Hola!

Emily Pickett Jul 23 to me, Rodger Hi familia! So this makes two whole weeks from me waking up super early to fly to the CCM (that's the equivalent of MTC in Spanish) and you know what? It has been a fabulous two weeks! Ok, let's see what I can remember... So, my companion and I finished our lessons with our first "investigador" which had to be completely in Spanish, and we got him to stop drinking and we committed him to be baptized. That's what's up. The maestro who portrayed that investigator (Hermano Wadsworth) gave us feedback on our teaching yesterday and our only critique was to split up our BoM reading assignments into smaller, more specific segments so he could gain a testimony of the book's truthfulness and all the testimonies that come with it while still reading things that he could easily liken to himself. But he said we mostly did that pretty well (like how he was an alcoholic/drug addict, so the first thing we gave him to read was Alma 36). I really love teaching. I love that we go in with a lesson plan and then we can teach the whole thing or just focus on our first couple of ideas, just following the Spirit. It's the most incredible thing I have ever experience. We started with a new investigator yesterday and we'll get another new one tomorrow, and that first investigator accepted the baptismal challenge (on the caveat that he has a testimony by the baptismal date, and we told him that was good because we don't want him to get baptized if he doesn't have a testimony) after the first lesson. The elders in our district were pretty shock-ed and amaz-ed. Similar was the attitude of the district when one of our elders (who asks random and sometimes awkward questions) says out of the blue "Hermana Pickett, donde comprar este vestido" (which is almost the correct way to say where's you get that dress) (I would have said A dónde compró este vestido) and I told him I made it. I think I earned a little respect that day. My district is sort of hilarious. We're also sort of struggling, because we're a little contentious from time to time. And then, when we're feeling a lack of the spirit, I usually suggest (along with my companion and two of our elders, Elder Antunez and Elder Pearl) that maybe it has something to do with the fact that we make kind of mean "jokes" about each other, but the room full of 19 year olds tends to disagree. I finally snapped the other day, when they were using a dictionary to call Elder Mathieson names like retarded and gay, and someone told me it was just "chistes" (jokes) and I asked him (in spanish) How do you think the Savior spoke to His friends? That was two days ago, and if they're still telling jokes like that, they're not doing it in front of me. Hence, I have been dubbed the mom of the district. But I don't really mind. I'm going to stand up for the doctrine that I believe in and live (thanks, Dad and Mom, for imparting that knowledge so adamently during my childhood). On a lighter note, it's really beautiful here! I hope my pictures all come through, but it's gorgeous on campus and it's crazy when we drive around the city--there's just too much to look like. The cute blond girl who's in pictures with me is mi compañera, Hermana Porter, and the other two girls pictured are two sisters in our house, Hermana Curtis (dark short hair) and Hermana Elms (blonde, usually crazy hair). We LOVE them. we sit with them at the end of every day and talk about our awkward moments and/or spiritual experiences and just work on our wonderful friendships. And they're bathroom is sort of attached to ours, so when I sing in the shower, they sing along. It's pretty special. Hermana Porter and I are really dilligent about running every day. We got up really early and ran this morning, because it't P-day so we could. Well, we had slight suspicions about if we could when we had to use our flashlight to walk to the track, but then we saw the CCM president running on a path by the track, and Hermana Pratt (his wife) has said before "If the president can, the missionaries can." So then we felt fine. We were pretty impressed, actually. That man is at least in his upper 60s. Hey Mimi, got any ideas for sore hip flexors? Hermana Porter is a track runner, so she taught me to pick up my knees when I'm running, so now I am suddenly very sore. Also for Mimi, how fast should your 200 meters be in order to be on the BYU track team? I told Hermana Porter I'd ask for her. So the other day I started doodling, kind of elaborately, and one of the elders saw me, so now I "draw". And I tried to draw Elder Mathieson (who is one of our four favorite Elders) and he hated it, so last night he had me try again. It went a lot better, and it's in my journal, so I'll have to show you when I get home. I just think it's so funny that there's this sudden assumption that I have this great ability. But as I said, our district is kind of hilarious. And we're getting along better as of late, so hopefully by the time I write next week there will only be peace and love in Aula 604. I also really like our branch. The other two sisters who are in Rama 7 (who came in the same week as us, there are two more but we don't know them very well yet) are really funny and really sweet. But that's sort of a general rule for sisters here, which is awesome. I also really like our teachers. We have two white brothers, Hermanos Rockwood and Wadsworth, and one latino, Hermano Ramírez. But Hermano Ramírez was out for at least a week because he had shingles--we felt so bad for him! But he's better, so that's good. Speaking of Latinos, our latinos at the CCM only stay for 12 days, so we said goodbye to our Latina roommates on Sunday night. They were so great. Hermana Olvera spoke English and was nice enough to excuse our poor attempt at Spanish, so that was a miracle. And Hermana Garcia was the most adorable person I have ever met. Our last night she gave us pictures of her home temple with the most kind and loving notes on the back, and the four of us had a prayer together and she prayed half in English, half in Spanish. Let me tell you, I could feel the Lord listening to that prayer. It was the most spiritual experience I have had so far. I just hope that, if the Lord treasured so much her attempt to speak English, He feels the same way about my broken prayers in Spanish. I think He does. More and more, I know that I am supposed to be here. I know that God loves me and that He loves His children, and I am so happy and grateful that He is trusting me to go and bring them home to Him. I'm praying for all of you, so I am sure you are safe and happy. I love you so much! Do the work at home while I am doing it here, ok? Todo mi amor, Hermana Pickett PS Casey! Happy belated birthday! I'm sorry I'm late, I'll do better next year! Love you! PPS so it won't let me send my pictures, so I'll send them next week, I promise!