Letter #32: Hiccups

FAMILY!!

Hi.... how are you! I'm good. Thanks for asking! You are all amazing first off.... SO much love this week! I got the incredible package from Mom and Dad / Britt... THANKS SO MUCH!!! I am soooooo spoiled. We are having a blast eating SO MUCH CHOCOLATE!!! (Will you still love me if I gain 100lbs on my mission? haha) Thanks so much! and Brookie, I don't even know how but I got an unpostaged card with pictures from you! It just appeared one day... so Thanks so much! It was so good to hear from you again :) You are my sunshine as well!!

SUCH MUCH PICTURES!!!
The OAs and APs (Sister Rodriguez and Bryers... we love them!)

 Us with President and Sister Holmes at the temple

IHOP actually becomes the INTERNATIONAL house of Pancakes... we went this morning with most of our zone... yay for representing many countries!!! It was way fun.

This is also Sister McGill- sadly she's leaving on Tuesday for home but I love her and will miss her.

I also sent some pictures of me being SOOOOOO excited about these fun packages.... I look like I'm 5 years old in one but that's in our little office (fun, eh?!)

and the other is right before bed.... when we get home at 10 and have to plan and be in bed before 1030 it's kinda crazy.... but we do take time to eat a Lindor.... priorities right?!?!

I also got a package with Canada mitts from SISTER GIANG my trainer! That was super super fun!!

 
Welll..... as for my real letter.... We're having a blast here on Temple Square. I absolutely LOVE Christmas here. Sister Lane and I have so much fun (I LOVE serving with her... in fact I'm kinda nervous about transfer conference on monday.... I cannot believe another transfer has flown by!! I hope we get to stay together, but whatever happens happens and there's great comfort in knowing its the Lords will. but I'm VERY curious to know what'll happen!) The lights are kinda crazy... I've seen SOOOO many people I know. It's weird but nice at the same time. I had the most hilarious event happen (we've been laughing baout it all week and I've developed a nickname "hiccup" because of it....) Soooo... Remember I told you about the Temple Square choir? Yea.... we got kicked out. Not because we were bad singers but because there were too many people in it and we were late signing up (so nothing personal! haha).  Anyways, so Sis Hirt Sis Bleyl (fleet/our roommies) and SIs Lane  and I arranged a little quartet with Sis Ching to sing Once in Royal Davids city instead. We're not singers but we did ok... the frist 2 weeks the microphones didn't work for us so no one could hear (we didn't really mind), but we sang alright. It was fun. The 3rd week.... welll to make the story short.... I battled hiccups for about a half-hour before the performance... a little miracle happened! We prayed and they stopped! So suddenly they rushed us out of the coat room to go perform and I thought I was good.... of course during my  little 6 word solo my voice cracks and I hiccup.... we end the performance with Sis Lane in histarical laughter, Sis Hirt doubled over in laughter, Sis Bleyl has no idea what's going on and so stops singing, and I just know if I smile or look at any one I 'll burst out laughing so I'm staring blankly/look depressed singing alto by myself..... HAHAHA the crowd literally was pointing and laughing. It was outrageous! We were terrible! hahaha I burst out laughing so hard after and I haven't been able to sing the song again to practice for next monday's performance... I can't get through it without cracking up... but oh wait! It gets better... apparently I had some friends in the crowd... with Kris' phone... who filmed it for us!!! hahahaha I cannot WAIT to see it. (hence the email to have Kris email it to me
asap... haha I hope it happens cause that would be amazing....) Anyways... lame and not very spiritual story, but it was a pretty funny memory that we'll never be able to live down. Moral of the story is, missionary work is hard work, but no worries! We definitely know how to still laugh and have a fun time as well... absolutely ridiculous!! haha

Well, I really love being a missionary. It's really special to be at Christmas because it's the truest meaning of Christmas and you just live it and breath it every day. You have absolutely none of the material distractions of Christmas and you can really celebrate Christ's birth and focus on his life. I've been reading Jesus the
Christ a lot recently ( a book I always wanted to read but never brought myself to actually do it) and it's really helped me appreciate and understand a lot more about the Saviors birth and life. How blessed we are to be a part of His church! It truly is incredible.

One quick quick story for you since I don't have much time. But we took a couple from CT through the Beehive House this week. They were catholic and we shared with them many things, abuot how we can be
together forever with our families, and how the Book of Mormon is the word of God and translated by a prophet today. So many of these things I've taught over and over again, but it was incredible to see and witness how when some ones heart is prepared, they don't just hear the words but the spirit really teaches them it's true. He had some differing ideas from us, but as I shared a scripture or two with him, I could almost see the change in his face as he read what he believed in a Book that he had never heard much of before... the book of Mormon truly is the word of God and it testifies of Christ. People can recognize it's truths just be simply reading it with an open heart. He kept saying things like "wow! this is what I believe!" or "that makes so much more sense than how I've thought" or "I guess this is why I needed to come here today... I've been called on a mission." it was just insanely powerful.  I'm so grateful to have this tool and for the spirit to teach people. I really know that I could do nothing on my own.. (I've tried!) but without the spirit to teach them, nothing will touch their hearts. I'm just so grateful for the power of the spirit that we're so blessed to have with us always as we have been baptized and have the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Sorry that's a really hard story to tell over email... but I hope you can feel the spirit of this work and the powerful change it can bring to peoples lives. I love you all SO much. Thanks for all your love and support. You're in my thoughts and prayers always!

Love
Sister Mullen