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.