T1W1 First Week in the Field!

Hello from Houston!!

How is everyone?! It was good to speak to everyone on Wednesday! Sorry, Emma, that we couldn't get you. Answer yourrr phone next timeee! The weather is gorgeous down here and I am loving life. We work very hard and it just makes us so happy.

I got in Wednesday and President and Sister Hansen were waiting for us outside security along with the assistants. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. We got back to the office and had some quick interviews a bit of orientation then headed out tracting. Hna. Hollenbaugh and I went together and were able to find two people both Spanish speaking that were interested! We did so well. We had dinner made by the Senior couple that works the office and went back to an elder's apartment to spend the night. There were four of us sisters and we had a lot of fun. The next morning we went over to the President's house and had breakfast. After breakfast he announced who our trainers were. My companion is Hermana Draney from Pasco, Washington. I love her. She has been out just about a year and is a great missionary. We took pictures, and then went and did a session at the Houston temple with all the Greenies and the trainers.

Hna. Draney and I are in the Louetta Ward. There are three sets of missionaries here and previously there were only two so our area is new. This is called "whitewashing," because we are both coming in new to the area. It is harder because there isn't someone that already knows the streets, the member's names, the investigators, etc. We've been figuring it out together. This shows that the President has a lot of trust in both of us to work hard and be intelligent about things. The assistants were telling me and Hna. Hollenbaugh that one of us was going to get sent here- it is also called the Spanish ghetto. Hna. Hollenbaugh really wanted to get this area, but it didn't turn out that way. Anyways, we are doing a lot of contacting referrals and potentials as well as visiting all of the inactives and recent converts. We haven't taught a full lesson to any investigators yet but we have great plans for this coming week.

Sunday we went to church and had correlation. It was my first time attending services in Spanish. Testimony meeting wasn't bad, but then hearing people in more of a discussion setting was harder for me to understand everything. I have to pay really close attention to understand. Hna. Draney says, though, that my Spanish is amazing and I am a ton futher along than most Greenies. When the leaders call to check up on us she always tells them that I already speak Spanish like a champ. Several times this week I just had Hna. Draney contact the person on the street because I was afraid of my Spanish but this week I have a goal to let that go and just speak--"Open your mouth" is what they say here. We have an appointment this week with a less active sister who is going to make us pupusas! I'm excited.

I have already seen how much missionaries are blessed and protected. An English family asked us to go home teaching with them our first night here because the husband speaks Spanish, so we went and accidentally left our phone in the car. The next day we had gotten their address when we had the elder's phone to use and we about to go get out phone but we lost the address. After a while of looking around we said a prayer and were able to find the address in the phone book. We found the house pretty far away and the family invited us to stay for dinner--we were just in time for fresh bread from the oven. They also sent us on our way with banana nut bread.

I hope all is going well at home. I love you family and hope you can see the blessings of missionary work in your lives as well. The Church is true.

Con amor,

Camille