Dearest loved ones,

Dearest loved ones,

Hello! Another week has gone by and again, i am marveling. you are more fantastic this week than you were last--i'm not surprised, but i just don't understand HOW?!?!? :) you can't get any better! goonness!

time is so strange here. thank you, mom, for helping me keep an eternal perspective. each week as i read your letter and you mention how fast time is flying, i agree. but sometimes i feel like it can't come time to hear from you soon enough. but it always comes. and i'm always so grateful. and each time i realize how unique and beautiful an experience and opportunity this is, i can't help but feel guilty that i don't always do what you mentioned--and love the moment i'm in. there are things that are super challenging for me. and of course i know i need to be here and i love helping ppl to come unto Christ and live after the manner of happiness, but sometimes i sure do wish i had my dream super power of teleporting, so i could see you, if only for a moment. :) you make me so happy! but i'm doing so much more for you here than i could ever do there. and i'm somehow closer to you here than i could be there. incredibly, you become even more a part of me each day, despite the geographical distance. the Gospel and the love of God brings life and unity. i feel so close to you in many ways. especially when i think of you gathering to study and pray together. my heart is filled with indescribable gratitude and joy.HOW DID I GET SO BLESSED?!?!?! You are the best!

one of our ward missionaries told me earlier this week that i wasn't as skinny as she thought i was... lol. she's TINY. she's SUPER short and skinny-- typical of the people here. she's gorgeous, too, which doesn't hurt haha. she's so funny. but of course i just laughed and said of course, because she's used to the people who live here! but the next day, Lehi, the bishop's son worked with us and he said i was gaining weight in a good way. oh dear. that's never something i want to hear. i was mortified. he's also a huge tease, but i'm pretty sure he's serious. and even though that's a compliment here in the P, i don't care. i'm gonna live in america and i want to weigh the same when i go back there. good grief. but everyone else says i look the same. i showed sister gupta an old picture of me and she says my face is still the same. i don't think my tummy is bigger... aaaahhhhhh! pray for me. seriously.
i wanted to cry and go home. there's no place like utah :) lol where i can eat whatever i want and not worry. but i'll keep exercising because i feel so much better when i do!!! i couldn't run this morning for various obnoxious reasons and i was intensely annoyed. but i still did crunches at least. gotta keep those iron abs of steel (teehee!)

i pulled a stupid. a very sad stupid. sometimes reason and the Spirit aren't enough for me to give up trying and my own stubbornness gets in the way. i was ironing my black pencil skirt. the iron was almost sticking to it. i'd ironed it on that temperature--and everything else for that matter--and it was fine. but instead of waiting til it cooled down and trying again,i turned it down and little and tried ...again... and ...AAAH! it melted my skirt. disgrossting. i was SO sad. but instead of listening to reason, i tried blatantly to defy it. not a good idea. just so you know, sometimes the smallest choices have the most lasting impact. you never know, you could be stuck wearing only half your wardrobe for a week if you don't turn the iron off... you never know.

dad, congratu-amazing-lations! you are a superstar! you're a hero! you da MAN, man! :D really, i'm so super proud of you. i was telling sis g about how much you've got going on and she was like, " Wow, a great example for you." i said yes! he is! you sure are, daddy! thank you :) plus, thank you for complimenting sisters. the elders here are very respectful of us and they expect a lot of us, which is a compliment. it is good to feel trusted. i was worried and i didn't want to be labeled as a spoiled sister missionary. i know i'm spoiled compared to pretty much any other missionary in the P. i'm in one of the nicest places, close to convenient things that i'm used to, like stores and our area is small because of the disability of sister g's previous anak, so we can go home if we need to for meals and stuffs. it's extremely convenient. but i hope to work hard just as hard or harder than any other missionary, despite my many conveniences in location.

maree', i'm so excited for ya! how was that game? what'd you learn? when are you gonna find a place to live? did mom tell you the story about how we found my first apt at school? it's a good one :)

lou, i'm excited for you to share your talent and love of music :) you're so good! keep it up! they'll feel your excitement and love having you for a teacher! heck, i'll need you to teach me stuffs when i get back! please :) tapos, don't you worry about mr jarhead. he's a good egg. he'll keep on keepin on them thar sheepies. beeeeeeh! lol. i know what it's like to miss your best friend. i miss my besties every day. but dearie, don't you worry your pretty little head. it'll be over before ya know it. time goes so very fast! and keep finding things to love about each day and you'll have joy in the journey.

jojamuff! slam dunk the funk, dude! how's it goin?? i miss your "force" movies and stuff! i've found you some cool friends here! too bad i'll have to translate for ya! aaron sent me a pic and said he'd wished you were there. did he show you?

beckSTUM! are you being girlie?? GOOD! someone's gotta do it, babe! and you are just the gal! your laugh is so cute! keep sharing it with everyone. you are so good at making people laugh and smile. you bring sunshine to everyone's day :) keep it up, chika-boom!

mom, you are golden! you are gloriously and fabulously and chic-ously beautiful! and i wish i could stinkin run like you! haha the best opportunity i have for aerobic exercise is to jog or sprint in short spurts in our apt. at least there are only two of us there, so i have space. but i have no idea what i'll do when i live with 2 more sisters. i wanna run the stairs in our building, but i can't cause i need a companion to do it with and i don't think that would float sis g's boat too well :) haha i don't know why i like running stairs.

we have a family that seems golden. i had the gloriously joyful opportunity of accompanying them to church for the first time last week! wow. i can't tell you how great that was! but marife, the mom, couldn't come because of work. we really feel like they can work it out, but... there are other things that surfaced in our last visit with them that concern us. we hope they will be able to continue to progress in every way, as we feel this is a trial of their faith and ours, too. and we know when the miracles and witnesses come.

i love you!

sis r