Monday, July 13, 2009

13Jul09




Only the craziest week of my life. Three baptisms in one weekend! to make a long
story short, they all followed through (sigh of relief). One of them almost fell through but didn't, and then the programs were stressful as they always are because things always fall apart at the last minute--someone doesn't bring towels, someone doesn't show up to give a talk, no one has keys to unlock the dressing room by the font, no one brings paper plates or napkins, blah blah blah. But in spite of it all things always work out, in my experience. Everything went really well. The ward has been really supportive of these new members which we so appreciate.

I'm attaching a few pictures. I don't want to include names or specifics on the
Internet, but if you have questions about them just ask. The conversion story of one of them, in particular, would take pages and pages to tell but it's quite the story.

This week a member had us over for dinner and we had LOBSTER. Seriously! Neither of us had ever had it before. Lobster is a pretty big deal here but rumor has it it's much more popular in Maine. For all of you non-East Coast people, there is a science to the cooking and eating of lobster. First of all, you buy them alive! they're a dark reddish-brownish-black color when they're alive, not bright red like you would think. And they come with elastics around their claws so they can't pinch you. You get the water boiling and stick them in headfirst (yes, alive) and as they cook they turn that bright red color. After they've steamed about 20 minutes you take them out, let them cool and then rip off the claws (you know it's done when you can rip off the claw easily). You take a nutcracker-like thingie to break open the shells of the claws. This is the part where it gets really really messy and you have to wear a bib, because they spray everywhere. You break off the shell and then eat the meat inside. (Yes, the claw. Who'd've thought you would eat the claw? I would think you'd eat the body, but no, you don't unless you're from Maine apparently people from Maine like to eat the liver of the lobster.) After you've eaten both claws you rip the tail off (that is also very messy), take off the shell and that's where the bulk of the meat is. It's really yummy dipped in butter--kind of like fish but more tender and less fishy.

This week about a thousand people were released, including our ward mission leader. On Sunday after the baptisms the new ward mission leader had us over for dinner at his house in Suffield. Holy banana peels, Suffield is gorgeous. We're going to petition Pres. Pehrson to have it added to our area. It's just above Windsor Locks, so it's convenient and since the elders in our ward are the Assistants and insanely busy it makes sense for them to have a smaller area. That's our reasoning, anyway. :) Oh, and the ward mission leader's wife is a seamstress who did some work on the curtains for the Extreme Makeover house in Suffield. That episode will be airing in September sometime, I hear. Everyone watch it so you can see Suffield. It's very pretty and full of historical buildings and old, beautiful, colonial-era houses.

Transfer calls came last night. I'm staying here in Windsor Locks (another sigh of
relief) and my new companion will be Sister Darrington. She's from Idaho and has been out about a year. Her brother was in my ward, freshman year at Utah State. Small world in the Mormon community. :)

Well, if any of you have endured to see the end of this novel I have written,
congratulations. Hope you are all well. Love you,
Sister Monson

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