9 July "Bikes!!!" (Week 1, Transfer 9)

Familia!!!

Oh the good times...

Contacting on a bike is probably the funniest thing I have ever done in my life.

Please imagine this.  Me on a pink bike that is too small for me.  Wearing a skirt and a helmet that is killing my hair.  Riding to our appointment (up a slight hill) and sweating profusely:)  We make it up the hill:) We see some people up the street (now going downhill) so we aim to talk to them. Then comes the wind!  Trying to keep our skirts from flying up as we go down the street, I start to hit the brakes so stop in time to talk to these people. Every time I hit the brakes all you hear is this loud prolonged: SQUUUUEEAKKKKKKKKK. Thinking that it would make the sound better to brake in short snippets the sounds then changes to: SQUUUEEAK, SQUUEAK, SQUEAAK, every 2 seconds.  Needless to say, we needed no intorduction in that contact...because the whole street was looking at us by that point! 

It was probably one on the funniest days of my life. We could NOT stop laughing, due to the brakes, the skirts, the helmets, etc.  and it was just an adventure that was so funny.  We did notice that people lost a LOT os respect for us when we were on bikes...the just just of laughed at us and didn't take anything we said seriously. But, oh well. We biked a lot this week and had a record high of 266 contacts this week. NEVER have I even come close to that number on my mission. It was fun, but we also didn't get very many lessons this week. Our investigators are dropping like flies, but we have some good potentials that we have appointments with next week, so that'll be good:) 

It has been fun

The2 first pics attached are of the first day on the bike (obviously they were taking before we left the house, because we are sweat free and not sore yet). Needless to say those few days ended with a VERY sore Rear end and a very attractive farmers tan:) It was fun, but a little miracle happened and somehow the mission overlooked an extra car that they had and the sisters that we have a car share with got one yesterday. So no more bikes for now!

Dad- I can't believe you crashed on my bike!  glad it was only the bike that got injured and not you!  I talked to President Kendrick and I'm sorry, but he has no memory of you:)  I He's 56 so you must have just missed each other on the mish. But I am shocked at how much spanish he has forgotten. Like it's a lot. He doesn't remember much at all. So that definitely gave me respect for you at keeping your spanish up after all of these years, and motivated me to do that too!  He's doing well as the Pres, you can definitely tell it's all new still and he's just full of nerves. We had Mission Leadership Council on Friday and that was like his first big thing as President, and poor guy, the meeting was a little scattered, but good. They are already making lots of changes, so it's interesting. It'll be great, but everyone is still kind of in 'transition' mode, but with a few more weeks they'll have their feet under them and all will be well.

Speaking of the Kendricks, what are Marisa and Bert up to? Have they moved back to Utah yet or are they still in Oaklahoma? 

For Pioneer day our ward is building a replica of the Nauvoo Temple in the parking lot of our Stake Center! It is quite funny actually. WE went last night to help them build it and all the men are working on 1 piece of the wall- all clustered in there together with no room to breathe and too many hands in one place. And then all the women are just sitting to the sides chatting with nothing to do. It was a little bit ridiculous! so we got there and we got them to give us jobs so that everyone can be involved. It was fun, but they are going to have to work fast to get it finished on time!  We'll have to take a picture next time we go over to help.

We are searching desperately for investogators, and miraclulously we picked one up yesterday. He has potential and has LOTS of questions! It was hard to get through the first lesson cause he'd stop us every 2 seconds, but it was good. We are excited to help him get progressing. 

We dropped our one investigator Esperanza this week...she just wasn't even willing to try and give up her saints.  She had been reading a praying, but when we asked her if Heavenly Father came down himself and asked her to stop praying to her saints, would she do it.  Without even a second's hesitation she said "absolutely not! I can't ever drop mis Santos!" It was a shame, but we can't make people do anything, just motivate them to do the will of God and if they don't want to , so be it. It is sad though, because we had some really good lessons with her that were filled with the spirit and to see her just deny that hurts.  Someday she will understand!

WEll that's really all that has happened this week.  It's hot and humid, but life is good! Love you all so!

Katie is in my prayers for her continued healing and also the Fords and the Kusileks for their housing situation. Have a marvellous week!

Love, Hna Whicker!!