3/24/14- pics

                                                              fun times in Arkansas haha

That stupid dog's name is Camo...I despise him with my whole being.....He barks ALL night long.    We are not friends.

 

                                            THese are the YW of our branch, all of them haha

 

my kin folk ...haha

3/24/14

Can I just say how much I love you!!!! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THE MUFFINS!!!!  AND THE MEDICINE!!!! That was way super expensive and I can't even tell you how grateful I am, but I am. :') Mom goodness there is a special place for you in heaven. I am going to have to write you later today cause I don't have a ton of time but thank you thank you thank you for everything. SOmetimes I feel so stinkin alone out here and then I get little letters and stuff from you guys and it literally makes my whole life haha. In regards to easter! I would LOVE a new outfit!! Something with color and that's stretchy or flowy haha but really I got a taste of the humididty the other day...whoa doggy it's gonna be a doosy. It'd be cool if it was a skirt and shirt so I could wear them with other stuff, and ya just cute and colorful or light whatever, honestly I am just about ready to burn all of my clothes cause they are getting so old, but then I'm like "Wait..I dont' have anymore and I dont' want to run around naked" so I stop myself. Arkansas is the prettiest state ever!! Heavenly Father literally sent me to one place on earth that grows little purple flowers in the grass EVERYWHERE and where there's purple blossoms in the trees...I have yet to see those because it's still "winter here" but I've been told and I CAN'T WAIT!! The purple flowers in the grass are fantastic though. There's just fields of them! :)  Yes purple flowers that make my day! There's some more things that are makin my days. I am completely over myself by the way. I am beginning to love Berryville and Sister Ratto and I are really starting to get along now. We had a little companionship inventory and we talked our differences through and so we're good! So, we've actually set 2 baptismal dates and we're gonna hopefully be settin....FIVE MORE THIS WEEK!!! Ahhhhh!! Isn't that awesome!!!!????? We are just asking people left and right and they're accepting because there hearts have been so prepared! It's insane and it just goes to show me that literally all you need is a willing heart and worthy hands to help with the Lord's work cause heaven's knows that's about all I got haha. One of those  is a lady we met OUR FIRST NIGHT HERE!! Ya it's amazing. We went to go visit a lad that was a less active in that house years ago...one the elders didn't update and she had just moved in. She met with the missionaries years ago and her husband just died last year. She's only about 26 and she has a daughter that's 8. Mom, she is amazing. She is soaking everything up and her boyfriend and her mom have started taking the lessons with her as well and we've already asked them if they would be baptized and they ALL said yes. We just have to pray and pick out a date! AHHHHHH!! The very first person we met here. She will literally be my pride and joy if she does get baptized while I'm here. Also, General conference is this weekend!!! Yay! We are hoping they announce an Arkansas temple!! The people around here would flip out, but I seriously think it's coming soon. The temples around here are always PACKED which is awesome and just goes to show Arkansas needs their own! How awesome would that be? I could say: "Ya I helped get that there" tehe jk. It's all the Lord's work. :) The healthy chocolate! YES! it is Awesome!!!! and super simple: 1 Cup dark chocolate/ cocoa (honestly the dark chocolate is really good and it's full of antioxidants) 1 Cup water , 1 Cup coconut oil (kinda spendy but worth it hehe) , and half a cup of honey. And nuts if you want them...I thought they were good but it's delicious either way.  Mix it all together spread it on a pan and stick it in the fridge or the freezer...we do the freezer cause it's delicious haha. It's way super messy when you pick it up but it's sooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! So remember that time I was like: Ya I'm gonna teach myself Spanish!...Welp haha it's a lot harder than I thought but I'm just memorizing the lessons and hoping that I'll be able to actually communicate with people when the time comes.  Also, I don't have my XD card anymore and I'm sending home a full one, but I tried to buy a new one and they don't sell them anymore so I was wondering if maybe cass would let me use her old blue camera????? I'll ask her too, but I haven't been able to take any pictures, but sister ratto has so she's gonna email me some and I'll send them to you. Haha there's some crazy ones. :) Life is good. Ok I think that's all. I'll wirte you tonight and send youthat XD card hopefully!! You're the best ma, and I love you sooooooooooooooooooooooo SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Thank you for the muffins... I'm eating them even though they are melty everywhere and about 2 weeks old haha. Stomache of steal. Also, Where the heck is Emily??? I haven't heard from her! Thank you Manda for the letter hahahah I LOVED IT and I'll write you back as sooon as I can. Thank you Erma! I did get your pot of gold and I LOVED it. THeres a letter in the mail for you :) I love you Grandpa and I haven't met any smiths yet, but I have met some MORENOS hahah I took a picture with this random lady and she was cool with it haha. Good times. I love you all and I know that this gospel is true. Sometimes it's hard when everyone is trying to tell you what you believe and what is wrong about you church and what not, but honestly I know that the gospel of Jesus CHrist has been restored and that God loves us sooooo much. I feel his love surround me and I know that he's watching over you while we're apart. Please keep me in your prayer...the gift of tongues would be a nice thing to have if you think of adding that in. :) You are ALWAYS in my prayers.

Love you forever,

Sister Moreno

 

 

3/17/14

Today at 12:15 PM

Dahaha that is the most random piece of news ever! Yay for Ginger on the price is right haha. Ok so my apologize for the freaking out last email. I'm glad Sister Vendel calmed you. I stinkin LOVE HER SO MUCH!! Gahhhh and brother Vendel sooooo much! We are definitely going back to visit them after I'm done. Which! By the way! I am going to meet my 3 month mark TOMORROW!!! What?? That's so crazy!! Yet it also feels like I've been out here for forever..... and a day haha. Mama let me tell you. You are one inspired lady. That quote you sent SIster Breaux and I about Lot's wife at New Years: "Look not behind thee..Did lt's wife ever consider her future would be better than her past?" has kept me going! SIster breaux and I were living by that quote this past week. And it is sitting on my desk next to all of your guys' pictures :) For heaven's sake! I don't even know what to think. THe first day was ROUGH. I wanted to bawl my eyes out BUT! I HAVE YET TO LET MYSELF CRY ABOUT THIS SITUATION SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE! Ya that's impressive haha. Not because I haven't wanted to!! I just remember how much I relied on SIster Breaux to be strong and so I'm doing the same. Sister Ratto (like Colorado) is my new trainee. Yes, being a trainer is also being the Senior companion. Shoot me. Just kidding! I am realizing that I know more than I thought I knew, and that it doesn't matter if I don't know everything, because God can work with whatever we've got to offer as long as we are willing to do what he asks of us. It's funny to have to explain why I'm doing everything I'm doing and why it's so important to be exactly obedient. I am workin this girl hard because it's when you sit around and do nothing that you realize you're hundreds of miles away form everyone and everything you know and love. Thus! We keep busy. I am living with members again hallelujiah!!! I don't feel quite as alone as I could haha However, we live in this mother in law suite thing that's like detached from the rest of the house, which is really nice but it's also really dark and depressing haha. We're gonna go to the thrift store and buy some things to brighten it up :) Our new address is : 501A CR 702 Berryville, AR 72616 . I haven't gotten your package yet. Oh! The members we live with are the Coley's and they are super healthy! Hahaha heavenly father knew I needed this haha. We had dinner with them last night and they are incredible! The Elders left a bag of apple jack cereaL, grape pop, whole milk, jerky and...a leg of Goat in the apartment for food....I'm not even kidding haha! They are ridiculous! Luckily, the COley's had pitty on us and they went shopping in their amazing food storage and brought us up 2 big bags full of healthy food!! YAY! They also taught us how to make healthy chocolate!! I am bound and determined to learn as much as I can from them because they seriously are full of wisdom. :) Brother Coley was sweet. He was like : All my daughters have moved out so it was kinda fun to hear the blow dryer going this morning. :) haha he's such a nice guy. They're in their late 40s but they seriously could pass for 30s. THey have a 16 year old son and 10 year son living at home still. The area has only ever had Elders and so everyone Is SUPER exited to have sisters! :) THat's a HUGE blessing. They were all really sweet to us yesterday. The branch has about 70 active members but 300 members live in it... ya we're gonna change that right quick. The ward mission leader's name is brother jim coley (little bro of the coley's we live with...there's the coley's and the engles and then a tone of Marshallese and latino people in this town haha) and he is super nice and helpful! We met with him and the also super nice and helpful Relief society President and got some things figured out on Friday so that was good. On Thursday it was our branch president that actually came and picked us up at transfer point so we got to talk to him and his wife who is the yw president and it was really good. Oh! And! Sister Ratto got super car sick on our way to Berryville...we had to pull over like 3 times so she could puke:/ Poor girl. We are literally in the middle of the Ozarks and EVERYWHERE is hilly and everything is around a turn....it's slightly ridiculous haha. BUt! Luckily I think I've gotten used to it a little so I'm not getting super sick anymore!! Oh! And like I mentioned, the whole area has a ton of Marshallese and Hispanic people in it! Woot! for cultures! I seriously mentioned to Heavenly Father once before I left that it would be cool if I went somewhere with other cultures and he sent me to the middle of muticulture city! :) We had to try to talk to this lady in Spanish and it was rough...haha very VERY rough! So! We have decided that we're gonna teach ourselves some Spanish haha. IT's SO weird cause I told you guys I felt like I'd eventually be called to speak Spanish..well here it is. Our branch has a Spanish sunday school, and they need to get people to it but they can't find anyone to speak Spanish besides sister Galicia's family (RS PRES) and she's running so much already! So..haha we literally must learn at least some Spanish. We've already got this much figured out: "Hola! Mucho gusto! Somos missioneros de la iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos dias"....haha forgive my spelling! THat means: Hello! Nice to meet you! We are missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!" Haha..hopefully. I think that's right. Anyway! We've got to get Spanish and Marshallese down so...pray that I'll have the gift of tongues!! Also, I saw Chris Hansen for the first time on Saturday!! That was cool. He came up to me and it took me a minute to realize what was going on haha. We're now in the same tri zone area so whenever we have zone conferene I'll see him....which is once every three months haha so we could be moved again by then. We had a zone conference where Elder SOuthward from the 70 and.... AND ELDER CALLISTER!! From the presidency of the 70 came and spoke to us!! That was awesome! And quite honestly the best part about it was that I got to see sister breaux again!!!! Ahhh!! I stinkin love that girl! We're really really close and she started crying later on that day because she's having a hard time too! We just got along so well and worked so hard and loved the area and whatnot but! We are bound and determined to work so hard in our other areas that we'll be righteous enough to ask Heavenly Father to make us companions in Charleston again! Haha..really though. Hey! Look up Historic Eureka Springs on google and see the other type of culture I'm covering! So we cover Berryville, Eureka springs, and Green Forest...and Shell knob?? But it's way far away so it may be hard to get there too often. Anyway! Eureka springs is this EXTREMELY hilly place that is super artistic. It reminds me of New Orleans except SUPER hilly...not that I've ever been there haha but I can tell from Princess and the Frog :) Anyway, it's totally crazy. There's art everywhere and the buildings are all colorful and gingerbread house like haha. I'm gonna have to take pictures but! I dropped my xd card under sister vendels car seat before I got out and forgot to grab it! It was the one I already sent home so I PRAY!! that you got those on a CD. It was really weird cause all the pictures were still on there. Will you check that CD to make sure they're on the cd? Also, the weather here is CRAZY! It was literally 84 on Wednesday and yesterday it was 32 and snowing! It snowed ALL Day! We got like 3 inches!! what?! Ya and today it's back to 60 ish degrees and everything is melting! Haha it's crazy. Oh! And I do have to say that even though I really don't have to great of a clue about what I'm doing...we do have 5 new investigators even though we only had literally 30 hours inbetween traveling and zone conference in the area. Woot! The ward mission leader and branch pres couldn't quit telling us how excited they are to have us here and that we're a breath of fresh air. So, I may not know a lot, but I know how to go out and talk to people and invite them to talk to me and my companion to talk more about Christ! Hahah all that talking in school is really paying off! :) Ya so, it's gonna be good. And honestly, I had been praying to Heavenly father that I'd be able to change into a greater person. I want to be so much better than I was when I left and : "It may not be comfortable in the growing zone, but there's no growing in the comfort zone"....sigh....such is my life. Haha ok I better go. We're gonna go to wal mart and buy some non processed food hehe. Just kidding, I'm still buying frozen chicken nuggets :) Last couple of things! That's so great that Kolby has an apartment now!! And that Kyle's doing well and that Kalen has a job!! Y'all are movin up in the world haha but really that's awesome :) And Cass's pictures are great! She's going pro I swear. She needs to send me some!! Tell her to take some of the family in her super cool photographer way and send those. Mom, thank you for loving me. I'm not gonna lie I really do miss you but I'm so glad that you're helping the sisters out there! They need you! Tell Kent that the flag pole looks great! Send my love to everyone and tell them to write me! Let us all press on in the work of the Lord! I keep you all in my prayers.

Love your FOREVER,

Sister Moreno

3/10/14--sad day

I'M GONNNA DIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MOM I HATE THIS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN BAWLING FOR TWO DAYS STRAIGHT!!!! SERIOUSLY THE TEARS WONT STOP FLOWING IT'S RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(  Ok I have to go already but I'm freaking out sooooo bad!!! I'm training TRAINING AFTER I JUST WILL BE FINISHING UP AND I'M MOVING TO BERRYVILLE ARKANSAS AND I'M SO SAD MY HEART IS GOING TO BREAK INTO A THOUSAND PIECES AND CHOKE ME TO DEATH. ;'( I'LL BE LEAVING THIS THURSDAY SO IF YOU'RE SENDING ANYTHING MAIL IT TO THE MISSION HOME :( i'M SCARED, i'M SAD AND I'M GONNA BE RIGHT NEXT TO THE KKK HEADQUARTERS...ALONE, COMPLETELY ALONE. SISTER BREAUX IS GOING TO JOPLIN YSA. WE'RE BOTH DEVASTATED AND SO IS OUR WARD. I'M DYING. PRAY.PRAY PRAY

LOVE DREA...SIS MORENO

3/3/14 pics

March 3, 2014

To Me

3/3/14 at 11:54 PM

Dear Mother,

Although I have NOT received any sort of mail or email from my dear mother.....I have decided to write you anyway Because I LOVE YOU....apparently that feeling isn't mutual. Tehe just kidding, but really! Write me a letter since I missed you! I HEARD KENYA GOT HER MISSION CALLLL!!!!!!!!!!!! Where is she going???????? I'm dying here!!! I wrote her a letter but Cass told me that she got her call so now I have to rewrite it. SOMEONE TELL ME!!! I'm so excited I could die! Just kidding but seriously tell me!!! I LOVE YOU KENYA!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS ON ....my guess is......NORWAY!!! ;) Ok, hoppin in mama. Today's email is gonna be kinda short cause I have a lot of letters to catch up on, but the weather is also causing us to change plans. It's the most bizarre weather out here. Last friday it was 73 degrees and we thought we were going to put up our winter stuff...Yesterday it was 23 degrees with sleet, hail, rain and snow. It hailed 2 inches worth and we had freezing rain. It took an hour to get home from church as opposed to the usual 30 minutes. Church was canceled after sacrament becuase the weather kept getting worse. IT's so strange! People are seriously so crazy in this weather! They have no clue how to drive in it so they're trying to go the speedlimit still even though the roads are frozen and there's a giant hail storm going on. Crazy heads. SIster Breaux and I are good though.:) Oh my goodness! IT's time for transfers AGAIN!!! Can you believe it??? I'm about to start my 3rd transfer! Which means a few things. 1) I am now open game to be a trainer and sister training leader becuase my 2 transfers of training are over! 2) Sister Breaux is probably going to be transfered...we both feel it :( Which is ssooooooooo sad becuase we've really become like best friends, actually more like sisters :) We build each other up though and we make a really good, powerful team. Someone told us that they're pretty sure we're one of the strongest companionships in the mission right now......out of 200 something missionaries!!! That was quite the compliment, but I really feel that we do jsut work really hard and we work together. We have a sense of unity when we teach and we make up where the other lacks. IT's AWESOME!!! We also see it in the way challenges come up. We have been put in so many freaky situations where Satan is really tring to get to us and hurt us, but we've truly learned how the Holy Ghost communicates with us and he's always there to guide us and protect us, but we have to listen. Luckily, we have always heeded his warnings and the situation never got worse than what we can handle. I'm seriously going to miss having her around when she leaves. She really honestly makes me feel like a better missionary because we both push each other and motivate each other enough to get a lot of good work done. Plus! We have a common goal to be exactly obedient, fully consecrated missionaries which unites and motivated us even more. Gah! I love her so much! I'm really thinking I'm gonna be training soon....which TERRIFIES ME!!! I do not know enough yet and I'm still working on getting the hang of things myself, but I've had this feeling that it's coming haha. I also keep praying that I'll get called to become a spanish speaking missionary...tehe one can hope :) Oh my goodness! Guess what I did this Saturday!!!....Went to the temple...AGAIN!! Hahah I have gone to the temple 3 times in 2 months! That's unheard of! We actually just had stake conference and they counseled everyone to go to the temple as often as power because every time you go your endowed with power from on high. The spirit testified to both sister Breaux and I that we've been given so many opportunities to go to the temple becuase we truly need extra power from on high to deal with the situations that come our way. It's nice to know Heavenly Father has our back :) Anyway, We went this Saturday with our recent convert Katie who is 21 and we LOVE HER!! She's so much fun to be around. :) She's like one of our gal pals and she comes out with us on splits and what not. SHe LOVED the temple SOOOOO much! We helped her get together her grandparents names and she was able to be baptized and confirmed for her Grandma and she asked Elder Allred to be baptized for her grandpa. He was not only able to be baptized for him but he went through and did his initiatory and endowment! It was awesome! (She has a massive crush on Elder Allred and it's really inappropriate haha. SHe's so blunt! SHe told him she was going to marry him...she's also told this to the rest of the ward. haha it's slightly hilarious but really uncomfortable at the same time becuase he's trying so hard to focus haha but she's so blunt :) Dahah I love her. We're trying to get her to calm down :) It's crazy how many people try to set us missionaries up with their children or grandchildren or neighbors or friend's friend's friend! It's like you have to walk around with a sign that says: "MY HEART IS LOCKED! I WILL NOT MARRY YOUR SECOND COUSINS GREAT NEPHEWS DAUGHTERS SON IN LAWS SON...THANK YOU FOR THE OFFER AND GOD BLESS." :) Hahaha it's funny. Oooh! so crazy experience of the week. We met this lady whom was a referral and we tried to teach the concept that the gospel blesses families. Well she informed us that God is her husband and that she doesn't need to be married because she sleeps with Jesus..............................it truly was as uncomfortable to hear as it was to read. It was the most interesting thing I have heard since I've been out here. We just lovingly explained that we believe God to be our Father and that he loves us as his children and that Christ is our Brother..she wasn't convinced. :) Slightly awkward haha but hey! Agency is a gift we all have! :)..........Hahah ok that's all I got for this week :) EXCEPT: THANKYOU WORTHINGTON FAMILY!!!!!! I LOVED MY VALENTINE'S DAY CARD SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! You guys are the best! :) Hahah the mail man loved it :) And Manda I had a card written for you and was going to mail it on Monday, but then I got that card from you that night so it was no longer applicable haha but I am sending a new one! I love you all to pieces! :) I'll try and attach a picture of me with it! :)

Love,

sis drea