December 28, 2009 Hey Ya!

Family!
So- Christmas was just wonderful! I’m so glad that I was able to speak with you! It was so weird to hear your voices- ESPECIALLY Daniel. What a crazy! He sounds so different! He’s not my little buddy sounding. Alas- I suppose everyone has to change and grow up. Blah blah blah. I really enjoyed all the packages I received. Thanks fam! You know just what to say to take a girls breath away! (this will take her breff away! Name that movie- please ) I especially loved the rubber ducky pj’s! Also- thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for remembering me- their little missionary I LOVED Uncle Joe and Aunt Sandy’s present. Cookies and this delicious popcorn stuff. I don’t know what was in it- or how it was made- but you know that all the missionaries chowed down on it! Also- the Lusk’s a missionary couple from Nauvoo sent me some tasty treats! I really appreciated that. It has been fun to hear from a lot of the Nauvoo sisters as well during Christmas. If I was a cute sister missionary I would’ve sent out little Christmas card pictures like they did- alas! I am not.
It’s kind of weird to e-mail you after I spoke with you just a few days ago. I can’t believe that it’s almost 2010!! What the cut the! And I am on a mission! Who would’ve predicted that in our predictions? Correction- mom probably did. She knows everything. 
So you may ask, what have I been doing with my life recently? Well- not too much. Being a missionary. One of my most favorite favorites is the Montes family. Sister Montes, she just understands me and I LOVE her. She is from Portugal and she served a mission and she joined the church even though her family is way hardcore Catholic and they pretty much disowned her and she even went on a mission! Oh I love her. She has two little babies Gracie and Coley (I LOVE them!) and we have been meeting with Gracie because she wanted to learn from the missionaries before she gets baptized. Her baptism is on Sunday so that should be lots of fun. I know it’s not a convert baptism or anything, but it has been really neat to see what Grace does understand about the gospel, even at age almost 8, and how strong her testimony is of things that are really important. It’s a good example to help teach our investigators. There is no way that Grace knows everything about the church, but what she does know, she knows is good and feels it’s good and knows that it’s what God wants for her. I need to be more like that. I think too often I think about myself too much. I blame myself for all of my inadequacies and think that my being inadequate is somehow going to ruin everything! That is pride. This is God’s work, and I am very privileged to be helping in it, even just a little bit. I love you all so much! Keep being good. Find people for the missionaries to teach- they need your help!
Sister Picard