Below are three of Andraya's latest emails. Sorry about the delay!!
Hi friends and family,
Welp, I don't have much to say. Kind of the same old here in
Pasadena east. Our key indicators got much higher this last week! Thank
goodness. Just working hard to get new investigators and learning so much.
Transfer calls are this week, so we'll see what happens with that. Actual
transfers are next week AND I hit my 5 months last week. Love and
miss you all!
Love,
Hermana Salcido
Dear Friends and Family,
I am now serving in...JACINTO CITY! Wahoo, I already love it
here. I have been wanting to come here since I arrived in Texas, because I had
heard great things about it. It's REALLY close to downtown Houston, so I am
getting to see the actual city. It's still a little in the distance, but I can
see the skyskrapers and everything and it's so cool. Man, leaving Pasadena was
really hard though :( And hermana Van Leeuwen and Groesbeck, because we had so
much fun! But I love it here in Jacinto and my two new comps Hermana Mellor and
Hermana Pitts. It's SO different here. Tons more black people and people from
all over the world. Probably since it's closer to the city. Back in Deer park
and La Porte it was mostly white people and tons of rich people. Here it is mostly
apartments, and not even kidding, like 98% latino. WAHOOOOOOOOO my people!!
It's super ghetto here too. My last area was more small town, family
oriented, etc. And here it's just super noisy and filled with borachos.
Plus, we live RIGHT next to the train tracks so that's always fun, jaja.
My first day here we taught recent converts from costa rica(they
talk super fast), Joaquin, our black friend from Cuba(he talks super
weird....can't even begin to describe the Cuban accent) and my favorite
ENRIQUE!!! He's this adorable Mexican with a baptizmal date. He's like in his
50's, single, and lives in a trailer park. He is SO really for baptism. I wish
I could have been here when they found him. But I guess he was super different.
The first lesson they had with him he cried throughout and kept saying how he
is sick of drinking and just sick of the world and wants to be closer to God.
Since that time I guess he's been to church every Sunday and has a baptism date
in a month. He is just a SWEETIE!!!!! Man, I just love him. He's a quiet, shy
kinda guy, and so so great. His testimony is growing so fast. Anyway, if I told
you all the people we've been teaching and how I feel there wouldn't be enough
time to write it. Let's just say I love it here, the ward is so much smaller
than my last so I can't wait to build it up, love my new comps, and just love
being a missionary. Peace and Blessing, ya'll.
Love,
Hermana Draya Salcido
Dear Family and Friends,
Well this last week was so great! How can life NOT be great when
you teach an amazing investigator named Enrique. He is so prepared for baptizm
and is wanting it so badly. We taught the Word of Wisdom and law of Chastity
last week(the more scary lessons to teach at times) and he accepted it SO
easily! He never ceases to amaze us. He explained to us that all of these
commandments are good and that God helps us keep them. Wow. I just love him! At
church on Sunday he leaned over and said(in spanish of course) "I really
like this. I learn so much everytime I come to church. It's my spiritual
food." Such a humble guy. So, claro que si, life is great here in Jacinto
City. It's chuck full of hispanics from ALL over the world, and we are finding
new investigators daily. So great here. Love my HILARIOUS companions, and the
chance to be a missionary. The language is mas o menos coming along every day,
and I feel so blessed to serve among the hispanic people. My favorite thing is
when we teach the first point, "God is our loving Heavenly Father."
They just light up with hope when they really come to understand the TRUE
nature of God. The Gospel is true and being a missionary is the
BEEEEESSSSSTTTTT!!!
con mucho amor,
La Hermana Draya Salcido
P.s. "You know...I'm just kidda worried...about...your
salvacion and stuff...why have you not been baptized?!" -Nacho Libre(best
movie to quote as a spanish speaking missionary)
P.s.s. We got to do service at the Houston food bank as a
district and it was awesome! We helped feed 10, 210 people!! Whoot whoot!!!
#ImtryingtobelikeJesus