July 1st, 2013 Letter....
So Mary and Frankie's baptism was just them. I can't even explain it! Oh man, it was just perfectly them! One of the things that was way different than other baptisms I've seen is that the ward mission leader let everyone bear a short testimony. I really liked what everyone said, but I've never seen that before.
Oh this past week, we were walking on the sidewalk and this guy on his porch stops us and yells out to us, "what are you two pretty ladies in the long dresses doing walking out here?" So we told him. His response was "Oh, that's great. People here need to hear the word of God and they need your message." He was right. And he was also drunk. I swear, you'd think I was in Russia with all the drunks we meet. (That has been one of Johnny's big issues in Russia...is the constant public drinking.) Anyway, he even had the stereotypical bottle of alcohol in a brown bag. This has happened so often that now Sister Hernandez and I just laugh at all these situations.
Sister Hernandez is just so hard working! She is a really great example to me and she has a really strong testimony of the gospel and of prayer. She knows why she is here and that this is the Lord's work. She is also quiet natured like me, so we can be in the car (with music on) and not say too much because it isn't awkward. We both understand quiet, so it's all good. We do talk, just random stuff like back home, our investigators, the ward here, and what we look forward to once we get home. She looks forward to telling her mom everything and playing soccer.
The other girls in our apartment are also great. We all get along really well. Sister Schmidt is so nice and Sister Siddoway is always so happy. Both are great!
We have a great investigator family....the G. family. They are really great people and they see how their lives are changing for the better, both individually and as a family because of the gospel. They ask really great questions and they know that they are going to be baptized.
This week was in the 90's and I wore a 1/2 sleeve cardigan one day and someone asked me if I was hot. After Bakersfield and 119 degrees, I just don't feel like things get hot at all here!
Love you,
Love Hermana Rubow :)
July 8th, 2013 Letter
Bah humbug! There is never enough time to send email and pictures. So I'll write ya a letter.
What the what! Johnny is so skinny! He sent me two pictures. Whoa!!!!!
It is possible that I have to give a talk in District meeting, but I don't know yet. We got a text today to prepare a talk on diligence and then they are going to draw a name. I hope I don't get picked because my talk was SOOOO bad the first time and I do not want to go for round two. Geez....
So, some differences between California and NC...
--In Bakersfield, people don't have mailboxes like they do at home...95% of them have a mail slot at their front door and the front doors are very detailed and very fancy.
--People don't say y'all. :(
--There aren't as many trees.
--It seems like it hardly ever rains here. :) Love that!
--It's weird seeing mountains and then knowing that I'm only 45 minutes away from the coast. But I love that.
--It's not as humid...I really love that!
--Hardee's is a Carl's Jr. here. I'll probably come home saying, "I want two trays daddy" from Carl's jr...ha ha (shoutout to Dan) We don't get fastfood, but that is a difference between home and here.
--The water is really quite terrible here. It's really gross. But it is a little more bearable if it is refrigerated for a few hours. But then there are angels sent from heaven that give us water bottles! (Not real angels, but amazing people who are so kind!)
I love Santa Paula! The people are just so great and the weather is perfect!!!
I'm the driver for our companionship. Oh I don't like this very much! Driving here stresses me out! Everybody and their brother owns like ten cars and they park them all on the side of the street. It makes it so hard to make turns and I worry that I'll pull out in front of people because I can't see!! I get so nervous sometimes but Sister Hernandez says I'm doing fine, thankfully! She also says she is glad she's not the driver! :) ha ha
I try to speak Spanish with the G. family. They all understand English and the wife and daughter speak it fluently. So, when we have lessons, they say it is just fine if I speak English because they get that it is frustrating to learn a language. I'm SOOOOO grateful that they are fine with it, because lessons are soooo overwhelming for me when they are in Spanish. Well, anything in Spanish is overwhelming for me right now!
So..here's my real deal of the week... Sometimes, I wish I had put English only on my papers. I most feel like I'm never gonna be able to learn Spanish and it is super frustrating for me. Especially with never really using it last transfer and I feel like I have soooo much to catch up on. I never know what to do with language study that will be effective. My companion is super great and is willing to help, but I don't know what I need help with...other than EVERYTHING! if that makes sense. My companion is patient and sometimes I worry that she forgets that I'm not fluent in Spanish. I feel so bad that I don't know what to say becasue I don't know how to teach in Spanish. I don't want her to do all the work and I want to do my part, but I feel soooo stuck sometimes! So, that's the real deal......
We have Zone Conference next Monday and I'm super excited for that! I hope to see my MTC friends!
July 4th...we had to be in our apartment by 8:00 pm. We heard the next day that 20 people were injured from a firework show and that one lady actually lost her leg from a firework that tipped over and shot into the crowd!!! People were also doing fireworks on the 5th too, we heard them but we didn't see them.
Brother Ennis, our ward mission leader, is so hysterical!!! In ward correlation, he said this quote to everyone--"Be silent and thought a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt". Thought that quote was awesome! Later, he told me, "Hermana Rubow, you are shy, aren't you?" I told him that I'm not as much shy as I am reserved...okay, maybe I am shy! I told him...remember that quote from correlation meeting! That's me!!!
Alright, that's it! I'll email y'all next Tuesday on our rescheduled P-day!
Love y'all,
Love Hermana Rubow
So Mary and Frankie's baptism was just them. I can't even explain it! Oh man, it was just perfectly them! One of the things that was way different than other baptisms I've seen is that the ward mission leader let everyone bear a short testimony. I really liked what everyone said, but I've never seen that before.
Oh this past week, we were walking on the sidewalk and this guy on his porch stops us and yells out to us, "what are you two pretty ladies in the long dresses doing walking out here?" So we told him. His response was "Oh, that's great. People here need to hear the word of God and they need your message." He was right. And he was also drunk. I swear, you'd think I was in Russia with all the drunks we meet. (That has been one of Johnny's big issues in Russia...is the constant public drinking.) Anyway, he even had the stereotypical bottle of alcohol in a brown bag. This has happened so often that now Sister Hernandez and I just laugh at all these situations.
Sister Hernandez is just so hard working! She is a really great example to me and she has a really strong testimony of the gospel and of prayer. She knows why she is here and that this is the Lord's work. She is also quiet natured like me, so we can be in the car (with music on) and not say too much because it isn't awkward. We both understand quiet, so it's all good. We do talk, just random stuff like back home, our investigators, the ward here, and what we look forward to once we get home. She looks forward to telling her mom everything and playing soccer.
The other girls in our apartment are also great. We all get along really well. Sister Schmidt is so nice and Sister Siddoway is always so happy. Both are great!
We have a great investigator family....the G. family. They are really great people and they see how their lives are changing for the better, both individually and as a family because of the gospel. They ask really great questions and they know that they are going to be baptized.
This week was in the 90's and I wore a 1/2 sleeve cardigan one day and someone asked me if I was hot. After Bakersfield and 119 degrees, I just don't feel like things get hot at all here!
Love you,
Love Hermana Rubow :)
July 8th, 2013 Letter
Bah humbug! There is never enough time to send email and pictures. So I'll write ya a letter.
What the what! Johnny is so skinny! He sent me two pictures. Whoa!!!!!
It is possible that I have to give a talk in District meeting, but I don't know yet. We got a text today to prepare a talk on diligence and then they are going to draw a name. I hope I don't get picked because my talk was SOOOO bad the first time and I do not want to go for round two. Geez....
So, some differences between California and NC...
--In Bakersfield, people don't have mailboxes like they do at home...95% of them have a mail slot at their front door and the front doors are very detailed and very fancy.
--People don't say y'all. :(
--There aren't as many trees.
--It seems like it hardly ever rains here. :) Love that!
--It's weird seeing mountains and then knowing that I'm only 45 minutes away from the coast. But I love that.
--It's not as humid...I really love that!
--Hardee's is a Carl's Jr. here. I'll probably come home saying, "I want two trays daddy" from Carl's jr...ha ha (shoutout to Dan) We don't get fastfood, but that is a difference between home and here.
--The water is really quite terrible here. It's really gross. But it is a little more bearable if it is refrigerated for a few hours. But then there are angels sent from heaven that give us water bottles! (Not real angels, but amazing people who are so kind!)
I love Santa Paula! The people are just so great and the weather is perfect!!!
I'm the driver for our companionship. Oh I don't like this very much! Driving here stresses me out! Everybody and their brother owns like ten cars and they park them all on the side of the street. It makes it so hard to make turns and I worry that I'll pull out in front of people because I can't see!! I get so nervous sometimes but Sister Hernandez says I'm doing fine, thankfully! She also says she is glad she's not the driver! :) ha ha
I try to speak Spanish with the G. family. They all understand English and the wife and daughter speak it fluently. So, when we have lessons, they say it is just fine if I speak English because they get that it is frustrating to learn a language. I'm SOOOOO grateful that they are fine with it, because lessons are soooo overwhelming for me when they are in Spanish. Well, anything in Spanish is overwhelming for me right now!
So..here's my real deal of the week... Sometimes, I wish I had put English only on my papers. I most feel like I'm never gonna be able to learn Spanish and it is super frustrating for me. Especially with never really using it last transfer and I feel like I have soooo much to catch up on. I never know what to do with language study that will be effective. My companion is super great and is willing to help, but I don't know what I need help with...other than EVERYTHING! if that makes sense. My companion is patient and sometimes I worry that she forgets that I'm not fluent in Spanish. I feel so bad that I don't know what to say becasue I don't know how to teach in Spanish. I don't want her to do all the work and I want to do my part, but I feel soooo stuck sometimes! So, that's the real deal......
We have Zone Conference next Monday and I'm super excited for that! I hope to see my MTC friends!
July 4th...we had to be in our apartment by 8:00 pm. We heard the next day that 20 people were injured from a firework show and that one lady actually lost her leg from a firework that tipped over and shot into the crowd!!! People were also doing fireworks on the 5th too, we heard them but we didn't see them.
Brother Ennis, our ward mission leader, is so hysterical!!! In ward correlation, he said this quote to everyone--"Be silent and thought a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt". Thought that quote was awesome! Later, he told me, "Hermana Rubow, you are shy, aren't you?" I told him that I'm not as much shy as I am reserved...okay, maybe I am shy! I told him...remember that quote from correlation meeting! That's me!!!
Alright, that's it! I'll email y'all next Tuesday on our rescheduled P-day!
Love y'all,
Love Hermana Rubow
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