12/27/2010

Welll! These are the words to that Feliz Navidad song nobody ever knows hahaha..
"Feliz Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad" ..="Prospering year and happiness"
..Isn't Spanish so much more interesting hahah.

Sorry, I'm on kind of late today.. but it was because we went to a member's house this morning to do this WAY cool project.. and I did it and am going to be sending it to you..so don't hate on this late e-mail YET! You'll LOVE what you're gonna be sending.. I almost wanted to keep it hah. But! I'll be sending it aroundd next week, soo don't expect it TOO quick!

Well I'm not really sure what to put in this e-mail, since I had that one amazing.. AMAZAZing opportunity to skype the coolest family and neighbors 2 days ago! Ya'll are really TRULY incredible. It was weird, because you seem to be exactly how I left you! Well. With more wisdom. not age ;) hah but it was like I had never even left. It COULD be because it's only been 4 months, but it was SO good to know how good YOU all are. How strong you have been since I've been gone.. not that I really know how much I am to leave haha, but you're all happy. And that's what makes me happy. :) How noo MATTER what, Heavenly Father always has us in His hands, taking the best care of us we could possibly ever be in.
  Soo any new lessons I have learned this week. Well! I've learned that Satan never ever EVER stops working. This week especially, it just seems like he was trying to push me farther and farther away from what the Lord wants me to do. And if you think about it, he's been watching me this entire time I've been on Earth. So he knows exactly what pushes my buttons and really gets at me the most. So he's been trying at every single cost to push them! I got a blessing yesterday though, and I realized that even though he may know me for the time I've lived HERE, Heavenly Father knows everything. Every single thought, every single intention I have had, and every single thing that I need right this second to make me feel better. That blessing was everything I needed. WhoEVER is reading this, Heavenly Father loves us so much. More than I could ever imagine. More than ANY of us could ever imagine. And whenever life gets rough-which I remember Sister Deyo saying awhile ago, "As long as the weather changes, we will have trials"- Heavenly Father would NEVER. Quit on us. So how could we quit on Him? It doesn't matter how much I do or don't want to do something. What matters is what Heavenly Father wants me to do, because in the end THAT is what will bring me the most happiness. Which is why I'm here. Which is why you are waking up every Sunday morning to get ready for church. Which is why we do the things we do and make the sacrifices we make. Because Heavenly Father KNOWS. What will bring us the most joy. And His other children. The capacity

we have to be answers to someone's prayers, or a guardian angel to save a life as long as we listen to every feeling we get to do good, is inCREDIBLE.
  So! Before I start going off on crazy tangents. Isn't this gospel all that!


  I have another story right quick before I get going too..
so. You wanna hear something cool? So I got a letter from Josh Lopez a week or so ago right? And he told me about this couple who were DINERO investigadores that he was teaching in his mission, but they moved to El Paso! So! We 'made a call' to our Zone Leader and found the Elders whose area that family is in, and this past Wednesday I found the Elder, Elder Moore, who would be their missionary. An I talked to him, and he already called them, AND he said they were WAY excited to know that there's missionaries out there too! hah who EVER would have thought that would've happened.. so this couple might get baptized because of the

hookups the missionaries from Mo Val have haha


  by the way... Sister Newbold's brother lives in California, and she was talking to him on Christmas and asked him about Mo Val, where I'm from, and he's all, "Oooo ya I know exACTLY where she's from.. DANG that's ghetto!" ..hah. Everyone out here thinks I'm from the HOOD hood. Whatever. :p


  Well anyway. I hope you all know how much I love you, and pray for you. Es un poco loco los

nombres que viene en mi cabeza por el dia, pero yo tomo la oportunidad a orar por cada nombre de yo pienso! Ustedes estan en mis oraciones. Estoy bien aqui! No tengan miedo! jajaj ;)


welll. It's way weird trying to type Spanish, because I'm pretty sure I get it wrong haha, but know that I mean well. Read your scriptures. Do what God tells you. Life's way WAY way too short not to. :) I love yoU!




Con todo que yo tengo,


Hermana Lia Batchkoff/"Batchkok"/"Backwash"/"Backwash"/"B".... bueno. hahaha

buh buh buh BAM! Navidad!

It's the week of Christmas and it doesn't feel like it AT ALL. What! The hey ! But I dunno. Maybe it's a good thing ? It hasn't really hit me at all that Christmas is this Saturday.. because honestly. Everyday is just missionary work. Nothing really different, just different people. Different experiences. It's like waking up with the sun shining even though we 'technically' go through all 4 seasons. It just doesn't feel like it. Ya digg !
  Welll. SOOO so much has happened this week. So we had District Meeting on Thursday right? And we have this new District Leader, Elder Jordan. The super incredibly active Elder that has show and tell and everything, and THIS week he brings like. This 3 foot long stocking full of Christmas presents to hand out to us hahah! Then on Friday was the ward Christmas Party in the Spanish ward. And it was so cool! They had all of the youth going around to everyone's tables, taking their drink orders and bringing us everything out no trays.. like we were at a restaurant hah! It was SO COOL. The things the Hispanics come up with. I. am TELLING you. Make me feel about 1,000% LESS creative than I'm already not haha. But that's okay!
  So our main people right now.. I THINKK I told you about the Clark family already. For SOME reason that I may never understand, I can never speak much Spanish when I'm at their home.. like. Less than usual haha. But for some reason I will never understand, I just absolutely have this feeling for them that I haven't felt for everyone else. Their family is so incredible ! And! They're less actives, and they
1. invited us over for dinner for homemade flautas :O on Wednesday
2. went to the ward Christmas party
3. Went to. ALL 3 HOURS OF CHURCH ON SUNDAY!

I have a picture I got with them that I'll be sending to you.. when we were at their house, it was both of my companion's idea to sing Joseph Smith's 1st vision to them, and if we all know me.. I for one, don't sing. And for two, was just. not really into that sentimental kind of idea. Just because I'm not like that. But I figured if there is any time to go spiritual beyond what I'm comfortable with, it's as a missionary! So we did it, and then one of my companions asked them how they felt. So they asked the 18-year old son Pablo, the only one who would go to church every single week before, how he felt. And he's sitting their with his little brother, getting those manly tears and almost crying. It was SO incredible. I thought MAN. If that was MY son! How extremely proud of him would I be. He's going on a mission. I hope he understands that. ahaha

Soo who else. Oh! LUCY MARTINEZ. So I have this thing, where I put the people who are incredibly MONEY investigators in my journal, with all of these ugly squiggles and stars around their names all big hahaha. I've done that with Angie and with Lucy. We've been seeing Lucy for awhile now, and she is SO. Amazing. Words couldn't describe. She's VERY work-oriented, and she has every single thing lined up for her to really be ready to accept the gospel. Every single lesson we have with her she starts crying in the end because of the strong spirit that is always there, and she is honestly just soaking up every single thing we teach her. She REALLY needs to feel how much she is worth, because she's been shorthanded so much in her life. And accepted it. So she reads and reads and prays and prays, and yesterday we had a fast as a District to find more Spanish people to teach.. and evennn though Lucy's in English, I fasted for a miracle. That she'd be able to come to church, SOMEhow, SOMEway. Because her husband's not really down for us AS OF YET I don't think..he's an inactive Jehovah's Witness. But! It comes aroundd 12:55 or so, before the English ward starts right? And like a movie I'm NOT EVEN kidding you, I 'see her from afar', ALL dressed up in church clothes, with her fellowshipper's scriptures that she lent Lucy in her hand, looking like a R.S. President ;) and I have GOT. To say. That has to be theee BEST Christmas present I have ever gotten. IN MY LIFE. To see someone I've been able to START teaching to walk into church. So she got to sit next to me, and every single hymn, she was singing at the top of her lungs with me, like she truly belonged there.
  BUT! FUNNIEST STORY EVER. The next class was Gospel principles right! So we go in there, and the teacher is one of the other Hermanas this time, who happens to know A LOT. of doctrine. And likes to talk really deep. And so. Of allll topics that could have been the lesson, it's. The Millenium. So the lesson starts going off on ALL of these different tangents, liiike. The Urim and Thummim. The Dead Sea Scrolls. Which I think I've HEARD of like. Once in my life. I started getting lost. hahaha, so Elder Evans is sitting in front of me, and we keep giving each other THEE MOST PAINFUL LOOKS because of what's happening. I'm sitting here, trying so hard not to laugh because of how completely UNcomfortable everything was. So there was one point where I just raised my hand and said, "So basically, everyone who does good will be saved when Christ comes?" And the answer was 'exactly'. but then. Another 20 minutes went by of uncomfort. I couldn't really explain it to you. But I have never experienced one of the longest 30 minutes of my life until that class hahaha. But it's okay! Because LUCY (with squiggles and stars) soaked it all up. Like the amazing woman she is. And she loved every bit of it. So prayers

for her! Lucy Martinez! :D
  So we went to the William's home, from the English ward, on Saturday night for dinner. And Brother Williams had a mouth of STEEL when it comes to spicy. So we always talk about different spicy stuff. And we started talking about habanero peppers. These tiny peppers that are. you know. NOT unhot. So he asked me if I would try one if he went to the store and got some right then. So I said ya ! So he comes back and we each get some peppa, and we count to 3. and we eat it. And I'm cool for a second. Then I start realizing that once there's no flavor in it it IS NOTHING but heat!! So I'm drinking the milk he had allll ready for me, and he gave me, and he gave me a bread roll to just stick in my mouth. And what's the coolest part, is that after about 20 minutes my mouth went from on fire to completely numb anyway hahaha! Hermana Good got a video of it. It was SO FUNNY. So um. Habaneros. try them. ahahh
  So I did my first 'heart attack'! to somebody who is investigating, but we haven't been able to get a hold of her in awhile. And so we went on Friday night with all these hearts with good things to say about her (Hope-prayers for her would be coo! :p) and we went all quiet like complete

hoodrats to go stick them all over her door. It was cool! It was like ding dong ditching. But like a missionary! And. without ding-donging! haha
  Soo THAT was pretty much what was the most interesting about my week. If there's anything I'm forgetting, it'll proooblly be in the letter I write home. So many great things have happened this week, but it has been a HARD week too. I'm trying to figure out how I can be 'me' to be able to mold me and missionary into the same person. Because after living for 21 years in the world, it's really hard to just try and 'leave' it, if that makes sense. It's not easy living on a higher standard, without any of the things that make it easier to 'escape' feelings, and problems, and everything that goes along with those. There was a point last week, where I just felt Satan trying to pull, and pull and pull, and make me want to not be here. And I realized that I wouldn't be able to even study with everything that has been going through and clouding my mind. And so for about half of personal study, I just prayed. And prayed and prayed and realized! That I just need to give everything to Heavenly Father. Which takes A LOT of faith, to give all of you to something you can't even see. It's like you have a REALLY expensive. vase. Or something f

ragile. And you're told there is a hand that you can't see that will catch it when you drop it. So you have to drop it trusting that it WILL actually be caught. It is SO HARD to trust in that hand. But everything I am has been because I have been carried through my life to get me through to this exact point that I'm at right now. It's just been one of my struggles, trying to figure out exactly HOW to keep being able, from day to day, to have enough faith to know that I am being carried every single second to what will bring me, and most importantly everybody ELSE, the most happiness.
  So this week has been tough! But I would be lying if I said I hadn't felt amazing at those moments when I get to see the Lord's hand. But we all can if we look! That's what's SO cool about it!

 

Entonces, este es el mensaje por ustedes hoy. Tengan la fuerte que necesiten cada dia, y

buscan por todas oportunidades a levantar loz brazos sin esperanza en el mundo. Pienso que mis sentimientos no estan correcto, pero espero que ustedes pueden entender mis palabras haha.

I love you all! Anddd for my family. I'll talk to youuu. In! A few days what WHAAATT!

Feliz Navidad. Recuerda de orar y dar gracias a nuestro Padre Celestial por nuestro Salvador, la razon que estamos aqui

I love you! I don't think I could say it enough, but I'm getting clingy! Okay. Lata ON!

12/13/2010

Mannn this week was a WEEK! I have so much to tell you. And I keep meaning to just bring my journal so I can know exactly what I need to say. But I keep forgetting it! But um. I'd rather forget my journal than my testimony. So let's do dis !
  So Tuesday was transfer day. And we went and got our new companion, Hermana Newbold. She's a teacher, so she has allll these cool ways of teaching with pictures and stuff. So I'm excited! She laughs at my jokes, so we should be good! hahaha
 Ummm. So this week. We have this investigator Angie right ? And her husband's name is Edgar, and he's a less active. And Angie has been reading and praying. To the point of crying, realizing this church is true. She's pregnant, so she had been bringing her Book of Mormon to the doctor's and reading it on her own and EVERYthing. ..ask the Elders. That's golden. So on Friday, we set a baptismal date with her for January 1st. She SAID that was the way to start the year off right. And literally the next day she gives us a call. Saying she's been thinking about it all day, and she really doesn't see the need to be baptized again since she's already been baptized Catholic. She doesn't want us over, only once in awhile if we wanna stop by and say hi. And. ya. She dropped.us.like.we.were.HOT. HORRIBLE. The first time being dropped. It honestly feels like I had just got dumped. I wasn't there because we were at the ward Christmas party, so I was talking to some people when the call came. And there are SO MANY THINGS I just wanna ask her, like if she's prayed about this or just thought about it, or if there's a reason she changed her mind so quick. Satan just knew how ready she was. How hard she was working, and wouldn't stop. it's really sad how that happens. Because once you see a light in someone and it just changes, overNIGHT in this case, you just wonder. Like I just started wondering what in the world could happen to ANYbody that has the light. We canNOT slip! We can never ever EVER slip, because Satan is RIGHT THERE trying to catch us in our biggest moments of weakness. So it's up to us to make these biggest moments of weakness our biggest moments of strength, or if we're going to let the weakness cave in on us and suck us up. Lesson learned. BOO SATAN.! hahah
  But yesterday was better! We went to church, and 3! Count them 3! Less active families we've been trying and trying to work with came to church! One of my favorite families here, the Clark family, was there. The dad and 18 year old son would come every once in awhile, but yesterday THE MOM CAME! HUUUUUGGE! It was SO GREAT. So me and this Elder, Elder Evans, made up a happy dance. I've never had a happy dance! But that was a happy happening! So! Let's DANCE! hahaha, it's weird, because my Spanish IS progressing.. I HOPE.. but whenever I'm at the Clark's I can hardly speak it! I don't think I will ever know why, but it's incredible. Because no matter how much I do or don't speak, I just feel something in their home that I haven't felt many other places. They have such a warmth about them, and it's WAY cool, because there were times where we considered giving up on them. But I promised myself I wouldn't give up on anyone unless Heavenly father tells me to. So we just let them sit like a week to feel the difference of the home without missionaries. And we came back and things had honestly seemed to make a 180. It was so

cool. SO.COOL. So we have dinner with them on Wednesday too. Prayers! or.. oraciones! But really. They would be appreciated. :)
  So we have a new District Leader! His name is Elder Jordan, and he is SO COOL! We had District Meeting on Friday, and he called the night before to let us know we need to bring something to have Show and Tell. So I had no clue WHAT to bring. So I brought my stunna shades with the rhinestones hahaha. Like. a G! And OH MY GOSH. Our Zone Leader, Elder Farnsworth, 'showed' us how he can hold a handstand for DAYS, but didn't really 'tell' much haha. Elder Evans brought his Luke Skywalker action figure with Yoda on his back and made up a story.. Elder Gust brought a stuffed monkey, since he's going to VeraCruz and apparentlyy they have a lot of monkeys there ? But anyway, the monkey's arms are like sling shots, so when you sling the monkey it starts.. making monkey noises. I dunno what you call it haha but it is GENIUS! It was so fun.

  Wanna hear something else cool?? So it's Saturday right. And we went visiting less actives and former investigators, and where we were, noone was home right? So all of a sudden I think of this family, the Ter

raza family, that we've been needing to visit. They were kind of out of the way, but we decided to go anyway. The Terraza's weren't home, so we get back in the truck to figure out what we're gonna do next. And I see the cars are all mostly home at the houses on that street, so I said, "Why don't we just knock these doors?" so. We prayed about it. And we went and started knocking, and found a new investigator, who's interested in our message about families! Cuz you know. Who WOULDN'T be!?? And then we find a woman, who actually said she wasn't interested in learning how her family can be together forever. "Umm, no, that doesn't really interest me right now." ...so. next ! We knocked on the door of this other less active's house, who basically chased Hermana Good off her porch last time apparently, and she lets us RIGHT in! And she's just talking to us, telling us how she had been crying earlier that day, and was praying for some h

elp and trying to figure out w

hat to do. And we came! It was amazing, because I have such a hard time trying to figure out how I'm recognizing the Spirit working with me, but it completely DID! And we get to go see her tomorrow, and she's gonna co

ok us Cuban food. Cuz she's Cuban. Haha I sounded weird there.
  Well anyway family, that's the week. Prayers would be appreciated! Especially for our investigator/future relief society president Lucy Martinez, who is SO BEYOND incredible! So I love you. Iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou :)

Keep the faith. Keep the hope. Christmas is coming SO QUICK :o!


Con todo mi amor, Hermana Batchkoff

12/6/2010

First baptism yesterday ....... JEAH ! It was SO AMAZING. So. Here's the story!
 So it was Celali, the girl with theee most faith I have EVER seen! She's been kind of thrown back and forth between her parents, and not really cared for. But her best friend Daisy got baptized a year ago, and she's been taking the lessons for the past couple months. And this past week we got to meet with her and talk about her baptism. And she was SO EXCITED. I have never ever EVER met somebody that has ever been so ready and has wanted it so bad. She's had SUCH a rough life, but only looks at the good things that God has in store for her after being baptized. But she was so ready. so so so so SO ready. And THEN! Saturday night/Sunday morning, she was waking up with these crazy voices all around her, and she said this has NEVER happened to her before. She was so scared, and just kept praying and praying for help, and went to church sick to her stomach because of the nerves Satan was trying to put into her. So after sacrament, she got a blessing and was crying, saying that every single one of those feelings were just leaving out the top of her head as she was getting the blessing. It was SO COOL. And she was good after that! Satan just wanted to throw in his last bam because of how much good she's gonna do in the Mormon.org trying to look up 'meet Mormons' on mormon.org. They're saying they're on Mormon Facebook. haha!
 Okay but ANYway. So I ate steak the other day :O It was the first time I had eaten an actual steak in what. a year at least? or 2? It was good I'm NOT gonna lie. But my tummy was KILLIN the entire next day. KILLIN. hahaha

  Man! I feel like I should have more to say. This week hasn't been too easy. But then again. What week IS easy? hah, not in a complaining way. I just wake up every morning noticing how much Satan does NOT want me to be here. He gives me something to try and make me be unhappy. Every morning. And I think that is what's gonna be a struggle all throughout this next 15 more months as a missionary. Is that he will never EVER stop trying. He tries to get me to think about home, or he tries to get me to think about dance, or the things that could be going better. But in all reality, if these missions were just cakewalks, I imagine A LOT more people would go on them! Am I right. haha, I am not gonna give up. There are so many things that could be going so much worse, but the love of the people is really and TRULY keeps me going from day to day. The family who fed us steak the other night actuallyyy reminded me SO much of Brendan and Meghan next door ! It's so crazy how much is out in the world that we don't see. SO MUCH.

  Welll family. Hopefully the pictures I send can send thousands of more words for you. I love you all. to PAYCes!
  I'll be writing you. I'll be praying for you, like I always am.

By the way. It's so crazy how much English we speak here/ Like the majority of last week was English. CRAZY!

Welll I love you. Mucho MUCHO amor de mi corazon. hah iof that was right. Sometimes the easiest things in English are the toughest in Spanish. like. 'ya' means 'already' in english. Weird no?

Well I love you. Keep hanging on. Keep praying.
Con todo mi corazon, Hermana Lia Batchkoff

p.s. I'm wearing my Spongebob sweatband right now. x)

11/29/2010

hahaha ohhh my GOODNESS I have stories for you this week. But first I have GOT! to say, your Thanksgiving sounds like thee FUNNIEST disaster ever. MAN I wish I was there. But I guessss. I'll start from the top and make it to Thanksgiving. coo ?

Sooo we went tracting all day last Tuesday in Sparks right? Sparks is like THEE GHETTO.. like a little city within Horizon, if that makes sense. And so we made Tuesday more or less 'car appreciation day' as Schwartz and Manwill would call it. And I had my pedometer from Kaiser on, which I use everyday and we walked 24,000 steps.. what whaatt ! Ahha, so we were walking visiting former investigators, and this dog. This GORGEOUS dog across the street gets up and starts walking over to us. It looks kind of like one of those half wolf dogs. GORGEOUS. So I'm saying 'Hermana, ..Hermana..' and the dog just comes over to us and just stays next to us like our bodyguard hah. And the ENTIRE rest of the time we were walking the dog, who I named Dil, would just follow us to every single house we were going to. It was cool, he was like our own Dumbledore or something, just walking past all the dogs that were going CRAZY at us but everything was okay. And if a HUGE dog would start barking, Dil would walk over to me and kind of nudge his head into my leg haha. He reminded me of Buffy :p
 So then it's Wednesday night right ? And we get a phone call during dinner, so we called the number back and it's...DUN dun dun. "RAUL'S WIFE". And she starts going buckWILD in Spanish about how her and Raul are splitting up now since he's started listening to the gospel, and she's all threatening us saying she knows our names and she's gonna be looking for us and everything. Sooo. needless to say. We can't go back there :/ .hm. I should have asked if she knew the name under ours on our name tags :p hah. That probably wasn't funny.
 So Thanksgiving! We had a dinner appointment at aroundd 1ish at a Spanish home, and I got to help make mole tamales! BAMB. But those were the last of the tamales-there were liiike 5 different kinds or so. And so it's time to eat right? And it's us and Elder Pearson and Anderson. And so I start eating my tamale and there's like. Nothing buy spicy gooey funk in mine. So I'm just eating it, and I look across the table at Elder Anderson and he's looking at my tamale while he's eating and trying not to laugh. And so he looks at me. And we look at each other. With only one of us realizing what I'm really eating. And so we just both look down and I just SHOVEL like it was the last thing I was gonna do, and after we got out of there, I asked my companion what it was. And it was chicharon (?)..pig skin. That's just cooked and it's basically like chewing the fat off a steak throughout a tamale with spices in it. It wasn't HORRIBLE. It just wasn't you know. Necessarily. Turkey. hahaha
  So we ended up visiting some people later, and I had some chocolate silk pie and this one member's house, only because it made me think of Mom and Gina and how much THEY like chocolate silk pie. Andd we had another dinner at an English member's house later that night and ended up talking gospel til aroundd 9:30. And it is SO CRAZY!! In our area, there are cement adobe houses that were built by the Lamanites that are talked about in the scriptures! So prettyy soon we're going to try and see them. It's incredible, the dad REALLY knows his religion. And he said that this is the only place in our mission where these Lamanite homes still are. So we have GOT.! To put that on our list :p

oh! BTW hah, I'm sending ya'll Christmas packages today.. open them! Cuz the presents inside are wrapped :P
  Umm what else! OH HEY! BAPTISM this Sunday! This SUPER sweet 18-year-old girl Celali. She's had SUCH a rough life. She kind of gets thrown around to live wherever with her family, like the leftover. But she's getting baptized, and I am SO! Excited for her. I've never EVER met somebody that wants it as bad as she does!! So if you could pray for her that would be. SO appreciated :)
  Ummm! More. I guess this week has just been reallyyy. REALLY different. It's weird, the days go by as a missionary, but when a week passes by I realize exactly how much has really happened. I've had a REALLY hard time focusing this week for some reason, and I started letting myself think that because I was letting myself get distracted, that I came here for the wrong reasons. But I started thinking about how I just wanna do good. And who knew it could be so difficult to just try and do good! I don't get it! But Satan wants not ONE good thing to happen. And I read that I wrote down in one of my notebooks from the MTC that Satan has been watching us for YEARS. So HE KNOWS what pushes our buttons, and what weakens us. So no matter how hard he tries to get me to think I'M out here for the wrong reasons, I need to recognize and think about how happy I've been when I have seen somebody's life helped from me being here. Of all places I could be helping Heavenly Father iN THE WORLD, He chose me to be here. So if THAT'S not drive to find what I'm out here to do, I dunno WHAT is!!

  Welll familia. Life isn't the same without you. But it is always amazing with the gospel. I know these holidays are gonna be WAY weird, but hold on to the rod! I'll probably e-mail more right now and send pictures. I've just lost my train of thought in this e-mail hahaha

Jesus loves you!.. Hermana Batchkoff

Monday - Thanksgiving week

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT. I thought I'd be A LOT more homesick, but I think it's because every day as a missionary just kind of goes.. it doesn't FEEL Thanksgiving-y at all as we go throughout the day, even though they deck it OUT out here with the decorations :) even though it's not getting any cooler really. It's like Mo Val weather here! Last night it was 60 when we were driving home haha :o
  So I have stories for ya'll! I've been working harder on trying and trying and TRYING to figure out exactly what it is Heavenly Father has guided me to do in this exact spot right now, because of all the places in the world that I could be, Heavenly Father wants me HERE. So I've been searching and searching to try and figure out what He wants me specifically to try and do for Him that could help His children. So guess what! We went tracting the other day right, in this 'ritzy' neighborhood right next to our apartments. And you'd think these people are 'too rich for religion' right. Well! We knocked on this one door of this home, and a woman opens up the door, and says, "Hey!!" so! We just started having a conversation with her and she's all, "Well hey! What's up, come in come in!" ..and this was in English. There's actually been a GRIP of English this week :o but we come in to her AMAZING mini mansion of a house hah, and we just started talking to her some more, and she's telling us about her family, and her life and everything. And her name is Lucy by the way. And she's is SO COOL. She just seems so happy and so willing to talk to us. It was like she was expecting us to come over or something. She started telling us how she met missionaries passing by outside of a store a few years back, but she's never had anyone in her house. And so I asked her why she just let us in, and her eyes get a little teary and she's all, "Well. I just really believe that answers come in many different ways." .....ohmygosh could she BE any more ready ??! ahah, she just seems like she's been ready for someone to ASK her if she's looking for something more so she could SAY something! Thing is though. She didn't come to church yesterday. So we'll have to see what happens this week with her :o
  So remember Raul!! We had a lesson with him, that was SO AMAZING we had to stop back at home afterward and I wrote in my journal so I wouldn't forget it. haha. Missionaries and their journals. WE ARE SO WEIRD. But check this out. So we go to his house and re-taught him lesson 1 because it had been awhile since we had been able to go over there. So! We're teaching him right, and he starts telling us about when he was in jail, and HE was asking US about church, because he's never been to a Mormon church and "wants to try it", THEN! At the end of the lesson, THE MOMENT..or one of THE moments I've been waiting for to happen since I've been a missionary. He prayed FOR THE FIRST TIME. And he was trying to follow the prayers that we say before and after the lessons. And it was such a simple yet SUCH a heartfelt prayer. INCREDIBLE. He prayed. ! He had a conversation with Heavenly Father! ...though he didn't go to church yesterday either. Actually. We only had one investigator come to church this week. Which is like daggers in the corazon I am TELLING you. But nothing we can't keep pushing for ;)
  So Jimmy. I dunno if I told you about him, but he's Sister Greave's nephew who lives with her, and he's 19. And he used to be a party boy and has been coming back to church now. And he's been smoking-free for almost 2 1/2 months now :O!! BUT. On Friday night we called him, and he was AT.HIS.BREAKING POINT. And was SO CLOSE to just giving in because he just lost his job and really wanted to smoke and is trying to do what's right and he hasn't seen the blessings, so we race over to his house because he was literally an inch away from smoking. So we start talking to him and he is about ready to just LOSE it. But I couldn't remember what I told him, or anything that we really said, but it was something along the lines of how much Heavenly Father has in store for him, so every single trial and weakness we go through builds our character to be able to make us strong enough to do what Heavenly Father wants us to do. His life before church was so much like mine, and I started telling him about every experience I've had that could relate to his, because HE IS NOT! alone. And at the end we're all crying, and his aunt is giving him SUCH good advice. And afterward, we gave him a talk to read.. Jeffrey R. Holland's from this past conference. And the next day he went with us to teach a lesson right. And h was I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING YOU a COMPLETELY! Changed person. COMPLETELY. It was so crazy to see. To think that I could have had even the littlest part in helping someone. Even the littlest. And guess what else! Yesterday we went to his house, and he said he cannot even VELIEVE that person was him on Friday night. He said that it's so scary to think that Satan could blind people so much to make them feel and think differently than they should. So we were all scripture studying and he was applying all the scriptures to himself and EVERYthing! AND, Bishop offered him a calling in Sunday School. THAT'S why Satan was working so hard on him! Cuz he is BOUND to be amazing C: A completely different person. And it showed me that no matter HOW far anyone thinks Heavenly Father is from them, he is that much closer. He knows our weaknesses and struggles and will only push enough to make us stretch ourselves and hang on to Him with ALL. we got. Jimmy's cool. haha
  So those are our cool stories this week :). I FINALLY get what everyone says about Hispanics feeding us the whole kitchen ! On Saturday night right. We go to a Hispanic couple's home for dinner and the wife made us tortas.. they're like Mexican sandwiches. But THESE she slathered in butter and fried, then put a GRIP of avocado and mayo and shredded beef on for us..and they weren't bad! But they were as big as our plates I am NOT even lying! And so she said we were each gonna have 2, but I thought she was kidding. .
she wasn't kidding. . . . ... . .    . So. I ate 2 HUGE tortas, THEN she starts scooping us out Coldstone's ice cream into cups for us. And my heart's beating so fast because I never in my LIFE have eaten 2 sandwiches at once, much less for each of these to equal 1 sandwich. with a tub of butter each. So I ate like 4 sandwiches on Saturday night. And yesterday I felt like I was in recovery all day ahahahh. My life.
  But ya ! That's pretty much my week. The leaves are finally starting to change so it's not like springtime here anymore haha, and this week we have 4 people we're visiting for Thanksgiving, including the Greave's :) our actual Thanksgiving dinner, though, is with the Palomares family.. a Spanish family, and 2 Elders, Elder Anderson and Elder Pearson, Cara's husband I'm just saying, are going too. So that's my Thanksgiving family this year hah :p I'm gonna learn how to cook with Hermana Palomares! BAMB. Maybe it'll be better than that disaster of a Thanksgiving dinner I tried to make last year, where w just ended up going next door to Lionel's and eating their food haha! WE'RE SO COOL.

Anyway family! I know Mom's worried about me.. DO NOT WORRY. We can see fires in Juarez from afar..hah afar, afar ;).. but everything is okay over here. We're actually like. So well taken care of it's insane hah. I love you! Let me know if there's anything that you need. I'm trying to work as hard as I can to make ya'll proud. I think the hardest thing so far has just been trying to stay completely focused. It's tough when the world surrounds you and we need to just be.missionaries. It's tough. But these tough things are what are what are making me realize what I need to do to come closer to Christ. I guess, being the person that would say the things Christ would to these people keeps me trying to be better and better.. not that it makes it easier. IT DEFINITELY! Doesn't. but. it's worth it.

I love ya'll so much. soooososososo much.
Let me know if there's ANYthing! You need prayers for. Mo Val. HANDLE IT!

FELIZ DIA DE GRACIAS mi familia. Eat good. Tell me what you do. :)


Hermana Batchkoff

Email - 11/15/2010

So. Harry Potter's coming out this Friday don't you act like I don't know life in Texas! haha Sister Greaves, who Dad got to talk to on da phone, was talking to me about it cuz I was all WHATT! When is it again??! And she's all, "It' okay you're in the service of the Lord and IT' THIS FRIDAY!" ahhah, but that's okay! I get to e-mail ya'll! HOW ARE YOU. I miss every single one of you so much. Missions are so insane. There isn't really ONE thing I could pinpoint, but being on one just tests me every single day to just 'push'. And to keep pushing. Yesterday NONE of our investigators came to church. NOT ONE. And I have GOT to tell you, it had to be THEE MOST disappointed I've been in a MINUTE. Because you give so much, and you're SO sure they're gonna come. But you know what I realized? It's like a breakup. If you spend so much time dwelling on what you may or may have not done right in getting them to stay with you (or in THIS case. come to church hah), you may very well pass by every single opportunity throughout the day to shine the light that God gives you to find others who ARE willing to listen to what you have to say. We cannot waste one second not showing the world how happy we are to have this gospel !

  I kind of left the whole breakup part at the end of that haha. But you wanna hear this story from tracting? They're always fun hah. SO. We'r tracting the other day right. And we walk up to this house, where a band is practicing in a closed garage. And it's one of those scream-o bands (....?) and you know. not to judge. But they WERE HORRIBLE haha. It was alll electric guitar and everything, and the front door's RIGHT next to the garage. So we go up anyway, and this 16-yr. old or so answers the door. So my companion's in front of him, YELLING to him about the church so hecould hear, and THEN. The singer, or screamer of the band, just starts SHRIEKING. Or whatever it is.. because I don't have that kind of sound on any of our cd's in the car .. ....and so she keeps yelling louder, and the kid's listening like there ISN'T a band right next to us that's making it nearly impossible for us to hear each other. SO! It may not sound very funny, but I felt SO BAD standing there, having to cover up my mouth with our Book of Mormon or cough to cover up my laughing hahaaaaha :)

  But anyway though! So I thank you for the package I got :D Ya'll are ONIT! And all the quotes in the inside flaps, which I'm guessinggg Gina made ? LOVE THEM. haha, WE LOVE the Kudos bars too. Rememba those?? Except. They seemed bigger when I was little. BUT then again. I don't remember the '100 calorie' phrase on the front either ;) these are better!! haha, so! I neeedd to think of anything else to type, because so much happens, but I am not EVEN kidding you it all seems to be such a blur now :p

  The other night-Friday night- we went to visit a grip of people, and NOBODY was home! And THEN we remembered. Well. como se dice(how do you say) DUH. It's Friday night. But to missionaries, it's just another day hah ! LAME. So we finally went to see Brother McDurmed and his family. He's an older man, but his family's younger and they all live together, and his wife just died 2 months or so ago. And he's been strong, but when we visited him he just looked a WRECK. He just got over being sick, so he's lost weight, and he's been working because noone else in the family works, so I think when we saw him it was one of those times he got to himself, where everything came to life, and he was just having a HARD TIME. So we just talked to him, and he really just needed someone to talk to I think. And before we left, he told us about how we bring sunshine to their home-'even at night!' hah, it's cool though. After getting rejected all day, it's nice to see someone who is still happy to see us. And not just us, but the gospel in general. i don't think I would realize had I not decided to serve a mission exactly how important this gospel is. But! IT IS.

  SO. That being said. I hope you're doing aiight family. Thanksgiving's coming up.. or. El dia de gracias. :p we have dinner with a Spanish family allllready set up. And hey! I think my Spanish is getting better! And even if it's not, I've realized if I just talk like I know what I'm saying, people will listen to ME more, NOT to what they could help correct me on. ..imagine that. hahah

  I don't wanna log off! OH! We tracted into this family! The dad's name is Chris, and he's in the Army. And they lived in Hawaii and got to see the Christus ? And said it was WAY moving. I'll write more about them in the letter, but I LOVE THEM. They were so friendly. It's just surprising how much English I'm speaking. It's tough switching abck and forth too! Props for the bilingual hijos running around the chapel here that can do it like NOTHING. hahah :p

 

Pues, mi familia, ustedes soon muy cerca a mi corazon. Pienso sobre ustedes cada dia, y espero que ustedes estan fuerte ahora! Hay muchas personas que necesitan que les tienen. POR FAVOR tienen una sonrisa cada dia! Vida es tan corta. ajaj mi espanol es horrible :)

 

I hear there are new changes on Facebook. I wish it would just stop til I get back hahaha. J/k :P

 

I LAVA YA'LL!

"The Spirit is something that if you don' t feel, noone around you will feel" Elder Anderson

 

Hermana Batchkoff

 

p.s. could you tell me if the pictures I send come out? Cuz if not. I have A LOT to print! hah

11/8/2010

Heyyy now ! We don't get that much time to e-mail today, sooo HOPEfully! My pictures can say 1,000 words. BUT FIRST. I DID make a list of what I wanted to specifically tell ya'll hah :)
I love you! I miss ya'll a lot, but the people out here make me feel SO COMFORTABLE. And by the way Elder Munk. I do NOT! Know how you can get so much into an e-mail in such little time haha.. but here's my list:
sooo. we started teaching this guy Raul right. He just got out of prison, and he's trying to better his life. We contacted him twice in one week..on accident haha, and both times he said he wanted us to come over and teach him. So we did! We taught him the first lesson, and I just felt like asking at the end how he felt, and he's all, "I dunnooo, I feel like. Relaxed, and calm. I don't know why! But I like itttt." ....:O! :D he's sosososo amazing. And in the end before we left we asked him to read and pray, and he's all, "Ya! Ya, I'll do it. I'm gonna read it. I want to" ..so we meet with him tomorrow, and we'll see what happens. His other friend was getting tipsy on mouthwash while we were teaching them haha, so I guess tomorrow should be something ! hah
On Saturday, we went to a Spanish baptism for these 2 8-year-olds because Sister Good had to play the piano(Kira Good by the way-Facebook her :P hah) and I was just sitting in a chair when a lady walks up to me, asking me if I could give a talk on the Holy Ghost in Spanish and lead the music, because those people who were going to weren't there ! SO as a missionary you can't say no to those things! So being the whitegirl, during my talk there was a point where I had to stop and think about what I was gonna say for a second. And it.was.silent.i'm.not.even.kidding.you. Every baby's mouth was shut. And I wanted to scream ME?!??!?! ahhah, but it wasn't that bad ! Just one of those experiences for the journals. I guess. hah
I heard about the money problems too, so don't worry about sending me anything! All I need is a pair of shoes, which I'll send money for.. ya'll are OFFF! THE hook!
You know what I notice being on a mission, that's been the hardest thing for me so far? Being on a mission, I am shown every single weakness on a daily basis, which is what I expected. But it's hard having to act as a disciple of Christand being an example for others of a strong person or as someone that could help and NOT being discouraged realizing every single one of your weaknesses. It's like walking and getting punched and spit on, like Christ even, and just keeping your head up and NOT getting discouraged, knowing that it's part of the chipping process to make us overcome our weaknesses. It's like mindwarping in a way hah. Just staying positive to help others see JUST WHAT the Atonement can do.. EVERYthing ! So ya.
I have another quick story! Yesterday was fast and testimony right ? And in the Spanish ward, the Bishop was up giving his testimony, and WHILE he was giving his testimony, SO MANY PEOPLE were walking up and FILLING IN the choir seats to wait to go bear their testimonies. There was not ONE GAP in between people giving their testimonies, because there were so many people. And there were little kids going up without their parents sharing these EXTREMELY heartfelt testimonies, it was SO AMAZING. To see their faith, and to see how many people wanted to go up and be FEARLESS about sharing their testimonies. SO COOL!

Welll. I'm gonna let this end quick. I hope ya'll are doing well, and I HOPE these pictures go through so that you can see them ! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. Thank you for the letters. The first week where I didn't get any from anyone got me a little worried, so I'm glad to know you're okay :)

choose da right ! Haha Elder Pearson just said I'm "Un poca loca!" ..a little crazy! It just sounds funnier in Spanish :P PAYCE !


Hermana Lia Michele Batchkoff

Another Email! :) 11/1/2010

OH MY GOSH I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YA'LL IT IS RIDICULOUS. haha there's the red squiggly line under 'ya'll'.. not one person has EVER told me that ya'll isn't a word. ANYway though ! So how in the world are "you all"! I'm justtt about done with my first full week as a missionary, and DO NOT FREAK OUT MOM. But of all places I could possibly have been sent to in the New Mexico Albuquerque mission, I'm in El Paso.. and not just that. I'm in this city Socorro, and I'm 10 minutes away or so from Juarez,Mexico, where at LEAST 12 people are killed a day from everything that's happening in Mexico. It is SO SAD. We visited a less active lady a couple days ago who didn't come to church this past Sunday because her brother was killed in Juarez :(. And even crazier, I have can see Mexico outside the window of my apartment haha.. Mom DO NOT freak out!! We're okay out here. And we get to drive and our apartments are like the 'townhouses' of this city. So the biggest thing to worry about are the dogs. Because there ARE some ghetto parts here.. more ghetto than not. So of course I COMPLETELY understand why people would have big dogs. But I don't think anyone really got the message that we were coming. Cuz the dogs don't like us haha.
  SO that being said, could ya'll send me that pepper spray that I WAS gonna bring, but decided not to? I also kind of need a dog whistle.. you know the one Elder Stones had that people can't hear but dogs can and it scares them away? Not to scare you, I haven't been threatened or anything by them. It would just help. :) I am gonna try and get one at Wal Mart today, but I'll let you know if there aren't any. One of those would be grand. Just grand. hahahah
  Well ANYway! So I need to tell you about my first week, and I have A LOT of pictures to upload for you that I will in another e-mail. But my companion is Hermana Good, and she goes home in January! She's the "oldest" sister in the mission right now, and I'll mosttt likely be killing her off out here I'm guessing. Her Spanish is WAY amazing hah, and it makes me feel so good to know that she is there to help me because she has been in every place I have been with every thought and fear and struggle as a new missionary.. it's just different having to learn to look to someone for help for me though ! Because I would always try and figure things out myself mostly.. ....
  But here's the deal. We're over 2 wards, a Spanish and an English ward. And the Spanish ward I AM IN LOVE WITH. Yesterday I had to go up and bear my testimony, and afterwards people were coming up to me telling me that my Spanish is 'perfect', which we all know is completely not true haha, but they are SO loving, and SO willing to help it's incredible. And the English ward is TINY, but they remind me of our family. Because it is SO disfunctional hahah, but they love each other so much ! Like yesterday was the Primary Program, and I'm not kidding you, when the kids were going up there to take their seats on the stand it was SO LOUD, it was like how our ward is after sacrament meeting. hah ! But I noticed it's allll in your attitude. Yoiu can't love the people unless you truly just smile about everything, and love everything for exactly what it is. And for what you see it as too! Hah and they call sister missionaries the 'missionettes' or 'Elderettes'. HOW COOL IS THAT.
  So we found this man tracting the other day named Alberto. And he has some kind of joint problem I think, because his knuckles are huge, and his elbows.. just where his joints are. And we knock on his door , and he starts making his way over to us ever so humbly to help us get seats, and keeps telling us over and over how glad he is that we came, like he was expecting us... ? So we sat there talking to him, and set him up with a baptismal date ! I'm not sure if he truly understands the importance of it or is all there, but for his conditions he is SUCH a humble man and has SUCH great faith, it is truly truly incredible. We're also seeing this young mom named Hope, who I absolutely LOVE. We've only gone to see her once since I've been here, and I don't really know how her progression is. But she's an exotic dancer who has had SUCH a tough life. And she's such a sweetheart, but it's so hard trying to get somebody to realize that the ONLY way to be happy is in the gospel. THE ONLY way ! SO.FRUSTRATING. But I think a big lesson I've learned is that we can never give up on anyone. So I've made it a goal to not give up on ANYbody, unless the Spirit tells me to.

 So happy birthday Diddy what are ya'll gonna do!! I reallyy REALLY hope you liked my package.. I told you it wouldn't be much :/ but I promise I was thinking about you the entire time! It's just difficult having one bookstore in the MTC with. Not much in the way of birthdays. But know I was thinking about you! Hey! I need AJ's address too! And how are my neighbors doing I haven't heard about them in awhile!

  Well, I hope ya'll know I'm okay. I am honestly being taken care of SO WELL. And I hope you aren't worried about me or where I am. BUT I DO have a question! Possssibly. For Christmas or something, could you send me a pair of Tom's in like. Navy blue or dark red or something? They've worked THE BEST for me out here, and you can take money out of the mission money we got from our ward. Or if you need me to send you money let me know! I just need some. like bad. :)

  I feel like this letter hasn't gotten across everything I've wanted it to, but I get to write you after this! So I'll try and cover whatever I couldn't there :) and could you, if this goes in my blog, not put the names of the people we're teaching ? Just cuz I don't know if we're exactly to do that.
  But anyway. I love it here. It's like a mini Mexico forREAL, with SO much to learn. I appreciate every one of you reading this, and I am so glad you are all in my life. This is truly the safest place I could be because I know angels are around every single missionary, and prayers are said for us in the temples every session, every day. So! Don't worry! I'll write everything else I can't remember right now in the letter!

Thank you for da L-U-V. The church is true! Help out the missionaries they need members to go with them to appointments! haha I LOVE YOU

Hermana Batchkoff

11/1/2010

Rely on the Lord for EVERY SINGLE THING and I PROMISE you He will be one step ahead of you, even when you don't realize it!

and here's something to lift your spirits a little.. yesterday during my testimony I mentioned I have 5 cats that I don't really like, and afterwards this Hermano came up ato me and in Spanish and said, "If you don't like your cats, just have your dad send them here and we'll make them into tacos!" ...... HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA !!

one more.. last night we were at our Spanish Bishop's house for dinner and it was about 7, and kids were knocking on the door to trick or treat. But noone opened it since it's a Sunday, so they weren't celebrating. And so we were all just standing by the door until the kids walked away, and Elder Anderson, who reminds me and LOOKS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE ELDER BELL I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING YOU THIS IS SO HARD, just yelled, "Ya I bet you know how WE feel now!' hahahh

I.LAVA.YOU

Email - 10/22/2010

MI ULTIMO E-MAIL DEL M.T.C.

 

 WHAT WHAT ! or.. QUE AHORA!....What NOW! hahhaa, so I have a little list of things I wanted to tell you, and then I'll just let this one flow hopefully. . hopefully. haha

 

SO! Momma! THAT IS SO HILARIOUS you full-on called mission president.. I guess we're making our NAME in N.M. early ya ! ahah, if you're worried about THOSE things, I found out that they have tarantula-eating wasps out there. And apparently if a person gets stung-or bit I dunno- by one of them, it feels like a hot nail. Fancy! How exciting is THIS gonna be :) But! NOPTHING TO CALL THE MISSION PRESIDENT OVER I PROMISE hahaha. I'll be fine! Umm other things I have on my list. READ!! In your next Family Home Evening I'm SHO you're having every Sunday night CHYEAH! Read D&C 117:13, AND!! Romans chapter 8 in the Bible. I WOULD point out my favorite verses from it, but I want ya'll to read the ENTIRE thing to find your own ;) it is BOMB!   how I said ti....BAAAMMB! ahhah

  Ooookay, so I kept my list short right! I figured whatever I don't tell you here I'll get to tell you when I shout you that !hola! on the telefono in 2 days or so.... I wonder if there's a word meaning 'telly' in Espanol ? ahah. I hope Dad laughed at that. Anyway. I'm guessing you'll be getting the call arounddd 7ish your time to 9.. I'm hoping. I reallyyy really am.

  OH! So we had our first apostle of 'my stay' here on Tuesday night for a Devotional!! Russell M. Nelson. It was crazy CRAZY amazing, in the beginning someone went up to the podium and said that when an authority comes we need to remember to stand. GIVEAWAY. But we stood! And it's crazy when you can hear a pin drop in a room FULL of people. SO COOL.

  I don't have TOO too much time left, I honestly don't know where this e-mailing time goes. But I guess I'll say what I learned and loved most about the MTC while I've been here real quick..

 

I may not wanna leave because I'm not the minority here. In the real world, we don't walk out of class and have 2 Elders ask to bear our testimonies, and when they bear theirs they start crying and it's different. It's not unusual here. It's not unusual to share your deepest feelings because we need to be as strong as we can for the people that don't realize these feelings about themselves, if that makes sense. So even though I DO NOT want to leave, it's because we're trying to make it so this ISN'T a 'minority' thing.. if that makes sense.!

We CANNOT JUDGE. I do it everyday. But when we get to know these people and what every single person has to offer te world, good more than bad, we can come to realize we are all more alike than we are different.

Soup and cereal won't give you stomachaches. ahahhhhh

Happiness if how you look at things. It's how you try and apply your attitude to make every circumstance around you a good one, or you won't be happy!

 

ahhh I don't have much time left.. I have learned SO MUCH here. It really is like Heaven on earth that I never ever would have guessed. If anyone that reads this wants to go on a mission, "Usted sabe lo que es arriba!".. which is like. the DIRECT translation of 'you know what's up!' haha, but not the Spanish translation. ANYway!

 

OH! SUPER cool! So yesterday Hna. Holland was in the bathroom and I was waiting outside of it for her, so I peeked around the corner to see if anyone from my Zone was on the sofas studying or anything, so I saw some of the Elders and I was like, "Hola Elderes!" and they all looked up and said hi, and Elder Nay says, "Oh my gosh. I don't mean for this to sound creepy. But you just made me REALLY happy right now. Like honestly. That just made me SO happy." And then Elder Mortensen says, "You always make me happy!" ..which! made me realize. We need to ALWAYS be looking for ways we can make others happy, and try to be happy ourselves. Because it's true. A simple hello CAN turn a day aorund!

 

ahhh I didn't get all the feelings out I wanted to. BUT! I'll probably be able to on Monday ! HOLLA. I hope I sounded a little clearer. I have 16 months to get better at these e-mails. hah I LOVE YOU FAMILIA

 

 

from the bottom of mi corazon ! What are ya'll doing for Halloween?? Why am I asking for questions like I'll get an answer?? hahaha OH! And it's SOMEbody's birthday coming up. ....papi ;o I love it when you call me big poppa!

 

 

haha me and Elder Munk sing and dance to that when we can. BABYLON BABYLON. OKAY I LOVE YOU !

 

Hermana Lia Batchkoff

 

p.s. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PICTURES! The photo thing isn't working, so I'll PROOOBLLY just send you my memory card soon if you send it right back !!!!! I LOVE YOU

 

TTY IN 2 haha

Email - 10/15/2010

ayyyyayayAY mi familia what it do ??!

  Solomente tengo diez días mas en el MTC, y es MUY raro.. SUPER raro that I´m already about to leave!! So only one more e'mail after this one before I´m on da plane.. We didn´t get our flight plan yesterday! And we were SO SURE we would, but I´m thinking we´ll get them today before dinner. Hermana Holland found out just now though that our flight´s at 6 a.m., which I guess is what it usually is. So! I´ll just write you about it P..I can´t do faces with Spanish mode on while typing.. but I was supposed to smile there hahah.

  SO!! YOUR MISSION.! Look up-buy-get the music-READ THE WORDS to the song ¨Lead Kindly Light¨..it´s a hymn that we sang in choir the other day, and IT IS AMAZING. The song, and the words. And allllll of it ! I´ve never had a song hit me like that before, as lame as THAT sounds. It.is INCREDIBLE. ...or increíble hah.. another smiley face.

  So guess what we did yesterday! Me and my District matched..the Hermana´s shirts with the Elder´s ties ahhah.. we only alll had blue, so that´s what we went with! We took pictures, so I´ll try to get some out to ya´ll STAT. Last night I talked to Elder Munk and Elder Stucki, the Zone Leaders who are in our District, about matching again. And they said they were going wear black and silver ties today, cuz that´s what they wear on temple days. So guess what Hermana Batchkoff did without them knowing! I´m wearing my gray skirt with a black shirt. ahhahaha. I KNEW I loved everyone more than they loved me! hah

  Umm! I´m not sure what else to say right now ! Scandalous huh.. so many things happen throughout the week, and it´s been way hard this week for some reason. It gets funner towards the end of the MTC because I don´t feel like I´m completely lost around this place, but not we´re just teaching and teaching and teaching. Which is good ! It´s one of those things I need to get A LOT better at, so it´s good practice, even though it´s not easy. Hah it was horrible this morning in the temple....which words I never EVER thought I would put together in one sentence. But check it! We did initiatories, so we were out way early before breakfast. So we decided to go to the laundry room to do some service. And the lady in charge down in the laundry room speaks Spanish AND English. And for some reaosn that I DO NOT KNOW, she thinks I´m better at my Spanish than i am! So she starts telling me about her son who´s entering the MTC December 8th, which I understood, and then she started talking and talking faster and CRYING AND I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND. I felt SO BAD because she was pouring her heart out to me! So! When you don´t understand. You GRAB them and hug them! THAT way! You let them know you care, even though you don´t understand! Haha, I felt bad though, so a little later I asked her to tell me in English, and I guess her son was wayyy inactive, and she´d go to the temple and pray so much for him, and he´s finally going on a mission and taking out his endowments tomorrow. ...I wish I could have just understood that the first time haha. But iss cooo right !

  Umm what else. OH! I got to be a host the other day! Me and my district. When new missionaries get here, a host takes their stuff and takes them to their room and to get their books and nametag and stuff. We got a super cool ´host´ sticker and it was SO FUN. People were asking ME questions! Instead of the other way around. Like always. The life here. haha

  So! To ya´ll.. you got rid of the d-o-gG.. WHAT!! haha didn´t you just get it! Or has it been that long already! I dunno. I guess I´ll never know what could have happened with Dakota. Da-cute-a. hahaha MAN! The possibilities! ...it´s really okay though, when I saw the picture of him..her.. I don´t know. I was like. Ya..we picked her!!_ ..sorry there´s no question marks with Spanish setting either.. and I don´t know how to get rid of it haha. WACK.

  Welll anyway mi familia. I´m praying for ya´ll everynight. 10 días mas no!! OH MY GOSH it´s so weird. Oh! By the way. I´m the ¨Coordinating Sister¨ here too in my branch.. I just go to a grip of meetings, it´s not really important or anything. Cuz there aren´t any problems with us haha. But! At least it´s a title I get to write home about! hahah I´m completely just kidding about that.

  Welll anyway familia. I have a little feeling this e-mail is way lame. And for that I AM WAY sorry. But! I get to hear sus voces muy muy soon no! no is like ´right´.. not like ´no´I don´t wanna talk to you haha. But anyway.

  La iglesia es verdadera! Byy the way!! This face wash deal is putting a damper on mi cara..hah! cara is face! AND cara is my sister! HOLLA !

Ok really now I love you. SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOsososososo much. More than you know. and I see ya´ll more and more in everything I do and say. I am SO LUCKY to have been raised by such great examples like you. I´ll be writing you a letter in a little bit.. anddd til then. paz. ..smiley face. haha

-Hermana Lia Michele Batchkoff


I really wish the Lead Kindly Light video would post here but it is NOT working!! But it is a really amazing song and she's right - probably one of the best church hymns. Here's the link until i figure out how to post the video up on here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGY1niukcVI

-Batchkoff Family

10/8/2010

OH MY GOSH. The computer wouldn't log me on, so I tried exiting and it took 5 minutes off of my time! Now I have 5 minutes less to e-mail! You don't understand the pain!!! ahahh

 ok! Well I have a lot to tell ya'll this week! GUESS WHO is on her mission and lives 2 doors down from my room. President Eyring's granddaughter! And I got to meet her! I'm not gonna go into alll this detail because it's more embarrassing on MY part how I acted.. prooobably how I would act seeing Hannah Montana if I was 7. or something. hahaha WAY lame. But! She said she'll write her family about me...who knows if she really will, but at least she said it! And she sat next to meat breakfast! TIGHT! hahaha okay, but ANYway.

  SO HOW AMAZING WAS CONFERENCE mi familia! You have GOT to look up Richard G. Scott's talk, since ya'll didn't get to right ? At least I think.. it's a.mazing. But I have to say, at the end of the last session I was COMPLETELY spiritually drained after hearing all of the talks hah.. but let me tell you the BEST words come from the Lord's servants ! :P aha, oh! SO. I had THE COOLEST experience last night.

  We were teaching a teacher who was playing the role of a man named Wilfred right? And I somehow was able to relate the experiences I've had in my life, being inactive, and being in Christian school when I was younger and feeling the difference of this church, to him. And I could not tell you exactly what I said cuz I don't really remember, but I had almost started crying. ALMOST. started crying. And it was so IN.credible, because we had to go in there and help this person have a spiritual experience without even knowing him or preparing. And while we were teaching him it was like the room was still! SO COOL. And I realized that our lives may seem so small compared to the billions of people there are in this world, but when an experience in your life is God's way of letting someone else know they are not alone, it becomes SO MUCH MORE than just your life. Your experiences become other people's salvation! THAT is what we are all about! We need to make this life full of life-saving experiences for others!

 Well not to get SUPER gospelicious on ya'll :) It was hailing last night! LIKE CRAZY. It's been cloudy and cold andrainy the past couple days. And it is GREAT hah.

  Ahhh I only have a couple minutes left.. when am I gonna get to see this d-o-g-G of ours!!? I think Kota is THEE cutest name ever hah. Hmmm hm hm what else. OH! The toher day we were teaching a scripture story in Spanish that had to do with a storm.. and ya'll know I don't know scripture stories that well haha. But ANYway. We were trying to describe the storm since we don't know the word 'storm' in Spanish.. and so all we knew was to describe that the waters were evil and on fire hahaha, so we told an Elder in our District Elder Stucki about it, and he was all, "Wellll. That's worse than any storm I could think of." ..hahah. I guess you had to be there. Funny kid!

  Okay, so on Monday I'll have 2 weeks left here. 2 WEEKS OH MY GOSH. I don't wannaleave ! = ForREAL. I think by soaking up every single thing that is here that's nowhere else is the way to love it so much. Nowhere else do 19-year-olds RUN to open doors haha. NOWHERE ELSE.

  But anyway. I'm sorry there's not much Spanish in here once again. Estoy muy cansada porque mi cabeza tiene mucho ingles y espanol cada dia. CADA.dia. hahah but I love you all.. 2 more weeks til I get to talk to you! But who's counting ! I'm sorry I didn't answer all the questions I probably should have, but can't think of!

 

Lata ON! La iglesia es verdadera,

 

 

Hermana Batchkoff

10/1/2010 - Email

HEYoohhh ! Okay, so I have a couple things to say and I'm gonna take my time.. I'm SO NOT in the mode to be sweating in this sassy cardigan I'm wearing right now hahah. Okay well ANYway. So thank you for the package!! Mail for ALLL of us in our District has been um. slower. this week haha. Not that we're sad or that it's a bad thing! I just thank you so much for the package. And I have GOT to say. The Spongebob sweatbands were prooobably the best part besides the note and letter ! And my roommates think ya'll are STUDS haha :) We took a picture with the sweatbands too, so I'll try to get that out to ya'll soon :) sorry I haven't sent more pictures!! I've been wanting to.. but I feel like it's just my same exact smile in every one, just a different pose or person haha, so I didn't want ya'll to get sick of them.. did you like the pictures of mi favorito Elderes though?? That's what I have for family out here.. so do NOT WORRY. The Lord's hands and these endowed servant's hands are possibly thee BEST hands we could be in hah :)

  So! Conference is tomorrow! I learned a couple weeks back and I thinkkkK I wrote you about it, there's some scripture talking about how the prophets are saying what the Lord wants us to hear. RIGHT NOW. So watching my first full-on conference is gonna be SO COOL knowing that ! PLUS! An Elder in my District, Elder Munk, is gonna be singing in the missionary (?) choir at conference.. I don't think he knows what he's gonna wear yet hahah, but look for him! If you see an Elder Munk.. cuz you KNOW they get close-up on the screens sometimes to some people's faces or noses when they sing.. I never got that haha :o

  I'm gonna be sending ya'll something! It's really nothing much.. we were just at the Temple getting breakfast in their I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING 5 STAR CAFETERIA and they had something I haven't seen in forEVER.. so I got ya'll some. :P IS THE SUSPENSE KILLING YOU YET. hahah

OH MY GOSH! I saw Elder Jace Matthews this morning!!! I remembered he'd be coming on Wednesday and never saw him, but at 6:45 this morning we ran into each other, while I was going to the temple and he was going to gym.. he said the 2nd day's so hard, but he seems like he's doing SO good ! I was so happy to see him.. it's like the mothership landed from the outside world to remind me there are still people I know other than the people here haha :)

  Oh and hey momma! I'm glad to hear yo cumpleanos went well.. I was SO EXCITED for you to get the package.. I problly bugged everyone saying over and over how much I wondered if you had the package yet or not :P And! As a District, we sing a Spanish Hymn every day before class, and I asked our District Leader to sing a hymn you like on your day.. but I blanked when he said yes! So we just sang "How Great Thou Art".. I hope you like that one..? I remembered I THINK you liked Carrie Underwood's version.. .. right ? or no ? :/

  Well ANYway. So this enTIRE week we've had to speak nothing but Spanish, and we've been teaching in Spanish too. But our first full-on 35-minute lesson in Spanish is tonight.. so um. I don't think ANY of us would say no to prayers! What's cool about the MTC though, is if there is ANY time to fail when it comes to teaching someone, it's here. It's just remembering that that's harder hah. So! That being said.

  I can't believe I still have 16 minutes. MAN I feel like a G! Sooo ! Oh! I'm wearing the scarf Gina sent me as I type. Right now! AND the stunna shades Cara sent me too! My future's so bright, I am SO GLAD I finally have a way to shield it a little haha. Oh my gosh I am JUST.kidding. But thank you for the scarf.. I don't need ya'll buying anything for me or sacrificing your stuff to send it to me! HOW AMAZING ARE YOU! I love you so much. It's. ridiculous. I wanted to say the other word from Nick and Norah but I feel bad :/

  DANG! I LOVE the MTC. Like forREALL. I've learned it really does depend on your attitude towards it, but this will be the ONLY time most likely in my life where I'm with people who have all been set apart as full-time servants of the Lord, doing nothing but what Heavenly Father wants us to do.. or at least trying. It's so cool ! The worst word I've heard here is the 'h' word, and it was someone from the Branch Presidency talking about hell. I don't think that counts haha.

  Well! I love you all so much. I can't say it enough. 3 weeks and 3 ? days til we're out of here. It's really not slowing down enough. I feel like I'm in this weird inbetween, wanting to go to New Mexico, but wanting to stay here with everyone I've come to love SOMUCH. ..though not one person could replace you all at home. .. Well. Except God himself. But I'm sure you understand that haha.

  Has the time gone by quick for ya'll too? How's everything going? And momma HOW'S YO NECK!

  Okay. I think I'm gonna get going. I'm trying harder every single day to become better. Remember how important sincere repentance is.. I don't think I realized it before I came out here. And umm. DO NOT hesitate to send more pictures! If you can! Those with words make the missionary want to better themselves even more.. it's pathetic really. How much words on paper and boxes with food mean to us out here. But THEY ARE THE WORLD.

  I appreciate all that you do. Remember to come to Conference with questions! They'll be answered, and I'm gonna think some up too. I love you Ward family. I love you eternal family. I love you friends. I love you all. God loves you all.

 

PAZ FACIL. (Peace easy)

 

La iglesia es verdadera, Hermana Lia Batchkoff