Dear Family,

Everyone down here has started school today (kid school, not UF). When do ya'll start? It feels weird that I'm not going back for Fall Semester. More and more University of Florida students show up by the day! Too bad that most if not all of them would fall under the YSA category and we can't teach them.

I've never heard so much Spanish in my life! Not that it's a bad thing. I can start picking out words like 'Dios' when our Ward Mission Leader is speaking. Brother Driaza is on fire! We went and had a lesson with one of his longtime friends who owns a shop off of Tower Rd last night around 8pm. Half of the lesson was in Spanish (she understood Enlish, but her boyfriend who came in about halfway through didn't), and every now and then someone would come into the store to buy something, but it was a really great first lesson. Miss P is really excited about reading the Book of Mormon! On top of that really great lesson, the Driaza's are also inviting us over to their house for dinner on Wednesday to meet a couple they've been friends with for a while. Member Missionaries!

Sister Florida

Hey-o Family!

1st Ward has been really nice, and we've got a few ideas to get members more familiar with us, but we've only eaten with members once every other week since the new transfer three weeks ago. Compared to 2nd Ward we were invited to eat at the members at least 2-3 times per week. So all Sister Shelley and I eat is ramen, peanut butter or tuna sandwiches, and cereal. We will be purchasing frozen burritos to add to our tasty list later today.

Miss T (an investigator from 2nd Ward that Sister Pettingill and I found, but Sister Atkinson and I started teaching) just moved into 1st Ward! She's super fun! Every time we go over she gives us cookies and that herbal tea stuff that Mom likes (mango flavored). We had the Elders come by and dedicate her home, and she said she really felt the Spirit when they did :). Our lessons with her go for too long though, and they feel more like 'nice talks' than real spiritual uplifting stuff. Short, Powerful lessons is what my goal is this next week.

Hey Family!

How's everyone doin? Jessie's job doesn't sound too good for her health. Nurses who work the night shift get cancer more often than day Nurses because thier sarchadian rhythm is off. Your immune system can't function right. Or so said my physiology teacher to a room half full of pre-nursing students.

If she is only doing custodian work during the night for one week I think she will survive. 

Things have been... going here in the GV 1st Ward. We started an English Gospel Principles class (which only one person went to - everyone else speaks Spanish) and Miss Brazil came to church yesterday! She told us after Sacrament that she wanted to try out and see if she would understand in English, but she said that everyone was going too fast and she didn't get much out of it. So she went to the Spanish Gospel Principles because she can understand Spanish better than English. In Relief Society there are a couple of other sisters who are still trying to learn English so there's a lady who translates into a headset in the back and the ones who don't understand wear headphones. We'll have her wear those at Sacrament Meeting from now on. Maybe there's a second microphone and we can have someone translate in Portugese - that would be even better! Love technology! She didn't miss much during Fast & Testimony meeting though. There were maybe three people that actually gave their testimonies that I would want an investigator to hear. The rest of the time there were 'story-monies' or 'I-just-moved-in-monies' or 'I'm-moving-out-monies'. People would go on and on about useless things like going horseback riding and how their records aren't in the Ward for some reason. Nothing that I would want someone that knows next to nothing about the Church and is trying to feel the Spirit to hear. Especially if that was what they would base thier experience off of in deciding that they want to come back the next week.