Hola! J

Pues, todo va bien, gracias.

I want to write a lot...but I also want to send lots of pictures...which takes a lot of time (which I don't have a lot left of) because this internet is very poor, so we'll see what we can do...Ok, it's taking way too long, so you only get the one (for sure) this week, unless I have a few more minutes at the end, so we'll see. I think the picture that did attach is of Elder Olvera (my District Leader) and Elder Taylor at the New Years Day dinner with the Pineda family. Elder Taylor is actually home now and Elder Olvera received a new missionary named Elder Cordery (everyone calls him Elder Corderito) - though he's not too new because he actually served a few months in the Dominican Republic 2 years ago before they sent him home sick with parasites. He finally got better and decided to finish out his responsibility of serving the Lord for 2 years - what a stud! We have such great missionaries in this mission, it's so great!

Happy New Year!

Thumbs up for 2014!

Glad to hear about Grandpa & Grandma - I got a great letter from them this week actually. But I'm sorry to hear that Ariana is sick. If she DOES want to take some stuff with her back home in two weeks, tell her to email me, or even you can email me, with what day she will be passing by so I know by when I need to send it over there. Thanks!

The Zone Training Meeting (ZTM) went well. Presidente and Sister Kendrick showed up (they do that randomly and unannounced) which made me a little more nervous, but it was still fine. After the ZTM I went to Escondido for 2 days, which was fun, being able to meet new people and run into some familiar ones J They are actually more in San Marcos, but cover a small part of Escondido, and it's all the same ward. Hermana McBride and I came out together, so it was a little hard not to feel trunky around her, but it was still fun, and Hermana Goodwin is a baller. Of course she is - Hermana Sheffield trained her ;) though she hasn't seen the success she deserves on her mission. They are both great missionaries though and I learned a lot from both - hopefully I was able to help them with their goals a little bit as well.

I'll go on another exchange tomorrow and then again on Friday and then I'll be done with exchanges for the transfer. Yes - lots of driving. Though the other sisters are here in the same stake, so not as much with them.

Next week we will be in charge of the Noche De Hogar de la Rama, so we are preparing for that, which is the night before the adult session of stake conference, where we will be speaking. Sunday will be some sort of video broadcast (maybe with an Area Seventy?), so there will be no normal speakers that day.

We are still trying to use the Family History pilot more, but it is difficult with Latinos. I found it much easier to utilize when I was in English work. However, Hermana Painter and I (getting along great, thank you!) realize that only 2 missions in the world are using this pilot right now and we are one of them - that means that they could have chosen an English-only mission, but they didn't. They chose ours, for both English and Spanish, so we just have to do our best and see where the Lord takes it.

Whew, almost out of time. Alex is doing well, I believe. Last lesson with him I was in Escondido, but we still need to have more time to sit down and talk with him parents (they are often home, but seldom available to talk with us for more than a moment or two). He still has not been able to come to church, but Mutual will be starting up again next week and we are really hoping that with some visits from the youth, his parents will let him go to the activities and that will get the ball rolling! He is still reading and praying and doing well in that regard, but feel free to keep him and his family in your prayers! We would love to teach all of them actually, but Alex is the only one who seems to have the time to sit down with us.

Sorry to hear about Michael's flight, but the birthday party sounds fun! I didn't get any pictures from the party of Jodi, just the ones you sent me - but they're all darling! I do LOVe pics of mis sobrinos, so don't be shy!

I'll try to send more pics next week, sorry, but you may just have to wait until I get home to see them all, we'll see.

Yes, we will be moving at the end of the transfer (3 weeks-ish) because the Mazur's son will be returning from him mission. We will probably just trade places with the English Elders and they will move in with them and we will take their apartment, but we'll see. We probably won’t find out until the day before, ha-ha. I got a sweet package from papi and Susan yesterday! Man...I have so many sweets and chocolate left over from the Holidays, it's nuts. But thank you for everything - you're all amazing.

Hmmm, your Sunday School class sounds like fun! We were told just a few minutes before church started that the Gospel Principles teachers weren't coming so we (the missionaries) were in charge. Elder Olvera mostly taught with a little help with Hermana Painter, and I decided to sit by a visiting member and her non-member friend and help them look up the scriptures and participate more in the class. We had a beautiful testimony meeting - I really love this rama.

The pic is from New Years Eve cena with Daisy and her fam! It was also her birthday – she’s so great! We are already such close friends and she wants me to go with her to Florida in May, ha-ha, add it to my list of places to go, huh? Pues, ya es tiempo, y voy a trater de enviar unos mas fotos, pero vamos a ver.

Daisy & Me!

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! BYE!!

Con amor,

Hermana Alyssa Nicole Escalante