Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to all who have sent cards, letters and packages to Melissa - she really thrives on them!  If you're wondering how you can send her stuff, check out the "Write to Melissa" tab at the top of this page.  And now, for your reading pleasure…

Well hello!

My emotions are like a rollercoaster. Right this second I am doing very well, but I have several tissues here with me just in case, because I'm very volatile :)

This week went by really quickly. There is a phrase here in the mission that "the days are like weeks, but the weeks are like days". This week that's been the case for sure. A lot of really long, draining days, but it's been good.

The weather has been miraculously nice. We've still only had one snow storm since I've been here! Can you believe it? Blessings. It's been dry and relatively warm - so cool to be this late into November and not be walking through gross snow all day long. 

I have good news in the L* department! We got to meet with her (I went with Sis. Barben so that she could have one missionary from the ward she went to, and one from University). It was a great lesson - she is so sweet and has been talking a lot to her Elders and has a baptismal date for December 31st! She will be IN UTAH then, because her family is goes to Utah every Christmas break to go skiing. So Sister Meier will be home by then, and can orchestrate all the driving. It's going to be awesome. We still get to teach her because she's choosing to come to LP2 instead of University Ward because she can't make it to the UW's block (2:30-5:30) and prefers LP2's 9:00 time anyway. So that is a huge blessing for me to get to associate with her. She is going up to Maine for Thanksgiving with her family, and is bringing up the fact that she wants to be baptized. She is really nervous because her dad and brother are both atheists, but her Elders fasted for her, she fasted, and WE fasted for her this week - that her family's hearts would be softened. We are very optimistic. She is such an amazing girl and we love to teach her. She's so prepared for this! Yesterday the gospel principles lesson was on the Law of Chastity and she LOVED it - she was making all kinds of comments, AND she said the closing prayer - it was so sincere, a really cool experience.

I've heard from a lot of people this week - so that was fun! I had a bit of a mail drought the week before so it was a nice change. Thanks to all my friends and family who wrote! It means a lot to me.

My pday last week was great! We went shopping, like we were planning, and it was hilarious to see those Elders so excited about their new suits. They all value my opinion very highly, for some reason, and even after we left they called and asked me for more suggestions -- a big confidence boost :) We also did get to go to Target and I got some BOOTS! yay! They were only $35 and I suspect they are cheap in more than one way, but they are comfortable and they are boots. So that is nice. I also got some gloves, long socks, and tights. It was good to get those.

On the bus ride home from the mall, we sat next to a lady who was wearing blue sunglasses. She told us that the reason she wears blue lenses is because, "You know how everyone is always high all of the time? Yeah." Which made very little sense to us. Then she said, "Wait, are you guys high right now?" We said, no. Then she goes, "Do you WANNA be?" The answer Sis. Meier gave was, "No - we're MORMONS!" haha. She was so out of it - kept drifting in and out of the conversation. It was quite entertaining, but sad of course, because she is messed up.

It's actually been a WEEK of crazies, now that I think about it. On Thursday we were at a bus stop and a guy was going around and very politely asking people for change. We knew he was headed for us so I braced for impact. He saw our name tag and said, "Wait, you're ELDERS!" We said, "Yeah, we're Sister missionaries!" He said, "Well, yeah, Sister Elders, but still Elders, right?" We just said yes because.... it was just easier. He then told us that he knows a lot of the Elders "over in Harvard" and then told us, "Yeah, I would LIKE to join your Church, but I'm the devil so I don't believe in faith" and then walked away very calmly. It was hilarious - I've heard so many stories like that, but that was the first time I actually got to experience it.  

One more funny story - we were on the subway Saturday night and a big group of probably 6 or 7 people got on and sat and stood all around us. It was only 6:45 at night but they were completely inebriated. One girl, in particular, could barely walk. They had her standing right in front of me, between two guys, and they were all holding on the the bar above, but she clearly NEEDED it. She was so floppy that they started playing "tetherball" with her - they just shoved her from one person to another while she held on the the handle bar above her. Then someone slurred at her, "Your WALLET is hanging out of your PURSE!" So then her boyfriend pointed at me and struggled, "She doesn't TRUST you! She thinks you're going to steal her WALLET! But I think you look like a very TRUSTABLE person." Then he saw my name tag and said, "You even have your NAME on your SHIRT!!!" Unfortunately/fortunately I had to leave at that point but it was a funny time.

I expect my Thanksgiving to be great. I'm a bit worried that I'll get weepy just because it's my first ever major holiday away from home. But we are having dinner with Janna (and G*, our favorite pizza guy, AND another friend of Janna's) so it should be lovely. I need to be less selfish - lots of people manage to be away from their families for Thanksgiving for less substantial reasons than mine! I should be and am grateful to be HERE. I just need to remind myself of that.

Well, that's about it for me! Again, thanks to everyone who wrote me. I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving!

-Sister Broekhuijsen