ONE YEAR MARK!

hi mom and family and friends!

So I’m here in san pedro still. With the same companion, hermana barrios. I know it’s always a shock when things aren’t different haha. Anyways the pictures are of me and my girls here in this house. The one with pizza is last monday, and the other one is us celebrating my one year mark which is the same day as my companions 1 month mark! so that was fun.

Ok well this week was definitely less cold and we enjoyed it (well my companion was almost dead with how hot it was and I was like honey, this is winter here). But today we are feeling winds from the south which means it’s soon gunna be cold. Anyways a little bit about my house where I live: it’s awesome. Definitely the most beautiful house I’ve lived in here. Its right next to the church which is awesome. Also the owner of the house has a parrot, a little black cat, and a bright white bunny with red eyes. I love it. The cat and bunny play together. I’m  teaching the parrot to whistle "woot woot" any time someone says "hermana black". So far its working good! seriously the birds here are super intelligent. Also the other night we were all in one of the bedrooms when hermana ariza gave a little yelp! They were all sitting on the beds and i was sitting on the floor. Well usually when people yelp like that it means mouse! So i got up and turned around faster than rain clouds enter santa cruz. But it was just the bunny. haha. I chased him out. Definitely like the pets of this house better. 

Anyways the new president and his wife got here this week! President and hermana Willard from Arizona. Um they are seriously amazing. They are changing so much about the mission- so much that I knew needed to change for a long time. I am so happy!!!! Ah this week was super stressful because I’m training, opening a new area, doing intercambios, and well it’s a special week for Elisa haha. But i know that little by little things are really going to change here for the good. I know that i definitely got closer to god for all my suffering here, and maybe that’s why I had the president I had. But now with these new changes I’m going to feel so safe, enjoy my time more, and have a lot less stress I think. I’m very very grateful for this. Maybe I just needed to learn and see the difference. But seriously I just cried after our conference with the president on tuesday! The changes are very, very good. 

Anyways we have been struggling with the work here a little right now. We do have lots of references which is incredible. But we are doing a lot of walking and not a lot of entering. I guess i really just need to get over my fear of talking to people on the phone and call people a lot more. But yeah it’s good. I’m also learning humility a lot here haha which is good. I just miss my old zone that started saying "we will go and do the things which Hermana Black commands". haha gotta start from scratch again here. haha no humility is just what I need.

Anyways this is all for today. I’m learning lots and its awesome. Hope california was a blast! love, hermana elisa black