March 9, 2015

"Hi mom and dad! This week has been a doozy! We had an "iPad Reset Conference" with the whole mission on Tuesday. It was with Elder Randall of the Mission Department and Elder Per G. Malm of the Second Quorum of The Seventy. It was super awesome and now we have BRAND SPANKIN' NEW IPADS! The other ones were getting kind of old and beat up so I'm excited. Also, these iPads are ours so we get to take them home with us! Whaddddup....I go on a mission....get home and I have a new iPad, new car, college, and {hopefully} Thailand. #ifeellikebeyonce

We also for sure get to look at our emails all the time. There has always been a dispute between missionaries on whether or not we could or not. One side says that the White Handbook says, "You should communicate with your family and friends only on Preparation Day." So we can't even read them. But others would say that communication means two ways....so we can read but not reply. It's always been a "govern yourself" thing. But, now they came out with a thing that says you can for sure look at your email all the time.....not just on P-Days. So if yall ever want to tell me something....go ahead and email me. I'll know that day. :)

So my comps have been super sick lately. Hermana Zelaya has had back problems all week and Hermana Baldwin feels sick every time she eats. Soooo we have been inside a lot. I feel crazy. I'm just sitting in the apartment and all I want to do is go contacting and teach a lesson. I WANT TO BEAR MY TESTIMONY. Hopefully we will go out more often this week or I am going to set up splits...

I got my eyes checked...my left eye is 20/25 and my right eye is 20/50 and I have astigmatism. No wonder I have been getting headaches....my right eye is working twice as hard as my left lol. So I'm getting glasses this week from a member of this stake. He lets missionaries have 20% off....sometimes. Some missionaries take advantage. But, I'm super stoked because he doesn't do this often but my Zone Leaders hooked me up. I'm just hoping my headaches decrease..they're getting annoying.

We haven't had too much going on... It was hard coming from La Joya and having people to teach whom I had found to coming here and not having anyone. There is one investigator who has been taught for 2 years. He is like Mayra and has to get divorced before he gets baptized...buuuut, problem is...his wife is somewhere in Mexico and we don't know where! So it's taking forever for the papers to go through. Serious #mexicanproblems that every Spanish missionary has in the states. Other than José, we have Antonio and his daughter Angela. Antonio likes to keep telling us that he is sober and has been for a year, which is AWESOME! BUT....he was drinking beer one night while we were teaching him. He was still claiming he was sober...I honestly think he was too drunk to realize he was drinking a beer and saying that to us. Something is seriously wrong in his head. It's super sad.... But his daughter Angela, is 8 and she is super solid. One night, while my companions were teaching Antonio, I taught Angela and she kept asking me super awesome questions like, "Can I have Jesus Christ always with me?" and "Can we say a prayer right now? You can say this one to show me..." Then she said the closing prayer in front of her dad. I read The Book of Mormon Stories book with her and she really enjoyed it. We are going to get one for her! I have faith that she will get baptized and be an example to her dad! 

One of the Primary children got baptized on Saturday and so we went to do the "Missionary Moment" in the middle. WELL, apparently everyone thought we should've been in charge of the whole thing because when we got there, nothing was set up, nothing was open, nobody was there, etc...and they were all looking to us for answers. Not only was it not a convert baptism....but she didn't even live in our area! Best moment of the night was when the font was full but the doors to see the baptismal font were locked....and nobody had the keys. So, I had to get in the water, fully dressed, to open the doors from the inside. I just hiked everything up and got in. Soooo stinking funny. My g's got wet and I had to dry off with paper towels. I was uncomfortable for the rest of the night until I was dry. #idoitforthebaptism #blessings

It's really hard with my two companions. One is going through really bad depression and is super homesick. It's taking a toll on not only us as a companionship, but the area in general. Especially since she's been telling members.... Some members have come up to us asking what is happening and told us to help her. WE ARE. But we can only do so much, she has to want to help herself. Members are like blaming it on us. I really miss my old area. Members here are crazy....they also like to match you up with Elders....creepy. I hate it. ANYWAY, yeah, I love trios....I think they're super fun. But everyone in the trio needs to be solid and willing to work through things. When just one person isn't willing....everything stinks. 

Other than that, todo cheke aqui. Mi español está progresando y estoy empezando entender mucho mas. Estoy muy agradecida por mi misión. Realmente, este decisión a servir es la mejor decisión que hecho para mi vida. Gracias por sus ejemplos para mi. Les amo mucho. Estoy emocionada para verlos en la Día de la Madre! Gracias por todo y nos vemos!

Xoxo, Hermana Dreiling

P.s. I didn't even have to use Google Translate."