Jenna and the Anit-Christ

Hello family how are you? I hope that all is well and that you are enjoying the beautiful fall colors :) Well life here in Albuquerque is same old same old, we teach people, help the sisters and do other missionaryesc things. It is just crazy how it will be October tomorrow!! And Makall is putting in her papers!!! WHERE DID THE TIME GO!!!! I feel like I just got out here and I have been gone for 7 months...I am almost half way done....How on earth did that happen!! Its just crazy that time is not just that straight line that everyone thinks that it is. Its more of this wibbily  wobbly ball of timey whimey stuff.... But any way lets get on to the stories of the week.

 

Story 1 The Tale of the Anti-Christ

 

The other night we went with a man in our ward to go and visit one of his home teaching people. She has been less active for a few years but has recently decided that she wants to come back to church. So we stop by and she is a very nice and fiery lady and she loves to talk. So we start having casual conversation, she tells us all about her dogs, her great grandma named Jorgan (Ha I had to laugh at that one), and how she loves Noahs ark. After that we start getting in to our spiritual thought which is about miracles, we share a quote and talk about how miracles are every where if we would only look for them. Then it was brought up that we should not expect miracles or ask God for them, so I shares the story of Korihor in Alma 30. And this is the conversation that follows.

 

Sister Chatwin: In this story we learn about Korihor and the prophet Alma. Korihor has been teaching false doctrine to the Nephites and leading them astray. And because he is doing this we refer to him as an Anti-Christ.

 

Sister Hayes: Anti-Christ....That's what I call Wal-Mart!!!!

 

It was the funniest statement that I have every heard!!! She just said it with such conviction and honesty. And we all just died laughing :) The rest of the message went really well and she said that she would start to come back to church!!!

 

Story 2 The Tale of Never Judging a Book By its Cover

 

There is rarely a night that we do not eat dinner at a members house. And most the time it goes well.. But other times things can take a sudden turn for the worst. And this past week we were having dinner with an older lady in the ward who had a reputation for not being the best cook. The last sisters who ate there got sick from eating her apple pie, and said that there was cat hair everywhere! So naturally as the night for dinner gets closer we start hoping for a miracle that will some how save us from such a horrendous ordeal. But to our greatest disappointment there was no such miracle. And so on the night of the dinner we hesitantly go to this sisters house and knock on the door. And as soon as the door opens we are greeted by 2 dogs and 3 cats, and the house is full of cat and dog hair. So we sit on the couch and wait for her to serve dinner. We ask if we can help and start to have small talk, she ask where we are from, how long we have been serving, and so on. And then she tells us that we are more than welcome to start to dish up our food, she had made spaghetti, bread sticks, and had a salad on the side. After we say the blessing on the food Sister Brown and I hesitantly start to eat....And it was actually really good! The apple pie was amazing also!  And the cats stayed on the floor while the dogs sat by our feet and whinnied for food. So we started to talk and to get to know her. And turns out that she has been life long friends with Willy Nelson the country singer! He got her a bed for her last birthday and stops by any time that he is in Albuquerque. She also met the Band Chicago, went to dinner with them, and had no Idea who they were. She also makes jewelry and let us pick out anything that we wanted for free! I got this awesome ring that is made out of fluorite! SO the lesson that I learned that day was to never judge someone till you actually meet them...Well you shouldn't judge people period, but don't make opinions of them till you meet them.   

 

Story 3 The Tale of the Broadcast

 

I am sure that you are all aware that last Saturday was the Relief Society broadcast. And if you didn't then you should go watch it, because it was really good! Well we started out the evening with a dinner of fajitas and popsicles made with real fruit (very good by the way). We also had an investigator there named Ashley. Now Ashley and her family referred themselves to the missionaries a few months ago. But after meeting with the sisters they decided to wait and see what it was that they really believed before containing to investigate our church. So we were really surprised to see her there with her Nanny (who is a member in another ward). We sat by her at dinner and then for the broadcast, and we were just praying that she would feel the spirit. So the broadcast starts and about half way through I look over at her and she has tears in her eyes. And that almost made me and sister Brown cry! After the broadcast was over we asked her what she thought about it. She said that she really could feel the love that the presidency and the prophet had for all of us as they spoke. And that she would be in touch with us after she had written down all of the questions that she had. We know that she and her family will get baptized someday, and we hope that we will get to be here to see it happen.

 

Story 4 The Tale of Random Facts that I have Learned this Week.

 

After we went to the broadcast on Saturday we had a missionary fireside by Elder Richardson who was a member of the 70. He also was on the committee that wrote Preach my Gospel, and his grandson is one of our AP's. So with that fireside and the broadcast I have learned some very interesting things. Frist off keeping covenants is important, and that we need to teach our children while they are young to keep promises. So that when they are old enough to make those covenants they will also know how to keep them. Secondly Never ignore a prompting. I have seen so many incidences on my mission were the spirit has quietly whispered in my ear to say or do something. And I have felt first hand the remorse that comes when you learn that there was more that you know that you could have done for someone. The Lord will use us to help his children, whither it is with a loaf of bread, a kind word, or even just a simple smile. The Lord needs us to be aware when he is trying to tell us things, and when you hear him GO FOLLOW HIM!!! You may lift someone's heart or even save there lives, but just follow every prompting that you receive. And lastly Prayer works. God hears us, he loves us, and he wants us to be happy. Even if you don't see the point in what is happening trust that God hears you and is mindful of your needs. He will always be there to give you anything that he knows will help you, but first you must ask. The bible dictionary definition of prayers is amazing it says, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." If we always remember who we are and why we are praying we will never feel discouraged when we don't get the answer we feel that we need.

 

Well that was my week :) I hope that y'all are doing well and I cant wait to hear from you all soon :) Love y'all lots!!

 

Love sister Chatwin 

 

P.S

Spell Cat. Kat I am out of here... Haha I know that is has 2 t's ;)       

More exciting tales from Jenna

Hello Family !!! How are y'all doing? I hope that all is well and that you are enjoying the first few days of Fall. So how is life back in Utah and up in Michigan? I miss y'all loads and am so excited to talk to y'all again in months !!!! Wow that is crazy that I am almost half way done, and that Makall will be leaving for her mission soon....Just crazy. Thanks for the package and letters this past week, the m and m's were super cute!! And I am very sorry for sending y'all the wrong zip code.....Yeah that is awkward....I hope the people in Colorado liked what ever y'all sent them :) So yeah glad that we got that all straitened out. So on to the stories of the week!!!

 

Story 1 The Tale of the Lost GPS

 

Being a STL we have the opportunity to go on exchange's with all the sister that we cover. WE do about 2 a week now and they are loads of fun. On Tuesday I got the opportunity to go on an exchange with Sister Geldmacher in my area. We started the day off well with studies and seeing a few people in the apartment. Then we were going to see an investigator and we didn't know where he lived. So I pulled out TomTom, put in his address, and started on our way. On the way there we chatted and talked about our areas. But then I noticed that we were not in the right place. And that TomTom had gotten us very much lost.... So I checked the address and as it turns out TomTom had taken us in the complete wrong direction and out of our area. Oops! So I try again and after another 20 minutes we finally got to where we were going. So the moral of the story is this. Do not buy a TomTom, buy a Garmin. (Makall this is for you!!!)

 

Story 2 The Tale of Our investigators ( Yeah that is not a very good tittle so I am open for suggestions)

 

The work in this area is amazing!! The members are so willing to help and to let us meet there friends. We are still teaching Christina and her family, which is going good. She has been very busy lately so we have not seen her to much. But we have an appointment tonight and cross your fingers that it goes well. Another family we are teaching is Max, Sandra, and Adriana. They are doing very well and have been coming to church for the past 3 weeks! The are set to get married in the next few weeks and then baptized a little after that. And last but not least we are teaching Amber, Phil, and family. They are so amazing and I love them all so much!!! Some times when we are waiting for the lesson to start, or when we finish and people are talking. I will tell the kids stories or just play with them. They are all very cute, but not the cutest kids that I know ;) They are progressing really well and are still on course to be baptized in November! Other than those families we are teaching a few individuals that are also doing quite well, and things are all looking up :)

 

Story 2 The Tale of the Conference of the Zone (Zone Conference)

 

This past Friday we had a Zone conference that was amazing!! It started off with car inspections, and lucky for me and Sister Brown there were some very nice Elders who helped us fill things out. I mean really what Sister really knows where the brake fluid or the oil filter is!! Well at least I don't anyway. Then we had a slide show from Sister Miller (I love her so much <3) about how to stay healthy as a missionary. And I really liked that her attitude was if you don't have a fever, or in sever  pain throwing up, or gushing blood then you can go out and work. She is an amazing lady and I just love her!! Then we got a lesson on why we should be safe drivers, and watched a movie about a crazy grandma who takes some Elders keys away. But the best part was when President Miller talked to us about the Christ like attributes. He used the story in Mathew chapter 8 about the Roman centurions servant being healed. And saying, Lord, my ^aservant lieth at home sick of the ^bpalsy, grievously tormented.  7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not ^aworthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be ^bhealed.

 9 For I am a man under ^aauthority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

 10 ^aWhen Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great^bfaith, no, not in Israel.

 How this man needed humility and faith to come to Christ, and then how kind Christ was to drop everything and help this Gentile. But the best was verse 8-10. This man knew that Christ was someone of great importance and knew that he was not worthy to have him in his home. But also that he had the faith to know that if Christ just said the words it would be done. It was just amazing to hear this story from this perspective! After President Miller spoke Sister Brown and I sang a musical number. It was a mash up of Called to Server and As Sister in Zion. It went very well and the rest of Zone Conference was amazing!! President did surprise us by asking sister Brown and I to tell our story of the first vision with Christina to everybody. My heart may have stopped beating for a moment or so. But I loved Zone Conference!!!

 

Story 4 The Tale of the Wal-Mart Fire!!

 

Last P-day we went to Wal-Mart as usual and got our groceries. When we came back to the parking lot there was a very large crowd around this truck. Well the truck was on FIRE!!! And so we started to go to our car... which was parked kiddy corner from this truck!!! We hurried and got all of our stuff in the car and left. The fire truck past us on the way out, and we did not see or hear an explosion so that's good.

 

Well there were the highlights of my week :). I hope that you all have a great week and that you have fun at the Relief Society broadcast!! Love Y'all so Much!!!

 

Love Sister Chatwin 

Here are some pictures Jenna sent this week

Like Mother like Daughter :)

I found this pretty funny, here is a paragraph from a letter she wrote me!

Dear Mom

Being a sister training leader is pretty awesome, we went on our first exchange on Friday night with a pair of sisters that are not doing so well. We have been trying to think of ways to help them. We are also in charge of the sisters who are feeling sick and want to stay in. My automatic response is: do you have a fever? Are you throwing up? No, well you can go out and work. You trained me well!  Most sisters want to stay in for silly things, I would tell them to you but you have already heard them all before!!

6 months down, 12 to go!

Hello everybody!! How are y'all doing, and what have all y'all been up to? I hope that y'all are doing well and that you’re having loads of fun!! I have been in Albuquerque in for just about 3 weeks and I have loved every second of it! It is so much cooler here and it has been raining like crazy! Turns out that this is New Mexico's monsoon season, so I left right when El Paso's rainy season was over and I am just in time for the rain in Albuquerque. But it hasn't been to bad, and it keeps things much cooler so I guess that I should not complain. So lets get on to the stories of the week.

Story 1 The Tale of the North Valley North Exchanges

As a Sister Training Leader I have the opportunity to go on exchanges with all the sisters in our area. On Friday night I went to the west side of Albuquerque and stayed with sister Mycerdy. It was great to get to know her and see how the area there is doing. Oh and I forgot to mention that theirs is a bike area...So I had to ride a bike...And I almost Died. So y'all know how I get really light headed sometimes? Well as we were getting off the bikes to go see a former investigator I started getting dizzy. And as we got up to the door I started having tunnel vision, and right as the man was about to close the door on us I asked if I could sit down. He said yes and then came out and talked with us for almost an hour! I guess God made me light headed so that we could talk to this man. And he is very interested in the gospel and wants to take the lessons again! So all is well that ends well :) And we were able to contact 16 people that day as we tracked in the rain. So that was a very interesting experience.

Story 2 The Tale of the Amazing Spirit

We are teaching this family which consists of the mom Kristina, and 3 kids Anhelica, Javean, and Jacob. And they are really good kids, but they are very active children and it can be hard to keep them entertained. One night while we were there Sister Brown and the member taught and I entertained the children. We made Coode Catchers, colored pictures, and played the who ever can keep there arms folded the longest and be the most reverent game. It was fun but still kind of crazy. So the last time we went over we were teaching the first lesson, and we had a fun object lesson for the kids. We used a pyramid of cups to talk about Christ church and how it "fell" over and had to be rebuilt. The kids thought that that was really fun, but the youngest son was still running around and being crazy. So the mom put him in the stroller (he was really in time out) and just pushed him back and forth. But he still kept streaming and crying. And as we were coming to the point were I would say the first vision I just prayed in my heart that the kids could all just be quite for a few minutes, so that Kristina could feel the spirit. So right as I started to recite the vision, I used moms trick of talking in a really quiet and exciting voice, and just looked at Jacob. And as soon as I looked at him the room went still. No one said anything, and no one really even moved. The spirit flooded the room and everybody felt it. And as soon as I was done Jacob started screaming again. It was so amazing to see how a small child can feel the spirit, and how Heavenly Father listens to our prayers. And the icing on the cake is that Kristina and here daughter both committed to baptism in October! So it was a very amazing lesson.

Story 3 The Tale of the Cosas y Cosas (Stuff and Things)

Ok so here is just some information that doesn't really fit in to a story but are cool things any way. First we had the opportunity to speak to the Single Adults last night at a fireside. We talked to them about the joys of missionary work and how they can all be missionaries to their friends and family. We told them that the gospel is the best thing that you can give anybody, and it is free. Second we have 3 families on date for October and that also means 3 weddings before them! It is so cool to see families accept the gospel and change their lives. It’s been a very busy week and so not much funny or interesting happened. But we are teaching lots of people and the ward here is amazing! And on October 7 we get to go to the Temple again!! I love the temple and I am excited to see the new movie. But this also means that I will only have 1 more temple trip and conference till I come home!!! Wow how crazy is that? Oh and I need more pictures of y’all!!!

Story 4 The tale of 525,600 Minutes

It is just to crazy to think that in 525,600 minutes or 365 days from tomorrow I will be on my way home. This past 6 months has just flown by and I am sure that the next 12 will only go faster. But this has been the single greatest thing that I have every done in my whole life. I would not trade a minute of the time I have left or the time that is already gone for anything in the world. I miss y'all so very much and miss hearing from you guys as often as I used to. But I know that life is busy and that you all are praying for me so that is enough. But I can’t wait till Christmas when I can talk to y'all and see how things are going.

I love y'all so much and can’t wait to hear from y'all soon!!!

Love Sister Chatwin

P.S I'm Sailing! I'm Sailing!!!!

Jenna and the cray man!!

Why Hello family!! So how has every one been? I hope that its good, and that y'all are having loads of fun. Well I am actually in Albuquerque now so that is nice and again it is so much cooler here!!! And it is a blast to be here with Sister Brown, I love her so much!!! If you look at my MTC pictures you should see her, but I will be sending more pictures in the future anyway. So what is going on? How is life? And I think I need more up to date pictures of families and people...And Coco. Also pictures from anybody else!! My walls are kind of barren and I need nice things to look at. And Happy Birthday to the two cutest kids in Michigan!!!! Blake and Hailey I love you so much and I will send you a treat soon :) Well on to the stories of the week.

Story number 1 The Tale of the Bad Lands of New Mexico

So as you probably already know that I got transferred this past week. And I love being in Albuquerque! The ward here is amazing and the members actually find us at church to remind us to call and have them go out with us!! (P.S Missionaries love that by the way) And the ride up here was supper fun. We had six sisters in the van and we all just told stories of the mission. I don't remember any or I would tell you, but just know that they were all spiritual and up lifting. Any way it was a 4-hour drive and it was very nice. The desert is kind of beautiful in its own way, but I still really miss the mountains. Everything is so different up here and more Native American. Its pretty cool, and I have yet to go on to the reservations yet so cross you fingers. But I am really excited to be here and to be back with Sister Brown!! We are going to have so much fun being STL's. And we have been supper busy because not only do we have to worry about our own area, but the sisters in the other areas we cover. So we have been very busy to say the least. But I have loved every minute of it!! Except when we found a cockroach in our apartment! It was super nasty and Sister Brown tried to kill it with Windex. Then I tried to squash it in a tissue, but then it found its way out and started to climb up my arm.... So I freaked out just a little bit...Ok maybe I freaked of a lot but it was a nasty and tried to touch me!!!! But other than that we have had loads of fun. 

Story 2 The Tale of the Who Waited

There is this family here that Sister Brown has been teaching and they all have different last names so we just call them Phil, Amber and family. They have 5 Austin is 10 Teie is 8 Kaylen is 5 and Harley is 3. But the are one of the most prepared families that I have seen, and they are so thankful for sister Brown. The family has been struggling and they have been trying to get things in order for baptism. But the other night when Phil was talking to us, well mainly Sister Brown because I had just met them. But anyway as he was talking and saying how mush he loves this gospel and how it has saved his life, I felt the spirit so strong and I cried...No this is a big deal I have never cried like this since being on a mission. I don't know what changed but this mans testimony moved me to tears. He and his family are so grateful for sister Brown. And the reason that they were called the family who waited is because they were waiting for Sister Brown. She and this family have a connection that is incredible. And we know that they know each other before this life, and that they are one of the main reasons that Sister Brown is here on her mission. It is amazing how you can touch people’s life with the gospel, and how you can instantly love a person when you see them as they really are; As children of our Heavenly Father, and our lost brothers and sisters.

Story 3 The Tale of the Crazy Man

So the Elders gave Sister Brown a referral for a less active guy so we decided to go see him. We felt like we needed to bring the priesthood with us because he seemed a bit odd on the phone.  So Brother and Sister ...somebody... came with us. And it was a good thing to, because this guy was crazy!!!! He was like this hippy that chewed tobacco and said that he would only go to church if the moon was in the right phase. And how the voices that he hears are spirits that tell him how to help people, and to know the secrets of life. So yeah turn out he is crazy...Really crazy. And we will not be going back to see him.

Story 4 The Tale of the Amazing Member Prompting

On Friday we had an appointment cancel on us, but we had a member so we decided to go see a lady in the ward who Sister Dodd’s was worried about. So we go, say a prayer, and go to meet this sister named Wanda. Well when she answered the door she did not seem right and as we talked to her she really did not seem right. Her speech was slurred a bit and she was very weak and complaining of chest pains. Sister Dodd’s is a nurse and assessed her and could not find a pulse in her wrists or her ankles. Wanda then told us that she had been having chest pain for most the day and that she has not taken her cancer medication that day... So Sister Dodd’s and us say a prayer and decide that Wanda needs to go to the hospital. Well as Sister Dodds was packing her stuff Wanda just hunched over in from chest pain, and was really light headed. So we called 911 and waited till the ambulance comes, and when the do come we just step out side and wait while they loaded her in to the ambulance. And as they did that I caught a glimpse of her face and the entire right side was drooping. So she had a stroke while we were there, and we were with a nurse, and we just happened to go to her house, and our other appointment just happened to cancel... So yeah big miracle right there.

So that was my week and I have now called 911 twice on my mission. It is just amazing to be placed in the lives of people who need us. And I know that this church is true and that Christ loves me and all of you. I love y'all so much and can’t wait to hear from you soon!!

Love Sister Chatwin

P.S So the sky outside the window in front of us is blue, and the sky in the window behind us is black and raining.... So weird.   

Oh my gosh I almost forgot to tell you about the adventure that we had Sunday morning!!!

The Tale of the Poorly Timed Fire Drill

At 3 am Sunday morning I woke up to this very annoying alarm. I thought it was the alarm to get up but then I saw the time. So I went to see what it was and as I opened the door I saw flashing lights and a really loud and annoying alarm. Turns out that it was the Fire alarm so we got our jackets and shoes and went outside. And we were the only ones outside for an hour!!! No one else came out of the apartments and there was no fire that we could see. But we did not want to go back in to the apartment till we got the OK. SO we waited in the Laundry Room till the Fire fighters came. And they could not do anything either because it was an electrical problem. Then finally a person in charge of the apartments came and shut it off. By this time it was almost 5 am. And we have to get up at 6:30 am... So we got no sleep that night. And that is the tale of the poorly timed fire Drill

Jenna is transferred off to the "Bad Lands of New Mexico"

Ok so first off with yesterday being Labor Day the library was closed so we could not email. And second I am being transferred off to the bad lands of New Mexico!! I also was called to be a sister training leader, its like a zone Leader for the sisters. I am very excited and hope that all is well, I am sending a really long letter home so ask mom for a copy. I love you all so much and I will let y'all now where I am as soon as possible!!

Sister Chatwin

Hello Family!!! How are y'all doing? So I am now actually serving in Albuquerque, in the Canyon Heights area!! So my new address is 557 Tramway Blvd Apt # 110 ALBQ NM 87123. My companion is Sister Brown!!! Not Sister Brown I just trained but the sister Brown who was in my district in the MTC!! She is a fantastic missionary and we are going to have loads of fun being Sister Training Leaders! We have Mission Leader Conference tomorrow where all the Zone Leaders and Sister Training leaders get together to talk about the progress in our zones (so we will talk about the sisters we see... I think), and to learn from President Miller. It is so weird to be out of El Paso! The mountains moved to the east again, so I am directionally confused. I have no idea where anything is. And the weather is 10 degrees cooler.... Oh wait that's a good thing! I feel like I am in another country, well I guess it would be like coming back to America because lets face it El Paso is pretty much Mexico. But it is just very odd to be in a place other than El Paso because I lived there for 6 months!! Wow I can’t believe that I have been gone for so long! It seems like I just gave everybody hugs and said good bye, but at the same time I feel like I have always been a Missionary. I think I am living in a Paradox!!! Rachael and Landon you know what to do and WHO to find to fix this madness!! But really it is crazy that I have been gone for 6 almost 7 months, and in 3 months I will be 1/2 way done!! Well nothing really interesting has happened since I sent y'all my letter; I don't know how mom will get it on the blog but oh well. As a sneak peek I will tell y'all the titles of the stories. The Tale of the Sermon on the Mount. The Tale of the Epic Fail. The Tale of My New Amigo Mario. And the Tale of the Late Night Calls. Dun Dun Dun!!! I know that the suspense is just killing you !! Well Love y'all so much and I will write again on Monday!!

Love Sister Chatwin

P.S Did I mention that it is only 89 ish degrees here? I think I am in heaven!!       

Sister Training Leader

Dear Family

Hello!! So today is Labor Day and that means the library where we usually send e-mails is closed. Curses on who ever invented this holiday! Don’t they know that missionaries need to send e-mails???  Any way I just figured I would write a longer letter this week.

So how has everyone been? Mom I am asking you to some how get a copy of this letter to everyone else because I am writing this only once for multiple reasons: 1. It will be a very long letter and 2. I have really bad handwriting so I wont make more people suffer from having to read it!

So on to the stories:

Story 1: Sermon on the Mount

This past Friday was Elder Matheson’s last district meeting because he is dying this week (going home). He wanted to have an awesome funeral to send him off. He decided that we were going to have a Sermon on the Mount!! In other words we were going t go on a hike and have district meeting there in a mountain. On Friday morning we all went up to the mountains and started hiking. We got half way to where we wanted to be which was Mammoth Rock. It is a rock that coincidentally looks like a Mammoth.  I have pictures that I will send soon. Any way we got half way there when Sister Brown said she could no go any farther. We found a smaller rock and had our meeting there. It was really neat to be outside and Listen to Christ giving the Sermon on the Mount. On the way back down sister Brown “sprained” her ankle. Sp she and I walked down slower than the Elders, it was a pretty good hike nonetheless.

Story 2: The tale of the Epic Fail

On Wednesday we had a church tour for all of our investigators. We passed out flyers and had treats and loads of people promised to come. The night of the open house arrives and we get everything set up. You will never guess how many people came!! Guess!! If you said 100 then you are wrong, if you said 50 you are still wrong. Ok so the number of people we had was… wait for it… 1. Yep that is how many people came. The ward was great and helped out a lot but yea it could have been better. The ward mission leader said next time we would do even more to help people really know what our church is about.

Story 3: The tale of my new Amigo Mario

On Friday we were sitting in our car trying to decide where we should go next when someone knocks on my window. I turn to see a Hispanic man with a grocery sack. I roll my window down an inch or so and ask if there is anything I can do for him. He proceeds to talk 90 miles an hour in Spanish and the only words I can catch are “go to the bar, drink beer, and get drunk!” it was at this point that I realize that the man is a drunk. So I try to tell him we do not drink which I think he understood because he then starts speaking more Spanish and sys “wash tires and windows, car be very clean, no money it free.” We ask him his name and he says it is Mario and that he washes cars and tells us if we go to the house with the white dog and honk 3 times he will come out. We gave him a card and he again asks about beer and bar and drunk. I told him no again and he shakes his finger at me and says “ no, no smoochy, smoochy, just amigo’s” So I told him we could not go to bars even as amigo’s. We told him if he went to the web site on the card we gave him he could learn more about Jesus. He pulls the card out of his pocket and tries to give it back to us, we tell him to keep it and call the number on the card. (It is the Elders number J) we then told him we had to go, he says ok baby and pinches my cheek. Again he invites us to go drink beer and get drunk. We say no and try to drive away, he again tells us about how he washes cars. This pattern goes on for about 30 min. and only 10 or so words are in English. I don’t know why but drunken men seem to really like me and like to touch me! That is how we met my new amigo Mario.

Story 4: The tale of the Late night calls

On Saturday night after we had been planning and were getting ready to go to bed the district leader Elder Foulk calls and tells us the news on transfers. Sister Brown is staying here in El Paso and I am being transferred up north. I will actually get to serve in New Mexico. That is very exciting bit I will miss this area. I have fallen in love with all of the people down here and will miss them all. Then last night I received a call from the President, he asked me if I would accept the calling to be a Sister Training Leader (STL). That is like a zone leader for the entire sister missionaries in our zone. I accepted the call of course and will be going to the leadership conference on Thursday in Albuquerque. As a STL I will go on exchanges twice a week and will be over all of the sisters in the zone. I will help them solve their problems and help them to be better missionaries. I am very nervous and honored that the President thinks that I can do this.   I will have to work really hard and have to pray a ton.

Well those are the stories of the week, I am being transferred and do not know where I will be. I will try and send you an e-mail tomorrow so you can know sooner my new address.

I love you all, and miss you all so much. I hope to hear from y’all soon and I will get you my address as soon as possible. Hope y’all are having a great time! And I love you

Love Sister Chatwin

P.S. this letter comes with a disclaimer, that the writer is not responsible for any spelling or grammar errors in this letter!

Her mom fixed them all when I was typing the letter so all of you could read it J!!