Transfer 3 in Elk Grove!!!! :D

So this week. Not a lot of people were home, but we did okay.
Carlos came to our branch Halloween party! And he made salsa for the
salsa competition. We were going to make it with him and then go, but
when we got there, his roommate's girlfriend (curse you Tara!!) had
gone to work, so we couldn't go in. So sad. So he made salsa really
fast and we talked to his roommate Vladi. Alsoo!! Hahaha so before
(this was friday) maybe on tuesday? Or monday? Haha we went and that's
when we met Tara and hung out with Vladi for a while, and we went in,
sat on the couch, tried not to look at the tattoo show they were
watching haha and they were drinking, and Vladi was all "can I get you
something to drink? Beer? Bloody mary? Enchilada? Oh, an enchilada is
like a bloody mary but it's beer and v8 juice, it's really good, we
have vodka, you guys don't want anything?" It was hilarious, and we
said no, we don't drink haha but thanks, and he tried to offer us
juice or water and he said he would keep offering us enchiladas until
we tried them. Hahaha poor Vladi. Just wait till we teach you about la
palabra de sabidura. It was hilarious. Never have I been offered so
much. Anyway, but Vladi's really cool, we're going to try and teach
him, and maybe Tara, she seemed to have some knowledge about
stuff-tattoos came up because of the tv show, and she said something
about how our bodies were temples. What?? Psh, as she drinks her beer.
It was cool to get to know them better.

Ana Gonzales failed her test for part of her nursing program...so
that's really sad, and a big loss of money and invested time, but she
said she just didn't have time to join a church right now, but if she
did, it would be our church, so maybe now since she'll have time
she'll join our church :) she's so cool. She loves us. She always
talks and then stops herself and asks us to share a message,
interrupts, then pauses and let's us continue, haahha. She's so cool.
Her husband was an investigator the elders taught a long time ago,
but they pressured him a little, and he backed away from a baptismal
date, and now he's cool with us, and he even gave us tacos a couple
weeks back haha. Hopefully we'll get them moving.

Ana (other Ana) went to Hawaii and she got back the 17 and we visited
her on Sunday and she brought us tasty macadamia chocolates and little
bracelets :) she's so nice. We have an appointment with them tonight,
so hopefully Pedro will be there and we can teach the kids too.

Stake Conference this Sunday and Saturday was good. I like our stake
presidency, they're really cool. Oohhh hahaha earlier on saturday
before the priesthood leadership session we went into the church to
look up an address, I pulled up in the parking lot, missionary style,
parking sideways through 3/4 spaces. And we came out and a member
laughed and said nice job, and then guess who walked up? President
Jardine. He walks up, and he asks who parked like that? And Hna Burke
says nothing-I had done it, but she really left me out in the cold
haha, so I explained yeah we just pulled up really fast, it's so
convenient, we can just pull out and I don't have to wait to for her
to back me up, we're just leaving. And he was like oh good, the
parking lot will be full soon, and then he walked off and shouted he
loved us. AHH. I was terrified. Hahaha President is all giant and
scary and asks "who parked that car" I thought he was going to ask for
the keys right then hahaha. But it was fine. In Stake Conference when
he spoke he just said to all the missionaries "we love you so much" so
that was nice, shoutout to us in stake conference :)

So yeah, and then transfers saturday night, our District Leader is
leaving :( and he went to go be a zone leader again where our past DL
went to be a zone leader -in Folsom. So that was funny. All our DLs
turn into Zone Leaders haha no big deal. I always take credit for
those. Hahaha just kidding. But it was kind of funny. There aren't
that many changes in the zone this transfer, so that's cool. But Elder
Ortega got transferred out so that's really sad, it was so handy to
have a native speaker in the branch, all the members loved him and he
was hilarious. And now soccer on pday won't be as much fun either. Ahh
so sad, it feels like our little brother got taken away from us. He
had us sign his soccer jersey though. And he said he only wanted the
really cool missionaries to sign it. He was really sad to go. But
Elder Bingham will be training! Yay for him! So it's like we will be
training. Hahahaha. Just kidding just kidding, he will actually do a
really great job. He's a great missionary. It'll be sweet.

And now we are in a trio! Hermana Fly came to join us. I was super
surprised that Sis Burke and I are staying together for another
transfer. Also, she and Hermana Fly have the same amount of time left,
just 2 transfers, counting this one starting now. So hopefully that
means that we'll all stay together for another two transfers, I'll
kill them both, and have to stay for at least one more when they send
me a new comp. thwt is my master plan. And prayer is all about God
changing and aligning his will with ours so I've been praying about it
a lot. Hahaha. Hilarious, but that would really be so awesome.

But I will be here for my birthday so that's the best thing ever.
Leslie is going to smash my face in a cake. I cannot wait. I am so
excited. (Elder Ortega said he was really sad to be missing that too
hahaha, I'll get someone to email him pictures.)

Anyway, life is good. No one is on date, but hopefully we can get
Carlos to say yes to being baptized on my birthday. Carlos, all I want
for my birthday is your remission of sins, is that too much to ask?

All our investigators love us. Haha, and the members. Life is good,
now we just have to dunk 'em.

This took so long, my thumbs hurt. I love you all!!!!!!

Love Hermana McCloud

The baby pit bull that followed us around for a while when we were out walking.

Isn't this fantastic? Their church has two storeys!!!