Hermana in Houston: Week 19: Mother's Day

Hi loves!

Skype is the best invention of all. I LOVED seeing my family! It was so surreal. I love you and miss you all so much!

My new companion is HERMANA GLAUSER! Ahh! This area is actually her first area from the mission so it's been really fun to see everyone's reactions when they see her again. It's her last six weeks of her mission! She's the Sister Training Leader so I will get to go on lots of exchanges! I got to take over our area and it is so much fun! Hermana Burnham ended up being new companions with Hermana Jensen, my companion from the MTC!

What a week! Hermana Glauser and I have the same hyperdrive work ethic so we are just killin' it! We have found so many new people to teach this week- one day we found more than ten! Love it! It is so interesting that she was sent back to this area, that never happens! It has been really neat to see her recharging these people that she worked with a year ago. So excited to see the miracles that come from it!

For example, Elisa! She was found, taught, and baptized by Hermana Glauser last year, but has since been struggling to continue with the "small and simple things." Seeing her face light up when Hermana Glauser walked through the door was such a sweet moment. It was Hermana's birthday on Friday, so Elisa and Rolando (her husband) surprised her with lunch. Their property is literally one of the scariest looking places ever (abandoned looking trailer hidden by piles of old cars with pitbulls chained to them and feral cats running all over), so I have been dreading the day that they would offer us food... little did I know that it would be the best food of my entire life! He made us tacos out on this flat grill in the middle of his car garage, and although I have absolutely no idea what kind of meat it was, IT WAS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER EATEN. IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. He bought us these fun giant Cokes in cute glass bottles from the street vendor. And Elisa made her this "cheesecake" with real queso in it! haha I was super apprehensious to try it, but it was unreal! I could have eaten the whole thing by myself! Ahh! They are feeding us again this weekend and I am STOKED!!!

The rest of her birthday everyone, and I mean everyone, fed us. hahah By the end of the night we had piles of "birthday pan" in the back of our car.

Umm... guess what. I RAN A MILE. miracle miracle miracle! It was my first time running in a year and my collarbone didn't hurt at all! Ahh! And now I do pushups every morning because they don't hurt either! blessings blessings blessings!

I never thought I would ever be homesick, but I've got it bad. Bishop has asked us to go around to all of the families in the ward and teach them the importance of family scripture study and prayer, and family home evening. How do I not talk about my family in a lesson like that? And how do I not cry when I talk about how much I love my family? haha There was one night we were teaching the Hernandez family this lesson and I just couldn't hold it together any longer. Big fat tears rolling down my face and they wouldn't stop. Hermana Hernandez just hugged me and cried with me, and little Edgar prayed for me (I LOVE HIM)! It turned out to be a really powerful way to get them to listen to the importance of it all, but not a very fun way, that's for sure.

One night we had a dinner appointment with Hermana Rodriguez, and as we walked in her open door we found her sitting on the couch teaching her next door neighbor the restoration! She was like, "Misioneras! Come on in! I was just talking to Gabby about Joseph Smith's first vision." haha BEST MEMBER MISSIONARY EVER! So we had an impromptu member present lesson and it was so great! As we were all sitting down to eat a storm blew in and the power went out so we had a candlelit dinner. haha! Hermano Rodriguez kept joking about loving the new ambiance of our lessons.

Yesterday Wilfredo came to church and it was so good to see him again! The ward had kind of scared him off and we hadn't been able to meet with him for two weeks. He loved Sacrament Meeting was really excited for Sunday School, but we walked in and I saw the word "bautismo" on the board. I was so scared that we were going to lose him for good! So the lesson started and the teacher is absolutely fantastic, it went really well and about half way through Wilfredo raised his hand, and announced to everyone that he was going to be baptized.......................................................................WHAT!?!? AHHHHHHH!!! BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE! We were completely stunned. haha We set a date with him right after class for June 14th!

Funnies of the week:

When we were at the birthday party for Hermana Glauser with the Hermandez and Santiago families we were all sitting around the table eating dinner and talking. Edgar left to use the restroom and a few minutes later we could hear him making a loud noise, and someone asked if Edgar was crying or singing. We all went quiet... and his mom said, "Cantando" (singing). HAHAHAHAH I was dying. He was BELTING some Hispanic love song.

We have this family of birds that have found their way into a space between the roof of the apartments and our ceiling and we think they have made a nest. They incessantly make noise and it is literally driving us crazy. One day we asked the two main workers at our apartment complex if they wouldn't mind taking care of it for us. She got this mean look in her eye and went on with this dumb excuse about how it wouldn't be ethical to move the nest and have the mother bird abandon the babies and on and on. They literally hate us. haha It's the first time I've ever met anyone who literally hates me because I am LDS. So funny to me.

Whenever we approach someone Hispanic and they don't want to talk to us they say "No English!" and I love being able to catch them and say, "No se preocupe, hablamos Espanol." (No problem - I speak Spanish!) :)

I love you all so much!

Hermana McOmber

Juanita had us over for dinner. She is the sweetest Southern Pentacostal lady and I just love her. She gave me this book full of beautiful pictures and signed it with her favorite psalm. She just talks so cute! One of my favorite people!