My PDay is actually on mondays but because it was labor day we weren't able to email because everywhere was closed for the holiday. We're emailing today on our lunch hour. Things are going great! I'm in my first area in east Bakersfield. Its been ridiculously hot (110!) but today its only been about 80 so its been amazing.
I flew into Santa Barbara on Monday. The flight was soo pretty! Santa Barbara is beautiful. THe airport was sooo tiny. IT was all outdoors! even the baggage claim! President and Sister Murri are the best. They both speak spanish! President Murri taught Spanish at a high school in Logan for a long time.
Monday we spent filling out paper work in the mission office then we had orientation with president and sister murri adn teh assistants. Monday night me and the other sister who flew out iwth me stayed in a hotel in Ventura and then Tuesday morning we went to the mission transfer meeting where I found out where my first area would be and who my companion would be.
My companion's name is Sister Duncan. She is from Wyoming and speaks Spanish with the strongest english accent i have ever heard! She is hilarious also fantastic! I am learning so much from her. Tuesday we did some house keeping things like going to the store and getting me a pillow and unpacking and all the jazz. Afterwards we went to a members house for dinner. The member didn't speak any english! Everything here is in SPanish, stores, billboards everything! I even saw a chinese food restaurant with all there signs in spanish. It made me laugh.
Our members are amazing! They give have given us some great referralls. We are working with several families right now and even have a baptism on saturday! The sister getting baptized is Maria and she was referred to us by her neighbor Pilar who is a member. She is incredibly excited to get baptized and thanks us constantly for helping her find the gospel. Also, our ward is HUGE! Its a spanish ward that covers the entire stake but it could definitely be split. The only probelm is having enough worthy priesthood holders... There is talk of creating a spanish stake that covers all 3 English stakes in Bakersfield
While our members are truly amazing, there is a lot of drama in the ward. I had no idea... 2 teens just had babies within the last couple weeks. There are several horrible rumors going around the ward about fathers and such. One of the girls, Maura, has been attending church for 2 years now but hasn't been baptized. Her sister and brother both are baptized and are some of our strongest youth. Seriously the coolest kids i know. Maura has a strong testimony too, i was suprised by how much she knows the scriptures and recently her mother (who can't be baptized because she is unmarried to her pareja) and her gave us a referral of a fantastic family who attended church on sunday and will receive a second lesson later today.
Spanish people are much more kind to tract than white people. We don't tract often right now because of the heat but when we do, its not uncommon to get in and teach! We have so many potentials and investigators and referrals its hard to keep track of them all!
What are they studying this year in seminary? Say hi to everybody for me! I haven't had time to write any letters so please let everyone know that I will write them when I can. How are Grandpa and Grandma doing? I love you and will talk to you next week!
Sister Roskelley
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