Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006
Well family, sounds like Thanksgiving was great. Bret told me ALL about the food that he ate, and then I heard about the 4-wheeling and then to top it off the GAME of the year, BYU vs UTAH, Oh man, Its a bummer that I missed it but its ok, I heard all about it from Bret and Dad. O man, what a doozy.
Well as far as things here, this week was one of my best on the mission. We are working a lot and we had 13 investigators come to church. But still it wasn’t enough. It’s hard for the moms to come to church at 9:00 until 12:00 because they say they need to cook lunch, so we had 3 families scheduled to come but only 2 of the men came, but it was still good and they liked church a lot. One of the families we need to marry and the other they need to stop drinking coffee and he needs to stop smoking so we are working with them on those things. Its so great working with families. We are still teaching Jackson and Paloma and they are progressing. As far as everything else, I am doing just great. It was great hearing from everyone and I wish I could have been there for thanksgiving. It didn’t seem like thanksgiving here at all but I had a feast
at President and Sister Da Silva´s house.
Anyway, Sorry I don’t have much time but I love you all. The language is coming along but I still get frustrated and can’t concentrate at times but its is improving little by little. Its still hot and I am getting used to the heat a little bit. Well I love you all and I’m sorry this is so short but just know that I’m great.
Elder Crosby
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Kari's 2nd week in LA
Monday November 27, 2006
Hello dearly beloved family of mine,
Thank you so much for the emails. Its totally okay with me if you just send emails and not regular mail- Its much easier for you, and faster too! Oh and before I forget, Mom don’t need to send me Reeds emails because he emails them straight to me- thanks though! How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Did you go to Mesa? Mine was really good. They switched it so that we had half a p-day on Monday and the other half we had on Thanksgiving. Anyways, Wednesday night we had made cookies for some of the menos activos (there are a lot in our rama) and so we spent Thursday morning visiting them and bringing them cookies. At 3:30 we went and had dinner with the Robles family (members). I love this family. It is a lady and a man in their 60’s probably and just so nice to us. I met them my very first night and immediately felt comfortable with them. The husband speaks perfect English also and so he helps me with my Spanish. She was so sweet and went all out for us- all the typical thanksgiving foods (of course with Mexican rice too!) it was all store-bought and not quite moms home-cooking, but it was delicious! American food- mmm! That evening we went with some other hermanas to the Christmas program at the visitors center. The VC sisters put it on. It was so good to see all my friends from the MTC and talk to other sisters and realize that everyone is feeling like I am and that I’m not an awful, failure of a missionary. I know it will continue to get better and it already has a lot. Anyways, so my thanksgiving was different that normal, but it was good nonetheless.
Like I said, things this week have been better. I still feel so completely in the dark most of the time, but I’m dealing with it better. I know that if nothing else from my mission, I will learn patience! I’m actually really lucky to be in this area where there are so many latinos. I was talking with all the other hermanas that came with me and they were saying that they speak about 80% English everyday. So I’m very grateful for this opportunity to hopefully learn Spanish quicker. AY! Its coming slowly, but at least its coming! I’ve found that I really just have to focus on the little things and rejoice in them, like being able to do a door approach well or being able to answer simple questions. That way I realize that I really am progressing after all and I don’t get so discouraged.
The work is pretty good. We have 2 progressing investigators and are teaching quite a few other people. Hna. Ardon was saying that there hasn’t been a baptism in this area for 6 months! (we have both hermanas and elders in this area). So hopefully we can change that. She goes home Dec. 25th so I would love for her to have one (or 2 or 3) last baptism before she leaves. She hasn’t had one since her 4th transfer and now she is in her 11th. So ya, We’ll keep working hard and hopefully we’ll have some success. Most people are really nice to us and let us in, but none of them are really interested in what we have to tell them. They’re mostly all Catholics and pretty into that. It’s cool though because I get to meet people from all over the world- Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaraugu, Hondurus, Guatemala, Bolivia, all over! Its fun!
Yesterday we had one investigator come to church and 2 of the less actives that we have been working on. Yay! Bertilda is our investigator- she is de Nicaraugu and is 8 months pregnant. She’s so cute. I love her! She loves us too. Anyways, we’ll see what happens with her. The branch is very welcoming though so that helps. They always give besos here too, which I love!! Everyone gives them and just treats everyone so nicely and openly. Yesterday in church I felt pure joy while we were singing one of the hymns- oh man, these people can NOT sing!! Yet, they still like to sing very loudly! They have no rhythm or tone and it makes me smile every time! Bless their little hearts! I’m sure Mark and Bret can understand that! Every night we get fed by a member also, and boy do they feed us! My companion gained 50 pounds since she has been here! Aaaa! My goal is to at least maintain my weight, although everyone says its impossible. So far I’ve done good. I just don’t eat it all or my companion tells them before that I’m a very light eater and that way I don’t offend them. They feed us a lot of fatty, fried, meaty foods too. Uck, not my favorite at all, but what can you do?! I’ve discovered a new trick though where I wrap up the food in a little napkin when they’re not looking and stick it in my coat pocket! It works well! Shhh, don’t tell! Last night we went to the Temple lights with some of our less actives. They are so beautiful! I hope you all get to see them sometime- they’re not quite like Mesa’s, but they are so pretty. It’s getting pretty chilly here and I am coming down with a runny nose and sore throat, probably because our apartment doesn’t have a heater and is always like an icebox! I’m going to ask Sister Raymond if I can get some more blankets though and the zone leaders said that they had a little heater we can use. I also am going to try and get permission to buy a coat- I really need one at night on those bikes- brrrrr! It’s not too bad though and Hna. Robles gave me some hot cocoa and other stuff.
Oh ya, remember that greenga who went tracking with me the 2nd day¦ she ended up going home! Actually 2 of the missionaries who came with my group have already gone home. Its a bummer. Anyways, don’t worry, that definitely won’t be me!
Well, thanks so much for your words of encouragement. They brought me a lot of peace and comfort. Its so nice to know that I have a family out there who loves me and prays for me and understands me. I thank the Lord daily for that incredible blessing. Thank you so much and I love all of you with all of my heart.
Your daughter and sister,
Hermana Crosby
Hello dearly beloved family of mine,
Thank you so much for the emails. Its totally okay with me if you just send emails and not regular mail- Its much easier for you, and faster too! Oh and before I forget, Mom don’t need to send me Reeds emails because he emails them straight to me- thanks though! How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Did you go to Mesa? Mine was really good. They switched it so that we had half a p-day on Monday and the other half we had on Thanksgiving. Anyways, Wednesday night we had made cookies for some of the menos activos (there are a lot in our rama) and so we spent Thursday morning visiting them and bringing them cookies. At 3:30 we went and had dinner with the Robles family (members). I love this family. It is a lady and a man in their 60’s probably and just so nice to us. I met them my very first night and immediately felt comfortable with them. The husband speaks perfect English also and so he helps me with my Spanish. She was so sweet and went all out for us- all the typical thanksgiving foods (of course with Mexican rice too!) it was all store-bought and not quite moms home-cooking, but it was delicious! American food- mmm! That evening we went with some other hermanas to the Christmas program at the visitors center. The VC sisters put it on. It was so good to see all my friends from the MTC and talk to other sisters and realize that everyone is feeling like I am and that I’m not an awful, failure of a missionary. I know it will continue to get better and it already has a lot. Anyways, so my thanksgiving was different that normal, but it was good nonetheless.
Like I said, things this week have been better. I still feel so completely in the dark most of the time, but I’m dealing with it better. I know that if nothing else from my mission, I will learn patience! I’m actually really lucky to be in this area where there are so many latinos. I was talking with all the other hermanas that came with me and they were saying that they speak about 80% English everyday. So I’m very grateful for this opportunity to hopefully learn Spanish quicker. AY! Its coming slowly, but at least its coming! I’ve found that I really just have to focus on the little things and rejoice in them, like being able to do a door approach well or being able to answer simple questions. That way I realize that I really am progressing after all and I don’t get so discouraged.
The work is pretty good. We have 2 progressing investigators and are teaching quite a few other people. Hna. Ardon was saying that there hasn’t been a baptism in this area for 6 months! (we have both hermanas and elders in this area). So hopefully we can change that. She goes home Dec. 25th so I would love for her to have one (or 2 or 3) last baptism before she leaves. She hasn’t had one since her 4th transfer and now she is in her 11th. So ya, We’ll keep working hard and hopefully we’ll have some success. Most people are really nice to us and let us in, but none of them are really interested in what we have to tell them. They’re mostly all Catholics and pretty into that. It’s cool though because I get to meet people from all over the world- Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaraugu, Hondurus, Guatemala, Bolivia, all over! Its fun!
Yesterday we had one investigator come to church and 2 of the less actives that we have been working on. Yay! Bertilda is our investigator- she is de Nicaraugu and is 8 months pregnant. She’s so cute. I love her! She loves us too. Anyways, we’ll see what happens with her. The branch is very welcoming though so that helps. They always give besos here too, which I love!! Everyone gives them and just treats everyone so nicely and openly. Yesterday in church I felt pure joy while we were singing one of the hymns- oh man, these people can NOT sing!! Yet, they still like to sing very loudly! They have no rhythm or tone and it makes me smile every time! Bless their little hearts! I’m sure Mark and Bret can understand that! Every night we get fed by a member also, and boy do they feed us! My companion gained 50 pounds since she has been here! Aaaa! My goal is to at least maintain my weight, although everyone says its impossible. So far I’ve done good. I just don’t eat it all or my companion tells them before that I’m a very light eater and that way I don’t offend them. They feed us a lot of fatty, fried, meaty foods too. Uck, not my favorite at all, but what can you do?! I’ve discovered a new trick though where I wrap up the food in a little napkin when they’re not looking and stick it in my coat pocket! It works well! Shhh, don’t tell! Last night we went to the Temple lights with some of our less actives. They are so beautiful! I hope you all get to see them sometime- they’re not quite like Mesa’s, but they are so pretty. It’s getting pretty chilly here and I am coming down with a runny nose and sore throat, probably because our apartment doesn’t have a heater and is always like an icebox! I’m going to ask Sister Raymond if I can get some more blankets though and the zone leaders said that they had a little heater we can use. I also am going to try and get permission to buy a coat- I really need one at night on those bikes- brrrrr! It’s not too bad though and Hna. Robles gave me some hot cocoa and other stuff.
Oh ya, remember that greenga who went tracking with me the 2nd day¦ she ended up going home! Actually 2 of the missionaries who came with my group have already gone home. Its a bummer. Anyways, don’t worry, that definitely won’t be me!
Well, thanks so much for your words of encouragement. They brought me a lot of peace and comfort. Its so nice to know that I have a family out there who loves me and prays for me and understands me. I thank the Lord daily for that incredible blessing. Thank you so much and I love all of you with all of my heart.
Your daughter and sister,
Hermana Crosby
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
A letter from our other missionary!
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006
Well hello my family. How is everyone doing? It sounds like mom and dad had a good trip up to Utah and Im glad that the BYU teams are doing good. It would be fun to watch them play, with Beck passing for over 400 yards and scoring a lot. Hopefully they will keep it up for a couple of years so I can see them when I get back. Anyways, dad mentioned something about Thanksgiving and I was thinking, Its already almost time for Thanksgiving? And then I got to thinking what day is it and I guess Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I would have totally forgot if dad wouldn’t have said anything. Anyway, eat some turkey and ham and rolls and stuffing and all that other wonderful thanksgiving food for me. Eu tenho saudades da comida la nos Estados Unidos. Feijao e arroz sao bons, mas as vezes eu quero comer comida de minha mae. Well theres a little portuguese, I dont know if you understood but I Said that I miss moms cooking. The food here is good though and I actually think I am gaining weight.
Anyway, about the work, its going good and We are working hard. Im not going to lie though, this past week wasn’t very good at all. We had a lot of our appointments fall and then our backup plans didn’t work out either so we walked a lot and didn’t teach all that much. It was a
frustrating week, but it had a few bright spots. One of which was District (stake) conference. It was so good. President Geschwandtner talked and other people. Elder Gonzalez of the first quorum of the seventy and his wife that are from Uruguay talked to us. It was so good and I got a lot out of it. We learned also that the zone of Caico is going to be turned into a stake, Our branch is going to be made a ward, but also here in Sousa is going to be a district along with Cajazeiras, an area that will open up in the next couple of months for missionary work. Its exciting to see the growth here. Another bright spot was Jackson and Paloma. Jackson is just a golden investigator and is so ready for the Gospel. He and his wife went to Caico with us and Jackson and I talked the whole 2 hours there and 2 hours back. He likes to practice his English with me too so I speak a little English with him. But on the way into the Chapel in Caico he told me, “I want to be part of this church. I need the Church in my life.” He knows a lot of members and has talked to the missionaries many times but only now was his first time to visit the
church with his wife and I think we might baptize them in the next couple of weeks and I am really excited about teaching them. Another thing that happened this past week is that I had to give a little 15 minute training in District Meeting. It was only me and 3 other missionaries, but I was nervous to talk for 15 minutes to 3 older, more experienced missionaries. I talked about what is a disciple of Christ and read some scriptures to them. I also told the story about when Jesus Christ called Simon and Andrew to be Fishers of men, and they left their nets and followed Christ. I asked, “What nets do we have that we give up to follow Christ?” There is also the story about King of the Lamanites that said he would give upall of his sins to know Christ. What will we give up to know Christ. Its not easy to be a disciple of Christ, but the Lord has promised a hundred fold of all our blessings. (Mark 3 20 I believe) That went pretty good I think. I have to give a talk on Sunday so Im a little nervous to talk in front of everybody but It will be a good
experience for me.
Well things here are good and I am learning a lot every day. I am grateful for all your prayers and all that you do for me. I am well taken care of. I have many “Mãenhas†(little moms) here in Sousa that take care of me. They make suco (Juice) for us when we go to their house to teach, they offer to wash our clothes, and they feed us lunch and many times bring food to us at night. I am well taken care of and I having a good time here. Elder Matos, Souza, and Orides are great and always help me with my Protuguese, and I am teaching them a little English so we have a good time. Well I love you all. I am so greatful for the gospel
in my life and the opportunity I have to tell my brothers and sisters about it.
Your son and Brother
Elder Crosby
Well hello my family. How is everyone doing? It sounds like mom and dad had a good trip up to Utah and Im glad that the BYU teams are doing good. It would be fun to watch them play, with Beck passing for over 400 yards and scoring a lot. Hopefully they will keep it up for a couple of years so I can see them when I get back. Anyways, dad mentioned something about Thanksgiving and I was thinking, Its already almost time for Thanksgiving? And then I got to thinking what day is it and I guess Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I would have totally forgot if dad wouldn’t have said anything. Anyway, eat some turkey and ham and rolls and stuffing and all that other wonderful thanksgiving food for me. Eu tenho saudades da comida la nos Estados Unidos. Feijao e arroz sao bons, mas as vezes eu quero comer comida de minha mae. Well theres a little portuguese, I dont know if you understood but I Said that I miss moms cooking. The food here is good though and I actually think I am gaining weight.
Anyway, about the work, its going good and We are working hard. Im not going to lie though, this past week wasn’t very good at all. We had a lot of our appointments fall and then our backup plans didn’t work out either so we walked a lot and didn’t teach all that much. It was a
frustrating week, but it had a few bright spots. One of which was District (stake) conference. It was so good. President Geschwandtner talked and other people. Elder Gonzalez of the first quorum of the seventy and his wife that are from Uruguay talked to us. It was so good and I got a lot out of it. We learned also that the zone of Caico is going to be turned into a stake, Our branch is going to be made a ward, but also here in Sousa is going to be a district along with Cajazeiras, an area that will open up in the next couple of months for missionary work. Its exciting to see the growth here. Another bright spot was Jackson and Paloma. Jackson is just a golden investigator and is so ready for the Gospel. He and his wife went to Caico with us and Jackson and I talked the whole 2 hours there and 2 hours back. He likes to practice his English with me too so I speak a little English with him. But on the way into the Chapel in Caico he told me, “I want to be part of this church. I need the Church in my life.” He knows a lot of members and has talked to the missionaries many times but only now was his first time to visit the
church with his wife and I think we might baptize them in the next couple of weeks and I am really excited about teaching them. Another thing that happened this past week is that I had to give a little 15 minute training in District Meeting. It was only me and 3 other missionaries, but I was nervous to talk for 15 minutes to 3 older, more experienced missionaries. I talked about what is a disciple of Christ and read some scriptures to them. I also told the story about when Jesus Christ called Simon and Andrew to be Fishers of men, and they left their nets and followed Christ. I asked, “What nets do we have that we give up to follow Christ?” There is also the story about King of the Lamanites that said he would give upall of his sins to know Christ. What will we give up to know Christ. Its not easy to be a disciple of Christ, but the Lord has promised a hundred fold of all our blessings. (Mark 3 20 I believe) That went pretty good I think. I have to give a talk on Sunday so Im a little nervous to talk in front of everybody but It will be a good
experience for me.
Well things here are good and I am learning a lot every day. I am grateful for all your prayers and all that you do for me. I am well taken care of. I have many “Mãenhas†(little moms) here in Sousa that take care of me. They make suco (Juice) for us when we go to their house to teach, they offer to wash our clothes, and they feed us lunch and many times bring food to us at night. I am well taken care of and I having a good time here. Elder Matos, Souza, and Orides are great and always help me with my Protuguese, and I am teaching them a little English so we have a good time. Well I love you all. I am so greatful for the gospel
in my life and the opportunity I have to tell my brothers and sisters about it.
Your son and Brother
Elder Crosby
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Wow! Letter from Kari
Date: Monday November 20, 2006
Hello Hello dear family!! Or I mean, Hola! Well, I am finally here in California. Its been over 6 months ago that I got my call and I've been waiting so long, so its hard to believe that I'm actually in Los Angeles! Wow, its definitely different than what I expected- just everything really. Often times I feel like Im not in the United States at all, but rather in Mexico or some other foreign country. Well, I guess I'll just go ahead and start at the very beginning¦
I arrived in CA Wednesday morning bright and early (We had to get up at 3 am CA time that morning) and 17 of us flew in to LA together. President and Sister Raymond were there at the airport waiting for us. It was
great to finally meet them. They are just as nice as they look in the picture! The APs were also there. Kind of funny- one of them, Elder Mills, I knew from High School! He is from Snowflake so we have actually
hung out before! Small world! I was happy to see a familiar face! My companions just laugh because I always know someone everywhere we go. We went to the mission home and had a nice little, well actually big, brunch. Real food! Mmm- it was delicious! Afterwards I got to do all the dishes and clean the kitchen, which made me feel happy and right at home! We had a full day of meetings and getting our brains crammed full of
lots of information that I cant really even remember anymore! My favorite part of all of this was going to the visitors center and seeing the temple! It is soooo big (the temple, that is. The VC is actually quite tiny) and it is absolutely gorgeous. I decided that I want to get married there! At the VC we also met our trainer¦ dun dun¦ the moment we had all been dying for. Pres. Raymond would call us one-by-one and we would stand up and say where we were from and than he would tell us a little about our trainer and where we would be assigned. It felt like a game show- lots of suspense in the air! I was one of the last to be called and first he gave me a trainer and we hugged and what not, but I felt like it wasn't right. And I was right too, because moments later Pres. Was like, oh, wait, thats not your trainer. He than gave me to Hna. Ardon from Guatemala. She is great! She speaks English very well and helps me a lot with spanish. Our area is called Maywood and covers the parts of the cities of Maywood, Huntington Park, and South Gate. Its almost 100% Latin. And guess what else- we are lucky enough to be on bikes! I knew I would be on a bike because I need to be humbled- I'm too vain I think! Only 4 hermanas are on bikes and we're one of the lucky 4. No to be honest though- I really like being on a
bike. I like the fresh air and the extra exercise. Not to mention, I loooove my bright green helmet! Its quite stylish! I also love how we have to safety pin our skirts together in the front and back so they don't go flying up! I'm sure you're picturing and laughing, and you should be because I really do look quite attractive! Pony tails everyday! Anyways, its still pretty stinkin hot outside and so that adds to it- lots of sweating! Its great though! We live in a little apartment- not terribly nice, but not gross either. It kind of smells weird, but we're really not home much anyways. The first night the AP's had to drive us to our apartment because I had all my lovely bright pink luggage and we couldn't quite haul it on our bikes. I don't know if it was because haven't been in car in awhile or if the AP was just driving bad, but I got really sick and came close to puking a few times. Ya, a little embarrassing! Great way to make a first impression! I'm sure they'll remember me forever for that! Speaking of first impressions, I think I'm making great ones here¦ for instance, at our first dinner appointment I lost it! I was crying all during the whole appointment. I felt bad, but I just couldnt help it. I think that people felt really bad and didnt know what to do. I just get so frustrated not being able to understand anything. Everyone says to not get frustrated, but its really hard not to when you feel completely clueless and useless. Its so hard. Ive definitely have shed my share of tears since, but luckily not at anyones house again! Its all Spanish here. I really only speak to my comp. in English. So ya, pretty much I
just dont talk at all! I'm beginning to wonder if I even have a personality still because I never talk! AY! I knew it would be hard, but I didnt expect it to be quite this bad. Hopefully it'll get better though (soon would be nice!). As of now I'm not really having too great of a time, but I won't say too much because I'm sure I'll
regret it later down the road. I don't hate it, but I would be lying if I said I loved it and was having the time of my life. Anyways, I just need to be patient and focus on one day at a time.
My 2nd day here I had a funny/frustrating/memorable experience. My comp. had to go to the doctor and needed a car. So another trainer hna. Had to take her. So, me and her trainee, another complete greenga,
were left together and were instructed to go tracking! As you can imagine, that didnt go so well. One man started yelling at us because we couldnt understand a word he was saying. I think he thought that we
would understand him better if he talked louder! Nope! So we just pretty much stared at everyone with blank looks after we said our little spill. It definitely got me out of my comfort zone, but I've discovered that
that is a huge part of being a missionary. I've done a lot of things that I really didnt want to do and that I would normally never, ever do, but I guess what doesnt kill ya makes you stronger right!?
Sundays are normally my favorite days, but yesterday was a little different that what Im used to. We had meetings in the morning and than church. Church was a headache! First of all, I had no idea what in the
world was going on, second, there were babies screaming everywhere- Not just crying, but flat out screaming. Third, people were just talking all during sacrament. It was quite strange. I left feeling like my head would explode. We actually only have a branch. The members are few, but they are really nice. I cant understand them, but I like them! We have lots of work to do.
So, I'm running short on time. Things are going okay and I'm sure it'll get better with time. I pray for the gift of tongues and I'm sure that the Lord hears me. I know this church is true and that keeps me going. I get letters only on Fridays, so if you can try to time that right! I love you all! Thanks for your love and prayers- I need lots and lots of both. Being a missionary is so hard, harder than I expected, but I know I'm growing and becoming stronger. Mucho amor, Hermana Crosby
Hello Hello dear family!! Or I mean, Hola! Well, I am finally here in California. Its been over 6 months ago that I got my call and I've been waiting so long, so its hard to believe that I'm actually in Los Angeles! Wow, its definitely different than what I expected- just everything really. Often times I feel like Im not in the United States at all, but rather in Mexico or some other foreign country. Well, I guess I'll just go ahead and start at the very beginning¦
I arrived in CA Wednesday morning bright and early (We had to get up at 3 am CA time that morning) and 17 of us flew in to LA together. President and Sister Raymond were there at the airport waiting for us. It was
great to finally meet them. They are just as nice as they look in the picture! The APs were also there. Kind of funny- one of them, Elder Mills, I knew from High School! He is from Snowflake so we have actually
hung out before! Small world! I was happy to see a familiar face! My companions just laugh because I always know someone everywhere we go. We went to the mission home and had a nice little, well actually big, brunch. Real food! Mmm- it was delicious! Afterwards I got to do all the dishes and clean the kitchen, which made me feel happy and right at home! We had a full day of meetings and getting our brains crammed full of
lots of information that I cant really even remember anymore! My favorite part of all of this was going to the visitors center and seeing the temple! It is soooo big (the temple, that is. The VC is actually quite tiny) and it is absolutely gorgeous. I decided that I want to get married there! At the VC we also met our trainer¦ dun dun¦ the moment we had all been dying for. Pres. Raymond would call us one-by-one and we would stand up and say where we were from and than he would tell us a little about our trainer and where we would be assigned. It felt like a game show- lots of suspense in the air! I was one of the last to be called and first he gave me a trainer and we hugged and what not, but I felt like it wasn't right. And I was right too, because moments later Pres. Was like, oh, wait, thats not your trainer. He than gave me to Hna. Ardon from Guatemala. She is great! She speaks English very well and helps me a lot with spanish. Our area is called Maywood and covers the parts of the cities of Maywood, Huntington Park, and South Gate. Its almost 100% Latin. And guess what else- we are lucky enough to be on bikes! I knew I would be on a bike because I need to be humbled- I'm too vain I think! Only 4 hermanas are on bikes and we're one of the lucky 4. No to be honest though- I really like being on a
bike. I like the fresh air and the extra exercise. Not to mention, I loooove my bright green helmet! Its quite stylish! I also love how we have to safety pin our skirts together in the front and back so they don't go flying up! I'm sure you're picturing and laughing, and you should be because I really do look quite attractive! Pony tails everyday! Anyways, its still pretty stinkin hot outside and so that adds to it- lots of sweating! Its great though! We live in a little apartment- not terribly nice, but not gross either. It kind of smells weird, but we're really not home much anyways. The first night the AP's had to drive us to our apartment because I had all my lovely bright pink luggage and we couldn't quite haul it on our bikes. I don't know if it was because haven't been in car in awhile or if the AP was just driving bad, but I got really sick and came close to puking a few times. Ya, a little embarrassing! Great way to make a first impression! I'm sure they'll remember me forever for that! Speaking of first impressions, I think I'm making great ones here¦ for instance, at our first dinner appointment I lost it! I was crying all during the whole appointment. I felt bad, but I just couldnt help it. I think that people felt really bad and didnt know what to do. I just get so frustrated not being able to understand anything. Everyone says to not get frustrated, but its really hard not to when you feel completely clueless and useless. Its so hard. Ive definitely have shed my share of tears since, but luckily not at anyones house again! Its all Spanish here. I really only speak to my comp. in English. So ya, pretty much I
just dont talk at all! I'm beginning to wonder if I even have a personality still because I never talk! AY! I knew it would be hard, but I didnt expect it to be quite this bad. Hopefully it'll get better though (soon would be nice!). As of now I'm not really having too great of a time, but I won't say too much because I'm sure I'll
regret it later down the road. I don't hate it, but I would be lying if I said I loved it and was having the time of my life. Anyways, I just need to be patient and focus on one day at a time.
My 2nd day here I had a funny/frustrating/memorable experience. My comp. had to go to the doctor and needed a car. So another trainer hna. Had to take her. So, me and her trainee, another complete greenga,
were left together and were instructed to go tracking! As you can imagine, that didnt go so well. One man started yelling at us because we couldnt understand a word he was saying. I think he thought that we
would understand him better if he talked louder! Nope! So we just pretty much stared at everyone with blank looks after we said our little spill. It definitely got me out of my comfort zone, but I've discovered that
that is a huge part of being a missionary. I've done a lot of things that I really didnt want to do and that I would normally never, ever do, but I guess what doesnt kill ya makes you stronger right!?
Sundays are normally my favorite days, but yesterday was a little different that what Im used to. We had meetings in the morning and than church. Church was a headache! First of all, I had no idea what in the
world was going on, second, there were babies screaming everywhere- Not just crying, but flat out screaming. Third, people were just talking all during sacrament. It was quite strange. I left feeling like my head would explode. We actually only have a branch. The members are few, but they are really nice. I cant understand them, but I like them! We have lots of work to do.
So, I'm running short on time. Things are going okay and I'm sure it'll get better with time. I pray for the gift of tongues and I'm sure that the Lord hears me. I know this church is true and that keeps me going. I get letters only on Fridays, so if you can try to time that right! I love you all! Thanks for your love and prayers- I need lots and lots of both. Being a missionary is so hard, harder than I expected, but I know I'm growing and becoming stronger. Mucho amor, Hermana Crosby
Friday, November 17, 2006
Kaemon at 20 months old
So Kaemon had a little photo shoot the other day and this is about as close as we got to a smile. I need to have a talk to him about the dangers of being a member of a gang (notice him throwing gang signs). Last night (Thursday) I went with Dr. Anger to Pittsburgh to be at the "Backyard brawl" between University of Pittsburgh and WVU. It was a fun game.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
fotos
1-Elder Matos & I walking down one of the many dirt roads in Sousa.
The rockroach that was just chillin' on the toilet paper. I found this worth a chuckle.
Mototaxi. This is how we get around alot of the time. Just hop on and away we go!
A little view of the city here in Sousa.
Another week in Paradise
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006
Hello Family of mine. Things are great here in Sousa. Today is some type of Holiday so all the shops were closed but luckily we found one internet place open. Well this past week has just flown by. We had a Zone conference on Monday and those are always awesome and I learn so much. The work here is just going good. Its a lot different here than I thought it would be though. We work a lot with youth and baptize a lot of youth. We try to focus on families but usually the kids are baptized first and then we work with their parents. Its not exactly the perfect system and I still don’t feel right about baptizing a 9 or 10 year old boy who is the only member in his family. But then again there is an elder here, Elder Souza that was baptized when he was 9 and is still the only member in his family. We try to focus on families though and we have found a couple of awesome families that I think could become firm members of the church.
Well I guess I haven’t wrote much about the city of Sousa. Sousa is
a city of 45,000 or so. Its hot and dry here. I got 2 bloody noses yesterday because it is so dry. There are also cactus and weeds and other stuff I didn’t think I would see here. The church has only been here for 3 years so hardly anyone has met or talked with the missionaries. We have about 100-120 people attending church each Sunday. This week we are moving the chapel from one house to another house that will be bigger so that will be nice. They are actually looking for a spot where they can build a chapel so that is exciting. There are 4 missionaries here, and then the couple missionaries who are also the president of the branch. The members here are great. We get fed lunch every day at the house of a member. There are also 5 men leaving on missions in the next month or so and that is really exciting. The first Elders to leave the branch of Sousa.
This past week I had some experiences that made me feel a lot further away from home. Elder Matos and I were walking down one of the many dirt roads this past week and I looked up and there were 2 monkeys just chillin on the top of the roof. I wanted to run and catch them but we were advised not to get near monkeys because they have a lot of diseases and they throw poop. If there are 2 things that will convince me to stay away, its poop and diseases, so I stayed well away from them. Then I ate for the first time cow intestines (well that I´m aware of) cooked in with cow hooves or cow feet. After I took a couple of bites they told me what it was. It wasn´t too bad when I didn’t think about what it was that I was eating. These are just two experiences that just made me feel like I was in a whole different world. They were good experiences though.
Well I talked to President Geschwandtner yesterday and I cant use the blog anymore so that’s a bummer but its ok. I will try to send mom some photos that she can post on the blog. Just make sure you keep me updated on all the stuff. I’m sorry if I don’t respond to all of your letters but there just isn’t very much time on pday to write letters. Just know that I love you all and I think about you all and hope you are all have a good week and have good experiences. I have learned so much these past 2 months (in 4 days I will be out 4 months!!!) out in the field. Learning a new language teaches you a lot of patience and also having a companion that doesn’t speak any English is a little hard but its good for me. I have learned that I am truly blessed to have my family and friends that love and support me. I love you all and hope you all are doing great. I am having great experiences and am loving it here. The other day, I was talking to a man and he told me, “I want to learn more about the gospel. I need the Gospel in my life.” I want this man and his wife to become members so bad. I know that the spirit
can touch their lives. Thank you all for your letters and your Prayers.
Your son and brother,
Elder Crosby
Hello Family of mine. Things are great here in Sousa. Today is some type of Holiday so all the shops were closed but luckily we found one internet place open. Well this past week has just flown by. We had a Zone conference on Monday and those are always awesome and I learn so much. The work here is just going good. Its a lot different here than I thought it would be though. We work a lot with youth and baptize a lot of youth. We try to focus on families but usually the kids are baptized first and then we work with their parents. Its not exactly the perfect system and I still don’t feel right about baptizing a 9 or 10 year old boy who is the only member in his family. But then again there is an elder here, Elder Souza that was baptized when he was 9 and is still the only member in his family. We try to focus on families though and we have found a couple of awesome families that I think could become firm members of the church.
Well I guess I haven’t wrote much about the city of Sousa. Sousa is
a city of 45,000 or so. Its hot and dry here. I got 2 bloody noses yesterday because it is so dry. There are also cactus and weeds and other stuff I didn’t think I would see here. The church has only been here for 3 years so hardly anyone has met or talked with the missionaries. We have about 100-120 people attending church each Sunday. This week we are moving the chapel from one house to another house that will be bigger so that will be nice. They are actually looking for a spot where they can build a chapel so that is exciting. There are 4 missionaries here, and then the couple missionaries who are also the president of the branch. The members here are great. We get fed lunch every day at the house of a member. There are also 5 men leaving on missions in the next month or so and that is really exciting. The first Elders to leave the branch of Sousa.
This past week I had some experiences that made me feel a lot further away from home. Elder Matos and I were walking down one of the many dirt roads this past week and I looked up and there were 2 monkeys just chillin on the top of the roof. I wanted to run and catch them but we were advised not to get near monkeys because they have a lot of diseases and they throw poop. If there are 2 things that will convince me to stay away, its poop and diseases, so I stayed well away from them. Then I ate for the first time cow intestines (well that I´m aware of) cooked in with cow hooves or cow feet. After I took a couple of bites they told me what it was. It wasn´t too bad when I didn’t think about what it was that I was eating. These are just two experiences that just made me feel like I was in a whole different world. They were good experiences though.
Well I talked to President Geschwandtner yesterday and I cant use the blog anymore so that’s a bummer but its ok. I will try to send mom some photos that she can post on the blog. Just make sure you keep me updated on all the stuff. I’m sorry if I don’t respond to all of your letters but there just isn’t very much time on pday to write letters. Just know that I love you all and I think about you all and hope you are all have a good week and have good experiences. I have learned so much these past 2 months (in 4 days I will be out 4 months!!!) out in the field. Learning a new language teaches you a lot of patience and also having a companion that doesn’t speak any English is a little hard but its good for me. I have learned that I am truly blessed to have my family and friends that love and support me. I love you all and hope you all are doing great. I am having great experiences and am loving it here. The other day, I was talking to a man and he told me, “I want to learn more about the gospel. I need the Gospel in my life.” I want this man and his wife to become members so bad. I know that the spirit
can touch their lives. Thank you all for your letters and your Prayers.
Your son and brother,
Elder Crosby
Thursday, November 09, 2006
ola
Date:
Wed, 08 Nov 2006
Well all is well here in Sousa. Its great to hear from all of you and
to read the blog. We also had a zone training meeting Monday so I got to
get some mail. I got the package with the granola and dried fruit.
Woohoo, I was stoked. I ate some this morning with some pieces of mango in
it and I was in heaven. I usually just fry up some eggs and eat some
oatmeal so its not too bad. Weve even had some pancakes a couple of
times. I also got the recipes that mom sent and yesterday I made French
toast for all 4 of us missionaries and everyone thought they were real
good. Well right now I am living with me, Elder Matos, Elder Souza, and
Elder Orides, all Brazilians. They all speak almost zero English so my
English is now dead. I was glad to have someone to speak English with my
first transfer because it was really frustrating at first but now that
Im getting the hang of this Portuguese stuff I dont need to talk
English. It will be good for me and hopefully my Portuguese will improve
faster now.
Its still hot here and seems to be getting hotter. We are going into
summer here so that makes sense. They say the rainy season starts in
January so that would be nice. Its really dry here, so thats nice not
having to worry about humidity. We are teaching a lot of people. I feel so
blessed to come here to Brazil where the people are so prepared to hear
the Gospel. Everyone is so open here and so receptive to us and our
message. I was in the church this past Sunday for a baptism of the other
companionship and I was talking to some of the members and I started
thinking about the first time that I went to the church one night my
first week. 3 or 4 members were just bombarding me with questions and
talking to me and I couldnt understand a thing. I was so lost and so
frustrated and they were just laughing. I can laugh about that now though.
Sometimes I feel like Im not progressing like I should and ffeel like Im
just staying in the same place, but then I think back a month ago and I
know that I can understand and say a lot more than I could then.
Sometimes we need to look back to be able to see our progress. Our tasks
might seem overwhelming but we just have to take things one day at a time
and not get discouraged.
We had a family home evening type thing at the house of Carlos and
Maria and Elder and Sister Da Silva also came. It was really good. We
watched “Finding faith in Christ†and had popcorn and juice. I felt the
spirit there and we talked for about ½ an hour with Carlos afterwards
and he is just such a nice guy. He always tells me he is going to buy a
mango for me so I can eat it with my hands because I always eat it with
a knife. Anyway, Things are great and its always great to hear from all
of you. Its so great to have such a supporting loving family. I am
truly blessed. I love you all.
Your son and Brother,
Elder Crosby
Wed, 08 Nov 2006
Well all is well here in Sousa. Its great to hear from all of you and
to read the blog. We also had a zone training meeting Monday so I got to
get some mail. I got the package with the granola and dried fruit.
Woohoo, I was stoked. I ate some this morning with some pieces of mango in
it and I was in heaven. I usually just fry up some eggs and eat some
oatmeal so its not too bad. Weve even had some pancakes a couple of
times. I also got the recipes that mom sent and yesterday I made French
toast for all 4 of us missionaries and everyone thought they were real
good. Well right now I am living with me, Elder Matos, Elder Souza, and
Elder Orides, all Brazilians. They all speak almost zero English so my
English is now dead. I was glad to have someone to speak English with my
first transfer because it was really frustrating at first but now that
Im getting the hang of this Portuguese stuff I dont need to talk
English. It will be good for me and hopefully my Portuguese will improve
faster now.
Its still hot here and seems to be getting hotter. We are going into
summer here so that makes sense. They say the rainy season starts in
January so that would be nice. Its really dry here, so thats nice not
having to worry about humidity. We are teaching a lot of people. I feel so
blessed to come here to Brazil where the people are so prepared to hear
the Gospel. Everyone is so open here and so receptive to us and our
message. I was in the church this past Sunday for a baptism of the other
companionship and I was talking to some of the members and I started
thinking about the first time that I went to the church one night my
first week. 3 or 4 members were just bombarding me with questions and
talking to me and I couldnt understand a thing. I was so lost and so
frustrated and they were just laughing. I can laugh about that now though.
Sometimes I feel like Im not progressing like I should and ffeel like Im
just staying in the same place, but then I think back a month ago and I
know that I can understand and say a lot more than I could then.
Sometimes we need to look back to be able to see our progress. Our tasks
might seem overwhelming but we just have to take things one day at a time
and not get discouraged.
We had a family home evening type thing at the house of Carlos and
Maria and Elder and Sister Da Silva also came. It was really good. We
watched “Finding faith in Christ†and had popcorn and juice. I felt the
spirit there and we talked for about ½ an hour with Carlos afterwards
and he is just such a nice guy. He always tells me he is going to buy a
mango for me so I can eat it with my hands because I always eat it with
a knife. Anyway, Things are great and its always great to hear from all
of you. Its so great to have such a supporting loving family. I am
truly blessed. I love you all.
Your son and Brother,
Elder Crosby
Monday, November 06, 2006
Write Kari Monday or Early Tuesday Morning!
Hey, let's all write Kari an email that she'll get before she leaves the MTC on Wednesday. Go to http://www.dearelder.com/ on the left hand side click "Provo MTC (free)" then fill in your address and for her info put in Hermana Kari Crosby. For MTC box # put 170, for Mission Code put CA-LA and for Estimated MTC Departure Date put 1108. I think she would feel pretty special if everyone wrote her before she left!
Late Anniversary Trip to DC
So Holly planned a little anniversay weekend get-away to Washington DC. Jill came to our house and babysat Kaemon, so we had the whole weekend to ourselves. We saw some monuments like the Jefferson and Washington memorials. Holly took me to the ESPN Zone on a Saturday night for dinner, and I was in heaven; there were all these TV all over showing all the college football games going on and even when I had to get up and take a whiz they had little TVs on the walls of each urinal. It was a great atmosphere. We went to the National Air and Space Museum, which is the most visited museum in the world. The picture is of me in front of the first plane to ever go completely around the world non-stop, without refueling. We also visited the Hirshhorn sculpture museum. Holly's in front of one of her favorite pieces of art. We had a great time. There's definitely lots to do in DC and everywhere we went was free.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Military Ball
I was invited to a military Ball for the 231st bday of the Marines. Yeah. I went with my friend Lance. It was pretty neat to see all the Marines in their get ups and see them stand at attention and what not. SNAZY!!
it was at a nice hotel ball room. they did a honorary ceremony and then fed us good dinner. yummy!It was fun to get all dressed up(kina) I was running late
Update continued.....
ROCKET GIRL RETURNS!!
OUR new friend Matt Pickerello. he's from NewHamshier.
He came with me to the halloween party! he was a mad scientist. if you can't tell! wink
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Oi
Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2006
Oi Familia!
So how is everyone? Well things here are just great. Today is my first
day of my second transfer which means Ive been out in the field for 6
weeks. Crazy! We got a call last night on who would be transferred and
who would stay here in Sousa. It turns out that Elder Matos and I are
staying here and working together for another 6 weeks at least so thats
going to be great. I really learn a lot from him every day. We also just found a couple of families that we are working with and have a lot of questions so my goal is to baptize a family this transfer and one of
these two families are both could be baptized so Im really excited about that. Well this past week was great, we had 3 baptisms, one of which was Vanda, the 50 year old woman that had the dream of Elder Matos. She got baptized on Saturday and it was just a wonderful day. When we went to her house to pick her up for the baptism I just felt a different spirit there. She was so happy and just ready and waiting for us to come. A mission is truly a roller coaster. The 2 girls that said they wanted to be baptized finally last week yet again changed their minds. In zone conference a couple of weeks ago President Geschwandtner said that this is the time when we need to work the hardest, because Satan is doing everything he can to stop the work. I think the girls talked with their friends and their friends told them bad stuff about the church. This happens a lot here in Sousa. Satan is always working and doing all he can. Its sad, but hopefully one day they will be baptized. Some missionaries plant seeds, and others harvest.
Well it sounds like Kari is having a great time at the MTC. The sisters at the CTM in Brazil ruled the CTM. They knew everything before we did. Anyway, Im glad shes loving it but im excited that she will be out in the field soon. Its so great to finally be able to apply what you have been learning for 2 months to real life, real people and real
situations. Well I hope all is well with everyone and I love you all. Get better Mom and Becki with your cuts and all. Its good to hear that the football teams are doing good. I hope everyone had a safe Halloween. My Halloween was pretty good, I bought 2 scoops of heavenly Ice cream last night before we went to the apartment. It was definitely a treat. Anyway, I´m doing good here in Sousa and Things are great. I love you all.
Your son and Brother
Elder Crosby
Oi Familia!
So how is everyone? Well things here are just great. Today is my first
day of my second transfer which means Ive been out in the field for 6
weeks. Crazy! We got a call last night on who would be transferred and
who would stay here in Sousa. It turns out that Elder Matos and I are
staying here and working together for another 6 weeks at least so thats
going to be great. I really learn a lot from him every day. We also just found a couple of families that we are working with and have a lot of questions so my goal is to baptize a family this transfer and one of
these two families are both could be baptized so Im really excited about that. Well this past week was great, we had 3 baptisms, one of which was Vanda, the 50 year old woman that had the dream of Elder Matos. She got baptized on Saturday and it was just a wonderful day. When we went to her house to pick her up for the baptism I just felt a different spirit there. She was so happy and just ready and waiting for us to come. A mission is truly a roller coaster. The 2 girls that said they wanted to be baptized finally last week yet again changed their minds. In zone conference a couple of weeks ago President Geschwandtner said that this is the time when we need to work the hardest, because Satan is doing everything he can to stop the work. I think the girls talked with their friends and their friends told them bad stuff about the church. This happens a lot here in Sousa. Satan is always working and doing all he can. Its sad, but hopefully one day they will be baptized. Some missionaries plant seeds, and others harvest.
Well it sounds like Kari is having a great time at the MTC. The sisters at the CTM in Brazil ruled the CTM. They knew everything before we did. Anyway, Im glad shes loving it but im excited that she will be out in the field soon. Its so great to finally be able to apply what you have been learning for 2 months to real life, real people and real
situations. Well I hope all is well with everyone and I love you all. Get better Mom and Becki with your cuts and all. Its good to hear that the football teams are doing good. I hope everyone had a safe Halloween. My Halloween was pretty good, I bought 2 scoops of heavenly Ice cream last night before we went to the apartment. It was definitely a treat. Anyway, I´m doing good here in Sousa and Things are great. I love you all.
Your son and Brother
Elder Crosby
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