Putting My Heart in Texas: Dos Bicicletas

Well.... This week was very long but also very fast at the same time its very hard to explain.

I was an Hermana in the Spanish area for our exchange this week and goodness. I am so happy that I am not learning a language. Like honestly. I think I would die. God knew that my brain doesn't work like that.

TOP 5 REASONS WHY BEING AN HERMANA FOR A DAY IS HARD. (BUT WORTH IT.)

1. Before my exchange I could say 3 things in spanish. I could say is "no bueno" and "buenos noches" and "cool frijoles" (cool beans)- These are three phrases that were rarely used during my 24 hour stay in MEX-TEX. I learned how to pray and bear my testimony in spanish (which was actually really cool). After an hour of reciting it over and over again and praying that I would be able to do it, I still had to use my cheat sheet. I have MAJOR respect for those missionaries learning crazy languages.

2. Since they are so focused on learning the language, the hermanas have entirely lost their sense of humor. VERY true. God knew that I needed my puns and sarcasm in english. I tried to make a joke in Spanish and no one laughed. No one. Cool. I guess my humor doesn't translate into spanish? Either way... I missed my inside jokes with Sister M. Better get used to change because transfers are coming up!

3. Not knowing the language means that all I could do was have a conversation with my plate- so I just ate and ate and ate. But then I realized that in my panic of being asked if I wanted seconds, I didn't know how to say "No thank you, I am stuffed!" I coudn't just say, "no" and I was pretty sure that "no gracias" wasn't right... So all I could do was squeak out a "si hermana" and my plate was reloaded. I had to just focus on each individual swallow and pray that I would be able to finish it. I thought I was about to explode. It was bad news bears. We had a lunch appointment at 2 and a dinner appointment at 4:30. Good food BUT bad timing.

4. Banos? Being stuffed full and feeling like you're about to explode can also be detrimental when you failed to realize that you dont know how to ask where the bathroom is...

5. Desert. Carrot Flan with jello pieces in it. It was very bizarre. It had the consistency of jello but it was like carrot puree. At this point I had understood a total of 6% of what had been said. I like had legitimate culture shock it was bizarre. It was like the first day of the mission all over again. So strange.

6. Oui Hermana. Umm... the weirdest thing happened to me... I was so frustrated with not being able to communicate with the people that my brain like went into panic mode and I started pulling random french words from the very back of my brain. It was so bizarre. Like my brain was trying to use any outlet that it could to communicate, and since english wasn't working my brain decided to send french words to my mouth to see if that would do the trick. Unfortunately it didn't. Who would have thought! I didn't realize I had used french terms until we left. It was pretty funny. I came home and told Sister M and she told me that the exact same thing happened to her except it was all her Sign Language classes that came flooding back to her. It was so strange. Language is such a weird thing! So cool.

SICK AS A DOG

Sick again this week. On Friday I slept most of the day. Poor Sister Montierth was bored out of her mind. I woke up and she'd made the cutest little sign and pumpkin patch since its almost October! And she had started to make me a count down calendar until Halloween. She is the greatest. I just love her. She is so creative. She is going to be such a good school teacher one day. Anyway, the Klein Oak Elders heard that I was sick and that we had to cancel our dinner so they ordered a pizza to be delivered. They are the sweetest. We rescued them and brought them medicine and groceries a few weeks ago when they were sick so they thought that they would return the favor. We have to take care of one another out here because our moms aren't here to do it! haha!

RANDOMS

-We found out last week that we have free pest control in our apartment... just one more thing that the Elders failed to tell us. Haha, anyway, they knocked on the door the other day during studies and we about jumped out of our skin! Sister M lept up and said, "eeek! I am not wearing any pants!" Sister M ran into the room to wrap herself in a blanket, we let them in and I am pretty sure that the one guy jumped a few inches when he saw the cardboard cut out of Jesus. Pretty funny.

-I witnessed one of my favorite prayers the other night. We are teaching this lady named Kathy and she is a riot. Oh man.... What a hoot. She has a very animated voice, like a radio personality. She started her prayer by saying, "Good Evening Lord!" I about laughed outloud it was so adorable. It is so fun to hear how people pray and address God. It's awesome.

-I almost ran over a Possum last night. All I could think of was Goofy Movie.

COUGH SEIZURE

Okay... awkward moment story time....

So we had just finished this really good lesson teaching the plan of salvation with an investigator and I had just bore my testimony about the power of eternal families and the temple and everything. Then I ask Braydon who he would like to say the prayer, he picks me. I started praying and gave this really powerful prayer about the atonement and about eternal families and about Angie and Braydon getting answers to their prayers... and RIGHT as I am about to close the prayer I get the WORST tickle in my throat that I have ever gotten in my life. Like it wasn't a cough attack, it was like a cough seizure.

I had tears streaming down my face and I look at Sister M and shes like staring back at me with this look like, "DUDE FINISH THE PRAYER!" But I couldn't! It was SO awkward, I kept wacking Sister M's knee motioning for her to finish the prayer, I look over at Angie and Braydon and they are both just waiting with their heads bowed and eyes closed for me to finish. I SWEAR like at least 40 seconds go by, but it must have only been a few... Finally Sister M gets the hint that this cough seizure isn't subsiding so she rattles off, "in the name of jesus christ amen!"

We all open our eyes and start to stand up but I am still like on the verge of death and I can't speak. I have tears streaming down my face, and I can't speak or else I would have another cough seizure. Sister M trys to break the awkward silence by saying, "Ha, Sister King must just be so moved by the prayer she just can't speak haha!" She shoots me a look, a desperate effort to get me to laugh or explain the abrupt ending to the awkward prayer, but I couldn't speak. If there was ever a time when I had a literal frog in my throat this was it. Sister M fumbled around her awkward joke and we left. I didn't say a word. The second the front door shuts, ushering us out, I start coughing uncontrollably. Sister M is like, "DUDE! Why didn't you say anything!?" "Could you have made that more awkward!?" haha she starts laughing and and making fun of me and all I can do is hand her the keys and croak, "Hermana! I need to get some cough drops!" It was BAD news bears.

LAMB OF GOD CONVERT

Hermana Rowe gave Sister M her copy of the Lamb of God production. And OH MAN... HOW have I never heard/seen that before???! I remember hearing about it being performed but how have I never seen it!? I kept saying to Sister M. "I am SO mad that I didn't know about this before now! My life is so different since I have listened to it." Sister M laughed and said, "Now you know what its like for people who find the gospel and have been wondering where it has been up until now!" SO true. On a much smaller scale obviously but still. Man it is amazing. If sister m and I get separated I might need you to send me another copy, Mom.

LAYING ON OF HANDS

Last night we had a really strong impression that we needed to stop by Angelica's house. We cleaned her house a while back, remember that? Anyway, she has kinda been off the grid for a while and we have had a hard time contacting her but we felt like we needed to stop by. So we pull up and Angelica is sitting on the hood of her car talking with a few friends. We go up and start talking and meet her friends, her friends go inside and its just us and Angelica talking with the cicadas chirping. We told her that she needs to start making God a priority in her life. Then she tells us that since this spring high stabbing all she can think about is the evil in the world and how scared she is for her and her family. It was really sad.

She told us that her youngest son, Moses, had a dream a few nights ago that was really scary and he was surrounded by evil, but at the end of the dream, Angelica told us that Moses said, "But its okay mommy because God helped me win in the end and I beat all the bad guys." She teared up and said that she wanted to just go run and hide away because the world is getting to be so evil. We hugged her and Sister Montierth said, "Angelica, would it help if we prayed?" Angelica nodded, we gathered closer and bowed our heads. Sister M said a beautiful prayer and at the end, Angelica, exhaled looked at me and said, "Were you touching me?"... I looked at Sister M and she looked back at me, we shook our heads and said, "No, Angelica. We didn't touch you. I promise." She laughed and said, "no really!" I said, "Angelica, we didn't touch you." She told us that she felt hand on her head like static running through her body. We testified that was the spirit. We told her. "Angelica, we are true disciples of Jesus Christ and that peace that you feel, that is the spirit testifying of truth." She was stunned. We gave her a hug and as we walked away she was still totally dumbfounded. I stepped into the car and fist-bumped Sister Montierth saying, "DUDE. That was amazing. Church is true."

This church is true. I know it is. Share it!

xoxoxox

-sister king

Elder Gutierrez' first snowcone! He LOVED it.