Week 17: September 22, 2016 Parts of Erin's letter to Mom and to Dad

Hello Mom,

Ya it was pretty weird to have a night pday and be out so late at night not doing anything missionary related. 

Ya, I am glad that we aren't having any problems as companions.  We have been getting a long really well lately! I think a lot of it is that we are able to have a lot of
inside jokes now and laugh about so many things. The girl that got switched around seems to be doing really well where she is right now.  

How did your super Saturday lessons go!? I'm sure that they were great! You are a really talented speaker and always to a great job!  I wish that I would have been in Utah to spend time with you all but it is great being here too.

I loved seeing all the pictures that you sent! Thanks so much! Baby Halle looked SO cute in her dress! Everyone looks so good! That was a fun dress that you got Brooklyn! I am sure that she loves it! It is so fun to see Lisa pregnant! I am so excited to have so many nieces and
it will be fun to meet and play with them when I get home! Grandma and Grandpa look great. That was fun that you got to spend some time with them. How is
grandma doing? I'm sure that it was nice to spend some time at Heidi's grave and

think and listen to music. I can't believe that it has already been 3.5 years since she passed away. I miss her so much. That must have been a really great experience. Especially with how much you have been running around and busy lately. I bet it was good to just sit there
and feel close to her for a little bit.

I'm sure that Rachel's book looks great! All websites (other than church-run sites) are blocked on our iPads so I can't look at it but I would love to see a few pictures of her and it. She will love it! That was such a great idea. She is getting so old!

Love and miss you so much! Don't worry about being behind on the blog.
I really appreciate that you are doing that for me. Thanks for everything you do for me. You're the best. Give Rach a birthday hug for me.

Hermana Gonzalez and I have been able to do a lot of running, which has been great! We just go and run around the church parking lot over and over and over again but it is fun. We have recruited a bunch of other sisters to come and join us as well! We typically have like 8 or

10 sisters there every day. We are the only companionship that goes at 6 and the rest of them join us at 6:30. This morning we decided that we wanted to know how many laps around the parking lot was a mile so we drove to the stake center and drove around the parking lot to figure it out. Turns out 6.5 laps is a mile. Some of the other sisters have even asked me to start coaching them and help them become runners. It's great but there is only so much you can do to help
someone become a runner while they are on a mission. 

This week we had a lesson with a lady named R who is SO sweet. Her
daughter was baptized a while back and is on a mission right now. We did service for her last week and helped her to clear out her yard and then she called us the next day and was like, "I have a question for you sisters, what time is church on Sunday and can I come?". Of course
we said YES and told her it is at 10. She came to church and loved it! She was able share a little bit about her daughter and was able to make some friends. 

During our lesson on Monday, she talked about how much love and peace she felt while she was there and how she really
enjoyed her experience. We were able to teach her the plan of salvation and she said that she would pray about a baptismal date! She also wants to meet with the branch president and talk to him about it. The spirit was so strong and she is really progressing! It was incredible!

I am doing well and it is so great being a missionary. Love and miss
you all so much!

Hermana Greenwood

Hello Dad,

That is sad that so many people lost their houses with all of the storms that have happened but it is good to know how many people are willing to help and serve. I have really been able to see on my mission the blessings that come from service and how just a little bit can go a long way. As I have told you before, everyone here is really poor and so we have the opportunity to do quite a bit of service. There was one lady that we talked to that started crying when we asked if there was anything that we could do for her because she couldn't believe that we would be willing to help her. It was kinda sad but at the same time it made me feel good to know that I was making a difference in someone's life. They may or may not accept the gospel but I was still able to help them. 

The lessons with the people from the Congo are going really well! We have 2 of them on date and hopefully will get some more on date on. Saturday when we have another appointment with them. It is really cool to be able to teach the gospel in so many languages.

Love and miss you so much! It is great to hear from you and I hope that all is going well!

Love,

Hermana Greenwood