Transfer 1 is done

I had my first awkward encounter with boys, except it wasn't with a
boy. We were walking home from Branch Council and this lady stops us
on the street cause she liked my skirt. So we are talking and I give
her a Book of Mormon and she like, wow, it's so refreshing to see nice
young girls! And then she's like, my son is a professional surfer and
he's performing today. We declined the invitation to go watch him
(whoever the heck he even was), and then stood there while she wrote
down his phone number, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook info on the
same piece of paper I had just got done writing Travis's name all over
during our 3-hour branch council. Wow I'm so ADD sorry guys. I don't
need no yuppie surfer boy. But thanks. No seriously, thanks.

It should be obvious to anyone who I'm close to that there are two
things I HATE. Dogs. And chicken on the bone. Turns out putting the
two together isn't a bad combination though. We are at a dinner
appointment and they're making us this legit Fettuccine Alfredo and
the smell is pretty much hypnotic. But they get the chicken out of the
oven and it's like all bones. I've been subtly kicking the little dog
that's been licking me for the last half hour so my cat is starting to
get pretty chapped at this point. So we're eating and she's like, just
throw the dog the bones! You got it lady. I think I ate a tablespoon
of chicken and gave the rest to that blessed little dog and he just
chomped it right up! Problem solved. Wish that option was available
for the fried caterpillars.

So I got called to speak what little English I know here in New York.
I don't think they took that into consideration for exchanges because
I found myself in the middle of Flushing aka chino land with Hermana
Lingenbrink. I tried to help her teach but it's a little hard when you
can only say "orange" in these people's language. Good thing we had
that Spanish computer game growing up...that filth saved my skin that
night. Anyway we are praying at night and we get this phone call. The
other sisters that live in this sketch building had someone break into
their apartment so they wanted to come spend the night. Holy sleepover
I felt like I was in 6th grade. Of homeschool haha too funny. Did
anyone know there is like a top 3 "mission crushs?" That's a thing. A
very real thing. I was so outcast on that conversation #zoningtime so
glad I don't have that problem. So other than that and the fact that
there were cockroaches and mice in the apartment it was a successful
exchange. They do this thing where the whole zone goes on a "street
sweep" or fearless. Oh heck Flushing basically flushes you of every
drop of hydration you have. Street sweep is like that plus murder. I
have literally never been so miserable and hot. It was just wonderful
in a dress.

We did another exchange on Friday, this time I stayed in the Harbor. I
was driving and if that wasn't a scary enough thought, imagine me
driving in New York not knowing where I'm going...and having a Sister
Training Leader in the passenger seat...and being away from Cosmo. We
were stopped at a stoplight when a guy in a really nice car in
oncoming traffic slammed on his brakes and rolled down the window. I
was sure he had seen our nametags and had finally found the church he
had been in search of his whole life. Nope you're wrong, I rolled down
my window with a pass-along card in hand and he just says "excuse me,
you are absolutely beautiful and I just HAD to tell you." Well okay
then. Let's keep driving.

A cool thing I learned this week about repentance...for some reason in
our church I gather that a lot of people think that repentance is
something done on a weekly or daily basis. President had talked about
something called "real time" repentance. When we do something, and we
feel like it was wrong, or we could have done something better, or we
just don't feel good about it, we can pray and ask for repentance
right there instead of carrying it with us till that night or till
Sunday. We can repent on the spot and continue onward and upward. Each
Sunday we can partake of the sacrament and unload everything. As we
repent often, we can feel the spirit more closely and be able to make
better choices. When we repent often we are changing constantly to
become like Christ and we are more humble through recognition of our
weaknesses. I had never looked at it that way so it was cool,
hopefully y'all think so too. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ
can help us through life with our different trials, because He knows
us on such an individual basis as His children. The closer we are to
Christ, the happier we'll be.

Love you all!
Sis Wads


Sister Sariah Wadsworth
New York New York South Mission