October 14 - Happy Birthday Dad!

 

This is basically our whole ward after watching general conference! We had a potluck.  It is crazy how small our ward is, but it is awesome! I love it. 

SURPRISE! Our area got a new set of sisters so we moved apartments into a 2 bedroom/and bath.  It is really fun to live together and at the end of the day to feel like we are going to a home.  Sister Hurley and Sister Porter are their names!  It is great to have a home with other people in it.  It is just more fun.

This is all 8 of us Spanish speaking missionaries.

Hermanas Sheffer, Skidmore, Porter, and Hurley. 

Elders Harris, Rindlesbacher, Ward, and Poulton.

This is us in the church library making our new area makes since a lot of things have changed adding in a new set of missionaries!  I am just excited to have sisters!

This is us welcoming in our new house with some cake.

 

This is me enjoying my new bunk bed.  I don't know why I am sending this one but.... ya.  TAI CHOW. (note from Sonja - I'm more shocked that her socks actually match than I am at this picture)

This is Hermana Skidmores finished trunky planner.  It says, "Man dulce" (play on the words Pan Dulce).  It is suuper clever I promise.  But ya finding good men from just Ensigns was a little harder than I anticipated.  But this is it haha.  Thought you might like to see it.  

 

My first Helote!! SO GOOD.  They have this section of town where the vendors set up their carts, and they play Mexican music and sell pictures of the Virgin Mary and tacos from taco carts.  I loved it

This is our main girl!  Her name is Gxxxxxxx and these are her two sons!  They are awesome and love coming to church!  They even come to English classes!  She really loves the church and I am so excited to know her! Her kids are Axxx and Baby Jxx.  Axxx loves Cars (like the Disney movie). It is hilarious.  Baby Jxx is just the sweetest baby you will ever meet!
We see her almost everyday.  She is super cool.

 

Funny story.  The sisters car got towed.  Not funny actually.  They paid a lot of money but it was unfair so it is a little sad.  But the tow place was totally sketchy.    Hopefully they get their money back because it was towed illegally.  Someone isn't telling the truth in this at least.  But ya good times!!!!

 

This is our new friend!! We are teaching her and she decided to  get baptized on November 16! She is 12.  Her name is Exxxxxxxx and totally reminds me of my Elizabeth!  She is hilarious!! And super smart!! And she is totally a ballet dancer.  She is awesome. She walked into the bishops office and asked to get baptized... Ok MIRACLE!  So we are teaching her.  She comes to church with her grandma and loves it.

 

We made it to the air force base!!!! It was so cool.  That giant green plane is one used in the Berlin Air Lift!! Our tour guide was the cutest old man that flew for the navy!  So much fun!  When they took the plane apart to clean it there was a ton of coal dust in the plane because that is what it transported to Germany mostly.  That is what the people needed.  #goseemeetthemormons.  The cancandy bomber section was my favorite!!

Rancho Cordova which is basically Sacramento makes the rocket engines that they use to send stuff to SPACE.

We also saw a plane that was used in desert storm and there were a million bullet holes that you could see throughout the whole plane.

We also got to go inside a giant Fed Ex Cargo plane.  They have to weigh everything before they put it on the plan because the weight has to be evenly spread out throughout the entire plane or the balance will be off!

Our guide said he was flying planes for the Navy by the time he was 19 and a half!!??  Crazy.  I loved it today!

And a note to Darren:

DAD!  FELIZ CUMPLEANOS!!!!  How are you and the fam?  

Hermana Skidmore is a workhorse and does not want to leave so I am not having any problems there haha!  Which is good that is how I want it to be!  Time is going by so slow, but at the same time I have been gone for 3 months which is crazy!  It feels like a lot longer just to say that!  

I am loving it in Sacramento.  It is going good.   We also had an amazing experience with a family where we taught them the first vision and it was like a classic missionary moment where the whole family is like WE ARE COMING TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY.  I have such a warm feeling everywhere and the dad said the prayer at the end, and it was our first lesson with them ever! I am excited to keep teaching them.  They are from El Salvador and have lived here in US just 2 years! They have 2 daughters and a son and they are just the happiest sweetest family.  Those people are out there we just have to keep looking.  The family came from a referral from the English elders just outside talking to people so ya.  It is exciting!!

I am glad to hear everything is great at home!  Sounds like you guys are having a ton of fun!  

I hope your birthday was great!!  Park pass is definitely a good choice haha.  I am glad you are alive.  Thanks for thinking about me, I have been kind of trying to block you guys out haha.  I mean that in the best way possible!! haha.  I have just realized I need to be out here to be a missionary!  

Staying out of trouble....

Love Emily!

OCTOBER 7th - #crazyquickemail

NOTE FROM SONJA:
Last week I complained about getting a short email.  Well I should not have complained as THIS week I didn't get anything at all on Monday. It was rough. I finally got a smart phone and you should have seen me refreshing that sucker over and over again. I was one sad momma.

I was driving to SLC on Tuesday when all of a sudden emails started popping up. YAYYY!!  

FROM EMILY:

Ssooooo sorry about last week.  But we live right next to an Airforce base so I was wanting to go since I've gotten here! We went with the elders in our distrito.  It looks AMAZING!  I got to wear jeans and my NASA shirt.  Loving life..... EXCEPT.... museums closed on Mondays ONLY. 

#mylife #missionlife #lookslikeweareplayingbballenlacapillaotravez #nolife #jk #missionarylife

Us at the Aerospace Museum we didn't actually go in.

Then the commencement to the childs park next door to spend our pday...haaaaaaaaa

I am thinking it would kind of be fun to do ROTC at BYU though.  It kind of inspired me.  We have pdays on Tuesday next week as well so we might try again next week.  AND a member gave us a coupon for it!!! 4 dollars each! bargain!  This world is so cool.  I love living right next to an airport/base. 

Mexican Hot chocolate with pan dulce

Conference was amazing!!! My favorite day was Saturday.  Morning was my FAVORITE because every single talk answered questions of my SOUL.  I did the whole focus on needs of me and I was totally getting answers.  I took a LOT of notes.  THE CHURCH IS SOO TRUE!!! Read the first session again because I loved it!

Sunday was good too, I was working on Hma Skidmores trunky planner!! So it was really fun just to be glueing away in the church haha. 

Our ward in between conference sessions. Potluck.

#socksunday

#socksunday

I was on exchanges in East SAC and the gossip was that the prophet was going to announce that girls could serve 2 year missions because all the extensions of missions had been canceled.  You should have seen me holding on to every word that prophet said haha.  I was kind of majorly keyed up about it haha.  But nothing sooo I will be back as planned!

I ate the biggest pizza of my life

POUND IT TIGER!

 I didn't get your package whoever sent it or any letters this week because it is transfer Tuesday!! We are staying in North Sac!!! AND WE ARE GETTING ANOTHER SET OF SISTERS!!! We have been the only ones.  They are Spanish too! So our tiny little ward now has 8 missionaries.  WOW.

AND YES I did get to watch meet the Mormons.  It was good.  My favorite part was the candy bomber.  It just shows how God works and how it is through really small and simple things that HUGE miracles happen.  Hey I want some gum.... just in case, maybe this will stop WWIII..... I loved it.  I also loved the distinction that was made between culture and truth.  SO GOOD.  A little cheesy sometimes but I loved it!!!  You should all see it!!!!

The Corn on the stick thing... Helote!

Hermana Skidmore and I put toothpaste in oreos for the elders HAHAHA #priceless

Diana. I love her!  She is seriously amazing!

 We have an amazing lady named GxxxxxxxA that we are teaching every other day and she loves it and knows its good and wants to be a part of it.  They have come to church and everything.  It was the primary program which was perfect!  I am so excited because it has taken a lot to find someone like that.  I talk to a lot of people everyday.  She has the most adorable two little boys named AXXX and baby J.  It is the CUTEST when they talk because I can understand and it is just cute.  I think you understand. 

Thanks for your emails!  I am going to the temple today so I am excited!

Anyways!  I never have enough time to write everyone and ya.

Thanks for everything! I will print and write letters!

Love Emily.

SEPTEMBER 29th

NOTE FROM SONJA:

I know I am not alone as a missionary parent when I say that Mondays are like Christmas.   I find it hard to concentrate at work because I’m checking my email and refreshing over and over again. 

Our email the week of the 29^th was PAINFULLY short.  No details. No pictures.  I am glad to know she is having a blast, however.  And even though it was short and sweet it was better than nothing J  

In all actuality this email in all of it’s unedited glory is really kinda representative of what it’s like living with Emily sometimes.  She is always going mach 3 with her hair on fire.  And she is full of energy.  Sometimes she literally bounces from one thing to the next.  I love living vicariously through her.

FROM EMILY:

Guess what? I get to go to the Sacramento Air Force base today!!!  That is why I am super short on email time.

I am excited!!!

Dad you should tell me a joke or something.  Google one.... or make one up since you don't have internet (haha) 

Or a good life story.

I like your stories.

So ya CA is great!

Thanks for the love and everything!

TELL EVERYONE I LOVE THEM.  

Tell everyone awesome job too (football and harvard etc) My family is SO COOL.  Seriously.

So is work good and everything?  Are you listening to any good books lately?

I am glad everything is going so good!! I miss you guys!

Oh one last thing....... GUESS WHAT I DID THIS WEEK?

I ate a ...... chili de arbol..... 

It was awesome.  I have never been in pain so bad in my life like mouthwise.  OUCH.  

I am in a process of conversion to my mexican self. 

I will tell you about my investigators next week so that you know I am actually doing missionary work and spiritual things are happening in my life...... hahaha sorry!