Week 31

well. i guess i'm 22 now. whatevs.

I got my package the day before my birthday :) It was super awesome! thank you family, grandmas and friends for all of the birthday love! My birthday was super great! In the morning the elders ran over on all of our morning run to deliver the letters for me that got sent to the mission home so I could get them on my birthday. such nice elders! nothing like letters to brighten a missionary's birthday :) and as you can see, I chose to eat chowmein on my birthday! yes. I don't know who's idea it was to send me that but it was genius. Also, Mariela, our investigator that got baptized last week made me a cheesecake and they sang to me in spanish and english! haha it was so fun. It was just a super good day. Now today there is a joint bday party for me and one of the other elders with the jas (young single adults) so that should be fun too. I don't know that I really used my birthday power that much...maybe I'll use it today at the party. Except it is elder corradi's actual birthday...no importa :)

One of the coolest things that happened this week was saturday we were out walking to the bus station when this black guy came up to us and asked us if we speak english. duh. and then he told us that he is a member of the church and has been praying for a way to find the church here! and then he saw us :) so cool. He just got here tuesday and is going to live here 8 months because he is teaching english. He's from the Ivory Coast and has a really great british accent. Anyway, that was super fun for us. He doesn't know spanish so we were a little worried for how he would do in church...not understanding anything...but he was a champ. It was testimony meeting of course so he came and asked me if I would go up and translate for him. So I went up there with Blaze (yeah. that's his name) and he bore his testimony in english while I translated it into spanish. It was kinda funny. Everyone loved it. The whole ward just loves him now even though he can hardly communicate with them. It is really amazing how much of a bond the gospel creates.

It did kind of make me realize how I actually do know spanish. when did that happen? It's the first time that I have really had to translate for some one. Also, did you know that Elder Scott does his own voice over for conference? I have been telling our members because it makes a difference to be able to hear their real voice.

Also, we were blessed with another miracle yesterday. We showed up to church with Blaze and there was a guy there named Luis who told us that he is an investigator and just moved from Almeria. and he lives in our ward boundaries. Hello free new investigator yo! It was crazy. Such a blessing. You know, sometimes we do all we can to find people and search for the people who are prepared and then after all we can do, the Lord just places an electo on the church doorstep. sweet.

So something random that I think will interest mom is that we get gigantic cockroaches here! It is so sick. they come into our piso. They are like mississippi/africa sized ones. Like last night we had one and there was quite a bit of screaming and running around with a can of cucaracha spray. no bueno. We didn't have bugs like that in ciudad real...I think it is because we are so much closer to the ocean here or something. I don't know.

ok...I have to comment on some of these things. winco in vegas? what? that's the best! hello gummy bears. also, mom, you would like to know that one of my favorite things about Hermana Woodward is that she is totally fine with christmas music in october. we were so meant to be friends. and nixon is SO cute!!! He looked so handsome for his blessing :) that's so great. and I LOVE the story about caden :) and I learned from natalie today that genny is going to byu-i!!!! awesome!! it's the besht.

Well family, I sure do love you alot. Good luck with all of the new babies and potty training stinker babies. Have fun on your cruise mom and dad!

con amor,

Hermana Ross