Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Mexican Idol

This is the kid of our ward mission leader named Jaret!
 He was swimming in their water tank and singing the little mermaid!
Hi everyone! 

I cannot believe that it is Monday AGAIN! The weeks have never flown by so fast in my life! But it is so awesome! I love the mission and all of the things that we learn here, good and bad :) Shout out to my dad all that he sent me.... ORGANIC JUNK FOOD hahaha! 
Jared was so stoked when he got baptized!
 I don't know about you guys,
 but Jared looked like Max from Hocus Pocus
(after being turned into a human again)
 to me! hahahah love oyu guys
 So this week was really weird. It was super awesome and also super weird haha. It was awesome because Jared was baptized! He was more than ready and is really into the idea of being a missionary! He has been asking us on how he can prepare to be one as well! He is just unreal and is like a sponge! He wants to know EVERYTHING right now haha. But we told him milk first and meat later :) 

It was weird because as we passed on the numbers of the things we had done this week it seemed like we did nothing. But I looked back at every single day and felt that we gave everything we could. We had a bunch of days where half of our appointments fell but those that didn't were super awesome. We have a super cute little family that we are teaching and they are really progressing! The mom is named Marcy (42) and the son Danny (10). They were not even a little bit interested in our first lesson but have now assisted the last two Sunday's and are reading everything and doing everything that I ask. Marcy is even in a process of repentance. They remembered their baptismal date and are really excited to make this covenant with God on the 22 of November. 

I got to see two sisters that were in my group in the MTC
 when we went to Tepotzlan. Hermana Tidwell
(brunette) was my companion!

Our wonderful Rosie has yet to be baptized. She now has come to church for one week short of two weeks straight. She is active in every part of the church. It has been really hard for her because she does want to be baptized but does not want to upset her mom. Her dad has given her permission but her mom wants her to be baptized in her Christian church. We are focusing on helping Rosie strengthen her relationship with God and looking for the answers that she needs in teh Book of Mormon. She serioualy knows more than I did before I was baptized. She is INCREDIBLE.

SO that's about all that I have for you guys this week. I forgot to tell youi guys last week that I ATE A GRASS HOPPER WITH MY QUESADILLA!!! It tasted like fish but not in a good way haha. Mexico is the best! Thank you all so much for everything you do for me. It is truly priceless. The title of this email is Mexican Idol becaaaause on the 6 of November we have a conference for the missionaries in my zone and another zone. One of the leaders in my zone is literally a musical genius and wants a few of us from our zone to sing a song that recently came out in teh church names "Come Unto Christ." The is unbelievably beautiful. This elder asked me to sing the female solo part. I am unbelievably nervous because it will be in front of our mission president and his wife and also this other zone. BUT even worse... since they took all of the missionaries out of the state of Guerrero in my mission (which is half the mission) there are double the missionaries in every
THE GRASS HOPPER! 
area so basically it's a ton of people. we practiced today and I am just really nervous. I convinced him to let another sister missionary sing some of my parts haha but it donesn't calm the nerves. Don't worry, I will get a video!

I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!
Hermanaut

PS enjoy the photos :)

Tepotzlan!

I have no idea what it is but I gave it food :)

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Insects, wild animals and Tepotzlan

HI EVERYONEE!! I am so happy to write you guys :)
SHOUT OUT TO MY IDAHO FAMILY!! Thank you guys soooo much for the package that you sent! I didn't get a picture with the stuff becaaaause a lot of the stuff is already eaten :) hahaha but thank you so much!

I am short on time but we have the baptism of Jared this week. Rosie wasn't baptized last week because her mom wasn't willing to let her. We are working with her family and trying to help her mom understand a little better. Rosie really is super ready to do this covenant with God but also doesn't want to upset her mom. We will pray for miracles :)

This last week was a little odd. Hermana Pirez and I were together longer for a few days more because transfers were delayed due to some circumstances in the mission. She left as well as another sister missionary that shares the ward with us. So they left and I stayed here with the other missionary for about two more days. It was really hard to get things done these days because we had a bunchof appointments and our areas are super far from each other BUT on friday afternoon my new companion came in. Her name is Hermana Ruiz. SHe is here from Mexico and is 27. I have found that it has been a bit of challenge with her in these last couple days. She is super sweet, really. She just really likes a lot of attention and tells everyone that she's 27 and was a chef. She has about 6 months in the mission. BUT I am trying to understand her better. I find her really following what I do, in almost every aspect so I try to be the best example possible for her. 

TODAY, we went to a small city called Tepotzlan! It was soooo rad! They have super cool shops but the coolest thing was that we and about 30 other missionaries hiked up to the top of this huge mountain. It's about an hour hike and STRAIGHT UP.. BUT at the top there is this old pyramid. We climbed, and sweated, and we were breathing hard but it was really super rad. It was also super cool to know other missionaries in the mission. All of the missionaries are in one state of our mission right now so there are about 3,4 or 5 missionaries in every ward. We got special permission to do this and it was super cool! I know that this is definitely one spot that I will want to come back to with my sister, she will LOVE the hike. I am super tired but it was worht it! AND at the top there were these wild animals and we could touch them sometimes! 

Don't worry, it's not all fun. We are working super hard in this area to help people feel the love of God in their lives. Something thing I learned today was this:

In Tepotzlan, we all left in groups so that it wasn't so many together. My companion was with me but she decided to go up earlier and I stayed with one of the other sisters. The sister I hiked with had done the hike before so she was always telling me about where we were in the hike. We were supporting each other and motivating each other because it was pretty hard. At the bottom it's pretty dark for the trees but as we went higher it got lighter because we were higher up with the trees. We kept saying "casi, casi" which means "almost, almost." I felt like this sister missionary was like my guide. We took our time and we really were just watching and looking at the beauty around us. Finally, we got almost to the top and we said again "casi, casi" and commented on how beautiful it was. Then the sister missionary looked back and me and said, "Y es mas bonita arriba." which means "and it's more beautiful up there." It hit me. As missionaries, we are guides for the people in Mexico. We have tasted the beauty of "up there" and we are here to tell them, "casi, casi" and "es mas bonita arriba." That is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The climb is hard, you're sweating and want to give up. Your kness are shaking, sometimes you're scared but there is always a guide that is telling you, "almost, almost" and reminding you that it's more beautiful up there. I have so much hope in this ugly world because I KNOW that "it's more beautiful up there."

I love you guys so much! Thank you for all the love and aupport you constantly send me :)

Hermanaut

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Short on Time

Us with Julia!!! SHE IS THE BEST and we just love her!
SOOOO THANK YOU for all that you send me every week. Your love and support motivates me!

As the subject says, I am short on time BUT JULIA WAS BAPTIZED THIS WEEK! The surprise for her son was blown but he was equally surprised and grateful There were a lot of tears. Julia was literally converted to the Lord. She literally has changed so much and is a very wonderful, humble woman.


We are preparing for the baptist of Rosie this week and that of Jared the next week. They are both preparing to take this step and to change their lives. Prayers for them!

Things are good! The Lord has blessed us individually and as a companionship We have a lot of people progressing so well. We are grateful and humbled that the Lord has allowed us to be iinstruments in His hands and in His work. We find out about transfers tomorrow. I think my comp is going.... but who knows! 

I love each and every one of you so much! THANK YOU!!
Us with Julia and her family! 
Julia and the family of her son! 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Happy 8 months to me!

Please meet Cristopher and his family! 

So yesterday was EIGHT months in the mission field. Holy moly.  I can not even believe it! I am almost HALFWAY done with my mission. It has gone by so fast, yikes!

Also, meet the new, improved and sinless Cristopher ;) hahaha

 I wanted to give you guys and idea of the shops in Mexico.
 This is an awful picture of the shops here in Mexico
but the good places to shop are found in these weird
dark buildings. It's like black market but not really haha.






















This week has been pretty good but also super slow. I have been a little bummed because I have felt like my companion and I get along so incredibly well yet we just can't agree or don't have the same idea of obedience and missionary work. In this sense it has been a bit rough for me BUT this last week, although slow was so much better than the 4 that we has earlier had. We have been incredibly blessed with awesome people to work with between our investigators and members. God wants us to do work in this area, that is one thing I am sure of. I have realized though how much of the mission is a huge learning experience. Although, my companion and I get along really well, there are moments between us that test me in ways that I have literally never have experienced before. And in turn, the things that I am tested with with my companion have prepared me for people that we have met. I have met so many interesting people here. I have learned patience and love for people that I would have never had love and patience for before the mission. I am learning that obedience brings blessings for more reasons than I could have understand. We have transfers next monday! I am pretty sure that I will be staying here but you never know. 

me eating a big delicious pizza IN MEXICO!
We had the Church's general conference yesterday and Saturday, It was so excellent. I as well as another sister missionary and an elder sat in the office of our church building to watch it in English. Although there were only three of us in the room we felt an extra special spirit. We all agreed that even when a speaker was talking about a certain topic we felt inspiration for ourselves, our investigators, the members of our wards, and our family and friends that sometimes didn't even have anything to do with what the speaker was talking about. We were like 40 minutes behind everyone else because they were watching it via satellite and we were watching it on the internet but it was still so great. 


Here is me in my mosquito net castle!
(Special thanks to Momma Hutchens!)
My comp and I call it my castle haha
We are looking forward to the baptism of Julia this week! Yay! She has been suffering a bit this last week. Her daughter-in-law left her husband (Julia's son). When she left she took her daughter as well. This has been difficult for Julia because her grand daughter was like her own daughter. They had a very strong and special relationship. She has been falling in and out of a hard depression. It got so bad one day that she cut off all of her hair. BUT this amazing woman still did not miss every session of conference and is still firm, firm, firm in her baptism and her desire to follow Christ. We have been helping her to strengthen her faith in God more so that she can know that all trial that come her way are conquerable if she confides in Heavenly Father. Please keep her in your prayers this week as she prepares to take this wonderful step. 
This last Saturday of me and my comp in the streets of MEXICOOOOO :)

Family (for you are ALL my family), I am working so hard. I am trying to be better everyday in every aspect of this work. I really want to thank you so much for your love and support in these 8 months. They haven't been easy because I working on God's team and there are always forces against that team but I have learned so much and am trying to just be an obedient daughter of God.
Thank you all so much for all of the inspiring emails you send me each week. I am always almost in tears every Monday when I see the amount of love you all send me each week. It gives me hope :)

Les quiero y les extraño!

Hermanaut