Well hi!
Haha so...today we got to go to the temple so that is why preparation
day wasn't on Monday! I totally forgot about it until after it was too
late so please forgive me! It has been the craziest 10 days of my life so let
me tell you all about it!! :) Monday night I had another meltdown but
I got over it so it was okay. Haha then on Tuesday I had another HUGE
meltdown and my companion and I ended up driving to the mission home and I had
a meeting with President and Sister Carter because I just could not stop
crying. It was awful. BUT!! The first thing I said to President when I walked
into his office was, "I am NOT going home." So yeah...haha I just
needed a little extra guidance and help.We talked for about an hour and a half
and then he gave me the most personal, incredible blessing I have ever
received! I haven't cried sad tears since! We got home after 10 that night so
we had to repent but I felt so much better! So because of that, I am now seeing
the mission psychologist because well...I'm mental. Not really but I do have
severe anxiety. Go figure. She gave me some funny exercises to do so that the
meltdowns don't happen again and, believe it or not, they're working. I have a
problem with thinking errors and they are really quite selfish so I have been
studying charity and humility a lot the past week...haha. I have been so much
more positive and happy and it is just incredible! Wow. Anyway, so I ate
chicken strips for the first time since I've been here and they were glorious.
They are definitely still my favorite food! When I get home, we are all eating
kangaroo sausages because they are so good! They have a ton of flavor! I
haven't seen a kangaroo or anything yet so that's a bummer but I think I'm
going to next week. Don't quote me on that but that's what it sounds like. The
one secret about missionary life is that it is the most unorganized organized
living ever. Our plans change constantly and we have so much stuff to keep
track of and people to see and members to please and a ward mission leader that
needs to feel wanted. It all gets very overwhelming but at the end of the day,
I love it!
We had companion exchanges on Tuesday and OH MY GOODNESS!! It
was the best experience of my life! Honestly. My companion for the day was our
sister training leader, Sister Lucas, and I absolutely adore her. She is from
Tahiti and she says that our family is welcome at her home anytime (wink). She
is 25 years old and she has been serving for about 12 months so she is getting
to the tail end of her mission and if I am half as amazing as she is at my year
mark then I will be just fine! She helped me feel so comfortable and I actually
lead THREE lessons! That is HUGE for me! It was such a great day! We visited
this less active sister named Deborah and she was kind of a nut but I love her
because she is emotionally unstable just like me! She burst into tears randomly
and I talked her through it and now she's coming to church this week and I am
so excited. SO excited! Oh, side note...if you want to send me a package, send
it to 11 Sommers Avenue Firle, South Australia 5070 Australia. If you have
already sent me a package to the other address, that is fine but send all other
packages to that one! Thanks! This week I got letters from Elder Petersen, Mama
P, Mikelle, and Taylor Welker! It was great! Haha letters are the best thing
ever! I am hoping to have time to send out some more letters today but we are
super busy and it is already almost 4 and we have an appointment at 6
so we'll see.
So for some reason, I am not afraid to sing for people here. Sister
Eldredge and I sing to everyone!! I mean EVERYONE! We harmonize and the whole 9
yards. It's pretty great! Haha she is a Schae Chapman type singer so she gets
pretty fancy with her voice. It's no Schae but it'll do for now! I have been
serving for over a month now so that is pretty cool! Only 17 more to go! I am
going to jump around saying a bunch of random stuff right now but I keep
remembering things so bear with me! The chocolate here is gross and if you
would like to send me some Snickers...or a Symphony bar or 7 I would not
complain! They sell snickers here but they cost too much and I don't want to
get fat...but if you send it to me, it will be okay because it's a gift and
gifts can't go to waste. Anyway, I watch mormon messages during every meal and
I am so addicted! If you haven't watched Mormon Messages on LDS.org, do it
because they are so incredible! They get me so pumped about life! The mailmen
here ride motorcycles. It's super cool. They are so nice too. They love
everyone...which is a big deal for Australia because Aussies are big time
haters...in a good way. Horses have a nickname even. People call them trotters
and a saddle is called a jinky. Weird. Oh, and shrimp are called prons...and
garages only hold cars. The garages are TINY! Oh and trucks are called
utes...as in short for utility vehicle. Aussies love to abbreviate. It's
fascinating. I still speak with an American accent 100 percent of the time but
my personal prayers are said with an Australian accent in my head. It is super
weird. I honestly can't help it! Haha if you don't know hymn number 44, you should
learn it because it is really good! It's our mission song! We sing it almost
every day!
Oh so for you fathers or soon to be fathers, Sunday was
Australian Father's Day so Happy Father's Day! (especially my daddy) :D Oh and
you mommies out there, diapers are called nappies. It is great. So the news
about how I am doing? I am great. I am very happy but 10:30 is way too late
to go to sleep. Haha not really but I am so exhausted every night that I CRASH.
I sleep very well! I eat a lot of bread and rice and jelly and nutella and
bread...but mostly bread. We have a baptism next Saturday and three a
couple of weeks later (hopefully). We have one investigator named Ajor and her
husband hates us so she may not be able to be baptized but we are praying for
her! We love her so much and she is so ready to be baptized! Her children love
it too...just her husband is stubborn. Catholic people are super intense...
Other than that, I don't have a lot to share. Sorry I don't have more
experiences but those are easier to write in letters so I will send them that
way! All is well in Adelaide! It is warming up! It has been about 28 degrees
Celsius pretty consistently but today it's rainy and cold again so we'll see
what happens! I will be sending another email on Monday so you don't
have to miss out on too much! I love you all and I am still praying for you
every day! Stay strong and be happy!
Love,
Sister Hamel
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