Hola mi familia! Como estan ustedes? Estoy buena! So yes, it is transfer week. Well, sort of. They let everyone know what's up Saturday and the moves happen next Monday. We're pretty confident in our comp that none of us will be going anywhere, but at the same time I suppose we're ready for anything. It will be interesting to see what happens! Oh, I just need to stay speaking Spanish! So last week we went to the temple. It really is a beautiful temple-though I suppose I wouldn't admit it if it was ugly. They're aren't very many pink temples out there, so it's fun. Small, obviously. Definitely more of a CA style I think. The creation room has a really pretty beach mural in it, and all the wood is dark, so I liked that! We saw the old movie version, and I had to look out for this BYU teacher who is in it. President Watrous told me that this art teacher at BYU is James in it. This teacher is the same person who interviewed me to go on the London study abroad. Funny to see him like 20 yrs ago. The time at the temple is always too short I think. The last time I'd gone to the temple was my last day at the MTC-crazy to think how much has happened since then, when really not that much time has passed. Let's see what I can tell you more about who and what and where about this mission. First of all, in Spanish wards, when they sing, they all sound like a bunch of little kids. It's funny, me gusta. The other night we "tracted" into a little fiesta that was happening on some street in honor of Mexican independence day or something. It was a bunch of little girls, some little boys (under 12 yrs) just dancing to music. And their parents were just watching in delight. Funny because the music and the way they were dancing...well, let's just say that they learn from a young age how to shake it. It was funny, we stood and watched and talked to some people and they gave us palomitas-a corn soup. Every single week in church they like to talk about Proposition 8, this thing that will be voted on soon here about whether or not people have to marry gay people. I don't know, as missionaries we get tired of it because investigadors get tired of hearing about it. Some of the elders had investigadors who didn't want to come back the next week, and really, I don't blame them. We had stake conference this weekend, and I swear that the whole things was geared towards this prop. 8. I understand it's good to do this, but sometimes some doctrine is good too. Oh well! So there's this man, Humberto who was recently baptized. And he was led into the church by another guy, Francisco. And we're teaching this man Eulalio, who we found out works with Humberto, and so now, since these are all 40ish, single men, we're thinking it would be great if they set up a little club for themselves. It's so hard for some of them because after they change their lifestyles they lose some friends and they just get bored. And then they get attached to the missionaries. Not so fun. Luckily we have a good ward mission leader who is trying to get the ward involved on giving the new member lessons, instead of the missionaries. It's a good idea and we're hoping it happens. We're teaching these two kids-Daniel (10) and stephanie (13) whose mom is a member and aunt is a member (wife of ward mission leader) and another aunt is a member. But the mom is not very active, yet wants the kids to be baptized. She never sits and listens when we teach the kids, and she definitely doesn't get them to church. So it's a little hard and we don't get it. But Daniel wants to be baptized, even though we keep having to move the date back, and Stephanie is just cautious and wants to make sure. She's really smart, much more like the mom, always trying to make sure they can get to church and that she writes down when we're coming by again. Yeah, we don't get some of these parents who want their kids taught, but beyond that they don't support them. We are also teaching the husband of a recently reactived woman. The Mendezes. We eat with them every week and sometimes he's not there because of work (and it's frustrating) but I think she just needs our support too. They actually live in a nice area called Anaheim hills, so she has this baby grand that I'm sure doesn't get used. She had me give her a piano lesson last week. My first piano lesson, and definitely my first in Spanish. Ha ha ha, we'll she how she does. I think I mentioned that everyday we wake up it's always cloudy. Sometimes I hope and pray for rain, but the clouds siempre go away and there are no clouds in the sky and it's hot. But last Friday it stayed cloudy! It was exciting because it was a change and I feel like CA has acknowledged fall! Last week we made papusas with our district. They're basically a tortilla-ish thing you put on a griddle. Sarah Ruth, our super laid-back El Salvadorian made all the ingredients for us so that we could make the rest ourselves. A little service always makes you love people more! We watched "The Restoration" with her family and some random friends last week and talked a little afterwards. Mostly I don't think she's every paying attention, but she's so nice anyway. But we got the impression last week that someone at that house needs to hear the message, so we'll keep going! That would be great if Christmas music eventually made it's way here-like Josh Groban, Mannheim, that one Mormon guy whose cd cover has a sleigh on it-Keith or Carl or something? Also, how about some sugar free hot chocolate? Tis the season! Saturday we cleaned part of one room of crazy Joanne, our inactive friend. Basically I told her she didn't have a choice and we just tried to take off the inch thick dust off of her civil war upright piano. It's so pretty! We found some cockroaches and silverfish (?) and earwigs and daddy long legs. It was great! She just doesn't have much money and is a very old looking 55 year old whose 19 year old son supports her. She sleeps in the front room and saves EVERYTHING. Boxes full of old yellow recipes and old bills and Advil and playing cards. It was only a little that we did but I think she appreciated it. I just wish she would come to church! So many people just need a friend at church, if they knew there was someone there to greet them and take care of them, they'd go and be okay. Oh, I almost forgot, when we had zone conference my second week here, we had a speaker, and I don't know if he's an area authority or what, but it is Elder Tenney. Sound familiar? I ate lunch with him and since he said he was a mission president in Spain, I figured I'd ask the question. And yes! Ryan's first mission pres! He remembered your name too. He was a really great speaker, I really liked him. What else can I tell about the mission? I think H. Ochoa said that maybe we got 300 baptisms the last year? I don't know though. We teach probably around 18 lessons a week, and then usually around 5 lessons with a member present. Those are so important! You ward mission leaders, make sure your missionaries have members that will come to appointments! It makes a huge difference! There are something like 120 elders here, and only 13 sisters. After transfers and incoming sisters (sister) by January we will have only 10 sisters. Yikes! Mom, if you look up the 1990 August Ensign, you can find an article about H. Ochoa's family. English is more her first language, she completely grew up in Vancouver. But she's obviously fluent in Spanish. Which makes it hard sometimes because I find that I rely on her. The language is coming I suppose, but it's definitely slowed down since the MTC. H. Fatkin is from a family of three kids, brother younger and older. Her parents are pretty inactive, she went to the temple and the MTC by herself. Her parents also got divorced while she was in the MTC, so she's really had to grow a lot. But it sounds like her dad is working on becoming active again. I'm pretty sure that the Watrouses are about your age mom and dad. They look and act so much older though! Way to be young! So everything is going great still! Every week seems like so much longer than a week and by the end of the night we can't remember what we did earlier. One of my favorite things is when we go to someone's doorstep and people listen to us for a second or two, and then when they go "oh, Mormons?" and then they say very angrily "you are from a cult!". These are Americans. Ha ha ha. It makes us laugh. It's so fun all the random people that are out there. Some are so nice and some are just, uh, fun. Yesterday we talked to two "previous" members. Grew up members and just haven't been doing it for a long time. So nice, said we could always stop by and they'd talk to us, but they don't want the lessons. Come on! Well, we're just going to have to go back! What else to say? I don't know. I'm sure I've said a lot already. Everyday seems pretty much like the last, but then it's still different somehow. But it's a great work, isn't it? Thanks for all the e-mails this week and loving me everyone! Love you all. Hasta la proxima semana!

Love,
Hermana Emily