Hello August!

Dear Family,

Tomorrow marks the end of my first transfer in the field! The time has gone fast but slow. Sister Cook and I are staying in Havasu together for at least one more transfer, and then we'll see after that! We're the only companionship staying the same in our District. I'm realizing how much of a change it will be when I have to switch areas or companions (or both!)... I'm sure it will feel like I'm beginning a whole new mission! Apparently missionaries are staying in areas longer though. We went on exchanges again this week (I went to the other area in Havasu with Sister Lowry) and Sister Lowry told me that she stayed in both her first and second areas for 6 months each. 6 MONTHS! That's so long! You can do so much work in that time! Part of me hopes I stay in Havasu for that long. That means I'd be here till Christmas! 

We drove into Vegas on Thursday for mid-12 week training with all the missionaries that came into the field with me and their trainers, plus the AP's and President and Sister Snow. Sister Cook wasn't feeling well that morning so we called into the mission home and got permission to switch drivers for the day. We woke up at 5 AM and headed out to Vegas by 6:15... it was liberating being able to drive! Haha. Oh, I loved it. Training was refreshing - it always puts things in perspective to hear other missionaries' insights on the work. And I loved seeing my fellow MTC missionaries! Especially Sister Browning. She is serving in a singles ward in Vegas and loves it. After training, I had an appointment at Sister Cook's uncle's dentist office to get fitted for a nightguard he made me! Free dental care.. we are so spoiled! We ate lunch at Zupas before taking the 2 and a half hour drive back to Havasu. Someone paid for our meal, or the restaurant fed us on the house - either way, we ate free of charge! It was so yummy. 

So happy to see Sister Browning!

MTC Selfie

Our zone at zone conference on Friday! 

All the sisters.

At the dentist.

I'm not sure whether or not it was you who ordered me a Spanish book off Amazon, Mom, but I got one in the mail this week and I was SO HAPPY! Sister Cook and I were giddy with excitement and we've been reading from it and practicing our Spanish every day as we drive from appointment to appointment. I've never been so excited about Spanish in my LIFE! Haha. I hope some of the vocab and grammar I'm learning will stick!

Last night we had dinner at new family in the ward's home, the Goodmans. They are a young couple, with a 3 year old boy and another on the way. Brother Goodman is doing his residency here in dermatology, they're both BYU grads, and they're the nicest people! After dinner we offered to deliver a meal they'd prepared for a struggling family in the ward boundaries since we'd be out and about anyways. Well during the hour we'd been there it had rained hard, and when it rains in Havasu, it's not just a few drops - it's a full on monsoon. We set out to deliver the meal, but found that many of the streets were flooded and all the wind and rain had carried piles of rocks out onto the roads. Havasu has what are called "washes" throughout the city, where all the water drains. We were blocked from really getting anywhere because all the washes were flooded, so we couldn't get the food for the family. We went to bring it back to the Goodmans, and they said we could keep it for ourselves. That was the third time members had just handed us food within 3 days! We have taco meat, salmon, bean burritos, 2 loaves of bread, 6 bags of cookies, a casserole, a huge salad, and watermelon to feed us for the week! We are the luckiest :) 

Once we left the Goodmans we stopped by the Raders to pay them another visit (remember Sister Rader is the little old lady who has hundreds of baby dolls?). Sister Rader is really sick and Brother Rader is recovering from a heart attack a few weeks ago. Sister Rader hasn't been able to come to church in a while and is pretty miserable stuck at home, so yesterday after sacrament meeting Brother Rader asked us to stop by that evening to see her. Instead of going in with a formal lesson prepared, we decided we'd chat with them and then sing a hymn or two. It is so rewarding to see Sister Rader's face just light up when we come in the room and sit down on her couch. She just started chatting up a storm right away, and she and Brother Rader shared many stories from their 60 years of marriage together. When it came time to go and we offered to sing a hymn for them, Sister Rader requested we sing 'I Stand All Amazed' and then added, "Oh! And do either of you play the piano? I have one over in the other room that hasn't been played in years!" Sister Cook volunteered me (I'm a little rusty on my piano playing), and we moved into the other room so that I could play while Sister Cook sang. The Raders loved it and told us we need to come back regularly to play for them. I have just come to love them both so much!

Singing and playing the piano at the Raders.

One night this week we had dinner at the Sanchez family's home. I had dinner at their house the very first night I was in Havasu; I remember the night we drove into the town, we stopped by the apartment to drop off my things and then headed straight over to our dinner appointment with them. My how things have changed since then! They have become dear friends and major staples in my early mission experience. We ate Mexican food - tacos and beans and rice, with Bluebell ice cream for dessert. The whole time we were just talking and laughing. Sister Cook and I told them about driving to Vegas for mid-12 week training and how we'd stopped by her uncle's dentist office to pick up my new nightguard. I smiled real big, sat up straight, and proudly exclaimed, "Now we have matching ones!" Maybe it's one of those "you-had-to-be-there" moments, but oh they roared with laughter! They wouldn't stop teasing us for 5 minutes straight, and kept joking that we'd have to take a picture with our nightguards in our mouth so they could see, and did we talk funny in them, and did they glow in the dark? They just kept going and when the laughter finally died down, I tilted by head towards Sister Cook and quietly asked, "Wait, do they really glow in the dark?" And the rounds took off again. Sister Aston (the Relief Society president who joined us with her family for dinner) was gasping for air and saying, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe.." between her fits of laughter. It was toooo good, and such a fun memory :) The Sanchez's daughter Kaylie is leaving for her last year at the University of Arizona and we'll really miss her! We got a picture with her at church yesterday for safe-keeping. 

Kaylie, Sister Cook, Sister Robinson

I love you all so so so much!

With love,

Sister Robinson