10 frights before halloween

Temple trip. I love my President and his wife soooo much!

Dear Fam,

What up what up in the hollahooooooodddddddd???? This week was filled with more adventures than dads snorkel as he skimmed the waters in Brazil. Holy hanna I love me a good adventure but when you've got the 10 frights before halloween... you end up just scared.

Scare #1

PROJECT SAVING SMILES... yeah that was my thought too. I'm no Jack Newton. How do you expect me to save a smile? We got a call from our zone leaders telling us just the address and where to meet for service on Tuesday. We roll up and everyone's like Project Save Smiles right this way. I just kept saying it to everyone that I saw because it was so fun. "Is this Project Save Smiles? Ok good. Right place right place." "Oh are you here to save a smile too? oh good we are in this together!" I was expecting to be doing dentist work but nope, they didn't even trust me to floss the fake teeth to demonstrate for the children. They brought all these children in who are in second grade whose parents don't have money for the dentist and gave them free work. I was in charge of teaching dental health and entering their test scores into the computer. A B D F A C... FOR HOURS! So I didn't have to do dentist work but it was a scare... because you know how I am with anything to do with teeth.. no good!
#2 

Family History night Tuesday night! What a humbling experience helping these hispanics who didn't even know their grandmas names. (it was hard to help them because they have like 1,739 names) This Tuesday night we had Walter and Bartola who WERE less active but it's been incredible to see them come back! He's never used a computer before and it just brought me back to the endless nights helping dad and mom type... such good times. It was the most darling thing, He's like, "Backspace, say what??" At the same time there's Wilver my bff looking at our family tree because I don't know who in the fam is the fam history nutso but my tree goes back to Christ. I'm pretty sure.  Anywho Wilver wanted to see how far back it went and he found one of our relatives. Sir William Walace and I just see him taking selfie's with the name and just so stoked. So I'm like who is that? He's like, "you're kidding me! He saved Scotland and you don't know him." Long story short, we talked all about the movie Braveheart and Wilver turns in on family history! Then Houston just loves to play little trickster tricksters on me and shuts down every freeway to get back home and it's about time to get home. Somehow I find Walter driving and follow him, unsure if he's going to stop for dinner or who knows- diapers for the kids. But little walt walt took us the sneakiest way! and we made it home on time!
#3

We had a mission temple trip and the sister trainer leaders were coming to stay at our apt. And they are really healthy and worky-outy so i hid allllllll my treats that you guys send me for my b-day above the fridge like this was some imprisonment camp thing. We had them sleep in our beds and we were sleeping in the study room... after they went to sleep, I realized I was starving and needed a snack so I crawled like a little night mouse to the kitchen for an Italian ice (shout out to Minds- they are fantastic thank you) and a slice of pepper jack cheese. I didn't get caught! whoo whoooo But the temple was literally the most amazing experience ever. President Hall talks a lot about marriage and his family. Ah they are so darling! I loved one thing he said, "God's not going to judge me on what calling I have, or how well I did in my job. But just how I treated my wife as her husband and my kids as a father." I loved that! You really see your true potential in the temple. It's so hard to leave and see how confused people are in the world!
#4 

We just are casually getting done teaching lessons for the day and driving home like usual when this stinky, big hipped truck started following us. At first we were just laughing like that would be scary but then it actually really did get super sketchy and he made every turn we were making and would flip around really fast if he missed a turn.... but prayer and God are so good and we got away!
#5 

Just biking on Long Point very busy crazy street... never something you want to do alone.. fist pump the heavens for companions. There was this wheelchair in the middle of the sidewalk so I stop and I asked this lady if she needed some help. I could barely understand her. She had welts all over her face and body and she started showing them to me. It was scary but from what I could understand she was trying to cross the street. So i told her i would help her and i turned around to tell Hermana Sanchez, who i was on exchanges with that i was going to help her but man that lady just threw her life into my hands quicker than i ever imagined. She had her feet up and was about to hit the street full of illegal, drunk, unlicensed drivers. I know because we teach most of them and they all drive that way. So I grab the back of her wheel chair with my bike helmet still clipped real tight and took her for a ride! Luckily all the crazy houstonites stopped for me!
#6

We went to try this old investigator who hadn't been taught in two years. We go to his house and this lady comes running at us and again i could barely understand her english. She's like yelling at us, "you you you you speaka speaka spanish. fab fab fabian is in the backback back yard." We met Fabian and he like whispers "we don't want Karen to find us! She's this homeless lady that just hangs around my house and I feel bad for her so I let her go inside." She just kept getting really close to my name tag and breathing fresh beer into my face. "Ohhh ohh ohh Herman wagstaff. What a beautiful name!" She would just keep running inside and out of the house like she was a caterer for a huge wedding. She comes running at me with this glass that's just spilling everywhere and i was like, "Sorry i can't drink tea." She's like, "It's just sugar sugar water water water water and lemon DRINK IT!" Fabians like take it or she'll get angry. Man it's usually the other way around. Us feeding the homeless but she wanted to PARTY! She brought me saltines, apple jacks that were soggier than an old flappy boot.... never trust karen and fabian.. If people are hiccuping thats a sign of drinking... who knew? i didn't?? and i always have hiccups!
#7 

We got a bad bad case of the bugs! But i got to be on a conference call with Elder Chang and Elder Embody- favorite humans! they are hilarious office workers! We told them there were bugs everywhere in our bed room biting us, roaches out the sinks, and i'm still positive there are frogs above the shower but no one will believe me! But they came and saved the day and stole moms amazing carmel popcorn that everyone's obsessed with! Bomb diggity! 

Elder chang and Elder Embody favorite humans

#8

Judy called us Saturday night after not talking to her once that week and says, "hermanas, I have something to tell you.... I'M COMING TO CHURCH TOMORROW!!! all she needed was a one week drop. holla! and she got next week off work too so hopefully this will be it! home run folks! 

JUDY CAME TO CHURCH AND LOVED IT! She shared her story about stopping drinking coffee and how she has so much energy now and everyone just loves her! she's so easy to love!

#9 

We had a missed call from President on Saturday... I mean calls from president are exciting EXCEPT when it's transfer week and he only calls Mondays unless your training. So we were sad thinking about getting split up but when president called back he said, "Can you both hear me? The Lord wants you two to train one of the 2 incoming sisters!" I'm so stinkin nervous and feel so inadequate but i know it's going to be an amazing, amazing experience that i will learn so much from!
#10

We volunteered at a 5k where our Pres and a lot of the missionaries were running. It was just so scary. there were so many reasons why but i'm not going to list them here!

I keep saying the same annoying phrases to Hermana Palmer. She's going to kill me if i say it one more time. hahaha but gotta love bugging her! It was a wonderful week and I'm really nervous but President Hall told us some really cool things in a training today! Please pray for me! And go eat a Christmas Ham bam!

love you all so much!

hermana tony malony wagstaff

My favorite friends from manvel! sister sanchez is the one in the striped dress and sister robinson is on the left

something to explain the carnival... batman... good choice!

ohhh i forgot about this scare... trying to be a homemaker and make some simple pasta. turned out looking like the things hanging from the cave at timp