watermelon, watermelon. rolling down the tramvai.

fam bam. (never gets old.)

it's only been a few days. soooo we'll see what there is to say.

renae andrade is her name. she's from orange county, california. but isn't southern california-ish. she's 19. darling. shiny and clean and fresh. beautiful long brown curly hair. different than sister hassard. this transfer will be one of miracles. we just know it. different miracles than last transfer. like a magic wand the second she arrived. the branch members say the three of us look like we could be sisters, but especially sister hassard and andrade. i kind of agreed, then we took a picture last night. yep. they could. kind of crazy.

there's no number for miracles. they don't count those. --my new favorite quote from myself. i'll make millions on it someday, probably.

we had a branch picnic on saturday. how much do i love this branch? so much. they're darling. they love each other so much.

yesterday. let me tell you about yesterday.
we went to church. on the way a recent convert, nina, was on the tramvai with us, so i sat by her and talked to her. as we walked to the church, my little daughters walked ahead and nina and i just had the best conversation. she just started talking about her family. her sorrows, but her joys and answered prayers. her faith. it was beautiful. at church? none other than two less actives from our area came waltzing in. one with a month-old baby that they blessed. another that is hilarious and loves sisters. i died. this just doesn't happen! and there's huge potential for a huge miracle coming up, but i won't say anything yet. wouldn't want to spoil it.
last night we were going to see a recent convert, but they weren't home when we had appointed. so we talked to her mom instead. she's a delight. the investigator of the elders. (it's complicated.) and then i felt like we ought to stop by another less active. she wasn't home, so sister hassard asked a babushka outside her dom to help her with reading for a few minutes. she agreed, so my daughters read with her on this bench and a few minutes in, the less active came towards home. so i crossed to the other bench and talked to her and her friend that came over and left my daughters five feet across the path from me with the babushka, because they don't understand olga anyway. so we had a nice chat. and set appointments. it's fine, my little ones also set an appointment to come back and talk to the babushka. a beautiful evening, for all.

real growth. "He is my peace." --elder packard, our new district leader. there's relief in the air. miracles. something ahead. behold, my little ones. what's my theme for the transfer?
"i pray for them: i pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. and all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and i am glorified in them. and now i am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and i come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." --john 17:9-11
i only want them to be happy. i want them to see all the miracles, but also to see the magic of growth and perspective and finding the will of god. finding and experience what it is to have to truly cling to him, because there's nothing else to be done. but i just want all the sunshine and happiness and miraculous stories for them. so i pray for them. in my tender care.

[my year on a mission mark is this week. i'm a little freaked out. a little not. time, time, time. love, love, love.]

yesterday someone closed their talk by saying, 'this is my talk with love, in the name of jesus christ, amen.' i loved that. so.

these are my words, with love.

much love,
cectpa em.