august is ending

Email sent Monday 29 August 2011

Dear family,

Well this week, I don't really remember what has happened. Sounds like yall are still staying really busy. Sorry if this email has some typos, I jammed my finger playing basketball today with the elders, and it hurts and is purple, and makes typing kinda deficil (hard). But anyway, mom, your calling seems like it has lots of stuff for you to do. That is good. You are blessed for service. That is one thing that amazes me SO much about the active members here in Port Isabel. Well actually the only active members live in this tiny little town called Laguna Heights, but there are 3 active members and they are willing to do whatever it takes to help us out. Brother Lobato and Alvarado both work a lot, but as soon as they get home in the evenings, and we call them, they are ready and willing to come out with us or to have a lesson in their homes. Sister Martinez it is a little harder cuz she has two little boys and works while they are at school, but she shares the gospel with all of her friends. In fact, we found this lady the other day and set up an appointment, and when we went back and began teaching her, she told us that she has a friend that is from our church who comes and reads her from the book of mormon and stuff. Yup that would be sister Martinez. She is not afraid of sharing the gospel. She is awesome.

So those three members also have to help us every week to give rides to our investigators. And they are so willing to do it. And when there is not enough room, there are members in Los Fresnos (30 minutes away) who are willing to come down here and get them and drive them back to Los Fresnos for church, and take them home after. They don't even hesitate. It's crazy. I hesitate to ask them, cuz to me that seems like a huge sacrifice, with gas money and time and convenience, but they know the importance of it. They were all investigators once, and probably had to have members come and get them. Or at least they understand the reason behind the sacrifice and service.

A cool thing that happened this week is that the Relief Society taught sister perkins and I how to make gorditas!!! Gorditas are these tortilla-like things. Sister Martinez made us do every step of the process. We mixed the Masa (corn flour) and made the dough stuff into balls and flattened them into little circles with our hands like true Mexicans and and cooked them and turned them with our hands and then scrunched the edges and fried them and topped them with the salsa and meat and cabbage and cheese and onions. They were all so impressed that we made all the gorditas. (Gorditas means fattys or somethign like that. They call them that cuz they are super fattening. All tortillas are. Hense the weight gain). We made SO many. It was tiring. But now I can make themfor youall when I come home. They are really good. Oh and I love homemaid flour tortillas. When I was in Raymondville I learned how to make those, but I don't really remember. So...I might have to do something about that.

OH: Thanks for the package!!! It was really cool. Thanks for the memory cards back. And the pictures of you all!!! That was my favorite part. Did you know that that is only the second time on my whole mission that yall have sent me pictures? Yup it is true. But thanks those were cool to see. Quinton looks silly. What's up with his hair? Is it black? I don't know if I knew he died it, or I forgot. In that picture of seminary graduation he looks like he could be a guy on an cd album cover or something. Silly kid. Brandy's gown was white! Weren't mine and Quinton's blue? That picture of her in her gown posing like a runner by the statue is really cool. Cute heels too Brandy! Nice yellow ones too. Thanks for the shirts and the brownies and scripture markers and FLOSS! Yay!

Dad, our neighbor, and lots of other people here for that matter, is a really big fisherman. He fishes all the time. Goes out and wades in the water and catches big fish. I told him about how you like to fish too. He said he actually has a brother in Salt Lake. That is cool.

We need to try to convert our neighbors here. We say hi to them everyday but they have lived by missionaries so long they don't really every really "talk" with them. But we will work on it.

Quinton is on the soccer team? That's random. Is the team very good? haha, he probably got some good practice playing over in Africa! OH, guess what? I met this super cool guy this week from Kenya. He is awesome, he speaks english but we could hardly understand him. His accent was pretty thick. He was super funny though and really nice. We tried to get him to learn more, but he was just like, well I have my own church and even though it is different from the other church I had in africa it's ok. whot whot whot. haha. <---Quinton should understand those "whot" words. That's what he would say in the place of how we say "blah blah blah" He was cool.

Well That's all for now. We have a 3 day conference this week so that should be cool and much needed training. So until next week...farwell.

Love,

Sister Petersen

ps mom, about registering for school classes...hmmm I don't know what to do really, you should go on and check what day is my date to register. If you go on to RouteY and then MyMap and then register or something and check the date. Let me know and I can see if I will be able to register for classes or if you will have to do it for me.