Letter # 8 End of January 2014

Robyn Letter #  8  1/26/14  

Dear family and friends,

Thank you for the prayers on my behalf, after a hard week, last Monday was the day of miracles!  You know how I said we were teaching James the Crocheting investigator on Pday?   Well guess what? HE IS GETTING BAPTIZED!  We are both SO EXCITED for him!  Sister Payton nearly fell out of her chair with joy because she has never had a baptism,- her last area they only had less actives but no investigators (apparently the Wichita zone is SUPER hard, everyone says so).   We are just so excited for James!   We keep expecting there to be a hitch and oh no, he can't get baptized, but we taught him the word of wisdom, being worried he wouldn't give up coffee, but he has no problems with that, and then we taught him the law of chastity (SUPER awkward teaching a guy mind you, we almost died of embarrassment) but he said he already keeps it!   He is getting baptized on the 8th and we are so excited!    But we are worried because it is the weekend after transfers, so we may not even be here. 

Then Monday night, our car battery died- thanks to Sister Judy leaving the lights on-, but we were able to start it and still go to dinner and while on our way to dinner, we got a text from a less active lady who likes to drive us places but has said she didn't want us to know where she lived.  She text’d us to invite us over for cupcakes!  So we went over and she even let us share a message with her, as long as we promised not to tell people where she lived. We are coming back later this week to help her paint her walls.  SO MIRACLES!  All day we were just repeatedly saying thank you to Heavenly Father.  It was amazing.

Finally feeling like I am moved in.  Out of all my friends Patty is the only one who I hung pictures of over my bed.  Just her and family. hahahahaha.    When you see Brady tell him I said hi and that some of his pictures (he sent me new ones) are hanging on my wall! In his letter he said he hopes I water my plants, makes me wonder what plants he was referring to, but it sure made me laugh!    I can't believe Jack gave Joshie a black eye! Well I can, which is the sad part.  

 I am sorry it is so warm in Cal! It has been COLD here.  The coldest night happened to be the one night last week I slept on the floor and the floor was the coldest part!  Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well.  (I will explain the floor part soonish)  Beyond that I have been sleeping on a bed. hahahaha.  And I am feeling good about life!  We still have hard  days, but beyond that we are doing great! I mean, James is getting baptized!

Stories for the week beyond the Monday ones:

Well tomorrow we are going to the TEMPLE! So today is only sort of Pday, we are supposed to go and teach people but still take care of our necessities.  And tomorrow is our Pday technically because we are going to the temple!  Which is out of the mission, so that feels super cool, we are leaving the mission!

Not too much of excitement happened during the week, or any good teaching stories. On Wednesday, the homeless man who likes to hug and kiss the cheeks of the sister missionaries hugged and kissed me 3 times! It’s a new record.  And, he may have batted his eye lashes at me and said  while pointing at me(to the lady who works at salvation army) she is CAAA-UUUUTE!  I really like her!  Hey baby girl, this is my phone number :( gave me his number) you better call me. because you are my baby.  Don't forget to call me!"  hahaha it was super funny.  Sister Payton joked that we have a new investigator since he gave me his digits. It's not as creepy as it sounds because mentally, he is like 10 or something.

The Elders in our ward had a baptism, and that went really well.  Then Sister Judy who WAS emergency transferred here on New Years, was emergency transferred OUT on Friday.  Not her fault though, both times she was the victim.  This is why Thursday night we were asked to sleep at her house so we could drive her to the bus stop the next morning.  So I ended up sleeping on the freezing floor the night it was negative 20 degrees outside.  Not exactly my idea of ideal, but what are you going to do?  Then Saturday we got a member to give us a ride up to Hiawatha which is on the borders of our stake and mission to talk to potential university ward goers, and it went great!  We talked to a recent convert who is one of the coolest guys ever and a bunch of less actives.  They might not ever come to the university ward because they are an hour and a half north, but who knows? And THEN, guess where we went for dinner?   NEBRASKA! It's in the mission boundaries and the Hiawatha branch president lives there so we went there for dinner.  Sister Payton was SO excited to go to one of the far corners of the mission.  Like she kept saying "we are in NEBRASKA!"

Little things like that give her great joy.  

On our way home from Hiawatha, we were about 2 miles out when I, who was sitting in the back seat, heard very scary noises and told them.  It sounded like a giant boulder was stuck in the tire. Or someone was shooting us.  Take your pick.  So we pulled over and as we were saying a prayer for help and safety, a man pulled over and offered us help!  He was going to put the spare tire on for us, but apparently the screws or bolts  something fell apart or busted or something, so that was just not going to happen.

 So he drove us to his gas station, which he was the manager for and went to go tow poor Andrea’s car back to his gas station.  Meanwhile, we called the recent convert of TWO weeks and had him come and give us a ride to Lawrence.  The exciting part of that, is we called our district leader and he gave us permission to go a route that is faster that would require leaving the mission. So it only took an hour to get home.   And we still got home at like 10:30. Sadness.  More like tiredness. 

 Yesterday we were walking down our ward mission leader's street to go contact some less actives, and even though they were not home, there was a lady cleaning out her garage that invited us over to talk to her.  She gave us some boxes and she told us that she used to live in St.George and LOVES Mormons!  And apparently she is a 49er fan, so I told her and I from Northern California so I am too, so she instantly liked me.  Basically she said she would love to talk to us again, invited us to stop by again anytime and sent us on our way!   I was super excited, and the only thing that dampened my spirits a little is Sister Payton said she thinks the woman was a bit drunk.  Hopefully she still remembers us!  That's about it. 

 Later today we are teaching Arturo the Russian who has a scholarship to KU because he plays table tennis for them.  I am not kidding.  Rather excited to meet him, I hear he is awesome!  I hope you all have a great week and know that heavenly father looks out for us and loves all of us no matter what.  But if we want to show our love for him, it is through our actions and choices that we make with the gift of agency that he has given us.

 So that's it for this week.  

I love you both so much! Love love love,

sister Robyn Cramer

Letter # 7 January 20 2014

Letter # 7  1/20/14

Dear family and friend,

Here are some answers to last weeks questions.  

All you  in Cali can have our precipitation! Just kidding it hasn't rained since the polar something left here and moved east. But it always looks like it will.  HOLY SMOKES CALI NEEDS RAIN!  So sorry for poor Folsom Lake. Poor California!  

 I think that everyone here  puts on weight. Since I have no access to a scale, so I have no idea if I have, but  probably have  since I have put on some muscle (I have pretty solid abs. so that is something I can be thankful for.

I appreciate you creeping on my Facebook. Dang it for Sister Loving for not friending me, but that's okay :)  

When I went to see Man of Steele I told you that it's weird  with all the senseless violence and that that is the new trend! An hour and a half of good plot and then straight thirty minutes of head bashing. I don't like it, it makes my eyes hurt.  I am glad I won't be seeing any movies for a while.  I don't really care.

 Transfers are on February 5th.  Not that you could tell with all the emergency transfers going on in Lawrence. FOR REALS.  We basically have a different missionary every week!  As to your question,  there are 12 missionaries in our district. 3 set of sisters and 3 sets of elders.  1 set of sisters, 1 set of elders in the Lawrence first ward, Sister Payton and I cover Lawrence 2^nd  ward,  and University Ward with Elder Stum and Elder Stanford.  Then there  is 1 set of Sisters and one set of Elders in the Wakarusa Valley Ward. (why they get a cool name, we don't really know).

The University Ward here is anyone between the ages of 18-30, married or not.  We have one couple that has the token baby.  Everyone else that has a baby moves into a family ward :( sad day.

Poor Sadie! is she sick?  Super weird.  We meet lots of doggies and they all remind me of her!  

We usually just play volley ball on pday. Although last week we played basket ball and while she was guarding me Sister Judy accidentally swung me around her body and slammed me on the floor. It was super funny but my hip is still suuuper sore and my back was out of whack for part of the week. 

  You are going to see DIANA!? if I have time I will write an email for her. I MISS HERRRR!  

.  I am speaking in the second ward this week, well giving me testimony, but close enough. It's super weird, I don't know if it's because I am friendly, easier to approach, or what, but more people ask me to talk and give me referrals than Sister Payton. Maybe because I talk to them first? don’t know

It has finally gotten warmer! I am once again going without tights! And only slightly because they are being washed right now! Haha- it was torture going tight-less last week! my goodness. Just plain awful.  Okay so stories:

WE did exchanges last week. I went to Topeka on Monday night and Tuesday.  That was eventful.  They teach a lot of smokers, so my hair just permanently smelled like cigarette smoke. Yuck. I think I am allergic to cigarette smoke because it always makes me sneeze.  We taught a super solid investigator who has wanted to get baptized for forever but has a challenge with quitting smoking.  She can do it!  We did some tracting and I tracted into my first shirtless man of the mission. And boy was he BIG and boy was he HAIRY. And still in his PJ’s's at 2 in the afternoon? Come on hairy man. Get with the program. hahaha.  We went to a less active's house for dinner, and she thought it was the next night!   So we gave her a message, but we didn't get fed. Luckily, the member who gave us a ride back to Lawrence bought us dinner at McDonalds.  While I was on exchanges  Sister Payton taught James(the crocheting investigator) and he agreed to pray to see if he should be baptized. So it's a step. And we are teaching him again today!  Say  whaaaat!

                                                  Sunsets here are fabulous!

That night Sister Payton and I had an interesting/scary occurrence. It was 10:28, and just as I was ducking into the bathroom, we heard this LOUD POUNDING on the front door!  And since 10:30 is bedtime for us it was like someone knocking on the door at midnight!  While I was in the bathroom, Sister Payton looked out the peephole and it was this giant man, but his back was turned every time she tried to see who it was!  Crazy! And did I mention he pounded on our door for like 5-7 minutes? Well, he did.  When I came out of the bathroom, she was on the phone with the zone leaders, because she had just called the district leader and he told her to call the zone leaders. Then the zone leaders told her to call the cops!   Luckily, the cops were SUPER NICE; partially because one of them was one of the cops we met when they arrested our investigator a couple weeks ago.. Funny how those things work.  But the Police checked the perimeter of our apt and found nothing.  Did I mention the entire time this was happening, Sister Payton was walking around the apartment with a GIANT KITCHEN KNIFE in hand?  She said she needed to arm herself!   hahahaha.   Then she put it next to her pillow when she went to bed. - It still remains there actually, in case the man comes back, of course.  

Me, personally?   I was super calm the entire time. It’s interesting how something that would have freaked me out 2 months ago, now? I always feel safe and calm. Ya gotta love the Holy Ghost. We certainly do.   It seems that everyone wanted us to teach them today, so we will have no pday. :( Super bummed. 

Oh and funny you should mention that other single wards have volleyball nights to fellowship.  We also have volley ball every Thursday for our investigators! but good idea otherwise. hahahaha

it's been hard being on a mission in the sense I am still the goody too shoes. Everyone likes to talk about how much they have changed and how much of a wild child they were in high school, and I just stand there awkwardly.  Sister Payton asked me what the sketchiest thing  I have ever done, and I told her Ii went TP-ing for the first time when I was 19.  I feel so lame. and I feel like I can't properly teach people because I haven't ever majorly messed up. I have used the atonement in a different way to give him all my sorrows and pains, when I see everyone else around me and how it has affected me differently, but I haven't had to personally use it for any major transgressions. I don't feel like I can relate to anyone!  And I am tired of being the innocent one. It is the story. Of. My. Life.  Oh well,  gotta make do I guess.

LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!

Love, sister Robyn Cramer

Letter # 6 mid Jan.

Dear Family and Friends,

 I got the ward package from the Christmas party and it was so good to see all those letters.  I loved the ones from the Primary kids.  Thanks to all and please send more! 

 It has warmed up! I am not even wearing tights today!  Although that is mainly because it is laundry day and they are all getting washed, but details shmeetails.  Sister Payton says it feels like spring, I say it feels like a California winter.  hahahahaha.  However, now that it is warming up, my allergies are going BONKERS again.  Or as normal is what i should say.  The hiatus was nice while it lasted.  

Thank you for sending me Stanley and tea and the shirts!  Stanley and I are cozy once again and yes Mom, I have made (and accidentally burnt my finger in the process, dag nabbit, but it's better now) and drank tea.  Sister Payton thinks it's crazy that I take so many herbs, but she got sick and I didn't, so who's to judge.  That pink shirt was not the one I meant, but I appreciate you searching through all my clothes, so don't worry about it, I am happy to have more color to my wardrobe and that's what matters.  

You wanted to know answers so here they are:

I was sleeping in a closet because there were only two beds and the other sisters, they were both sick!  So I took the couch cushions and put them in the closet because they said they might barf on me in the night if I slept on the floor next to their beds.  It really wasn't that bad.  I thought it was funny, and no one barfed on me.

 We found the Christmas tree in the dumpster while we were at Sister Judy and Sister Tap.'s apartment, so we grabbed it OUT of the dumpster (which included taking McDonalds' bags out of the branches, super classy) and carried it to their apartment.  It is now in the corner of their living room with lights on it.  Who cares if it's not Christmas anymore, we talk about Christ EVERYDAY!  The woman with all the Pug puppies is a less active who wasn't active for twenty years, but due to the Elders doing service for her while she moved, she lets us come into her home and fed us.  So it's a start.  Sorry about my picture scaring the little kids,  I will see if someone will take a pic of me before we leave the library......       Hope this is better

So in response to the old Robyn stuff, .  And I seriously appreciate the update.  YEA FOR JENIKA!   I was wondering if that would happen, she said it would.  GO JARED!   He told me he thinks babies look like naked mole rats, but when he has one he will be so happy he won't even care.  I knew about the wedding dates, but glad they went through.  I hope both couples are happy :-)   Which I am sure they are.  I don't know if I know either of the two BYUI students  in the plane crash that happened in Dec. , but I probably did? That's super sad though. :-(   I did not know Tess had her baby, I just knew she was expecting.  How exciting!

Glad to know that sister Haney is using the only reference I gave her, I am sure Patty and Cameron will have a blast with the Haney kids!  Evan did very good at writing his name for me on the paper I got in the ward package.  And other Sunbeams sent me beautiful scribbles.  Mikoy sent me like five.  Cole drew me either a whale or a shark, hard to tell.  

You guys in California  can have all of OUR RAIN!   I am going to get rain boots today at the store. the weather is very wet sometimes.  We were informed there is some thing called like the arctic blast or something? What usually is going on up at the north pole migrated down to the middle of the country. no joke.  I hear it moved on over to more east of the country though.  It might come back, who knows? I don't.  I hope you guys get rain!  YOU NEED IT.                         sister Judy and I drinking cocoa

News for me?  We don't have much.  Um let's see, we do service at Salvation Army every Wednesday, and  one of the homeless men there hugged me and kissed me on the forehead and I almost died.  Then as he was leaving, he called me his kid, nuzzled my arm and kissed it.  Before my mission I would have thought it was funny, now I am all like "AAHHHHHHH! LEAVE ME ALONEEEEE! AHHHHHH!" hahaha.  He kind of calls all of us babies and carries around baby dolls and mannequin heads.(Talk about weird...)  Sister Payton says she tries not to think about why, so I don't know either.

On Thursday we had zone conference in Topeka (because I am in the Topeka zone) on the way there Sister Judy (we carpooled with them because our district leader needed to take our car because he would be there over night for a leadership meeting) anywho, Sister Judy got lost and we accidentally drove out of our zone into the Salina zone.  And then were late for car inspections.  Does that matter? NO BECAUSE WE WON! Even though the Elders drove our car, we cleaned it the night before and won cleanest car. whaaaaaaat!   Zone conference was suuuuuuper good. We talked about being more Christ like, being more meek, how amazing the atonement is and about being more obedient.  They talked about that a ton actually, because Topeka zone is known for being fun, not being obedient....We had a bit of a scare.  We almost lost the use of our car.  Won't go into the details but that would have been really bad because  campus is 13 miles from our apartment and we do NOT want to walk there every day. no joke. Feel a bit bad though because the Elders now don't have a car.  But I didn't make this decision so I will live with the guilt while I thank the Lord for a car.  

I had my first night when I had to pretend I ate something I didn't.  This woman, who doesn't have much money invited us to her house and we kept saying we had to leave, but she wouldn't let us and then gave me this GIANT bowl of ice cream and we had to leave like RIGHT THEN.  You know how slow I am at eating ice cream, so I ate some of it (it was actually really good) and then might have dumped the rest down the drain because I was standing by the sink because she doesn't have a table.  The sad truths of being a missionary.  We lie about eating food and liking food. gahhh.

Mondays are always exciting for me too! I legitimately plan out what I am going to write throughout the week. and then I forget half of it when I get here. ooooops.  We haven't really done any tracting. we have too many appointment!  dag-nabbit all the people who are already being taught ;-)  if only they would get baptized already so we could teach even more people!  hahahaha. jk. but not.  James our crocheting investigator understands the gospel, but isn't sure if he believes it yet, which is super frustrating.  Anthony, our investigator who has been taking the lessons for 2 years got a priesthood blessing on Saturday and the spirit was SUPER strong, but he says he has problems with the priesthood and Joseph Smith, but he loves out church. So obviously we have some foundational problems there...we are working on it though!  A less active member of ours wants to go to the temple one day and come back to church, but is living with her boyfriend and refuses to move out...so...yeah.  And then there is our "investigator" who has an awesome testimony, but was excommunicated because of his sexual orientation and is trying to come back but is having a hard time living the law of chastity.  He knows it is true and knows why he SHOULD do things, he just is having a hard time doing them.  He told us he has accepted he is going to the terrestrial kingdom and oh well.  That makes my heart cry. 

  I hope all is well!  I Love getting letters and e-mail.  I know my address is up on last week's blog so if you need it please go look.  If you want to e-mail me  ask my Mom for the address.

Love love love

Sister Robyn Cramer

Letter # 5 New Year's 2014

Dear family and friends,

1 month down. Wow! Time totally does zoom by! However, it is still 18 months, I saw that my card of ministry expires June 23rd, so that is probably when I will be coming home. Just so everyone knows. You know I love teaching kids and  we were at the church building on Saturday (because we basically live there) and the primary was having a "get to know your new teacher" social.  How crazy is that!?  I think more wards should do that. 

 This picture is from Christmas eve me and sister Payton.  So cold Sister Tap couldn't hold the camera still.  Why is my coat open?????

  

Someone PLEASE TAKE OUR SNOW! I DON'T WANT IT! But seriously.  It snowed again on Saturday and Sunday. It is FREEZING here! Literally.  It is currently 1 degree outside.  Someone told us it was supposed to be negative 20 during the night. I believe them! (because we only know the weather if a member updates us on it, super stressful). Oh, and the Second ward cancelled church.  The University ward didn't though! So we still went to church. James crocheted us a phone cover during priesthood (he was working on a hat previously, and had finished it) isn't he darling? To make us a  phone cover. 

 You asked if I had seen or preached to any cows.  I have NOT seen cows, just hay fields.  Sister Payton thinks it's funny that someone has a hay field literally in the middle of town.  I think that's just how Kansas is.   

So far I have received a letter from Grandma, and a package from you Mom,  but no one else. It was all lost in the abyss I guess.  I dunno.   breaking news I have an address!  

MY ADDRESS: 4700 W 27th LL-7  Lawrence KS  66047  We moved again. But this will be our address for at least the rest of the transfer.  *shrug*  We are no longer in a trio.  Right after we moved into sister Taps apartment which is in town, she got a companion Emergency transferred to be her companion.  Imagine that.  So then we got kicked out of her apartment. So now I am moved into our apartment back in the boonies (but nice boonies) of Lawrence.  With the coyotes as our neighbors.  Lets hope they don't eat us.

  Before we moved out, Sister Tap and Sister Payton got the stomach flu!  I kept trying to give them herbs or ANYTHING and they refused.  I took herbs and my vitamin gummies and didn't get sick at all.  But all New Year's eve and New Year's dat they were barfing.  Way to bring in the new year.  Almost all the missionaries in Lawrence had the stomach flu.  I AM A SURVIVOR!  But seriously. out of 12 of us, 5 people caught it.  It was super exciting to be sleeping on the floor (in the closet actually, I felt like Harry Potter! Sleeping in a closet) and be woken up in the middle of the night like 8 times to hear sounds of puking.  The poor sisters.  They still have upset stomachs.  Which I can relate to.   Some of the Other sisters in the district took pity on me and took me out with them.  So I went to dinner with them on New Year's day.  Apparently there is a picture of it on face book. Literally EVERYONE keeps talking about how they see a picture of all the missionaries at the Buelers on New Year's day. weird.  So,  we were no longer over second ward, and now we are again! The members are probably so confused with everyone saying that we are in their ward, then not in their ward, and now we are again. craziness.  But now it is just sister Payton and I, which is weird but I love it, because sister Tap is so fun, but I feel like it takes away from focusing on the Lord, and I want to give 120 percent to him, you know?

Funny but awkward story for the week.   So, the sisters had the stomach flu and after we got home the first night they had it, one of them fell asleep on the bathroom floor in front of the door, so  you couldn't close it.  and I SERIOUSLY had to go.  So, sister Payton told me to just go with the door open, she wouldn't look. So there I was, on the toilet, with one sister sleep at my feet and the other sister changing across the hall and then sister Tap got up, while I was still on the throne, and left, with the door wide open, and I couldn't reach it!  Before I knew it, they were walking in and out of the room doing laundry forgetting I was sitting there, until they saw me looking at them funny and shut the door for me.  talk about awkwaaard.  so that's my story for the week.

While we were with sister Tap and Sister Judy (we were sharing a car with them for a little bit) we found a Christmas tree in the dumpster! which is super gross, but when you are a missionary, who cares!? IT'S A CHRISTMAS TREE! A FREE ONE! we don't even care it's no longer Christmas time. IT'S A CHRISTMAS TREE!  That we found in the dumpster...L to R  Sister Judy, me Sister Payton and Sister Tap

 I met a lady who used to breed pugs.  and I love pugs and she still has like 12! THEY ARE SO CUTE! the ones still getting potty trained were wearing little doggie diapers. hahahaha.  she fed us super nasty chilli, but I dealt  I have learned that because I am so tiny, I can get away with barely eating ANYTHING.   I kind of just don't eat much as it is because I don't want to gain weight like most missionaries.  One of the elders said he has been here 5 months and gained 30 pounds! Another sister started off her mission a size four and is now in plus size clothing! NO THANK YOU. (although part of that is she used to be a rugby player, so she would work off her food, and now she doesn't. that sister has a CARAAAZY appetite. she eats chicken nuggets for breakfast. daily)

I am not eating great, but I am surviving.  I plan to buy rice, chicken and some pastas after emailing you.  So no worries.  Everyone else has NO MONEY and I still have plenty for the month.  BOOM.  it's super sad they have none left because it's the beginning of the month...  most of the district at Elder Strums birthday.

No clue who mickey mouse alias was that had scheduled to feed us on New Years, they were sick too, so we straight up don't know. And we went to bed at 9:30 on New Years Eve.  We are super hard core, us sister missionaries.  We played volleyball on New Year's day and taught our cranky investigator. I think he's awesome, sister Payton thinks he is a pill.  We talked about faith and I can tell he is going through a rough time.  We will see what happens. Sister Payton said I can pray for my family as long as I focus more on my investigators than my family. which makes sense.  

Good to know Dad is doing good and that work is okay, for now.. Love you both!

sister Robyn Cramer

Week # 4 Crazy Post Christmas 2013

FAMILY and friends!

First things first, Mom the package you sent was in our mail the 26th.  And it was all delightful! especially since Sister Payton and Sister Taposoua had both caught a cold that very day DAY and the tissues were a must need.  So we all thank you for that.  They both think your Rice Krispy treats and Peppermint Bark are the bees knees and I am a lucky sister to have that mailed to me. Muwahaha.  So thank you very much.  I don't know what my address is, we moved AGAIN on Saturday! CRAZINESS!(that makes 3 times in 10 days) I had just gotten finally settled in our last apt, when they took our assigned area off of the second ward, and we were living in the outskirts of the second ward.  Now we are covering the first ward and the university ward, so we moved closer to the first ward into a teeny apartment (the last one was nice a big, this one, not so much)  needless to say, I have no idea what my address is.  My tummy was no bueno for a while because you know it gets when I move sometimes. .  But I am better now so all is good, no need to worry about that anymore.

   Me with my Christmas Stocking  you sent

 Sister Payton and I with Antlers on  Christmas Eve

 

 The Oreo Challenge on Christmas eve.  I failed.

Time for my strange experience of the week. None of you may believe this but,  on Saturday we became besties with COPS! One of our investigators was getting arrested (i know right? welcome to sketch town, jk she is awesome) and she called us to come see her and pray before she went to jail.  So we did.  wikki wikki whhaaaat?! Actually the cops were super nice, I wish we had become besties.  cuz I liked them.

Now back to my regular life  

       I am doing well.  It's been interesting that we have moved so much, but it adds character.  working as a trio of sisters has been interesting as well.  We taught this one guy who is notorious for saying that he is done talking with us, and then asking for us to teach him again.  When we were with him he said it was the last time, and then he texted us later saying he wanted to meet again.  Apparently he has been an investigator for over a year and been on date to get baptized like twice.  They call him a eternigator. (eternally an investigator)  James (the guy who made sister Payton the scarf) gave us super hard hitting questions last time. I kind of liked it, because it was interesting to get tested, but Sister Payton said he was being a pill.  The sad part is that I could totally tell he couldn't feel the spirit.  What a bummer. We are also teaching (sort of) a guy who had removed his record from the church but now is struggling to come back because he realizes that his life is better when he lives the gospel.  Because of that his baptismal date isn't till 2015.  the reason he struggles with living the gospel is because he is gay.  I think he's awesome! I love that guy!  he's super funny and he has a really strong testimony and for him it's not if the church is true or not, because he knows it is and has a great knowledge of it, it's more about how hard I imagine it must be for him to be alone in life, or the other choice which is be happy on some level and not alone now but not be happy  on other levels now or later.  I give him points for trying.  Because that would be so hard.

         We got fed by this Italian family (as in they moved FROM Italy two years ago) so I can say I have had authentic Italian food! IT WAS SO GOOD!  Watch out Kansas I am moving to Italy! Jk, I am not.  I love Kansas!  Although It is SO FRIGID, it is great!  The people are awesome!  I love the buildings here!  The buildings look like we are on the east coast, and I love that kind of architecture.  So it's great.  

        Now for my don't be stupid story of the week.   So the Elders drove into a ditch on Christmas day, and we got to watch!  Well, sort of.  I didn't, but Sister Payton saw it happen in her rear view mirror.  Then we stood in the cold and tried to help them for an hour before some random nice stranger pulled them out.  Well I didn't help them, they told me not to try because clearly, we all know I am not really worth much of anything in the way of strength.  But it was funny.  Sister Payton likes making fun of the Elders for getting into that situation (because they were fishtailing on the ice on purpose before they fell in the ditch)  I just stood in the corner and giggled. Our Christmas Dinner we got fed by a family that makes more from scratch then we do! So that was interesting. (since we had that big discussion  at home about how we make almost everything from scratch for Thanksgiving dinner)

  Sad News,   EVERYONE is going home these days, or at least it feels like it.  Our district leader is going home for personal reasons (i know why, and it's super weird, so we will leave it to that) and his companion is going home due to family drama or something.  So I started out in Lawrence when there was 3 sets of Sisters and three sets of Elders, now there will be two sets of Elders, a trio of Sisters and a set of Sisters. WEIRD.  (there were two districts, so now there will be one, which was everyone i showed you the pic of anyways)  Sister Payton is great.  She is funny and sassy and has been opening up more, so that's good.  It's interesting because she is athletic and crazy (for some reason i have been real calm while out here, calm for me at least) and then there is me who has been pegged as the nice, optimistic, gentle one.  I will take it.  Whatever.  And the nerd, for obvious reasons.  She asked me if I would be offended that she has never read or watched Harry Potter, I told her it was cool, it's not like we will like all the same things anyway.  Sister Tap. is also awesome.  She is so sarcastic that I can never tell when she is serious, but she is fun.  The thing you would not guess, because she is such a tomboy (she is the youngest of 7 boys) is that she is her daddy's little princess who adores him.  I think it's cute, but interesting since she is the only one out of the three of us who has never not lived at home before.  

All 3 of us on Christmas day.

     Crazy Coincidence moment, Sister Payton and I found out that we were in the same BYU I ward Relief society (and ward clearly) my first semester. WHAAAT?! I even went in her apartment because her room mate was my Visiting Teaching companion.  If I think REALLY hard about it, I vaguely remember meeting her.  We talk about the same people we knew, but we didn't know each other. CRAZY OR WHAT?!

            I can't really think of much else to talk about.  Things are crazy, but we are planning on reaching out to less actives this week. OH and I get to speak in the university ward the second Sunday of January.  Excitement.  I taught the first lesson to members last night.  sister Payton siad I did great, but I think I did awful! Which leaves lots of room for improvement.  We are going to Topeka today for p-day to play volleyball with the rest of the zone. that should be fun. they deal with my lack of athleticism, which I appreciate.  I hope you all have a great week and a LOVELY new years!  (we don't know who is feeding us,t he signed up as mickey mouse so it is a surprise!)  I LOVE YOU ALL! I hope the police thing didn't scare you!

Love,

Sister Robyn Cramer