Hermana Escalante: One More Week!!

Okay, okay, here we go!

What to say....hmmm, lots to say. Well, I know I will see you next week and we can talk about it then, but I would love to do the dual-immersion and I know that before the board was talking about an arts-cohort, but has that not happened yet? I will take what I can get, especially because I have no idea what my work schedule will be like. Brudder emailed me and I told him that I'd take a job at tie-one-on with him, as long as his manager knows that it's just temporary until I find another job. I know I'm speaking next Sunday; do I have an assigned topic?

Hmmm, well the Noche De Hogar went well. It was a Noche de Hogar de la rama, so it was for the whole branch, but of course, not everyone comes. It's more for us to invite our investigators to and allow them to fellowship and get to know the members better. None of our investigators came, but the Elders had a great investigator family come and the members really loved it. We took them on a tour of the life of Christ and focused on His resurrection. Sadly, I did not get pictures. Sorry! It was pretty cool though. We started in the YW room and talked of Mary and his birth. We watched a Bible Video about Mary and read the nativity in Lucas as the kids acted it out, dressed in towels and what not. We headed on over to "Egypt" and back to "Nazareth" and over to the "River Jordan" and to the "Sea of Galilee". We watched short videos throughout and had activities and scriptures and trivia questions with candy-filled eggs as prizes. My favorite room was "la ultima cena" where we set up the room with (fake) candles and set out unleavened break and grape juice and discussed the significance and the washing of the feet. We ended in the chapel as we had those with the selected number come up and open an Easter egg with had a small object and a correlating scripture (examples of objects: nail, twine, white cloth, sacrament cup, etc.) Afterwards we had treats J it was fun, but a lot of work and I'm so glad it's over with!

We didn't have time to eat dinner before because we were setting up, but I had a granola bar in my purse and so we split it and blessed it and asked Heavenly Father to allow it to fill our stomachs so we could make it through the night (since we hadn't eaten since 11 that afternoon and had been walking around in the sun all day). He is merciful though and we ended the night without feeling hungry J

Oh yes, and the ridiculous part. So, before we set up, we were racing to meet Pres. Del Gaiso to get the keys and he said to me "You lose these and you go home tomorrow!" (jokingly, he's super funny). With poor judgment, I responded with "Oh shucks, it'll shave off a week!" - bad mistake. So at the activity, we start out and I ask the question to the kids "Do you know what is happening in a week and a half?" (Looking for the answer: Easter, of course. But Pres. then yells out "You're going home!" Jeez, so now all the members there know. Along with that, he asks me last minute to speak in Sacrament meeting, so I spoke yesterday and since we're having another Stake Conference this Sunday, it was like my last Sunday in the branch so they announced that I’m leaving there too, so now everyone and their dog is talking to me about going home. It's a little ridiculous. Oh well.

We found some cool, new investigators this week, and one of them said she wanted to be baptized, but then when we went back, the Book of Mormon was on the porch with a note basically saying "no thank you". Bummer. Oh well. The other one is way cool though. He is Puerto Rican and his wife is Dominican. Lots of potential, so we're stoked for them! They have the CUTEST little boy! I don't know if I mentioned Veronica last week, our other investigator, but it's been crazy with her. We walked past her house the other day and cops were there and then we couldn't get a hold of her for a few days until she called us. A member came with us and we picked her up and went to the church and then she told us all about her abusive husband and her immigration issues and all this crazy stuff. She ended up going back with the member to her house and then went back home but left her son with the member and then went back to get him but then just walked off with a backpack, nada mas. Then we didn't hear from her for a few days, but we just got a few texts from her (like just now), but we can't read texts from smartphones on our lame little cell phone (lame, I know) so we'll need to call her and see what's up. I feel like we always get the crazies ;)

Well, running out of time, but here is the exciting news!!! .....(Drum roll).....we are having a mission conference this Saturday with Elder Ballard! I'm so stoked!!! What an awesome way to end the mission, ¡¿no?! I love it! I'm so stoked! Anyway, should be great.

For Easter Sunday, we will be having stake conference with Pres. Maynes (of the Seventy), who will also be at our Mission conference. Elder Ballard will be in the Temecula Stake Conference on Sunday, so obviously something is happening, but we're not sure yet. Maybe changing stake boundaries? We'll see. Everyone is joking about looking for land to build a temple, but I HIGHLY doubt that. Funny though J

Well, I am pretty much out of time. Yes, I am happy to see you next week.

LOVE YOU!!!

Hermana Alyssa Nicole Escalante

P.s. A few days ago, I flipped though my planner and realized that I only had a matter of DAYS left and I screamed and started hyperventilating (never done that before). After I could breathe, I got super light-headed and started bawling. Hermana Williams held me for a while, and then I got a hold of myself and we could continue with nightly planning. Ridiculous I know, but I'm all right now J