Our Texas Girl: Six months and still alive!

BARELY ALIVE! Just kidding, i am doing great. I eat apple jacks and a nutella sandwich for every meal and I feel like I am in the CCM!

I was trying to tell my companion a story of something that happened before my mission and it was the weirdest thing, I like couldn't remember ANYTHING! And then I was trying to remember what i did for my birthday and I couldn't remember that either! AH! The mission fog is setting in! :(

There is a guy sitting next to me at the ENMU library wearing a ton of cologne.

This week has been so nuts. We have just been doing so much service for members, less actives, and recent converts. it is a great way to get to know them and establish a relationship with them. Everyone has been so worried about Sister Bushnell and me. they just see these two small girlies who live in Taco Town and don't know how to cook. So everyone tells us to come over and eat with them ANY DAY and we had a member drop off this HUGE bag of toilet paper, tape, granola bars, flash lights, stamps, paper towels, and a bag of frozen shrimp. We get calls from people checking up on us all the time, ahaha. It is so weird. I am stronger than I look! (not really though, I am fatter than I look)

As the senior companion, I tried to get Hna Bushnell to unclog the drain in our shower, but she refused and I refused too so now our drain is disgusting. That's what we really need someone to help with..

Kathy and Lane came to church! YAY PROGRESSION!

So my 6 month anniversary was on Friday and I spent it at the Pedroza's house. We had a mini fiesta. She bought me this cute tres leches cake and all of the sudden the whole family is chanting "mordida mordida mordida!" (bite it bite it bite it!) And I am like, what bite it? Where? What? and Hermana Pedroza is like it's a tradition! Bite the edge of the cake! (Mom I think you and Grammy are secretly Mexican) Because I leaned in and was going to bite a tiny part of the edge and BAM! My whole face got shoved into the cake. I didn't even see it coming.

I also learned the Spanish version of John Jacob Jingle hieheihjigh schmit song.

I have really been learning so much these passed few weeks. I have been feeling so down on myself and so critical and depressed. I felt like I was never doing enough. Never rising to the Lord's expectations. Not being a good example to Hermana Bushnell., etc.. But recently we went to this little baptism for a cutie 8 year old named Reagyn and they had a music number from this little 6 or 7 year old named Rachel and she played a TINY cute violin. Everyone was on the edge of their seats just smiling so BIG and everyone was so proud of her for playing this cute little tune. The spirit hit me so hard and I suddenly realized, we didn't care that she squeaked a few times, it didn't matter that she wasn't Lindsey Sterling, it didn't matter that she forgot to play the 2 verse. Everyone was just so PROUD of her for getting up there, holding that little violin, and trying. I KNEW that that was how my Heavenly Father saw me. While I was tearing myself apart and being so critical, He was watching me try and was so proud of me. We all need to be so patient with ourselves. We need to extend to ourselves the same kind of mercy that we extend to others. We are doing so well! We are enough! I don't mean that we don't need to stop trying or anything. We need to take responsibility for where we are in our lives, but allow ourselves some satisfaction for who we are and what we have worked to become. We are NOT going to be perfect in this life. But if we are a little better today than we were yesterday, we are doing enough.

I love each of you so so so much. you mean everything to me and I am so proud to have you as my family and closest friends. Keep moving forward.

Love,

Sister Kynaston