Sorry mom for making you wait an eternity for this email! I want you to know, mom, that I thought of you ALL day on THANKSGIVING... for two reasons- the first being it's your favorite holiday [it is your favorite holiday, right??] and the second because it was YOUR BIRTHDAY! [a little something is in the mail for you... i hope you get it real soon]. I want you to know that you really are THE BEST MOM EVER. I feel after 22 years of being your daughter, I can say that! Thanks for all you do for me... it never even phased me all growing up when people would say, "Pamella, I just love your mom!" I'd just think, "ya, me too!" But really, there is a REASON they said that to me all the time... you have such an ability to be helpful and loving! OH HOW I MISS YOU! HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
This past week was a REALLY good week. I just love serving here in Racine and Kenosha! I feel like I am SO AT HOME HERE! I hardly even use my GPS at all anymore, it's wierd! K, here is the DL...
[lunes 11.16]
what a day monday was. what a day. we got up for our last time at the BLAKE'S and packed half of our belongings in the car... THen we WENT and played SOCCER! but.. all the elders are half - dead... they've all gotten "THE SICKNESS". mind you, there are 8 of them down here so when one gets it... the rest are pretty much doomed [because they're always together]. SO only a few played. it was AWFUL to see them just sit in the car and watch us... but we had a lot of fun playing.
Then we went to UW Parkside and emailed. The elders called us and invited to come to Brother Jenkins' home, a member in the Racine ward, he's single, a doctor and SUPER nice. We went and watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" [e. trauntvein has a secret copy] in his home theater... it was amazing. Then brother Jenkins' offered to take all 10 of us to lunch at Infusinos, the BEST pizza place in Racine. its so good, such a nice place too. I kept hearing about it, it was nice to finally go.
On the way there I noticed our gas light came on [i have always been bad about that]... so we just determined that after we ate we'd get gas. Well we got there before the bro. jenkins so we waited for him in the parking lot. The elders pulled up beside us and we talked to them for a bit. Bro. Jenkins pulled up. We got out of the car, I got something out of the backseat, and we went in. We sat down, ordered... waited for our food... played games on the paper table cloths, so fun, love the dot game! .... we ate our ginormous portions, talked, ate some more and then it was time to go. I couldn't find my keys anywhere. Naturally, my first reaction was to blame the elders. which i did. they're always doing stuff like that to me. but they didn't have them ... so I just walked out to the parking lot, and as i approached the car I heard a humming and I saw the lights were on.. i thought NO WAY> NOW WAY is OUR CAR ON!!! yep. it sure was my friends. I left our car UNLOCKED with ALL our BELONGINGS in it RUNNING on an EMPTY TANK OF GAS for TWO HOURS in one of the SCARIEST PARTS of RACINE. not to mention that I was eating with 8 elders and a MAN from our ward. KILL ME. you should have seen their faces, they were more shocked than me! needless to say I have yet to live this down. I will never EVER live this DOWN! . . . I KNOW THAT GOD LIVES because our car was NOT STOLEN. little miracles people. God even loves us when we act like morons! We drove to the gas station and all was fine. good times. it still makes me laugh. seriously, who does that?
we had dinner with the blake's, then we finished moving. they helped us. it was a LONG day to say the least. Now, we are at the Brigg's.
[martes 11.17]
we had district meeting and interviews with President Barrett. I LOVE president BARRETT. he is such a great man. I had the BEST... the LONGEST interview with him. We just talked. more like ChAtteD! You know when you talk to someone and you can just FEEL how much they love you? Yes, that's how I feel when I talk to my mission president. The man is AmAzing! He talked about how much my companion, SISTER JOHNSON loves me... He said she speaks very highly of me, said we were best friends and that she desires to serve with me the duration of my mission! so cute. He sorta hinted that I may be transferred coming up december 10th... he was driving me NUTS! He'd just laugh after he'd say some AMBIGUOUS statement and say, "come on, your mission president has to have a little fun!" HA he kills me. so we shall see. I love it here, but if I am supposed to be elsewhere, elsewhere I will go... I told him if I have to leave I would love to go up to Green Bay SPanIsH! We find out saturday dec. 5... so I will know in two pdays... not knowing KILLS ME! but for now, I am just loving the Branch. Also in my interview president talked about how he vividly remembers one year ago walking around down town milwaukee and me wearing "flimsy" shoes and being SO COLD... He even remembered giving me his scarf to wrap around my near FROZEN feet that night when we got in the van. Oh the memories... this mission is just going by so fast. I said that the other day and a lady in our ward said, "that's good! you wouldn't want your mission to DRAG ON would you?" I guess not! The rest of my interview was about working with the kenosha english elders more, he commended us for working so well with the other elders, it has proven VERY SUCCESSFUL! i love this work. After interviews we went to Quiznos and Wal.Mart and we taught Vicki and had dinner at the Abbott's and then we went to MUTUAL... ERICA and VERONICA NEVARRO came... It was a GREAT DAY. Interviews always give me a good boost. Sister Johnson told me sister Barrett said i was one of her favorites... AHH... I LOVE sister BARRETT... I interviewed with her too... I love her, she's a great mom subsitute.
[miercoles 11.18]
we taught english. We taught Michelle... she's so pumped for her baptism. We went to racine's mutual.
[jueves 11.19]
we studied. We met the elders at the church for a planning meeting, the kenosha english elders to coordinate how we can help them. sister johnson had elder petrie translate the talk she had to give sunday... he was way under the weather, poor kid. we took him a coloring book and crayons too. we visited elizabeth martinez, she's doing so good... fighting that depression SO WELL! then we taught OUR FAMILY. It was the first time I had ever taught A NEW FAMILY the RESTORATION in SPANISH by myself... i def STRUGGLED, it's so hard having a companion that is not fluent... but we made it. It was great. THe spirit was so STRONG! They committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon! They are so prepared. The Lord really HEARS and ANSWERS our PRAYERS!
[viernes 11.20]
we met TIFFANY BAUMSTARK! it was so incredible. Tiffany is a media referral. SHe got on Mormon.org and ordered a Book of Mormon after reading CJANES blog! SHE KNOWS THE NIE NIE DIALOGUES... the elders visited her once, she says they were a little over whelmed by her... haha. I called her. we clicked... we've been TRYING and TRYING to see her... ALAS it happened! We met her at WILSONS COFFEE and TEA. [racine does have some charming places, i've been shocked recently!] Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have owned the place... forever. They have GREAT HOT COCOA... ps. :) .... We talked and talked and talked. we answered her questions and never before in my LIFE have I seen someone so EXCITED to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon. She is just the cutest thing ever, I can't wait to meet her whole family! She has two children. She is AmAzing. I love her. We're BFFS already, I feel like I have known her forever because we've talked on the phone so much.
we then visited Daysi and her new baby,,, Leah Michelle. They're bothdoing great... Daysi is reading her scriptures and praying everyday... she says she does it for the baby! WHATEVER THE MOTIVATION... it's good! this baby has changed her! so cute.
we taught michelle cabrales about keeping the sabbath day holy, she felt the spirit and went right away to talk to her boss about getting saturday off for her dad's baptism and sundays at least until 2 so she can come to church! It worked. She left right after our appt to go talk to her boss about how she needed to be able to attend all 3 hours of church. She was so scared. Apparently, her boss is an angry angry man and he said no to her in the past, but we talked much of faith and she felt prepared, she had hope that the Lord would provide a way. That's all it takes. He did provide a way! She attended her dad's baptism and ALL THREE hours of church on Sunday and loved it. Faith is power!
then we saw vicki. oh vicki, she is SO PREPARED to be baptized. She could be baptized TOMORROW! she just keeps saying, I don't know when... just not yet! ... someday! .... AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!
The most exciting news of FRIDAY? ....
ROCKY LEE BLACK... soon to be ELDER BLACK got his mission call!!! THE MARYLAND, BALTIMORE MISSION is So BLESSED to have him! Rocky, you are going to be a great missionary! I can't wait for you to go! You are going to LOVE it... I just know it! I am so grateful that we will have a period of time where we are both serving together! It's going to be a really special time! I seriously can't wait for you to go!
[sabado 11.21]
SOCCER Brother Cabrales said we MUST play soccer before his baptism! so we did. it was fun. He said he didn't sleep all night... he was nervous!
He was Baptized along with Luis, Vicki's son, at noon. It was a beautiful baptism. I love going to baptisms, the spirit is so strong. Vicki came and so did Michelle. They felt the spirit too. Michelle is so excited. I asked vicki if the next baptism i went to would be hers... she just laughed and said "NO CREO!" which means I DON'T BELIEVE SO! haha
I love Bro. Cabrales and Luis so much. I have been here the whole time start to finish for their teaching. It's wonderful! I love them! I have had the opportunity to teach them both. What strengths they'll be to our little branch!
we had dinner with bro cluphf. our WML in the racine ward. we had a good mtg. to end the night we taught his neighbors who were on their front porch as we were leaving with the elders. I love to hear other missionaries teach. elder stribling is such a good teacher.
[domingo 11.22]
we had church and meetings all the day long [8:30-5:30]. sister johnson gave her first talk in spanish and did a great job. After church we checked our mail at the Blakes and then went and talked to their neighbors, the Soen's. They are a great family and we will be going back to teach them next sunday! they love and miss the blakes just as much as we do! we ended the night teaching the NAVARROS. they didn't come to church. it's so frusterating. they are so close. we got to talk to the mom a lot. i love her. they just need to all COME TO CHURCH and feel the spirit that is there... they are still having doubts.
As you can see... we are never too worried about what we should do each day... we are SO BUSY! I just love serving here. I love being a sister missionary. I am so thankful for this time in my life to serve!
I hope you all had a great thanksgiving and steered clear of the malls on the infamous BLACK FRIDAY! I will tell you all about mine on monday!
i love you all!
Love, sister pamella JO black!
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