Dear Family,

 

New Zealand is wonderful. I really really love it here. I think that I have completely adjusted now and I don't know if I want to leave. I really miss all of you so you should just move here and I will be happy. Really though this country is amazing. 

I completed my first transfer and I am on week eight of my training program. Four weeks to go and I am an official missionary. I am scared though because right now there are twenty-three sisters serving in the Hamilton Mission. Ten are leaving in the next couple of transfers and 100 new sisters are going to be in the mission before the end of the year. President Rudd has hinted that we are all going to be training next transfer and I am terrified. I am just so new and I don't want to be responsible for another sister. I am not mature enough for that! 

So we had transfers last week and I am still in Temple View and still in a trio with Sister Whiting and Sister Hiyas. We will be together for at least three more weeks. Then there is a sister going home mid-transfer and three sisters coming so we don't know what is going to happen. The three sister that are coming aren't VC sisters so it probably won't change anything for us. I am happy here though for the time being. I am learning to love the area. There still aren't very many people to teach. We have a few investigators that we are struggling with because they aren't progressing and the baptism that was scheduled for Saturday fell apart so that was really sad. The girl just wasn't ready and she only agreed to be baptized because that was what her grandmother wanted so I guess it is a good thing that she didn't go through with it. We are going to continue to work with her and hopefully she will someday be ready to be baptized. We are struggling with our other two investigators because they just aren't progressing or keeping commitments. We really don't know what more to do. If we were in a regular area with other people to teach then they would have been dropped by now because they just aren't moving forward. But because we don't have any one else to teach we keep going back to them. This week though is going to it however. We have a dynamite lesson planned and if they still don't keep their commitments after that then we are going to stop working with them for a time. It is very sad and frustrating. But missions are hard and I know that. 

Well I had my first Islander meal last night. Remember the 20 kilo mission thing? Well this was a 20 kilo meal. I have never seen so much food in my life. The family that fed us are great. I love them and they have the best personalities. The dad actually served his mission in Albuquerque so I like talking to him about New Mexico. I'm worried though because he said that he makes the best Mexican food. I hope he doesn't make it for me sometime because then I would have to eat it so his feelings wouldn't be hurt. I really thought I had escaped the Mexican food thing but I guess not. Anyways we are sitting at the table in the kitchen talking while they were finishing up preparing the meal and they just kept bringing plate after plate to the table piled high with different types of food. To make things simple I will just make a list of all the stuff that they cooked for us last night: fried chicken, chapsuey? (This is how Sister Hiyas says its spelled), mashed potatoes, rice, shrimp, pork strips, carrots, broccoli. It was nuts. I tried to get a small amount of everything and I was so full I wanted to throw-up. Then they brought out a truffle dessert and I forced myself to eat it. After I finished I was thankful that I was able to fit it all in but then the brought out another dessert! Can you believe that? TWO DESSERTS!!! It was so much food that I felt sick for the rest of the night. Sister Hiyas said though that that was what every meal was like in Auckland. I guess I need to be thankful that the rest of the members here feed us a normal amount of food. I really love the family that fed us though. The are Samoan and they are just so funny. I guess they just really love us. 

Let me just say this again that I love President Rudd. He is the greatest! He is so funny. When he came here at first he said that there was a scripture that described him and that is Moses 6:38. Read it and ponder how great he is. I really love him and Sister Rudd. They came into the VC yesterday and we got to talk to them for a long time and Sister Rudd found out that we hadn't been to the temple here yet and she said she is going to take care of that :) We were also taking some pictures (we are always taking pictures) and Sister Rudd yelled "Let's do a funny one!" So we did and even President Rudd made a funny face. It was the best thing ever. They are just so cool. Mom and Dad I hope you get to meet them someday. 

Over all it was a great week even though our baptism canceled. But it's all good! We will just work harder this week. I am sorry that this is a short email. Not much happened this week. Just hard work. I love and miss all of you! 

Love, Maquel