New Changes!

Hey Everybody! J

Happy Tuesday. Just so you know, starting next week our P-days will be changed to Mondays so you're going to have to start writing me on Sunday nights. Just FYI. I'm not all that thrilled that it will be on Mondays now, but I guess it's not the end of the world. I'm excited for you to go on your fun trip! It sounds exhilarating!

And I LOVE the picture of Michael and Squish! Man, they are some handsome guys! Squish is so darn cute! I can't believe he'll be two and a half when I get home! Jeez.

That's so fun that Ariana has been in town. She hasn't emailed me recently, but hopefully she'll get on that. Thanks for an update on her and Brudder. I do love them to pieces.

That's exciting about Chrisser! I can't believe he's home already. I could have sworn he was coming home this winter.... but maybe I was just thinking that because his birthday is in the wintertime. Tell him I say “hi” and I hope he adjusts well! Tell Karla I say hi too. I hope you have an awesome time on your trip mama, and you remember to send me some pictures!

So I think I'm still a little confused as to where M, J, &D will be living. Chicago? Philadelphia? Utah? Let me know. Gracias.

Wow, what to say. I am learning so much on my mission it's just impossible to put into words, in this small paragraph I'm able to write to you once a week. I think what I'm learning most though is the joy it is to love others. Not that I wasn't a loving person before, but I am really learning how to love others here on my mission. People that I would never even be friends with before, and now it's just so easy to love them so much. All of the people we meet and that we're teaching: recovering drug addicts, old, middle aged, young, families, individuals, from all different countries (well, mostly just Mexico and Guatemala, but still), Christians, Catholics, everyone. It's so interesting. I find myself surprised at how much I love these people; they're just so great.

I just can't help thinking about how I'm so grateful to be serving here in California, so close, where I can come back and visit so often and just continue to love these people. Hermana Bennett is doing well, and aside from my pride that get's in the way every once in awhile, we get along so great. Our golden investigator with a baptism in 3 weeks just slipped back into drugs, so it will be something new for both of us as we learn how to help him to get back up and continue to progress. He just needs to understand how much the Lord loves him and that He will help him, no matter what. Cristian is doing really great as well. We had such a spiritual lesson with him last week and he went to all 3 hours of church again for the first time in a month. He told us that in the beginning he was just learning to make his dad happy, but now he's learning for him and he knows it's real. It was so great just feeling the Spirit so strong in the lesson and seeing him as he felt it as well and he couldn't deny it. Ah, I love the Gospel. It's so perfect. That's why I love it so much. It just makes so much sense. You know me and my "green" mind, I just love that it makes sense and it's so perfect and real.

We keep getting loads of referrals and we keep picking up lots of investigators and we're just trying to keep up. It seems like we hardly have time to breath, trying to balance studies and training and investigators and members and in-actives and working with leaders. It's just a ball mama :) Mauricio is doing ok. He's a little moody. One week he says he's done and doesn't want anything to do with the church, and then the next he says he's coming and he knows it's true. Poor thing. He's just very much 18. Hopefully he'll find himself soon. I know so many things have happened this week, and I wish I could tell all of them to you, but I'm pretty much out of time.

My "40-day fast" has been going pretty well, but I am excited to write Chen Chen and Berta and Adu next week. I hope they're doing well and ripening to hear the gospel as well! Yes! My Coco Hydro DID arrive! Thank you so much! I hope it wasn't too expensive. It's good though, and I'm feeling more hydrated and refreshed already. We ate lunch today at a natural foods place and it was so delicious! I love beans and tortillas, don't get me wrong, but it reminded me of what food from 712 and Guru’s taste like and it just melted me heart. Tell me all about the festival and trip! Have a good week. Keep Luis in your prayers please.

I love my Savior and I'm so grateful for His patience with me, and my imperfections. I'm learning from Hermana Bennett so much about being sensitive to the Spirit and it's amazing how willing He is to guide us, if we will just listen and depend on Him.

Te amo muchisimo,

Hermana Alyssa Nicole Escalante