Monday, December 3, 2012 - First P-Day in New Hampshire

hi! :) this might be short, but if i still have more to say, i will write a letter :)

i have my bedding, and i spent the first night at the mission home anyway. it was great! the flights were good. i didnt convert anyone though. my mission president is SO GREAT. he told me so many wonderful things and made me feel so good!! he cried during our first interview and told me he didnt want to end the interview. he looked me in the eye and told me (and wrote on  a paper by a picture of me) that he is not going to worry about if i am going to really serve the lord because he trusts me! he made me feel so lovely!

i didnt starve on the plane.

i am happy to hear about sam! he sure is  a wonderful boy. i talk about him all the time and show his picture to people. how is he? how is him and miranda? how are the kitties? how is fotis? have you put him online yet? how are you? how is dad? how is erin and her family? how is scott and his? how is the business?

my companion is great too. she reminds me of jenny porritt, but me and this sister are pretty much exactly the same size. she is a great trainer and works hard. i am so thankful i am with her. we are in the bedford area. we have bits of manchester, bedford, goffstown and new boston in our area. we are shotgunning the area which apparently means we are opening it again after it has been closed for  while. they have been sister starved, so the members all love us.

we are in the city. i really love it here. everything is so cool and old and interesting. the people have been so amazing and receptive. since wednesday we found 10 complete strangers on the streets who were interested in the gospel. some of them we had to refer to other missionaries because they live out of our area and one of them didnt set up a return appointment because she said she was too busy, but that she wanted a b.o.m..

the other night we met two guys on the street. i could smell alcohol on their breath. after they found out we are mormons, one of them started telling us to get out, to save ourselves! he talked about tithing as if it was insurance or something. he was so concerned about us. the other guy was trying to talk over him, saying things like keep doing what you are doing! you are soldiers! anything good and from the heart is a good thing to do! karma karma! dont listen  to him! you are doing a good thing! hahaha it was great. i couldnt wipe the smile off my face the whole time. they were both so funny! we gave them  a mormon.org card with our number on it and told them to call if they ever wanted to talk more. about a couple hours later the one that wanted to save us called and asked if he could have a bible study or  gospel study with us!! hhahah we were so surprised! he was one that was out of our area, so we had to refer him to the elders. hha that was a great night..

this last weekend there was an event that was open to anyone. it was at the church building with tons of nativity sets (which they call a "creche" over here) and music and cookies. we handed out invitations this week. that was  great help for talking to people. it was nice.

oh! we live in the upstairs of an old member couple in the ward. there is  a kitchen with all the silverware and knives and strainers and tupperware and spices we need! there is  a living room with comfy couches and loads of pamphlets and pass along cards! there are two bedrooms, we use one to sleep in and the other as a closet. :) there is  a washer and dryer and.....  a little deck just for us!! it is so cute and so wonderful and always warm when we go there. we are so lucky! there was even a yoga matt, ball and hot chocolate already in there!

the squirrels are big here! the fog is thick when it comes! all the houses are actually apartments. we use the back door of most people's houses which is just so weird to me. i have met so many dogs! i love new hampshire! oh. but i do miss my old companion. sigh. she sure was great. well. this letter is  a jumbled mess, and i am not reading through it before i send it! but bob, thank you so much!! you do so much for me. it makes my day to hear from you. i got the letter from you on my first night here when i was at the mission home. i loved it!!! thank you thank you thank you for everything. my address is 247 blucher street manchester, nh 03102 but the mission office forwards everything to me.

i must go i love you so much bob!!! i love you!!!

love,

sister lani buxton