Sister Caressa Ann Pitt: Mannish Water????

"10...9...8...7...6....5...4...3...2...1!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The above quotation is not how my New Years went.

My New Years Eve was more like...

"Zzzzzzzz."

I think I forgot to mention transfers and everything last week. SO, Sister Tominey went to the Cayman Islands, and she is there whitewashing with another sister. I miss her! Sister Collier and I are still together, but we received SISTER RAMPERSAD! She is awesome. She is from Trinidad (which is part of the Caribbean, it is near Venezuela). To me, she doesn't sound like she has an accent, she sounds American, and pretty much acts American. Maybe I'm just so used to thick patios. She is half Indian half Spanish. She also loves the movie Kung Pow, so automatic friends. haha You better believe I've been quoting it with her. "Weoweoweoweeee!"

This week seemed like a ridiculously long week. I don't know what the deal was. Sometimes time goes so fast, sometimes you feel like you are going to die because it's going so slow. But, this week I'm 9 months out. What... Half my mission? This is a joke right? I still remember the first night I flew into Kingston, and we drove through downtown, and I thought I was going to die because it was so sketchy looking. Now I'm used to all of this. Crazy man.

This last week some good stuff happened. On New Years Day, we had a meal appointment. I tried mannish water for the first time. Now, when I heard mannish water, the first thing I thought was a pool full of good looking manly men. BUT that is not what it is. Mannish water is goat head soup. AH! I wanted to die. First of all, goat is nasty enough, but lets eat the head instead. In order to make it, they roast the head, then grind it up and put it in the soup. I saw some nasty stuff floating around in there, but I drank it. Afterwards I had the song, 'We Are The Champions,' stuck in my head. I might have also done a little Rocky Balboa celebration dance, because I thought I wasn't going to be able to drink it. Oh, so while we were there drinking the soup, the lady who fed us, is a nonmember (grandmother of a recent convert) and she had a little party going on in her yard. She had a huge sound system blasting reggae music and a bunch of drunk old men were dancing to it. It was dinner and a show. Quite entertaining.

Did quite a bit of service this week. We helped out at this green house and moved bags of red dirt onto the tables. They are planting lots of orange trees in them, and companies buy them. Anyways, one of our investigators works there, and wanted us to come help. It was hard work man. I got red dirt everywhere, and my wrists were killing me. (Oh, if I am using 'man' at the end of sentences, it's not on purpose. Jamaicans always do it, and it has been rubbing off on me. Sister Rampersad also says it, and I'm around her 24/7. I'm always saying, "yah man," now. But not like how a Jamaican actually says it.) Another service we did was washing some girls hair. It's a lot different washing black girls hair, than it is to wash a whitey's hair, but I love it. I got to braid it as well. It was so fun. The girls were so cute and funny. Often times we help people hand wash their clothes. Thank heavens for washing machines.

The time I felt the spirit most this last week was when we were visiting an excommunicated member. We mainly go to her house to visit her less active children, but we give them all a little spiritual thought together. Anyways, the woman really opened up about how she feels and what not. She feels ashamed, angry, insignificant, and so forth. My heart ached for her. What she did is not something you cannot excuse, she made mistakes, but she is still a daughter of God. I really felt Heavenly Fathers love for her. We testified of the Atonement. We told her about Jesus Christ, and about how when we make mistakes, we have to face the consequences, but Jesus Christ is willing to help us out of the stickiest of situations. Something the mission has really helped me see is how imperfect all of God's children are. Sometimes I can't believe we chose to be here in a fallen world, but we did, and now we have to just have faith for a better place. Everybody makes mistakes, but thankfully we can turn to repentance in our darkest days. I don't know if this sister will ever return to the church, I really hope and pray she will. She has a lot of changing to do, but I know it's possible. I just know that my greatest source of happiness is in this church and through my knowledge of the Savior, I can't imagine what it would be like to be away from it. I would be miserable.

Because it's a new year, 2014, I decided to take time to reflect on 2013, and really think about what goals I have for this year. 2013 was a fantastic year. I have grown so much. (And not just in weight har har har.) I have learned more here than school has ever taught me. I have felt pain, sorrow, and a whole lot of joy. I have had some crappy times, and some fantastic times. It's a roller coaster of emotions. My goals for this year:

1. Follow the promptings of the spirit. Sometimes I get a thought to do something, but I push it out, thinking I have more important things to do, or I can't fit it in the schedule. I need to be more mindful of those thoughts, and act on them. I hear if you get them, and you don't act, they will come to you less. I don't want to loose the companionship of the spirit. Especially as a missionary.

2. Patience. I need to develop this even more. I still find myself getting frustrated in the littlest insignificant circumstances. I need to stop doing that. I need to just take a breather and realize that everything is in God's timing. I am not in control of anything, but myself.

I guess those are my main two. I have already failed at them... But that is the thing about resolutions and goals, you can't expect to be perfect automatically, it's something that you have to continually work on until you become perfect at it.

I love you family. I love you friends. The work is good. The people here are kind of crazy... Okay, really crazy, but I love them. I know the Gospel can fix anyone's problems. I hope that we will soon find someone who will recognize that and accept it. Till then, we will just keep working hard, and praying.

Respect Man,

Sister Pitt

P.S. I also have a goal to loose the weight I gained... Hello veggies everyday. haha