Mom,

Hey guess what happened to me this week! You really do have to guess!

I HAD FREAKING DENGUE FEVER THIS WEEK. THAT SUCKED! I got a light version but I had this huge rash all over my body and I had no idea what was going on. 

     YEP!  Sorry mom..... I know that normal missionaries get things like a cold or a sore throat but I'm just a little more special. I had the craziest rash! It was so weird! I also had a fever and body and eye pain....I was in the house for three days......so that was an adventure.....the rash was just freaky. I looked like a Dalmatian. But I had a light version because you can get it worse. And I was put on the dengue fever list that the Mission has of missionaries who have had it once.  On the bright side I'm really great friends with the mission nurse.=) I'm doing good now. I just had to stay in the house for three days and my fever didn't even get that high and for that I was very grateful.  But my sister leaders made me guyaba juice. One of my sister leaders is Sister Bates who is in my group! She was in the CCM with me! That is so fun!

    I bought eyeliner and mascara today..... it made me very happy.  I miss all of my makeup a lot but I don't want to buy any more here in case it gets infected. I really just miss being able to wash my face with sink water. I also bought paper, colored pencils and pens! We did crafts today for p day! It was so fun!!!!!!!! I miss being creative and having time for that too!

     My companion last week (after we left the Internet center) called the President to have a change in companions.  She was only with me for 6 freaking hours! But President said no =) It was funny though because she told President that I was too flechona - which means like a straight arrow.  So yes, she really did call President to complain that I was TOO obedient and she just wasn't accustomed to that.  I thought it was really funny and I took it as a compliment.=) She also said she wanted another companion who had  served as long as I have...just someone different than me.   And so far....she also likes to ditch me, like my last companion did.

     But.... I just don't know what the heck to do with her. If I mention a rule or anything to her she says that I'm forcing it upon her. But I don't mention anything when she's just personally disobedient.  I only mention it when it affects my obedience too.. (like proselyting in the mornings) so I don't know what to do.  I think I just have to learn to work with limitations and be as obedient as I can with these limitations that I have. And I'll just get to know my scriptures better in all that extra time.  Also I found the cutest thing for you!

MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM MOM

                                                      HI=) 

Love you,

Leah

   Mom,

  Good news......I found Dad a nice t-shirt to bring home, I bought Chinese food and I had some really good grape juice! And General Conference was amazing! I loved it! I got to watch it in English with one of my CCM companions Hna Bowen! It was way fun!  
     Alright, so the regular news of the week. My third area lasted all of three weeks. Transfers came and I'm in La Vega now.  Oh yeah I think this will be my last area.  I've heard all good things. Everyone wants to go to La Vega. It's a city but it's a poor city.  So I've been told to not walk around with a lot of jewelry on. That's funny, I sure do stick out. With the transfer I got a new companion.  When I left my old companion Hna Santiago this morning she was almost in tears and she thanked me and told me that I was a good companion to her and that she knows her weaknesses but that she learned a lot and that I helped her and she loved me. It really made me think and surprised me. It's really a tender mercy that she actually noticed that I really did try. Fasting, praying and everything.  I love her too..... just from a distance.
     My new companion (as of this morning) flat out told me that she won't leave to proselyte in the morning with me and that if I wanted to go out in the morning I could find someone else to do it with. I just looked at her and went, well, we are going to have problems then. It'll be interesting.....I think President and God are picking on me...=) This is ridiculous.=)   I think she is testing to see how far she can push me. But I've learned a lot of things in my mission and I don't budge so easily anymore about those things.  I have learned a lot about the first two commandments. Love God and love your neighbor but never get the order switched around. Anyways I love you!

Love,

Leah

This is the email I sent Leah on her Wednesday P-day.

Hi Leah,


    I don't know quite know how to tell you this.......   If I can stop crying long enough maybe I can write it down.  This has been quite a week for us.  I haven't been feeling good for a little bit.  Finally I went to the doctor......I was told something that completely floored me and I still can't really comprehend that it is real.  I'm freaking pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yea, I know......I just about died.  I feel sick as a dog and can't even wrap my mind around it.  It wasn't supposed to happen......I mean Dad turns 50 this year!!!!!!!!!   I don't want to do this again.  Anyway, that's what is new.   I know your speechless......me too........................




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Mom!!!!!!!!!

Leah's response:  "I just about died!  NOT FUNNY! "

My response:  "It was sooooooo funny!"

I couldn't help myself....Her P-day was on April Fool's day :)

She didn't write much but here are a few snippets:

     I got to go to a Catholic funeral. That was a terrifying experience!  So much weeping waling and gnashing of teeth. Yep that interupted our P day. It was a very strange experience.   Definitely one that I would not like to repeat.

     Well I have cried so many times this week....but it's okay.  I just need to have more love.  So in my weekly email President told me that there are some people that are easy to love and others that stretch our souls and that he suspects that it is my time to have my soul stretched. That's comforting.    So I'm just working.  I'm just trying to find my way around. The area is good and I like it.  We had two families come to church this week and we have to set a marriage date with one of them for this week hopefully:)  I'm super excited!

 Hi Mom!!!!!!!

     Guess what I learned this week! I'm not nearly as patient and loving as I thought....I'm working on that. My companion is a little four foot three inch Mexicana. She's sweet..... we just are not on the same page....like ever. She only has four months in the mission and besides the 15 day companionship she had, I'm her first companion after her trainer.  She's just interesting...... but I know that I'm here to help her, but it's really hard to help someone who throws you under the bus.....but it's okay. I had a good crying session this week. I know I will be held accountable for my behavior and not hers, so I have to do my part and be kind and loving and patient. That's hard.....but I feel terrible that I am not being that patient, loving person ALL OF THE TIME.  I definitely feel inadequate in the whole understanding and love department. I know who Heavenly Father wants me to be and yet....how the heck am I supposed to become that person? Well... The Book of Mormon has become my best friend and I'm just reading and reading and reading=)

      You know when you think of missionaries or at least when I did... you always think of happy go lucky spiritual giants that preach happily every single day and love everyone. And when I read the emails of other missionaries it still seems that way.....and then theres me..... okay... not just me.  I was talking to Hna Bowen and Richardson from the ccm and they agree. Maybe it's just the difference in a US mission and foreign? Probably not.....

     

     It's actually kind of funny.  Normal occurrences in my life are finding spiders in my bed (not even a big deal now,) hauling 5 gallon buckets from the bathroom to the kitchen to fill the laundry thing, walking for hours on end in the Caribbean sun while men yell at me "AMERICANA!"  Having the lights go off almost every day, being eaten by mosquito's and finding centipedes on our patio. They can get BIG!!!!!!

      US missionaries are so spoiled. I don't even know what they complain about. But I know all missions are hard but wow....they have couches in their houses! I have a tile floor and a metal chair.... it really just makes me laugh.  I read Axl's email about how healthy he eats and laughed.....well when we are out we have access to unlimited amounts of cake and soda and no one ever feeds us dinner..... almost never.....=)    And yes.........I have officially walked to the end of the world and back in this area. It is so big!!!!!! 

Love,

Leah

    

Hello,

     Well.....this was different.....let me just set up this scene for you, here we go.

Hna Blanch and I had a normal morning.  We studied and prepared our talks for our district meeting and whatnot. We left early though because we had to find the house of an investigator. We left the  house at about nine twenty and were looking for the house when at about nine forty-five I get a call from the assistants....."Hi Hna Carey how are you?    Oh I'm good Elder how about you?   I'm good... well... we are having special transfers and you are going to Moca. So say goodbye if you can, pack your bags and we will be there in two hours to pick you up......     ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ARE YOU JOKING?  WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M GOING TO MOCA?"   Yep.... THAT WAS OUR CONVERSATION. The SISTERS IN MOCA COULDN'T GET ALONG SO WE GOT TO SWITCH COMPANIONS.  So now I'm lost in the middle of a new area in the middle of the transfer without having said goodbye to one single person from my favorite area....I'm learning a lot about moving forward in faith without knowing beforehand what I am supposed to do. I was reading in the Liahona about Nephi and how he didn't know how Laban would be delivered into his hands but he moved forward in faith. It's like the taking one step into the dark in faith and trusting that the light will come. Yep.... I'm currently having a growing experience here. But I know I'm here for a purpose. Not sure what it is but I'm going to trust that Heavenly Father knows what's up......

     Hna Blanch and I were both told that that our new companions need lots of hugs, love and patience....so that's cool. She seems really sweet, but I feel bad for Hna Blanch because this is her first Spanish companion and she called me crying this morning because she can't communicate. Sometimes I wish that whole tower of Babel thing hadn't have happened, because wow...... we suffer.  Man I didn't say goodbye to anyone! I'm pretty heartbroken by that actually.  But my new companion is sweet.  Just insecure, new and demanding ...but I'm a lot more mellow now so I think we should be fine.   I just feel like I'm babysitting here....

     Also I'm in the most Catholic town EVER! There's even a giant cathedral thing in the middle of the town. Yep.... they think it's really funny to ring bells at six AM. Yep the freaking Catholics are waking me up! But it's cool and I'll adjust. It was just a huge shock. This only happened on Monday. But yep that's the news for the week. 

Love you!

Hna Carey 

 Hello,

    Well, news from last week, we found a farm! And a less active member who lives on the farm! He was looking for a cow to butcher. Yep, so he lassoed it (sorry i don't know how to spell that) and just chased it to the butchers with a rope around its neck. But.... that made the cow very upset so he tried to run away in the rice field. Rice fields are pretty though! Also, that cow died and I got to see  right after and...... cows sure do have a lot of blood....that was a first. 

      We have a new district leader who used to be the assistant. Its pretty cool and fun =) We got to help build a house this week too! That was such a fun service project! It's good when the people can see us out and helping and working together with others. They can see that we are willing and then they get to know the church better too, so that is always a plus! 

     I had to cross a bridge with holes this week and the wooden planks would bend whenever someone stepped on them...also the whole bridge was slanted. I got stuck in the planks on the bridge and my companion and a member had to get on the bridge to help me get off the bridge.....gravity challenges me a lot  But those are the highlights!

Hna Carey

Dad,

     We set a baptismal date this week with our golden investigator! Whoo Hoo!!! So psyched! Also these past two weeks we´ve seen a huge change in one of our less actives! She is starting to get her life back on track and even started wearing her garments again and has goals to go to the temple! We can see a light and happiness in her countenance!

       Also, our fridge broke last week and we haven't found anyone to fix it.... so we have learned to live without a fridge....But we forgot to buy food for Sunday.... so in the night time we were about starving and officially begged for food.....It was kind of funny. Oh yeah so that same Sunday we were hungry and proselyting and saw a cherry tree (and we can pick fruit off of any tree and it's totally cool here) so I was in the process of climbing on top of my companion to pick some cherries (she was trying to boost me up) when a member walks by....haha....try explaining that one!....yeah... so we´re hungry and just really wanted some cherries=) He gladly helped us=) Well that's about it!

Love you!

      Alright, I´ll be honest.... I don't really remember what happened this week that much besides transfers today. I´m still in Esperanza with Hna Blanch, for which I am grateful. We really feel like miracles are going to happen this transfer.  The area is FINALLY  starting to progress! YAY!!!!! So we are super excited! 

      So highlights of the week........My companion and I were both obscenely sick! Whoo Hoo!!!!!! wow......IT. WAS. BAD.  We just took turns feeling horrible and using the bathroom. But it's cool.... we are kind of better and on antibiotics now.....but we were in the house for two days. THAT IS SUCH A LONG TIME!!!!!!! Wow......but on the bright side I don't think it could have been worse.....Thank you DR!=)  

     My companion now knows again that I am still the worst sick person in the world. But seriously guys if I ever get a fatal or terrible painful disease, JUST LET ME DIE.  I will accept it as my time!

      That's pretty much it for the week. We are finding lots of new investigators who are beginning to progress so I'm super excited for all the progress we should see!

Thanks, I love you all!

Hna Carey

     Leah told us she comes home on Aug 13th, so we have a date!!!!!!!  She'll be home 3 1/2 weeks before she goes off to BYU Idaho.