Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Hello From San Diego!

Ok everyone!
Lots to say, lots to say! I get an hour to email at the local library and ONLY ON TUESDAY!!! I ONLY receive mail and packages on Tuesday too! So if you don't hear a response right away that's why. Plus I'm SUPER busy and hardly even have time for myself to get ready for bed even! No time No time.
Lot's of drama with my call but I just want everyone to know that it's all going great! The church obviously wanted me to be close to better medical care JUST IN CASE anything did happen. BUT NOTHING IS WRONG! I'm healthy and well and there was no change in my second MRI that I got. Salta was just too remote for me to be there in case anything did go wrong. So i was reassigned to San Diego, CA. It was hard to get the news. i was called into the MTC Presidents office and he told me. i did cry and was upset for that day and a little down the next day too...cause i mean come on...i was called to Argentina originally! but with the help of my wonderful teachers and leaders and the love and support they gave me along with my district and ESPECIALLY the lessons that they gave definitely helped me realize just how much I need to have faith and trust in the Lord... and that He works in mysterious ways. It was hard to accept it at first but like I said...with the help from those powerful lessons that seemed to be just for me, I was able to more easily accept the will and way of the Lord to come here to San Diego. I love it here! of course there's' family here and I've been here lots! So the day they told me about my change though I only had 5 days left in the mtc! I had only been there for 7 and 1/2 weeks instead of 9. They said they were doing this because my leaders all said I was great and ready to get out there....otherwise the next group leaving for San Diego would be end of September. So they shipped me out early. I was all by myself at the airport and on the plane. No normal procedures for me. No exiting group or companion. I was the only one coming into the mission because I had come a week after the recent group came for transfers. The Mission President, Pres. Donaldson, was there to greet me in the airport. He's super nice and WAY awesome! Then my companions...yes I'm in a trio....came to pick me and my junk up. haha. It was p-day so that was nice to just have an easy day after all this new shock that I was thrown into. I didn't get the regular orientation or meet the president's wife or go to there home or anything. Then 6pm that night we went to appointments.....in Spanish. haha I just sat and listened. The next day was zone conference and was sweet! Pres. Donaldson is an AMAZING MAN!!!! Tons of DEEP deep insight and studied Hebrew and has deep stuff about the gospel and scriptures and knows everything!!!! He's a really intelligent man.
I have to share something interesting too. I definitely don't mean to brag or anything but my trainer told me that when he was set apart as a mission president by one of the 12 apostles, they told him in his blessing that they would send the best missionaries in the world to him! He told us that! So I thought that was way cool and it made me feel a lil better because this whole week I've felt totally inadequate and useless because it's all so new and different from the privileged life in the MTC. Made me kinda forget Argentina too.. haha.
I'm in San Tee, live with members in their basement and sleep on the crapiest hardest mattress haha. My trainer is Hermana Pineda who was born here but is Nicaraguan. My other comp is sister Thomas from Kansas city. I love them both! They rock and we get along really well. It's hot here, but pretty in it's own way. All the hills around are covered in these huge boulders and just weird looking.....brown mostly but lots of palm trees and other trees around and flowers and just pretty. I have this INSANE amount of love for the people already and I don't even know them. It's amazing!. I love this feeling of being able to help people feel the spirit and grow more to want it in their lives and to follow the gospel and apply it in their lives and truly see how it changes there lives for the better.
We only have 30 min to exercise which stinks because it's right when we get up at 6:30 which I have NO ENERGY AT ALL! haha. Oh and I'm definitely gonna starve cause there's hardly ever time to eat because we are always running to appointments. we have like 9-12 investigators, so it's crazy! Three girls with one shower stinks...plus we can't go upstairs unless we all go since we live with members so that stinks too because if we want a snack we all have to go. haha I sleep and shower with the ants but it's coo! we tight! haha :-)

We're the Guinea pig mission so anything new to teach or how to teach we do it and then let the rest of the missions in the world know if it works or not. We're Spanish speaking and have lots of Hispanics around for us to teach. If we talk to anyone in English we send the English speaking elders to teach them because were supposed to do Spanish only. We talk a lot in English though so it's hard!!!!!!! HARD to get better at Spanish. but I jump in the lessons when I know what's going on and know how to say stuff. haha. Lots of the time though I have a hard time understanding what people say because of different dialects and slang and stuff. My comps all think that I have way good Spanish though so that's comforting.
Now for the best part! I GOT A BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!! lol It doesn't really count fully as mine but my comps say it does. I got here Tuesday and Miguel Soto our investigator is GOLDEN! He believes it all wants to apply it in his life and follow Jesus Christ and did. He really has a strong testimony. He was taught for 3 weeks and I helped teach him from Tuesday to Sunday. He was baptized on Sunday the 15th and I sang "I Believe In Christ" for a special musical number...in Spanish of course. So that was awesome. Great to hear his testimony too. It was strong. Also a local member family, except the mom, I really love! Marco's is 23 and just got his mission call last night to California Fresno! We got to be there for it which was cool! His sister Paloma is 17 and super sweet!!!! and their mom Maria is SO NICE I love her. They have fed us twice. which is always nice but we sisters never get fed....never make appts which I always root for but it never happens. We only have an hour for meals so the food is instant stuff that I have to eat cause that hour turns into 30-45 minutes because we're always late or running somewhere so I'm hungry lots of the time but I'm gonna get more munchy stuff to grab and go for the day.
Well this is a novel now. I love you all! I love my mission! I love my comps and I love being a missionary!
ps. We have a car....which stinks. I hate it but for San Diego it's necessary. I will have to drive too once Mom and Rod send me a driving record from the DMV or wherever your supposed to get it. I can't till I get that and need it ASAP please!
Con Amor,
Auntie :-) Hermana Dunn
I LOVE YOU LINCOLN SKY FOWLER!!!! hope i get pics of him soon! OH YEAH !!!! my mailing address is
7404 Armstrong Pl
San Diego, CA 92111-4912
United States
Friends, please use this address to write me and FAMILY please Email me or write....! We come to email in the morning and get our mail later in the day so if you have any questions for me and want them answered right away then email them so I can answer you through email. Just remember I only get an hour too. and I write novels. haha.
pss I don't know what will happen, but I wonder if after I get my 6 month MRI and everything is good and no change,....if they'll send me to Argentina then. I have no idea. Pres Donaldson doesn't know either....any thoughts?
To my district and teacher! I met Elder Moreno Elder Christianson and Sister Voyles from the District movies! haha! It was cool!

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