Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

(Aspen '08)

HelLo! How are each of you? I am on a computer this week that has microsoft word… hallelugiah! It makes my life so much easier… so now I can type freely without fear that my email will be erased off of myldsmail. [president barrett said that sometime soon myldsmail is switching to use the gmail server… I can’t wait for that to happen… this thing is SO slow and it ALWAYS erases my emails.]

SO last week I had a lot more to say… but didn’t have the time or desire. So here it is…

First off though, Don’t you just love Christmas? Goodness, I am sad it is over, but I feel like I throughouly celebrated it this year! We went caroling EVERY night we could since the day after Thanksgiving… that’s pretty impressive. I think the elders are done with me and caroling; I can’t help it if I LOVE it and it’s an EXCELLENT finding activity. Plus, it was an AMAZING way to see all of the people we needed too, unannounced! NOT TO MENTION that people LOVED it… they were so happy to have carolers at their door.

I know that we caroled a lot for two reasons. The first is in both my spanish and english hymn books the book naturally falls open to the Christmas Carols. The second is that sister johnson and I were singing with some people last night who obviously hadn’t caroled much and they were singing at an incredibly SLOW tempo. We both looked at eachother and just helped them speed that song right along… our audience was losing interest! I love caroling.

Last Sunday [12/20] we wer e caroling/tracting… we knocked the door of an elderly couple and sang them a christmas hymn; at the end of our song she said, “Merry Christmas, and it’s ok to say that- It’s not Happy Holidays, it’s Merry Christmas!” She was a cute little lady and she was all fired up. She is right though… That is why we have so much JOY this time of year: because we are CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS!

Last Sunday [12/20] was the Christmas Program in the Racine Ward. I had to speak and sister johnson sang a solo: “O Holy Night”. It was beautiful. My talk was to be 5 minutes on “What Christmas Means to Me”. I liked that topic a lot. I first spoke of my Christmas Traditions: going to see temple lights [did you guys do that this year?], baking sugar cookies, decorating the tree, gma & gpa lighting a fire in the fireplace even though it’s already plenty warm in the house and things like that.

Then I talked about how as a missionary Christmas has come to mean a little bit more to me. I read the scripture from Luke 2:10
…
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. …

I based my whole talk off of that scripture. It was glorious. I talked about how the gospel is the good tidings of GREAT JOY! Let’s just say I said the word JOY a lot… I know that the birth of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made of His life is the reason we are able to feel so much joy and happiness in our own lives. We can be with our families foever, we know we can repent and CHANGE, we know how to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I love the GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! My talk went well.

This is definitely a Christmas I will not forget. Last Christmas sister Barrett challenged us to make that a Christmas we wouldn’t forget. It was. I remember making a MILLION sugar cookies with elder jolley and elder pulley and delivering them. I remember taking corry and her family a christmas tree and all the decorations for it… so fun.

I remember the year before that when I was at BYU. Michelle and I, after attending the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, decided to do an act of service each day for someone. What a difference that made- what a good Christmas that was, it made the fact that I didn’t get to fly home until the 22nd or 23rd of december a little easier.

And then this Christmas with all the caroling with the elders. . . unforgettable! It was freezing cold… yet we felt warm and bundled as we shared the joy the gospel brings at each doorstep. We were often invited in, given some kind of treat and that made it so worth it! I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time of year. There is truly nother better! I can't explain it... I was so happy as we did that... all singing together songs about our savior as it snowed! seeing peoples faces light up as they saw what we were doing... one house even recorded us!

I am sorry that I didn’t send out Christmas Cards this year, there was no snow! I will be sending out some other greeting cards sometime soon… now that we have snow! I can’t stand to take a winter picture in wisconsin without the white stuff… we do that at home all the time.

Here’s the DL on the week:

*lunes* pday. Email. Play soccer with elders at the church. They made me mad so I got a lot more letters written! They felt bad afterwards, sometimes they forget I am a girl… goodness, I do have feelings! We had dinner and FHE with Temika and her family. They read a story and sing a song every night in december from one of those book things. That was fun to do with them. We taught nancy and then we went caroling with the elders!

*martes* we went to seminary! We got up at 5a. ugh. Remind me to never do that again. I don’t know how those kids do that! It was their last day… we had bkfst with them then we taught them about marking their scriptures and the elders taught them about paying attention in seminary. I could tell it was a little early for e. stribling, he was a bit intense with those kids. So funny. We taught Marka, saw some referrals, or tried to at least, we taught raygon taylor and then We had dinner with the abbott’s. We ended the night going with Fani to Nancy’s choir concert at Park HS. Little J wasn’t feeling good, so we came home and she went to bed.

*miercoles*we studied, stopped by to see vicki and then we were off to milwaukee. I had to go to the dentist, I saw Dr. Knutsen, he’s the spanish branch president in milwaukee and he took good care of me. I fractured my back molar. When I got in there he started working on the other back molar, apparently that tooth is fractured too and that one has a cavity.. ugh. So he is going to fix both of those problems for me tomorrow, 12/29. We then came back and caroled with the elders the rest of the night. We ended our night with the first snowball fight of the year at the aquinos! It was a surprise attack on the elders! It worked out well… smith got me good in the face though… it was SO FUN! It snowed so much this day! Driving wasn’t so pleasant.

*jueves* CHRISTMAS EVE we had 6 appts! Brkfst at Temika’s… then the Sura’s for lunch… then the Crowther’s… then we went to kenosha with our family… that was SO FUN… then to the FLORES… then to the Davis’. Everywhere we went we were showered with FOOD and GIFTS… it was a good day. I felt like I was with my family, it was so fun… I love this area! I am so glad I got to be here for Christmas!

*viernes* CHRISTMAS DAY … I got to talk to my family. That was so wonderful. Everyone sounds like they are doing great. WE had breakfast with the Brigg’s, lunch at the Ngorney’s and then with the Schlitz’s then dinner at the Petriceck’s… GOOD DAY! I love Christmas… same thing as christmas eve… we were showered with food and gifts.

*sabado* SOCCER. STUDY. CAROLING. [who cares if it’s the day after!] [& dinner with the elders and sisters warner and pluim at culvers, they were passing thru on the way back from an appt.]

*domingo* CHURCH. Brother and sister Cabrales gave talks in the branch! It was so adorable. They did such a great job. Brother Cabrales said his life completely changed once the elders taught him, That is what the gospel of Jesus Christ does for us… AmAzing. We ended our night… CAROLING for the last time. We caroled to the calderwood’s in kenosha and to their neighbor with the kenosha elders… and then in racine with our english elders… they are much better carolers! … they’ve had A LOT Of practice. IT was snowing last night. We parked our cars and walked up and down to those we needed to sing to. As we did that, Sister Johnson, Elder Zobell, Elder Stribling and I, I thought, “This is the LIFE!” I thought about Rocky! I can’t wait for him to walk up and down cold, dark streets in Maryland and think the same thing… “This is the LIFE!”

I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a missionary. I really do. I get to share the greatest message this Earth with ever know!

Happy New Year!

Love, Sister Pamella Jo Black

Feliz Navidad

Buenos Dias Mis Amigos!

That has become one of my favorite phrases these days! I love speaking spanish... just in case any of you were wondering. Just in case I haven't made you all aware of that fact!

OK before I get down to the happenings of the week... here are some seperate items...

*MOM: I NEED SHARON MASONERS ADDRESS... [perhaps if I put this here you will remember to send that to me... thank-you!]

*SO all this week I have constantly been drinking hot chocolate... because it's COLD! well... I was drinking hot chocolate at denny's the other morning [sister johnson and I went there to do our weekly planning] and with just one little sip it reminded me instantly of the mornings when I'm home, when I am hungry, but don't want to make anything and I sneak next door and grandpa and grandma make me hot chocolate and we sit on the front porch swing etc etc... those are the days! I can't wait for that to happen again soon! i do miss that! I love you grandma and grandpa!

*We have been asked, since about July, to commit each of our new investigators to baptism on the first lesson! ... That was a big change for our mission... now it has just become what we do, our faith has definitely increased. Well, tonight we have a first lesson with a spanish investigator family, BKA "our Family". We have taught them a couple of times, but tonight we are teaching them the restoration and plan to committ them to baptism. I AM SO NERVOUS. I haven't been this nervous in such a long time! It's crazy how much SOUL STRETCHING has taken place since I have had to teach in spanish! I WAS SO COMFORTABLE teaching in english. President Barrett always says, "There is no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone". How true is that! But I have seen how much the Lord makes up the difference when we do our part.

He promises us in D&C 84:85 "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man." Then he continues in that section, "88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. 89 Whoso receiveth you receiveth me; and the same will feed you, and clothe you, and give you money. 90 And he who feeds you, or clothes you, or gives you money, shall in nowise lose his reward. 91 And he that doeth not these things is not my disciple; by this you may know my disciples"

I love those scriptures, they are so comforting and SO TRUE... I have seen them come to pass time and time again... especially as I have been speaking spanish!

This is a great work we are doing here... I absolutely love it.

This week..

[lunes] we played soccer at 8am. . . IN THE CHAPEL'S GYM... it was really fun. I was so tired afterwards, it's so exhausting. we play teams of 3 and rotate out after 2 goals are scored. The winning teams gets to play a second game... the teams are constantly changing. If a team wins twice they leave the court too and a new team comes. it's good fun.

The elders taught sister Johson how to ride a bike. that was fun. She is a crack-up. She ran in to SO MANY WALLS in the gym. She was such a good sport and they were so patient with her. Elder Stribling, ELder Petrie and Elder Smith should feel so privileged, I know she just wouldn't let anyone teach her... by the end of the day she wasn't running into any walls and she could turn both left and right!!!

we had lunch with all the elders, it was our last pday all together. we went to culvers. we ended our night having dinner at fhe at the davis'. I love that family. Bro Davis made homemade pizza... it was SO YUMMY!

[martes] we volunteered in the doll room at toys for tots again. that was fun. then we had lunch with the elders, then district meeting. we taught vicki and luis and leslie with elder smith and elder trauntvein. Those elders did such a good job teaching luis and leslie... they are SO knowledgeable! I was so impressed they know the whole gospel of Jesus Christ by heart ... in order. FAITH REPENTANCE BAPTISM RECEIVING THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST AND ENDURING TO THE END... so cute. We had dinner at the Abbott's and ended the night visiting some of our kenosha peeps.

[miercoles] english class! we taught everyone there to sing silent night in english. It is so amazing to me how none of those people are being taught the gospel and some may be unfamiliar with what the Holy Ghost is... but as we sang that song the spirit filled the room. it was incredible. We plan to invite them all to the christmas program at church this sunday. . . i hope many will come.

[jueves] toys 4 tots. meeting with bishop crowther. we had dinner with Raygan and Mike Taylor with all the elders. It was a lot of fun. She is such a sweet lady. I love teaching her and her family. we played volleyball that night. It was transfers too. I am so going to miss those elders. more on that next week!

[viernes] english class. planning. we taught vicki. We tried to commit her to baptism. she said no. she's not ready. her kids know more than she does... etc etc. she makes me crazy! she is SO READY! sister johnson told her she's not leaving til she commits... she said... oh great! stay! i love company! grr! we then met with the elders at culvers for a planning meeting... then taught heidi higginbottom and went caroling the rest of the night. i love caroling.

[sabado] soccer. study. jessica's baptism [kenosha elders taught her] she's sweet. young. pretty girl. she looked like she was glowing at her baptism. then the ward christmas party. it was really good. it had a good them.. .a night in bethlahem. fun. we ended this night caroling too.

[domingo] church. lunch at the sandovall's for some yummy guatemalan food. more church. dinner with all the elders at lilyan barry's. we ended the night caroling! we saw tiffany baumstark. i love her. we caroled to her. she's amazing.

i love you all. i love this work! I love this season! Merry Christmas!

Con Amor, Hermana Black

CANTAN SANTOS ANGELES...

... That's Hark the Harold Angels Sing... in spanish. I have had that song stuck in my head all week! Probably because we've been caroling all week in Spanish. Everything is just better... in spanish! :)

SO... Wisconsin still has NO snow! I mean there has been a dusting here and there... but it mostly melts... it's wierd. mom was telling me that we're supposed to have snow tues and wed! good, it's time! It snowed the day before thanksgiving [NOV 25] ... that was my ONE YEAR MARK IN WISCONSIN and I was so HAPPY. Sister Johnson was not really thrilled... I LOVE THE FIRST SNOW! it snowed a little this week... but not enough to count. we can't even have a snowball fight yet! COME ON WINTER! [we are however getting the bone chilling winds and cold, the big coat has been taken out of storage and is hung up... just WAITING for it's winter '09 debut!]

This week I learned that for my Team Scoopie meal at Culver's I can subsitute HOT CHOCOLATE [with whipped cream] for my drink! [ps there is no extra charge] That's the best news ever! [I'm not a big soda drinker, i only like rootbeer and i don't like culver's rootbeer, it's too sweet, so i always just got water]Then I get my refill in my to go cup on the way out the door to keep me warm for just a little bit longer. It's the little things in life, you know!?

We got our transfer calls Saturday Night. I am STAYING IN RACINE for 6 more weeks. I am so happy. I really wanted to stay for Christmas and New Year's!! Petrie is leaving. very sad. Elder warner is leaving from racine, Elder gates from Kenosha and Trauntvein is GOING HOME from racine spanish. Every companionship but us is changing. it's going to be very different... I love this area.

[lunes] we went for Pday in MILWAUKEE. it was fun. I love our elders. WE went with all 8 of them. We went to the Sprecher's Factory [they make the best rootbeer] and then to the elders' old area [petrie, trauntvein and smith all served there] to eat at a place called Antiago's. It was SO YUMMY! Best Mexican Food I've had in Wisconsin. I ordered in spanish too... thanks to the elders: they get to uptight when i don't use my spanish... i just get NERVOUS to speak it around them! Then we went to the MIL South Stake Center to play with the rest of our zone... we saw sister warner and sister pluim. it was fun. we ended the day with dinner at the Davis' with the sura's. then we taught FHE with them.

[martes] district meeting. splits with the relief society sisters. we taught michelle cabrales.

[miercoles] english class. we taught janelle king. we had the Guillonta's for dinner. WE saw vicki... her daughter angeli turned one! then taught trinidad and ended our night teaching michelle cabrales.

[jueves] we volunteered with the 4 elders in Racine for TOYS 4 TOTS. [not to be confused with the marines thing] This is a local organization. They collect toys year round, then clean them, repaint, re organize REDO them... make them new... then package them up for families and give a family a christmas. it's wonderful. it's like santas workshop. Really, it is. Just like the movies. I felt like an elf: we worked in the doll room. YES there is a room for every kind of toy you can think of. THey clean and redo dolls hair. We dressed the dolls and found them a second outfit. it was SO fun... like i was 5 again! I can't wait to come home and play with Chloe, Sophie and Ellie! it made me think of them! Christmas really brings out the best in People. I love that.

we saw raygan taylor. love her. more on her next week... then the seiverts, then sister maine then we played volleyball. michelle had her baptismal interview: they didn't even get to the questions, she said she wasn't ready. .. more on that next week. I love her so much. i just want her to do what is right.

[viernes] english class. studying for 3 hours:the norm. weekly planning. culvers. caroling with the racine elder = SO FUN!!!! We saw so many people.

[sabado] we spent all day at the church. Soccer was cancelled. We had the Kenosha Ward Christmas Brunch. Then Maurcelino, a guy petrie and campbell taught was baptized. he's so sweet. then we studied. then we caroled with the kenosha elders... SO FUN again. Then we had a meeting with bishop crowther.

[domingo] fast sunday. the branch found out petrie and trauntvein were leaving. They invited them to bear their testimonies first. Hno. Cabrales was sobbing. he loves petrie so much. it made me cry. i love this work. i love these people. We were at church all day and then ended the night with e. stribling and e. warner at the calderwoods for dinner. we completely missed the christmas devotional. it doesn't feel like christmas... we'll watch it this week!

I love you all! have a good week!

YOu are the BEST... keep those letter coming!

Love, sister Pamella JO Black

I love this Season!

Happy Thanksgiving! What a great way to start the holiday season! Bishop Crowther, our new bishop in the Racine Ward, talked about this last Sunday. He talked about how we start with a day of saying thanks and end with a day of giving! It is true! This is my FAVORITE time of year. I get so excited, like a little girl. I love the holidays! I thought I'd tell you all a few things that I am grateful for....

* my family: I truly have the BEST family in the world. I am not sure what I would do without them. They say when you are on a mission your life seems to take a little more perspective and direction. That has definitely happened for me. I am in contact every day with so many people that are lacking the wonderful support I have. The beauty is I have the opportunity to teach them how to cultivate an atmosphere of love and care in their families.

* I am SO GRATEFUL to be a SISTER MISSIONARY for THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS! I say that at least once a day, usually more! Being a missionary is the BEST. I am not sure what I'd be like had I not had this opportunity to learn and grow. There are so many days when I just pause and think... I LOVE THIS, this feeling I have RIGHT NOW! ...

*THE RESTORED GOSEL OF JESUS CHRIST. . . because of this knowledge I know Where I Came From... Where I am Going and Why I am HEre. I know I am a daughter of God. I know how I can return and live with Him and I know that that is only possible because He sent His Son Jesus Christ. He sent him to atone for my sins, your sins, but also to suffer the atonement: allowing Christ to feel every hardship, pain, disappointment, sorrow, trial, doubt, depression, we've ever felt. What a blessing that is.

*Lastly, I am grateful for this SEASON! I LOVE LOVE LOVE CHRISTMAS! I love it. Really, I feel like a little girl. I am a little concerned because Racine is still sunny, green and warm. I didn't wear tights yesterday! today I am just wearing leg warmers and flats and a 3/4 sleeve cardigan [and a SKIRT.. come on people! haha]. It's warm! ANYWAYS... i love the Christmas Season. You should all read Elder Eyring's Ensign Talk "Home for Christmas". It is really good! Last Christmas Sister Barrett challenged us to make this a Christmas we'll never forget. It was. And my Christmas before that was too... more on that next week... but I plan to make THIS Christmas just as good as those in the past. What a special season.

King Benjamin talks to his people in Mosiah Chapter 2... and in verses 17-22 This is what he says:

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?
19 And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!
20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—
21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

King Benjamin is SO AmAzing. What a powerful speaker. I am grateful to focus this month on being in the service of my fellow beings, and by so doing, focus on being in the service of my God. How blessed are we! We have SO much to be grateful for! Let's show grattitude and serve one another!

SO .... you want to hear about a miracle? Ok... I will tell you. About two weeks ago we were in district meeting. I am convinced I have the best district leader ever, perhaps because e. petrie and I have served in the same area my whole mission [and he's from AZ], but none the less he is AmAzing. He challenged each companionship to find a family to teach by our next district meeting. That is no small task my friends. finding a family is a really big deal, every missionary wants to be teaching a family.Sister Johnson and I took this challenge very seriously. We wanted to find a family. Petrie promised us we would as we were dilligent and applied the trainings we had received in zone conference [which were all about interactive commitment based teaching and inviting]. So we made a plan. We knew that SACRIFICE BRINGS FORTH BLESSINGS. You all may know this, but sister johnson and I don't go tracting. Not because we are SO ABOVE THAT or anything, but because we are so busy. President Hinckley said it himself, tracting is not the most effective way to do missionary work! [now if you don't have anything to do, you better tract, but that's just not the case for us.] SO we decided in order to break our normal patterns, we'd go tracting from 6-8 every night that week 'til we found our family. We also committed that we would talk to EVERYONE we saw. So we prayed, told the Lord our plan and asked Him for His help. We were so excited. We knew He'd help us find "OUR FAMILY". We carried out our plan. We talked to everyone, in english or spanish. We constantly prayed for OUR FAMILY. It was AmAzing. We tracted, i loathe tracting ps... but we did so with FAITH and that HELPED. One night we were walking out of an appt and we saw a man and his young daughter raking leaves. It was dark [but then again it gets dark here at 4:30, no joke] and it was cold and we were in Kenosha and had to drive to Racine to go home and we were tired ect ect... BUT we remembered our promise to eachother and the Lord and we went and talked to them. They spoke Spanish. We told them who we were and what we did and they invited us to come back and TEACH THEIR WHOLE FAMILY later that week. What a great blessing. We've been teaching Reina, Fransisco and their 2 young daughters. Reina is pregnant and due in January with a little boy. They are a great family. I love them! We are teaching them in SPANISH... I Know that MirAcLes HaVe NoT CeAseD... see Moroni 7. The Lord blesses us when we have FAITH and EXPECT answers. He blesses us to be able to communicate thru the spirit as well... no matter what LANGUAGE they're speaking!

So here is the low-down on last week. I am just going to tell you straight... IT WAS ROUGH. So bare with me...

[mon 11.23] worst day on the mission. just a BAD day. "I hate stupid people". [e petrie says that all the time] and SO DO I. we'll just leave it at that. we went to the birches for breakfast. then emailed. then culvers-to eat large amts of chocolate custard to make the day better! :) then we had dinner with the new bishop crowther and then saw ted and cheryl. the evening ened well.

[tue 11.24] district mtg. s. johnson was sick so we took a nap. suras 4 dinner. we saw vicki.

[wed 11.25] Happy ONE YEAR in Wisconsin to me. This time last year I was trudging around in snow with President Barrett... it's so different this year! I LOVE WISCONSIN. we taught english, ted and cheryl, saw Nancy Herman with sister sue johnson from the ward and then had the Hancocks 4 dinner with the elders. I love the Hancock's... they are so utah and I lOVE it! also, this morning elder petrie gave me a blessing, i needed it. I felt so much better afterward... more on that next week. I love the Priesthood.

[thu 11.26] HAPPY THANKSGIVING. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! My mom always makes thanksgiving ...[any holiday really] ...But especially thanksgiving so perfect for everyone, it's fitting it was on your birthday! I missed your YAMS that are like CANDY..... and your ROLLS.... but i didn't miss your COOKIES... wed night we came home to find a box on the stairs. it was overnighted to me and it was your sugar cookies. i cried. that was the best surprise ever! thanks mom and dad. We had thanksgiving at the costabiles and the Calderwoods... both really good. Sister Calderwood gave us advent calendars... so sweet. I love both those families. we ended the night at the birches for every kind of dessert you could think of and games. It was fun, all the elders were there. good times. it was a great thanksgiving.

[fri 11.27] Black Friday. We steered clear of the malls! we studied, did weekly planning. every appt cancelled...bad week, everyone is crazy with the holiday and family. We taught OUR FAMILY and then had an FHE with the Cabrales and elders petrie and campbell. I love the cabrales. We played mafia... IN SPANISH... it was really fun. even more fun when i was the narrator- it doesn't matter if its in spanish or english.. ahaha i always get confused!

[sat 11.28] soccer. every appt cancelled. we caroled with the spanish elders. they had an AmAzing appt with the Navarros, cleared up sister navarros doubts, hopefully we'll have really good news about them next week.

[sun 11.29] church. all day. bro cabrales received the aaronic priesthood and was called to be our gospel principles teacher. amazing. we taught our other FAMILY... the SOENS [they're the blakes old neighbors] then had dinner with all the racine elders at the Dehahns... i love that family. They're so faithful and missionary minded. The spirit is very strong in their home. Then we went caroling with the Racine english and spanish elders. i love caroling.

I love all of you! you are a great strength to me... especially in a hard week like this one! This week is ALREADY 100X better!

Thanks for all you do for me!

I love you!

Love, Sister Pamella Jo Black

PS... tatum... TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH... i do believe it is YOUR TURN to write me missy!!!! I hope you have a good day! I am thinking of you!