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
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
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