First Post From Texas!

WOOHOO! I made it! I am out in the field. It’s so crazy and fun at the same time. So I am serving in Hereford Texas as my first area! It population 15,000 and I’m pretty sure 14,000 of them are cows! There are so many cows here it blows my mind. I saw the biggest clusters you could ever in your life imagine, and I took a picture, but it doesn't do it justice. Haha I’ll include it anyway. The Elders in Lubbock told us it smelled like cows so bad here, and my old comp Hermana Langston laughed so hard because she found out really quick in Mexico that I can’t handle smells well. Think about someone taking a used baby diaper, letting it sit a couple days, lighting it on fire and sticking it in your car...that's about equivalent to the smell here. Haha I’m starting to get used to it now, which might even be grosser... Haha!

We are so excited to be here. My companions’ name is Hermana Ogles and she is from Carson City Nevada. She is super nice and we get along great! We are so excited because we are the very first sister missionaries to ever be in Hereford! The branch went crazy, and a lady pulled over on the side of the road when we were riding our bikes and wanted to take a picture with us. Haha, we are practically famous. What can I say.  What I didn't know is there are only 7 Spanish speaking Sisters in THE ENTIRE MISSION! Crazy! It is a brand new thing apparently.

On our first lesson with an investigator of being here, my first lesson ever, we set a baptism date! June 7th! We are so excited! I love all of my investigators so much.  As I continue to serve them, it truly makes me appreciate them and love them so much. 2 of our investigators are trying to quit weed, and they just think they are so funny. Haha don't be scared mom.

So on Friday, I was super sick because of traveling and adjusting and all, and so we stayed in the apartment. I slept from 6:30 am-7:30 pm straight, then woke up, ate, and went back to bed for a full nights sleep. It was insane. That's a new record. Even for me!

So the landscape here is so FLAT. We all made a joke about how your dog could run away, but no big deal because you could see him run away for 3 days! It’s really beautiful though. There are no mountains or hills, so it stays light outside until like 8:30 no matter what. Crazy stuff.

Tell Sister Olpin that I stayed in Canyon, Texas on my first night here with some sisters, and that my area is like 30 minutes from there and I was there today! I believe that's where she said her family was from. What’s her maiden name?

The Branch here and the members are really nice. Lots of little kids.  Sacrament smells like baby wipes and Cheerios! It’s wonderful! Haha. We had some members invite us over for dinner yesterday for Memorial Day, and they remind me so much of our family. They were like "hope you like BBQ and raspberry jello salad!" Totally a blessing from God. It was really nice to feel a home setting. It is kinda lonely out here sometimes, but as I get to know everyone, it will get better!

So something kinda crazy. Hereford and the surrounding towns have only had one tenth of an inch of rain this ENTIRE year! Only like 2 inches since August of last year.  From the day we arrived here, it has rained every single day, and in total it has rained about 4 inches just in the last week. Everyone jokes and says we brought the rain! Haha. But seriously, we probably did. ;)

I’m not speaking as much Spanish as I’d like, because it’s an English branch, but about 85% of Hereford is Spanish speaking, so we just have to go down the right streets and we are basically in Mexico! It is so awesome! I’ve been offered beers more times in a week, then I have in my entire life. Haha! People are crazy here, but everyone has that southern hospitality and is so nice!

I love teaching people the Gospel so much! From the minute I meet someone, I can feel God’s love for them so much, and I just want to tell them everything at once, and have to hold myself back. But this is why I came on a mission! This Gospel blesses my life every day, and I just want to share it with anyone who will listen! The Lord blesses us so much out here, and I’ve really grown to know how much to rely on Him. We pray so many times a day because there is no way we could do this alone. We have to have His spirit or nobody will believe a word we say! It’s such hard work, but that's why it is called missionary work! It makes me so happy and it’s blessing me so much and I hope that you are feeling it too.

The Lord is so loving, and the more I teach others about it, the more and more my testimony grows as well. I love this Gospel and would be nothing without it. I’m so excited to share it with God’s children! This area has definitely been prepared for us, and our Mission President reminds us of our responsibility daily of being in this area.

I love you and miss you so much. Please continue to pray for me! I can feel them!

Love,

Hermana Bleyl