October 28, 2013 Off on a new adventure...‏

Hey there y'all :)

 

So... transfer calls came last Saturday night!! Turns out, I am off to Grand Prairie, TX!!! My new companions will be Hermana McDonald and Hermana McDaniel! Can you believe it?? I am going to be in a trio!!! I was sure surprised when I got the call. I would be a mentirosa (liar) if I said I wasn't nervous. To be honest, it doesn't seem real because up to this point in my mission this is the only place I have known. I sure will miss the Whitley's, Hermana LeBaron, all the people in my ward, y claro todos de mis investigadores :) I sure have grown to love all of them so much. It will be weird not living with members anymore. I think I have been spoiled getting to live with them! This last week I spent saying goodbye to everyone because we were pretty sure I was getting changed. Hermana LeBaron thought she would be staying at the Whitley's but it turns out that she is actually moving over to Lewisville where we normally work (right now we are living outside of the area where we work. I know, it makes no sense.) But I guess they will be putting 2 more hermanas in the Whitley's and Hermana LeBaron and I are moving out. We have spent most of the morning packing and cleaning. I sure will miss Bell (the Whitley's cat) :) Haha. But I am sure I will find many more people to love over there in Grand Prairie! Friday morning was fun. We had exchanges and Hermana Ostler decided to come back here for them. So for 1 day it was kinda back to the way it was in the first part of my mission! We visited some of our old investigators and that was a good time. Hermana Ostler asked when Heidi y Angel were going to get baptized and he said hopefully before Christmas!! I sure hope he meant what he said :) Hermana LeBaron is going to continue working with them so I know that all of our people are going to be in good hands. Some of the hardest to say goodbye to are Lili y David... and their chocolate lab named Choco :) Yesterday, we got to eat tres leches with them in celebration of finishing their test and it was delicious. They were excited to be done and I am sure both of them passed! They said they felt pretty good about it but will continue to study in case they have to take it again. Rosa and her cute kids are doing well. She has a hard time with the authority in the church and doesn't see the need to baptize her children again when they have already been baptized. She is so awesome though and I love her family so much! Also, for the first time they came to church on Sunday!!!! :D I didn't even get to see them because they came a little late and left after the first meeting but she promised she'd come for my last time there and did :) We are going to go visit them tonight so I can say goodbye. It really isn't good bye... it's just see you later :) That's what I have to keep telling myself. It's interesting, there's a quote by President Hinckley that says something like "You will cry more when you leave to go home for your mission then you did when you left for your mission." I am starting to see how that is going to be true. I have grown to love the people here so much. I sure am going to miss Carrollton but I know that there are many more things that await me in Grand Prairie. This last week we got an award for the cleanest car! :) That was pretty exciting. Hermana LeBaron and I both just know how to clean a car I guess! We also got to eat dinner with 2 of my favorite families this week! La familia Garibaldi and La Familia Curiel. They are such good people and sure do take good care of us as missionaries! Hermana Garibaldi is the one who made us a whole cheesecake and Hermano G. was our old ward mission leader. They are actually the ones who know the Schulte family. (I went to school with a couple of their kids. Their daughter served here.) Hermana Curiel wants to take us to the Dominican Republic someday with her to where she's from. She's too cute. Ruben has said that he wants to get baptized! Honestly, we just need to find him somewhere where he doesn't work on Sundays, which is really hard, and a way to get to church every week. But I know that sometime he will be baptized! We found a cute new family last night as well. We taught them for the first time and I am excited to have Hermana LeBaron update me on them. Really every week when I sit down to write these e-mails I am always a tiny bit overwhelmed because I think of all that has happened in the week and all that I learn everyday. A mission in hard... but worth it!! Just like everything in life that is good right? It takes work. I remember a story they told us from the MTC. A missionary sat down with the president of the MTC and said... "If I don't go on a mission, I can still get married in the temple right?" He replied, "Yes." The missionary started again... " I can still..." He went down the list and the president answered yes to all of them. Then the missionary asked, "Well then what am I going to miss if I don't go on a mission?" The president responded, "You are going to miss YOUR mission." As missionaries we go out and say we are giving our lives up to serve others... I believe that is true with all of my being. But I also believe the blessings we receive and the people we will become if we are doing what we need to do far out weighs the sacrifice we give. We get so much out of it. More than we could ever give. I am so proud of all of my friends and all the people I know that have made the decision to serve missions. You will never regret it. Members can also be a part of the work. Get to know your missionaries and ask them what you can do for them and tell them how they can help with your friends and family as well. I love this work. Tonight, I'll be going to say "see ya later" to Lili y David and... Choco. It sure makes me miss my black lab Dipper :) I am sad to leave but so excited all at the same time! I just gotta have faith that everything will work out. The language is still coming along. I am starting to notice that I can speak and listen without focusing so much on it anymore. It is starting to become a lot more natural! I can even joke around in Spanish and most of the time people get it. There are still loads of people that think I'm Mexican. It's hilarious :) A scripture I have loved here lately... John 16:33. We need not fear, Christ has overcome the world :) I sure love and miss you all and hope you are doing great!! I am now enjoying lovely weather here in Texas :) They said I'll be lucky to see a day of snow!! Love and miss you all!!

 

Su favorita-Hermana Hadlock :)

 

This is chair volleyball we play at the senior center :) 

Our certificates and La Familia Garibaldi

October 21, 2013 In love with FALL!‏

Buenos tardes familia y amigos! Como estan ustedes? Espero que todo esta bien :) Estoy bien contenta y feliz aqui en mi mision.

 

There ya go! you can read a little Spanish :) I love Spanish. I still am no where near perfect but people can understand me and for the most part I can understand them! It's crazy to look back and think how much I have learned!! So Fall is finally in the air here. Honestly, when I sit down to write these e-mails I never know where to start. I think back to the last week and can't even remember what has happened. I guess it is a good thing I am keeping a journal everynight :) Honestly, the mission just seems like one on going day forever... it's kinda crazy. Pero, me encanta mi mision! As I was saying it is finally really cooling down here. I think today it is going to be in the low 60's. There have been a few days where I have been really cold. I don't even know how that's possible when I think back to the summer and I think back to where I was living in Rexburg last Winter at -18 degrees and sometimes even colder! It really is a different kinda cold though with the humidity. The last few days have kinda felt like Utah and I have been loving it :) To start off the week... last Monday was a fun one! We ended up in the Lavandaria talking to Taryn and her fiance. They are something like youth misisters at another church. We struck up a conversation and the fiance ended up asking us how and why we are converted and what made us believe. I think he wanted to know because he wants to know how to better help his teenagers they work with. We all ended up sharing our conversion stories and why we have faith and believe in Jesus Christ. Sadly, they spoke English so we won't be able to continue teaching them :( But they truly were amazing and we are going to try and get the english missionaries over there!!! At the end of the conversation I was telling Taryn how cute her style was... she holds up one of the sweaters out of the laundry she is folding and says, "Ya want it? :)" With a big old grin! I said no a few times and then finally agreed. IT'S SO CUTE! It's the white, blue, and yellow one (hey, my school colors!) that I am wearing in the pictures for this week. The people here in Texas are so nice!! Southern hospitality is real y'all :) Yes, there are some not so nice... but ah well! There's good and bad everywhere ya go. Just gotta look for the good. TUESDAY: Drum roll please... LILI y DAVID are getting BAPTIZED on November 10th!! :D I couldn't be more excited!! I will send the pictures of our reactions when we came out of the appointment!! I have never been so happy :) They are incredible. This will be the first people that I have found, taught, and have decided to get baptized all together!! Such an incredible feeling :) And they are super solid! I have no doubt that they will do incredible things with their lives. So thank you for the prayers :) God really does prepare people and I know that thanks to your prayers and a lot of work we can find people like them and bring them to the Gospel! Service later that day was pretty funny...  Remember the saying EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS? Yeah, it's true. Last Tuesday at service we about died when we saw the cabbage. I am going to send home a picture that the lady took of us holding it!! You won't believe it!! It was so crazy :) Wednesday was a rougher day.. all of our appointments fell through and now that it's getting dark early it's hard to get people to let us in when it's night time and we don't find as many people outside. During the summer it's like 9:00 and people will let you right in and now at like 7:00 they're like what're you doing out?? It's so dark! Y'all should be careful! We ended up having one lesson in another laundry matt we found called coin laundry. We had a return appointment with the guy but haven't been able to find him since :( We've been working really REALLY hard to find new people to teach! Thursdays we had interviews with President Durrant. Can I just say how awesome he is?? I love him so much!! Everytime we are together as missionaries for a meeting like that and we sing an opening hymn or really anything the Spirit is so strong. I realize how powerful the Spirit is and that it truly is the real teacher of truth. P.s. Did you know he spoke in General Conference? I watched it the week of General Conference and it's awesome. Just look up Devin Durrant and take a look :) Friday we had an awesome day!! We got to go to the Dallas Temple with Lili y David! They loved it. I will send some pictures of that as well. We had a lesson about eternal families and told them about how in a year from their baptism they could be sealed together. I don't know if it'll happen... but if they get sealed a year from their baptism, it'll be the week I am coming home from  my mission. How incredible would that be? I told them about it and they said they'll have to see :) Haha, I love them! Saturday we went and helped Rosa paint her house! We were going to tear out some carpet but she decided not to do it so we just painted. We painted the room red like Lightning McQueen red from cars for her son Eduardo :) I absolutely adore him! He reminds me so much of Keaton Jackson's little brother. Rosa is a sweetheard and I want so badly for her and her kids to have a life in the Gospel. Normally Saturdays are pretty busy days for us but again our appointments fell through and we were having a really hard time finding new people. President has asked us this month to not do stop by's and to only go to appointments that are set up at least one day in advance. People can be incredibly hard to get ahold of sometimes and so it's been a little tougher not being able to drop by and catch them home. Nevertheless, we had a good day again yesterday :) Angel and his little girl Heidi ended up coming to church along with Lili y David! :D Rosa didn't end up making it but hopefully next week :) Angel leaned over to me during Sunday school and said this is exactly what I have been thinking about (talking about the lesson..) it's amazing how many times that has prabably happened to each one of us as church isn't it? Hermana LeBaron loves soccer and yesterday she played around with a couple kids and their dads for a few minutes. We ended up getting some return appointments so that was awesome! It was fun to watch her. The people you meet on your mission are incredible. I'll never forget them! Last night we had a lesson with the Juanitos. Remember them?? They are so nice but it's so sad because we can't really teach anything without getting into a Bible bash and so we just have to sit there patiently and try to get them to listen while we listen to them as well. He told us he was worried about us because he knows we're good people but that we don't believe in the word of God. (Meaning the Bible) All we could do was share our testimonies. They really are good people and I think one day they will come around :) We ended on a good note though! They fed us some of the most delicious tomales I have ever eaten!! They were pretty spicy but I am getting more and more used to it every day :) I am going to miss Mexican food so bad when I get home from my mission! It's delicious :) Also this Saturday are transfer calls!! I am SUPER nervous. When I think about it I start to go crazy so I am just trying not to think about it. I think there is a real good chance I am out of there this time. But ya NEVER know. So I just gotta have faith and know that wherever I go it will be for the best no matter what :) I gotta choose, faith or fear. Fe o miedo. Tengo fe! So next time I e-mail I can let ya know if I'm out of here or not. I am going to enjoy my week here as much as I can in case it is my last :) I love Sister Whitley and can't imagine not living there now but no matter what happens, I'll choose to be happy :) I am coming up here on my 6 month mark here next month on the 15th! Can you believe it?? When I think about all that I need to do and accomplish in the rest of my mission I get overwhelmed. But again I am learning (along with a lot of other life lessons... too many to count) that you just gotta have faith and press on and all works out :) If we're trying our hardest and playing on the Lord's team we are going to come out on the winning end! With Him we can. I also want to say how important member missionary work is! If you don't know the missionaries in your ward, GET TO KNOW THEM! It can seem like too much to handle or you don't have time to help them... but even for 1 referral we are incredibly grateful whether it works out or not! Share your testimony ALWAYS and use words SOMETIMES :) One of my favorite quotes. The love of Christ and our Father in heaven is more powerful than you can imagine. Show the ones around you how much you genuinely care and love them :) You'll have greater effect that you can comprehend. Do what's right and you'll be blessed. That's that :) And happier. The people here are incredible. I love them. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! HAVE a great week :) Go eat some Mexican food... haha and watch out! Sometimes it's a little rough on the stomache ;)

 

LOVE Y'ALL!! Until next week, Hermana Jennay Hadlock

 

p.s. The picture with my BYU Idaho shorts... remember when we were painting the red room?? RED paint got right over the top of the BYU!! I was so angry!! Haha. Then there was this little boy outside of our car Saturday night. We looked up when we had finished praying and he was standing there with a stern look! It's his halloween costume :) HILARIOUS! when we drove away he was on TOP on the car directing us where to go.Kids are too funny :)

Our cute sweaters and again...  

When they said they'd be baptized!! :D

Hope they weren't watching this outside their appartment ;)

My favorite cheesecake on the planet that our family made for us.

October 14, 2013 A Rainy Day.... :) Gotta Love 'Em!!‏

Buenos Tardes Quierdo Familia y Amigos!!! :D

So uh, I've learned that lotion is not needed here in Texas. Today and during the night last night it has been raining :) I love the rain! It's so different here though than from Utah... #1 When it rains, IT RAINS! Normally the storms are pretty big. #2 More rain means cooler weather and a happier Hermana Hadlock :) #3 It means LOTS of humidity and Hermana Hadlock not even bothering to do her hair :) I thought I would get used to the humidity and most of the time it doesn't bother me... but on days like today I just have to laugh because it's like you're breathing air! I'm not quite sure why Texans haven't morphed (don't know if that's spelled right... my spelling is getting funnier and funnier every day because of the Spanish :) ) into something with gills yet. Nah, it really isn't bad! Just no need for lotion or my hair straightner on days like today. Where do I start with this week? It has been a crazy one!! We have been working really hard to try and find 1500 new investigators as a mission in the month of October. So far, we are doing awesome!! It has been a lot of work but we haven't been knocking on doors as much either. We talk to EVERYONE we see in the streets and outside. It's kind of funny... sometimes we see people running in their apartments from us and ya just have to laugh :) The Elders are actually teaching a family right now that told us they used to run from the missionaries too! Now, they are loving the church and wanting to get baptized :) It's so awesome to see the change that takes place! This last week was a bit interesting... for 3 days we didn't have a car. Normally, it would be a little hard but not impossible. But the thing is that we live outside of our area and so it would take basically all day to walk out there. It's about 10 or 15 miles. So we had to find rides everywhere. It was a challenge but Hermana LeBaron and I were SO excited to get our car back on Friday when we went to pick it up and realized that the things they were supposed to fix on the car they hadn't fixed at all :( We had already paid for it and so they said that we could bring it back in and they would fix it! But that means another 2-3 days without a car. It makes for a challenge... but hey, we'll probably meet people we never would have met before :) That meant for a lot of walking during the first part of the week! We normally walk a lot anyways and just drive to the main area and get out. But to where we had no car, it meant walking everywhere. I am just SO grateful that didn't happen during July :) I am really excited about a family we have been visiting lately though :) Her name is Rosa and she has 5 little kids. We haven't really got to talk to the husband much... just for like 2 minutes when he got home when we had to be home so we were heading out. Maybe I wrote about her last week. She is a member and was raised Mormon but none of her kids are members or her husband. Her kids love us though and we love them so much!! Everytime we go over they draw us pictures and such :) I'll send a picture of the Halloween decorations they made us. They're SO cute! She didn't make it to church this last week but we are going to really try and get her there this coming week :) Honestly, she knows it's true I think we just gotta get her reading the Book of Mormon so she can feel that Spirit in her life again! I absolutely love this family :) We're excited to see what happens! Being on my mission has made me appreciatte so much more what I have in my life. It's so sad to see the hard things that people have to go through but I know that God knows them, loves them, and is ALWAYS mindful of them. I know that one day, all that they don't have right now, will be made up ten fold :) Oh yeah!! Something kinda crazy happened this week too. When we went to pick up our car we were really close to a TAQUERILLA (it's this place where I honestly feel like I am in Mexico) They have delicious street tacos for super cheap. We stopped there and it was hilarious because everyone stares at you because we're the only two white girls in there... we were waiting in line for our food and then this lady walks up to us and is kinda looking at us with a grin. I ask her in Spanish, "What are you thinking?" With a grin on my face... thinking she'll respond with something like, "Why are two white girls in a Taquerilla?" When she actually says, "You're beautiful angels of God" is spanish of course. We started talking to her and it turns out she was baptized in Venizuela. She loves the missionaries!! Since that time she has attended lots of other churches and her husband and son aren't members... so she wants to have the missionaries start coming! Sadly they aren't in our area :( So we sent the elders their way! Later that day, we contacted a really cute Hispanic family in Lewisville when they say hey we saw you at the Taquerilla earlier!!! Which is so crazy because it's pretty far away!! It's in a completely different city and everything. We talked with them for a bit and sadly they were just visiting a friend and didn't live in our area either :( so we sent the missionaries to go visit them where they live too! :) It truly was a couple miracles :) I am somewhat worried about Heidi y Angel... :( They didn't come to church this last week and haven't really been keeping any of the committments. It's just so sad because I know they know it's true!!! Keep them in your prayers :) Also, Ruben. He had been coming to church and conference and reading the BOM and we were SO excited but this last week he started working on Sundays so he won't be able to come to church anymore... :( We asked him if he would talk to his boss and he said he would try and get the day changed. Nevertheless, whatever happens he said he hasn't been drinking anymore! And without even us saying anything... he took out all his piercings (I think I talked about this before). He knows the Gospel has had an impact for good on his life and tells us that he knows it's true :) He said the other day he wants to get baptized so we were fighting tooth and nail with his job but it's not working out right now... so keep praying and hopefully soon we can work something out and he can be baptized!! If you ever doubt the Gospel, look at the miracles it brings and changes in peoples' lives :) It truly is incredible to watch. On a happy note... LILI Y DAVID are still incredible!!! They showed up to church again this week and even to the Noche de Espanidad we had on Saturday night!! :) I'll send pictures. All the different people from all the Hispanic countries brought food and music from their country. We got to go because Lili y David came :) It was so awesome! They have their test on the 25th and we are trying to get a solid date for soon after that :) The last thing I want to say... actually a challenge... this week do something nice for someone every day :) We challenged Rosa's family to do the same and all the little kids have papers! They write down the 1 nice thing they did that day and who they did it for. If they do it every day for a whole week, we told them we'd play a game of soccer with them on Saturday as part of the lesson :) I know that service brings joy. It makes us more open to feeling the Spirit. When we love and serve those around us we are going to find greater joy in our lives. Maybe even serve someone you have a harder time with or don't get along with... it's amazing the changes that can happen and the forgiveness that can come :) I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I feel His love for those I serve. Work hard and give it all your hard and share your testimony of Christ :) If you do that, todo esta vale la pena!! I also know that God has a sense of humor :) Let's be honest here... :) So look for the things that make you laugh!! Make someone else laugh :D

P.S. SHOUT OUT TO MY BEST FRIEND JYLLIAN SANCHEZ!!!! Happy 20th BIRTHDAY!!!! :D All my friends and I are getting old :) I'm gonna wear my nine- TEEN year old title proud for another month before I join the old geezer group :) LOVE YOU MY FRIEND!!!!

Until next week, I love you all :)

Con Amor, Hermana Jenny Hadlock!!

The cat we live with named Bell.

Us celebrating Hermana LeBaron's year mark!! :) WHAHOO!! :D

The funny people you meet in Texas :)

my mesquito bites :) already have bug repellent! No worries!

Ruben!

October 7, 2013 Conference, conference, conference!!! :)‏

Hey Y'ALL!!!

 

Honestly, I don't even know where to really start. What an INCREDIBLE week!! It's so funny... because it seems that here on the mission and in life that some of the hardest weeks can be the sweetest as well. All depends on how we look at them. Monday night, we had a family home evening with La familia Caceres. They are so AWESOME!!! We did the egg lesson with them... (I love object lessons) and I still forgot to take pictures. I'll get that at some point or just show you when I get home, promise :) But it went really well. They both served their missions in Argentina and they have the cutest kids in the world. They had a less active girl over for the lesson. Her name is Amanda and I think her and I are really close to the same age. It was fun to talk with her and she actually said that she would come out with us so we are excited for that!! :) There was one night this week... I think it was Monday or Tuesday night that for some reason I couldn't sleep at all. I woke up about 2 or 3 times and was WIDE AWAWKE! So at 3:00 in the morning I ended up getting up and just reading scriptures and writing in my journal. I had me a bowl of chocolate cheerios and it made for a pretty good breakfast ;) I think the lack of sleep hit me a couple days later. I was tired and just way too stressed and worried about everything. I have an awesome compa though and talked it all out with her and got back on my feet again :) After the trial always comes the sunshine because this last weekend was INCREDIBLE!! Can't wait to tell you all about it :) P.s. I forgot last week to tell you... During service Tuesdays we serve at this little place that is like a food pantry. We had a guy come through that we were helping and he told me that one day he was going to be a famous country singer. We ALL know how much I love country music :) So I asked him what his favorite is to sing and he started in with Joe Nichols- Brokenheartsville. Joe Nichols was my first concert and I LOVE his music. It was my very favorite back in the day :) Too funny. So when we were helping him out to his car he gave me a signed picture of him and told me to hold on to it. That one day, it'd be worth somethin' :) too funny!! His name is Robert Hawkins. You can look him up on facebook. He was pretty awesome. We had an awesome zone meeting Tuesday! We have a goal as a mission to find 1500 new investigators this month as a mission!! To answer some of your questions Dad we find people both through referrals and through tracting. I have done my fair share of walking out in the heat and knocking doors. But they have asked up to start steering away from that as much as we can and working through the members. So that's what we have been trying to do!! It's hard work.... but so worth it! But with this goal of finding 1500 new investigators we have been talking to SO many people!! We go to the lavandaria (laundry matt) and just talk with people in the streets. Yesterday, we had a goal to contact 50 people to make our goal for the week. It was too funny... we got 29 in between conference sessions and then I was talking to Hermana LeBaron and I was just like well... it's gonna be tough if all of our appointments are there.... how are we gonna do it? We'll figure it out :) then she says, we just need to find a fiesta in stone creek (these appartments where I am positive only 3 americans live ;) ) and contact everyone there! Well sure enough... we needed 21 after conference... we were walking and see all these pink balloons!! There was a fiesta in STONE CREEK! God answers prayers. We ended up getting like 52 contacts for the day :) All from the help of above. The weather here sure has cooled down!!! The other day it was like 55 degrees and raining and I was FREEZING!! haha. Nah, it wasn't too bad but it sure was cold :) Sister Whitley says it goes really back and forth though. She said don't be surprised if in 2 days it's back to 90's. But I sure am lovin it :) Lili y David are doing GREAT!! They said that they think they want to get baptized. But they want to wait until after their engineering test on the 25th of Oct. So hopefully by the end of Oct. or The beginning of Nov. they will be baptized! They made us tostadas for lunch the other day! I should've taken a picture. It was delicious :) I love their dog Choco and it makes me miss my pets! But it's fun to play with him :) That same day we had a lesson with Heidi y Angel and Ruben. Heidi y Angel I'm a bit worried about because they didn't come to any of conference and haven't been reading much :( But I have faith in them! So keep them in your prayers. We're gonna have a lesson with them tonight I think :) I was really worried about Ruben because he said that he is starting a new job and will have to work sundays... but the new job didn't work out so him and Lili y David ALL CAME TO CONFERENCE!!! They looked so good :) I was so stinkin' happy they came. I think they really liked it and it was so awesome to see the change in Ruben in his white shirt and tie! Lili y David already have such a light about them :) Ah man, I just love them all! It's amazing though... because you get such a love for the people you teach that when they choose not to follow what we teach them or choose other things it absolutely breaks your heart. You want them to understand SO badly!! It makes me think of how a parent feels about their kids. I can't begin to imagine the love a parent has for their kids. Then that also made me think about our Savior and Father in heaven. How much they want us to just put our trust in them. If we will, even if it makes NO SENSE in our minds... we'll be happier and have what is better for us. I like to think of it with the analogy of an airplane. I can't tell you how an airplane works... but I have trust enough to get on it. It's the same. Sometimes we don't always understand how God's plan works... but we KNOW it does. We're gonna get a lot farther and a lot faster in the airplane than we are trying to go our own way with a crazy map and our own 2 feet. Anyways, Ruben's job ended up falling through and he came both Saturday AND Sunday to the morning session!!! :DI'll send pictures. Thursday night I met the cutest little girl in the world... her name is Micah. We found her in a trailer park where we have started working more the past few days. She drew us a picture :) I'll try to send it. We also found a part-member family there while we were knocking! She grew up Mormon but left it when she moved out of the house. We had a good lesson with them last night and she started to cry :) Man, I love the Gospel! So we are going to start working with them as well. She sent us home with a lemon cinnamon roll thing too... man, I've gained a little weight and honestly it's because people are always feeding us!! On Friday, which was also Jackson's birthday( happy birthday to him!! and thanks for my package mama!! I love any chance I get to hear from home! (letters all that godo stuff ya know ;)) we had the lesson with Lili y David. It was with our new ward mission leader who is a family that just moved here from Argentina like a month ago! Their spanish is so different and hard to understand but I like it! Then on Saturday we had conference... I can't even begin to say all the things I loved about conference. President Uchtdorf of course is always one of my favorites :) When he said the 3 hours about church we were dying laughing because Ruben was there and that was exactly his reaction... WHAT?!? Too funny :) I loved Elder Holland's Elder Oaks... Elder Dube? Something like that :) and of course, President Monson's :) I told my companion how I would be the happiest girl in the world if we had conference every day!! That night we also were knocking and this girl comes out of the apt. (we were talking with her friend's roommate) and brings us chocolate chip cookies with an oreo inside!! Could you say my favorite thing in the world??? I think so :) There really is southern hospitality here. There are some people that are really rude of course... We actually met a guy who told us that Joseph Smith never even lived and that he really wanted me to discover the truth for myself. It was sad... but what can ya do? We just bore our testimonies and left. Saturday conference was truly amazing again and I already told you about the 52 contact story!! The one last thing that I want to talk about is how grateful I am. I realized that exactly one year ago yesterday was the day they announced the mission age change. It was the day I decided to go on a mission :) Here I am one year later in the heart of TEXAS and couldn't be happier. I have to say it is one of the hardest most trying things I have ever done in my life... but with that comes some of the greatest joy I have ever had as well :) I couldn't be happier than to be part of the 80,000 missionaries that are all over the world right now and serving with so many of my friends. A mission makes you grow in ways you can't imagine... and blesses you in more ways than are explainable :) The church is true. Jesus Christ LIVES. He loves you. Get involved in missionary work. Have courage to open your mouth. One of my favorite quotes that goes something like this... "Share your testimony ALWAYS. Use words sometimes."

 

Until next week, Hermana Jennay Hadlock :)