Necesito aprender espanol MAS rapido!!!

Hello ALL!

What a week! I think I say that every week! Things have just been SO exciting lately though!

Since we are language missionaries we now get to study for an EXTRA hour every day! I LOVE IT! and I get to study Preach My Gospel chapter 7, "learn the language". I love love love my study time. It's sacred. HA I can't go without it. so from 8-11 every morning, we study.

This week started out pretty normal. Pday on Monday. Tuesday was district meeting and we had a few appointments with our investigators.

Wednesday we went to our new area, Racine, and went to an appointment with the Racine Spanish ELders! MAN... I have SO much to learn still! IT was so frusterating because I could understand everything they were saying, but I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say... I know that I need to be patient... but I never have had much patience! I am working on it! I did say a prayer at the end... but it was shaky. I love the elders, they are very patient with us and they are SO excited to have us.. did I mention that we are the FIRST SPANISH SISTERS EVER in the mission. woo-hoo! That night we taught Janice, who has a baptismal date and we Justin. He made us crab alfredo [i removed the crab... but the alfredo was great!] It was our first time teaching Justin, he is engaged to a member and we committed him to BAPTISM... July 4th! That means we have 5 investigators with a date! AmAzing! The Lord is really blessing this area.

Thursday we went back to Racine and taught Vicki and her children again with the elders. This time she was making fun of how QUIET sister behrends and I were! It is SO ironic because neither one of us are QUIET people! We are just limited by our vocabulary! HAHA Especially when it comes to the gospel, I don't know those words! I am learning quite fast though. Plus, I was way stressed because it's been 15 months now since I have been in school and practicing my spanish everyday! BUT it is coming back fast, luckily. The Lord really does bless His missionaries. After our appointment we checked out the beach in Racine, it is right on the lake and it was BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE how much water there is in Wisconsin! The rest of thursday we did weekly planning and went to institute.

Friday the two sets of spanish elders in Milwaukee met us at their branch building and taught us HOW to learn spanish. Elder Trane was switched to be a spanish missionary after he had been out six months. HE SPEAKS LIKE A NATIVE NOW! We picked their brains about little tricks to help us learn faster. My two favorites, both from Elder Oakes: 1. Pray Alot. 2. Every word you see in english, pronounce it like you would in spanish. ... It was so nice of them to teach us. Elder Trane gave me lots of hope that it's possible. He had no background in spanish at ALL... just 2 yrs of german in high school so if he can do it and be fluent... it's SO going to happen for me!That afternoon we went to lunch with sister kozlowsky, her grandma and becky at Applebees. mmm it was yummy. That night we got to go to the CHICAGO TEMPLE!!! It was AMAZING. Just the rejuvenation that I needed! Sister Behrends went and did baptisms with one of the girls she taught, Janet, who got baptized in January and it was her first time. I went with two of the girls in the YSA ward and did an endowment session. I learn so much each time I go! I felt so ready to go and conquer this language after I left because I realized how much the Lord will really bless us as we do all we can. I LOVE THE TEMPLE.

Saturday we played stake volleyball at the church. I sure love that game. Then we came home, showered and had lunch. [I LOVE living at the Kozlowsky's. It feels like home. and Becky and Brittany are like sisters to me. They remind me of Taylor and Tatum.] Then we went to Milwaukee to the LAKE FRONT. IT was SOO beautiful. We hung up some flyers for a fireside we're having tonight [MORMON MYTHBUSTERS again] at UWM. It brought back all the good memories of serving on the UWGB campus. [ps... i talked to sister warner the other day and we were talking about the fruits of our work on campus. SO many people have been baptized and brought to the fold. Namely: amy, jeremiah, dan, & alex. CRAZY. now, jeremiah's friend is being taught too. Who would have thought!We've been so blessed] Anyways, we went down to the beach and figured out how to reserve a sand volleyball court to play Vball with the YSA's saturday afternoons, welp it's just first come! I can't wait... it's a little tender mercy since I can't go to CA this summer! I love milwaukee... such a fun place. I am excited to get to work on campus too.

Sunday was by far the highlight of the week. We went down to racine for the formation of the Spanish Branch. President and Sister Barrett were there [mission president] and so was the whole stake presidency. It was indeed a "momentous occasion" as many said! The spirit was SO strong! Those people worked so hard to get their own branch! They grew from a group of 12 to now 38 members in 3 years ... that is quite a bit of growth. President Barrett spoke and said that they are such a blessed people, he said they were so blessed because now they get SISTERS!!! haha he had us stand for all to see. I need be fluent NOW is all i was thinking. I looked around and thought I don't know any of these people but I already love them! and by the time I leave this place I know I will love them EVEN more... and I will be able to speak to them too!!!!

I feel like I have been tossed to and fro this transfer. I keep telling sister behrends that I just feel like I am on a tour of the mission!!! haha But sitting in that chapel yesterday I felt so AT HOME! It was the best feeling ever. President Colderwood said the formation of the branch was an answer to "many prayers". I feel like it is definitely an answer to my prayers. I was so overcome yesterday! President and sister Barrett kept looking at me from the stand and smiling at me... I don't think they have ever seen me like that. HA I have ALWAYS wanted to serve spanish speaking... and now I get too... I am so excited...president is so excited... EVERYONE is excited!!!

We also met the Racine Ward we will be serving in as english sisters. They are so excited to get sisters. The elders in that ward are being doubled out... so we are it! Luckily in the spanish branch there are elders there too so we can rely on them heavily this next transfer since we now have 4 UNITS to serve in... 2 here in milwaukee and two in racine. I told sister behrends I am not sure if we are going to be seeing much of eachother this transfer: we'll be doing LOTS of SPLITS! What a blessing this next 6 weeks will be! Such an opportunity to learn and to grow and to stretch like we've never stretched before!!!

I was so overcome yesterday about how much the church is GROWING here in wisconsin! It's shocking to me! The work is accelerating SO much... even since I got to wisconsin 7.5 months ago. The members here are so dilligent!

OTHER TID-BITS OF INFO:

* it's snowing again in wisconsin... at least that's what it looks like... the cottonwood trees are seeding and the air is FULL of them!!!! Grandma- I started taking those allergy meds again! When I take one a day I am just fine, otherwise all i do is SNEEZE and my eyes water.

*The kozlowsky's have a cute little garden in their backyard and right now the strawberries are so RIPE! Becky and I picked a whole big bowl full this week and made a whole bunch of chocolate covered strawberries! YUM! they were AmAzing!!!

*Sister Behrends is 1/2 Chilean 1/2 German. She grew up in Germany. She never learned Spanish even though her mom was from Santiago de Chile and spoke it fluently. She understands it... but doesn't speak it. She, however, looks like she's from south america. People always speak spanish to her... it's really funny when she has to turn to me to reply for her. we laugh about it... she is picking it up fast. Her prayers in spanish get better everyday. If she learns something new she won't tell me... ha.. she doesn't want me to learn anything more til she catches up!!! She was a taxi driver for her dads taxi business in germany before her mission and she drives like a CRAZY EUROPEAN DRIVER. Strangely, she doesn't scare me. She'd kill my mom for sure.

*Dan and Alex spoke at JEremiAh's baptism in Winnebego on Saturday! HOw cool is that? They were both baptized this month too! Amy Brown told me that.

*other words I say too much: CAN IT... geg me... shut the state down... sick... wow ...

*I really fell in love with poached eggs or "cup eggs" at the Fosters because of their grandaughter Ashley and I crave them now.

* I miss hearing Brother Foster and Sister Roth fight about why when he refers to sister missionaries as "Stout Mormon Women" that is NOT ok because stout is what you'd call a barrell!!! haha love sister roth.

*grandpa: bart star is VERY popular here! lots of people know him!!! I tell everyone you played on the All American team with him... is that right?

*the weather here is AMAZING. it was 47* and rainy last week! I love it. this week it's more humid, but not unbearable. it's beautiful. I hear AZ has been pretty mild too.

That's it for the random thoughts.

I love you all. thanks for all you do for me. I am SO blessed. I know this work I am engaged in is truly the work of God. I know that His goal really is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". I am so grateful for the plan that allows me to return and live with my family FOREVER in the presence of God. I am so happy I have this time in my life to spend 24/7 concentrated on teaching people about the Path and the Iron Rod that leads people to the FRUIT that brings JOY that Lehi sees in his vision in 1 Nephi 8. I love my life. I love my mission. I love all of you.

Love, sister pamella jo black

2 moves in 1 week!

[summer '08]

Yes... it is true. I MOVED. AGAIN. I am in Milwaukee now! I LOVE it.

Monday I spent all day MOVING [from adams to mauston]. ugh. my least favorite thing to do. ever. But we moved in to the barretts. I LOVE their house. I got all settled. all situated and moved in. My clothes all hung in the closet. I was EXHAUSTED. it was the sorriest excuse for a pday EVER!!! That night sister behrends called me and asked if i had heard the news yet? WHAT NEWS? She had already called and told me president barrett told her she'd be opening a spanish area, like 3 weeks ago. She was convinced i would be her companion but i wasn't. i had just gotten to adams and there was a lot of work to be done there and president didn't make it sound like i was leaving any time soon. a couple of days after that sister murray called and told us she was going home... so we knew that our threesome would probably get split up to send one of us to west allis to be behrends companion whenb murray left. well MONDAY NIGHT [as i layed on my bed, feeling SO tired and sick of moving] sister behrends kept telling me on the phone to not unpack and to call president BLAH BLAH BLAH. i said NO! then the assistants called and told me not to leave the area on tuesday and that they would be calling me in the morning. grr... so I said whatever I AM GOING TO BED. i was tired. (did i mention that yet?) ya. i was.

I DIDN'T sleep AT ALL monday night. I just KNEW it was me leaving. I could FEEL it. I woke up and got ready tuesday. still exhausted. that morning we were going to leave our house drive to wisconsin rapids for district meeting. then we planned to work on the west side of our area, then drive to appleton to stay the night so sister warner and i could go to leadership in fon du lac the next day. if one of us was moving... we needed to know so we could take their stuff with us. I called the assistants and elder lamb told me to put all my stuff in the car and that president barrett would be calling to tell me about my new area in a few minutes? WHAT? my world was UPSIDE DOWN!!!!!

SO president called. He said, "Good morning Sister Black. I have a secret and dangerous mission for you." I asked if I got armor. He said yes. He told me I would be going to milwaukee to be sister behrends companion. He also told me at the end of this transfer we would be opening a new area in kenosha/racine ... speaking SPANISH in a Spanish BRANCH!!! NO WAY! SO EXCITING!!!! I told president i was a little shocked, I was only in adams 3 weeks. He said he realized that but that those were 3 critical weeks for adams-friendship and that he appreciated my service there. I love that man. I told him if i didn't know he was inspired I would think he is CRAZY! I have always wanted to speak spanish. I always wanted to serve a spanish speaking mission... all in the LOrd's TIming! He kNOWs Me!!

so i packed. again. i had 5 minutes before we had to leave. i told the assistants that they better not tease me about how much stuff i have because i had NO time to pack. we drug all my stuff back down stairs, put it in the car and off we went. we had district meeting, then district lunch [mexican food... yum!] then i went and said bye to the fosters and the caldwells. Then we were OFF to APPLETON to see my sister WARNER! I love her. we REPACKED my stuff. AND we stayed up ALL night talking!!!! it was fun.

we had to wake up at 4:30 wednesday morning. we got ready, i was beat. excited though. We drove to fon du lac with e. pulley. i love that kid. he was my first zone leader. LEADERSHIP was AMAZING. Brother Tim Bothell and Brother Kelly Mills came from SLC from the missionary committee to train us, along with president barrett. Sister warner and I felt so lucky to be there, it was the first time sisters had ever been invited to leadership.

I learned so MUCH! I learned how simple the path is to return to our heavenly father ... the gospel is SIMPLE! [FAITH... REPENTANCE... BAPTISM... RECEIVING THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST ... & ENDURING TO THE END] The world trys to make it SO complicated. I get to help people find that path. How AmAzing. I learned that when I invite people to make and keep commitments the invite is not coming from ME at all... it is coming from HIM!!!! I learned how to use this new tool called a baptismal calendar- the principle behind it is SO inspired and I know it will help investigators as they progress to baptism! I learned that as a misionary I literally have the opportuntity to receive revelation for the people we teach... studying is a REVELATORY PROCESS... AmAzing. and each of us, as we study the gospel, can receive revelation for ourselves and those we have stewardship over: THAT IS HOW HE GUIDES US! God really loves ALL His children. I know that!

It was truly an uplifting day. I left with a renewed sense of wanting to be COMPLETELY obedient so I could receive all the blessings God has in store for me and my family.

That night the assistants drove me and my many belongings to milwaukee to the mission home. I got to spend the night with murray and behrends. We had dinner and then a testimony meeting. It was so sad to see sister murray leave. she was a trooper these past 7.5 months. It made me appreciate my mission that much more. and my health. I am so glad I got to serve with her in the mtc... she taught me a lot.

I went to bed so early that night. 10:00. it was glorious. the earliest i had been to sleep since i was in the 3some. i LOVED the trio. but we talked SO much at night. constant CHATTER! I am SO going to miss those girls. I love sister bishop and sister roth. we had a great time together.

Thursday the work began in milwaukee. we serve in the muskego lakes family ward and the YSA ward here. IT'S SO FUN!!! So much like green bay. thursday we committed Janice to baptism on July 4th and we used the calendar I learned about in leadership!!! woo- hoo! It was amazing. she is SO excited! Independence from sin! yeah. president showed us this scripture when we called and told him [ALma 10:6] look it up ... it's kinda funny. it talks about July 4th, he knows all these random facts in the Book of Mormon. How great to set a baptismal date the day I get here! and we currently have 3 others too, so a total of FOUR! the work is on fire here.

Friday I got to see JULIEANNE KLINGER AND SPENCER TWILMEYER! it really did feel like i was home! Spencer was in my BYU ward last year and dated Layne, my roommate. He's from Milwaukee. Julieanne is my BFF from Green Bay, she is from muskego but goes to school at UWGB. She was less active then made it her new years resolution to come back to church. she is AmAzing. She gets her temple recommend SOON! I lOVE her. we had QUITE the reunion. She is just as excited for me to be here as I am for her to be here!

Friday and Saturday we taught our investigators here and I continued to meet new people. SUnday was busy with church. This is a great area.
i love living with the kozlowsky's. I LOVE SISTER BEHRENDS. we are like the same person. it's great.

In 2 weeks we will go to kenosha and open spanish. we will still commute back and forth [it's only a 30 min drive] to work in this area too. we have been studying like crazy. since we're language missionaries now we get an EXTRA hour to study. it's glorious.

Being here we get to go to the mission home and mission office A LOT. it is SO nice. I think I have been to each place once a day since I got here. It is really cool to see this side of the mission and of the Barretts. I love them. Sister Barrett is the BEST. she is so good to us. we helped her cut up all the vegetables for the BBQ she had friday night for Todd's graduation. Her last one graduated sunday! He's off to BYU today. He had his eagle court of honor last week. Being around him makes me miss Rocky SO much!!!!

Anyways, I absolutely LOVE it here.

I got to talk to sister lisa robertson from green bay on the phone today. she called and left me a message earlier this week on the adams phone, but i wasn't there. Jos is in Tonga! woo-hoo! I also got to talk to Jed and Olivia too. I told bro. robertson i was going spanish and he asked if i was going to come to the GB branch. .. someday i could do that.. that would be AmAzing to go back to GB spanish! we shall see! I have got to learn this language first! What a great family the Robertsons are! I love them! They feel like family.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! DAD, I LOVE YOU! GRANDPA, I LOVE YOU!
[in case anybody is wondering I have the best parents and grandparents ever. you should all be VERY jealous. jk... but really. I got the cream of the crop! thanks for all you guys do for me!!!!]

ok I must go! longest email ever! Sorry. send all mail to the mission office!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! love, sister pamella jo black

Hermana Black.

[Caborca, Mexico '07]

My mom and dad got another email today from Sister Black. Here is it:

HEY MOM! HEY DAD!!! It's ME!!!! Pamella, SISTER BLACK!!!! I love sister foster! [we came to visit her just now] She is letting me tell you that I just found out this morning that I am getting TraNSferreD! TODAY!!!!

SO i packed this morning. put all my stuff in the car. we are driving to appleton tonight... tomorrow sister WARNER and I get to go to leadership conference tomorrow with all the district leaders and zone leaders. this is a special thing... sisters usually don't go. BUt we were invited since someone from church headquarters, from the missionary committee is coming to train us. After that... i will go to West Allis Milwaukee to serve with sister barrens! WOO HOO!!!!!! I am so excited [nervous, scared, nautious, happy]!!!! I know people in the YSA ward down there already. some from byu some students from GB that are there, home, for the summer.

AND MOM.... DAD... I get to speak spanish next transfer! ... THE LORD BLESSES ME SO MUCH! i can't wait!!!! I am scared about it BUT SO EXCITED!!!! a new spanish branch will be organized in kenosha/racine and we will go open that area. Hermana Black...

SEND ALL MAIL TO THE MISSION OFFICE

thanks mom and dad for EVERYTHING!!!!

I LOVE YOU! be excited for me. pray for me. i gotta learn how to speak this language WELL... FAST.. this is just what I have always wanted.

love, your little missionary girl
sister pamella jo black

Here are some highlights...

Hello Hello ALL!!!

I feel like it has been FOREVER since I have emailed! What a week.

Here are some highlights...

*monday we had lunch with the caldwells. i love them. they are our adopted grandparents here in adams. *tuesday was district meeting then a walmart visit. [i complained about only having a walmart in thatcher... here we only have a kmart, and that's 30 miles away. so now i LOVE walmart. target seems like a selfish dream! OH HOW THINGS CHANGE!!!!] Brother Marty Klish made us dinner... yum. *wednesday we taught debbie. we went to lunch bunch with the ward Relief Society. We taught Jody, sister barton came with us. They were both really good appointments. Debbie is struggling with the word of wisdom, she can't stop drinking. Jody KNOWS it's true. she wants to be baptized. she's just got to give up coffee. so simple. Sister Barton has been baptized less than a year and was such a big help with that lesson. Her and Jody are alot alike. they both have TONS of questions. I lOVE answering their questions, usually I have to study it and i love that. We found out WED that we were MOVING! *Thursday we did weekly planning, then had dinner at the Jacksons in Necedah. Bro Jackson always makes us the best food. That night we went and checked out our new crib in Mauston and the home of the BARRETTS! I am excited to live with them. *Friday we went and painted our new room. we have a lot more space at the barretts. Our door will actually open and close all the way. AmAzing. and we have our own FULL bathroom upstairs. We packed the rest of the day. [i loathe packing.] and then went to sports night... we played wiffle ball. *saturday we packed PACKED and did more PACKING!!!!!!! then we went to the posielenzny's and made them dinner. WE had a great time. i love that family. i can't wait for them to meet with the bishop and set a goal to get to the temple to be sealed! YEAH! *sunday we had church, then visited some people with brother moore then went to the barretts for their daughter, Cassidy's graduation party. It was fun.

other good news: VANESSA WAS BAPTIZED IN GREEN BAY ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!! I taught vanessa from the very beginning. I am so proud of her and her decision to be baptized. That little girl has a TON of faith. She's the best!

So we are moving. [i hate packing.] I feel like I have been on the move since i left green bay three weeks ago! We are moving to Mauston. We will live at 21 Morris Street in an old brick house on the water with our own little dock. There is old wood floors, old doors and original hardware. It's beautiful. I love the molding too. I love the barretts and I just know this is just the change this area needed.

Thanks Brother and Sister Foster for being so great to US missionaries! They are AmAzing and so willing to do anything for missionary work.

MOM: thanks for the cute gap skirt I got in the mail a few days ago. I love it. blue stripes, so what a girl that lives on the water needs in her wardrobe!!! haha

I have to go! It's moving day! Brother Caldwell will be at the fosters with his big 4 door quad cab yellow diesel "amarillo" truck in a few minutes to haul our BIG LOAD of stuff to the barretts!

I love you all! WRITE ME!

Love, sister pamella jo black

ps i just found out sister warner and I were chosen to go to the mission leadership conference! YEAH! We will go up to winnebego tomorrow after district meeting and then I get to spend all DAY with her wednesday at the mission-wide training from the missionary department in salt lake city. i am excited. my companions will be on exchanges in winnebego with sister johnson while we attend the conference... so fun. sisters never get to do exchanges!

pss... SEND ALL MAIL EITHER TO THE MISSION OFFICE OR HERE:

Sister pamella jo black
21 morris street
mauston, wi 53948

i love you guys. i love my mission. IT's AMAZING.

adams is amazing. people here travel an hour to get to church. that's true conversion.

sOrRy!

I know I have been a bad blogger for Sister Black, I am sorry for that. We just received an email from Sister Foster (the lady she is living with) that told us Sis. Black moved to Mauston. I am sure she will have lots to say about that in her next letter. I just posted the last three. I am sorry I haven't been good about this lately! I will be better. Enjoy her letters!

-brittany

I LOVE MY MISSION!

hey HEY hEY!

[Aspen '08]

LIfe is good here in Adams-Friendship. We are working really hard AND accomplishing our GOALS! It feels so good because 2 weeks ago when we set those goals the sisters thought I was a crazy lady. We are actually exceeding most of our goals! AmAzing!!!! Mind you- we still have PLENTY to work on... but I know that the Lord blesses us when we are OBEDIENT with EXACTNESS like those stripling warriors. We can ALWAYS be more obedient. We're working on it.

This week we were able to teach Jody with the bishop. This ward is AmAzing about going out to teach with us. They send a sign up sheet around in priesthood and have someone sign up every night of the week [every slot is ALWAYS filled]! We teach a LOT with them, I love it. They always know who our investigators are.

Christian and Kyle [christian is our 13yr old investigator] came by this week and surprised us by making us pizza for dinner. They were sitting on the porch at the Fosters waiting for us with their pizza when we pulled up. HILARIOUS. It was really good Pizza. Kyle is a member and a great friend for Christian. BUT they are 13- I can only take so much. They make me laugh though.

We also were able to teach Debbie a few times this week. She owns a scrapbooking store in Wautoma. We have been helping her organize her back merchandise room. I love it. [I secretly miss scrapbooking.]

We found a CULVER'S in Wautoma. BAD NEWS. I was told there wasn't one in our area... lies. HA I love culvers... Team Scoopy Meals are the way to go.

We made a goal to meet everyone in the ward. We drove like 600 miles this past week. INSANE. Our area is HUGE. so spread out. Some people have to drive an hour or more to get to church. madness! We have been doing really good at meeting everyone though. There is a lot of potential with the people we've met to teach their families.

We went to an AMISH BAKERY on friday. it was really cool. [mom: they use buttons- NO ZIPPERS THOUGH] she asked me that on mothers day. We saw their clothes hanging on the line... their pants are really cool... all the buttons- i want a pair.

Friday night elders oldham, jolley & tryon came to interview a recent convert mike here in adams for a video they are putting together for the mission. Afterwards we had dinner with them and mike and a few other people from the ward. We made spaghetti and garlic bread at the fosters for everyone. First time cooking for a crowd on the mission. It was good. We ate the onion, garlic and tomatoe bread I bought at the bakery. yum yum. We had pazookie for dessert! My favorite. I sure am going to miss those elders. I feel like they are a part of my mission... I don't know the mission without them. They are such great missionaries. They go home this weekend! wierd. At this point I just can't imagine goin home from my mission!!!

Saturday we went to Wausau to walk for Cystic Fibrosis with the Bogg's family. 2 of their children have CF. I love that family! They are AmAzing. We had a great time. THe walk was 6.2 miles. The drive was 2 hours! I got a great nap!!!!! That night was sports night. I played the best game of basketball ever... that sport is exhausting. fun though.

SUndaY was church... I love church. I love how I feel after partaking of the sacrament. SO clean.

I love you all... thanks for being amazing.

Love, sister pamella jo black!

Life in the sticks . . .

Let's see what happened this past week....

[jUnE '08]

Hello ALL...

I didn't write yesterday because it was Memorial Day and the Library was CLOSED... but we had a great day. I wrote letters, went to a picnic/BBQ at the church, visited B&S Caldwell at their home and then had FHE. IT was nothing short of a good day.

the LILACS are blooming and are EVERYWHERE... I have seen lots of deer and a couple porcupine and bunnies and I am still AmAzed every time ...

Someone somewhere started a rumor that I didn't want to come to Adams... well let it be known: I LOVE IT HERE. It really is the land of converts, come to think of it I don't know one person in the ward yet, minus the Fosters [whom we live with] that grew up with the gospel. EVERYONE is a convert. It's AmAzing. I love to hear their conversion stories.

I am loving my companions. They are so great. I get less sleep than I ever have on a mission because we stay up talking!!!!

Let's see what happened this past week....

[*] we did a lot of planning for this coming transfer. LOTS. We set goals... they are high... I KNOW we can achieve them.. we have to work hard. every time I would say a number the sisters would just laugh and say "OK!" haha I KNOW we can DO it!

[*] Wednesday was Zone Conference with just our zone.. the WAUSAU zone. only 2 districts in our zone. It was SO good though. WE learned how to teach lessons in the church building, how to make people feel comfortable at church and about coming and how to teach more interactively. I learned a lot. THere were lots of new faces and I got to meet a whole new crowd. Elders Oldham, Jolley and Tryon came and did training too. It was a relief to see their familiar faces.

... after zone conference I had my interview with president barrett. I was able to tell him a lot of my concerns with this area. I told him how I felt like the sisters here were just glorified visiting teachers... i don't do that. I LOVE missionary work. Being with people. Teaching LEssOns. He didn't know a lot of what was going on here. After he interviewed all 3 of us we had a little "huddle" as he called it and he just layed down the law. It was SO good. because he had to be the one to say it. I am just the new girl here. THese other two sisters know this area way better than i do. ALl i knew is I was sick of hearing "the work is just different here". NO! Missionary work doesn't have to be slow!!!! s. roth said she thought, [mind you she has only been out 6 weeks, she is a greeny, this is her 1st area] "I guys only boys get to do real missionary work." AHH! President told us to press the "restart" button here. He said that's why I am here. ugh- it's kinda stressful. There is SO much to do. We had to drop a lot of pointless services we were doing and break a lot of old habits. but we are already seeing the fruits of that. WE HAD 8 new investigators this past week AmAZINg. That didn't even happen to us in green bay. HARD WORK = BLESSINGS FROM THE LORD. I know the work can be just as fast here as it was in green bay... president calls it the "green bay fire"! haha WELL it's been LIT!

[*] we had dinner at the jacksons. They live in necedah. i love them. later we went to autumn jaquith's country music concert at the high school. good times. she has an AmAzing voice.

[*] We taught our investigators Debbie and Jody and Christian. We visited Ward members Sisters Snitchler and VanMater, Brother Schnonasky. WE met a new woman Deborah, who is now an investigator. We went to the High School Graduation [i thought of rocky the whole time].

[*] We had dinner at the Barrett's and sister barrett is just AmAzing. Makes me want to be the best missionary ever after the way she talked about the missionaries that baptized her husband. SHe loves them. THey helped her to be a part of an eternal family. That is WHY i am in wisconsin. She reminded me.

What a week... We are working SO hard here and definitely seeing the fruits of our labors. THe Lord is blessing this area tremendously as we do what he asks of us.

I thought of my family this week. I have been informed that this was the week of ROCKY. He FINALLY had his eagle court of honor (he's had his eagle for at least 2 years) He graduated from SEMINARY and from HIGH SCHOOL. my LITTLE brother is not so LITTLE anymore!!! Congrats Rocky! I love and miss you! [ps you look DANG good in your senior pics. I love them all]

I thought of my little chloe who on mother's day asked me, "Do you want to come over? Come to my house and give me hugs and kisses!" RIP my HEART out!!! I love that little girl! I love my little sophie too.

I also missed green bay a bit. I thought of how on my last sunday there the members had like 5 referrals for us. AmAzing. Such good people. Vanessa has a baptismal date!!! did i mention that! SO EXCITING.

I was thinking about the six months i spent in green bay. Sometimes in life you meet people that make you raise your standards, your expectations of life. Forever. They raise you to higher ground. You are never the same afterward. I met a few in green bay! Whether they were missionaries I served with or People I associated with green bay was good for me. It prepared me to love adams! I miss gb. I miss serving around other missionaries. but I know the lord has a plan for each of us and there is a reason I am here- I don't know what it is yet... but I am sure I will soon find out. And I know I will continue to meet people that will leave indellible marks on my heart. [wow i am so deep this week... wierd]

Thanks for My birthday Presents I got this week! I LOVED them!

I love you all!!!!! the church is true.

Love, sister pamella jo black

ps I have picked up what I call "missionary lingo" I frequently say...

...WAY... FOR DAYS... CAN IT... SWEET... AmAzing... and many others..