How to cook

One of the topics of conversation this Christmas was all the stories about me.  As we talked about them, we laughed a lot, we relived some wonderful memories, and I became more afraid to bring any guy home to meet the family.  I also realized many of these stories were about cooking.  Although Mom said I am a good cook now, it has been a long time coming, with lots of lovely dishes made by me.  Here are some  favorite cooking mistakes, with no accompanying pictures. 

Macaroni and cheese
     It was the first time I made mac and cheese.  I didn't know you have to drain the water.

Kool-Aid
     You may ask who can mess up Kool-Aid, but I could never remember if you were supposed to put in one cup of sugar or two.  It came out Joanna's nose when she drank it and started laughing.

Strawberry bread 
     I thought it would be even better if I  put in even more strawberries, so I put it the whole package, which was twice as much as it called for.  I had made it a couple times that summer for Mom, but she never asked me again after I made this delicious loaf.
    
No-bake granola, and then it became no-bake soup
     I swear the no-bake cookie recipe was bad.  I followed it exactly, but it was so dry that it was more like granola.  Janet and I thought putting some milk in it would help, but then it was just chocolate granola in milk.

Pudding
     Um, I can make pudding really well now.

Mint brownies
     Mom found a recipe for the famous BYU mint brownies and asked me to make them.  I went at it, doing my best.  The brownies turned out really well; then I made the frosting.  I couldn't find the mint extract it called for, but I found some spearmint oil and substituted that.  How was I supposed to know that mint oil is different than mint extract?  The brownies looked and smelled delicious, and they left the  eater with well-cleaned sinuses.  In fact, the eater could barely finish one because they were so dang strong.
   
I'd agree with Mom that I can cook pretty well now.  I may or may not have set the stove on fire tonight when I cooked dinner, but everything still tasted delicious.

Really??!!

I was quite surprised when I read this headline on my Yahoo homepage recently. And all this time I've been wanting to cure cancer. Maybe I should revise my goals.

Will the Real Ace of Cakes Please Stand?

You know how moms always blog about their children's birthday parties that they put together? Well, we threw a surprise party for Jenae today, Taco Bell themed. It came together pretty well, especially the awesome taco cake made by yours truly.


I made it with chocolate cake crumbs for the meat, green coconut for the lettuce, licorice for the tomatoes, colored icing for the cheese, and white frosting for the sour cream. I had planned on cooling the cake over something round to give it shape, but it just broke apart, so I used half on top, half on the bottom. It looked pretty darn good. At the party, however, most of us ate the leftover chocolate cake.

Add a Taco Bell party pack, Taco Bell balloons (thanks Taco Bell, I didn't even know you made balloons,) streamers, and a painted Taco Bell sign, and it was a real fiesta. Happy Birthday Jenae!

Yes Mom, even I can be crafty. Next time I'll put up a picture of my Christmas sweatshirt.

My Christmas Tree

My rommates wanted to get a Christmas tree. One year we went to a tree lot to look for one, and we decided they were too expensive, especially because we wouldn't even be here for Christmas. This year Jenae and Liz decided to get a tree permit to be able to still get a tree and not pay an arm and a leg for it. They did, we got the tree, and it is fully decked and cheerfully graces our living room, making our little home more cozy. Was it worth it?

Christmas tree permit: $10
Time spent in line: 3 hours
Gas to get to the permit place: $5
Gas to get to the forest where we cut it down: $5
Sierra saw because we couldn't find one to borrow: $7.88 (but it's really cool, and I'm going to keep it for my camping adventures)
Time spent tromping around the forest trying to find the perfect tree, then cutting it with a little saw: 1 hour (the trunk was really wide)
Glass ball ornaments: $2.50
Disco ball ornaments: $1
Homemade ornaments: 2 hours and Jenae's craft supplies
Having an 8 foot Christmas tree that we cut down out of the forest: priceless

Check out our awesomely homemade ornaments. Plus, we didn't have a tree stand, and we didn't want to buy one, so we tied the tree to strategic locations in the room to keep it upright. I think it was a good idea.

My hero

I have a new role model. I was introduced to her by Janet when I got back from my mission and Janet tried to catch me up with what had happened while I was in Peru. She showed me a YouTube video from Britain's Got Talent. Every time I watch that video now I break out in a grin and wish the best to Susan Boyle. When she walked out on the stage everyone was against her--a frumpy old maid who wanted to become a famous professional singer. People laughed at her and rolled their eyes. She proved to them that she has the guts to stand in front of a judgmental crowd and show that she really does have talent. Thank you Susan Boyle for the humble way you shared your beautiful voice and reminded us that we should be less judgmental and kinder. If I had money I would go out and buy your chart-topping album.

Tradition

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the traditions we have. After not being at home for about five Thanksgivings,it made this Thanksgiving a little more special to be able to be a part of the strong traditions I grew up with. Aside from the classic Thanksgiving dinner, here is how I spent my traditional Scoresby Thanksgiving weekend:

The Day-after-Thanksgiving craft. I participated in both the craft options, and I think they turned out pretty darn cute. Thanks Mom for supplying the crafting supplies and telling me the ribbon tree wasn't as hard as I was making it out to be.

Pies. As Scoresbys, we enjoy a special tradition: eating pie (for more info click here http://scoresbyscoreboard.blogspot.com/2009/10/thanksgiving-pie-plan.html). This year was especially great as there were 15 of us (including Lauren, who wanted her own pie) and 15 pies, therefore creating a 1:1 pie ratio. Delicious!


The Scoresby Scamper. Thanks to all those who supported this newer Scoresby tradition. After all my training, we all ended up getting lost and not following the course, except Shannon. She ran the whole thing (way to go Shan!). Thanks to Mom again for this year's souvenir.

Gamage. This is not only a holiday tradition, but happens whenever we get together. This Thanksgiving's favorites were the name game, Acquire (not my favorite), and ninja destruction!


It was nice to just get away from everything and spend time doing these things. But now it is time to get on with life and get ready for finals. Then I can make a visit back home for the Christmas traditions. More pie anyone?

Pushing Daisies

There are just some shows that shouldn't have been canceled. Pushing Daisies is one of those. The show is about Ned, a pie-maker with a special gift : he can bring people back to life by touching them. However, he must send them back to the grave by touching them again within sixty seconds, or someone (or something) in near proximity will die. After a rough childhood, Ned brought to life two loved ones at the expense of someone else: his childhood dog Digby and his childhood crush Chuck (Charlotte). The catch is that if he touches them, they will die again. The shows center around a private investigator, Emerson, who uses Ned's abilities to solve murders. The episodes are narrated and magical in a satirically funny way.

So, what makes the show worth watching? The hilarious murder mysteries draw you in, and the suspense of two lovers who can't touch keeps you watching, not to mention it makes the show very clean. Add the colorful colors, appetizing pies, and the jealousy of the waitress who competes for Ned's attention and you have a winner. The only problem is that we only have season one. The show was cancelled mid-season 2. What happens to Ned and Chuck? Do they ever touch? Does Ned turn his attention to Olive, the waitress? What about Digby, the dog? How does the pie shop keep in business?

Overall, I give two thumbs up. And I want to find out if Ned and Chick ever touch.

Food

This year I am thankful for food. Not that I wasn't thankful before, but my thanks is even deeper this year. Why? Here in the United States we have great food, and lots of it. We live in a land where milk and honey flow. After living in a land where I ate foods very different than what I was used to and then after not having gone grocery shopping for weeks in anticipation of the trip home, I am very thankful for good food. As my roommates were planning their Thanksgiving foods, I thought of what I was looking forward to:
pumpkin pie
turkey
stuffing
mashed potatoes (without cinnamon)
gravy
pecan pie
cranberry sauce
cherry pie
sweet potato casserole
relish plate
rolls
ice cream

Add or Find Husband

This made me laugh. I already feel like everyone wants me to get married, and when I got onto new.familysearch.org after being inspired by a lesson on family history, I found that the church also wants me to get married.

Sarah's Christmas List

After much serious pondering, here is my Christmas list:
deodorant
tent
headlamp
guitar
sleeping bag
socks
husband
journal
toothpaste
perfume (Sexy Little Thing Noire from VS)
fish (pet, not to eat)
this piano book that I don't know the title of, but I'll find out
*Update-The book is called Prelude Chains arranged br Brent Jorgensen

NEWS FLASH!

I ran into Carrie Scoresby on campus, and she informed me that the WRI is being shut down. The news had just come, and many were distraught and upset. The change is scheduled to take place in January. Thank you WRI for flexible hours, treat Friday, a place where I could work with a broken leg, BYU secretary experience, internet access while I worked, 20 hours a week, and the beloved food drawer in the library.

Free time?

One of my free time hobbies this semester is learning to play the guitar. I learned a new song the other day, and here it is in its amateur glory:

Editor's note: I took off the video because I was wearing a skirt, and apparently guitar playing is not conducive to appropriate skirt wearing. Sorry about the lame post.

Winter 2010 schedule

While I was looking for classes to take next semester I stumbled across some winners:

EXCS 106: Badminton, Beginner (Full already)
GEOL 100: Dinosaurs
PlWS 100: Living with plants
PWS 270: Animal husbandry (recommended for me by Dad)
RMYL 233R: Fly fishing
SFL 180: Clothing the family
SFL 230: Housing the family
STDEV 214R: Integrity for life: Building personal character
and from my own beloved college BIO 270: Animal Restraint

Runners World

You should all be scared. After an embarrassing defeat at the 2009 Cougar Run, I have started a new running regimen. It's called Exercise Science 139: Jogging second block. Today we ran timed 2 miles so we could group ourselves in running groups. I am pleased to report that I had the fastest time out of all the females, plus I lapped some of the males. And that was after I got up to run with Janet at 6:00 AM, went to work, and went to classes. All Scoresby Scamperers beware: Sarah is getting in shape.

Show and Tell

The art fad that has swept the house on 350 N in Provo is not over yet. After an FHE activity, here is the art gallery featuring various styles and themes:



And here is my newest masterpiece:

epidemic worrying

Apparently, the flu is becoming a problem on campus. It's not the swine flu though, it's just normal flu. I got this email today from BYU:

You may have the flu if you have a fever or chills AND a cough or sore throat. If you think you have the flu, stay home or in your residence.

Contact your professors through e-mail or by telephone immediately. All faculty members have been asked to work with you to make up missed assignments, quizzes and even mid-terms.

Most cases of the flu do not require medical attention. However, for a list of CDC warning signs that warrant medical attention please go to flu.byu.edu under the “Signs & Symptoms” tab.

I also received a similar email from a TA and some verbal warnings. So, I will keep washing my hands and try to avoid the epidemic. And maybe I should go get that shot.

What I will be doing in my spare time

DU hosts Stephenie Meyer Writing Contest

By Daily Universe

- Fri, 10/09/2009 - 11:38

Photo illustration by Jamison Metzger and Marianne Jolley

In 1982, the English Department at San Jose State University sponsored the first Bulwer-Lytton Contest, which the contest’s Web site describes as “a whimsical literary competition that challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.”

The contest was named after the otherwise eminently forgettable Victorian novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, who opened one book with the line since made famous by Snoopy, “It was a dark and stormy night.”

With grateful acknowledgements to the folks at San Jose State, The Daily Universe and Friday411 have decided to sponsor a writing contest of its own. But since few people on
this campus know who Bulwer-Lytton is, we have decided to sponsor our first Stephenie Meyer
Writing Contest.

In case you have been on a mission since 2005, Stephenie Meyer is the BYU English graduate who penned the best-selling “Twilight” series of novels. While Meyer has made coffin-loads of money, some in the book world have questioned the literary quality of her efforts. A review in the New York Times said “Twilight” “suffers at times from overearnest, amateurish writing.”

We are not literary critics, but that review might have been referring to such gems as:

“Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn’t get used to it, though I’d been staring at him all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday’s hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. His glistening, pale lavender lids were shut, though of course he didn’t sleep. A perfect statue, carved in some unknown stone, smooth like marble, glittering like crystal.”

This contest, inspired by the upcoming release of Meyer’s second movie, “New Moon,” is an opportunity for BYU students to test their writing mettle against the standard set by Ms. Meyer.

Write us a paragraph of purple prose, emulating as closely as possible Meyer’s overearnest style, though it does not necessarily have to come from the “Twilight” storyline. Winners will receive valuable prizes. Rules for the contest are as simple as baseball apparently is to vampires:

■ Each entry must consist of a single paragraph, no more than 100 words, and you may submit up to three entries.

■ Entries must be original and previously unpublished.

■ Entries must be submitted via e-mail; write the entry in the body of the message, not in an attachment.

Include your name and phone number. Send entries to: Friday411@byu.edu

■ The deadline is noon, Thur., Nov. 5.

■ Three prizes will be awarded. First-place winner will receive dinner and “New Moon” movie tickets for two.

Second-place winner will receive “New Moon” movie tickets and popcorn for two. Third-place winner will receive

“New Moon” movie tickets for two. Tickets may be used for another film.

■ Winning entries will be published in the Nov. 13 edition of The Daily Universe’s Friday411.

■ Employees of The Daily Universe may flex their creative minds and participate, but are not eligible to win the prizes

If you have any ideas for one of my three entries, just let me know.

My job

I finally figured out what I'm supposed to be doing at my job, and I realized it is a mixture of all the jobs I've had:

I put things in boxes (Eastbay, packer)
I make copies (Women's Research Institute, secretary)
I pick up and deliver things (Mickelsen home, nanny)
I prepare food and wash dishes (Creamery, food prep)
I am bored a lot (Eastbay, WRI, Mickelsen home, Creamery, Taylor's)

Maybe that's why I was hired. I have experience doing really important and difficult things. So bring it on, BYU Food To Go.

Happy Birthday!

Oh somebody's had a birthday--our little Sarah dear. Kind Father in Heaven bless her through all the coming year.

Here are some pictures from the party, attended by Janet, my roommates, Susannah, Nathaniel, Krystal, Jeff, and Jared (those two were late, but with a good excuse.)

The roommates and I.



We didn't have candles, so we improvised with tea candles and really big matches.


The cousins doing karate. They didn't really want to pose like that, but Jenae made them.

Editor's note: If you would like to read my roommate's birthday blog about me, her blog is at the right. It's called Here Comes the Sun. Please don't leave her any rude comments. If you must do so, do it on my blog.

Job? Nah...

I was doing some reading for my bioethics class, and I decided I no longer need a job. I found a new way to make money. This is quoted from my book, the chapter called "Manufacturing Children" in the section about donor embryos:

It is not unusual to see advertisements in both college and leading newspapers asking for healthy young women (typically tall, white, athletic, and with high SAT scores) to serve as egg donors. Egg donors are typically paid from $3,000 to $5,000 per cycle, but couples seeking donors with particular characteristics may offer as much as $20,000 to $100,000

So, why do I need to work making $7.25/hour when I (tall,white, athletic, and with high SAT scores) could donate my eggs?

The Literary Book of Answers

Just behind Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird there is a third favorite book. Unlike the aforementioned classics, this one is lesser known and a different genre. It is known as The Literary Book of Answers by Carol Bolt. This is how it works, as per the instructions on the back:

1. Hold the CLOSED book in your hand, on your lap, or on a table.
2. Take 10 or 15 seconds to concentrate on your question. Questions should be phrased closed-end, e.g. "is the job I'm applying for the right one?" or "should I travel this weekend?"
3. While visualizing or speaking your question (one question at a time), place ONE HAND palm down on the book's front cover and STROKE THE EDGE of the pages, back to front.
4. When you sense that the time is right, OPEN the book and there will be your answer.
5. REPEAT the process for as many questions as you have.

The literary answers range from Aeschylus' Agamemnon to Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. The book is quite accurate, although the front matter explains "Hyperion and the author of this book take no credit or responsibility for what The Literary Book of Answers advises or results thereof. Tonight we asked The Book if Carolyn should go to ward FHE. The answer was a commanding, "You must go," by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Verger."

So, according to The Book, this is how my future will unfold:

Will I get a job anytime soon? "You shall not fail." --Sophocles: Oedipus Rex
Will I get married in the next year? "Lump the whole thing!" --Mark Twain: The Innocents Abroad
Will Obama's socialized Health Plan go through? "It is a far, far better thing." --Charles Dickens: A Tales of Two Cities
Should I get a flu shot? "Might be happy all the same that way." --James Joyce: Ulysses
Should I go eat some ice cream? "Change your ideas of what you want." --Euripides: Hippolytus
And most importantly, will I win the Scoresby Scamper? "Begin with the beginning." --Lord Byron: Don Juan

If you need any important questions answered, I will be available with The Literary Book of Answers during daytime and evening hours. But first I must skip the ice cream and go train for the race.

Art Class

Some friends and I decided we would try our hands at watercolors. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and appreciated the left-brain stimulus. Here are the finished products. Some are embarrassed to display them in public, but I think they are decent considering we know nothing about art and had limited supplies (and maybe limited talent.)

You get extra points if you can tell which one is my masterpiece. I don;t know why I've blogged so much recently.

Why I will get swine flu

I have spent considerable time thinking about this. My conclusion is that I am very likely to get swine flu because of the following:

1. I am in the target group (19-24 year olds), which means that I live and go to school in close proximity, and I am part of a very mobile population

2. I have little immunity. I vaguely remember being sick over Christmas one year as a kid, but I don't remember if it was flu.

3. I frequently touch my mouth and eyes.

4. I don't wash my hands enough.

5. I have a pre-existing condition. I have what my roommates affectionately call "black lung," an undiagnosed third world respiratory disease. It is definitely not TB though.

In my bioethics class, we just happen to be talking about government funding allocation, using the examples of pandemic flu and AIDS. From that I learned that worst case projections are that for my age group 33% will be infected. So, I hope you are waiting for that phone call Mom. It will be kind of like the phone call home when I broke my leg...

This is how I feel after about 7 job interviews.

BYU Housing

On my daily walk to campus I was reflecting on the names of apartment complexes around BYU. While some complexes have normal names such as Belmont Apartments or the classic Riviera, I was thinking about some placing I will never live:

The Granary--It sounds like you are living in a mill. Does that mean that the tenants are the wheat?

Park Place--Is the whole complex Monopoly themed? Of course they might just be calling it after the original street. Anyway, I'm not willing to pay as much as Park Place costs anyway.

Winter Quarters--Sure, I want to live in a place where pioneers suffered and died.

Singletree--What does this name suggest? A place where a bunch of singles grow on a tree, ready to be picked.

Ben-Dick Arms--I don't even understand what this means

The Colony--I usually think of two things, a polygamy colony, or an ant colony, both of which cause me to walk on the other side of the street when I pass.

BYU's ice cream blunder

When I got back to BYU, I anticipated enjoying one of my favorite BYU traditions: BYU Creamery ice cream. Imagine my dismay when I went to the Creamery to enjoy some Peanut Butter Cup, Graham Canyon, or Almond Joy ice cream, and there were only two flavors: vanilla and cookies and cream. Where has all the ice cream gone? After going to all Creamery locations to try to find at least some peanut butter cup ice cream, we asked an employee to give us the down low on the ice cream dearth. Apparently, when DT was torn down, the Dairy Production Lab/DT Creamery was also razed. My friend and former boss, Jerry Pingel, made 182,000 half-gallons and 22,000 three gallon containers of ice cream and stored them in the deep-freeze, a -20 degree freezer. The new Culinary Support Center is a month behind schedule finishing date. Jerry apparently underestimated the BYU student body's ability to consume ice cream, and now, there is an ice cream famine. It is rumored that the MTC has stopped serving BYU ice cream to provide BYU students with the last of the supply. While we patiently wait for the new ice cream to be made, the creamery people are consoling the student body with the information that BYU will continue to produce half-gallons and will not fall into the one and a half quarts fad. While that is good news, my mouth is still watering thinking about the ice cream it can't have. Matthew 24:7-8 "...and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Police Beat

Theft

September 4: A backpack was stolen from the Cannon Center. When the officers arrived they looked through the cubbies one more time and found the backpack.

September 3: A student checked out seven library books last winter. He just reported the $140 worth of books being stolen from his car.

September 3: A student went to the ID center to purchase a new ID card after losing his. It was discovered that his card had been stolen and was used to purchase $45 worth of ice cream from a Smith Fieldhouse vending machine.

Suspicious behavior

September 6: Two male subjects were knocking doors in the female area of Wyview Park. They identified themselves as missionaries. When the police arrived the two male students said they thought it was a novel way to meet girls.

Animals

September 6: A 27-year-old student saw a baby duck fall into a grate on 500 E. 800 N. When the officer arrived, the baby duck could not be found.

Illegal Activity

September 5: Fireworks were reported between the Wilkinson Student Center and the Harris Fine Arts Center. When officers arrived they discovered that it was smoke from a celebratory BBQ.

Trespassing

September 5: Two students tried trespassing into the LaVell Edwards Stadium. Because they were unsuccessful they were not arrested.


Must have been a busy weekend for the BYU police

Dinner Group!

I was roped into participating in a dinner group this semester. I was undecided because I didn't want to commit myself to something like that, but after realizing that I dropped about five pounds since I got to Provo, I was convinced to do it. Now I am part of an 8-person dinner group, which meets Monday through Thursday. Today we ate rice with sausage in it and canned corn, so it definitely isn't gourmet. I am in charge of Monday's fare, so what will I make? Here are some options:

1. Some sort of pasta dish: spaghetti, company casserole, tuna casserole, or other

2. Some kind of soup

3. Taco salad

4. Hamburgers

5. Stir-fry

6. Breakfast for dinner

7. Crock-pot meal (I don't really know any, but it would be easy, and we have a crock-pot)

I felt pretty Suzy Homemaker-esque after successfully freezing my peaches this morning, so I could probably make anything successfully (except pudding), as long as it's in my budget, and it's not too time consuming.

Santaquin Peak Hike

To celebrate Labor day, Janet, Jenae, and I hiked Santaquin Peak. Despite irrational worries, we were not attacked by any bears, and Jenae did not fall off the mountain (that was my worry). We started hiking at about 6:45, reached the summit at 10:00, played up there a little, and returned to the car just after 1:00. It was fun and tiring, and we got back really sweaty, dirty, and exhausted.

Jenae and I pondering the beautiful scenery.

Me, sitting amongst the mountain wildflowers

Yes! We reached the top!

We saw a deer.

The Science-Religion Reconciliation

Being a biology major at BYU means that every year I have had to come to terms with science and religion. The religion building is probably less than twenty feet from the chemistry building, and many times I crossed that sidewalk and crossed a battlefield. The religion professors badmouth the science professors. The science professors criticize the religion professors, and I listen to them both, and sometimes wonder what should I think. This semester I am taking bioethics, to me, a surefire interesting class, to others, maybe not. Today I read an interesting article about science and Mormonism: Is science part of or apart from religion? Even members of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles have disagreed this issue:

President [Joseph Fielding] Smith felt that "Satan dominates the thinking of the world today" (p. 319). He saw that domination in several areas of science, but most of all in biology. Satan, he said, authored the theory of evolution, which is "the most pernicious doctrine ever entering the mind of man" (p. 133) and "Satan's chief weapon in this dispensation in his attempt to destroy the divine mission of Jesus Christ" (p. 184).

What does the theory of evolution have to do with the divine mission of Jesus Christ? There have also been many amazing scientists who have been church leaders:

"Organic evolution is the honest result of capable people trying to explain the evidence to the best of their ability. From my limited study of the subject I would say that the physical evidence supporting the theory is considerable from a scientific viewpoint" (Eyring 1983, 61).

So, how old is the earth? Did any creature die before Adam? Did the earth stop rotating for a day when Joshua was on the earth? Did Noah actually take two of every animal onto a boat for a year?

Many scientists have felt that their revolutionary discoveries have contributed to a higher and better understanding of God and His management of the universe. It isn't, or shouldn't be different today.

I have a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also belive that evolution happened. I am excited to be able to study a subject where God has inspired men for the benefit of His children.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/08/we-believe-in-evolution-and-god-.html
http://bioethics.byu.edu/science-mormonism.html
http://bioethics.byu.edu/open-letter.html

A Find for Four

After searching for months, Jenae and Liz, former roommates of Sarah, were about to throw in the towel and live out of a tent, then, Linda Sullivan, owner of the (formerly) orange door house on 350 N came to the rescue. "The house is great for parties, and the ward has a guy to girl ratio of 3 to 1," commented Maranda, former resident of the quaint dwelling. Jenae and Liz toured the house, trying to not look too impressed. They signed the contract and screamed as they drove home. The current residents of the house have noted a few choice features of the south of campus living place, including the following:

A fold down ironing board

An old school pencil sharpener

A refrigerator in the wall

A window in the shower?

Although the house is not perfect, it is full of character. Previously known as the orange door house, the house sports a poorly painted brown door, and four great tenants, who will fill it with fun and a lot of junk.

Briq's: Home of the One Pound Cone

One of my favorite Scoresby traditions is ice cream. I missed it for a year and a half while I had to survive on water based ice cream. Since Wednesday, I have enjoyed a fine selection of American ice cream, including my two favorite flavors, butter pecan and peanut butter cup. While hard ice cream takes the cake (and at least once this week I enjoyed it with cake,) soft ice cream has a special place in my heart, especially, the Briq's one pound cone. Janet and I enjoyed this tradition many times, usually documented with a photo, and I was feliz to once again enjoy this Scoresby tradition, accompanied by the Clarks also. While I couldn't keep up with Dad in the afternoon jog around the neighborhood, I beat everyone in the eating of my one-pounder. In my mind, the Briq's one pound cone is the quintessence of Americanism.

So...on your mark, get set, eat!

Arriving in honor and great glory...
Yes, I'm home. I got in at 5:30 last night, was released, and got home at about 9:00. Since then, I've been busy doing various and sundry items, including crashing the super exciting YSA party, getting a contact lense in my left eye, applying for jobs, and my favorite, buying new clothes, or having Mom buy them for me.
My thoughts about getting home from the mission:
1. We are rich here in the United States. Just look at Dad's enormous truck
2. I am still really tired
3. I'm glad I'm going back out to BYU soon
4. It's really green here
5. The ice cream is really good
6. Janet actually grew while I was gone. But I am still taller than her.
I still have a lot to do to get ready to leave next week.

Dear Mom,

Yes, I am writing another letter. But the computer is stupid, so I don't know how much I can write. I enjoyed the emails. I was supposed to be out of the area today, but they changed things around, and I'm still here. But my suitcases are at the mission home, so I have to spend a night here without any of my things. Honestly, my suitcases are pretty empty. But I did buy a few treats for you guys. We'll see if you like them.

I had my last interview Friday. It was kind of funny. I put in my goals that my goal to get married was in a year. He told me that I shouldn't wait that long. When I am certain of whom I want to marry, I should get married right away. He also said if I don't get married in a year, don't feel bad, but he thinks I'll get married fast. He gave me three months, then lowered it to six weeks, one cambio. He also told me to never stop studying. Tomorrow we have meetings, lunch with the pres, and we go to the temple, then the airport.

We finished the cambio with two more baptisms, 15 and 16 year old cousins. The nonmember family of one of them all came, so the future missionaries here have a family to work with. We also had activities in two wards. The first was a talent show. It started late, so we didn't get to see much of it. The other was a game night thing. We ended sending up a lady to the hospital. She fell during a game and got knocked unconscious.

I'm really antsy to get home. I think I will try to see if I can get home faster or to CWA because the itinerary stinks, and I'll have plenty of time to talk to someone about it.

Love you all.
Sarah

Dear Family,

Thanks for the letters, and special thanks to Jo. When I get home I'll liven things up for 5 days. The packages were a big hit, even though the chocolate Easter bunny didn't make it in good condition.

This week was fine. We had our interviews and zone conference. I gave my ultimo testimonio in the conferencia. I don't know why they call it that because being a misisonary you obviously bear your testimony more. We also had a baptism, Ricardo. He is an 8 year old kid, but we got to teach him and it counted for us because his parents aren't members, but he lives with his aunt and uncle, who are members. Disappointingly one of our baptisms for this next week fell in one of the commandments and won't be getting baptized. We still have 4 planned. We also have the activities in two wards, and a service project planned, so proselyting time is going to be short. I might also have my going home interview with Pdte Leyva this week, seeing that Monday there are about 25 missonaries going home that need to be interviewed, and the interviews are long. Since the office is only about 20 mintues walking from our room, the DL said he and I would probably have ours early.

School started up again here after extended vacation time due to the swine flu. By the way, we have discovered various types of fungus growing in our room, so my cold like symptoms are probably due to allergies. We did extensive cleaning this morning to try to get rid of it. Oh, the pensionista finally came back after her vacations too. This is kind of funny. She secretly had plastic surgery while she was gone, and was a little disappointed that her kids nor husband noticed. The doctor that did the surgery accidently left some gauze inside her nose, and she got really sick with infections due to having foreign obects in her. That's why Peruvian medicine/dentistry scares me. Another by the way, I've gained back some weight, and I'm just normal now, how I've always been.

I'm excited to come home, and I'm even excited to start classes again. Does the WRI by chance have any openings? I feel kind of bad, but I'm going to be an expensive child until I get a job and get back into the swing of normal life. Sorry about that. I am planning on only bringing home the clothes I'm wearing and p-day clothes and garments. I already promised my towels and sheets and missionary backpack to my comp. I am debating if I should bring my missionary blanket home. I am kind of attached to it, but it weighs a lot. And a lady in the ward asked if I had room to take a small package to her sister at BYU.

I love you all. I don't know if I'll write next week or not. But enjoy your potato chips and I'll see you in 9 days.

Love,Sarah

Dear Family,We are having a lot of success now in the area. We had a baptism this week, Carlos. Carlos met an elder and a member of the branch in an activity of knocking doors. Since then (November), 3 members of his family have gotten baptized while he got over his alcohol addiction. He was really happy to finally be able to get baptized. We have a baptism planned for this week, and 6 planned for my last weekend in the mission. Hopefully all of them will be able to get baptized. Our zone finished first in the mission, but all the zones were way under average.

We keep working, working, working. We are planning activities in the wards for my last weekend, one a talent show, and the other some sort of game night. What talent could I share? I was thinking an encore performance of Will I wait for you, but nobody would understand. They'll probably want me to play the piano, which I don't want to do. I don't mind playing Sundays because if there is no piano, they just sing their own tune. Yet again we sang Before thee Lord, I bow my head as a sacrament song. Apparently it is a country wide tradition. But they try to make it more reverent by singing it really slow.

I got my flight plans and a schedule of the last days in the mission. A note I got said that the stake president should release me the same day I get home, and that it is mandatory to tell you that I'm coming home, so here: I'm coming home Wednesday August 19. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, because I saw that the layover in Detroit is only 30 minutes. Hopefully my suitcases and I can get to the next plane quickly.

Yes, I would like a sports pass. No one else has offered to sit by me, so I can sit with Janet at the football games. I was thinking we would go Thursday or Friday to go out to Utah. I guess earlier is alright, but I don't know when I can move into my house. Maybe someone could ask one of my friends. Also, do I have clothes at home? I can't remember what I left, but if I give everything away here, and I don't have any at home, we will have to do a lot of shopping. That could be in part in Utah, except that I don't have any money. I'm praying to be able to find a good job. A member here offered me a job involving buying stuff and sending it to Peru in small scale.

Oh, I got two packages today! One is from the deacons/Mickelsens and the other from the Murrays. Apparently there was some delay in receiving a bunch of packages sent to the mission. I was a little disgruntled because the mission is making me pay 34 soles to receive them, but then I saw that they cost $24 and $40 to send, so I can't complain.I walked into a cactus the other day. It hurt. Yesterday it was sunny from about 1:00 until 4:00. It was the first time I've seen the sun in days. All my belongings are wet due to the almost constant drizzle/coldness.

That's about it. I hope everything is going well at home. I am praying that Joanna can find a job. Why doesn't she write to me? Or is she mad at me because I said Janet's letters were better? It's just that she wrote about mission stuff and Janet wrote about normal stuff.

I love you all,Sarah

Dearest Family,

Thanks for always wriing to me Mom. I hadn't got my flight plans yet, but I assume they will give me them today. The flight to Atlanta is long. Good thing I have my crossword puzzle book to keep me entertained. I am excited to come home. I was planning on sending a menu for the week I'll be home, but today they announced that pouch ceased its existence, and they returned all letters written in the last two months. Sorry Jenae, I wrote you a really good letter, but I'll just read it to you in a month when I'm back out in Utah. But my first night, I request taco salad and corn on the cob and ice cream. And one night a barbecue and/or campfire. I have a whole list, but I don't have time to type it all up. I have another request too. I want to watch the episodes of the Office that I have missed in the mission, so if you could somehow get a hold of that, I will be happy staying up all night with a bowl of peanut butter cup ice cream, and the office.

The picture from the reunion is good, and I was surprised at how big the little cousins are. I guess it's been awhile since I've seen some of them. We keep working. My companion is sometimes overly excited and doesn't want to stop working to eat dinner, but I make us eat dinner because the first time we skipped it she started complaining about how hungry she was. We had a baptism this week, a 17 year old named Anthony. He was an investigator for a long time, and finally got baptized. This week we have another planned, Carlos. He met the missionaries in Novmber, but had a hard time giving up alcohol. He is clean now, and is excited to finally get baptized. They will both be good members, and they will help their respective branches where priesthood holders are lacking.

In other news, my last pàir of shoes broke today. I fixed them up sort of with a needle and tread, but I don't know of they will hold out three more weeks. Hopefully they will, because I'm not going to buy another pair to go home. I'll just wear my sneakers with my skirt.

The gripe porcina is raging here in Peru. They extended winter vacations for all students, and they are canceling church youth activities, and in some places church. I was embarrased because I had a cold, and was coughing and sneezing in church, and everyone noticed. They have put fliers all over about how if you have a cough you shouldn't leave your house, but I'm a missionary, and it wasn't the swine flu, just a cold. I'm afraid I'm going to get the dreaded illness and they won't let me go home.I got my letter about my after mission goals. The list is extensive, including a list of qualities I want in my future husband. Everyone is teasing me that I'm going to get married fast, and I don't know why.

Also this week we are going to have my last zone conference. They are working on sending the missionaries assigned to Bolivia back there, plus a big group is finishing, so the mission is going to be lacking missionaries.

Thanks for your love and support,Sarah

We had a baptism last week, and we have another or possibly 2 this week. I'm happy because we had 12 in sacrament meeting. Don't worry about the coming home stuff. The president's sec called me and is doing everything. I said that I wanted to fly into Mosinee or Appleton.

We did a service project this week in Manchay, the ugliest part of Lima. It involved throwing rocks in a pile. We all loved it. I think that is probably the land of desolation mentioned in the Book of Mormon.

We got to go to the temple! It was my first time in 8 months. I was happy because there was an American couple presiding in the session. But whenver I leave I am reminded of how all my clothes are dirty and smell bad. I was surprised that hot water comes out of the faucet in the bathroom. Do we have that at home too?

Mom, instead of using the $20 for souvenirs, I bought us Dominos pizza. It was darn good too. Now I do have to go.

Love, Sarah

Dear Family,

I'm in my new area, Santa Anita. I got here Friday in the afternoon, and the trip was uneventful. The best part of the trip is that they play movies on the bus, and they turn the volume up high, so you pretty much have to watch, so all the missionaries do. I saw Enchanted, and some other stupid movie. When the bus got to Lima, it was all the sudden really cloudy and smoggy, and I wanted to go back to Mantaro, but I'm getting used to Lima again. Santa Anita is a middle upper class area. We live in a nice room where there is constant water and electricity and the floor is tiled, not just cement. Plus we have a balcony. It's been a little shock trying to get used to it because where I was before was the complete opposite. Maybe now my feet will get better again since I don't have to walk on rocky dirt roads any more. And it's really humid, as in my towel never dries and when I sleep I feel like I'm in a sauna. Maybe my dry sunburned skin will improve too. I am looking forward to eating good food today. But I don't want to gain weight right before I get back. My companion said she has gained 8 kilos since she started the mission (3 months).

For the first time I got sent to an area that is doing well. We have three baptisms planned for this week, and a lot of people progressing. We are in charge of two wards and a branch: Santa Anita, which is one of the oldest in Lima I think, Bolognesi, and 27 de Abril. Sunday we did divisions. I gave a talk in Sta Anita and my companion went to Bolognesi, so I have yet to go to one of the wards. I gave a talk and played the piano, and after, an old man came up to me and said that I was prepared to go to the celestial kingdom because I am a missionary, I gave a good talk, and I play the piano. Do you think playing the piano qualifies someone to go to the celestial kingdom? Or giving a talk? The pensionista is fine. She doesn't talk much. She doesn't cook that great either, but it's eatable. I got a little nervous when I went in for breakfast the first morning and they had classical music playing, but it's fine.

My companion is Hna Cayetano. I was relieved to find out that she is normal. She is from Trujillo Peru, where the temple is being built. She got baptized with her mom when she was 12(my companion, not her mom). Her dad still isn't a member. I'm kind of glad to have a Latina companion so I can brush up on my Spanish before I go home. But don't worry, the mission president said (to my companion) that I have very good Spanish. But there are some Peruvian living customs that I still am not very used to, or don't like, but we get along well.

Basically I'm just trying to get to know the people and the area. It is huge though, so I don't know how well I'll do. It would have been easier to just stay in my old area and end there, but the Lord moves in a mysterious way. Mom, do you remember when you told me that's how my mind works, in a mysterious way?

Oh, you'll like this. Across the street from our room there is a big colegio (I don't know what it's called, but it's Catholic). My comp told me that there have been three cases of swine flu detected there. Our balcony looks out over the colegio. They raise llamas, 4 of them. Maybe its like a science project, or maybe a national symbol, but I like to look at them when I am studying.

That's about it. I love you. Thanks for you love and support
Sarah

PS I missed getting a letter from Jan this week.

Dear Family,

They announced transfers, and I am going to Lima to La Molina, the zone of the mission home and the temple. I am kind of bummed, but I was kind of getting tired of the area. Hna Garner is disappointed too because she doesn't know the area that well. I have a Latin companion whom I do not know, so at least I can get my Spanish normal again. We've spoken a lot of English this cambio, but it felt good.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the 4th of July. We thought about burning stuff to celebrate, but we were tired when we got home and just went to bed. We did have a baptism though, and it was good. It was Laura, the girl who didn't get baptized last week. It was really good to see her baptized, especially now that I am leaving the area.

Yesterday was Hna Garner's birthday. It was fun even though it was fast Sunday. Saturday Hna Clariza made pizza for us. I got kind of scared when I saw it because she put bologna on it, but it was surprisingly good. Yesterday in Relief Society everyone sang Happy Birthday to her, and then all the sisters got up to give her a hug. She said it was awkward, I just thought it was really funny. In the evening a member asked us to pass by her house. They had bought this huge cake for Hna Garner, so we sang and ate cake. Then when we got home I stuck a match in her favorite candy bar and sang to her.

Tuesday was the transportation paro. It was great for us. Everyone was outside in the street playing, so we did a bunch of contacts, and we found all the people who are never at home because they couldn't go anywhere.

I really don't have much else to say. This week was really boring. To break up the boredom, one night we set up all the empty bottles of water in our room and bowled for them with a volleyball. It was fun, but it was kind of loud and the lady who lives in the house where we rent asked us if everything was okay. I haven't gotten the package from the deacon's quorum yet, but maybe since I am going to Lima, they'll just give it to me there.

I love you all,
Hna Scoresby

Dear family,

First, Mom, I got the package! But I haven't opened it yet because there are elders around who will ask for all the food. I also got the YSA newsletter. PS- Joanna, your hair was really good in the picture. And I got a letter from grandma. But I don't have any stamps left, so nobody should expect a letter back unless they send a stamp.

This week was difficult. We had two baptisms planned, but only one of the people got baptized. We didn't get in to teach too many lessons, but we did find an amazing investigator. A few weeks ago we were walking home, and we passed two women. We just said buenas noches and kept going, but after we passed them they started whispering, then they called us. They explained that their mother, 92 years old, was very sick in bed, and they asked us to visit her. So we went. They weren't lying (that isn't spelled right but I can't figure out how to spell it) when they said she was really sick. She was so emaciated that her body hardly made a bump under the blankets, and she wasn't eating or talking. It was kind of weird, and we didn't know what to do, so we sang a hymn and said a prayer and left. She was basically just suffering, so they wanted her to be out of that. We came back two days later and someone told us she had died and they were doing funeral stuff. We came back this week to try to teach one of them, but only a 19 year old kid was there. But he said he had been living in another part of Huancayo, and the missionaries had visited him. He had been going to the church there to play soccer Tuesday nights. But he lost contact when he moved to our area. So we started teaching him, and he is awesome. He accepted a baptismal date and said he would like to serve a mission. We just have to take care of him so that he can progress.

Nothing much really happened, well only strange bad stuff. Note for Janet: I got hit in the head with a board also. It was in a really bizarre string of events, and I really didn't know what had happened, but it didn't hit me hard. It was mostly just funny. We were in this weird house/shoe factory and the lady had given us a bottle of outdated soda, Crush, and a (1) dirty glass to drink it. All the sudden I felt something falling on me. Also the same day one of our investigators gave us a chunk of her dead sheep to eat. She told us it was fine to eat because the sheep didn't have any sign of sickness. She explained that it probably died because some fairy like creature took its soul. I still didn't want to eat it, especially after carrying in the hot sun in my hand all morning, so we gave it to the pensionista, and she ate it. I did try a new fruit, tumbo. The girl who got baptized gave it to us, and when we ate supper, we tried it. It was really sour, so we only ate a little, but then Hna Garner offered to buy me a bag of Doritos if I ate the whole thing. So I did. I won the chips, but I had stomach cramps all night.

Today is a holiday, so everyone is out of school/work, and when we work this evening they will probably be drunk already. Tomorrow is a transportation paro, so nobody will be able to get anywhere, so they canceled classes and work for a lot of people. They are doing this so that the government repeals a law that the busses can't drop people off in the middle of the street, they have to drop them off at the curb.

Um, not much else. I love you all.
Sarah

Torre Torre

Skinning cui

District in Ponchos

Dear Family,
I'm glad everyone is doing well. Things are still the same here. We had the zone conference and interviews, which is always good, plus it breaks up the routine. PDte Leyva said something in the conference that makes me think I am going to get transfered my last transfer. He said "Hna Scoresby, ya está para cambios. Está muy roja. Tenemos que mandarle donde no hace tanto sol para que se case rápido despues de la mision." I laughed, then realized what he said and said "qué?" They changed the format of the conferences so now instead of sitting in the chapel all day listening to people talk they have a workshop type part so you can get up and move around. PLus this conference was especially good because for lunch, two American elders were in charge and bought all the stuff for subs.

We also had two baptisms this week, Yolanda and Karen. They always say baptisms are the best part of the mission, but I think they are the most stressful. The teenage girls were embarrased by the baptismal clothing, so they didn't want to come out of the bathroom, plus our ward missionary leader got mad at someone or something and left before the baptism started. But the girls were happy, and they got baptized. These girls have their own bodyguard, for reasons unknown to us. He follows them around with a gun strapped on his body. A few times I turned around and got scared because a guy was following us, but then I remember it is their bodyguard. Maybe you should a hire a bodyguard for me.

Last pday we went to la Laguna de Paca. Since I've been here for so long, I am doubling on the tourist sites. The elders planned badly, and we ended up walking 45 minutes back to the nearest town. There was a group of elders in front of us and a group of elders behind us. We stopped a minute at a store to buy cookies, and when we came out there weren't any elders, and we got lost in Jauja. After wandering around, my companion spotted a white person, and the elder told us to run to make the bus.

Um, what else? Not much. I got my information about going home, and it still said my end date was in September. I asked Pdte Leyva and he said to just correct it and send it back.
Thanks for your letters, Mom, Jan, and Sis. Mickelsen. And I'll look forward to the packages.
Oh, Happy Father's Day. How could I forget? Here it's just a reason for the men (and sometimes women) to drink. Our area actually smelled like beer. But we made it without any problem.

Thanks for your love and support,
Sarah Afton

Dear Family,

Even though nothing has happened, thanks for your letter (Mom). Everything is the same here. We were happy because our important investigators came to church, plus a 17 year old got permission to get baptized, plus we got a really good reference. It was a tough week because a lot of our appointments fell through, but after the trials come the blessings, or so they say. We have two baptisms scheduled for this week, Yolanda and Karen, two sisters. It's been fun teaching them.

For pday we went to torre torre, and it was pretty cool. I have some pictures, but I didn't bring my camera. But I'll send you them some time. We also ate at a seafood restaurant. Here they just throw in all sorts of critters and things, so we find things in our rice that we can't identify, but we just eat everything. The best was sucking something out of a shell. But they always give us leche de tigre, which is gross. It is raw fish juice, onion juice and lemon with chunks of fish and squid. Anyone who says they actually like it must be lying.

Tomorrow we have zone conference. So that will help liven things up and help us keep working hard.

So the members fed us lunch and supper yesterday, and they gave us so much food that we were in pain. But you have to eat it all or they get offended. So maybe I'll end up gaining weight at the end of my mission.

Hna Garner and I get along really well. We are a lot the same, which probably means we are both weird. But I'm hoping I can end with her.

Oh, I thought of something cool. It was Hna Clariza's mom's birthday, so they brought out the classic party food--cui. I've eaten it before, but it isn't that great. They are always bragging about how Peru exports cui because it's so healthy. Anyway, they brought the cuis live and butchered them there with us. And I was privileged to help peel the hair off. I was disgusted though because someone gave me a kiss with the cui and I got blood and cui juice all over my cheek. Hna Clariza offered us cui for breakfast the next morning, but I declined.

Mom, if you want to give me money for souvenirs, that would be fine :) You can just put it in my USbank account, and tell me how much. But what kind of souvenirs do you want? A cui? I have bought a few things, but I'll keep my eye out for good stuff. I don't want to bring home a bunch of stuff that no one wants. Everyone wants me to give them my clothes, so I'll have pleny of room, but I don't want to have to pay customs fees.

So you want to know about the weather? The rainy season ended, and now we are in ¨winter.¨ Because it is so high up, the sun is really strong, and I burn everywhere, even if I use sunblock. The worst is in my hair part. It hurts, then it peels so it looks gross. So when the sun is out it is burning hot, and when you walk in the shade or when the sun goes down, it is cold. They are always complaining about the cold, but I don't see why, because it isn't that cold. And then they blame whatever malady on the weather. By the way, I saw in a newspaper this morning that the swine flu made it to Junín. It will probably run rampantly since there is little to no hygiene.

That's about it. I love you lots,
Sarah

Dear Family,

I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well except Janet, who got hit on the head with a board. That made me laugh.

Everything is fine here. We got all better from our illness and we worked normally the whole week. The sun is super, super strong, and we are suffering strange things from that, well mostly my comp because she is less used to the sun. But my feet have gotten really bad lately, like when I was little. I think my body is just about ready to give in. But we keep working despite all that.

Hna Garner was horrified at the strange traditions at church yesterday. I think I have become immune to them, but I still remember my days in a normal ward. I still don't participate in the oath that they do every Sunday in RS-La caridad nunca deja de ser. You raise your right hand and repeat it three times and end in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. And they don't sing sacrament songs. Once for the sacrament, they sang, Before Thee Lord, I Bow My Head. We suggest they shouldn't do it, but old traditions die hard.

We are enjoying eating with the members Sundays. And they enjoy giving us food that they think we will like the most. Yesterday we enjoyed pizza and asado. Maybe I'll end up gaining weight at the end of my mission. A counselor in the bishopric invited us yesterday and was asking what we ate. He is learning English, so he was asking in English, and instead of asking if we liked meat, he asked if we wanted to eat flesh. I told him as long as it wasn't human flesh.

Not much else has happened. Today we are going to Torre Torre, which an elder described as a pequeño grand canyon. We made navajo tacos one day, and now that I know how to make the fry bread, I will make it in my apartment, because it was good.

Elder Zimmerman is a mission counselor. In a conference in Lima I met them. Elder Zimmerman was a chem professor at BYU, but I never took a class from him. Sister Zimmerman talked more to me because I was the only sister there who spoke English, and she didn't speak Spanish at that point. But I doubt I'll see them again.

Question-Are the bishop and stake president the same as when I left? They are doing my paperwork to come home, and I couldn't remember if the stake presidency had changed. And if by chance you are going to send me another package, I thought of a few suggestions. I get these cravings for weird things, so here are a few-Starbursts, oatmeal cream pies, cheddar cheese sun chips. I don't know if chips would send well, but they won't weigh a lot.

I love you all. Thanks for your love and support.

Sarah

Dear Family,

I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well. We had cambios, and Hna Garrison went to Begonias, my old area in Canto Grande. We were crazy trying to get her ready and trying to find members to stay with me wile my new companion was coming. My new companion is Hna Garner. She has about the same time in the mission as Hna Garrison. She is from Sanders Arizona. Her mom is Navajo indian, and they lived on the indian reservation there. Her dad teaches at an UNM branch in education. We've been working a lot on her Spanish, because she still doesn't speak that well. Other than that we have been working normally. Heydee got baptized, and I was upset because the ward did not do their part. Wen I got to church the font wasn't filled and there was nobody there, So I filled the font and tried to get thngs ready as best as I could. The bishop showed up but refused to help at all and just sat in the office. But she got baptized.

We found a really good new investigator this week. The missionaries before had been teaching her mom, and the girl was studying, so she didn't have much time to listen. But she finished her classes, and she was reading te pamphlets the missionaries had left, and she thought they were really interesting. She stopped me in the street one day (it was when I was without a companion), and asked for more pamphlets. But she couldn't go to church yesterday because she traveled to La Oroya.

The most exciting thing that happened this week is that Hna Garner and I both got really sick. I didn't know a person could feel that terrible and still be alive. I felt bad because I threw up all over the bathroom floor, and the member that rents us our room cleaned it up. I got to call the mission doctor and he said it was infectious diarrhea. Lovely. I think Pdte and Hna Leyva were a little worried it might be the swine flu because I had all the symptoms except for the nose/throat problems. My companion is doing a lot better, but I am still suffering some. I don't have anything in my system now, so I'm just dry heaving and having stomach cramps. Hna Clariza is worried because I lost more weight. But don't worry Mom, I'll get over it like I've gotten over all the other sicknesses in the mission.

Oh I forgot something funny. Last Sunday Hna Garrison and I were bored at night and so we played stud or dud, but with areas. We chose four areas, and we asked the questions and everything, and we read the cards. The decided that clubs would be how well you get along with you comp, diamonds would be how many transfers you would be there, hearts would be baptisms, and cloers would be how good the pension is. And how did it turn out? It turned out that I would stay here, and Hna Garrison would go to Begonias. Maybe I should give up my studies and go into card reading.

I love you all. Thanks for you love and support. And I sent a card to Janet.
Love,
Sarah

Dear family,

Sorry in advance, nothing happened this week. We just worked normally. But we are waiting to hear about transfers, so that is the excitement here. Heydee, Hna Clariza's daughter, is getting baptized Tuesday. Her adoption papers finally came through, so tomorrow when Hna Alfredo gets home from work, we are going to have her baptism. She just turned 9 last week, but since she's nine she is a baptism for the mission. She is the first investigator that told me that the Book of Mormon was written in Reformed Egyptian. I didn't even know that until the mission. Other than her we are struggling a little bit with the investigators, mostly in getting them to church. They all commit in the week, but then Sunday rolls around and they don't come, and the ones who we go to get aren't there or tell us they can't come.

Tuesday when we were studying we got a phone call. It was a girl who said she had been attending institute classes and wanted to receive the discussions. We have district meeting Tuesdays at 9:30, and when we got to the church, she was there waiting for us. So we taught her. She says she knows the church is true, but her family is against her associating with the church, and if she got baptized she would have to break up with her boyfriend. But we have to teach her in the church, and she didn't come to the next appointment. A counselor in the stake presidency teaches the institute class she attends, and later told us he wanted to be in her lessons, if possible.

Hmm, today is Memorial Day. We will probably celebrate by going to Burger King. It's so good to eat real food. And they have an ice machine, so I almost always get a drink, just to get the ice because there aren't very many fridge/freezers.

We haven't had water these past few days. We were reading the missionary handbook, and it says, bathe daily if possible, but seeing as it is impossible, we didn't bathe. This morning there was a little water in the sink faucet, so we took advantage and washed our hair in the sink and washed up the best we could with that.

Umm, what else? An hermana returned home from the Arequipa mission, and she has been helping us some. She started with Roland Fuller, and they were in the same first zone in Puno. She showed me a few pictures that he was in. He hasn't changed at all. They fed us yesterday. They gave us so much food, I could barely walk after-to start, fruit, then soup, then rice, meat and potatos, then herbal tea, then more fruit.

That's all I can think of to write. I hope everyone has a good week. Thanks for your love and support,
Sarah

Dear Family,

This week was pretty boring, probably about the same speed as your's but more spiritual. Here are the highlights of the week:

Hilary's birthday- this week was the birthday of a little girl in the ward who got baptized 6 months ago. Her grandma gt baptized too, and traveled to Trujillo, so now she is the only member in her household. Hna Clariza bought a cake for Heydee, her daughter, and Hilary because they're friends. Hilary couldn't come to eat the cake at the pension, so we took it to her. When we got there, her mom, who has a broken leg, and she were crying. Her mom was asking forgiveness because she didn't have money to buy a cake or candy or anything, and she felt really bad that she couldn't celebrate her daughter's birthday. When she grew up she didn't even know when her birthday was, and she had to find food to eat in the street, so she wanted to be able to give her kids something better. Her husband didn't remember the birthday of his daughter and was out drinking. Hna Garrison and I started crying too, but we brought out the cake and cheered things up with the cake and a game. The only thing that marred the party was when the dad arrived home drunk. It was a learning experience for us.

No lights- Sunday there wasn't electricity in all Huancayo all day. You couldn't really tell in the morning and afternoon, but we couldn't go out to work in the night because there were no street lights, and therefore it was dangerous. But we still managed to teach a lesson and play with the fire from the candle. The problem was that there wasn't water either, so we couldn't bathe Sunday, and today there was only water in the sink, not the shower, so we had to improvise with the sink water and a bucket. I am really looking forward to a long, hot shower.

Fellow countryman- A guy from the U.S. showed up at church yesterday (but the other ward). He doesn't know a word of Spanish. We were shocked to see and hear his good Idahoan accent. He apparently met and married a Peruvian while in the US. They now live in Alaska. He gave us a reference, well really his wife gave us the reference, her sobrina or little sister or something. We really didn't talk that much, but I hear he is from IF, Idaho. If I knew his last name, I would ask dad if he knows him, but I don't know.

That's about it. Thanks for the postcards, but was it a joke sending a postcard of the testing center? Next week are cambios. We are pretty sure that one of us will be transfered. There are rumors that they are opening Bolivia back up for North Americans, so if that is true, Hna Garrison could get sent there seeing that it is her original assignment. Thanks for all your love and support.
Your favorite daughter,
Sarah Afton