#68 [Sabana Yegua - 4] Mar. 24th, 2014

WOW! what an exciting week for you all!!! :) :)

So we went to the temple on Tuesday. I loved it! I enjoyed the film a lot, and I learned a lot. I took a bunch of questions, and I think they were all answered. As in, I got the confirmation that the way I want it is the way God wants it too, and that was nice. So that means, I am not going to school this semester. Which is what feels right, and good thing I got that answer, since mom deferred my scholarship until Spring :) haha

We went to Wendy's after. You can bet I got the baconator, and fries, and I ate some peoples' frosty. What's wrong with that?

I also got your package!!! Thanks so much! I loved it all. I appreciate the letters and the note from mom, Head, Isabelle, and even Shaylee. I sent all of the photos to my converts. I was going to save a lot from the wedding of A__ and I__, but I decided I could print them off when I return home, so I gave them to them. But yeah, thank you so much for sending that and thinking about me :) I am so loved :)

JEFF IS SO OLD!!!!! I already told him he was a menace to society cuz he's not married yet.

Dad, good luck on your talk this week! Yesterday, the Branch Pres. came up to me and asked if I would talk in church on Sunday, too. So the October birthdays are going to be talking on the same day! how precious! :) I know you'll do great, dad. I read the talk last night, and I might have some things you could share :) I will send them along, if I don't forget.

You know the game JUST DANCE3? Well, apparently there is song from the DR in it. Cool, huh? The BOOM song or something.

Yep, this week was full of cool things, and cool experiences. Right now, we are teaching a lot of men (go figure, we're American girls), but they are progressing, and they seem to have a genuine testimony of the GOSPEL, and not of us. And another bonus, they are NOT kids. WOO HOO!

One of them is H__. He came to church and then the first lesson we taught was the word of wisdom. It was an inspired topic to talk about. Anyways, that was last Monday. He hasn't smoked are drank in the last 4 days. It's great. We're hoping he progresses. I mean, he already is. We hope he keeps progressing. We're super excited for him. Most of the old people here are losing their minds, but his is fully intact. Well, maybe, for the most part. Yeah, H__!!!

We have a guy name S__. He is stubborn, but he likes to learn. He asked about the spirit world, and so we taught him some doctrine about that, and he is great. Just doesn't come to church regularly. I think I will see him get dunked soon; in like 2 months maybe.

Yeah, the work here is great. I don't know what happened, but all of the sudden, we have a lot of people to work with. I love it. It was tough, cuz we didn't have anyone, and now God has blessed us and we're doing well :)

But yeah!! that is my life. I love it. I love my mission and yeah. I sent K__ a PMG and a BUNCH of conference talks about priesthood responsibilities and missions. I am stoked.

I love you! Glad we're eternal! Happy birthday to Joshy poo! I forgot to mention it last week. Love you all! BYE!

:) ox ox ox

-Hermana Erickson :)

Love you lots! Enjoy the pics I sent!

#67 [Sabana Yegua - 3] Mar. 17th, 2014

WARNING: LAME :) and short...

This week has been pretty good :)

News from La Venta, is that the guys we were teaching, Y__, and D__ got baptized! I am so excited for him! He is such a 19 year old punk, and I am happy that I was able to teach him, and now he is a member :)

Ok, actually, this week was pretty boring. I can’t think of anything to write. I hit 15 months, we had a zone conference, and cleaning checks, but they were 15 minutes after we got the call, so we couldn't use to toothbrushes between the tiles–darn! :( haha

And that is about it. Life isn’t as exciting here, even though everyday is such an adventure. I love it. We plan for a day, and then NOTHING happens as we plan. God knows best, and I am glad to be working on His team. :) WINNER! :)

I am really excited to go to the temple tomorrow!

So a girl from our stake at home–Orem, is coming to this mission, did you know that?

But yeah, that is my life here. We are looking for people, and my comp talks about going home a LOT, so it makes it a little hard to not think about it, but overall, I am doing well with that. I am not super excited to come home. I am going to miss it here way too much. But yeah, I love the mission.

I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your love. :) I love you all with a love beyond words. :) Thanks for everything. :)

I love you! TO INFINITY AND BEYOND! :)

-Hermana Erickson #1

Azua -- 2-13-13

Azua -- About a year later (3-10-14)

#66 [Sabana Yegua - 2] Mar. 10th, 2014

Hello my fambam!!! I love you all!!!

It sounds like you had a fun week, and I am happy that the water heater is... fixed or whatever. :) cool.
 
Sad about all of the deaths. But the great thing is, is that it's only temporal. What great news. I love the gospel. :) it’s  just so true.

Thanks, for the 100 days left wish. I was wondering if you would mention it. I don't have a countdown, cuz that is super foolish. And so far, I haven't felt trunky. I feel like I won't be  a trunky dying missionary. I am going to focus and just work hard and die hard as they say :)
 
Have fun tubing! Enjoy the cold weather. I am getting tanner again, so it looks like I'll come home looking like a complete sun-tanned babe. Well... at least on my arms and below my knees. hahah
 
The other day, a couple people got in an argument about if I was Peruvian or Mexican. I don’t know if it was due to my super dark skin or my Spanish skills. I am going to say the Spanish, cuz I am not THAT dark, yet :) It was quite the compliment, especially cuz I don’t practice it super a lot, sadly.
 
So we got robbed the other day :) We have bomba, which is the device that takes the water from the ground and puts it up into our storage so that we can have running water. So once again, we are without running water. Also, we got robbed in the night, and the guy must’ve jumped the wall. It’s super easy to jump. I am actually shocked that we are living in this house, cuz there is like, no security. 4 girls living in a delinquent town, maybe not the best idea. Good thing we have God on our side, right? But yeah, that was exciting :)
 
We're going to the temple next Tuesday, and I am stoked. It will be the last time I go on the mission, at least before I leave (we get to go on our last day here) and I will take the names. Also, the other girls I live with will take the other names. I asked them and they said YES :)
 
Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Friday!!!!!!! and Happy birthday to MISHKA on Saturday!!! :) and also, happy 1 year on the mission to my sister RISS!!! on Wednesday :) I love you all :) pero, so much :)
 
We have a zone conference this Thursday. We usually don't have the conference and the temple in the same transfer, but that's cool. I am excited. :) This will also be my last I believe. It's weird that I am considered one of the OLD HERMANAS. Weird concept.
 
So... guess what I am doing today?!?! :) I am going to visit my converts in AZUA! :) I am beyond thrilled. I am going to see K__, A__, T__, and C__, and whoever else wants to see me :) I am stoked; :) beyond words. I am worried it will be a little odd, cuz I have never talked to them about anything but the gospel. But I am going to try to convince K__ to go on a mission. Wish me luck!!! :) I think I can convince him. :) So that’s news in my life :)
 
We have an area in Sabana Yegua that is like, 1 hour away walking, and it’s a long stretch of dirt road. The other Saturday, we walked there. It’s the 12, yeah; so every Saturday, we're gonna go the 12. We got a lot of guys trying to give us rides on their motors, but we refused. After contacting and getting like, no success, we started walking back. A huge tractor passed us, and we joked about how funny it would be to get a ride on that. Then, when it was like, 200 meters in front of us, we noticed it backing up! We got excited, and then they gave us a ride! I was SKETCHY! Whoa, there were two young men, and one of them took off his flannel shirt and put it over a plank of wood over the engine of the tractor, and we sat down and held on for dear life. We got there safe and sound, and we were driving like, 5 miles and hour, and it was very bumpy. I loved it though. Tractor rides are fun. :) It was a once-in-a-mission-experience :)

 
Dad, good luck on your talk. I wish I could be there to hear it.

Um... we have a few investigators, we're looking for some that are older than 10. :/
 
I got Jake's dear elder and I have a letter for him ready to be sent off, so be on the lookout for that. :)
 
Life is good here, I miss you all. I am working hard and loving every day. We have a some really great people here, and the rama is nice. I am grateful to be a missionary. I am happy that Grant is able to go back out. Thanks for the update about the house and the people living within. It's nice to hear that everything is normal. :)
 
Well, I am off to visit my converts! :) I will take lots of pictures and send them next week :) I love you all. Thanks for supporting me and loving me and missing me! :)
 
-Your favorite daughter, Rachel (accept it.)
 
aka, Hermana Erickson #1
 
OR - if not daughter, favorite sister :)
 
PEACE AND BLESSINGS! )

#65 [Sabana Yegua - 1] Mar. 3rd, 2014

Hello Family!

Her La Venta Rama family

Head!! Congrats on your Patriarchal Blessing!!! How great is that?! I am glad to hear that all went well with that. :) What a nice time.

Way to go to China, Jeff!!!! How exciting!!!! :) I'll miss you, but what's 6 more weeks?

So after transfer night last week, they had a party for me, and it was so super nice. A lot of the people cried. I think I will be missed, a little. I got Antonio to bawl like a kid, so I know he loves me, and Elvis just tried to pull jokes. What a crazy man. I will miss La Venta so much. I have grown to love them like family. They seriously became my family.

When we had interviews the other day with president he mentioned to me about Azua possibly becoming a stake before May, and he just told me all about it. It was fun to hear about. I miss Azua. But anyways, I had been thinking about that place a lot. And I was excited to see what transfers would bring, although going back to a previous area is pretty uncommon, but I had hope. :) I also found out that herm Peck was going to leave her area after one transfer, and we chatted a bit about it.

Monday night, at the party, we got the phone call. The phone call telling us where we'd be off to. People were at the pulpit talking great things about me, and so I stayed and listened, and they came back and told me the news. They said I would be comps with Hermana Safeer- Hermana Peck's daughter, and that I would be headed to Sabana Yegua! Which, as you probably don't know, is in Azua's zone. So right now, I am in the EXACT SAME internet place as I was in one year ago. It's super weird to be back. Already, so many things have changed. Like, one of our favorite restaurants has been taken over and now they sell shoes... that's weird. But yeah!!! I am in the same zone as Adabertino and Carlos and Tomas and Kendri and all of them!!! I am so stoked. :) Leaving La Venta was tough, but knowing I was coming "home" made it much easier to leave. :)

OH! so at the La Venta party, I got a few gifts. One more thing about that night. The same lady who gave me panties also quoted something about me, which made me laugh. She said, "to know her was to love her!" TRUE STORY! I felt proud, dad. :) The pres of the rama also said the rama loves you and they are really grateful to you guys for raising such a great, beautiful, amazing, hard-working, funny, awesome, witty, nice, cute, and genuine girl. Ok, they might've not of said all of that, but that's what they MEANT to say. They did say they love you, though :)

Former comps together again - bus ride to new area

Oh, speaking of hermana Peck, we met up at the bus stop, going south, and I asked her where she was off to, and she said, "Sabana Yegua." So yes, we are living together again. She has a Dominican comp, and she's great. It is actually the first time in the entire mission living with a Latina, which is crazy, cuz I have a few month under my belt. I would've thought that I'd live with Latinas the whole time, but this is nice. So for once, I speak Spanish more; mainly in the house. I am not used to it, and so I catch myself a lot speaking English, but whatever. Still haven't had a Latina comp. I think I might have one more comp, so she could be Latina!!! Maybe...

We met a man this past week who just barely went to Utah... he has family living there, and they live in Orem... small world. So when I baptize them, we can go to their niece's house. She lives behind UVU, weird. He showed us pics of the temple, and that was cool. Small world, eh?

I finished the BOM in Spanish again. That was nice. I am almost done with journal #5 as well, :) fun stuff. Lots of memories happening in the DR.

Man, that is pretty much my week. Right now, we are mainly teaching children. We have 5 investigators with a fecha, and they are all under the age of 12.

Um... being back in Azua feels great. We don't really have running water and I take bucket showers again and it's hot, so my awesome tan lines are returning. I love it here. I have missed the South so much. I love the campo also. We don't have rats here, so that is a bonus. We may have giant spiders, but no rats, or small ants.

Well, I think that is about all. Life is good here. I don't think I will get trunky here, cuz I feel like I haven't left here, and it's been over a year. It's weird, but in my head, I am not going home anytime soon. I have my whole mission in front of me, and it's exciting. I can't believe that Riss is going to hit a year this month. That is insane. I remember when she left. I remember when I left! That wasn't too long ago. I have learned a whole lot, and I have met so many great people. I feel like I have changed a lot, and even my desires have changed. I truly believe that God has shaped me into more of the person that He wants me to be.
 
I am stoked for this transfer, Hermana Safeer is great. She's super funny and chill and easy to get along with. I like her. She is from Farmington, I think. Also, she's tall; like over 6 feet tall. I like her. We'll have a great time.

I love you all so super a lot and I think about you and pray for you all daily. I am excited for your daylight savings time, cuz I seriously feel closer to you guys when we're only 2 hours apart. :) I hope you have a great, fun week and that you have a fun FHE tonight and tell everyone I love them and make sure to give lots of hugs. :)

Well, peace and blessings. :) Thanks for all that you do! I am who I am because of who I was raised by! :)

 













Much love, Hermana Erickson 1