June 4, 2009 A rendezvous in old Nauvoo

Ok. Well. I just have no idea where to start. It seems like I've just been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day today. Too much to do. And too little time. But! Now I'm e-mailing and I actually enjoy doing that for the most part. OH I KNOW!!!!!!! So the weather here has been pretty spastic as of late. It's been really stormy or really sunny. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the rain. Everyone else has gotten sick of it, but I like it better every day:) I love big storms. We've had a couple of severe storm warnings and the like. Not as intense as Gus's MTC flu epidemic. That stinks for him. I'll be praying he still gets out when he's supposed to. I love rain. I love rain. Let's see- oh! The chorister from the home ward came to Carthage. I was jeal that she had seen all of you more recently than I had!!! I miss you guys sometimes:) That was fun though. Oh I know! So! On Tuesday we had the busiest day we've had since I've been at Carthage. I took 5 tours just by myself. I know this may not sound like a lot, but consider that each tour takes around 45 min or more- it's intense. Two of my tours had over 30 people. One of them was a Church History tour of high school students who had just graduated. It was fun. I think I saw all of the Hollister fashions for the upcoming summer:) HA! It was fun to see people Hann's age. And I like giving tours to the youth- and really helping them to feel how special Carthage is. Because they honestly won't remember a whole lot about what I tell them (even though I just say it so dang classy:) ) but! they will remember how they feel. And it's my HUUUUUUGE responsibility to help facilitate their experience there. A lot of people wait their entire lives to be able to see Carthage. I so appreciate the people that come really wanting to feel the Spirit and wanting their testimonies strengthened. Not only does it strengthen their testimony, but mine as well. I LOVE it!!!! People crying in the Martyrdom room is just music to my ears:) But I've actually been able to hold it together fairly well. I haven't cried in a tour yet. I probably just jinxed myself. But man the Spirit is strong there. And it's been SO neat to see how the Holy Ghost can work through missionaries. There are times when I totally have no idea what to say and then I just start talking and it all comes out good. D&C 84:85. BIG TIME. That is my life. Trying to study and prepare myself enough so that I'll say what I'm supposed to. So! I was just thrashed after that day. I didn't want to talk for a looooooooooooooooooong time. No jokes about me not talking please:) My throat hurt. But! I haven't lost my voice or anything- so I just keep on talkin;) knock on wood. I'm trying to think of other fun things I do. Pretty much I just give tours all day every day except preparation day. It's been so important to focus on being a missionary and not a tour guide. Because it's very easy to just know the script and tell the people what they have to hear about the scripts and what not. It's completely different to try and make them want to gain a stronger testimony or to be a missionary. I just want everyone to have the gospel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone. That's all. That's all I ask in life. For everyone to be as happy as the gospel makes me. Then life would just be goods:) Oh- big time blessing. I haven't gotten sick of running on the track yet. I still make everyone wait for me to be done running in the morn- it's fun though. It's a good way to start the day. I think everyone is starting to like running more too. Which is good. I just have to tell you- there is one Sister out in Carthage with me- Sister Granja she is from Brazil and she is SO fun!!!!!! We have too much fun together. We're the only brown sisters- so we pretty much have to:) Oh I just love that little Brazilian. haha There was this crazy Elder - senior elder- who is just crazy. And admittedly kinda bugs. But one of the first days we were at the jail he talked to both of us independently but we had similiar experiences. We had both just been transferred out to Carthage so we didn't know him before. And he may or may not be but definitely is a know-it-all. People in their old age... whatevs. So he came up to me and was like"You're polynesian"and I replied "no actually my dad is native american and my mom's italian but I do get that a lot"and he goes "well you're polynesian""um, no I'm not actually....""well you look polynesian""well I'm not""so you're polynesian"
ok. dumb! and then later that day to Sis Granja- and we'd actually JUST been talking about how people will think they're all smart and say "Sister Gran-HA" because they think she's hispanic but she's not. Pronounce j's in Portuguese. Anyways- here was their encounter.
"So you're Sister Gran-HA" (ok and ps I was sitting there the whole time just about dying. DYIIIIING)"No- actually it's Sister Gran-JA""No- it's Gran-HA""Well actually I'm from Brazil and in Portuguese we pronounce the J""You see it's called a "jota" in spanish and you don't pronounce it "j" you pronounce it "h" so it's Gran-HA""ok..............."
(ps Hann- it's an oversized hat. it's funny)
CRAZY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is crazy. They just went home though. Good riddance saloon-y. That's what I say. Oh well. The other seniors I serve with are SWEEEEEEEEEET! Elder Reber played football at the U so we tease each other all the time about our "rivalry". It's good to talk football sometimes too. I figure it's not too apostate. Gotta do what I gotta do. And all the other Seniors are just so sweet. They really are SO nice. I love it. But! I probably should get to gettin. Need to go up to the temple. GET to go up to the temple. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it! And I love all of you. Stay fly. Have a great summer. Without me. I can't believe it's June already. That my friends- is CRAZY. Crazy. I most definitely am not ready for it to get hot. Or bugg-ish. I HATE the bugs. Pray that I don't get chiggers. I think I would just die. Literally. If I knew there were bugs in my skin. I'd just sit down and cry. Oh sick. OOOOOH sick. I just thought about it. Ok- well. Good bye for reals. I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sister Picard
PS- I really appreciate the letters- they literally make my life. I am not over exaggerating or being the slightest bit dramatical. They. make. my. life.