Coincidences Are Just Little Miracles

This week I had my first ever zone conference.  It was pretty sweet.  We learned about working with the members.  It was really helpful and really fun.

Miracles on the mission are the really small things that we called coincidences before.  There was this one lady that we had been trying to get in touch with for ages.  Ages.  And one day we decided to go over to her house because it was the only place we could get to before we would have to go home.  We drove over there thinking that we were going to call in, nobody would answer, and we would just have to drive home.  (Her apartment is one of the ones where you have to call in and they unlock the door to let you into the staircase and she never answers.)  When we got there, we found that somebody had held the door open with a rock and that we could get in.  So we waltzed up the stairs and knocked on her door.  She answered and asked how we had gotten in and told us that she had disconnected her home phone so it wasn't possible to call in from the call box.  She gave us her cell number and said we could come back whenever as long as it wasn't so late at night.  Hopefully she is going to teach us how to make tamales next P-day.  I promise to take pictures if it really does work out.

I have to tell y'all about the Spanish elders here in our district.  Elders Green, Greene, and Dutsen.  (I have no idea how to spell the last one.  Which is sad because it's not like I don't see his name tag every time I look at him.)  All of the members of our branch think it is absolutely hilarious that two of the elders are "Elder Verde."  I'm really not sure why it is soooo funny to them, but it is.  Anyway, the Elders are amazing.  I don't know what exactly goes through their mind when they see their phone and that it's us who are calling.  But it must be something like:  "Great, it's the hermanas again.  What do they need this time?"  There are so many times when neither Hermana Newman nor I have any idea what to do and so we just call up the Elders.  We love them.  They are the fount of all knowledge while we are on a mission.  Otherwise, it's Google.  But we can't use that now.  Just so you know.

Elder Jones puts this at the end of the e-mails he sends out.  I thought it was funny and that you all might like it too.  Maybe, maybe not.

     The Golfer’s Hymn:  There’s a Green Hill Far Away;

     Definition of Hymn: A song of praise usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation’s range;

     Definition of Choir: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.


I haven't got anything else, so... 'til text week I guess.

Love,
Hermana Crotzer

Editor's note:  As a reminder, "P-day" is the nickname for "preparation day".  It's the day missionaries do their letters, laundry, and anything else they might need to prepare them for the week ahead.  Catherine's P-day is now on Monday, which is typical for any missionary in the field.

A zone conference is when all the missionaries in a geographic region (or zone) gather for a day of instructional and inspirational talks and activities designed to further develop their missionary skills and strengthen their own growing testimonies of the Gospel.