(sorry that I have been repeating pictures)
Ok ok… this is going to be a marathon email… I have prepped myself for a typing-fest. Ring off… bracelet set aside… water bottle full… sitting up straight. Like I said last week, I am filling you in on two weeks worth of stuff! It might be the readers digest version, that could be nice for a change. J
On a small side note though, we went outside this morning to run at about 7am and I could see my breath!!! Can you believe it??? UGH. I was so mad! It is AUGUST 31st! I should not be seeing my breath yet, GO AWAY FALL, it’s not time for you yet! I am scared for what this winter is going to be like if I am cold and seeing my breath in AUGUST!!!!
[Mon AUG 17th]
leave racine and drive to milwaukee . email . wal mart . go back to the K’s house and make cookies for elder love [aka papa love as he prefers! Ha he was in my mtc district, now he is in the office. I love him. I made what we now call “pancake cookies” the other day and they came by and ate all of them… so they requested more… those cookies couldn’t be duplicated if I tried… but Tollhouse did the trick] 4:30 dinner at the ducharmes [wml] . then a visit to the mission home to talk to president and sister barrett about the “hot one” as sister barrett called her, a referral, they met at taco bell, Chandra!
[tue AUG 18th]
district meeting . lesson tour at the church with Lauren Squaires a recent convert- it was AmAzing! We taught the 1st lesson using the pictures and the different rooms in the church. We ended with the font and pictures of the temple. I LOVED it, we all felt the spirit so strong. Sister warner did a good job of teaching us how to do those- we’ve been asked to do that more often, it’s powerful and gets our investigators in the building. We then visited Debbie Pruzinski and Helen Gardner. Mtg at bishop Fannons and ended the night at the family history center getting training from sister orne on FH for the Mexican fiesta coming up.
[wed AUG 19th] We were in Racine for the day! We had appts with Christina Davis, Tamika King [lunch at her home too! YUM… she is a good cook!] Cheryl & Ted Johnson and The Sura’s [dinner, fish and burgers, we always have good meals there!] We had a busy busy day in Racine!
[thurs AUG 20th] we went to the zoo with Helen Gardner and her grandson Michael. I love the Milwaukee ZOO! I had a great time… the animals were SO close! It was fun to go with them… I love the zoo, I felt like a little kid, I got so excited. My favorites, the giraffes… they’re mesmerizing! We had dinner and a lesson @ the ducharmes with the menters. It was SO good… and yummy. The elders were there too… I love elder vogan and elder stevens…. They’re both so new and such good elders… they keep me on my toes. We ended the night at institute.
[fri AUG 21st] we went to the barretts at 11am after studying and cleaned the mission home and post-it noted it EVERYWHERE! It was fun, we wrote funny things on the notes, the Barretts were out of town in the UP so we new we had the green light. It was a nice surprise for them and fun service for us to do. On our way home to change we stopped at a SWEET CORN STAND on the side of the road. Dad Kozlosky has been requesting some corn for quite some time! [he always asks us when we go to racine because once we brought him some back from there… now he thinks the best comes from Racine! Ha] They gave us a whole bag for 4 dollars… we had a HUGE thing of corn, like 15 ears! Dad K makes the best corn, he made us some the next day! YUM YUM. At 4p we met Mom and Dad Robertson as we call them, or Paul and Lisa, in Milwaukee on National Ave at a really good Mexican food place that I can’t remember the name of. They were on their way back up to GB from the temple in Chicago and stopped in to see us and take us to dinner. So nice of them. They love sister warner and I, we love them. They are a big part of my mission- like family. She called us the other day just to tell us about the weather… haha like old times in Green Bay. I love her.
[sat AUG 22nd] we played volleyball at the Ornes then we went to Mexican Fiesta on the Lakefront in Milwaukee at the Summerfest Grounds, same place as German Fest, to help in the genealogy tent. It was a blast. I got to use my Spanish quite a bit and eat some really good food! Although, it was quite a different crowd than German Fest, they were all still pretty much drunk, but a different kind of drunk! Haha you know what I mean!
[sun AUG 23rd] I went on splits with Lauren Major, a YSA in Milwaukee. She is so fun. A BYU graduate and now working here at the Kohls corporate office. We went down to Racine, tried to see tina, with no luck, left her a note… my fort¢e… then we had a meeting at Bishop Blake’s, I love him, I love the elders down there and Bro. Hancock, our Ward Mission Leader. We are a great team. It was such a productive meeting… then we headed to CHURCH in Kenosha, there is only 1 building for Kenosha and Racine. After the 6 hours of church, and a short coordination meeting, we headed to Milwaukee because the we had Mexican Fiesta again that night! Good times. I love serving with sister Warner, we have the best times together!!!
[mon AUG 24th] PDAY… the day that I found that the trio was NO MORE! Sad. But good… needed! We went to the Ducharmes and played games for a little while, I was kinda in a lame mood, then we went home and packed. We spent the rest of Pday hanging out at the Kozlosky’s!
[tues AUG 25th] was filled with packing and saying goodbye or SEE YA LATER! We saw Janice, I love her… then Spencer Twilmeyer… I love that boy, it was fun to serve in his ward, talk about worlds colliding. I went to UWM and got a camelback water bottle [my AmAzing PINK nalgene I’ve had for 9 months just bit the dust] this new water bottle fits PERFECTLY in my cute new Hurley bag that the FAM just sent me! I love it. The best part about it is that sister warner bought the same water bottle only green, from UWGB about 6 months ago [after my mom sent me mine, we were trying to drink more water… it worked!] and just RAVED about it to everyone. I got so sick of hearing about it that one day I said, “Why don’t you just take a picture with it and send it HOME!!” haha she did. Now I love it too… she is QUICK to point that out… one of those I told you so moments! Haha I said goodbye to Marilyn at culvers [s.warner and I just had to have our last dinner there- it’s tradition]. I love Marilyn, she is AMAZING… she always makes fun of missionaries for saying, “You’re great.” Haha she says “WHY?” you have to say WHY! Apparently we use that phrase TOO MUCH! Then goodbyes to the MENTERS and DEBBIE PRUZINSKIE and FAM. Sister Behrends has served her for a YEAR…. So we had lots of goodbying to do. I didn’t feel such a big need, only to a few people… I wasn’t hear long enough or consistently enough to get attached to too many people, I did to a few though.
[wed AUG 26th] we met President and Sister Barrett at the mission home and drove with them to Kenosha for district meeting… the last few hours of the trio nation. We went to our new Spanish District Meeting [president calderwood, our branch president in Racine just requested it be formed and Pres. Barrett gave it the thumbs up! So as of this transfer we have district meeting in Spanish! We’ve only gone sometimes when we’re down there on Tuesdays… but now we’ll get it 100%… I am excited] then we went to lunch with the Spanish elders at El Campeon [Spanish elders always know the best places!] while president and sister barrett interviewed the English elders. We then rushed back to Milwaukee to pick up SISTER EARL from the airport. She is a visa waiting sister on her way to Madagascar. We found her with the assistants… TEACHING AWAY in the baggage claim area! She learned French in the MTC and was there for NINE weeks… once you get out of there you are SO HAPPY to see REAL people!! Haha She is on fire… a great missionary. We all four went to the Donnich’s [dj & tracy] for dinner… we almost cancelled… good thing we didn’t… it would have been BAD! Dj Donnich’s dad, President Donnich even called President Orne [who called President Barrett] and said if we didn’t come missionaries weren’t welcome in their home anymore! AHH! So we went… it was good. THEY ARE HILARIOUS and he made the BEST Vinegar Smoked Ribs I’ve ever had… and I usually don’t like ribs… mmm mmm… and Mashed potatoes. MY FAVORITE. We stayed our last night at the Kozlosky’s… all four of us. It was a party, so sad for me to say goodbye to the Kozlosky’s though! Tragic. I love them. They are my family in Wisconsin… they’ve treated me like a daughter. They remind me of my family, my parents. They are good people, some of the best. I will miss them.
[Thurs AUG 27th] breakfast with the Assistants, Office Elders and Milwaukee Sisters & interviews at the mission home before we headed to racine. President is AmAzing. He knows me so well. I told him I was excited to go to a place where I knew I would be for a while… I feel so tossed around since GB… he said, “ Yes but we needed you in Adams, those were 3 crucial weeks, we needed you here too.” I love him. He also knew I was sad to leave my warner girl. It was so refreshing to serve with her for 3 weeks. He told me to work hard, that Racine needed me and to “let the ward do the work” basically not to go in and take over… haha, What is he suggesting??? I think if he has taught me anything on my mission it has been to “Make it their idea!” Get them to do things that need to be done, and let them think they came up with it… ask lots of QUESTIONS! Example “Bishop Nelson, what do you think would be the BEST way to help the Allen family feel more involved? Do you think they might need a calling? Do you think they’d benefit from a dinner at your home?” HA it works! I love him… sometimes it makes me think of when my mom says to me “down girl” haha I just get so excited about things and want them done NOW! I am learning though…. Like a stone in the riverbed… slowly polishing those rough edges… sometimes it’s a little faster on the mission! …We then said bye to Kris Hall and we were off to Racine!
[fri AUG 28th] FIRST DAY IN RACINE FULL-TIME… we taught English in racine with the Spanish elders… visited Hermana Martinez from the branch… then went to the Racine Volunteer Center to sign up for some service. Then… I had a migraine so I went home and went to bed for the rest of the night… I think I was just sleep deprived from the crazy week[s], being in a trio seems to = less sleep. It was just what the doctor ordered. I woke up feeling SO much better!
[sat AUG 29th] we stopped by to see a member, she wasn’t home, but we met her neighbors… “Talk to EVERYONE”… that is straight from Preach My Gospel… I don’t know if we will end up teaching them, but we invited them and talked for a long time… he used to work in Phoenix for a printer, the Lofgreen’s, we have Lofgreen’s in our stake… he had a good experience with Mormon’s, she is interested in genealogy, you never know… I love being a missionary and not feeling awkward to talk to ANYONE… I think I have my grandpa’s blood in me! Grandpa Black is SO good at that… so is Rocky… I learned from the best. We stopped by at LOTs of people’s homes and I even left notes in SPANISH at the homes from the Branch. It was my FIRST time! Haha whew… what a long day… in and out of the car.. lots of people were not home… it was Saturday… understandable! But still LONG. I left lots of STICKY NOTES… my trademark… gotta love POST-ITS… they’re the best!
[sun AUG 30th] We got to go to church together! FIRST TIME IN 2.5 MONTHS! It felt SO good to have my companion there… so much less stressful, we’re in twos for a reason!! President Calderwood called on me to comment in SPANISH SUNDAY SCHOOL… so I answered best I could, with a little English… the language is COMING… I love it. Afterwards we stopped by Tina’s … I am not sure she is ready to change, I love her, but her life is crazy and she blames it on everyone else… but we met her son, he needs the gospel just as bad as she does, I hope to be able to teach him. Then we had dinner at the Sura’s and taught about Temples… actually Abby taught us. I got to share my experience of being sealed to my family… how special was that… I am so thankful for ETERNAL FAMILIES. I love my family. Also, last night sister Hamblin called from GB to let me know that Barbara Bostwick passed away Friday afternoon. So Tragic. My heart hurts for her, more so for her sweet daughter Holly, whom is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. When I left GB Barb sent me a photo she just had taken of Holly and some art she made me, adorable. I would do anything for them, I love them. The Messick’s taught Barb and she was baptized just before they went home, it was a special day. Thank goodness for the knowledge we have of the plan of salvation!!!
I love you all…. Whew… my hand hurts… grandma and grandpa- you are the BEST… thanks for everything… expect mail this week! … Rocky and Britt… good luck in your Second WEEK! I think of you daily! MOM and DAD! HOLD UP! You can do it! No childrens at home to keep you straight! Borrow the Johnson girls! I miss them too! BRADY BLAKE AND ELLIE… I LOVED MY PACKAGE… made my DAY! Love the pics! ThANKs steph! I love you all!
Love, sister pamella jo black
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