Aloooooooha!

Hi peeps. We are at the mall. We went to an activity with a couple of other zones and played volleyball. Then we came to the mall with the other hermanas in our zone and ate Taco Bell and frozen yogurt. Then we did a little shopping and now e-mail. Then we will head home and maybe have a little time to write letters and relax before we go out. It’s been a good week. So we had an earthquake here on Thursday. It was at about 5:30 in the morning. I woke up to it and my companion said, “Hermana!”, and asked me if I thought it was an earthquake. I said, “I think so”, and then I rolled over and went back to sleep. She didn't go back to sleep. Some of the other missionaries didn't even wake up to it but the other hermanas did because they live on the 4th floor. Anyways, so that was the cool story of the week... first earthquake experience. :) So we’ve been quite busy this week with all of our appointments and stuff. We have a solid group of investigators right now instead of visiting a lot of the same people. We contacted a lady that lives close to the church and then went back this week and taught her the first lesson. They have been saying they should check out our church and they want to join a church. It also turns out that she is a lawyer which is super cool and she started talking about the lawyerly stuff she does and it was cool. My law vocab in Spanish is limited but I understood most of it. They didn’t come to church yesterday, but I still have high hopes for them. We helped a lady in our ward take down her Christmas tree this week since she is having trouble with her knee. She gave us one of those malt drinks that I had to down. Grosssssss. That stuff is the nastiest. We went and visited a less active member with the stake president this week since he lives in our ward. He and his wife remind me of the Cowleys. We are going to watch the Joseph Smith movie with all of them this week. The stake president said he would bring the popcorn. We have been cooking lots of rice and beans this week. My companion and I have started cooking lunch together. Well, it’s more like she cooks lunch and I help. :) I heat up the canned beans and stuff and she is working on perfecting her rice. She told me this week that when the mission president was at the CCM (MTC) giving a devotional, that they were talking and he said that he knew who her trainer was going to be. That was a couple of weeks before I found out. I really was totally blindsided, but it has been good. Only 3 more weeks and then who knows what. I hit my 7 month mark on Sunday. When Lexxy said that she could work the election in November, I was thinking that that sounded real good. She will be home so soon. It just seems like yesterday that we were visiting Grandpa in Glendale, glued to the TV and radio about the Tucson shootings. Can't wait to see your faces and give you the hugest hug ever, but until then I am living it up in the DR. Craziness! We have interviews this week with the president. Keep me posted on the school schedule for next January, please. I finished reading “Our Search for Happiness” and it was real good. My favorite quote from the book was talking about missionary work and it said, "Weaknesses become strengths, challenges become opportunities, trials become triumphs, and adversity becomes an adventure in the service of the Lord - another fruit of gospel living." Good stuff. You should get the book and read it too.  I only have a few minutes but I love you soooooooooooooooooo much. I really do. Well, I am signing off. Have a fantastico week. I am happy and healthy and sometimes can’t believe I am actually here in the DR.  I love you a million tons, ejc