Nov 9 Letter

Hola familia y mis queridos amigos!

I'm very very sorry you did not get the letter I sent last week. That really makes me soooooo angry! I told two or three really funny things that happened to us this transfer. Dadgummit. Oh well, you will hear about it when I get home I suppose...I guess I can't tell you everything over e-mail.
This week we worked soooo hard and it was a bit cooler. Hermana Miller and I got sick again. I don't understand it, my immune system just like doesn't work or something. I've been sick every transfer and this is my 9th transfer. What is the DEAL?!? Anyway, we worked as hard as we could anyway, as hard as our bodies would permit and I'm still a little weak from it all, but I think I'm getting better...
I'm sad Linsey's not playing basketball this year. Not that it would really matter cuz I can't watch her play anyway, but, it's fun to brag to the elders about my cute sisters that are so beautiful and talented. I always tell them when they ask if they can date them that they aren't good enough. =) That's just how it goes sometimes! I haven't heard from Linsey in a really long time so I'm hoping within the next week I'll be getting something from her.
We got a new bishopric yesterday. The bishop that we have now is Ignacio (Nacho) Izquierdo. He was one of the counselors in the bishopric so he just moved up. He's 28 and his wife just had a baby. They're little two year-old, Emiliano, is sooooooo adorable! I was dancing with him when we went to their house the other day, I miss my nephews!!!! One of the counselors stayed the same, Alejandro Menendez and the other counselor we have just recently returned home from serving as mission president in Brasil so we're expecting the efforts for the missionary work in the ward to boost a LOT.
The x-bishop bore his testimony and thanked my companion and I over the pulpit for all the support we've given him and for always having smiles on our faces. He said, "the hermanas have the love that it takes to do this work." I have learned so much about love. People matter. Their wants, concerns, their feelings, all matter. This gospel can help them, but you have to listen to them and to the spirit to know how to help them. A lot of times, people don't need things physically to be shown they are loved. They just want to be listened to. They just want our time, they want help. That's what the savior did isn't it?
For the third hour yesterday, we got all the young men and women, all the priesthood and all the relief society together and did a little lesson on missionary work. Oh my stinking word the spirit was so strong. Our goal was to motivate them to do missionary work, give them copies of the Book of Mormon right then and there, give them time to write a name, an address, and their testimonies in it and collect them right then and there to pass during the week by their friends' houses and give them the copies of the Book of Mormon. Hermana Miller and I sang Joseph Smith's first prayer to the tune of come thou fount and then bore our tesimonies of the restoration. We touched every single person in that room, Wickenburg weeper or not, everyone felt the spirit. It was so amazing. We got a lot of references too and oh my heck we have such amazing youth in our ward. Two of the boys, Santiago (13) and Ivan (15) asked if they could go with us to drop off the Books. They're so great. I'm so excited for this week. Pray that we will be able to find a lot of people through this activity PLEASE! Well, I think that will be all for now, but I hope you have a wonderful week and that everything is going well for everyone! It sounds like you're all just wonderful! Talk to you next week! Love you all sooooooooo much! ¡Un besito!

Hermana Shumway