T.H.E. Mission

Howdy, all y'all!

Serving a mission was the best thing that I've ever done. A while back I made a list of SEVERAL of my favorite memories from serving in T.H.E. (Texas Houston East) Mission...there's more than one hundred...and it's just a start! Here it's goes...

companions
tracting
zone conferences
district meetings
letters from home
Book of Mormon
morning studies
beans and rice
Humble (pronounced without the "H")
members
investigators
Pasadena
South Houston
Preparation Days
President Sutherland
letters to the pres
journal
cockroaches
humidity
salsa ("salsita")
prayer
service
fire ants (ouch)
mosquitoes
pass-along cards
fire ants
floods
flooded out car
tres leches cake
cottage cheese
new insights
churches (of every religion) on every corner
Bible Belt
truths
skirts
April Fool's
Redd Day (all the elders wore red ties the day that I went home)
knee highs
Cici's Pizza
thunder storms
bikes
helmets (the hot, humidity, bikes, helmet, knee high combination isn't something you'd want to imagine...let alone see...We sure looked great! Let me tell ya! Other people thought so, too!)
carports
fake flowers in yards
Spanish
appointments
pecans
patience
diligence
suitcases
love bugs (I'm talking about the actual bugs)
inactives
converts
Sister "Redo"
"Hermana Redd"
"Hermana Colorada"
chaparrita
"Sister Polly Pocket" (courtesy of Sister Perry)
teaching
April 17, 2004 (the day I returned home...yup it's been almost 4 years)
November 5, 2002 (the day I got to Texas)
September 4, 2002 (the day I entered the M.T.C "empty sea")
tortas
homemade tortillas
bolillos
dogs
name tags/placas
golden investigators
Familia Gonzalez
Gina
Eric
"great and spacious" apartments
"Wake up and Smell the Gospel" (One Saturday morning we were tracting and no one was answering I think they were all still sleeping and didn't want to be bothered. I just wanted to yell out that our message was worth waking up for and listening to. And so much better than a cup of coffee!)
work
trainers
training
"all y'all"
"just fixin' to" translation "just about to"
H.E.B. (it's a grocery store)
Blue Bell ice cream (Texas is known for its oh so yummy/exclusive ice cream.)
refineries (I'm not talking about the refiner's fire...although that's true, too)
Navidad en El Barrio
Nativity Exhibit in Kingwood
Sisters' Day
Familia Perez
Familia Quintanilla
Familia Hernandez
Familia Felan
Christmas
Living Christmas cards
La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias
flautas
horchata
crab soup
pica, pica
library
teaching English
Carolyn and Hearthstone
discussions/charlas
testimony
spirit
blitzes
armadillo
snake
falling in a manhole
Rosa
Enma
excema (still plaguing me today. Argh!)
transfers (or lack thereof...I only had 2 areas...my companions came and went...)
dinner mishaps
Schurdells
door slams
"Somos representantes"
HOT
ice cream vendors
20 months
"You pie"
temple
baptisms
2815 W Lake Houston
"fat, little heart" (Hermana George)
hand over heart (sign of deep emotion), courtesy of Sister Perry
"breathe" (with the hand high above the head and then brought down to the heart), courtesy of Hermana Jensen
"Smile for life is ever so beautiful" (Hermana Butler)

It's amazing to me how much T.H.E mission impacted my life! I can't even begin to describe all the ways that I learned and all the things I experienced. It's still affecting me today. I still love those people so much. I recently had a dream where I saw several families and companions from the mission at an Angels baseball game. Random, I know, but I woke up so happy...and then so sad that it didn't really happen. I learned so much about myself, the gospel, and about others. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I hope and pray that my service was acceptable to the Lord and I continue to strive to do what he would have me do.