Hola de Hermana, 3-9-12

Hola mi familia asombrosa!  

Context for right now.  Hermana V volunteered my help to help Hna D open her email account without telling me.  So for the past half hour off and on I’ve been trying to help her open account in this internet cafe with some of the employees laughing in the background.  So what if I shouted for joy when gmail finally accepted her input dats? Story for the diary for sure.  Last week I said I have a crazy comp.  Well, it’s true.  I’m sure she thinks the same of me.  I’m just grateful I’m finally having some perception changes so that it is and I can appreciate your craziness with cariño and not just a good grief.  

Dad you told me about Science Olympiad.  Well, I should be getting home that week.  Cambios should be Tues April 9.  Have I told you how fast time is flying?  I asked our mission leader if he ever felt like a good missionary, and he told me no.  Our bishop told us he felt like he became a missionary when he had 8 months.  And his baptims after stayed.  So I’m still struggling to learn patience, faith and hope.  Someday Ill get this.  

Surprise!  We changed Luva’s wedding and baptism from this coming Saturday to last Friday.  Great fun.  Craziness trying to find a key to open the chapel, finding out last minute we had to change the set up from the assembly hall to the primary room, people talking and their child wandering, and not having enough food or drink...  A sister in our ward once said a missionary told her that none of his spiritual baptismal services stayed in the church, and that hers, which was a disaster of a service, she stayed in the church.  Well this family needs all the help temporal and spiritual they can get, so I hope having a less'than'powerful service means they’ll stay in the church.  I’ve been remembering what you told me Bryce said about his mission motto of No-one gets left behind, and that’s helped me feel better about this family.  Other cool detail': our bishop is a lawyer and he performed the wedding, and he invited me and Hna V to sign as witnesses of the wedding.  So I have my signature on a wedding document in a random office in HueHue Guatemala.  Cool.  

We also received the miraculous blessing of a microwave a couple weeks ago.  I tried making one of those rice warming bags, but didn’t have rice so I used oatmeal.  Which worked, but then I put it in the microwave for three whole blasted minutes, and was startled to find that I had set off my first fire in a microwave.  I took the burning pillow case to the bathroom sink to cool the little flameitos.  Yeah, Sister Ivy is crazy too.  

Other random bits: waking up in the mornings hearing the ladies next door slapping their tortillas to sell, a clapping sound.  Praying to find new rooms for Hna D and Marilu to live (we{d appreciate your prayers here too, we need a miracle).  Feeling peace during the sacrament.  Hearing the testimony of a young single mother who would give anything to be a stay at home mother with her kids but has to work, and has to visit her kids who live with their grandparents.  Stopping at tiendas (little stores) to buy minutes.  Drue, you would go crazy.  We don’t have monthly plans, but need to buy minutes.  And it’s better to buy them when it’s a Triple Day, when we get three times as many minutes as we pay for.  

I was touched this week by the thought Dont Count the Cost.  Dont count the cost of serving a mission.  Dont count the cost of buying food for your companion.  Dont count the cost of taking the leap of faith to marry when neither of the two have any money.  Dont count the cost of fulfilling your church calling even when there is homework to do or dinner to cook.  Dont count the cost of going to church when you havent gone for a long time and youre scared of what people will say.  Dont count the cost of swallowing your pride.  Just trust that youre doing the work of the Lord, and that you do it because you love Him and your brothers and sisters.  And that He is pleased with you.  And that is what matters.

I love you my family!  You are all amazing!  Thank you for your love and trust and your support and encouragement!  You are children of God and are doing His work, and as you seek and act on personal revelation you will change lives and become like Him.  You will be happy.

I LOVE YOU TONS!

Hermana Ivy [-]