Week 39 October 20, 2014

This week has definitely been a LONG week! The mission is like a roller-coaster...full of ups and downs. You never really know quite what to except...but you just have to go with what it brings you!

Waiting to be interviewed (photo courtesy Sister Stutznegger)

We had interviews with the president this week! Thursday we quickly did weekly planning (we plan out the week every Thursday) and we head over to the stake center for interviews. After about an hour or so it was my turn to meet with the President. It's always great to see the President and his wife and my interview turned out great. He was able to give me a priesthood blessing and we left to go to work.

On Friday we ate lunch with a member of another ward whom we had never met. We got there and she invited us in and told us to sit down on her couches. As we were sitting down a lady from the kitchen table stood up quickly and started yelling ¨Espérame! Espérame! Espérame!¨ (WAIT!!!) She must've said it about 20 times as she sprinted towards us. I was so confused. When she got to us she threw Hermana Lopez off of the couch as she reached behind her and grabbed a blanket. But turns out that her 1 month old baby was wrapped up in it...Yes...my companion sat on a baby at lunch today...that doesn't happen everyday! No worries...the baby was fine! Just a small scare!

This is how I study in the mornings...it is FREEZING! But it's not actually cold at all! Cold here is like a nice day in the states...I'm going to die when I'm home and winter comes around.

Saturday we had a big mission meeting with the President. We were told beforehand to read Mosiah 2-6 and that the whole mission would be there. They also told us that it would be a day of amnesty (that we could confess everything without punishment) and to bring all electronic devices that connected to the internet to be confiscated. (Just so you know...I didn't have anything to confess and nothing to turn in...you can relax mom;)) We got to the church and we all sat down and got ready to listen to the president speak. Low down on what he said: #1 "The guilty take the truth to be hard"...it's funny how true that scripture is. #2 Disobedience in the mission. Long story short, there are a lot of missionaries who aren't being very obedient in the mission...NOW is the time to change. #3 "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." Who are we going to serve, Christ? Or Satan? "As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord." #4 Midway through the meeting he gave everyone in the mission a choice. Be obedient....or go home. He told us that if anyone would like to call it quits, that was the time to do it. He then paused for a good 3 minutes and gave us all the opportunity to quit right then and there. No one got up and walked to the front. So...hoping that means everyone is deciding to be exactly obedient! #5 Sister Stutznegger talked about Samuel 15:22 where it talks about obedience being more important than sacrifices. We all sacrificed A LOT to be here in the mission. We left our lives behind for crying out loud! But all of that sacrifice is in vain if we aren't obedient here as missionaries. #6 There are 2 people we can't fool...God and ourselves. You can't lie to God everyone! So why do we try lying to others! Honesty is SO important. After the meeting ended a big swarm of missionaries brought up their "illegal substances" to be confiscated. Hopefully October 18, 2014 marks a new beginning for the Mexico City Southeast mission.

Got to see Hermana Benson (my original MTC comp) at the big meeting

Remember Vidal?? Our investigator that didn't get confirmed?? We were able to teach him a bunch throughout the week and he was very honest with us. When we first started teaching him (a long time ago) he didn't have a job, he smoked, and wasn't very close to his family. He started reading the book of mormon, coming to church, praying, and even got baptized and his life took a 180 turn. He was able to quit smoking, he found a great job, he was getting along with his family...but when the blessings came and he saw the difference, he stopped doing all of those things, and the consequences followed. He started to struggle in every aspect of his life and this week we were able to talk to him about it and he was able to recognize where the blessings were coming from and where he wanted his life to go. So...long story short....he's a changed man! And..he got confirmed!! It was pretty awesome. His two daughters also performed in the primary program the same day which made the day even more special. It's amazing to see the changes in the lives of the people here...they are unmistakeable!

After church and after lunch we headed out to find people to teach and we ran into a drunk man passed out on the sidewalk. That's an everyday occurrence but this time I snuck a picture with him. I couldn't leave Mexico without one! We went on our way and stopped to knock a door. That's when a man walking by stopped in the middle of the street, threw his arms up into the air, and, looking up to the sky yelled, "With all respect, thank you baby Jesus for creating these two white women and putting them here on this Earth! To thee, Holy Jesus, I give thanks!" He then continued on his way down the street saying, "Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus..." At least SOMEONE is grateful for me here in Mexico! ;)

That's about it for this week. Hoping for a successful week next week! No regrets! I love you all to the moon and back!

Love
Hermana Ingram

Floo