03/30/20: If you're happy and you know it CLAP YOUR HANDS. *clap hands intensely*

 Paz y Bendiciones Hermanos y Hermanas 

Frankly things are not too horrible! Yes I do really miss human to human interaction and talking to everyone in sight and I even miss feeling sweaty and sticky as we make our way across town on bikes but the work is still moving forward and that is what matters! With the combination of Crows Landing and Los Banos 1.1 and even a little bit of the Coalinga area (which has no missionaries in it currently and well) Hermana Hilton and I have been able to keep busy! We have lots of lessons over the phone and through facetime and it is quite a bit harder but we have found some creative ways to teach and get some concepts to people over the phone. For example. There is a group of kids that we are teaching in Crows Landing over video and to help them understand the importance of prophets we made Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. We acted like we had no idea how to make a sandwich and built one VERY VERY messily while the kids watched through video chat and than after they had enough laughing we had their parents instruct them and then us through the phone on how to build a sandwich. It was pretty fun and got the concept of how prophets (the kids in this circumstance) speak to God (the parents) in order lead and guide us (the very lost and confused missionaries covered in dollar tree Peanut Butter) very clearly. 

There a couple other fun people from Crows Landing that I have inherited through Hermana Hilton like Teodoro. Teodoro is one of this group we have labeled Los Tres Burachos. 3 old men- Julio, Humberto and Teodoro who are sometimes drunk- that Hermana Hilton and her old companion had been teaching for a bit. They all read the pamphlets and chapters from the book of mormon together and have very deep, entertaining life discussions together. One of them, Teodoro, really loves the book of mormon and is actually on date for baptism (he stopped drinking by the way haha)! We taught him over the phone and it was very entertaining. 

Yair unfortunately lost his seasonal job due to the virus and everything and that was hard to hear about... buuuut the group stepped up!! It was cool because as soon as word got passed around people started calling us and asking us where his truck was parked and how much food he needed and if we thought he would want to work for them. We called him this week too and HE taught us the restoration... so he is doing ok! 

We are working really hard to build "spiritual independence" among the group as most people are recent converts to an extent and this is the first expirience sort of having to study the scriptures and worship alone. We make a lot of phone calls. And even more follow up phone calls.

Still running 4 miles every morning! Just want to put that out there. Not saying very fast but I am just saying that is 4 more miles than I used to run. 

Have a good one! Keep being positive!

Hermana Allen 

I have not held a cat in a really long time. 

But here is a photos of me in front of a sidewalk plan of salvation we made during our outside time!

Also, phone call lessons!!