Hello, hello!

So I won't be in the CCM tomorrow, because I'm out of here at 6 am, which means I won't receive some of your emails for this week until next week. Sad. And I think my P-day will be Monday from now on...I think. Anyway, pretty good week! The food's been good, the company's been good, and the last couple of days have been pretty sweet. I've continued to be the go to seamstress for my district/branch, but the jobs were more manageable this week. Our branch president asked us to prepare a musical number for our last Sunday, so all of us who were leaving (2 districts) had an improptu choir that I was in charge of thorugh this last week. We were singing Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy (because it isn't written in tenor clef in the Spanish hymnal!) And it sounded really good, but our district leader doesn't sing, so he really didn't care, so he encouraged all of the other elders to also not care. And then informed me (kind of rudely) one night (Saturday night, so our last chance to practice) "Nobody else even cares, Hermana Pickett. You're the only one." Which was pretty frustrating, but I moved on and we'll get back to that. On Friday we had this thing called infield orientation, which is designed to help us transition from CCM to el campo, which is a good idea. But it was all day. I kid you not, all day. And it was kind of boring, all day. That was kind of tough. But Rachel Adams, in a marvelous act of charity, sent me a box of American junk food for my birthday which arrived the day before, so we sat with our friends from 7C (the other district in our branch of people who came the same week we did) and ate cookies and everlasting gobstoppers. One elder told me he loved me and another started chanting Pickett's Number 1. Obviously, friendships are always strengthened by food. (Rachel, you're the best). And then yesterday was our last day with the elders in our district and 7C and a bunch of our other friends because they shipped out this morning at 2 am (gross. We don't have to leave until 6 am tomorrow, and I am grateful) Our choir number ended up sounding great. We didn't do any of the cool things I had planned, but it was still pretty dang good. Turns out elders can sing when they actually try. We had quite a number of good meetings and lessons--my favorites were a relief society lesson about Nephi building a boat and when we "build boats" (do seemingly impossible things that we have no idea how to do) we need to follow the Lord's way, and a fireside recording from Elder David A. Bednar about how to study the words of living prophets (he encouraged us to develop our own method, but he looks for the doctrine taught, the invitation extended, and the blessings promised). Hermana had the idea to write letters to our elders, so we did that. What I didn't understand was that she meant cute, funny letters. Mine were more...well, mine were a little more profound. All were loving and encouraging, I promise. But there were some things I felt needed to be said, so I said them. Oh, this is what we were coming back to! So after being so terribly frustrated with Elder Long (District leader, remember) last night for assigning me to lead a choir and then being the loudest voice against it, I really didn't think that I would be able to write him a letter. I thought if I put my pen to that paper, mean, nasty, ugly things would come out and I wouldn´t be able to share them. But there was a very serious prayer last night that I could understand how God sees him and find something good enough in this Elder that I could be able to have charity for him. And then during sacrament meeting, one hermana read a really good quote about charity and part of it was "Charity is expecting the best of others" So Elder Long's letter turned out to be, not a condemnation, but my hope and expectation (which in Spanish happen to be the same word--esperanza) that he will allow his mission to make him his best. And then I wasn't angry and frustrated with him any more. The Lord changes our hearts and our eyes. And He loves every single one of His children, so He will help us love them as well. We had a party/testimony meeting last night with our branch president, his counselor, their families, and everyone who is leaving. It was really great and uplifting. And their wives made us legit Mexican enchilladas. Mom, I love you, but those things we call enchilladas are not enchilladas. They were really rich and really delicious and definitely on the spicier side of life. But apparently there isn't very much spicy food outside of Mexico. Our teacher told us the joke is Mexican women have to cover everything in chile because they can't cook (it was covered in peppers, but we disagree--they good better than OK) We very warmly shook hands with the elders from district 7C to say goodbye but somehow our elder snuck away without even a handshake. We're pretty sad and disappointed, but at least four of them will probably send emails, so it's semi-ok. So the game plan for tomorrow is that we wake up at 5, depart for the airport at 6, our flight leaves a little after 10 and we arrive in Honduras a little after 12. Here's the best part: the only international airport in Honduras is Tegucigalpa, so we fly there and then we drive 6 hours to our mission home. 6 hours. So we're going to see a lot of the country, which will be great. But my companion has a history of motion sickness, which is less great. We're praying that while we're in Tegucigalpa they'll let us go to the temple, or at least drive past it so we can snap a picture. I also found out that my official release date is Jan. 6 2015, so either 1. Parents, you hopefully can hang out in Eden post-Christmas and pick me up in Utah, which means you would get to meet Hermana Porter and Hermana Curtis and their families, and then we could just visit almost everyone on the way home or 2. They might decide to send me home two weeks early and I'd be home for Christmas. Or a transfer early and I'd be home for Thanksgiving. Whoa. Either way, please plan on brining a parka and a comforter to the airport when you pick me up. I think I'll find some needles and yarn when I get to Honduras and start knitting a sweater. Seems like if I could only knit a little, once a week, it would take me about a year and a half to finish it. I love you guys a lot, and I'm thinking of you and praying for you every day. I know that the Gospel is the true word of God and the only way to eternal happiness. I want eternity with you guys, so I'm doing my very best to live in the Lord's way. I'm so excited to get to the field and share the Lord's message. I know I can't do this alone, but I know that the Lord will use me as an instrument in His work. All my love, Hermana Pickett