air ee sen boorg

Querida Familia,

     Sorry me di cuenta that I sent two emails with almost the same title "burg de harrison." It's just hard to come up with creative names every week. So today's title is how people say "Harrisonburg" in Spanish. Anyway...

*We had a good week in the valley :)

     After emailing last P-day I tried to donate blood again. The first time I ever tried, they told me I was underweight. The second time, they told me my blood pressure was too low. And this time, they said that the needle is thicker than my veins. She said that if I ever want to donate blood, I have to eat like it's Thanksgiving 3 days in a  row and drink like 5 or 6 water bottles the morning of. I was a little disappointed because I've always wanted to donate blood but I'll probably never be able to. I don't know why it made me sad but it kind of did, haha;)

     Anyway...on Monday night there were some happenstances so we ended up doing a two-night exchange with some other Sisters in the Zone. I stayed in Harrisonburg! We did a lot of finding and found a new apartment complex to knock in! It's mostly American, but there are some Hispanic pockets hiding within.

     Later I went back with Hermana McRae and it was SO COLD! And here, the cold is different than the cold in Utah. The cold here just penetrates you to your bones. It was only about 28 degrees, but my feet were so cold (even with boots) that it hurt to walk. It was about 4:50and I was thinking we should head home for dinner because I was freezing and wanted to put another pair of tights on. (I normally wear sweater tights with thermals on top and 2 pairs of socks.) BUT I have a really great companion who said we should finish the stairwell. On the very last door, a Puerto Rican woman named Vanessa opened the door, invited us in, and fed us soup!!! She's a former investigator and really likes the church's focus on family. Her husband isn't very religious but she's hoping we can help him. It was a huge miracle and I'm so grateful we knocked a few more doors! We got fed, we got warm, and we got a new investigators!:)

     We also went to follow up on a potential last night. He wasn't home, but his mom Rosa let us in. She shared with us lots of crazy stories about her life in Puerto Rico and how she was a single mom to 9 kids. She also got shot three times and lived! She liked the restoration a lot. We invited her to be baptized on February 7th and she said "Maybe. I'll call you and let you know." Hahaha:) But we're actually going to go beWednesday so we'll ask her then.

*So I'm feeling pretty hopeful about this new apartment complex.

     We taught the Nieves family twice this week and they still won't come to church! They commit to it and everything, but never show up! We talked about temples and the Plan of Salvation and they really liked it. They said that they want to go to the temple together! They just need to come to church so they can get baptized so they can go to the temple in a year...

     Ana is doing really really well. She and Fabian came to church again. We have Sacrament Mtg, then RS/EQ, and end with Sunday School. We moved the Sunday School class to a different room, so Fabian got a little lost in the church trying to find his mom after Primary. She then explained to him that from here on out, he needs to come to this new classroom to find her. So that pretty much implies that she's planning on attending church regularly in the near future:) Ana's now come 3 times which means she could get baptized as soon as we finish the lessons. She still won't set a date, but we've been praying for the 24th.

     We're teaching a lot of Puerto Riquenos. We're teaching these two sisters and they are crazy and have lots of crazy parties. We felt like they weren't taking us seriously and didn't have a lot of respect for our message. They let us in, loved us a lot, but it was a very difficult environment to teach. We brought Hermano Larsen with us, from the Branch Presidency. He's a professor at James Madison University (located here in the Burg) and he's a lay-down-the-law kind of guy. We brought him with us and the lesson was SO much better! Every time he spoke, they listened. It was a really great lesson too and we were able to answer some of their questions. One hard thing with investigators is making sure that they know that they're investigating!! "How to Begin Teaching" from Chapter 10 in PMG is key in making sure that they understand the purpose of our visits and what we expect them to do between our visits.

     We also did three "power exchanges" with our Sisters this week. We met with each companionship, talked about their key indicators/goals for their area, and then went tracting. I LOVED going tracting with the Hermanas because they took us to the neatest trailer park I've ever seen. I dare say that this trailer park is even better than Foxwood Trailers in Stafford. It was like a middle-of-nowhere, country bumpkin trailer park that was all Hispanic. We chatted with one guy from Mexico on his front porch for 20 minutes and he basically told us his entire life story about being Orthodox Christian, wanting to be a monk, getting married instead, coming to the states, and now working in a bakery. The people here are so cool:)

     I'm not sure if you remember this or not...but our Branch made Christmas baskets to pass out to their non-member friends. The past week or two we've been working to receive and contact all of the member referrals. (The Branch as a whole passed out about 120 baskets!) We received one referral from Hermano Chavez for his work friend Victor. We went by last night and he let us in. He lives there with his wife, son, and cousin. His sister and nephew, who are neighbors, were also there. The cousin wasn't very involved in the lesson, but we counted the other 5 as new investigators! They loved the message of the restoration, went on and on about how great we are, and committed to pray and read! I was just so filled with joy that I burst into tears when we left their apartment. This is why I love missionary work:) We've had a few hard weeks with trying to find new investigators between exchanges, meetings, and holidays. We were finally blessed with 5 new (and Rosa, 6!) in one night!! I love love love my mission so much:) We called Hermano Chavez after the lesson to let him know and he was really excited too! The Christmas baskets have been really successful in finding new investigators and helping the Branch members get excited about missionary work.

     So things are going really well here in the valley:) Two of our Sisters are going home! Including Sister Robertson, who's mom lives in Lindsay's ward! She said she's going to hold Claire before I get to :P But it's okay. Then we have two Sisters being transferred, including Sister Lampinen, our T-Square Sister from Finland who is also my roommate:( But asi es la vida de una misionera! Hermana McRae and I are both staying and I think I'll be here til the end. I love Harrisonburg, I love my calling, I love Spanish, I love all of you.

Love, Hermanita Crandall

Burg de Harrison :)

Querida Familia,

     I'm really sorry but writing home isn't my favorite thing to do. It's nice to read your emails every week and all, but........I don't love emailing back, haha;)  But for Mom's sake, this is what happened:

     The Branch home teaching statistics are at about 8%. So we got together with all of the missionaries and the Elders' Quorum President for an hour or so to make new assignments. The new assignments were passed out on Sunday and then Presidente Lagos made a promise that if the Branch works toward 100% home teaching, church attendance will double! I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not, but our Branch is REALLY SMALL. We get about 20-30 people to church each week, and apparently last year it was closer to 10-15. The Branch is getting really excited about missionary work!:)

     We live really far from Richmond, about a 2+ hour drive. We had MLC (Missionary Leadership Council for Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders) on Wednesday in Richmond and we decided to drive ourselves because we've received member complaints about us asking for rides too much... So I got to drive us down, which I really enjoyed! Shenandoah is so beautiful, and probably even better in the springtime! 

     In MLC, President Wilson and the AP's give trainings. Then we meet together with the Zone Leaders from our Zone (Waynesboro West) to discuss what we want to share in Zone Meeting. Then we have until Friday to prepare a training (based on what President and the AP's said) for Zone Meeting! We also played lightning (basketball) during lunch and I stayed in for a few rounds! That was a lot of fun:) 

     I was able to give a training on setting goals for the new year. I shared some of the things I learned last year when Elder and Sister Ritchie of the DC South Mission visited the Fredericksburg Stake. I talked about making personal constitutions and using "I am" statements. My personal constitution starts with my vision: "I am Celestial material!" I picked this because I love my family! I have the best parents and sisters ever. I know for sure that all of you are going to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. So my greatest goal in life is to be "Celestial material" so I can be with all of you there!

     Another training I enjoyed was about spiritual creation. President Wilson talks about this one a lot, haha:) In Moses 3:5 it talks about how our Heavenly Father created all things spiritually before they were naturally created on the earth. We learn more about this in the temple. In the premortal life, we had the opportunity to spiritually created some of the experiences we have here. D&C 130 states that intelligence gained in this life will give us an advantage in the next life. I think that's true from our premortal life too. That's why certain people were preordained to live in specific dispensations. (Like this one!)

     After MLC on Wednesday, we had to stop in Charlottesville to drop off the Rapidan Sisters so we took the back way to get home to Harrisonburg. It was 7:00 and we were starving so we stopped for a quick dinner at Subway to celebrate the new year! We then visited with Hermana Maria, a recent convert and she fed us too. I thought about setting an alarm for 11:59 but decided against it because I was exhausted!

     Oh, and on our drive back, I saw a church sign that said, "Happy New Year! Is it your last?" The signs here just kill me:) I have a list in my journal somewhere of all the funny signs I've seen.

     Zone Meeting was on Friday which I already mentioned, and then on Saturday the Elders had a baptism! His name is Steven--his parents are recently returning and he's 9 or 10. Ana and Fabian came, and Fabian is always telling us about como quiere hacerse Crisitano, or how he wants to make himself a Christian. It's so cute:) I hope Ana accepts a date soon! They came to church on Sunday too. We're having a hard time getting a fellowshipper for Ana and I think that's what's going to make a difference.

     Afterwards we did a quick power exchange with the Sisters in Waynesboro because one of them was really sick. Waynesboro is 40 minutes away. By the end of the week, I was just exhausted!

     On Sunday I didn't feel very well. I guess the state of VA is at a "red level" for the flu. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but LOTS of people here have the flu. I was vaccinated for it, but I haven't been feeling great. That and my back has been hurting a lot. When I woke upSunday, it felt like there someone was gripping my spine in their hand. I felt like I needed to ask Hermano Julian to give me a blessing. He was baptized last May (former Testigo de Jehova!!) and is now in the Branch Presidency. It was his first time giving a blessing, and the first blessing I've received in Spanish. He blessed me that I'd be healed of all illnesses I have. While he said that, it felt like there was something physically leaving my back--as if their was someone gripping my spine but then they let go. He also said that the angel (singular) that is with me will protect me if I happen to fall again or feel sick again. That really hit me. Over the past two years I have felt a really strong connection to one of my ancestors. (Mommy will probably remember who.) That's why I wanted to be endowed in the Manti Temple--because I knew that she had received her endowment there. It was a really sacred experience! And many of the things he said I've heard in other blessings I've received. I know I felt inspired to ask Hermano Julian for the blessing because I knew that he would be very careful to listen to the Spirit!

     Ana and Fabian came to church. Leo didn't :( We're worried he might have been "antied" by his mom. But we'll keep working with him! We're teaching a new woman named Petronila! I'm pretty sure I have an ancestor by this name. We were really busy this week with leadership stuff, so hopefully this upcoming week we can spend more time working in our own area:)

     Right now I've been working through the Doctrine and Covenants. If you'd like to have your mind blown, reread Section 88. I don't know if I like it as much as 76, but it is full of golden nuggets!:)

Anyway, that's all for today! Happy New Year!:)

Love, Hermanita Crandall

Happy Christmas Harry! (sonburg)

Sisters Crandall & McRae

Querida Familia,

     Hi everyone! Long time no see:)  We had a really great and super fast week! The time is just flying.

     On Monday, we spent most of P-day trying to find a ride for 10 Sisters to get to the Christmas Conference in Richmond! It's about a 2+ hour drive and that makes it difficult to find willing/able members. But we finally did it:) As well as received updates all afternoon of the BYU game. (I'm not bitter.) (Except I'm a little bitter that a fight broke out.) (And I hope next season is better.)

     We also putted around the mall a bit, which is one of my favorite things to do during Christmas time! We found the CUTEST $10 matching Christmas shirts. Mine was a little big, but it worked okay.

     Tuesday was the long awaited Christmas conference! Hermana McRae sang "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" and it was really beautiful! We also did a song in Spanish as a district. It was a medley of "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," and "Angels we Have Heard on High." It was mostly just music and then short spiritual thoughts by different missionaries. 

     Sister Wilson introduced "More Fit for the Kingdom II: Nutrition on a Mission." I don't know if you remember this last year, but it's a fitness/weight-loss challenge between zones. Our apartment is super committed! This time we got nice little yellow bibles to keep track of weight loss and exercise points. It also has some yummy/healthy recipes. It finishes early April so it's perfect timing:) The back cover says, "Go BIG or go home big." Hahaha:) 

     President Wilson talked about how when we set really high goals, we're bound to fail, but we'll achieve more than we would have if we hadn't set a high goal. That and the journey will be so much more worth it. He also talked about the process that the Savior went through to discover that he was the Savior, and how we need to go through a similar process to discover who we are and what purpose God has for our lives. 

     During lunch we had a fun show where missionaries could sing parodies or songs they made up and two Elders did a song about President Wilson called "Fabulous." Because he is always reminding us to be fabulous missionaries! It was super funny--they said lots of President-isms. Hermana McRae got a video so we've been enjoying it all week:) All in all, Christmas Conference was a really great experience and I loved being able to see all of my missionary friends again!

     On Christmas Eve and Christmas day we were super busy with lots of appointments! And most of them gave us food. We spend Christmas Eve morning making lots of cookies and bagging them up with our roommates. Then we visited with Miguelina and her family. They're investigators from la Republica Dominicana. She cooked for us. I went back for a second plate of rice and potatoes. She asked why I didn't get seconds of the chicken and pasta and made me go back and refill my plate. #truestory;) Then we went caroling with the Hermanas and Elderes to a few members. We received two bags of tamales! Mexican and Guatemalan. Next we had dinner with recent converts Maria, Ester, and Keyla. She made us tamales and tortas and turkey. It was super yummy. We did a Noche de Hogar (FHE) and Maria shared her testimony of her conversion. We also gave them a star to put on their tree:) That night we had one more visit with a less-active, Gianfrances, who is going through some hard times right now. We shared "He is the Gift" with her and she cried a bit about being away from her family. (Mom is in NY and dad is  Puerto Rico.) We had a really great Christmas Eve! (And Maria gave us our third bag of tamales.)

     On Christmas morning, we did our normal run except with jingle bells! I hope someone heard us:) I made some french toast with eggnog which was really yummy! We invited the other Hermanas but they canceled last minute. We opened gifts with the Sisters we live with, so that was fun:) They were all very grateful, Mommy, for the cute stockings you sent! Thank you everyone for thinking of me at Christmas time:) Afterwards Hermana McRae and I both made our calls home.

     I was SUPER nervous to talk with you all! I'm not sure what it is, but something about calling home makes me feel weird. I guess I was worried it would distract me, but it didn't really. That and I was worried I would cry, which I did a lot of. I just really love my mission.

     Anyway, afterwards we were able to eat a late lunch with the Almendarez family, recent converts. And we ate two full plates. We went straight from that appointment to the Diaz family, who also made us eat two plates. At this point, I thought I was stuffed to capacity. We were able to visit with la familia Nieves, which is a really great investigator family! And we taught them about the Book of Mormon. The dad is so chevere. Then we went to see Ana (Fabian/Eric's mom) and she fed us the largest tamale I've ever eaten. I don't know if it was actually that big or if it just felt that big after everything I'd already eaten. Our last visit was with a less active named Vicky. She offered me a cookie and I put it in my pocket because I was done.

     So yeah, I had a great Christmas:) Even though I was the fullest I've ever felt, I was also super full of the Spirit and happiness for the love I have for these people and the love they have for me:)

Christmas Cow Concert ;-)

     I am almost out of time and I'm only half way done with the week!!   But GOOD NEWS! Leo came to church again, and Miguelina's daughter Jennifer came to church! They both liked it a lot and we're hoping that Leo will accept a date soon. We also found 3 super golden investigators last night!

Okay I love you all so much:)

Feliz Navidad!

Hermanita Crandall

hula dancing, hillbillies, hole-in-the-wall Chinese, and half-birthdays in Harrisonburg

Querida Familia,

     Hey it's been a happy week here in the valley!  I have lots to tell so this will probably be very sporadic.

     Last Monday we had Sisters' P-day! Hermana McRae and I brought rice and Hawaiian hay stacks (the cream of chicken topping thing) and all of the other sisters brought toppings like pinneapple and crunchy noodles. And we also got Hawaiian punch:) So we all ate together and then did a little white elephant gift exchange. Afterwards, I taught all of the Sisters how to hula dance! We did a little dance to hukilau. It was a lot of fun! I really love all of the Sisters in my zone! One of them, Hermana Gonzalez, has some friends who dance for Living Legends. She told me that I could make it into Living Legends without a problem! That made me really excited and now I want to audition!!

     Also my half-birthday was on Wednesday. No one said anything, but I'm sure you didn't forget. Hermana McRae and I celebrated by eating at a little Chinese buffet. Which is exactly what I did for my birthday 6 months ago;) It also was Sister Lampinen's one year mark so we celebrated that too:)

*As for hillbillies.......

     We did two exchanges this week and both times I left Harrisonburg.

     The first was with Sister Robertson in Waynesboro, which is about 30 minutes away from Harrisonburg. Waynesboro is where the church building is, but she and her companion cover a couple little towns. We spent most of the day in Stuart's Draft. (The names of places here are so weird that I'm used to it.) We received a referral from the Elders of a less active couple that had lost contact with the church 20 years ago. We went and visited them and they were a little crazy:) The Sister told us all about her 10 cats and how she has 23 buried in the back yard. She also said that during their 20 years with no contact with the church, they would watch the BYU channel all the time. They had really strong testimonies of the church still and we were able to get them a Book of Mormon in giant print.

     On the second exchange, I went to Broadway with Sister Burgess, which is about 20 minutes north of Harrisonburg, but part of the Harrisonburg 2nd Ward. Those Sisters also cover a couple little towns. We had a lesson with a really old less active man in Timberville who can't see well enough to drive to church. He prays like a General Authority:) He's single, so we had to teach him outside and it was freezing! We read a scripture to him and he knew where it was in the Book of Mormon! He also complains of evil spirits bothering him in his home. (A lot of the people out here in the country talk about evil spirits and the spirits of old civil war soldiers.)

     We then had a part member lesson at a chicken/cow farm in Linville. Sonny is a recent convert, and they're teaching his cousin and aunt. Linville is the most rural town I have ever been to in my entire life. It makes Nephi, UT look like NYC! Some of the people there don't have bathrooms and use port-a-potties outside instead. Which would be horrible in this weather, if you ask me. Also, I had a really difficult time understanding what any of them were saying because their accents were so thick! Sister Burgess seemed to understand them just fine, but I felt like they were speaking a different language! I understand Puertoriquenos better than that;) Also Sister Burgess said she'll send me some pictures of me with cows so I'll get those out when I can!

     Afterwards we had a lesson with Sonny (outdoors again). And he is one of the sweetest most genuine people I have ever met! His testimony of the Gospel is so strong. He just got baptized about 3 or 4 weeks ago and he went on and on about how much the Gospel has blessed his life. I really hope his aunt and cousin accept it too!:)

      The country is SOOO different than Stafford or Richmond, but I really love it. The people are very humble and willing to listen. It can be hard for missionary work because it requires a lot more driving, but I had a lot of fun!:)

*Our investigators are doing really well!

     We are teaching Ana and her son Fabian. (Her husband is an investigator too, but not really interested.) They just barely got here from Honduras about 6 months ago, so Fabian (10) is still learning English in school. His Spanish is so darn cute:) And we always do English/Gospel activities with him after each lesson with his mom. He also has his own Libro de Mormon that he marks up the scriptures we share in lessons. They both came to church on Sunday which was a MIRACLE! Fabian really liked it! If you can get the kids to love church, it makes a huge difference in the parents coming:)

     Leo also came to church! He got here from Honduras about 6 months ago as well. He's 19 or 20, but went back to high school to learn English. He's not happy about it, and doesn't like being in the States. His mom and brother are really involved in another church, but he's not very religious. We finally got him to come to church, and he said he enjoyed it! His girlfriend also came and she liked it too. She's American and doesn't speak Spanish, so I'm not sure how they work that one out. But we translated the services for her and they both want to come back!

     Nina was supposed to come to church but canceled last minute. She has some family members in New York that are members of the church, and she seems really interested. We taught her about Jose Smith and her first question was, "Is there any evidence?" That was a perfect segway into El Libro de Mormon! 

     Last night we went with some other sisters from the zone to sing at a rehab center. The Spirit was so strong and the people were so happy to see us! Most of them were really old, and some reminded me of Louise. I cried a bit. It was a really sweet experience.

*Sorry I'm almost out of time...

     But, I just wanted to say, that I'm excited to talk to my family on Christmas:) Last week I was really dreading it. I even cried a few times thinking about going home and not being able to tract and testify like I can here. I can't believe how fast the time is flying! P-days seem to come faster and faster. Yesterday I told Hermana McRae that I wasn't exhausted enough for it to be P-day yet! 

     But today...I was looking at a picture of my family that I have hanging by my desk. And the thought came to me that everything's going to be alright. I love my mission SO MUCH. I can't imagine how different my life would be without it. I'm so happy I chose to serve! I miss my family a lot, but I feel really torn about going home in a few months. But the Spirit spoke to me this morning and now I'm excited to see you all on Christmas and chat with you for a while:) And I'm not nervous like I was for Mothers' Day, I promise;)

I love you all a lot and I hope you are safe and happy and warm!

Have a merry Christmas:)

Con amor,  Hermanita Crandall

El Burg de Harrison

Hola querida familia,

     We had a crazy week! Hermana McRae and I started doing exchanges. We did two this week and we have two next week. The following week is the Christmas Conference and then the week after we have Missionary Leadership Council and Zone Meeting, so we wanted to get them all finished at the beginning of the transfer. Then in January we're going to do a few power exchanges.

     Our first exchange was with the other Hermanas in the Harrisonburg Branch. I decided to stay in our area so that I could figure it out a little better. It was difficult because I'd only been here a week, but it forced me to rely more on the Spirit. It was a little discouraging during the day because we taught three lessons, but none of them turned into new investigators. But they were all great lessons!

     The first lesson was with an old woman who didn't seem to understand anything of what we were saying. We talked about baptism and then she'd ramble off about the Bible and say things that didn't really make sense. We felt that it wasn't worth it to try an make a follow up appointment especially because she's returning to El Salvador in a week. But we left the Restoration DVD with her and so hopefully she watched it!

     The second lesson was with a mother and her two kids. She listened and participated in the lesson and the Spirit was SO STRONG! And then at the end said she didn't want to listen more and she didn't believe in Joseph Smith because his name isn't in the Bible. We tried to explain that there's more truth that's not written in the Bible, but she wouldn't accept it. The Bible talks about the ministry of our Savior, but it would be impossible to record every act of love and service that he performed while on the earth. And he continues to live and to love today, and none of that is recorded in the Bible. Anyway, she told us she didn't want us to come back. We felt really good after the lesson, however, because we knew that she had felt the Spirit and it was her personal decision to reject the message.

     We kept knocking doors and we knocked into a Cuban man who told us to come back later. We asked him for referrals and he said he only knew that his neighbor was Hindu and she wouldn't be interested. His comment intrigued me and I felt a distinct impression to knock her door. We did, and she immediately let us in! I can't remember her name, but she was from Nepal and has only been here for a year in the states. Her English was pretty good and she was the sweetest, nicest lady ever! We shared the "He is the Gift" video and talked about how Christmas isn't about buying things, but is about sharing love like Jesus did. Afterwards, she was in tears and said that even though she isn't Christian, she wants to celebrate Christmas now. It was a really sweet experience and I'm so grateful that we were able to bring her closer to Christ!

     After spending all day tracting, we stopped by Little Ceasar's to get a $5 pizza and some crazy bread. It's days like these that I am SO grateful to be serving a stateside mission:) We brought it home to the apartment and had a mini pizza party with the English Sisters. It was a really nice exchange and the Hermana and I had a good heart to heart. The mission is pretty difficult right now for all of the new Hermanas. There are about 5 or 6 Hermanas that go home in this coming year, and the rest are all new. So we have lots of Hermanas who are training with only 2 or 3 transfers of experience. We're at the exact opposite of where we were last year! Last year there were tons of Sister and not enough Hermanas. Now all of the Sisters are going home and we have plenty of Hermanas! (I wonder if I'll be translated back???)

     On Wednesday we had interviews with President Wilson. It's crazy how those seem to come faster and faster! It was a nice interview and we talked about the goals I have for the rest of my mission. He had called us the day before and said he wanted to take my companion and me out for dinner. So after the interviews, we went to a realllllllllyyyyy nice steak restaurant. The nicest restaurant I've ever been too. (The menu was probably 2x more expensive than Texas Roadhouse.) And President Wilson made us order an appetizer and desserts! I've never done that before! It was so nice that it made me kind of nervous and I even dropped my fork, haha. It was nice but wow I felt so out of place! I think if a guy asks me on a date to dinner anytime after my mission, I will tell him no way. But the food was yummy and it was nice to spend some time with President Wilson and my companion!

     Our second exchange was Friday with the Sisters we live with. I stayed in our area (again) with Sister Lampinen, the Sister from Finland. It was fun and it was nice getting to know her better, since she's pretty shy. Or at least not as outgoing as her companion:) She taught in English and I translated for her. All of the people we met with wanted her to pray in Finnish for them, so that was neat!

     Saturday was a really great day because the other Hermanas had a baptism! And right after the Branch Christmas party. We had two investigator families come! It was a great opportunity for them to see how the church functions. Immediately after the baptism, everyone started putting up tables and chairs and bringing out food for the party. Our investigators even helped set up! I love the Church of Jesus Christ:) After eating, all of the missionaries went to the RS room to start making the Christmas Canastas (baskets--which I talked about last week). We brought in one family at a time to help them make the canastas. One family wanted 40. So then it was a made rush to make them. And by the time we finished, we stepped back into the cultural hall and it was all cleaned up and everyone was gone! But Hermana McRae said "bye" to our investigators and they all had a nice time:) Apparently while we were making the canastas Santa came to visit and they did a pinata and I didn't get any candy. But I'm not bitter.

     So that was fun and then all of us missionaries practiced a song that we're going to sing in Sacrament Meeting next week and hopefully at the Christmas conference! 

Church was great. I'm almost out of time. But I love you all so much! Things are going really well!:)

Love,  Hermanita Crandall