October 16, 2013 - Mundelein, IL

Hey hey hey!!

What a week and a half! Pretty much flew by. Let's jump in it- straight from the top!

Last Tuesday. Brought Hmno/Hmna Quevedo to our apt with Hmno Hernandez...inactive, who was baptized in Mexico in the 80's, moved here, went to our branch a few times, and hasn't been back in years. He told us he only knows our branch President- and no one else. We thought maybe it'd be good for him to make more friends :) Which worked out perfectly! They all hit it off- and Hmno Hernandez told us at the end that he wants to come to church, but he'll only come if the Quevedos will give him a ride :) And to make the night even better......we visited with Hmna Vasquez, another inactive that I've been visiting every week....and she told us that she got her work schedule fixed, and can start coming to church. Was she there on Sunday with her daughter? Yes!!!!

Went on exchanges with the sister trainer leaders on Sunday night. What an experience! Being in the city is always nuts. Maybe it's just going from slow-paced Mundelein to crazy-paced Chicago...that's gotta be it. Some of the highlights? Missing the bus in the first place- so we started walking to our lesson....got hit on by a drunk Mexican, who was impressed when I replied back to him in Spanish. Am I his princess? Supposedly. Missing the bus again. Walking more. Finally arriving at our lesson, 45 mins late. Amazing posole for dinner pt.1.. Questions from a 10 yr old about where animals go after dying- and having just read that in D&C 77. Double fried chicken nuggets for dinner, pt.2 (didn't know that was possible). Missed the bus, while walking to our third lesson....and walking through the "red light district"....the whole time thinking..."ohhhh, Lorie would be sooooooooo scared!". And ending the night, teaching the most humble, wonderful family ever! Single mom with her 3 daughters...the oldest, being 14 and pregnant.

Had our usual lesson with Antonio on Tuesday. Honestly. I could go on for days about how much I love this man. We couldn't find any females to come with us, so we were planning on just teaching him outside. That usually works.....except, the weather decided to get nasty and start raining. We show up, and he has this huge surprised look on his face...estan sola?! Yes. All alone. So! We grabbed our umbrellas, Antonio made hot chocolate, and we taught him under the tree. We shared D&C 4 (classic) and D&C 18:15-16. It was a total Napoleon Dynamite moment after we read v.15-16..."I want thatttt". Top it off, he surprised us with scrumptious tamales.  

I've got some AWESOME news! As of Tuesday...I'll be on Facebook!!!!! Crazy, yeah? We're mission number 9 to be getting on. Still no word on the ipads (President is actually in St.Louis, I believe, right now for some ipad/technology meeting for mission presidents. No big deal), but we'll be given 1 hour in the afternoon...slow time of the day...to do FB proselyting. At first, I was really confused as to how this would work out...but really, after the meeting we had today to explain it all - I'm SO excited to use it. It's truly going to be an awesome new tool.  Don't bother looking for me or adding me....#nothappening.

Something I learned this week, that I LOVED! We had a combined zone conference last week...random side note, President Woodbury made me stand up in front of everyone...why? Because I've got the most time in Buffalo Grove Zone...not time altogether in the mission, just most time in that one zone. Hollla! Matriarch Mortensen. Anyway. His whole lesson was on Nephi and Laman/Lemuel. This is what I got from it. They all had the same 'mission'. Leave Jerusalem, travel in the desert, go back for the plates, travel more, build a boat, and travel to the Americas. Not an easy mission. But! They all completed it.  The only difference? Their attitude! We're all here and we can either be humbled by it, learn, and enjoy it....or murmur and complain the whole time. I guess at some point or another, we are a Laman/Lemuel. Luckily, it's a new day every 24 hours, and we get to try it over again and be better.

This may just be the longest novel I've ever written. Sorry kiddos. Makes me think of all the long forwarded missionary letters I've received over the years...that I looked at, and never read. Hope I'm not that missionary :(

Love you all though! Have a good week!

Hmna Mortensen