8 moves

The Awesome House of Juncos!

Well, I have officially completed my 8th move within the past year.  Yep.  Provo to AZ.  AZ to MTC.  MTC to CCM.  CCM to Carolina.  Carolina to Fajardo.  Fajardo to San Lorenzo.  San Lorenzo to Juncos.  Juncos old apartment to Juncos new apartment.  Are you tired yet?  I am exhausted.  I realized this week that the longest I have been in an area is 3 months.  I am ready to settle down.  But the good news is I love the new house.  (Mom good news they didn't fumigate it a second time.  They just put in poison pellets for the roaches to eat. )  I feel happier in the new house.  The old house was very cavelike.  It was a burrow nestled down on the side of a main highway.  There was practically no light and the apartment just felt like elders.  This new apartment is bright and cheery.  There is plenty of sunlight.  There is even a yellow wall.  (All other missionary apartment walls are filthy white).  And to top it all off the outside is painted peach and pink!  It makes me feel happy and feminine. 
The roach situation isn't so bad.  Good news. The poison is really working.  We see plenty of cockroaches but they are mostly really small and most of them have been dead already.  I have only had to kill 3 small roaches. Mom, don't count on me killing scorpions when I get back.  With only three kills I have a long way to go before I can master scorpions. Bad news.  When we moved in on Friday the cabinetry was disgusting, disgusting, disgusting.  The all the cabinets were lined with cockroach eggs and carcasses.  Here are the things I learned this week:

1.  I am never going to renovate a house.  I have always thought it would be inadvisable because of all the unforeseen expenses, but I now realize that renovation really mean critters.  Lots and lots of critters.
2. Cleanliness standards of men and women just don't compare.  The cabinets were pronounced clean by a man.  I know he went through a lot of work to get them to that state, but men just don't see cracks, corners, nooks. or crannies.
3.  Cockroach eggs are a pain to remove. They have to be popped off individually with a knife or sharp edge.

That's right.  I want all of you Cranes to picture your favorite city cousin, Sister Palmer, spending 6 hours popping cockroach eggs off of the walls and kitchen drawers.  It was gross, but it is over.  Don't worry I had gloves and I just threw away the clothes I used to clean in.  Sister Castillo is a trooper she helped me and coached me on.  the whole time I know Grandpa Richins was roaring with laughter.

Other exciting events.  While the apartment was being completed we got to stay 3 nights with the sisters in Aguas Buenas.  It was lots of fun to live and spend time with them for the few hours each morning and each night.  I have pictures, but on this computer there is no way to attach them.  Aguas Buenas is a tiny little town with only one stop light.  I can't imagine what it would be like to work in that little town.  I am grateful to be in Juncos.

Fun with the Aguas Buenas Sister.  Hermana Perez and me.

Transfers is tomorrow and we still don't have any news.  President Alvarado is a last minute kind of a guy.  I am hoping I will stay in Juncos, but with this President you can only guess.  There are no rules and no patterns.  I think the entire island is going to go through a massive switch up.

Hermana Garcia and Castillo

Investigators are doing well.  We have a couple preparing for baptism this Sunday and I hope all goes through.  They are the ONLY married couple I know in all of Puerto Rico how "lucky" for us to find them.   They are very simple people and extremely humble.  It has been wonderful to see them slowly open up through the gospel.  Lucy is strong.  She is very sad that she can not be baptized, but is working hard to continue to progress and work with her husband to be married.

I will admit I am very tired and a little bit down.  So many more things have happened in these past weeks that I just don't have the time or desire to write them down.  I need a little boost.  But I know that the gospel is true.  I know the atonement is real.  And I pray that we can all have the strength to continue on and endure to the end.  I miss you all and love you so much. 

Hermana Palmer