It’s like getting my big break and laryngitis!

HOLY COW!!

I have officially been in the mission field a WEEK. Wow. GO ME.

I had no voice at ALL last week. Hence the title. Sing it for me cause Im not allowed to sing it!!!

Thursday was AWESOME! I saw a turantula!! I almost held it, but decided not to. It looked pretty angry. We were doing service for Sister Perkins. Sweet old lady. She has an apartment over her garage. Totally thought of Growing Pains and 7th Heaven.We were moving stuff into her garage and she had this giant tarp up. Naturally we asked what was behind it. BRACE YOURSELVES.

It was a 1920 Model T-Ford. They used to drive it! We totally got in it and took pictures and even honked the horn!! AWESOME!!!

Later that day I was backing my companion out and this guy came over and was like what are you doing! So we were like we are going out. And he was like “okay. Just making sure” and lifted his shirt and showed us his gun! WHAT!! And his fat. A big ol’ fat roll. haha. Weirdo.

Friday is WEEKLY planning. We daily plan every night. Weekly planning takes FOUR HOURS!!! So friday is like this.

Exercise, get ready, personal study, companion study, language study, weekly planning. We don’t get out of the house until after 4. And the worst part? I have to be in church dress the entire time. BOO!

Friday we drove down to the valley. 3 hours is a long time in a car. We rode with the senior couple the Christensons. SO SWEET! They bought us dinner.Thank goodness, Im poor! 🙂

We stayed at the mission home with 19 other sister missionaries!

Sister Sweeney (Mish pres. Wife) saw my blisters and was like “oh my gosh!!!! NO!!” safe to say, they were infected. AND i get to wear flip flops till they heal! YAY!

Saturday morning we got to meet Elder Russel M Nelson!! YEAH THATS RIGHT!!!

I TOTALLY got to shake his hand. What a beautiful man. I smiled at him, shook his hand, said hello, and he said “Hello Sister Craig” with a giant smile on his face! I MET AN APOSTLE!! He is hilarious too. Oh my goodness. I took like 3 pages of notes on his talk alone, I dont wanna type it now but maybe later!!!

We arrived home saturday evening just in time for dinner with the Bishop. Nice family. BEAUTIFUL home. Its weird how on the right side the houses are GORGEOUS and the left are completely trashed. Weird. Anywho. They had two nonmember friends over, so we taught the Restoration. I seriously doubt myself more than I should. I bore testimony to them about the book of mormon, and this gospel. I like to make things personal, so I shared when I first read the bom. Pretty awesome. We then ran around to mission leaders homes and stayed and chatted.

The people here are hilarious. If I had a dime for EVERYTIME someone did the “Surprise” joke when explaining where I’m from I’d have 13 complatos (dollars!!hahaha) EVERYONE did the joke. So much sympathy laughing it hurt! 🙂

I am feeling a little homesick. Miss you all SO MUCH. So sunday I was flipping through my scriptures and saw something in the back. I was confused cause these were new scriptures. Anywho. I pulled it out and it was “Try a little harder to be a little better.” Jaymi’s YW lesson handout. OH MY GOSH. Tender mercy. Try a little harder Haylei, be a littler better. Try a little harder on focusing on the work. It was amazing. Exactly what I needed…well ish. What I need is to not be homesick!!!

Church was AMAZING. I love church. Church for me is 11-4. BUSIEST DAY! The people are really so sweet! I introduced myself in RS. It’s weird not calling myself Haylei. I’m Sister Craig now. I hate it.

Anyways. I got to share an experience from Legacy in RS. I had the rs president in tears. THANK YOU CAMP LEGACY!!

Sunday night for dinner we went to our other bishops house for dinner. The Webbs. SUPER nice. Son just got home from his mission, is engaged…he was weird.

They made enchiladas. And the weirdest part? There was no meat. I am BAFFLED by this. My companion didnt think it was weird, but I was like..an enchilada has MEAT!!! If it doesnt, it’s a saucy cheese crisp!! WEIRD. It was scrumptious though.

THEN we had another dinner appointment after. Rodriguez family. They only speak spanish, so I kinda sat there the entire time. They made the NASTIEST FOOD.Oh my gosh.

It was like white and red onion, all peppers, and shrimp and lime. EW. I wanted to barf. I kindly declined their offer, because I already felt the vomit coming up my throat. EW.
So instead they gave me a tostada with beans. Not bad right? Then he added lettuce tomatoes and HAM. BARF-A-GETTI. I was like..this is nasty. But I ate one whole one and half of the other. I plugged my nose so I didnt taste it. SO GROSS. Everything was gross. It is NOT the tostadas we have at home. EW. I’m still recovering. My stomach is very upset with me. EW.

 

I love it here. The fall festival is this weekend. If we ask, we can set up an LDS booth! So excited!!! 🙂 It’s rained everyday! I love it.

Laundry costs 3 dollars a load. I have 0 quarters. Looks like Im wearing these clothes again.Not really, I have some cash, just gotta get change. BUT what a rip off!!

My other roomie is Sister Christenson. Her brother is totally from the district. Watch it.

I love you. I need your love. This week is going to be rough, I can already tell.

This was from my Mission president,

“Dear Sister Craig – I can already tell we are going to miss you when you get your FT mission call. I sense in you a DEEP desire to share what you have – which will be undiminished whether you have a companion who is on fire – or one who is struggling. Just like Elder Strong in Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk, you fear no man (or woman) and will open your mouth to all!”

STAY STRONG. Choose the right. And look at my pictures!