August 19

Hello hello!! Oh it is so good always to hear from you :) weird that you won't be on today (we were on a cruise)  BUT I have a million emails to respond to so that is okay! I got the birthday package and the cami package this past weekend. Oh man that birthday package is tempting...but I shall be patient and wait for Friday!! (her 21st birthday!) Love you so much :) and mom thank you for the camis and your kick butt letter!! Also the blouse is SO freaking cute :) going to wear it tomorrow.

I went to the transfer site this morning to help a sister with her stuff and went up to Sister Passey and gave her a hug! First thing she said, "Oh my gosh, your necklace!! That is just the cutest thing ever!" "Well I'm glad you think so (reach for my bag) because I have one here for you!" Oh you should have seen her face! She told me to tell you thanks :D and she put it on while we were talking! Sister Ramos also loves hers :) I've been wearing mine EVERY day haha!

Oh man, I'll put most of my stuff in the letter. I like those more :) as you well know. Your adventures sound so fun! And thank you for the pictures!! Made my life :D Can't wait for the cruise pictures.

So I gave 2 talks this past weekend! In 2 languages that were not my own. I gave a talk about Fear with Missionary Work in the Spanish Branch. Went so awesome! Members couldn't stop telling me after how much my Spanish is improving! And then I gave a talk about Honesty and Integrity in the Deaf Branch.   :D   I signed part of it and then used an interpreter for the other part. They loved me so much! I got to talk for Hermana Ramos and it was so fun! Hermana Ramos then told me after, "That must be how you feel with Spanish huh." Thank the heavens she understands now!!!!!!! Good times.

So last Monday at P Day, we were at Zone sports and Elder Tao (Millionaire boxer from Tahiti that gave it up to serve a mission :) such a stud) challenged me to a boxing match. And...you know me. So I went for it! He wasn't hitting me, then I side swiped him and got him in the nose and he started bleeding. "Now we are getting somewhere!" So we full on boxed! Oh of course he wasn't really trying, but man that was hard! I was so sore the next day. My cheek didn't have feeling for a few hours after one hit. Super fun!

I'll send you pictures now and tell you about the monsoon we were caught in last night in your letter! Super scary, but we survived :)

Love you all! Hope to hear from you soon!!!

Hermana Martin

Hermana Martin and Hermana Ramos

The aftermath of getting caught in a monsoon!

Two soaking wet sister missionaries.

August 11th

That is so cool about dad's mission reunion! I told Sister Ramos about that and she said, "Can you imagine us a few decades down the road doing that?" Haha! Weird thought. The idea of going to mission reunions is still weird. I am going to get to stay here forever right? 

 I'm so grateful for your package. Seeing pictures from home was a huge comfort.

Do you all really get that into me sending hand written letters? Haha! Okay, I will keep up on doing them :) I'm glad that you like them! I sent one off mid last week, hopefully you get it before the cruise. I will send you one this week as well. I love getting your letters! Makes me very happy and I feel so close to you! The pictures were awesome!  I absolutely loved the pictures! When I first picked up the package I thought, "Did she really need to send that many?!"  Then I got through them all and thought, "Why didn't she send more?!??" Ha ha!!!  I've been through them 3 times now and I have a ton up on my fridge :) Going to go buy more magnets today too ha ha! And may I add, I love that both Bryant and Laurel were wearing my jackets in some pictures. I gave that one to Bryant, but it is funny to see that Laurel invaded my wardrobe before I'd even been gone a full month haha! Tell her to be careful with that jacket, it is my favorite one. 

So I've been looking like crazy this week for a Utah License Plate. Still have yet to find one! Driving me absolutely nuts! I'm on the last week of the transfer and have not seen one. I forgot to mention this, but on Pantano Road where I live, there is a Larry H. Miller Dealership! Makes me feel a little closer to home haha. I can't wait to hear all about your cruise!! That should be so much fun :) And I am excited about the idea of more pictures! And I want pictures of moving Laurel down to school :) so excited for her! Jealous at the same time haha.

The stake center is taken over for the next 2 Saturdays, so Israel's baptism is likely being moved to September, if we can't find another church building to do it at. We are working on it. Angel (from that miracle week) has some Word of Wisdom problems, as does her boyfriend, so their baptisms won't happen on the 23rd but they are still working strongly for it! And yesterday at church, this young boy came up to me and touched my arm. It was Diangelo! (Angel's son) and he told me that he just spent the weekend at Scout Camp and he loves the church and knows it is true! He is still getting baptized that day. You should have seen his face. When we left the church I just cried. The change in his face is amazing! He is literally glowing! :)

I love you so much :) and I took a TON of pictures this week :) because I love you. Hope everyone is doing well!                                                                                                                -Hermana Martin

Sierra's Zone (she is 3rd from the right kneeling in front row)

Holding a member's 4-day old puppies;  made her day!

August 4th - So I got kissed this week!

That should catch your attention no? ;) Haha so I began to contact a man that was looking at us funny, trying to tell what our deal was. Turns out he speaks neither English nor Spanish, but he is Arabic and is visiting the US. He then, with his broken English, told us about his trip to Chicago. He showed us pictures and us trying to understand each other was a very fun and interesting experience! But at the end, he shook H'ma Ramos' hand then gave her a big ol' kiss on the cheek! I began laughing so hard (on the inside) but then I realized...'Oh crap, I'm probably next.' and I was right! Except I was closer and I got a big ol' kiss on the cheek. When we drove away in our car, we could not stop laughing haha!

I got a haircut last Monday, you can see it in the pictures. I needed to cut more off because it is so hot. He cut my bangs to so that eventually I will be growing them out. Had the same hair for a long time. Time for a change!

I ate a Sonoran Dog finally this week! They are hot dogs with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mayo, mustard, and...that might be it. SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Wow, can't even describe it. but then it came with a guerro pepper. Everyone was eating them so I was brave and did the same. And it was hot, but not so bad. Then I took another bite...which left me in tears. Oh everything burned!!! I thought that I was going to die. The elders thought I was being a wuss so they each took a bite of it. Between Elder Ferguson's dry heaving and having to get water twice and Elder Williams also tearing up, I felt much better.

So, I have never been hit on more in my life! On Tuesday, H'ma Ramos was playing BB and I was working out and there was a young man there. We didn't talk to him, and right before 7 we headed back to the apartment. It was quite the walk back and we were almost there when I hear, "Hey!" I turn around and it is the guy. "What is your name?" Pointing to me. "Sierra. I mean Herm....Sister Martin." Don't even know my own name. "Do you have a boyfriend?" And we just get hit on by all sorts of people. Super fun.  

Went to a Senior Center this week and volunteered! Super fun :) makes me miss the service symphony.  (from her young adult singles' ward back home)

Anyways, things are good! Again, I put lots more in my letters, but these are the main adventures :D Miss you all, can't believe it is August....talk to you soon!            Hermana Martin

Sierra's apartment complex

Learning to make sushi

The sonoran dogs Sierra mentioned in her letter (and the pepper!)

Sierra playing Ninja with an investigator's kids.