December 1, 2010

Hi Everyone!

So Thanksgiving update! We all were on the Square at 10 a.m., you know normal day. As time got closer and closer to noon we were all getting anxious. President said that we were going to do service for a ward and they would do a talent show for us. You could have heard the crickets chirp as we all expressed great fake enthusiasm. When we got on the bus he said that he lied and we were going to Noah's which is a reception hall/place where every BYU stake goes for stake parties and such. We watched Toy Story 3 and Beauty and the Beast. I spent my time playing "wolleyball" (racquetball and volleyball mixed) which was awesome! As we were playing the arcade games it occurred to us that these might not be OK to play. So we whistled as we walked away, sorry PAC-Man! We had dinner catered to us while Sisters sang Karaoke. Food wasn't amazing or anything but it was free so who cares! It was a good day and we went to sleep exhausted.

After Thanksgiving comes Christmas festivities! The lights that volunteers have been so diligently putting up ever since I got here are all light up. It looks beautiful and there are thousands of people! It is such a contrast to how the Square has been since it turned cold. It's almost like sensory overload because it's loud and we don't know how to talk to so many people anymore. But it is one contact after another. We don't have a set mission goal for how many member referrals they want but we are going to try to beat whatever we achieved the week before. The Christmas lights will be up for six weeks (which is the same amount as a transfer) but this transfer ends next Wednesday, December 8, 2010 so we will see how different life will be then. The square is dead until about 5 p.m. then it gets really busy. They give us controlled assignments like we are at the Christus statue for an hour, then we are at the temple model for an hour, then we are finding, then working the God's Plan for His Family presentation. It changes everyday - probably so we can't write home and tell our friends where we are. But since we are on the computers every other day at night sometimes we are out and sometimes not. If we don't have any appointments or anything else scheduled we go out to contact.

So no big stories this week but I am very happy to announce that I have my first BAPTISM! AHHHHH I know, be excited. It was the man we met on the Square a month ago who said that he was going to become Mormon. We taught him till the missionaries came (They were good missionaries too. They came within a day of us sending the referral!) We called him and he said that he was going to quit smoking tomorrow and he was going to be baptized on December 18! So COOL! Our other investigator from the UK who was completely atheist when we met her is meeting with missionaries! So she ordered a Book of Mormon online so she could get one without being delivered by missionaries but then a few days after getting it in the mail, missionaries called her and asked when they could come over and give her a Book of Mormon. She allowed them in. When we talked to her she said, "So I opened the door and there stands this super fit [ British for really cute I assume] boy!" So she let them in. They asked her if she wanted to be baptized but she said maybe. Which isn't a no! We will see what happens!

So I know I said this last transfer BUT I really think that Sister Belleza and I are splitting up. Our relationship has been a long and good one but after president announced that they are going to try putting Sisters together who speak the same language I felt we were done. Plus the whole mission is going to be TEACHING! Just like me! I started cheering and screaming but then I realized I was the only one... awkward moment during a mission meeting. So I don't know when I will be writing you next but until then, Merry Christmas!