Christmas Preparations

Tuesday Dec 22, 2009

Dear Family,

Well, P-day got bumped to Tuesday in preparation for our Mission Christmas Devotional tomorrow. Which is a slight bummer because my inbox is near empty, but no worries because I will be calling on Christmas!!! One of the families in the ward has a cell phone that has free calls to the US and they said it would be easier for them if we just used that phone. So, the plan is I will be calling you (Mom's cell phone) at 6:00pm Puerto Rico time Christmas afternoon. So, that should work.

Here's a funny mission story for all of you. One of the Less-active members in the ward approached us this week to offer up his "tithing's to Jesus". We happened to be in the chapel as I was practicing the piano for sacrament and he walked in with a little box. It first we were nervous that he was going to propose or something because he has previously expressed some interest in past missionaries.

Fortunately, he said it was a gift for Jesus. He opened it up and there was a candle, a figure of a dove, and incense with a picture of the virgin Mary on it. There were coins scattered throughout and a sign that said "Para Jesus. De Jose. Espero que te guste, mi Senor." (To Jesus. From Jose. I hope you like it, Lord) I think his intentions were quite sweet but we had no idea what to do. We were just very positive and arranged a time where we could come over and teach him a little bit. We plan on bringing and a tithing envelope so he can fill out the form for his change and we can talk a little bit more in depth about tithing. We probably could have handled things better and taught sooner. He was very sincere, but in retrospect it was a very funny situation.

Thanks for the pictures, Mom, of Grandpa's funeral. It seems like everyone who even remotely knew Grandpa was present. The cultural hall was packed! I wish I could have been there, but I am glad there was so much support. I also enjoyed the pictures of Markie and her friends! Loved it, loved the dress! Can you send pictures of your homecoming dress too please?

Oh, the weekly update. Cockroach baits are much more effective than Raid. We have drastically reduced the number of cockroaches in our car!

This week was the ward Christmas party. First of all, we should remember next time that when an activity is supposed to start a 7, it really means 8 or 8:30. I can't believe I forgot that critical rule. It was really fun though. Organized chaos. Quite different from the strict Mormon culture I am used to back home. There was so much food. And the serving system is seriously flawed. Everyone who cooks a dish is in charge of serving it, so there is no way you can refuse any of the food. The are all so proud and want you to love it, so they heap it onto your plate. It was spilling over by the time I was out of the line. And they kept checking up on me to make sure I was eating and loving their food. I was sooo full by the time I was done. And with all the oil they put in that food I felt pretty gross at the end too.

But overall the activity was a huge hit. Everyone was there and I spent half of the night just greeting everyone and doing the traditional kiss on the cheek. I loved it.

Ricardo, (our investigator) came and everyone was so friendly. I was so nervous that we wouldn't feel comfortable and it was hard to leave his side. I felt a little bit like a mother bear.(I can see that in the future that is going to be a hard tendency to fight) But, in the end it was great that we left him in the care of a few ward members, because they were eager to fill him with friendship and warm welcome.

Last night, we had the most incredible Family Home Evening ever with Ricardo! Two of the families in the ward arranged a family home evening with him and asked if we could come and give the lesson. Umm, sure--we would actually love that! We watched Finding Faith in Christ and had a group discussion about faith afterward. That is something Ricardo has been struggling with. Some of the member's testimonies perfectly addressed Ricardo's concerns. It is so awesome to see how incredible missionary work is with the help of the members! At the end we played the classic FHE game, "Don't Eat Pete" which was a huge hit! Each square had a gospel principle and when a person lost we got to ask him or her about that principle. Everything was so comfortable and we were all learning together. The climax was when Ricardo started teaching everyone else about the atonement.

I am finally getting used to way that the people here switch so fluently between English and Spanish. The part that is hard it that their accent does not change, so there is no signal of when they switch. When slurred together rapidly it is so hard to tell whether they are using English words or Spanish. But some words that are strictly English: sun-tan, voice-mail, "break"isito (a short break). There are several more which I am starting to notice.

The mission is a rollercoaster of emotions. I  did not know I could feel so much in one day. It is amazing how quickly and how often you feel, despair, excitement, power, frustration, dread, everything. I thought the emotions would be spread out through  the days, but it is actually minutes. It is hard to keep up, but this is the first week that I feel I have some sort of a handle on something. It's a one handed grip but it is better than nothing.

Well, I love you all and can't wait to talk to you on Christmas!

Hermana Palmer

Agency and Humility

Hermana Erekson and I enjoying the view from the Ferrer's

December 16, 2009
Dear Family,


First to clear up some logistics and confusion. Hermana Erekson and I have arranged to do our Christmas phone call in a member's home. I believe the easiest way to do it is for you to call their landline. That's whar all the other missionaries are doing. I hope that works with you being at the Allen home and all. Next week I will send the landline number and give you a time you can call. It will be sometime Christmas afternoon.


Also, I have been recieving your mail and packages. I have recieved a several Dear Elders and a few handwritten letters. Packages do make it here, but only because we have the SWEETEST neighbor who signs for them while we are gone during the day. I got the package you sent to the mission home (stockings and decorations) and a package full of Christmas presents, so things are working. But probably, for future reference it is probably just easier to send packages to the mission home because we are never home to sign for them.

Bug Bites

We have an investigator Ricardo, who is actually progressing!!! It has been such a joy to teach him. He is the only person we have seen that actually has desire. I hope that he can continue to progress. I have been so amazed a how few people have desire. So many people know that what were teaching is true, but they are just plain lazy and refuse to do anything about it. I can not understand that mentality.

Throughout the week I have been absolutely haunted by a memory from my past. I remember one weekend in the San Diego, with the McRae's we went to some kind of festival in the streets. A whole bunch of businesses had set up booths to advertise and the mormon missionaries had a booth. I remember one of the elders had dressed up in a giant cardboard box as the Book of Mormon. I remember thinking "How desperate. How pathetic. Why would you dress up as the Book of Mormon?" Well now I understand why. We are really desperate for people who will listen and the days can be so monotonous that yeah, I can understand why an elder would dress up as the Book of Mormon. I have been humbled.

We also had Zone Conference this last week. That really bolstered my spirits. I finally have friends. It was incredible to realize that I actually have peers. People who are doing the same crazy thing as me. People I actually have things in common with. It was SOO nice to just sit and talk with the sisters in my zone. I have friends!!! It has been so hard to leave my friends behind and feel so alone. But it is good to know that there are other people who feel like me and with whom I can have a relatively normal and casual conversation. That was a big relief.

I have also become exceedingly annoyed with the tactics of Satan. There are these advertising cars that always drive around the neighborhoods that seriously belong to the legions of Satan. They have a huge speaker on top of the car which plays are recording that says "Tito's pawn shop. We buy gold, we buy silver. Change all you items for cash now!" They blast that stupid advertisement so loudly that you can't hear anything while it is driving by. And they have impecable timing. There is always one that decides to creep by right when you get to the story of the first vision. I hate Tito's pawn shop.

La Familia Villanueva.  Hermana Mercedes and Chiky

As another update. This week for service, we de-rat-pooped a member's home. My companion did the bulk of the work.

Well, I am still learning tons. One thing I have learned is that Satan is dilligent. He is constantly at work. Sometimes I feel so helpless as Sister Erekson hurry between appointments doing the little bits of good that we can. It is an overwhelming force and one that only the people can decide to overcome. Without their conviction and efforts, we can do nothing. Oh, the beauty and horror of free agency.

I love you all and miss you SOO much! Really.
Hermana Palmer

Markie, you should send me pictures of your life. You can email them. :D

Dad, I am glad to hear you are back from Africa! How does it feel to have that behind you. I love hearing about your experience in the African church. Hermana Erekson says that in Barbados they wear wigs to church too.
I love you all and I am so excited to talk to you in 9 days!!!!

Morgan

cockroaches among us

December 9, 2009

Dear Family,

First of all, what an awesome letter from Dad. It was neat to here about the Methodist church in the Congo. It sounds like it was very entertaining. But, next week I want to hear about the experience you had at customs in the airport.

Markie. Seriously, where are the pictures? I am very proud that you did your own hair and that your graham cracker house was a success.

Mom, please send me a copy of Grandpa's funeral CD. I am sure I can get permission to listen to it.

Well, I just got back from the Yunque. There was a member in the ward who was begging to take us there, and we just couldn't refuse. We fortunately live very close to the rainforest. It was really neat to see the awesome scenery and do it all the non-touristy style. We just went for a pleasant hike in the jungle. (I forgot my camera cord, so I will have to send a ton of pictures next week) Being in the Yunque made me think of the time we went to Puerto Rico as a family and with Tanya. We went to the same waterfall and I remembered everything so clearly from the last time we went. Fortunately this time it was overcast and cool all morning as opposed to the oppressive humidity I remember from our family vacation.

Just to give you an update, I have given up on the battle with the cockroaches that live in our car. The end result being that they are still happy and thriving, but our car now WREAKS of Raid. I also found a fatty cockroach roaming in our bathroom. I can kill the small ones, but Hermana Erekson had to rescue me from that one.

Hermana Erekson and I

I am loving the ward members here!!! They love to have us over and they are more than eager to feed us at any opportunity. I love it when they feed us fruit. The mangos here are divine. Hermana Erekson and I have really been focusing on working closely with the members and I think they are begining to get excited. A few members talked about missionary work and mentioned some of the ideas we have been sharing in testimony Sunday. We are really hoping for their help, because frankly we haven't been doing too well on our own. We have several investigators, but none of them are progressing or keeping their committments. It is frustrating that I can't make them see the importance of what we are teaching. They have to do it themselves.

I have also learned to NEVER-EVER-EVER bring up the term sickness with Puerto Ricans (that probably extends to more than just this culture). They love to go on and on about that. I made the mistake of mentioning one time that Christ took upon him our sicknesses. Literally 30 minutes later I was still regreting that decision. It amazes me at how much detail they are willing to share with us. My companion is studying nursing so generally it interests her, but it is overwhelming for me.

Me, Sister Erekson, Hermana Karolina Hernandez at the Yunque

I think the thing that has surprised me most about the mission is that the investigators are not black and white. I always thought that there would be people who were interested and people who were not. The scriptures always talk about separating the wheat from the tares,those are two distinct and separate things. I thought the difference would be much clearer, but it seems that everything is grey. I don't know if the people are disinterested or are just unaware. It is an interesting thought and situation. I sure am glad that the Lord can tell the difference, now the only problem is that somehow I have to get the answer from him.

The hardest thing is definitely not being able to be with the people I love. I feel like I have abandoned all of you. I know that a lot of hard things are happening at home, but I can't be there with any of you. I just want to cry with all of you, but I am an ocean apart. Please know that I keep all of you in my thoughts and my prayers.

Hermana Palmer

Family:

I am so excited to talk to you all on Chistmas! I am going to be calling in the home of la familia Ferrer. I picked them for two reasons. First, Hermana Ferrer is from Santiago, Chile so naturally I feel a strong bond with her. And Second, they are a family of 3 girls! I feel very at home with them. They have the same tranquil and gentle pace that I am accustomed to at home. I am so excited!

I don't know how I am going to send Christmas gifts to you all, we have absolutely no extra time. But I will do my best!

Some things I would like to request include recipes and headbands. I didn't even think to bring a recipe book. Anything would be appreciated.

By the way, they do have American milk here, but it is so expensive that I will probably use the nasty stuff. Fortunately there aren't any lumps in this milk! It isn't bad when I mix it in with my oatmeal.

Markie, I hope you enjoying your holiday dinner experience. You'll have to keep me up on all the romance that happens at the dinner. I know there will be. I still remember the time N. escorted me to the table....

And stay healthy Markie. What is your deal?

Love you all and look forward to hearing from you next week!!!

I am here!

I apologize for not contacting you at all the last week. But, I tried. I was worried about how Thanksgiving would go for all of you. Everyone kept asking me what my family was doing for Thanksgiving this year, but I had no idea. I am glad you had the opportunity to make your banana cream pies and witness the construction of a graham cracker mansion. :D
Things in Puerto Rico really took me by surprise. The biggest surprise being that I can't understand hardly anyone. This is not the same Spanish they speak in Chile. They pronounce all R's as L's and double R's as if they are clearing their throat. They talk even faster than Chilean's and their vocabulary is quite different. It is interesting but I feel a little overwhelmed. It makes my responsibility of making all the phone calls a little difficult.
We spent this week trying to get to know the members. Hermana Erekson, my trainer,and I but we passed by most of their houses this week I could meet them and get to know them. They are all incredibly warm and inviting. They seems to be pretty excitied about missionary work. We recieved 6 referals this week! Hermana Erekson said that has never happened before, but we are grateful. We really want to develop a relationship with the ward members. It has become incredibly obviouis to me that we cant do anything without their support. I did not previously realize how intertwined missionary work should be with the ward.
We have really been blessed that the members are warming up to us. Hermana Erekson said that previously they have not been too friendly to the missionaries,but I can't tell. A member, Hermana Flor, was so good to us. She invitied us over for Thanksgiving dinner. It was so beautiful. She had christmas hyms playing in the backround as we three ate together. It was definitely a tender mercy. She is a great cook too! It had a Latin flair (turkey and rice) but it was one of the best dinners I have ever had. We even had pumpkin flan to go along with it all.

President and Sister Dewsnup

My mission president is pretty much what I expected. Very organized and efficient. I suspect he will be keeping a close eye on me, which makes me so nervious. Speaking of which, I apparently need a suit jacket. I have one in the big, red suitcase of clothes either in my room or the guest room. There should be a grey jacket and a black one. So if you could spend that ASAP that would be great. I think they expect me to have one sooner, but I am hoping I can survive until that one arrives in the mail. I don't think I need too much else, I am too nervous about the clothing rules to ask for anything. But one thing I really like is just greeting cards. You can usually get a pack of them for a dollar at Joann's or Micheals so if you could send some of those it would be greatly appreciated. I would like some Markie-selected headbands, but I am nervous that they will get confiscated.
My companion is Hermana Erekson, from Loganish Utah. She is very kind and a good example of teaching, but she is very quiet. I hope she will warm-up a little bit more in the next few weeks. She served most of her mission in Barbados speaking English, so our Spanish speaking is about the same level. She understands more though and she really is a great teacher.
Some interesting tid-bits about PR:
The noise of the coqui frogs is overwhelming, the first few nights I thought I would never be able to sleep, but I am used to it now.
When people answer their doors here, they just shout "Digame!" (tell me!) It was a little wierd a first.
I am surprised at how little the heat bothers me. The important thing is that we have AC in the car, so we are actually more that lucky
For service on Tuesday, we helped a member de-cockroach her cupboards. Anyone who knows me will understand that that is true love.
Our car also has cockroaches. Luckily they are small and mostly timid.

Well, I am happy to be serving here in Carolina, and I am looking forward to learning all the information that is being crammed into my brain. It is a lot. Looking forward to hearing from you all soon.

Hermana Palmer


Family:
How are the Crane's doing? How was their Thanksgiving? I am glad you spent the day with Shalane and Shauna, that was a much better set-up. Although in the future we should make a rule that you cant write about Charlotte Russe. It makes me too sad.
Is this Dad's last trip to the Congo? When will he be coming back? I am glad that Zachy enjoyed the Markie video. Those were good times.
Markie, You have to tell me all about Prom and Homecoming. Please send me some pictures. I am dying to know how things turned out.
What are your plans for Christmas? Will you know soon. I am looking forward to calling. I am lucky I get to call so soon.
This week has been a big adjustment. There is a lot to do and to learn. I miss my CCM companion, Sister Miller, a lot. We developed a great friendship and it was hard to say goodbye.
I love you all and it is such a relief to hear from you. Let me know if there is anything I can do for Grandma. Love you so much!!!