Hello!!!
So I'm almost done my second transfer!!!! I'm kinda hoping for a
transfer... This is why.
A) We've dropped all of our investigators. None of them were keeping
appointments, let alone commitments, and as per President, if we call
someone 3 times, and they dont call us back, move on. This last week has
been brutal as a result. Not brutal in a bad way, but brutal in a
physical way.
B) WE DID 20 HOURS OF TRACTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mission's
minimum is 10 hours... So since we had nobody to teach we tracted... and
tracted.... oh... and we tracted some more. hahahaha.... It was actually
really fun. I'm learning to love tracting more and more.
Unfortunately... This area has been tracted SOOOO much that people
really dont like talking to us and we're kinda annoying to them...haha.
Seriously.. I've been in Cabot for 3 months and we've already tracted
every street in our area. haha... So this is what I'm thinking... Maybe
the reason we're not having any success finding people to teach, is
because the Ward list has 600 people on it, but MAYBE 250 of them show
up to sacrament meeting. So if the Ward has so many inactives, then
maybe they need to focus on getting them back to church before they can
get new members... i dunno.. just a thought. Again... The importance of
Visting Teaching and Home Teaching is manifested...
C) It's kinda mean... but since the Ward has two sets of missionaries
and one of them has nobody to teach... If they took away one set, it
would kinda show the ward that they weren't really doing enough to keep
us both.. it makes sense though. If you were in a ward that had 4
missionaries and all the sudden, two of them leave, it would kinda make
you wonder what went wrong right??
But really... If i end up staying here, i wouldn't mind. The ward
members are really awesome. They just need to be a bit more missionary
minded. I've realized how much i appreciate it when members ask us how
the work is going. Not many people do it, but when they do, it shows
that they're actually doing their part, and are the really strong member
missionaries. So... Moral of the story.... Ask the missionaries how the
work is going before you ask them if they're hungry!!
This week i kept track of the things i wanted to tell everyone. So.
Prepare yourself. I have quite the list...
1. hahaha... I love lists...
2. When it rains here, it POURS!!!! Its like the kind of rain where if
you stand outside for 2 minutes you're soaking wet... like DRIPPING wet.
haha. its awesome. And i totally did it. Monday night it rained hard!!!
SO i put my awesome new raincoat to test and stood out in the pouring
rain for 5 minutes. I stayed dry, except for the parts that weren't
covered by the coat. So the jacket works!!! Thanks dad!! My skirt was
soaking wet, but only from my thighs down. haha..... So i took a
picture. I'll send it home eventually. haha.. i love rain!!! And its not
just rain, its like cracking thunder and blinding lightning too!! ITS SO
AWESOME!!!!! but only when there's no tornado warning attached.
Otherwise its terrifying. haha... Conclusion... I LOVE RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but the humidity does disastrous things to my hair..
2. I'm trying to come up with a less high maintenance hair style,
because without fail everyday, my hair looks like i just rolled out of
bed at the end of the day. haha. Also. My hair is more poofy than i
realized... seriously... humidity... not my friend. So. I've started to
just not straighten it. And apparently, it doenst' look as bad as i
always thought!! My hair has grown a good 3 inches too, so its kinda
long enough to put in a pony tail so that will come in handy when it
starts to get unbearably hot. Yeah. So i haven't used my straightener
since SUNDAY!!! Go me!!! I'm starting to be able to get ready in 30
minutes now. This is a big feat for me. So. Be proud.
3. The rain also = flowers. Things are getting really green and
colorful. Its pretty.
4. The Elders baptized a woman on Sunday. Sandra. It was cool. She's
kinda loopy, but she's really funny and I'm super happy for her. Woot
baptisms!! Now its up to the ward to make sure she's home taught and
stays active!!! But i think she's pretty solid, and will make sure she
gets to church and stuff.. She's been to church every week for the past
2 and a half months.
5. We tracted yesterday. We had the car, so we parked on the side of
the road and kinda pulled up on the curb onto the grass so that there
would be room for the people to drive by. The roads are rediculously
small here. So yes. We tracted around the block, and when we got to the
side we started at, this woman was out infront of her house and yelled
to us from the other corner asking us if that was our car. We parked
around the corner from her house infront of a fence, but she wasn't okay
with that and yelled at us to move it... woops... so we did... Then we
finished tracting and were debating whether or not to knock on her door.
We decided we would, but just to apologize, and we wouldnt try to teach
her. Scariest moment of my life waiting for her to answer the door. I
was totally expecting a rebuke and more yelling... haha.. She came to
the door, we apologized, then SHE apologized for yelling at us and being
mean!! HAHA!! Then she asked us what we were doing and what made our
message different from everyone else!!! GO FIGURE!!! She was so nice!!!
She asked us to come back later when her kids weren't home so we could
just teach her. She said she doesn't wanna confuse her kids, which is
understandable. We'll see where that goes, but it was really funny and
pretty humbling. haha..
6. Okay.. This is actually a big deal... Yesterday I ate asparagus AND
broccoli!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! i definitley still do
NOT like either of them, but look what being a missionary does to me!!!
I ate disgusting vegetables!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There wasn't even cheese sauce
or anything to put on it to mask the taste... seriously.. and you think
Banff changed me... oh... speaking of banff.. We tracted into a woman
that asked me where i was from, and i said Canada, and she said that
she's been to Calgary and Banff.. haha... you dont understand... it made
me so happy when she said she's been to Banff... I love that place...
and i didn't realize it until i left it.
7. I got the Easter package that mom sent me, and we promptly made
wonderful cookies with the right chocolate chips. People dont understand
what they're missing out on here. Those cookies were amazing. And I
really appreciate that Mom sent me those two CD's. I really wanted them.
Yeah... So thank you Mom. I really really enjoyed it.
8. Yesterday tracting... a hispanic guy in his car rolled down his
window in his car when he drove by and said "hello mamacita's"....
haha... yeah... awkward..
9. Oh. Clarke and Cecilia. I got the letter you sent me in the hello
kitty envelope... hahaha... i was totally expecting it to be from Jessie
by the way. hahaha... Also... The dear elder letter you sent me with the
Matt Good easter thing... oh man... i forgot how much i loved Matt
Good... I miss him... haha.... It would be cool if you kept sending me
stuff he writes eh? WOOT!!
10. holy moly... i'm barely even half way through the list....
11. HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I
can't believe you're going to be freaking 17 years old... that weirds me
out... you're growing up... yeesh.... Monie sent me a the picture she
took of us in the back of her parents van after the stars concert..
haha... I love that picture.. we seriously look like twins. its
rediculous. but i love it.
12. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRIPLETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dude... it's
like the birth WEEK. haha... THE TRIPLETS ARE TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's so weird!!!! But
awesome!!! They're a whole 2 digits old now! WOOT!!! Did you guys have
any sort of big party??? Also.. How is the diving/wrestling/karate
going??
13. speaking of wresting... our downstairs neighbors... They're prolly
in their 70's. They totally watch WWE as a couple every week.. haha!!!
They LOVE IT!!! and they call it wrAStling. hahaha!!!
14. Grandma.... The crawfish dinner is coming on Monday.... I'm
terrified....
15. On Sunday we went to a member's house for dinner. It was fun. We had
chili, and they made A LOT of it. So just to be funny, Elder Taylor,
after being told to take some more, said okay and put a ladel full of
chili into his companion, Elder Marshall's bowl. haha.. it was funny
because Elder Marshall had already eaten a lot and was full, but he kept
on eating what Elder Taylor dished him. it was rediculous.. Then the
family brought out this big cake because it was their son's 18th
birthday. So their oldest son, who just got back from his mission to
Japan, ate his piece in 2 bites and was asking for seconds before i even
got my slice. And just because the family is super laid back i tried to
eat my cake in 2 bites but i made it in 3. haha.. then Elder Taylor
tried to do it in one and succeeded.. haha. it was messy. but very
funny. Then we got sister Blake to do it in one bite which was
HILARIOUS, then they got me to do it. hahahaha... i had a lot of cake
that night. The whole time the oldest son was recording us eating the
cake in one bite and he said he's gonna email the videos to us.. So I'm
still undecided if that's a part of me i want you to see.... hahaha...
but the point is that it was fun. hahahaha... Yes... Dinner appointments
with members can get slightly out of hand like that... but it was so
much fun.. ahha...
16.hey.... thats all... haha... I thought i had more than that... but
really... this is prolly the longest email to date. haha... So yeah.
That's basically been my week... Rain, tracting... and tracting
eating... tracting.. haha.. Next week, I'll let you know what's going on
with transfers. Its also Sis Blake's very last transfer!! She's going
home in 6 weeks!!! CRAZY!!!
So i love you all!!!! The Church is true!!! Do your member missionary
work and home and visiting teaching!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!
-Sister Alison Dyer
