Hidy Ho Familia y amigos!

It has been a great week. We found two new investigators and some new Hispanics to go teach. Every Hispanic we've met this week took a double take at Hermana Cameron's nametag, pointed out what her name means (shrimp), and politely called her Hermana Carmen instead. It's really a great way to break the ice.

We?ve had a few really great lessons this week and that's all it takes to really wake you up. Get you motivated to share the gospel. We've been focusing on using mormon.org and the "Questions of the Soul." Things people want to know and be sure about that this church really focuses on and gives good solid answers to. We tracted a lot last week and when we went to our appointment this week with Stacey the first thing she said was, "Well I thought a lot about that question you asked, 'What do I want to teach my children??'" She said she had mentioned God to her girl, talking about creation or something, and her little daughter had no clue what she was talking about. So she's really interested in finding that faith in Christ, for herself, but moreso for her girls. She was so sweet and I'm really happy for her, because she's so willing to find answers for herself.

We've taught so many people and it's great that they were so willing to listen and we've done our best to teach, and some of them even recognized the Spirit, but no one so far has had that desire or real passion to know. To look for answers themselves. So we still visit the Craigs, the Ukrainian family, Fernando, and invite them to activities and things, but unless they've prayed about the Book of Mormon with sincere heart, this church is just a really quirky social club to them.

This week was the Primary Program. It's the most well attended Sunday of the year. So we've had fun contacting as many less actives this past week as we could and 5 of them came to church! Including Sister Luna who I think I might have mentioned in a letter a long time ago. So that was really great and I love all the really loud little girls. There's about 30 something little kids in the primary and each of them has the energy of a split atom. Best part: one of the 2 year olds in the back got loose and ran all the way up on the stage and gave his big brother a hug after
his speaking part. That was cute, so no one stopped him, then since he was all the way up there, his parents couldn't really go get him, so he spent the rest of the meeting bobbing around under the seats, not getting caught by the primary grannies, and being as disruptively cute as possible.

We're having Family Home Evening tonight with a recent convert and some of those little kids so I'm excited. We give the car back to the elders today, I'm not so excited about that, because it's Cooold. Hermana Cameron, my Newport Cali compa has vehemently vetoed biking in skirts in winter chill, so we have to figure out how the buses work today. And parents you may have noticed me using the debit a bit. I started buying winter stuff. I got boots last week. Sorry, but I ain't tracting without leg warmers and fuzzy footwear.

Regarding your question; An ojota is a type of Peruvian flip flop.

I'm glad you guys made it back safe and that Dad had lots of fun.

The Church is true and your ward missionaries are worthless without your support in helping them find and teach and fellowship. So give em a call. Ask to help and refer somebody who needs the gospel (ie everybody). Thanks so much for supporting me and letting me know you care. Thanks for the letters and I love you all.

Con carino,
Hermana Deb

P: Que es la diferencia de una pera y una chica?

R: Una pera es pera, pero una chica no espera. jajaja

Hola Familia!

Sounds like a fun trek home from Peru. Boliches! I've got a new companion, actually she's recycled. Hermana Cameron, one of my MTC-VC training companions, arrived on Thursday and for some reason we haven't gotten a teamup since J She went from a car to the Islander-6 (I need to send home a pic of this bike) every minute of the day. I haven't ridden a bike this much since I arrived in the mission. I haven't ridden my bike this much since high school! The skirt makes it fun. We're passing around a teamups list next Sunday, the old standbys have moved on to bigger and better callings. In fact, one of our top Spanish speaking teamups husband just got called to be bishop! So I let Brother formerly-bishop Markham know we would be calling him for teamups this week and he'd better brushup on his Spanish J . We haven't gotten new investigators in awhile, so we tracted and rode our bikes a lot to do followup the last couple of days. My legs are frito-ed.

I went to some pretty dern cool birthday parties, I mean…finding opportunities, this weekend. One with a Spiderman 3 theme, tamales, cupcakes and a JUMPING CASTLE (I need to send you that pic as well). Then a hoppin happy 70th for our ward clerk. His sister was in town and she's not LDS so we talked about genealogy and ate a lot of M&Ms. We worked it all off, because contrary to popular belief, Kansas is not all flat. Lawrence really knows how to represent as far as hills go.

Oh hey, guess what? I ate FISH! I put a lot of limon y sal on it and just chewed it down. I'll be honest. It doesn't taste bad, but that smell…I drank 5 glasses of cranberry juice and I'm not sure how long I brushed my teeth when I got home. I'm still trying to shake it off. Bleh.

So I paid for 10 mins in an internet cafe to finish this letter. The Church is true and thank you so much for a ll your love and support. Especially Mom and Dad. You're my examples and I know Heavenly father has put someone in your path today. Someone he wanted you to talk to and tell them whats made you happy. tell them about the gospel. We haven't had a lot of success yet, but I'm supposed to be here. The string doesn't know how the tapestry will turn out. I'm simply where I'm supposed to be doing my best tot see what I'm supposed to do. Heavenly Father will guide us to have daily missionary opportunities as we pray and work for them. It's not hard. Just a see a need and love people. Open your mouths and they shall be filled. And when it doesn't seem like there was a point, we'll still stand with Our Creator the last day and be able to say with Him. It is good.

Con muchisimo carino,
Hermana Deb

Hola familia!

Okay, so I made up this really great joke last week. My companion didn't get it, but that's okay...."Que es el resulto de una vaca frances y un toro de Argentina?" Okay, you'll get the answer at the bottom, like a popsicle stick. :-) I told a member this and got a better one back, "Que es la diferencia de una pera y una chica?...Una pera es pera, pero una chica no espera." hehe, pobre elderes.

Quiz question for Mom when she gets back..what's an Ojota? Elder Alvarez from Peru gave me one on a lil keychain.

So we had an exchange yesterday and it was really great. Sister Cornell got to go to an Indiafest and teach an Indian lady in Topeka, which was cool because her grandparents are Indian. I got to meet the other Sister R. and confuse a lot of people at church. Sister T. R. speaks Spanish as well and had not gotten to teach any Spanish lessons on her mission so far. All the Spanish wards have elders assigned to them. So we taught a second discussion to Elsira and it went really well. I really like teaching in Spanish. It's too bad all of our Spanish investigators fly home for the winter. I'll get all their Chihuahuan addresses before they go. It doesn't matter where they learn the gospel.

One of our ward missionaries invited us over to eat with his parents this week. They're not LDS and it was great talking to them, and sharing a scripture, even if there wasn't time to teach. Then he told us we should go visit some people in his neighborhood. They weren't very interested. Then he gave a Libro de Mormon to a man at work. I had written his testimony in Spanish in the back for him, no interest. I was feeling bad for this ward missionary. He was baptized himself about 4 years ago and married in the temple with his wife. It's hard to see members get rejected, especially those that are pretty shy. But he went and bore his testimony on Sunday about each of these things that had happened. About how he had felt touched by his first priesthood session ever. He started talking about how great the missionaries are and I was amazed at how much faith he had in us. I mean I was feeling bad, because there were all these things I wish we'd said to the neighbors we hadn't. Like maybe if they were more veteran missionaries, they would be teaching them right now.

But I realized the promise had been fulfilled that we left with him. We never commit anyone to do anything, or ask anyone to do anything without promising the blessings that will come. I told him the blessing that comes with sharing the gospel it a greater testimony of it and more opportunities to come. And the first part at least, was obvious last Sunday. From when Ifirst met him til now. he has an amazing testimony of it. I believe the second part will come. outta time. Church is true.

Love you.
Hna Deb

Answer: Le Che! hahaha!

[Note from Lisa: The joke is "What do you get when you cross a French cow with an Argentine bull? "Le Che!" Then Spanish word for "milk" is "leche." Argentinians call each other "Che" all of the time. Like, "What's up, man?" is "Que pasa, Che?" ... It loses something in the translation. The other joke is a pun that isn't going to translate at all: "What's the difference between a pear and a girl? A pear is a pear ("es pera"), but a girl isn't a pear ("no es pera") / A pear waits ("espera") but a girl doesn't wait ("no espera').]