Email - May 19

   SO------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> I am staying, haha I knew it even though we recommended that we both be taken out of the area. But I am just like that, I need to stay in areas for long periods of time. I am excited and nervous. My dear lovely companion is leaving me and she is stepping down from being a Sister Training Leader and has another new assignment that President Toone didn't say anything about. He said that he has a special assignment for her that will be talked more about at transfers... this mission never stops changing, new things come every transfer!! Seriously it is crazy! I am sad that she is leaving, and I am nervous to take over this area because really it is so hard to fill our time. We have like hardly any investigators right now, and the Spanish... well my companion will probably be pretty good because I will have another STL with me, so she should be more experienced with the language. I think I was getting too comfortable, so this change will be good! I am ready to do all I can do to prepare for the time I come home, my conversion and testimony need to be strong as ever. The real world is hard, and I don't want to lose this conversion I have.

   This week has been absolutely insane!! I don't know where to start. So stressful, and so great, a little contention, but that sometimes comes with stress. We got permission to go to Brian's funeral this past week, it was out of our mission boundaries. It was on Thursday, in Florence... Arizona, not Italy. Super small town. It was so so sad. It was awful. His family is Catholic, he was the only member in his family and so it was a Catholic Funeral. They did this rosary thing where they say memorized prayers to the Virgin Mary over and over again, that lasted for at least an hour. Then Brian's dad actually invited all the people from Brian's church (us) to say something or share a song. We sang "God be with You till We Meet Again" It was probably the only time the spirit was there at the funeral. To remind you this is all in Spanish. Then they had this Hispanic guy on the guitar and singing (sounded kind of like Nacho-Libre, ya know that video?) and it was just depressing songs, good thing I couldn't understand them... But then he sang in English, oh man... He sang this song about Guacamole, it was weird. So that was another 2 hours or something. To let you know, this is all outside in the burning heat, and we, as sisters always wear cardigans at nice events, and the Elders are in suits... yeah. Then we all drive to the place of the grave yard and spend another hour there as we all stand around and watch the family say bye and that guy is still singing depressing songs, the mother is yelling and crying, the worst I have seen and the brothers of Brian were so cute, they all looked like him and they all huddled together and hugged each other. And this Catholic minister sprinkled water and other stuff. Then okay apparently, usually the people don't lower the casket until everyone is gone but they lowered it and it was awful to see. The family was horrendous, it was so depressing, and everyone in black too with sunglasses on. Then Claudia (the girl-friend/fiance and way cute member and one of our best friends here) runs over to her dad and is so frustrated and crying and stomping and stuff like that, she kept saying (IT"S ALL MY FAULT!!) it was so sad, because it really wasn't her fault but she feels that guilt on her. sad sad, we just keep praying. We know that Heavenly Father needed Brian and his sweet and strong testimony and spirit to preach to the spirits in the spirit world. He really is such an amazing guy.

   I saw a scorpion on our garage door... I was so scared. My companion killed it with my shoe haha. 

Friday was the wedding and baptism!! Oh so we had some ex-sister missionaries come back for the wedding and baptism of Claudia (different Claudia) and Fernando. It was fun to see them again, it was Sister Mugar (I have never known her but she taught C and F) and Sister Escobar who was a STL and I really liked her and also Sister Drake (who taught Brian and was there for his baptism, also) I really liked her, too. She was in Yuma for her last transfer. Anyway, they were there for the funeral, wedding, and baptism. They were so so so much help. Because they actually know what it is like being missionaries and they knew how to help. You honestly never know what a mission is like until you serve one. We were at the church building all Friday setting up for the wedding/baptism. It was truly amazing though!! Other than a stress about the table cloths and starting an hour late(not unusual for the Latin culture) it was great!! Claudia and Fernando were so happy, they lit up the room. Heavenly Father put everything into place, it truly was incredible. They were married first, oh and during their marriage ceremony stuff, as they are standing up there with the bishop, Fernando's phone goes off haha, it was so funny. And then they hurried and changed into their baptism suit and were baptized. Then the reception, food, and dance was after that. We had to leave because we were past curfew. But we heard it was so great and they didn't get home until 1:00 am. WOW! I am so blessed. I can't even believe it. I love being a missionary, I love the people I serve I love it I love it I love it! C and F are so very strong and are going to be a huge change for the ward. They are already missionaries.