So much to report this week. Hopefully I will get through it all. I will start with the Spanish since you are very overeager about it, Mom. No, I am not being transferred to a Spanish area or anything like that. I don't have a Spanish-speaking companion. But on Tuesday and Wednesday I did spend two days in a Spanish-speaking area with a Spanish-speaking companion. Sister Smith was transferred to Montgomery so we went to the mission office early on Tuesday morning and since my new companion wouldn't be arriving for two days, they arranged for me to be with another sister in the same predicament. We stayed in her area because it is much closer to the office and the mission home, where we would need to go on Thursday morning to pick up our new companions. What an adventure! I loved every minute of it! It almost made me wish I were a Spanish-speaking missionary, except that I know too well now that I needed to be English-speaking because of all the people and companions and et cetera I've had in that department. Even so, I also believe that these two days were intended to be a part of my mission just as much as any others. We became fast friends, and it was truly a blessing to serve with Hermana Green. I would never have really gotten to know her without it. Plus, we just had some great stories. Early Tuesday afternoon, it was downpouring, right when we started tracting. The second house we knocked on, we met this abuelita and her grandkids who mostly let us in because of the rain. We sang a hymn in Spanish with them and were about to say a prayer and leave when the aunt arrived. I couldn't understand all that she was saying, but her body language and her facial expressions were doing an adequate job of conveying her displeasure. After we stepped out, Hermana Green started laughing. She said, "When that lady got in there, the first thing she said was, 'Who let them in?' " We had a good laugh about that one. We also had some authentic Mexican food at two great restaurants--well, one restaurant and one taco stand. We got popsicles from a street vendor. We saw a shrine to the virgin Mary, complete with blinking lights. And I did get to brush up on my Spanish more than I have since being in Houston. I couldn't always assist Hermana Green during the middle of the lessons, but I could testify at the end and read it well enough to read scriptures and sing hymns. On Thursday morning, we drove to the mission home to meet our new companions. Mine is Sister Layton from, get this, Shelly, Idaho. No joke. We probably live ten minutes away in real life. She has participated in numerous drama productions, so we had that connection soon. She is an amazing missionary, and I know she will inspire me to serve well. We are getting along swimmingly and seeing many miracles from her faith already. I've included a few pictures of us at the mission home. She is the one in the reddish shirt. And Hermana Green is in the bigger picture with the purple floral dress on. The baptism! Some of the pictures are blurry, so hopefully you can see them well. Brother Ravenberg baptized Brother Clevenger, and he was confirmed yesterday in sacrament meeting. All went incredibly well. I can't wait to watch as the Spirit forges the fire of faith even deeper in his heart. I feel privileged to have been here for his baptism, since I don't think I was a very big part of it. This weekend has been years in the making.Okay. You can ask Sister Layton, but ever since I got your letters and package (thank you, by the way) I have been randomly saying in an incredulous voice: "They got a dog!" You really caught me by surprise, but from the sounds of it, you were all a bit surprised by the sudden addition also. He is adorable, but I must say I was at first disappointed that you changed his name from Spin to Gryffindor. Anyone can name their dog after Harry Potter, but not everyone knows about the stunning adventures at the Triple R Ranch. However, considering the amazing nickname possibilities created from Gryffindor, I think you made a wise choice, so I give my common consent to Griffin, Griff, Griffey, or whatever his name is at the moment. Honestly, it reminds me of when Eli was born and we debated for a while whether to call him Bubba or Bubby or many other things. So we just chose all of them at our own discretion.
Eli, sweet shirt skills. Very styling, although I can't say I recommend the body glove look.
It sounds like you all had an amazing time at the low in numbers but high in fun family reunion. I would say I wish I could have been there, which parts of me do, but I am glad I was here. As far as Meggie goes, I'd like to see her but I think it's better if we don't. It's generally discouraged to see family and with a brand new companion, I need to set a good example. Meggie: I love you, and I'll see you as soon as I can. As far as Sister Tetreault goes, I'm sure she doesn't hate you. Maybe their plans changed or maybe she isn't worried too much about it yet since it's still months away. Although, come to think of it, months seem to be moving very quickly at the moment. Can you believe it is already August. It's been over a year since I was even in the MTC. Pai-Shan has almost been baptized for a year. Crazy!
Missing you all but getting lost in the work,
Sister Whitney Mikell Sorensen
PS I love you and please shine!
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