Week 12!!!

Hello everyone!

This week has been one hundred percent crazy. We currently have 2 PEOPLE on date to be baptized. We are teaching a woman from Lao how to speak English. We had Zone Conference this week, and about a million lessons. It's been so crazy. I wish I could remember everything but I simply cannot. I would have to go through my journal... 

Sister Griffen came tracting with us this last week which was super cool!! She is the tiniest lady and is not afraid of anything. We were able to teach Yacine a lesson with her there which was AWESOME. SO GREAT. She's the best. 

Last pday, we broke the vacuum. Well "we" didn't... I guess I was the one vacuuming, but it just kinda started smoking on its own and lost all cleaning ability... wooo!! Everyday when we make chicken, the fire alarm goes off and we have to drop everything and drag a chair over to the fire alarm so I can jump off of it and smack the alarm so it will quit. I'll let you imagine what that scene looks like. Anytime we walk into the apartment and the alarm is going off in someone's apartment we always say "so sorry... we understand how you feel." 

We have been teaching Khamphiane English lessons so she can understand people better.. it's really important to her and she loves to learn. I often tell sister Peterson "if I could adopt an adult, I would adopt her." True fact. We find out more and more every time we visit. This last visit we found out that she was in the NAVY when she was 19 and that she has a whole book of pictures she drew of Lao. She's one of my favorite humans ever. Last Sunday we had a lesson with her, and because it was a lesson we were able to drive her home. So we had her in the back of our car which was the best thing ever... I wish I would have taken a picture of her all bundled up in her coat. As we were driving we went over the Fox River and I said "Khamphiane look how pretty it is!" She goes "OHHHHH... It frozen. Sorry mam." I guess you would have had to hear it but we were crying laughing. She likes to salute us and call us randomly when she forgets things... if we don't answer she leaves massages like "uhhh sistas.... when you coming OVER? Sataday? Why you not answer when I call YOU. YOU BUSY? Ok. Love sis. Khamphiane."  WE currently have 8 voice mails and I bet they're all from her... lol

Palmira is another one of my fave People. She is from Puerto Rico. You often don't ever know anything that she is saying because she is mumbling a thick accented English or she is speaking Spanish and thinks that it's English. Then when she looks at you and realizes that you don't know one word she just said she laughs and laughs and corrects herself. She kisses your cheek and gives you a great big hug and calls you honey and sincerely cares about you. I took a picture with her, I'll send it! 

This mission has the very best people ever in it. I'm convinced. I love the people of Elgin. They bless my life and teach me a ton. I wish you could all know these people because they are a part of my heart now! Someday I'll send an email explaining everyone. 

This week I have had such a testimony builder of prayer. Heavenly Father loves us so much. I had an email sent to me explaining Heavenly Father's point of view when it came to the resurrection and I realized that our Father in heaven loves us so much, and wants us back so bad, that he watched his perfect son go through all the pains and sorrows we would ever feel. He watched him bleed from every pore and die on the cross. How hard that would be as a parent? But that's how bad he wants us all back. The atonement is a blessing. A life saver. Repentance is a happy thing. Repentance is just letting Heavenly Father help you make changes to make you a better person. I love this gospel. Families are forever. I'm so grateful. I love and miss you all so much. 

Love, Sister Bair