First week in the field

Dear Family:

I don't think I've felt clean since I got off the plane. I am constantly sticky and sweaty. My hair is unruly and I have to buy new socks already because of the holes. Pero, esta bien. My area is the Houston 9 West area, which is 12 minutes East of Sugarland and 20 minutes South of downtown Houston. The ward is just awesome and the language is hard...I have been assigned to be the ward pianist for like everything, no one plays. I really love it!

I wrote mom and dad a letter about what went on my first day and how everything went. The Wednesday after I got here I was put into a TRIO. Yes, I have TWO companions. I love them so much though! Hermana Bennion is my trainer and I am being trained alongside with Hermana Green, who I know from the MTC. We live in the GHETTO. It's quite the adventure. We have 3 bolt locks on our door...there's your sign... So the weather really isn't TOO bad. There is always a breeze and we've been using the car pretty much all day, Hermana Green has been sick so we can't ride. AND....Daddy, don't be mad...and family don't make fun...but yesterday we got to ride our bikes for the first time and I was SO excited! We were riding to go see the Diaz Family, which is about 4 miles from home. And let me first tell that the sidewalks and streets are AWFUL!! I don't think there is one level piece of cement here, see where this story is going? Right. So I'm riding along enjoying the nice breeze and thinking about the Diaz Family and then I see it...this HUGE chunk of the sidewalk was ready to just EAT me and my bike! So me, you now with my quick thinking skills, decide to swirve and go throught the grass, perfect right? Nope. I go through the grass and I just hear this POP. I look down and my tire is just toast. So I try to stop and I somehow ended up on the grass with my bike...yo no se. So my knees were just a little dirty but I survived the traumatic experience. I know you were all worried. So I have to go get a new tire...already...sorry dad. But hey, I got a slurpee out of it. Hermana Bennion felt bad for me. I was having a rough day.

So the day after I got here we went and saw Angie, she is so special. She is 9 and her family was just recently reactivated and she is SO excited to get baptized! Her dad for a long time now hasn't wanted her to, it's been a struggle. So when we went over we met with the whole family. I had the opportunity to bare my testimony for the first time in Spanish out of the MTC and it was just REAL. I don't remember all that I said, all I remember is how I felt, and Angie is going to be baptized this Sunday. :) It was SO cool to feel the Spirit work through me for the first time. I know that I wasn't the one that changed his heart, it was the Holy Ghost, and I feel so blessed to have been a vessel for the opportunity! Then Hermana Bennion bought me a chocolate bar. :)

Nataly is another sweet lady we are teaching, her story is just incredible! She lives with one daughter here and the other is still in Colombia. She has SO much faith is just shakes me. We found her the Friday I came, she has a date set for the 22nd of this month. I am SO excited for her!!

Adriana is just the cutest. She has a little boy who is 8 months, his name is Cristiano. She has a desire to learn so much but is lacking faith that she can have her prayers answered. She has accepted to be baptized but is unsure of the date. She is the toughest one...that and She talks really fast and I can hardly understand what she is saying. She had us over for dinner yesterday and I had my FIRST REAL Hispanic food! Todstada, I've had these before but from Tacobell, these were REAL!!! SO GOOD!! And not spicy...thank goodness.

Funny story people, are you ready for this? So the Miranda Family is just adorable. They are a member family and we have been working with them and thier friend who isn't a member. They have this little girl who is 6, her anme is Jazmine and she is just a spit fire! She reminds me a lot of Brayden! We went over for the first time on Saturday and we taught them a little lesson about the Plan of Salvation and Families. At the end, when I am baring my testimony, she raises her hand and I say, "yes?" And she says in her cute perfect English, "You shouldn't speak Spanish. No one understands you." Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!! I just died laughing!! The mom was just SO distraught about he whole thing. But hey, it's true. Jazmine teaches me new Spanish everytime I see her. :) She calls me Hermana Rosa.

I've been called a lot of weird things. There was this sweet lady we contacted on the street, she was a missionary for another church, one that believes in JUST Christ? I've never heard of it but it's apparently pretty big here. Anyways. I hadn't said a word because I wasn't quite sure what all was being said, so I was just doing my thing, smiling. And she just looks at the and talks about me for like 2 minutes straight! Which is long time... I just said gracias because I kept hearing bonita. After she left Hermana Bennion just started laughing like crazy! So I was kinda nervous to ask what was said. The lady just LOVED me for some crazy reason! She just went on and on about how I am just a "bebecita" but I would grow so much in the Gospel of Christ. So I am now Hermana Bebecita to my companions. Plus they are both taller than me, Hermana Bennio is a tree but Hermana Green is only like 4 inches more than me. I'm little, whatevs. Hermana Flores is another one. Hermana Flor. No one can seems to say Florence. It's ok. Jazmine calls me Hermana Rosa because Flores is flowers in Spanish...so that's pretty sweet. :)

We are doing a TON of work with the ward. The ward is just a baby when it comes to missionary work so we are really kicking it into gear! We got the Bishop to call ward missionaries and we are in the process of starting a English class for the public, an awesome tool to find investigators after the class if they want to learn more. That should be ready to go in about a week, I feel cool because it was my idea. :) The Bishop also asked if I would be willing to teach piano to someone in the ward...I said yes. But that won't start until after the English class and until I learn more Spanish... I'm kind of really excited for that!

It's really hard here. There are so many different accents of Spanish going on it's hard to understand a lot of everything. But I can't believe how much I LOVE these people. I used to be terrified to speak to strangers, I could hardly order food at home without turning red! I feel truely blessed to be able to open my mouth without freaking out!! It's moving. :)

I can't believe Charely is walking!! Are you kidding me?? Stop it right now!!! Dad, you're old and I love you. The BIG question is... WHO VIDEOED DAD'S BIRTHDAY SONG??? If no one did, I will be so sad. I would have taught you all nothing. Dad, you're a scout master...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... be patient. I'm so glad everthing is going well at home! I miss you all so much, it's hard to be around these families without missing mine like crazy. But I am here to bring these families together like mine is! I have such a testimony of families. I KNOW they can be together forever. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for families as well as individuals. He has a plan for me to be happy. And for everyone else. And the way to know and find that specific plan is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all SO much! Send me letters, I love those things. :)

All my love,

Hermana Florence

Erica in the mission home (bottom left) with the 42 other missionaries.

Worst Nightmare Come True...

Hola mi Familia!

 

Como estan? So I´m just ready to get to Texas!! I got my travel plans the other day and my worst nightmare has come true..my connecting flight is through Phoenix. So I´ll be "home" for about an hour before my flight to Texas. I can´t believe how fast my MTC experience has gone by. I might even miss it here. But I am SO ready for the life of a REAL missionary! No more of this sitting around day after day...

 

 So in the MTC, during your time here you only have the opportunity to hear an Apostle once...TWICE FOR ME BABY!! Elder Russell M. Nelson came last night for our devotional. Yet again, I felt the undeniable feeling of the Holy Ghost testify to me of the divinity of this Gospel, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. His talk was incrediable. His wife, Wendy Nelson also spoke and their talks were perfectly insinc. Of course, missionary was talked about. But in a way that I have never thought of it. Throughout our lives the veil between the Spirit Worlds and mortal life is so thin. I know I have experienced that a few times, mostly in the temple. As a missionary, I have the opportunity to ASK FOR HELP from those who have past on. I can literally be lead by angels as I search for their posterity. What a blessing! Mom wrote me a quick email from school this morning and I LOVED what she said about how we are never asked or expected to do hard things alone. Missionary work is hard. Learning Spanish is hard. Being away from my family and friends is hard. But I KNOW, by experience, that I am NOT alone. None of us are never alone. For me, I have two constant companions, The Holy Ghost and Hermana Watkins. One of them sleep talks like crazy, the other helps me be patient, can you guess which is which? :) I have so much help in this life, we all do! However, it can be hard to remember how loved we are when facing adversity. I know that from my own experiences too. Sometimes I get scared. This last week was a challenge for me. I have been feeling uncomfortable with the language lately, usually I am optomistic about it, weird right? Me, optomistic about Spanish. :) It came after we learned about Subjunctive...surprise! I had ZERO confindence in myself and started to put up my wall, sorry dad. Yesterday after taking another class period to go over it, I felt a little better. Once we got into our lesson though I just wanted to cry because I wanted so badly to say what I wanted to say, but couldn't say it right because I had to use subjunctive. So while a "member friend" was talking in our lesson I said a quick prayer in my heart so I could get across my feelings simply, Heavenly Father wants her to pray. I got my answer, which was, "Open your dang mouth! You are MY missionary and I WILL take care of you.". So I opened my mouth and I said in perfect grammer what I wanted to say. What did I learn from this? Lots. Confidence is key. If I don't have confidence in myself, that is saying I don't have confidence in my calling which means no confidence in God. I KNOW that he will always help me, especially when I am handling His children and helping them with their needs. As a missionary I am a mouth piece for Heavenly Father and Christ, but if I don't open my mouth, how am I supposed to be effective? I won't be! So, I will never again let my fear of FAILING inhibit me from showing others through my words and actions that they have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

I was reading in Mosiah 24 last night, and I cried like a baby. In this chapter the people of Alma are persecuted by the people of Amulon. Amulon basically enslaves Alma and his people and makes their lives very difficult. It is how the people of Alma carry their afflictions. They do not complain, they do not murmor against God and the Prophet Alma. Instead, they pray for peace in their hearts, that their burdens will be made light. God hears their prayers, as he hears ours now, and even though he doesn't right away take away their afflictions, he makes them seem light and their hearts become cheerful, even under those rough circumstances. They are eventually dilivered and they PRAISE GOD with GRATEFUL HEARTS!! The Book of Mormon is applicable to our lives, as well as the Bible. The Book of Mormon was specially prepared for OUR lives, in THIS time on the earth. I can draw strength and comfort from this story, even though it's old. Because events like in Mosiah 24 happen to us every day people! It will happen time and time again. It happened for me this week when I was troubled and had burdens on my shoulders. Shamefully, I admitt, that at first instinct, I complain. Spanish is SO hard and subjunctive tense is kind of the worst. BUT. If I keep my head up. If I keep my faith and confidence in God. If I keep a prayer in my heart of thanks. My loads will be made light and I will be able to overcome ANY challenge in my life. I am SO grateful for THAT knowledge. Without it I would have a rough time on my mission. I would have a rough time in life. I have such a strong testimony in The Book of Mormon. People....It's REAL LIFE!!! It is another testimate of Jesus the Christ!! It was made and perserved for US in these latter days. If you do not know, if you have a single doubt, I invite you to read it. REALLY read it. Open your heart and WANT to know of it's truthfullness and glory, and you WILL KNOW.

 

I love you ALL! I am so grateful for a forever family! I am grateful for the special opportunity that I have to be a representative of Jesus Christ! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has the FULLNESS of the Gospel of Christ. I know it. And I can never deny what I know. Thank you for all of the love and support you all give me. I know that I recieve much support from home and well as my Heavenly Home. I know that we do not have to FEEL alone in this life, ever! The power of prayer is so real and I am sograteful that I can communicate with my Father in Heaven. Please, Be good, Be safe, and Be missionaries yourselves by LIVING what you KNOW!

 

Siempre Con Amor,

Hermana Florence

Sister Training Leaders

Hola mi familia!

I have loved all of the pictures and love from everyone! Ryan and Cari, Skylar will be SO beautiful! I can´t wait for her to be born! I got a letter from Mandie and the kids, in Emery´s eyes I´m a little scary looking! But Mandie assured me Emmy thinks it´s lovely. So I guess I´m good. I have a letter ready to send to them!

So this week did not seem real...didn´t I JUST have a P-Day? I really can´t tell you all much from this week. I went to class, ate, studied, and ate some more. Ha ha thus is the life of the CCM.

 Mi compañera, Hermana Watkins, y yo are the new Sister Training Leaders for our zone! Our duties include interviewing each sister in our zone and making sure they are taken care of and help them with their MTC experience. We get new missionaries in our zone today! So we´ll be taking them on a little tour and doing an orientation about how everything works...I don´t even know how everything works so this will be interesting. I´m super excited for this experience to help guide the new missionaries here, I know I really needed the advice and comfort from my Sister Training Leaders, I hope I can be helpful to them. This also means more meetings y doughnuts on Sunday mornings, so of course, I´m happy to attend.

This week mi compañera had some medical procedure´s done, so I´ve been on lot´s of fieldtrips! Truly exciting really. I´ve missed quite a bit of class for it all, but I know that if I serve mi compañera first, I will be blessed and helped. I feel a little behind en el español, pero as I serve and keep positive and patient, Heavenly Father will bless me and I´ll be able to learn the lesson I need from this experience. I have been studying in PMG about service and charity, as I was finding it hard to miss so much class. It directed me to about when we are baptized we make a convenant to lift up those in need and confort those who stand in need of comfort. I have already promised that I would love mi compañera and everything that comes with her. I need to bare it all with patience and a smile on my face. And if I need to I can cry in the shower. :) I have grown to love prayer so much. It is truly the way we can communicate directamente con nuestro Father in Heaven. It is a gift. A gift that I PRAY(see what I did there) we all use cada dia.

I´m sorry this week´s email is so short! Please know that I love you all and think about you often! Please be good and be safe!

Siempre con Amor,

Hermana Florence

Busy, Busy

Hola mi familia y amigos!

I just laughed and laughed at the story of The Charles getting away from Brad, she is getting very clever! Can't wait to see pictures of her face covered in cake soon! Happy Birthday to that Ryker kiddo!! And Brayd has a loose tooth?? AHH!!! Someone just pause them all for me!!! Mandie said she thinks she is having a girl so woohoo!! Emery is excited and Dallin isn't ready to believe it yet, typical! I may have teared up a bit when Mandie told me Emmy was ready for me to come home, I just want to squeeze them all!

It's been a week and a half since my last P-Day, no I'm not being a baby, it really did stink. Scott would say "sucks to suck" - true story bro. Since my last letter it has been really crazy! I have been on lots of field trips outside of the MTC for the pharmacy and doctors appointments, mostly for the companion. Poor Hermana. But she is getting answers and doing much better! We had our first (almost) full day in class in a week yesterday and it was the BEST!! I finally felt like a missionary again and I totally crushed it in my leccion, Spanish-wise. I found courage, not sure where it came from, to just let go of my fear of the language and follow the Spirit to talk about a subject that I have ZERO vocabulary for. I somehow was able to explain everything I needed to in order to help my investigator become more converted in the Gospel. It was amazing! I have such a testimony of the gift of tongues, I know that if I will but open my mouth when prompted, I will have Heavenly help. It's an incredible feeling.

I really don't have much to report on because I was only in class so much and I wrote quite a bit home in letters.
I just want you all to know that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and The Atonement. Since I have been here I have used the Atonement countless times, it truly is an enabling power. I know that our Savior lives and loves each and every one of us and knows us individually along with our Heavenly Father. They both desire us all to be happy in this life and for eternity. The way we can achieve this happiness es por media Jesus Christ's example and following his example of baptism by the proper authority, receiving the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, continuing in repentance, and enduring to the end. As a missionary, I have been charged to help others find and REMEMBER the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is familiar, it's simple, and it is for ALL of God's children.

I love you ALL!! I am grateful to be a missionary and to have such wonderful love and support back home. Sometimes it's hard, but over all it's the best! I cannot imagine living a life without the knowledge that I have that Heavenly Father has a plan for me, especially beyond this life! Family can be together FOREVER! I am SO grateful for every member of my family! I send my love to Canada as well, you know who you are. :) And Happy Wedding day to my beautiful Courtney(a couple days late)!!! I thought of her the entire day!! Again, love you all! Be safe and kiss the babes for me!!

Siempre Con Amor,
Your Hermana Florence

  I found Sister Jensen!

 This is my awesome district! Yes, I'm the smallest... Left to right- Elder Harper-Smith, Elder Porter, Hermana Watkins, me, Elder Bramble, y Elder Davis

The biggest Mike and Ike box I could find...a sad life...

I was a sicky and I got my first real package! Tender mercy. :)

Look who I found! I miss Elder West!

 It SNOWED in April??

The trees here are so pretty!

I am finding so many friends! Elder Kenny!