WEEK 21!!!

Jilote Man

Hardcore Spanglish!

Meagan Martineau	3:19 PM (2 hours ago)

Hello everyone!!! 

I just want to start off by saying that I love you all!! 

Secondly, Hermana Pincock didn't get the letter until the Monday after Mario's baptism, and she just handed it to me now, as I'm writing this so I haven't read it yet :) And just to by safe, you can just send things to the mission office address. I don't know my address but if I get transferred again, it'll still get to me that way :) And did you get my last email last week about how I need a journal and charger? :) I can buy me a journal because you won't be able to send one to me in time, but I do need a wall/USB converter charger because I can't charge my dead camera without it, which means no pictures... :) Thank you so much!!! :)

So this week has been really good! Nothing super crazy or out of the ordinary happened! We just talked to a lot of people, taught a lot, walked a lot, etc. But it was good!! 

One thing I definitely need to learn from Arvin is patience. EVERYONE here is Latino! And Latinos like to TALK!!!! They like to speak their mind and they don't like silence. Which is hard sometimes, because some times you need silence to let the Holy Ghost teach them for a second after you ask them a question. If they don't know how to answer a question they will go off on a big, long rant for 20 minutes because you gave them an opportunity to talk. They really don't like silence so if you pause for more than 1.5 seconds, they will cut you off. Some people (like half of them) will even cut you off in the middle of a sentence. It is really frustrating sometimes when you are about to recite the first vision and they cut you off and talk for 20 minutes, make you late to an appointment, and won't let you say anything!! In Palmdale and Bakersfield there are white people too, but in Arvin it is pure Latino, and mostly Mexican. So obviously I need to learn patience. Also it takes a lot of patience waiting week to week for people to come to church (just for them to not show up) before they can get baptized, or become reactivated to get the priesthood, and things like that. A LOT of patience. But I'm learning!! 

And to answer your question about our investigators, it is like how it was back in Little Rock/Palmdale where we find 30 new investigators every week and drop them all the following week but then find 30 different new people. A HUGE strength that Hermana White has is to talk to EVERYONE but it's not always good when we had planned to see a part member family to teach those that aren't members but instead of going there we continue talking to everyone on the street that we end up dropping in the next couple days. But we are working on that!!!

So the exciting thing that did happen this week: on Friday when we came home we walked in the door to find cockroaches EVERYWHERE!!!! We knew that our apartment has had cockroach problems in the past and we have seen a few stray cockroaches before, but on Friday we came home to a whole bunch over the WHOLE apartment!!! In the kitchen, bathroom, study room, even in the silverware drawer, which was closed by the way!! It was crazy!! But we are hopefully getting it sprayed today... So that was exciting!!!

Tomorrow we have zone conference, so I'm excited for that!! Then from Wednesday to Thursday we are conducting our first exchange as Hermana Training Leaders!! We will be with Hermanas Williamson and Perry. I will be with Hermana Perry. I have never met either one of them, but Hermana Williamson was Hermana White's companion in the CCM!! So I'm really excited for that!! But super nervous... I just got out of training and I'm supposed to train people that are a lot more experienced!!! AHHH!! But Hermana Perry came in one transfer after me, so she is still training which makes me feel a little better.. :) So as Sister Training Leaders we basically just call the Hermanas every Sunday and get their weekly numbers, ask about their investigators, help them with things they struggle with, give encouragement and advice, then we also conduct a companion exchange once a transfer. So that will be exciting!! Also they text us every night when they get home so we know they are safe :)

So that was my week!! Nothing too exciting, except for stray cucarachas!!

Remember the Savior always and everything that He has done for you! It really does help in daily-life stressers!! He knows EXACTLY how you feel ALWAYS so you are NEVER alone, no matter how alone you may feel!! He loves you more than you can ever comprehend :) And so do I :) ;)

Love siempre, 

Hermana Martineau