Greetings from Texas!

Hola Y'all!

Alrighty now... where to begin? I'm already struggling to get my journal caught up on the events since I got here, I've been in Texas for six days now. I haven't melted into a puddle yet! Yaaaay!

My companion is the best companion in the history of companions, and Trainers too since she is my Trainer. Not only is she nice, kind, patient, good at Spanish, and knows how to make sushi and stir fry. But she ALSO likes making stories like I do! When we have a few minutes here and there we geek out over stuff and it is fabulous and does my heart good! Hermana Green is very strong spiritually and I know that I am so blessed to have her showing me the ropes. Since I haven't been given the okay to drive yet I am the one that handles the phone every day. We have a cellphone for Missionary Work, and every time it rings I get so nervouse that someone's going to be speaking Spanish and breaking up since the signal is weak and I'll have to know what they're trying to say! But actually, eat time I've picked up it has been someone who also speaks english, or not someone who is Spanish at all! My luck can't hold out forever though, and eventually I'll need to take the dive and call someone in Spanish, which is fast approaching I know. As in the next few days!

And as for the heat/humidity: actually we haven't spent many extended periods of time outside yet. We have appointments to go to, and everyone lives with air conditioning so once we're inside it's nice. One lesson we taught to someone who got baptised last sunday (and confirmed yesterday, yay!) lives with some family that is not very fond of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and they don like the missionaries coming inside. So he brought out a blanket for us Hermanas to sit on while he sat apart under a tree. That was the only time I thought 'I could actually pass out now... maybe... wait the wind's blowing I'm okay... oh it stopped, poo...' So on and so forth. I can understand pretty okay, especially during lessons since that is all vocabulary that I've learned. But when others start talking about other things, really fast, without enunciating all that clearly. Then I'm just kind of lost, honestly.

But the people are so nice! Even when they are not interested in talking to us or accepting any pass-along cards they are very polite. And when we are in the store, everyone is very friendly, even another shopper asked what we were looking for at one point in Walmart. And the Members! Oh they are SO sweet! Everyone wanted to meet me, and the Sisters here give a sweet kiss by the cheek when hugging or after shaking hands. It's starting to make up for all the times, many many times I had to watch all the Elders give eachother hugs back in the MTC. I missed having lots of hugs from my friends. After I'd spent every day for several hours a day with these young men, I couldn't hug them goodbye!!! I made sure to get mission adresses at least. I don't know how many would actually send me a letter back, being young men who are busy on the Lord's errand, but I'll still try.

And the language is coming. I actually get a lot of help from the people we teach while I'm trying to speak. I do pretty well in some areas, but others I just mix up the grammar or mispronounce a word, or just straight mess up. But everyone helps me through it, everyone is willing to repeat what they said. And the ones who know some english will sometimes just be nice and say if they know it. But on the flip side, many of them are trying to learn English and so I help them. It is just such a sweet spirit that the Saints have here. I am SO blessed to be in this mission. The Mission President and his Wife are so kind, really wonderful people. And all the Senior Missionaries in the Mission Office are also just good people. They love you the moment you walk in and I feel it every time I see them or hear from them.

It is so wonderful being here, and seeing the real people that I am here to serve. I now have the opportunity to share the simple, wonderful, saving truths that people are searching for. Whether they know it or not.

I send you all my love from Texas, and I hope each of you called your Mothers yesterday!

~ Hermana Smart