TEMPLE BOUND!

Hands down the most exciting and most anticipated transfer of my life!

So it is official! I'm have killed a Russian and now I am going to kill a Ukranian! (When you are a missionary's last companion before they go home, we say that you are "killing them"). And my claim to fame still continues as I am now moving on to companion number 7 and have still not served with a North American! (The missionaries out here are rooting for me now! They want to see me make it to the end without a N. American comp! With probably only 2 companions left and many foreign sisters in this mission, I could just make it!).

So I am going to CHORLEY! (i.e. the area where the temple is!). I'm going to be serving with Sister M. We have been hoping to serve together ever since my 1st transfer when we first met and became friends! So to say that we are excited is a big, fat understatement!

Sister Pongi and I are both leaving Wigan....and are not getting replaced :( Our flat is going to be closed for a couple of transfers, so life is a bit hectic at the moment as we are gutting out our flat (getting it perfect for another companionship to move in, in a couple transfers) and are working like crazy to prepare everything for a smooth transition of all our people (and our half-planned baptism) to the elders! Fun times!

Other exciting news! I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!!!!! Sister Riley is training a missionary, which means 2 things:

A. I am getting old! :( Time goes fast! The mission goes too fast!

B. I will be vindicated for all the terrible things she did to me as I can watch her suffer as she raises her own child!

.....Totally kidding! Sister Riley was the easiest person on planet earth to train (pretty much came pre-trained!) and I miss her terribly right now!! Sister Riley and I were like peanut butter and jelly and I love her HEAPS!!! We have been joking (but not really joking...dead serious) lately about us serving together again!! We would reunite in a heartbeat if they would let us!! (time will tell!) I am so excited to see how amazing she will be as a trainer!! :)

So our week in a nutshell (where on earth does that saying come from and what does it mean?! If you think about it, it makes absolutely no sense! Why is a shortened phrase in a nutshell? English is so weird!):

#Tallgirlproblems:

I was on a blitz (a type of exchange) with a good friend.....who also happens to be very short. We had a second blitz with the same companionship 3 days later and she told me the funniest/saddest (can't decide which one it is yet) story!

So the day after our exchange, she said she was in the shower and noticed that her neck was hurting really badly! She was so confused as to what would cause that to happen and then the answer suddenly came to her:

Epiphany! It was sore from looking up at me all day! As we were talking the whole day the poor girl had to stare up to no-mans land to be able to see my face! Sad? Funny? Not sure yet?! What a trooper though! She said despite all that, that she still loves me and would happily endure endless neck pain to be able to talk to me! True friendship right there!

Guard Cow?:

Sis. P told me the most hilarious story the other day! Her and her last companion were on a double decker bus that was driving past a bunch of farmland. She said that they saw a teen aged couple walking through a field of cows. It seemed a bit strange (you don't typically see people--especially young people-- strolling through a cow's grazing area), but they just assumed that the kids were related to the owners of the farm and had a reason to be there. Well, the kids disappeared out of view over a hill and the sisters forgot for 3 seconds about them..

UNTIL.....it became very obvious seconds later that indeed these kids were NOT supposed to be in that field and that they were not farmers, or farmers kids etc. The sisters suddenly watched in awe as the kids suddenly reappeared over the hill running and screaming hysterically! A cow was chasing the kids very aggressively! Apparently the entire bus was in tears laughing as they watched the scene unfolding! Kind people we are: laughing at other peoples' misfortunes (moos- fortunes?)

I joked that instead of guard dogs these farmers just trained themselves a guard cow. I did a solid impression of a guard dog vs. guard cow for Sis. P which made our day. Just picture an angry cow, wearing a spiked collar, barking like a dog:

"MOOO MOO MOOO"

Slim Shady in da house!:
So a couple weeks back I told you how all the elders have been calling me rapper names ever since I did my EMM rap at our mission bbq. Our district leader has been calling me slim shady ever since, so you can imagine how much he appreciated the following story!

I was on the bus when as girl walked on wearing the weirdest shirt (English fashion is very different from....a lot more "out there" and adventurous). It said: "Will the real slim shady please stand up?"

....so I stood up! ....Sis. Pongi laughed...hard!

The end.

Mollymormon drop out:

So I grew up in the molly mormon family that does not drink coke/dr. pepper. I got served some Dr. Pepper at a tea appointment (glasses were already poured when we got to the table). I wasn't going to make a bit hissy fit about it (it's not a big deal) so I tried it.

So I am now a mollymormon drop out. It actually tasted really good, but that will still be the first/last time I'll have it! (I'm crazy enough already....don't need the extra help from caffeinated fizzy drinks!).

There is your random fact/confession of the day.

My name is Erika Martin. I was raised a mollymormon. And I drank Dr. Pepper and LIKED it (no shame), and was not instantly thrust into outer darkness!

(That can be my new mormon.org profile!)

Anyways I am out of time this week!

Hope the time goes quickly for you and slowly for me (seriously!! Time is going so fast it hurts!)

--- Sister Martin (your new friendly, neighbourhood Chorley missionary and assassin of Russian speakers!)