! I just thought of it and if you send it off tomorrow it should work out perfectly. Thanks! I want to give one to Mari & Rocio in Oceanside but I can wait until our visit. -- which I'm very excited about.

8 March 2011 - Let the miracles rain down!

Hola familia!

Muy buenos dias. Lo siento acerca de la nieve. Ick. Do I really have to return to that? We've had high 60's and 70's with some rain mixed in to change things up. But snow?! Bluh.

So we saw Pres & Sis Cook at church on Sunday and it was SO good to see them. Hna Cook happily told me that she received the Christmas card. And she gave me very wise advice: "It's not the end so don't think about it. It's not here yet. So don't think about it." I've kept that in my head since then and I've felt better! Just have to focus super well and do Heavenly Father's work while I still can! It rocks and I love it! And yes Mom, I don't have a choice about talking to strangers. It usually isn't that bad, sometimes I get lazy though. And Hna Stratton said it well when she said "seeing the Cooks is refreshing and stressful." Te he. We love them lots.

The miracles have started raining down after a long and tough trial period. It has been pretty incredible!! On Sunday we had some good appointments and saw the power of the priesthood excersised (how do you even spell that word?!) with 2 priesthood blessings. And the mom of an active RM accepted a date for baptism. Hna Bailon. She's sweet and has been off and on with learning for some years now. Hopefully now is the time she will go through with it! Her son did a neat presentation with lights and photos in the church building to talk about the pattern of prophets, the Savior's life, and the Restoration. It was pretty cool. We're not exactly sure we could reproduce it but we might try! It was very powerful. Hna Stratton was so excited. Her 2nd most powerful teaching experience in the mission.

Hna Stratton says 'hi'

And then we were in Pala on Sunday to give the gentleman a blessing. A newly married couple, the Atempas (yes they're related to the Atempas I worked with in San Marcos. Small world!!) came with us. They are pretty great. Hno Ramiro received the blessing very humbly. We shall see. We hope to see them Thurs night or sometime. And then a member Hna Gonzalez who has been pretty sick with a kidney stone that would cost a fortune to remove surgically received a blessing. She was super grateful. They made us a tasty Guatemalan dish! And we're heading over today to show them the lazy man's way to make pumpkin pie (we don't know the real way :) and some cookies to give to members. ((We realized that our members are probably having a hard time adapting because we both came in new after the other sisters had 4 transfers here together. That's SO long. Like 6 months?)) But Familia Martinez seems to love us. The 15-yr-old son has a better attitude now and it is pretty great. Probably due to the ward combine/change. He did a wonderful delivery of a beautiful potted yellow calla lily Sunday after church. I heard him come up to my turned back and I turned around, he handed it to me then did a spin and returned to his family's car. Ha ha. It made me SO happy because I have wanted a plant or flower for sometime. Our little porch just looked so dead and uninhabited. Hurray!!

Back to the work. So yesterday was seriously a day of miracles. It was SO neat. We talked in our morning study about how we need to seriously put ourselves to the task and invite people to be baptized in every lesson. Heavenly Father heard us and set things up so we could do it. We set 2 more baptismal dates and we found 3 new investigators. One, Sandra Diaz, investigated in 2009 and she just seems so neat. We were definitely guided by H.F. to find her. And we had a great lesson! I was just so excited to be there with her. Hurray! I love the gospel and I love the energizing power of the Spirit. And how it is the teacher while we are the preachers (just noted that in our district meeting with the other missionaries. It's in D&C...(JJ?) maybe 11.)

It was neat and we are excited to see what happens with Hna Diaz. Her little 3-yr-old boy Jason was super cute too. We tried to get him to fold his arms for the prayer but he thought we wanted him to give us hugs. I was SO okay with that! He gave us each 2. Ba ha ha. Love little kids.

We also visited a new-ish investigator, Hna Maria Reyes. She is so uplifting and happy. She loves bright colors and just brings things around her to life. In our first lesson she told us all kinds of miracles from her life. And we stopped by and she showed us the things she was cooking to make enchiladas (yum!) and we had a long, winding conversation which was good because we answered questions about who we are as missionaries and what we do and don't do. Plus we were able to testify and teach lots. It was neat. H.F. really blessed us with our Spanish ability because she talks relatively quickly and you have to be able to jump in and say what you're going to say. Yeah. She's pretty great. Even gave us cooked beans so we could go straight home and make gorditas. Yum!! (but my tummy doesn't really like fried foods :( )

And yeah. Then we went out to Pala with a different family and set a date with the husband. He seems pretty conflicted because his wife is not interested. She was learning before but now I think she's studying with the JW. Anyway. We will do our best to help him.

FUNNY: we were kicked off the Pala Indian Reservation. We have no idea what the laws are and all that so we just submissively and quietly left the little area. We did see the big "no solicitation" sign but they have those in nearly all the apartments and it doesn't stop us. The police lady said it like this: "You preachin' the word? You know you can't do that around here." Ba ha ha. i thought it was exhilirating and fun. And sad to think how many of those people can't have the gospel. We actually set an appointment with a lady before the 'kick-off' moment and so we shall see how that goes. She, Victoria, was the one we were sent there to find. Heavenly Father answers our prayers and it is so amazing! I love it!!

And I love you guys. You are super fabulous. Thank you Mom and Dad for always getting the things I ask for and sending them out quickly. Thank you Shantaye and JJ for the great letters I received this week (which I will likely not respond to. How about a face-to-face chat later? Awesome, thanks for understanding.) And thank you Chez for all the letters sent before.

I'm excited to give you all some big hugs!! And yeah.

Elder Denos is an older gentleman who lives in Mission Viejo and is serving with his wife their 3rd mission in our office. Just the other day we found a door dent in the pretty car. Gr!

I don't know why H.F. has some of his missionaries change their language assignment. Well, I do. He needs them in a certain area of His vineyard. And that's just how it is. It happens more with elders than sisters.

Keep on being super great! And keep on growing and sharing your testimonies. It is the neatest thing to be able to share the "fruit that is most delicious and desirable" with other people and watch as their lives change and improve immeasurably. I know that Jesus Christ lives and I feel very humbled and privileged to have the assignment to testify of His name here in Fallbrook (and surrounding areas). I love how Heavenly Father guides our lives. And how He wants us to be happy! He is so willing to give us what we want - we just ask Him in prayer. And He is very willing to allow us to be part of miracles. So go ask for and work to have miracles in your lives!!

I love you all bunches and bunches. Sunshine and hugs being sent from me!

Hna Green

PS There is a house in Pala with a pet tortoise eating the grass and moving around slowly. We snapped pictures yesterday :) I was so surprised when I first noticed it. Who has a pet tortoise?!

PPS An awesome 12-yr-old who has aunts who are members walked in the church door this Sunday. We were so excited and surprised. Osvaldo is just awesome. I'll work to snap a picture with him. ha ha.

PPPS We went to the Mexican store Northgate market last week and it was super great. Bought too many Mexican treats. Te he! It was a cultural experience I've wanted my entire mission. Pres. Cook was super nice and gave us permission to go there even though it isn't in our area.

And we had a fun district activity with volleyball and a super huge 36-slice pizza. Fun times!!!

1 March 2011 - True Disciples of Christ

Buenos dias familia!

Ustedes son buenisimos. Gracias por todo!! Your e-mails brought lots of smiles to my face this fine sunny day in CA. (I think spring is coming and I love it!) Thank you, thank you for all you do. Mum said I'm an example of what a true disciple of Christ should be. Wow. That's weighty. I know that I have tons of flaws and imperfections but that is exactly how God loves me (and each of us) and that is exactly why He created the beautiful plan of happiness and sent His Son Jesus Christ. I love the gospel!!

And I love all of you so much. You have all helped me to become who I am and thus you have all had a part in the miracles and changed lives that I have seen firsthand. Isn't it amazing how we are really truly super connected?! I love ya!

Yesterday Hna Stratton and I did a touch of exploring and we went to this tiny piece of the Pala Indian Reservation that is in our area. Crazy, huh? It was ok, but we were nervous that we weren't allowed to be there. We're pretty sure we're good. We met a couple who had studied before with missionaries. The husband seems pretty interested but the wife is studying with another church. We shall see what happens. And before we went there we chose a random street to find people. We found 3 workers :) Those are the people we look for when we are surrounded by beautiful hills and million-dollar homes (eek). It was funny because we spotted the first gentleman and said "just what we're looking for!" and I quickly pulled over causing Hna Stratton to laugh. She partly didn't expect me to do it. But that is why we went there!

We did exchanges with the English sisters last Wed night to Thurs. The dinner appointment was pretty much awesome. I could've stayed and chatted with them for another hour easily! It was great. The Hna is writing a book to help new converts adapt to the "mormon culture" and so asked me some Q's relating to Spanish work. I served with Hna Burris who started in Spanish work and is now in English work. It was good. We did quite a bit of walking and not much teaching :( They (in English work) actually have very few lessons - a handful each week. Wow! I am SO grateful that I have been in Spanish work all my mission. It's a whole different world. eeii.....

And our investigators are only so-so this week. Hno Munoz decided he isn't ready and they are leaving for a vacation to Mexico this week so we stoppped teaching him last week :( And the Romero Family promised they would come to church and we stopped by 80 mins before but they did not come. Ah well, we keep working. We've learned tons about respecting people's agency and just having pure love. We haven't felt that the members really trust us and it makes things difficult. Hna Stratton's testimony of the Book of Mormon has really grown as she noted that is the way new members would survive in the branch with its very few member fellowshippers. But on we go! Learning, stretching, and growing. Heavenly Father has helped us greatly. And yesterday we felt guided by the Spirit the whole day which was super great.

Missionary life is great!!

Well, I can't believe that I return home semi-soon! Eek. To answer Q's -- please invite everyone that you want to. Mostly for the after gathering (maybe through face book?) And please, only have our fam come to the airport. Those are the rules and I am striving to be exactly obedient. Thanks! The food....I don't know exactly what Mexican food. I'd love to make some. We could do a little of Pounders and a little Mexican. I'm pretty flexible because don't want to spend too much time thinking on it :) If Pounders has rice then that is pretty perfect. We just need tortillas and salsa and aguas frescas...maybe Horchata. And I'd LOVE to have arroz con leche -- could the family help in bringing that? It would convert to our version of rice pudding, basically. Which won't be quite the same but close enough. Just rice with cinnamon and milk. Yum. I definitely plan to do a bunch of cooking with you, but with such short notice let's go simple. :) oh and we should have some fruit - is anything in season in Utah at this time? :( I'm going to miss a tropical climate.

Packages have been received and greatly appreciated. I forgot to mention that Hna Weatherford said she LOVED the scarf you sent her directly. And Hna Stratton was super excited about the dictionary. THANK YOU! And I'm super grateful for the contact lenses because I need to change them out this week.

Request - I would really like to attend 1 session of general conference in the conference center this April. Could you look into the ticket situation, please? Thanks for the recipes again, Mum. Now I need one for a pie shell because a Guatemalan family here wants to learn how to make pie :)

DAD -- yes, the San Diego Temple. And I'll surely sing for you when I return home. I'm not that practiced in some ways and yet I do feel my ability has improved some on the mission - maybe because so many of my friends don't know how to sing ;)

Hna Stratton says "hi" back with a smile when I delivered your salutation. We gave the spinny toy away in a raffle yesterday and they seemed to enjoy it. Thanks! We drive a 'sandy beach' Toyota Corolla. "A lady's car" according to the vehicle coordinator. Ha ha. Elder Denos. He's fun. Keep enjoying beautiful Thailand!! I'm very excited to go back.

MOM -- I'm sure the LP ward would pull out a mini fiesta for our visit. I'm not sure who to contact about it. I could probably just do it when I get back. They are pretty good at impromptu stuff. Would you want it at the church building even? And I don't need a copy of the note from Pres. Cook. I'll see it later.

22 February 2011 - From truck to ... car?

Hola familia!

Muy buenas tardes. Fuimos al templo hoy entonces estoy contenta. (We went to the temple today so I'm content/happy.)

So yeah. On Fri morning they changed out our truck for a brand new car. Eek. So glad we took some pics last week!! Thanks for pushing us. I miss the truck and having a brand new car is stressful, but all is well. We can turn around more easily. We've broken it in really well by driving in a crazy rain & hail storm to the most muddy member's home. Perfect! And then we've gone exploring to a few remote areas. Yesterday the road ended but we needed to keep going so we were on dirt. It would work out that we tell Bro. Denos (car coordinator) that we don't really need the truck so he takes it and then we actually do sort of need it. Oh well. It makes life exciting. Change is great!!

So the temple today was fabulous. Lots of traffic in the morning. I just love the temple and am so grateful we can attend there as often as we like! I saw Hna Denker there too :) (And she has been in English work for a really long time but she continues studying Spanish.) Then we stopped by Pedro's Tacos for a yummy lunch! Speaking of food, you went and ordered Pounders for after my talk? Oh. I had a few ideas in mind - mostly yummy Mexican food. But I know Pounders tastes good so...ok

Sunday night was fabulous because..........we went to Escondido for Javier & Mariela Lule's baptism! Woo hoo! It really was so great. Las Posas members have so much of my heart. I realized I need to get to that point with the branch here in Fallbrook - and I only have a little time to do it! :) I saw Hna Mercado and gave her quite a few hugs. I think she was happy to see me too. And the Lules of course were very happy. I'm excited to return in about a year to be with them at the temple! Desteny gave me some long hugs. And I received a great letter from Mari Arango in Oceanside. She'll probably prep to go to the temple soon (maybe in April) which is super awesome. I've told a few people that we'll be back to visit and I think they are excited. (Actually Hno Potrero of Las Posas ward made me pinky swear I'd come back.) I know I am! We can visit a few "off-limits" spots which will be fun. I've decided I'll probably have to wear a stick-on name tag because I'll feel so lost without one *sigh* Happily, the bishop and a few other members of LP ward said that I'm a really good missionary. Yeah! I have made a difference. Sometimes I have to pull out the stored memories to help me go on in the rough spots of each day/week.

And then Sat night we had some pretty awesome miracles. Finally! All the hard work that seemed to get us nowhere showed some fruits. We taught a gentleman who had so many little questions and is interested in the church as a social help for his sons who just came here from Mexico. They were very gungho about attending church but then they didn't. It was hard to get out of the lesson because he was asking so many questions - we didn't really even teach the first lesson about the Restoration. But it is always exciting when they are interested and curious. Then we had a good church tour with the family of a strong RM. Bailon Family. They've been on and off and the grandma who lives with them is very Catholic and doesn't like our church much. But Hna Bailon said she thinks sometime soon she will be joining her sons. Sweet! And we ended in the chapel where I felt like I should sing for them so I sang 'Asombro me da' (oh yeah I Stand All Amazed) while Hna Stratton played the piano. I think it was good. Hna Bailon had a great light in her face which made me very happy. I love the gospel and how it helps families to be stronger...they just have to embrace it and allow it to do so! FHE is super fabulous. Sadly we just had one last night. We taught the Plan of Salvation to the Romeros (not Hno) and had shapes to move around the home a little. They had gloves from a doctor visit earlier that day and it was perfect as we talked about our spirits (hand) and our bodies (glove). They are fun and continue praying lots. They came to the branch FHE on Thurs night which was great. All because we stopped by beforehand. They weren't going to come then I 'shared my heart' and explained how I was really sad they always say they'll come to church but then they don't. It was almost unnerving how Hno responded with an "ok. We'll be there." I almost felt manipulative but I was just sharing my true feelings. Interesting.

Saturday was great because Hna Atempa took us and Melissa to the Stake Women's Conference. I just love Relief Society!!! There was a program and a presentation on Haiti as one service project was donation of white shirts for the Haitian missionaries. I learned lots which was great because I knew so little since I was on my mission when the large earthquake struck. And then we cut fringe on blankets which will be given out to families in the ward that need them. And a tasty lunch. We sat at a table with the sisters from the Vista Spanish ward and it was such fun. They have part of my heart too! The RS president shared her wish that we serve there even for a week. I had to whisper that it just isn't possible for me even though I would love it. I did have my one day there with Hna Weatherford and it was fabulous.

Hna Stratton received the scarf yesterday and really like it. Her response: how am I going to find time to wear all of these before it gets warm?! Tee hee. She wore the purple one last night and has the orange one on today. Thanks for sending another.

Speaking of sending things, what is this note that Pres. Cook sent to you all about? I didn't think they sent families anything. That is really comforting to hear -- thank you for passing it along. My motivation dipped down a little so I'm working on recovering it. Sat and Sun and today were really good with the different activities. I am working on the Christlike attribute of diligence right now :) It's definitely what it is all about. And I'm still striving to enjoy the moment. Hna Stratton and I have talked about how it is beautiful to do and then to realize that time is fluid and changing and all good things and all bad things have an end. I'm so grateful that our family DOES NOT have an end because I love you guys so much and am super grateful for your love and support. THANK YOU!!!

I will press on in the wonderful work of the Lord knowing that He has a plan for me and for each of us. I do know that is true. And I received a letter from Hna Merrill which eased some unnecessary stress and worry I had. She is doing well and thanked me for being a strong person while I was her companion. And she loves Hna Zehuancatl too! She is now in Mission Viejo. He he. It's a small world.

In my studies I found Isaiah 57:14 and it really struck me that Heavenly Father has called us (especially His full-time missionaries) to "take away the stumbling blocks from before my people." ...or something like that. It's cool in Spanish. It is incredible how we have been able to help people overcome difficult things as they accept the Savior's Atonement and embrace the gospel. I KNOW this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I love the temple and the truths that we learn therein. I know I am a daughter of God and He loves me perfectly. I love you all so much! Thanks for being fabulous and faithful to the gospel. It fills my heart with joy to know it.

Love you!! Praying for you too but knowing it is unneeded because God is caring for you super well.

Love,

Hermana Green

The Truck

Isn't it a beauty?!

Amberlee with her mission truck!

15 February 2011 - De-robotizing the Robot

Hola familia!

Les quiero muchisimo. Son magnificos! Seriously, thank you for all the love and support. This week wasn't all that great in some ways but very good as well. Crazy. Just some hard trials before all the really great stuff. Like happens with our investigators!!

Well, we didn't have many lessons. Then Sunday we had a 2-hr heart to heart chat after church to learn tons by the Holy Ghost and work out some problems. We are feeling grateful and better. I really have learned some amazing lessons on the mission. It's just incredible! and then yesterday..V-day was zone conference. So Good!! I'm sure the Cooks will love to receive the note and Christmas card. Sis Cook said I can't leave and she's just going to keep me...then said "wonder what your mom'll say about that." I chuckled and responded with a "probably won't let you." But all is well. It was SO good to see them. I just love them so much! We took a bunch of pics with the three of us and had a whispered conversation. Pres Cook expressed his gratitude for me (which I needed to hear because even now I still doubt that I'm doing my best and that what I'm doing is acceptable. crazy huh?) and I asked why good things have to end but then promised I'd never forget them because they are my mission parents. :D And I thought it would be great if you contacted the Bradys and invited them to come meet you when I return home...need their contact info?

Also it was super great to see Hna Denker. She's in my zone as she is serving in Vista in English work. We're gonna party it up on the way home!! Woot woot. And we dubbed the special musical number next transfer meeting already. :) She claims that she has "5 months left" one for each week. I'm ok with that thought. I was hoping you could find another scarf (spring color) and send it to me to be given to her. Thanks!! I'm loving the "give your companion a scarf" ritual. It rocks because it is practical, like me giving them a hug, and something they'll remember for a long time.

Oh yeah. Hna Stratton and I learned that communication from the heart is crucial. So we're working to communicate better. And in our zone conference we spent the whole time talking about studies. Pretty sweet. The coolest lesson for me as we discussed and practiced was that as we focus on others' needs, our own are met! Just like that. And Hna Stratton and I had just talked about how if we do what God wants we end up getting exactly what we want. So just do what He wants us to do!

And the subject line comes from my statement that I was a really good missionary robot and Hna Stratton has helped me de-robotize. At the end of our chat I started chuckling because an image of us smashing a toy robot came into my mind. We're totally going to do it ... and we'll document it on film :D

Besides that, well missionary life is great! Yes, I'm staying in Fallbrook. It's a pretty great place to be. And thank you Dad for the pictures that I received today. And thank you Mom for the V-day pacakge. It was the best one I've ever received on the mission. Full of love and everything doubled. Perfect!! Even addressed to us both. We are loving the toffee. I knew Hna Stratton would :)

Let's see, let's see. I love the Book of Mormon...and the Bible I'm starting to love too. Today I read in Romans 10:17-18. I didn't remember 18 before and it's such a cool verse! The word has gone out to the world. We're so blessed to have ANOTHER testament of Jesus Christ. In zone conf we talked about how God is the one who gave us the written language with the purpose that we know His gospel and His plan. (see Moses 6: 46? )

I haven't worked on the member dinners. I need to work more on having members accompany us to appointments!! The change is slowly coming out just fine. We visited the YW this Sun to animate them to do missionary work. It was very fun. Priesthood and RS are in Spanish. Most of the kids speak both (because of school) but most of the adults only speak Spanish.

Well, I love you all so much!! I'm so grateful for your love and support. Keep being fabulous and keep living the gospel! God does want us to be happy and everything favors us being that way - often we just have to realize it and choose to be so. I'm still working on it. But I'm better :) And last week we walked down main street, stopped in at Swirlz (candy store which reminded me so much of Sweet Aftons!) and then visited 2 Mexican markets. Hna Stratton bought the makings for sopes which we made Sun night for dinner. yum! It was a fun ramble. We are heading to a park today to do some writing and such. Hna Stratton is all about relaxing and having fun on P-day. I've always just worked to get everything done. Another great lesson: enjoy the doing and don't just do it to say it's done!! We talked about that in terms of "reading" versus "studying" yesterday in zone conf. Oh man, so many good things but time is up!

Love,

Hna Green

PS Melissa Cruz came to a baptism on Sat after the worldwide training which we attended. both were super fabulous and awesome!!!! And familia Romero made it to the baptism (yes!) but not church and we don't know why. *sigh

8 February 2011 - Thank you for walking down my street

Hola familia!

Muy buenos tardes. Que bueno que todos estan bien y felices. Nosotras tambien! Aunque hemos tenido un poco menos exito y algunas personas no estan actuando o progresando. Seguimos! Y aprendimos mucho.

Hey guess what - I just LOVE you guys!! Thanks for being so great. Fallbrook is just fine. It has been a touch warmer the past 2 days :) And last night I found out that avocadoes come out in April. Sweet. Today we are going to stop by a little house that is a gem and mineral musuem - cute and probably go to a park for some letter writing. Hna Stratton wants a break and relaxation. Me? Well, I'm pretty good.

And the subject line comes from a (rather) drunk gentleman last night who was out walking with his 6-yr-old twin girls. He was pretty fun. It's great the funny moments that we have in the mission..and in life!

Church was pretty interesting as it was our first week combined with an English ward. Now we have classes first and sacrament last. The biggest issue - the Hispanics arriving on time! It's going to take a few good months I feel. Most people were pretty ok with the changes. I think the parents were much more concerned than the kids were bothered. Kids are so flexible! Sadly, none of our investigators made it. Don't know why with Fam Romero and Melissa's work was the problem. sad. BUT! 2 inactive members showed up. Rosi and Victor Cardona. She is late 20s and he is 16. He has "muchas ganas" to return to activity so we're gonna do our part this transfer to help with that. And Victor shared his testimony which was pretty great. His 12-yr-old sister seems interested in learning...and she was never baptized. We shall see!

Sweet that mom could use the RS picture. Sorry you weren't invited Dad but that would just ruin things! ;) I printed a handful of the pictures and gave them to the presidency. They are going to matte them or something then give them to the sisters :) Fun fun. I just LOVE VT! On the mission (naturally) I have seriously seen the absolute necesity of doing home and visiting teaching. As our ward mission leader Hno Kolb says It's the glue that holds everything together! If we were 100% on visiting there would be such fewer less actives! And I still love the little branch. We're doing what we can to help and support them. No, the members don't feed us much. Not because they aren't willing but because Hno Kolb hasn't set up dinners for us. Rather frustrating. I'm probably going to jump the ropes and set some up again. I want to be with the members! (And I want good food :) Yesterday we went to the high councilman's home who visits and supports the ward. Hogans. WOW I want Grandma B to meet Hna Hogan. She made and decorated her whole house and it's fun. He is in the military and they've lived all over the world. She told me that Macchu Picchu is a MUST - it's on my list :D But yeah. Tasty food too.

Mission president: Pres. Bruce M. Cook Wife: Sis. Karla Cook. They are super fabulous. Right now they are getting ready to say goodbye to some missionaries and are welcoming others in!

Transfer day. And my package should be delivered to my leaders so it can arrive to me tomorrow. Sa-weet! I could use some love and goodies from home. OH! Happiness = I made a chocolate cake on Friday. Woo hoo. Later Hna Stratton helped me realize it was the first cake I've made from scratch. Fun. It turned out pretty tasty.

Well, I can't think of too many exciting things to share with you. Sorry! Things are pretty good but we'd like them to be even better. Fallbrook is great and we've had a few drives out to Rainbow and Oceanside. Fun fun! I'll work on the pic with me and the truck. No worries, pops.

Keep up the great work! You are super examples! I sure love you all TONS A great scripture I found today is in D + C 42:41. Simple, straightforward, and sweet. Do all things in purity before me. Yep, I can do that.

OH! Hna Stratton and I decided that one great lesson we learned last transfer was to be happy and content in the moment. We're still working to improve our ability at that but we have both come far. And we're happy. And we've set good goals for this transfer - 4 baptisms! Woot woot. Speaking of...the Lule baptism was going to happen this Sat and we had 2 investigators ready to go but then it was changed. Hopefully it happens Feb 20. I have no clue what is going on and it is a little frustrating.

Well, I just love you all lots! Keep being great. And keep reading, praying, and going to church. I KNOW they are the little basics that keep the testimony plant growing and flourishing and thus we are able to receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost to achieve eternal life. Woot woot! Awesome. The gospel rocks. Can ya feel it?

Love ya!!

Hermana Green

1 February 2011 - Faith brings about miracles

Hola familia!

Estoy muy contenta y mi companera tambien. Ella apenas recibio un e-mail de su mama. La primera que se mama ha escrito. Sweet! (JJ, please translate)

Well. First of all. Tell everyone THANKS for the letters! You all rock. I have so many that I'm now stressed about writing back -- and so I might just sit you down later and answer the questions in person, cool?
Especially a thanks to Tiff & Gma Barlow. They arrived the same day (feast or famine, no?) and they were such energizing awesome letters with love and excitement. I love you both so much!!

Happy, happy news: Hno B. Romero and Hna Magayon went to San Marcos on Friday and got married. Woot woot! Seriously a miracle as we talked of it when we first arrived and then didn't say anything. A very good sign. They didn't come to church but Vanessa is now reading the children's Book of Mormon in Spanish (it has pictures and is awesome. I totally want one.). Yeah! Last night Hna Stratton offered to bring more star stickers so they
can mark their chart. Vanessa's answer that made our hearts sing: "I don't think we need stickers because we're reading now." oh that's right! Ba ha. The whole point of the reinforcement was just shot down exactly as we
want it to be. We still don't quite know what Hno is missing that will make him avoid work on Sunday and bring his family :( But we keep searching! Last night as reinforcement for Vanessa's reading we watched a movie and ate popcorn in FHE. Super awesome.

I am SO SO happy to hear about your great FHE experience! Yeah!! I want to see that video so keep it on hand. I don't remember ever watching it. And Mena/Mina....we talked of dogs yesterday and I remembered faithful Mena/Mina. Loved her. We talked about temples in 2 of our 3 FHEs yesterday - I guess it was the theme in a few states :) Hna Alejandra Ramirez (less-active but I think we've helped her rekindle the fire and we might
have helped create a testimony/missionary monster ... yes.) shared a powerful testimony to Hna Bailon whose son is an RM and recent convert and whose mother is a staunch Catholic. We can see in Hna Bailon's eyes that
she is searching, but she feels stuck between a rock and a hard place (is that the English version? It's rock and wall in Spanish....) Then her son shared powerful testimony too. Hna Stratton and I didn't say much at all :)

We gave a church tour on Thursday. It worked out well even though we had some headaches beforehand. (Hna S more than I. I'm grateful for a relatively relaxed, even personality that I have now. Scott in Taiwan
mentioned it often. Never realized how I would need it later.) Hno R. Romero and his mom Hna Torres 'carried' Melissa and us to and from the church. We explained some things and just helped them acclimate themselves
to the building. Hno still goes to the desert each weekend but we have a secret card we'll use this week -- a picture of a desert inside the temple! It struck Hna Stratton strongly during weekly planning as she too feels very
close to God in the desert. I just LOVE the temple. We should be able to go this month. Sweet! One 2011 goal is to attend the temple at least once each month....there aren't any in Thailand, are there? I'm thinking no.
What's the nearest one then? Oh and Melissa was really nervous but she came and was a good sport. We'll see her again tonight. We just love her. Hopefully....well, hopefully she'll be converted soon and get baptized and confirmed. Ha ha. That is the overall goal.

Other happy things: well. Missionary life is just great. Often it is hard to condense and summarize it into words for you guys or for my journal. I hope you can feel some of the spirit of it as JJ and Dad talk of their missions and you read some of my experiences. It is just absolutely incredible to be so focused on the work of the Lord. Hna Stratton and I are realizing what a blessing it is because now we have this strong foundation so we can be faithful members all our lives and help others to learn, grow, and progress. I KNOW Jesus Christ lives and guides His church through prophets and apostles. I am so grateful for my knowledge. And I'm grateful to all of you for all you've done and continue to do so that I am who I am with this strong testimony. I know God has a plan for each of us - that's a lesson I've learned on the mission. I look back and clearly see how certain things needed to happen or be learned before other things could come about. And we are working even harder now to give our hearts and maintain our faith so that miracles can truly happen in this branch. Just the other night we found 2 or 3 girls who are interested in attending YW activities. That doubles the amount! Woot woot. We will keep pressing forward "in the service of our Lord" (- a song for the mission written by Pres & Sis Brady).

I also LOVE church because I walk away refreshed and motivated. This week I had questions answered and felt the love of the members, even though they are few. It is such a blessing to go to one of the Lord's buildings EACH
week to partake of the sacrament. I love it.

I love you all very, very much. This week was pretty great and the next will be too because I have you backing me up.

Love,
Hna Green


Funny: I received a haircut last Tues and it did not turn out as I wanted - much much shorter. But Diane was very nice and we chatted it up. She felt bad and enjoyed talking to me so didn't charge me :) I just gave her a tip. She's from Vietnam and told me to come back and visit. I probably will :)

Also, I GAVE my first haircut last week. To Hna Stratton. Just a little trim. It was nerve wracking but fun. And it looks good. :) Yes, I have photos. (JJ -- I almost said "took out fotos" ja ja)

PS We found a service opportunity doing manual labor outside at the Boys and Girls Club. So super awesome! We'll get dirty and work with muscles and help the community. We start this Wed and we're excited. And on Sat the branch president called us in as reinforcements and we helped clean the church building. It was very fun....and I got to wear jeans! First time in months, I believe.

Dad, I snapped a picture of the pickup and one with Hna Stratton by it but we won't be printing pics this week. Sorry. I didn't think to do it last week. Before we go I'll get a pic of myself by it. No worries. And another color of scarf...I don't know. (maybe a rich purple) I do know that she would really love a picture dictionary like Mom sent me for my b-day....so that's a present option. And Hna Denker wrote me and mentioned that the cards are perfect. Thanks again! I was super confused about 23 Mar and why that is such an important day. ha ha. I figured it out. Your schedule does sound super crazy but it's great to have work!! And OK about Taiwan. I will definitely have to plan a trip solo to go there. I miss my friends! And the food and yeah. The wife of the ward mission leader served in the Kaohsiung mission about 3 years ago. Sweet!

Mom, speaking of Taiwan if you have a moment could you please send a quick e-mail to Scott and give him a touch of chastisement and invite him to communicate with me and let me know how things are? Thanks. And your
summary of the weekend made my heart sing and my mouth smile big. So happy you're nourishing each other 'with the good word of God'. It's awesome, isn't it?? I really like my mission president too, he he. You could always
send him a note and let him know. I know he would appreciate it. And his wife too. Duh, just realized I should've had you send a family Christmas card to them. Oops. This year. I'll enjoy the sunshine a little more today thinking of you guys in the freezing cold :) I still can't believe it is January sometimes. And then I look at the dead trees (weird contradiction to everything) or the calendar. Ha ha. Oh wait, we've now hit Feb. whatev.

JJ THANKS for the letter! You're fab. How goes the EMT class? I love ya! We're going to have to speak in Spanish basically every day because I don't want to lose it and it's so much fun!! PS Have you written or called
your converts and friends from the mission lately? Do it! --Will you this week? I know they'll be so grateful and you will too.

Chez You are just a rockin' example to me, ya know that? I love you tons. And I honestly don't know how late I'll be able to stay up but we can definitely have some little procrastinating chats. I'm excited. How was the dance?

Shantaye Glad the camera rocks and you had warm weather in NY. Super awesome. What is your favorite color these days? I'm super excited you are part of girl's choir this year. I'm sure it will be awesome. And you'll
be grateful later for your musical talent. Many people have felt the Spirit as my companion and I have sung the hymns.

Rosko - woof woof wut woof? But really, how is he? Better behaved?

EVERYONE 3 Nephi 11:38 The flip side is a true PROMISE The kingdom of God will be ours if we repent, are baptized, and become as little children. I know we can do it together! I love and thank you all.

25 January 2011 - The girls from the Bible are here.

Hola familia!

Muy buenos dias. Otra bonito dia hoy. Estoy feliz, contenta, y agredecida. You all rock!! Thanks for all the uplift and love. So...Hna Stratton received the scarf this morning. It was funny b/c I held onto the package thinking it was to me then looked down and saw it had her name on it. ha ha. But she was very excited. She said "it's my favorite color! Did you know that?" I said yes. She said "you're sly." Te he. She is actually wearing it right this moment. Very well done.

I'm super grateful that Hna Stratton is my companion. We've had one or two hard moments this past week but we are learning so much together and it is just fabulous. I wanted to make sure you knew that as I may have sounded a touch discouraged before. And mom, Hna Barnes was not transferred, she was part of the exchanges. I'm sorry I typed the wrong word and confused you.

Well. Today's subject line comes from Juan Ricardo as he called his sister to the door to talk with us. I was laughing and excited. We've been called "the hermanas" and "las muchachas" and "de la iglesia" but never "The girls from the Bible." te he he. We've had some fun experiences this week....and some tough ones.

Yesterday Hno B Romero told us he is not going to be baptized because his dad wants him to stay in the Catholic religion. Yeah, he is an adult man with 4 kids but family ties are strong. We'll see if he changes his mind as he continues reading, attending, and helping his two daughters prepare for baptism. we feel it is likely.

A neat moment on Sun night with a teenager (I forgot the word in English!) named Juan was when he asked "What has God done for you?" And I thought and then realized that the answer was "He's given me the Holy Ghost." How cool is that?! We've all received the gift of the H.G. The greatest gift God can give us. And with my time on the mission and my efforts to receive and follow the H.G. I KNOW it is the greatest gift. It will help us to develop Christlike attributes and align our will with God's -- our purpose in this life -- so that we can return and receive eternal life. So amazing! I love the gospel and I love our Savior Jesus Christ. And it's so great to be a missionary. 1 Nephi 6:4 called my attention (very Spanglish) this week. Nephi is great and I'm so grateful for the efforts of all the prophets.

Thanks for being such great examples to me. I hope you had a great FHE last night. We surely did. With Family Ramirez. One sister is RS pres and the other was but is now inactive but...she was at church! Sweet. We had a good visit on Sat and she told us she knows what she needs to do and that she needs to do it. We have a strong connection as our first visit was "mourning with those that mourn" and we've continued visiting our entire time here. So yeah. Last night we did trust falls and talked about faith. Osvaldo stole the show. He's a great, trusting 11-yr old. And he reminds me of Chez in some ways. Kind of a teddy bear image. I'll get a pic, don't worry. And I took a quick pic of the RS sisters this past Sunday. We had a pretty good turnout of 15 :) Now my request is that Mum take on of our ward and send it to me to show to them. How's that for a trade?

We had interviews with Pres. Cook on Fri and it was pretty great. I just wanted to know how to help him more. He turned it back and said "keep doing what you're doing." Smooth. I said my only concern was if I am a consecrated missionary or not because I feel that I haven't quite arrived there. He said "oh Hna Green, you are a consecrated misssionary." So that was good to hear. He also said in passing "I wish all my missionaries were as diligent as you." I just had to shrug and say "I don't know. I just am who I am." But don't worry fam, I'll keep working hard!! There are people to save.

Ha ha. Yesterday Hna Stratton and I talked about how truly this is an emergency situation and we are in the ambulance. And as we left the house she made ambulance noises :) Then as we knocked on a door we softly said "We're here to save you." And the best one I whispered to the door and the people behind it "Do you want to be saved?"

Sadly the cooking opportunity did not work out. We went over and they were home but not ready to cook. We talked for a bit and I was unhelpful because was just really disappointed. Hna Stratton did her best to testify and teach. And I meant that we did service for the son outside his house by helping him fill little pots with dirts as he is working to start up a nursery. I don't know what I say sometimes....just learn Spanish, ok? I'm going to come home and totally speak Spanglish. I hope you have dictionaries handy. And last night I realized the mission has better prepared me to be a mother and wife -- I'm ok with ironing (in fact I almost like it) and I really want to know how to cook. How great is that?! A little side benefit along with the other huge ones that I've received. Man. Life is great. MISSIONARY life is great!

So glad everyone is well, healthy (mostly) and busy. Dad, I didn't know Venezuela was that dangerous. Wow! Armored cars and special bodyguards. How fun. I guess you could say that I have angel bodyguards...

Oh yeah. Last week we had a district activity. Hna Stratton purchased Mouse Trap at the thrift store and I had so much fun playing it! But sadly we were missing crucial pieces like marbles. I was still able to catch the mouse a few times so I was super content. Te he. I was just going off and excited - apparently I needed a release. Who knows. I have a few pics that you'll receive..eventually.

Another scripture that I found that really helped me this week is in D&C 64:33. We can't tire of doing good! We are laying the foundations of a great work. And from little things God brings about great things. Like sharing your testimony, or belief statement, with someone. Like giving them a smile. Or a "thank you" verbally or written. It all makes a difference!! I love you and encourage you to do all of those things. You are the bestest family and I'm so grateful to have you supporting me.

Can you believe we'll give real hugs soon and not just virtual ones? I'm excited for that. And to come back so you can know all my friends and loved ones. And I'm excited for Thailand. Man, I have too many good things in life. (which isn't to say that I don't have any trials :)

I sure love you!! Keep up the great work as children and servants of God.

Love,

Hermana Green

PS JJ, I received your letter -- THANK YOU!! It was very good and uplifting.

Mom, the avocado is just as expensive in the stores here. Sad, huh?

18 January 2011 - I had a good subject line . . .

Hola familia!

Buenos dias de bonito Fallbrook. It may or may not be in the 80's and I'm sitting in the nice new library that has over a dozen computers. Yep, rockin sweet. Missionary life? Pretty great. I just love it. (and the sunshine makes it even better).

I love you guys so much!! Thank you for all the support. I recieved the little package with Mum's letter and Dad's letter. I was very happy about that. I believe Dad's letter arrived Wed. - go figure. Thanks for the BYU-I article. Hna S was very interested in it as well. It seems we were up there about the same time. Small world! Well, I wanted to tell you that Fallbrook has MOUNTAINS. Yeah, in some ways it is like I am back home. And yet not. It is beautiful country here. We went out to Bonsall/Oceanside area yesterday and were just struck by the beauty. Oh - Fallbrook is the avocado capital of the US (and maybe the world) and there is a big replica of one hanging up in the new library. It cracks me up. We also learned there are lots of tomatoes and strawberries. Oh yum! And we love having a truck - it just feels right when we go out into the fields. But when parking...well, I'm pretty good at it now.

What else to tell ya - oh. We met a family from Guadalajara. They're Catholic but I have high hopes for them. It started as we served the married son outside on Sun afternoon. We helped him put soil into little pots. He's working to start his own ..nursery. And we chatted. He's open and searching but very busy. We stepped inside to wash our hands and met his mom. Her eyes were just calling to us - they had a convert look in 'em, we feel. :D And we talked a bit and she agreed to help me with my huge wish of learning to cook. We're going over tomorrow to learn caldo de pollo y verduras. Sa-weet! I'm just so excited for this connection. Remember how you told me Guadalajara is the place to live? Yeah, I haven't forgotten. So that is our new creative way to find investigators. I've been asking lots of people to teach me to cook. Some are willing but the time limitation is hard. Others aren't willing. I think they just think I'm a touch strange. But I'm super sincere! I want to learn to cook --- and right here I have tons of fabulous Mexican cooks within my reach.

Phew. Some investigators are well and others aren't. So it is. But here's a line to make you all smile inside: MISSIONARY LIFE IS GREAT! he he. Thanks for the quote about smiles, Dad. I wrote it down to keep.

Fun story about Hno Munoz -- I totally had a mini battle in my head with HF during the lesson about the date to invite him to be baptized. We had talked and planned of one but I felt we needed to say a different one. Hna Stratton too felt we needed to say a different one (but it was the same date) but then a random date (that isn't a Sat) came out of her mouth. And the Spirit did the job so that Hno Munoz heard the date that we both felt we should say. And then I repeated it and the Spirit confirmed this date to Hna Stratton. (I had already ended the battle by resigning myself to the greater wisdom of HF). Sweet! So 26 Feb. It's gonna happen. We aren't sure why it's so far away but we're gonna do our best. He was in Sacrament meeting and afterward he was helping to gather and organize the hymnbooks :)

Mum, don't have a pic of the RS sisters for you. I didn't have the guts to ask for it this week and we ended late. I'll do it next week.

I just LOVE the BoM. I've already re-started it. I just couldn't not be reading it. :D It's the bestest book ever. I love giving it to people as a gift. If they would live the teachings found therein they would have peaceful, happy, fulfilling lives. And reach the inner goal that I think all of us has to return and live with God our loving Father.

Thanks for all the updates on the home front. I'm excited you met with the Steels again. They sent good Christmas letters again. And really good news about Dad's busy schedule. I'm excited to visit Thailand again. OH! Lhing's mum can teach me to cook Thai food.....sweet :) Yes, Mum you told me about Anne selling Sweet Afton's and I'm sad but still going to visit. With Hna W. And Hna Barnes wasn't transferred - we just had the exchanges. Still confused?

Dad, Mum asked me if I am becoming more like you. And I responded that yes indeed I am. It has good things and bad things :) And I think overall it's all good. It's just funny to realize how similar I am to you. Life's great. You're a great example. Thanks for all you do. And for your love and support.

4 of the 10 missionaries here in Fallbrook are Spanish speaking. And they've decided to flip our Sun schedule around so that the primary and YM and YW can be combined with an English ward. They are just so baby. And there is limited manpower. It should be interesting. It's good news for one of our younger investigators. Yes, Mum. One of our less-active members and her investigator son have a wood-burning stove. And I've adapted to the smell. It's part of the charm of Fallbrook :)

I can't believe my time is so close to ending. I can feel it in the back of everything. But I'm mostly ignoring it and doing the best I can. I've finally mostly figured out how to be a missionary. And yeah. This is the true church that is directed by Jesus Christ. FHE rocks and is absolutely essential in these days to build and strengthen our families. Keep sharing your beliefs with others. And send 'em to mormon.org. It's a super fab website. We were allowed to explore it this past week. I could stay there all day!

I love you all so much. Scripture? 1 Nephi 2:3. The best definition of obedience I've found in the scriptures: do as the Lord commands. And I know it brings happiness and peace! Keep being fabulous.

Love,

Hermana Green

11 January 2011 - Hola Hola!

Hola Familia!

Ok, I don't like thinking about or saying this but the next transfer day when I will have to say farewell to SO many of my friends and leave a piece of my heart behind is Mar 23th, I think. (3rd or 4th Tues in March -- sorry don't have a calendar that goes that far with me right now). And so I'll get home on Wed. I get to serve more than 18 months :) I had no say in it at all. Pres Cook talked with Hna/Sis Denker and she said "the later option, of course!" and as we came out together, we go home together. Pretty sweet. So yeah. Please don't ask any more about it, thanks.

I am working to 'sprint' but in a way that Hna Stratton can too She is a good missionary and works hard. It's fabulous! We are very alike and yet so different. She has served 5 transfers in Oceanside/Carlsbad with 2 different companions. And it is a first to have someone older than me. She served a mini mission I don't know when for about 6 weeks and learned lots there. Her parents are divorced, her only brother claims to be an atheist and I think her mom isn't too active but her dad is. And she has a degree in Psychology from...BYU-Idaho! Oh si. Then she went to Africa for a time for service (?) and was living in Washington DC working.

[Yes mum, I am slowly or quickly becoming very much like Dad.] And Fallbrook continuously smells like a fire. Which I like but had to resolve myself to just always smelling that way (something I don't like much). And it is a fun mix. We're enjoying it. They are opening a much bigger library soon which will be so great. We have 10 full-time missionaries in this little town -- so many! And a library with 3 computers. Yeah, crazy. And yes, this whitewash has been the easiest one because Hnas Davis and Pechin left great info with lots of stickies. :)

The biggest lesson = live the spirit of the law not just the letter of the law. And thus the lesson I've seen repeated throughout my mission: LOVE makes anything and everything possible. It's just the truth! Thanks for always loving and supporting me. You guys are great! (Even though I haven't received a letter from home in weeks. JJ- you said you sent one?)

Exciting news from this week: exchanges! It was super fabulous and great. I went to Vista with Hna Weatherford (who trained Hna Stratton and was in Oceanside/Carlsbad right behind me- love the small world). It really was such a great 24 hours. We had a night of miracles. A member came with us and we had 2 Spirit-filled lessons with brand new investigators. I feel such a connection to one of them. I wish I could keep teaching and knowing her. It seriously was neat. She is ready and looking for the help and the church. Yeah, Hna W has such ENTHUSIASM. It was pretty awesome. She's from Spanish Fork and we plan to go visit Sweet Afton's when we're both home (she's only 1 transfer behind me). And she loves Thai food! Sweet. So does Hna Stratton. I already told them they have a place to stay when they go visit Bangkok :)

Oh yeah. Hna W was super impressed because I gave away a Chastity pamphlet. It was kind of funny. I didn't do a great job because I dodged the topic and just gave the pamphlet and testified it is a true principle and there are many blessings. I actually gave it to Jorge, a young man just out of high school. He he. I wonder what kind of impact it will have. I'm probably in Hna W's journal for that feat.

What else can I say? It was just great to be with her and in Vista which I've heard so much of. And we made a great team. It was fun. I have some pics to send ya eventually. And the great thing on this end (Fallbrook) was an incredible lesson with a man that Hna Stratton and Hna Barnes found praying outside the church just minutes before Hna W and I arrived to do evaluations and switch back. We entered the building and talked more with him. He's excited to begin reading the B of M and says he has come to the church often to pray. Wow. Hna Barnes first words as Hna W and I walked up to them: "How do you say gold in Spanish?" So we shall see!!

Our investigators are doing pretty well. Not doing quite what we'd like them to do, but we continue forth! We had a fun lesson on David and Goliath with an ironing board and marshmallows. Hna Barnes & Stratton came up with the idea. 5 stones = prayer, scripture reading, attending church, testimony, and baptism. Classic quote I'm loving: "The gift of the Holy Ghost will help them defeat their giant." Thank you Hna Barnes! She is a super new missionary. Only been out about 2 weeks and already had a transfer! Hna S said she is a great missionary and follows the Spirit well.

So basically missionary life is super great! And I love being a part of the true church and helping others to learn of the truth. I am about to finish reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish - one of my mission goals. In some ways I don't want to finish because I don't want to not be reading the B o M. But I have plans on how to re-start reading and studying it :) So the scripture that called my attention this week (sorry I didn't have one last week!)

Moroni 7:41 We have hope through the Atonement that we will be resurrected to eternal life because of our faith. So incredible that Jesus Christ has done his part and is willing to help and guide us complete with our part so we can receive these great blessings that God has promised and is anxious to give us. I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true and we can feel God's love and draw closer to Him by studying it (daily). I love this book and have loved sharing it with people. Lately I've said it straight out: this is the best gift I could give you.

I'm happy to hear everyone is well and busy. Good luck JJ with your schedule. Sounds super hectic! Sorry Dad about the luggage headaches. And Dad, if you are still in Thailand I would like a turquoise scarf to send to Hna Weatherford. We were only comps for 24 hours but it was fab and I feel like we were comps longer. Thanks again, Dad, for doing the cards for Hna/Sis Denker. I know she'll appreciate them. She is actually training in English work in Vista. We're in the same stake! Oh yeah. I just love her lots.

Well, I can't think of what else to say even though I'm certain there is lots more. OH! I would like full details on this FHE. And Shantaye still owes me details on her NYC trip I do believe. .... ? Way to go Chez on the ACT. That is a decent score. You want to apply to Stanford?! You rock! I still think I should've applied just to see... so go for it! Don't have a regret. Mum - I'll work on the pic of the RS sisters. We had a few more this Sunday...like 2 more? he he.

Well, time's basically up.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Hermana Green

4 January 2011 - Comin at you from . . . driving a . . .

Hola familia!

La vida es muy buena, divertida, y rapida! Wow. Okay. So I am coming at you from Fallbrook, CA. A little town of paradoxes - I like it lots. I'm serving in a baby branch. Yikes. I'm really pumped to help them grow into a ward. But it is a huge change from my last area with all its member support. The president only marked 20 families/individuals as active. Wow. Church was so small. Outside of us and the secretary and counselor, there were 5 sisters in RS. Crazy no?

And my companion is Hna Amy Stratton from Connecticut/Washington D.C. She is pretty great. We have quite a few things in common - and enough differences to make compromises and learning necessary. It's good :) She is actually older than me - 26. And things really are good, she just moves at a slower pace and I'm pumped to just sprint to the finish. We've talked about it and I'm working to slow down and work smart. And be patient and loving. She refuses to be 'guilted' into anything.

We actually WHITEWASHED this area behind Hna Davis (went home) and Hna Pechin (in San Juan Capistrano) which is crazy. It has REALLY stressed out Hna Stratton. It is her first area change and she wanted anything but a whitewash. Oh well! We got what we got. We're going to have success - I know it.

And I'm driving a TRUCK now. How crazy is that? It cracks me up. We have some serious boony area in our area. Should be great fun. Search for Bonsall and Rainbow on google earth and let me know what it looks like. We've only stayed in town so far - but we do have members and one family of investigators out there in Bonsall/Oceanside. It's a 2011 Chevy. It's nice but it has taken some getting used to. I parallel parked the other day and it didn't work out super well :) now I'm not so sure if I really do want a truck of my own. I miss my little car. I was good at parallel parking!

Wow. So much I'd like to tell you! It has been a good first week. I feel like I'm in Idaho again with the cold and instead of snow I have rain. Not so fun. I'm super grateful for tight exercise pants that I hide under my skirts and my red coat and blue scarf.

We have some promising investigators which is super awesome. Last night we had two great FHEs. I just LOVE them!

So. Familia Romero. Dad already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and is pretty ready to go. We realized we can also help the 10 and 8-yr-old prepare to be baptized with him. The mom is a less-active member. And then there are 2 rowdy little boys. It sure is fun! Another marriage is required but I'm very hopeful.

And then Hno Munoz who lives with his sister and bro-in-law who were baptized in April. Hna Stratton was impressed in a lesson that we need to be here helping him at this time - neat! And so we shall. He is intelligent and willing. And he's living with members which makes things so much better! Support and examples.

Phew. Well. We have lots of less-actives we are working to know and help return. And I like this area. It is a small town...and yet not. And it is mostly guerro....and yet not. The Hispanics are all mixed in which is great fun.

So I may have mentioned already that a great blessing of my mission is that I have developed a LOVE for the Book of Mormon. I really have. I would love to just sit and read it lots....but that's not how it goes :) I know it is the word of God and as we follow its teachings we will achieve our personal quest of salvation. I just love the gospel! And I love sharing it with other people. Missionary life is really great. I've stayed smiling and patient in this change. And it's just so much better that way!

Oh, this is my 4th time doing a whitewash and in the transfer meeting Pres. Cook said "we rarely whitewash sisters. It shows how much confidence we have in you." Huh. All I've ever done is whitewash!! So crazy. I asked him about it and he just smiled and told me to help Hna Stratton know how to do it when I'm gone. *sigh* Luckily Hna Davis and Hna Pechin did a great job. This is the easiest whitewash I've done. And Hna Merrill is still there in San Marcos. And her companion is Hna Goff! It's such a small little world here in the mission :) Hna Goff was my companion in Mission Viejo and before that she was here in Fallbrook for a really long time.

Well. Thanks for the updates on everyone. I love you all super much! Mom, you are completely forgiven for forgetting to e-mail me. It stopped bugging me pretty quickly after it began. But about all those updates -- I need more info! Like about Aubrey and Brenda. What are those girls up to? Didn't know about either thing. Yes received a good letter from Steels. Was thinking Natalie and Jordan would be expecting soon :)

The mission actually had 12 people baptized Christmas Day. 5 in our ward. Sweet! I do miss the members and investigators back in San Marcos but I've already adapted and feel great love for the members and investigators here. I'm excited to work with them.

18 April to return? I don't know. Sounds fine. I'd rather not think about it. I don't like that my time is coming to an end :( I knew nearly half of the missionaries going home in the transfer meeting which made me feel really old. Way to go, Dad on not getting upset! That is impressive.

I am SMILING! And I'm going to go print pics soon :)

LOVE YOU! time's up.

Hermana Green

28 December 2010 - New Companion/New Area

Publish Post

Hermanas Stratton and Green

Fallbrook, CA

25 December 2010 - Baptisms!

25 December 2010 - Baptism of Hna Mercado

Baptism - Christmas Day

Baptism - Missionaries and New Members