July 12, 2010

Hello, hello from California! So I love you all, even though we didn't get to talk on the phone. It wasn't that big a deal, and I don't want you feeling bad. I was just a little bit bummed at the airport is all. But I got over it, because I'm so excited to be here!!!

I just got all the mail you've sent all week, and I haven't had a chance to open it yet, so I guess I'll respond to any questions you have in those letters either by snail mail or in my email next week. Speaking of snail mail, I sent some letters to you, mom, while I was at the MTC. Did you by chance get them? Also, thanks so much for the t-shirt. It's adorable, and I'm looking forward to wearing it. I only have heavier t-shirts, and it's over 100 degrees here every day! It's HOT!

So, lets see.

Tuesday, we landed at the airport and President Pendleton, Sister Pendleton, and the APs were there to meet us. There were 14 of us altogether, They had huge smiles and hugs for all of us. We loaded up in 3 cars to go the mission office and Sister Threlkeld and I had the privilege of riding with President and Sister Pendleton alone. It was an excelent ride to the office (about 30 minutes). Then, at the office we ate lunch while we were all interviewed by the president. The rest of the elders all went to the transfer meeting, about 2 hours away. But President Pendleton keeps all the sisters in the areas close to the mission office (which means it's not likely that I'll ever really leave Roseville) so we met our trainers there at the office. My trainer is Sister Silva. She's a convert from El Salvador, but she's been in Utah for 4 years before her mission, so her English is awesome. She's a great trainer. She's been on her mission almost 1 year. And she's been here, in Antelope, for one transfer before me, where she was follow-up training the greenie that was here before me. She doesn't have a driver's license, so I'm driving, which is really cool! But it also means that I don't get to know the area very well, since I'm never looking at the map. We live in a one bedroom cottage behind the owner's home that the church rents from the super nice catholic couple who live there.

My area is the Antelope 4th ward, in Antelope. I don't have the address for my house yet. I'll include it next week. In the meantime, the Mission Office is in my area, and we usually stop by there once or twice a week, so you can write me there.

The first night, we had a lesson with Lewis, who had already had most of the lessons and already has a baptismal date for the 24th. We taught him the law of Chastity... (cool for my first lesson, huh?) He's living with his girlfriend. We've taught him twice more since then, but his girlfriend is making it difficult. She says, "choose our relationship or baptism" because she doens't want to get married. It's tough because I can tell that Lewis knows that the Book of Mormon is true, and he knows what's right, but he loves Patrina... We're praying that he'll choose the right. But he didn't come to chuch yesterday, so we're worried, but optimistic...

Then, we had my first dinner at a member's home, the Weavers. Everything was GREEN!!! Green tableclothes, green drinks, green plates, napkins, my chair, two kinds of salad, the desert. It was all green. They were super cute. They were even all wearing green. Including Sis. Silva. I'll send a picture... :)

Also, we're teaching several other people. So the work is good. I've definately decided that Saturdays are no fun! Nobody answers the door and it's an all around unproductive day for the work... At least. this week was. Hopefully, it will get better. If anyone has any ideas how we can be more productive, I'd be happy to hear them.

Zone conference was Friday, and it was great. We were encouraged to make "finding people" part of our mission lifestyle. Finding needs to be part of every activity we do, not just the hour or two that we're tracting.

We've been tracting a couple times already. We went out yesterday before church and it was already 102. It was hot outside, but the first person we talked to was really open. We gave her a book of mormon and commited her to start reading it, then we set an appointment for later this week. We did more tracting after church, before dinner, and it wasn't very successful, until the last guy we talked to. We were just going to go home a few minutes early, but neither of us wanted to do that. So Sis. Silva said, "I think we need to go to the park" and so we went. The very first guy we talked to, named Mandell, was VERY open to things. He's been going through some stuff, and he said he never thought about God, really, until today. And then we pulled into the park and started talking to him. We gave him a BoM and testified to him that drawing closer to God can bless us in ways we never imagined. The spirit was definately there. We're meeting him later this week to teach him the lessons. And I really hope that he reads and follows through on his commitments--that he remembers the spirit he felt when we were there with him, and that he actually comes to our appointment. I know that the Spirit directed us to meet him and I know that if he keeps his heart open, he'll be taught the truth.

Well, that's pretty much it... Actually it's not. There's a whole ton of stuff that's happened, but those are the highlights. I'm doing my best to write it all in my journal, so, if you really want, when I get home in 18 months, you can read it. :)

My time is past gone, so I need to wrap it up. I love all of you. And I'm so glad for the letters and the prayers. I really feel them. Keep praying for me, my companion, my mission, and for the people here in Antelope.

Love, Sister Reid

P.S. I forgot to bring my camera cord, so I can't attach pictures today, but I promise next week to send pictures of everything, and I'll send some through the snail mail today too.