Week 25: No Title This Week

5  Questions:

1) Did the Valentine's Package make it yet?

2) Is it snowing or just cold?  Or it's so cold, the moisture doesn't really matter now?

3) How's the new companion?  Have you learned anything about her yet?  Sis Israelson's mom said Emily had been comps with your comp too...fun connections!

4) Did you get my little letter in answer to your questions for me?  I hoped I didn't send it too late for you to get it.  And THANKS for writing to your brother!  President A asked him today if he was writing to you....good thing he could answer honestly.  ;)

5) Do you have much interaction with the other missionaries, elders or sister in your mission?  Of just your district in Normal?

1. Yes. Thank you very much momma!

2. As of right now it's just cold--though tomorrow is supposed to be hot: 35 degrees F! But Hermana Araujo told me today that winter here (according to the locals) usually only lasts through February [I was expecting something like Utah where it'll snow in March sometimes, but it sounds like not this year...] anyway, winter is practically over so that's good. The gloves I've been using have holes in the finger tips and Walmart didn't have any gloves today....so I'll be glad when it's just rainy. Hermana Araujo said the March weather is fun. I'm excited.

One thing I cannot figure out is how the humidity here works. I mean, if it's more humid, why are my hands so dry!? It makes no sense to me....but somehow that's how it is.

3. She's great! So Hermana Araujo is half Mexican and half Nicaraguan. She's probably the most adorable person of all time (she's like a doll, for real) because she's short and cute. She's also SUPER good with people. I love talking to members with her (well, I really just stand there and nod) because she just makes people feel important and special. That is a talent, I tell you what.

4. I did, thanks again. I put all my paper stuff in a flat rate today so I'll probably send it next week. Could you let me know again what the balance is on my card? I'm mostly just curious.

5. We actually do, but I think it's not very normal. It's really just because we work in three wards, so we interact with the Elders at MCMs and at church meetings, and then district meeting. So we know B2 and B1 Elders pretty well, and then the zone leaders (not in our district but see them at church) and the Pontiac Elders (in district but we don't see them on Sundays) we don't know as well. And then if we talk about the mission as a whole: everyone calls Peoria a black hole. Because you know next to no one from the other stakes (because we're so far away from everyone else). So we only interact with the other district in our zone and the other zone in the stake at zone meetings/conferences, and we have exchanges once a transfer with the hermana training leaders [one thing that's cool b/c we're in Peoria is that we get to blitz the town: both hermana training leaders come down here so we have two sets of hermanas for 24 hours. Everywhere else, one companion goes to the other companionship's area. But we can't do that because we're in Peoria. haha] So overall, we have very little interaction with other missionaries, but because we personally work with three wards, we work with the elders here on a regular basis. I'm excited though because we have a mission-wide conference in March! Woohoo! haha it's gonna be awesome.

I don't have much to say, so I thought I'd send some pictures instead. (:

The mission's good.

The Gospel's true.

The Book is blue.

And I'm gonna take a giant long nap in about 13 months.

Todo mi Amor!

-Hermana DeBuck

Because this is necessary when serving in Normal.

graffiti in Bloomington

self-explanatory

 

 Hermana DeBuck with her new companion, Hermana Araujo!