Sweet Colorado- with the wonderful altitude, and mountains, and skies, and
people, and open air. I love it, but I also love Jersey. It's my 2nd home.
I'm feeling alright now, just had sinus stuff for a few days!
Yes, the weather has been wonderful. Only 40% humidity and around 70-80
degrees!
Oooooooooo Jenna! Girl, why don't you email me??? It's so much faster than
leterrrrssss and I'm impatient and want to know noooowwwww. I don't wike
it.
Man, pday is such a blast! I love my
zone soooooooo much! Monday we played 2hrs straight of basketball and then an
hour of vball. To say we were pooped would be an understatement. But it was
really fun, the elders are bosses at bball! S. Brown and I were pretty good too!
I had some solid passes (all I'm good for since I can't screen the elders) and a
couple post ups. I think it really helped open the elders up to us too. They
see us more as buddies now then "those" sisters that don't/can't play sports.
It's sweet. They laugh and talk with us a lot more since Monday- it's been
fantastic because I see them all as brothers anyways. They all remind me of Ty,
so that's been pretty sweet. I don't want our zone to break up in 2 weeks
😭
So we teach a member (who is
classified as less active but really isn't) every week. He lives in an assisted
living home, and I don't know what disability he has, but he's stinkin cute. His
name is Richard and he's a riot. We usually just read the BoM with him and sing
a couple hymns as well, and then we pray and leave. He's super cool and he loves
the gospel, even though he doesn't need it because as we know, he's already
saved. He's one of God's most valiant children who didn't need to be tested on
earth. Anyways, the workers there all know us and love to talk to us, and some
of the other guests there do as well. One of them being a man named Larry. Idk
how old he is, or who he is, or what he has- but he's stinkin cute as well. He
just wandered into our lesson one day and he's done that ever since. He always
talks about the karate classes they take and is super proud that he can say "I
know karate. Ask Rich. I know karate!" They're both adorable, and their
friendship is as well. Also, Larry looks a LOT like older Spock, so I kinda flip
out every time I see him. It's soooooo coooooollll🚀
Transfers. The number one most
dreaded or loved word in the mission. Loved by those who gotta get a new comp,
and hated by those who love their comp and area. Guys....in 1 week ôI may be
called as a trainer. I wanna cry. I can't do that! I've only been here 3 months
myself, I can't tell a new missionary how to do anything!!! There's still so
much I don't know, I'm still learning- I need a greeniebuster before I can do
that! My goodness. We were talking to the STLs on tues and they were telling us
that there's like no options for English trainers, they have to pick some young
ones. Our mission has been losing English areas and missionaries super quick
lately. Before I got here, there was 12 zones and now there's only 9. They said
there was 250 missionaries and now there's only 180ish. Our mission is
shrinking, and especially the English areas. So ya....I may be a trainer RIGHT
after I was trained. Please pray for me. 🙏
FUN FACT FOR YOU: Mercedes Benz
are $10,000 and gas is $1.95, but a darn watermelon is $8 and a thing of
covergirl mascara is $11....does Jersey make sense? No. Are the mosquitos polite
in not biting you 50 times on each leg in the span of 10min? No. Is it super
weird and sometimes sketch and always polluted? Yes. Do I love it?? Yup. So
much. I'm so glad I still have another 15 months here!!
FUNNER FACT: So, ahem: I am now
dependent on drugs for sleep.........Yup. This sister right here has to take
melatonin to sleep at night. 😰 *insert cheesy flashback music* it all started
on a beautiful, 70 degree, 40% humidity, partly cloudy Thursday. We woke up, got
a call from a member in the RS pres that she wanted to "twalk" with us. We walk
and talk for an hr and then she buys us breakfast. We then go home and shower,
and then go to an apt with a less active at a Italian place since he's a single
man. We eat and talk and have a good time! We spend the rest of the afternoon
trying former and less actives, and then we eat dinner with the Madariagas.
Chicken bacon ranch Jersey pizza is life. We go home and plan, and get ready for
bed. I'm exhausted, my body is so tired my arms sag and it's hard to move. As I
lay in bed waiting to fall asleep, I keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
Eventually I look at the clock and realize it's midnight. I think "ok, that's
fine, I can still get plenty of sleep if I fall asleep right now." .... Sleep
never comes that night. The clock isn't very different every time I look at it.
My mind won't shut off, and I don't get a wink of sleep. That night, Thursday
September 17, 2015, is the night my insomnia started. That night my world
changed forever. *insert dramatic turn to look into the distance* so ya, haha. I
didn't sleep Thursday or Friday or last night, and the only reason I slept Sat night is because I took melatonin. I
figured that's probably better than going 86hrs without sleep... So we'll see
how this goes! You know, I mean, I'd rather NOT be dependent on drugs to sleep-
but I have to not sleep for 4 days for the mission doctor to be sure there's
something wrong with me- I don't really want to go without sleep for that long.
So we'll see haha. On a fun note, I now have not one, but two bags under each
eye! Yaaaaaay for progression.😔
FUNNEST FACT: Also, haha, ahem, sorry. I forgot to mention something pretty
critical in the past few weeks...so surprise! Elder Christofferson was here
yesterday! We had a multi stake conference in the Newark Symphony Hall, and that
place was packed! He was here with Elder Sinclair of the Seventy to divide and
redo boundaries. New Jersey is growing!!! It's so exciting! We just went from 2
stakes and 1 district, to 3 stakes!!!!!! It's so amazing to see the growth of
the church here where it's so small. Jersey is in last place of all the states
for population of members, in case you didn't know. So this was pretty special.
Especially because Elder Christofferson is from Jersey! He grew up as a teen in
Somerset. It was really good to hear him talk, and he did a little shout out to
President and Sister Taggart on the stand and had all of us full-time
missionaries stand up. it was so sweet, PT started crying as Elder
Christofferson told the congregation to look at this "army of God". It was a
super spiritual meeting. Gosh. I love the gospel. Isnt it so great? It brings so
much peace and happiness to everyone's lives.
I also happened to get a selfie with Elder Christofferson, it's NBD.
Anyways, that's pretty much my week, or at least the highlights of it! I
hope you all have a great week!
I love you!
Stay Jersey Strong.
Love,
Sister McAllister
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