From the white and harvest-ready field of New York City

Our dear friend Shanelle Baxter is currently serving a mission and speaking Spanish in New York New York. We recently got this letter from her, and it's delightful, so I share it here. And it might be to you anyway. =)

11-11-09

Dearest Amigos en Rexburg [dearest friends in Rexburg],

Como estan? Yo espero muy bien! [How are you guys? Very good, I hope!] Thank you so much for that lovely package full of good letters, fun pictures, and lovely socks from Britain! Annie I love the socks so much! Liz, let’s talk about how I’m so ok with you dating Jacob. Sounds like you’re having a great time. Everyone sounds so busy with school and stuff. How’s the theatre program? Who is the new teacher? I’ve seen Jeff a few more times and I always turn bright red because it’s just so unexpected to see someone who I know and love. ☺ I actually had a dream with Jeff in it and he was singing a song from a musical set in NY. He was singing in a subway station in my area so I started singing along and then everyone on the street joined in and we were singing and dancing with brooms. It was a fun dream hahaha.

For more less than spiritual experiences, 1. I love H&M and I’m an advocate of the “neck sock.” We don’t know the real name of it so my zone just calls them neck socks. It’s a piece of fabric/knitted sweater material and it’s a big loop, [Picture of an oval] just like that. I have 2. One is just a long tube I slip over my head and the other is one I twist and loop again. I really like them.

2. I turn 5 months old in 1 week! It’s just insane how quickly time flies. I’m in my 3rd cycle and still with my trio. I’m not sure if you knew I was training my 2nd transfer cycle, but I did/am. We’re a trio and have a lot of fun.

3. The picture of herbs is mostly for Annie. I thought you’d like it. It’s from a museum Garden I went to.

4. Last week I tried to catch a rat that is in our investigator’s house. Her crazy Dominican Grandma was pouring hot water over everything: walls, TV’s, dressers, radiators, etc. Apparently rats don’t like hot water. We were armed with pots, pans, and a big Atlas. Charlie, a giant 3-year-old with Autism, was armed with a fly swatter. Basically we stood around a door and banged our pots on the floor, or wall, or radiator, or couch to try and scare the rat out. It never came so we had to leave.

5. I dressed up like a Dominican for Halloween! I’ll send a pic next time.

6. My tailor was wearing a shirt that had Rhinestone words in English on it and he asked me what they said. I managed to stumble out “Soy el sueno de la calle” between giggles. Yeah, it said “I’m the dream of the street.” It was funny because he just shrugged and said, “Ok, I just didn’t want to wear anything too weird.” Oh I love Dominicans.

WARNING: SPIRITUAL PART APPROACHING.

Well, one day (Saturday, the 6th), I contacted this man on the street, I usually don’t stop men but I was determined to contact a lot of people. Anyway, he wouldn’t give me his # or address, so I just gave him a pass-along card with my cell # and forgot about him. Yesterday (the 10th), we get a call and the person asks to speak with me (which is just weird). I ask his name and he says I don’t know him but he wants to meet. I ask when and he says, “Ahora mismo.” [Right now] Well ok then. So we’re a little apprehensive as I’ve been proposed to twice and we’ve received texts from “investigators” asking if we’d like to be their novias [girlfriends]. Well, we meet him and suddenly I remember that he was the man I’d talked to on Saturday! He’d actually called us! That just doesn’t happen! So we go to the church and he tells us he was surprised on Saturday when I spoke with him because my Spanish was great and my accent was “excelente.” (I think I cried a little when he said that.) Because of my Spanish, he decided to call back and now he’s getting baptized on Dec. 5th! It’s so amazing. He was searching and didn’t even know. God works in mysterious ways, my dears. Basically missionary work rocks my socks.

Liz, I’m sorry I forgot about your birthday. I hope it was good and assume it was. ☺ Sometimes I get scared that you all will forget me and realize I’m not necessary. Don’t forget me! I’ve been wondering if I can go back to BYU-I for another Bachelor’s in Spanish, music, and earth science. Do you think they’d let me? I need to go. I love you all so very much. Thanks for your love!

Love, Shanelle Baxter

PS: There’s a trombone player down our street who has to play out his window! It’s so fun to see. ☺

[The following two items were also included with the letter:]

Caption: "Yeah, I put my hair in pin curls."