October 12, 2009--Hello Everyone!!

How are you guys!!! I'm doing so good! This week has been wonderful. Okay, a little discouraging like I said in President's email, but still. Even though we have no one progressing we are having fun in our companionship.

We had zone conference this week. Like I said in President's email we talked about "wooden lessons" and the "missionary voice." The assistants to the president taught us that we are going to switch our lessons up a bit. We are to make each one of them incredibly personal to meet the needs of each investigator. Its hard sometimes because it's hard to decipher their needs. We listen to the spirit though and do the best we can. It's going to be fun and interesting as soon as we are able to get a darn investigator. We lost our 2 most progressing ones. It's so frustrating!

Anyway! We've been tracting a lot and it's such a waste of time because we never get anywhere. It's incredibly rare that someone will let us in their home to let us share a message. It'll pick up eventually and we know that Zion will begin to establish.

Okay, so we really haven't had an eventful week, but I wrote down a couple things that happened this week--all yesterday actually--that were fun.

There is a girl in our ward who Sister Call was actually her EFY counselor last summer, Andressa, it was her 19th birthday on Wednesday, so they were celebrating it yesterday and invited us to come over too. We went to the apartment and I found out they were Brazilian. I knew they were Latin-ish, but I thought they were from Peru or some other South American country. She speaks Spanish so that is why I was confused. Her grandpa is Spanish and her grandma is from Brazil. So her grandma speaks both--so does Andressa. We have Spanish translators in our ward (which are SO distracting!!!) and her grandma is always speaking Spanish and yeah. Anyway, so we had all this Brazilian food. It was so delicious! We had some sort of meat-beef-that had the greatest marinade on it. I have no idea what it was. We also had some beans and rice--which I think I'm becoming addicted to them--and salad and there was also like a potato salad thing. I don't like that so I didn't try it. Anyway, it was all so good and I loved it. After, of course, was the cake. It was SO good!!!!! No worries, I asked for the recipe. It was just like a white cake, I don't think it was from a box, with a peanut butter and cooked sweetened condensed milk layer in the middle. The frosting was also the sweetened condensed milk. They cook it in a sauce pan and it turns into a simple version of dulche-de-lache. YUM!! I love it. Super sweet, but I love it. Yum! Okay, so at their house there is a fish tank with turtles in it. There are four of them. Sister Call wanted to hold the baby ones, their shell is only the size of a fifty cent piece. Tiny. They were so cute. I was holding one too, it was fun cause they would just crawl all over your arms and hands. I was playing with one, and what happened? He dropped right on the tile floor!!! There were a lot of people there and it was super embarrassing! I made everyone stand exactly still while I got on my hands and knees and searched for the baby turtle. Haha he fell under the chair so I went and got him. I was so embarrassed and felt SO SO SO bad!! Andressa was just laughing and said it was totally fine. I put him right back in the tank and he was fine. He still can swim!! Whew! That was embarrassing.

So after that we went to another members home to do an AMT--Active Member Training--We get there and the mom was on call so we were just waiting at there with her son who just got baptized, 17, and grandma, who is crazy old but so sweet. They have a couple of dogs, and naturally I like to pet them. Its cause I miss our puppies, but petting other dogs never satisfies my want for Char Chars fur and butt. Anyway, so they have a little Chihuahua (I have no idea how to spell that) and it was really playful. I was just playing with it and having fun. Keeping it entertained. Of course I was wearing my black skirt, so the white fur got all over me! Gross. I was COVERED in it on my right side. So Sister Borgge comes home and the the dogs get excited. The other dog, a black cocker spaniel decides to jump up on the couch with me to get some lovin' too. He was like laying on my lap.The gross thing about him was that he hadn't been washed in the longest time and was so stinky and filthy. It was sick. So I got to go to the next members home and ask for a wet washcloth so i could get my skirt cleaned off before I sat on their furniture. Okay, but so while we were at the Borgges house there was a picture sitting on the coffee table next to me. I looked at it and was like Oh, that guy looks like someone. It was a black and white picture of a navy pilot. It was a really good looking picture. So we get done with the lesson and I just had to ask who it was. This is how the conversation went:

"Sister Borgg, who is this a picture of?" I pick it up and show it to her.

"Oh, that's my father, my mom's husband right here," pointing to her mom.

"Okay, this is going to sound really strange, but he looks exactly like Justin Timberlake." An uproar of laughter. It was hilarious, but he seriously looked like him! Everyone agreed, and all was settled. hahaha I wish I could show you guys the picture.

Okay, so I'm attaching a picture of us working in the yard of Sister Kostanich. We planted trees and completely cleared her weed-infested garden. Mom, you would be so proud! The dirt here is so gross though. It's not dirt, it's sand with a ton of rocks in it. Sick. the picture is of us after we were all done. her neighbor brought us these rockin' awesome hats so wear so we wouldn't get as hot. You probably don't recognize me in it, but I;'m the one with the crazy tie dye shirt. Yes, I have a tie dye t shirt. They're really popular down here and I love it. Haha Sister Call took the picture, so that is why she isn't in it.

Well, I hope you all have a WONDERFUL week!!

Oh, now in our mighty prayers instead of praying for a temple in South Florida we are praying for the governments hearts to be softened so it can progress smoothly and on the Lord's time. Apparently there was a hard time getting the Orlando temple built.

Anyway, if you could add that in your prayers we'd really appreciate it!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT

Love, Sister Sammi Denson:)

PPS We're going ice skating today. Its been ages since I've been ice skating so it's going to be an adventure. Pray that I don't face plant it!!!

SWEET HATS!!!!!
Sister Moore, Sister Lowe, Sister Denson, Sister Pirotta