Farewell Houston 9

First and Foremost,
Loved the pictures beyond explanation. It made me feel confident that there is definitely a God who loves us.
Second, is Jacob already graduating? That part makes me slightly sad. Ask them to hold off on the graduations until after I get home. Good?
Number three...I'm leaving Houston 9. So starting Wednesday, you can change the color of the stickers on my wall poster marker map. I knew it was coming even though everyone thought otherwise. I just barely told Luis over the phone, and Hna Rodriguez from the ward knows. I'm afraid to tell anyone else. It's already going to be rough with Luis. I'm full of all sorts of mixed emotion right now.
Oh can I tell you?? This week we've been working hard in trying to find a family, right? We fasted on Tuesday and it was a VERY difficult fast. But yesterday, we found them! They got the job! They got the job! The dad and kids want to get baptized. The mom is skeptical but the dad is going to fast this week for her to soften her heart. I'm almost 100% positive that they'll be getting baptized. It's wonderful to know that God answers our prayers.
So Miss Joan isn't going to be teaching after this year, huh? That is going to be very hard for everyone. Ah man, I'm already missing her. Change is so difficult, you know? Tell her that I say hi and that I love her so much. I actually miss her laugh right now.
Well family, I'm going to sign out now by saying that God always takes care of us better than we can take care of ourselves. He is able to do it when we are people of faith--when we look past the weight of the world and believe in something that we're not able to see or even understand. He will guide us if we'll just let Him.
I'm confident that Houston 9 will flourish with a new missionary here in my place and me gone. I'm confident that Luis will become a better person in these next months.
But it still doesn't take away the pain of saying goodbye.
Les quiero mucho.
Cuidense mucho.
~Hermana Langston

May 11th Email

Hna Toapanta and I helped Mayra paint her bedroom. See how much we're helping?

Hermana Toapanta and I saying goodbye at the mission office.

Me and Maria Mendoza.

This picture is from the Houston 9 Mother's Day Activity. It was a dinner and a dance from the 70's and 80's. The elders went to the Salvation Army and picked out not only their own clothes but our clothes too. Can you even believe the size of my companion?! And they found her a perfect-fitting outfit! The group with a blonde kissing a guy from El Salvador is a picture of our district with the bishop and his wife. The bishop's only 24 years old. His wife served here in this mission two years ago. They're so cool and hip.

Hello Family and Friends,

I was so happy after being able to talk to all of you on the phone. Thanks for all being there. I realized later that I didn't talk to any of my in laws or my nieces! Was Emily there? Adalyn? Tell them that their aunt (or sister) says hi and that she loves them too too much.

I told you a lot about the mission thus far. I just wanted to let you know what happened in the past week. We went on sister exchanges and I was paired up with Hermana Toapanta who's from Ecuador. She taught me so much spanish! And we've also started an English class here in the church so last Tuesday was our first day. It had a really good turn out considering it wasn't advertised hardly at all. Sister Gibbs, the older senior sister, is setting it all up and training us missionaries on how to teach. So right now as I type this I am also designing a cover for the teaching material binder. And I'm wearing my tight paisley pants that I bought for a dollar on Saturday. And I have my mouth full of peanuts. Jill-style.

But it's getting really stressful and yet super fun here. We're thinking of more and more ideas for finding people and earning their trust. It turns out--and we didn't know this at first--that a lot of people assume that we work for the government somehow and won't give us their information or let us into their apartments because they're scared of getting deported or getting their children taken away from them. Some ladies in a certain complex thought that we worked for CPS (child protection services) and told everyone in the complex to look out for us. So until one lady let us in and told us "you guys aren't mean at all. I don't know why they thought you worked for CPS," we were getting the hispanic hand in the face.

I can't even begin to explain how wonderful it is to teach others and to see the good that's in them. Still there are days when I'd like to give up hope on these people, but it leaves at the end of the day and I'm back to wanting them to know how they can become like their Heavenly Father. The majority of people here are just working folk who settle for breaking their backs working all day and all night, and drinking on the weekends to find their happiness. The women accept the role of obedient house wife and mother that they've been taught, and they've never considered the fact that they can some day be a goddess. The world likes to lie and enslaves these people with false ideas. I realized this week that we need to teach them a lot more simply than we have been doing. We need to start out with teaching them to recognize good and bad and teach them to be obedient to what is good in order that they are freed from the bondage that bad choices bring. And from there they are able to understand the restoration of the gospel.

I love you all so much. I'm glad you are still having fun over there and saying funny things. I'll be seeing ya in August! Til then....keep writing!

Love,

Hermana Langston

May Blessings

You didn't get my email??
AWE MAN!
I wrote a nice long one and told you about the flooding. Then I thought it had sent but it turns out that it didnt. Sorry about that. It's a good thing, though, I guess that it didn't get sent because in there I said that I was excited to call you guys this sunday....meaning yesterday. I totally got confused. So best that I didn't confuse ya'll too.

Let's see...the past two weeks. Well, the most exciting thing is that we did get lots of flooding. Nothing nearly as bad as a few blocks down the street from us where people died and cars were turned upside down. The thing is that as missionaries we don't get to watch the news, see. So on Monday night, Hna Gibson and I went out proselyting as usual and the wind picked up mucho grande. Then the wind started pelting us. So we got back in the car. Love cars. But we didn't realize how bad the flooding was going to be and we just kept driving. We had to stop by the elders apts and they were impressed that we were still out working. They took a picture of us all soaked and I'll be sending that to you directly. But they told us that we shouldn't be out working so after our following appt., we went back to the apartment.

Mayra was BAPTIZED!! That's cool that there was a baptism in the ward. I realize that there is something special about baptisms. They bring the spirit so strong. Mayra was so nervous but so elegant in her white gown. She came to church Sunday and she seemed like a completely new person. She is now involving herself with the Relief Society more and wants us to teach her daughter so that she too can be baptized. I love Mayra so much and I'm so glad that I didn't give up on her when all the other missionaries did. She told us that if it weren't for us, she wouldn't have been able to go through with it. It made my day to hear that.

Luis is still going strong in the ward. He went to a camp out the other week and is bonding well with all the ward members. He's just so in tune with the spirit and his own personal revelations. He tells us of his excitement in receiving personal revelation, but never tells us what that revelation was. He understands the sacredness of it.

We're finding a lot of single guys who've left their families in Mexico or El Salvador or Hondurus. They've been spiritually prepared and its exciting to see them recognized the truths in this gospel. They're able to see that it's not something the world teaches, but it's different. And for that reason, many of them are on board for baptism.

I'm so glad that Dan is cancer-free! That's a huge relief. Gives me more hope in everything. People here are freaking out about the swine flu. We've been counseled on how to avoid it, and the importance of staying in the house if we have the symptoms, but Sister Allred, the president's wife, assures us that it's nothing to be scared about. So far, I haven't had any of the symptoms and neither has sister Gibson. We're ok thus far.....I drew a picture during the whole shpeel of how to prevent it. It's a picture of what I'd do if I got it. I look at it often to make me feel better. Ravenous hogs may come knocking at the door, but I'm confident that I could fend them off. And if I'm lucky, they'll just give me a black eye.

I'm doing my best to take care of myself. I need to eat better and I'm going to try to eat more healthy food this week. This Sunday! I'm excited. So after 5 Utah time? Ok I'll call after that. I've got so many good stories to tell you about the mission and I'm excited to hear a little something from everyone. Since we only have 30-40 minutes, think beforehand of what you want to say. I've been marking down a few ideas myself.

I love you all. I'm amazed each day at the blessings I've been given as a daughter of God and I complain less each day. Still I have a ways to go, but I'm truly astounded at the mercy of my Savior who's able to forgive when I'm truly repentant. I love this gospel. I love the perfection that this church holds. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus. I love these people and will be very heart sick when I leave....so promise me that you'll come with me when I return someday. I wish you could all meet these people. The hispanic people are so open hearted and humble. Plus they'll make you really good pupusas or gorditas. Would you like crema with it or just salsa? Salsa? Ok but try just a little bit of crema also.
Les quiero mucho!~~Hermana Langston