Week 67 (Renumbering) March 23, 2015

With all of the new hermanas

Monday we woke up early and headed to the mission offices to meet and train the new Elders and Hermanas. A total of 4 Hermanas came. Hermana Martinez from Chihuahua, Sic from Guatemala, Tirado from Baja California, and Lluagarino from Ecuador. Along with them came a total of about 8 Elders from all sorts of countires; Argentina, El Salavador, Mexico, USA, Canada, etc. We spent the afternoon training them and teaching them a little about what the mission is all about. It was a lot of fun getting to know each of them. We ate lunch and dinner there in the offices and then the Hermanas headed to the President's house to spend the night and prepare for changes the next day.

The excitement of changes

Tuesday we headed to the Nezahualcoyotl stake center for changes. I LOVED getting to know the new Hermanas. (I see a lot of potential in them) After changes we went to work. Almost immediately a lady stopped us in the street and asked if we could come by later and teach her and her husband. We returned but we only found her neighbor who kindly gave us her phone number. We called and she told us to wait there, that she was on her way. Apparently they had gone to visit one of their sons in Cuernavaca the day before and when they got there the sister missionaries were teaching the family. They agreed to sit and listen and loved it. The sister missionaries told them to look for missionaries where they lived; that they could offer them the same message. She told me she agreed but that she didn't really think much of it...that is until she saw us in the street the next day. She said she randomly got the urge to go out into the street and was super surprised to see two sister missionaries in the street. We introduced ourselves and she stopped us and said, "I can't believe it! This is not coincidence! The two misisonaries we met from yesterday were just like the two of you! A tall white girl from the US and the other from Argentina!" What are the odds! So, that was the miracle of the day!

Hermana Benson and Hermana Sic (Sic is super awesome! She will be an STL one day)

Friday we visited a less active family...2 of their kids don't have names!! One of them is a brand new baby...I wasn't TOO surprised by that. But the other is 3 years old!!! She walks and talks! That's not ok! Later we were teaching an investigator when I noticed my chair start to move and the chandelier begin to sway. We were in the middle of an earthquake. No one else noticed until I said, "Está temblando!" We were fine really, but our investigator's 90 year old mom lost it. She threw her hand up into the air and began reciting every prayer she had ever learned....and we couldn't get her to stop! The earthquake ended and we tried explaining that to her but it was without luck. So there we were trying to teach our investigator with a 90 year old lady frantically praying in the background... I guess that doesn't happen everyday!

Saturday we were teaching a lesson and it was the first time that it really hit me while teaching that I have very little time left in my mission. When I started to bear my testimony I lost it. The truth is that I've fallen in love with being a missionary and can't stand the thought that soon it will all be over. Never ever ever will I ever be able to re-live these experiences! 3 months to give it my all!!

(A note from Mom...I told Hailey that I was afraid that this is going to be her)

Sunday both Edith and her daughter Edith showed up to church. They love it! And guess who tagged along? Remember the man who bore his testmony to the mom? He came along with his wife. They want him to baptized them! That would be awesome! The husband and wife that found us in the street also came. They love it too. They even came all dressed up...the members thought they were members!

P.S. I should probably stop with the "I don't want to come home" comments... This is a clip from an email my mom sent me this week: "I hope you're only half serious when you say you don't want to come home. I've heard that just like being in the mission field was an adjustment, coming home is as well. Remember it took you 5 months to say that you loved your mission. I just hope it doesn't take you 5 months to say that you love being home." Love you mom!!

When you're a missionary and you can't afford to buy new shoes you get really creative ;)

Making gordittas (little fatties) with the ward mission leader

How to make gordittas: You take the masa (corn dough), make a ball, make a hole, stuff it with cheese and meat, close it up, flatten it out and cook it. It makes an air bubble inside and when it's cooked you cut it open (kind of like arabic bread (an Ingram family recipe)) and stuff it with lettuce, tomato, salsa, avocado, etc.  

We helped repair an old wheelchair with the elders for a viejito in our ward (Google translate doesn't know "viejito"....I'm guessing its for an older person in the ward)

Week 60 (66) "I Don't Want to Come Home" March 16, 2015

It's been pretty cold lately! Here they say, "Febrero loco y Marzo otro poco" because the weather is pretty bipolar right now. One week of blazing heat and another of freezing cold!

Remember the two ladies that showed up to church all by themselves 2 weeks ago? Well, we finally got to start teaching them this week! Last week the daughter was really sick..but instead of just sitting around, she watched church videos (let me remind you that she has never spoken to the missionaries). While we were getting to know her she basically was teaching us. I was sitting there in awe. She talked about having met a man at her mom's work who was Mormon and how she had overheard him mention something about his beliefs that caught her attention. But, what inspired her most was that one day he bore his testimony to her mom. She said that from that moment on, she began to notice something different about him. His work ethic, his lifestyle, the unity in his family, etc. She said that that was exactly what she hoped for in her life. She said that she hoped to one day be able to bear a sincere testimony that God lived. This girl is awesome. It amazes me when we find people who are so incredibly prepared.

Wednesday we found a less active family that I hadn't met yet. They make confetti eggs for a living. Confetti eggs are very traditional here in Mexico and popular for just about every holiday. First, they receive thousand and thousands of fresh eggs. They crack a hole in the top of each and dump the yolks and whites into buckets which they later sell to local bakeries. They then soak the hollow egg shells in bleach to kill all bacteria and get rid of the egg smell. After drying the eggs they dye them and then fill each egg, by hand, with confetti. Then each egg gets topped with a small piece of tissue paper (glued on using a mixture of flour and water) to cover the hole and keep the confetti from coming out. Everyday they send thousands of boxes of these eggs to both the US and other parts of Mexico. We got to help a little and it was actually a lot of fun. Tedious...but fun!

Also one of the converts here invited us over to help him make a few piñatas. That's what he does for a living; he makes hundreds of piñatas each month and sells them. It was a last! He taught us form step one how to make a traditional Mexican piñata. So, that means when I get home, I'm teaching ya'll how it's done! And my new birthday and Christmas tradition will be making and breaking piñatas!

Sunday! Miracle day! Edith and her daughter Edith (the two ladies that showed up to church 2 weeks ago) came to church! We have a few more investigators we're teaching that came too....it was awesome! And Sunday, our investigator Ana Rosa met with President Stutznegger for a baptismal interview and passed with flying colors. Ana Rosa is amazing and has such a strong testimony. It's amazing to see that even through the hardest of trials she continues strong.

At 6:00 that night she got baptism. And what a spiritual baptism it turned out to be. There is literally nothing that compares to being a first hand witness day by day to the changes in the lives of those that we teach. Ana couldn't have been happier. And, when an investigator bears their testimony after having just been baptized, it makes you want to scream with joy! The mission is amazing! I hate to break it to you mom...but I don't think I want to come home!!!

 

I made this piñata!

This week's culinary adventures:

Dried Fish....Yum! (She really said, "Yuck")

Chicharron (super gross fried pig skin)

Fruit called Chico Zapoto

Week 58...Which is really 64 March 2, 2015

You know you're a sister missionary when...these are Hermana Luque's feet.

Tuesday morning Hna. Luque and I had to meet with President Stutznegger and the assistants to do all the fine-tuning for the zone conferences. We left at about 7:45AM and took a micro to one of the main metro stations. Let me tell you...at 8:30AM the metro is at its busiest. It's absolutely insane! Imagine thousands of Mexicans gathered all at once in a small place...there is literally nothing like it. There you are along with thousands of others being corralled through the metro hallways; shoulder to shoulder. Luque and I waited there for the metro to arrive with literally no room to move. When the metro comes and the doors open it's a fight to get a spot inside...and when you think there couldn't possibly be more room for one more person, 5 more people squeeze their way in. It's so tight that you can't even raise an arm. 5 metro stops later and it was our turn to get off. Luque was able to get off fairly easily as she was right next to the door....as for me...I was stuck. I could not move an inch. THAT'S how packed in you are! And then the doors started to close. I yelled to my companion not to move an inch and that I would eventually get off and come back. The doors closed and I was all alone for the fist time in my mission. The mission rule is this: you have to be able to see and hear your companion at all times (with the exception of when you're in the bathroom or in an interview with the president). There I was alone. I couldn't see OR hear my companion. As a missionary it freaks you out! The next stop came and I started to push the other ladies aside...with no luck...I wasn't going anywhere. That's when I had had it and yelled, "Tengo que bajar!" (I have to get off!) I think one lady heard the desperation in my voice because she turned around, grabbed my hand and started to pull me towards the door. Still nothing...but she kept pulling me with all her might. Then the doors started to close and she yelled, "Pull her everybody!" About 5 more ladies started to pull me by both arms and it wasn't until then that I started to move through the crowd of ladies. They were all yelling, "PULL!!!" and, with the help of those little Mexican ladies, I was finally able to make it out of the closing metro doors. Then, as fast as I could, I made my way back to my companion....the metro is LOCO!!

A stop at the Golden Arches after the first zone conference-courtesy of Sister Stutznegger

Wednesday we woke up bright and early at 5:00AM and got ready for what would be the beginning of 2 weeks worth of zone conferences. We headed to the Chimalhualcan zone which is a zone of all Elders (all but 2 of the zones are all Elders). It was the first time I had ever done a training before and it was different training a room full of Elders. But, something I've learned here on the mission is that we all have a comfort zone, some big and some small. If we never go out of our comfort zone, we never allow it to grow and we never strengthen our weaknesses. I remember getting to the mission field with my comfort zone the size of a pea. Talking to strangers, inviting people to be baptized, giving a talk in church, etc. all of that freaked me out! Now, its as normal as putting on your shoes! A little about what I've been sharing with the missionaries: I remember when the mail lady showed up with the famous big white envelope (my mission call). I almost didn't want to pick it up I was so nervous and so anxious. My mom on the other hand was busy weighing it because she had heard that if it weighed more than x grams it was a calling to a foreign mission...oh mom... My sister couldn't stop shaking it and dancing around the living room with it held above her head...she was more excited than I was! When they weren't busy with it, I sat there anxiously looking at it thinking about how it contained the location of where I would be living for the next year and a half of my life. The moment came and there I was with family and friends, emotionally reading the words "You have been called to serve in the Mexico City Southeast Mission." There is nothing that can compare to that moment. About 5 months later and after a lot of preparation the night came where I was to be set apart as a missionary. But what exactly does it mean to be "set apart"? From that night on I would be considered a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and would begin living the missionary life: no TV, no music, no movies, no cell phone, no Facebook, twitter, or Instagram, etc. I remember just minutes before being set apart, my sister and I put on mascara mustaches and sombreros and danced to the classic Mexican song "Cu-cu-caracha Cu-cu-caracha!" (We sure do have a lot of fun together) Minutes later, my Stake President, President Newman, came and set me apart...from that moment on I was Hermana Ingram. But I'm not sure that in that moment I fully understood that to be set apart meant a little more that leaving behind all worldly entertainment. So what does it mean exactly?? When we as missionaries are set apart by priesthood authority, we receive the right and privilege to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. We receive a ministerial certificate that verifies that authority to the world. A quote from President Spencer W. Kimball says: "The setting apart may be taken literally...set apart from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity." I love a quote from Elder Bruce R. McConkie; "I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation, I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and He has chosen me to represent Him, to stand in His place, to say and do what He himself would say and do if He were personally ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice and my acts are His acts; My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done. To say what He wants said. To be a living, modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous Latter-Day work. How great is my calling!" To me, THAT'S what it means to be set apart. We are truly and very literally REPRESENTATIVES OF JESUS CHRIST. How amazing is that?! Each and every morning, before walking out the door, I put on my black missionary name-tag that reads "Hermana Ingram". But my name isn't the only name listed...right alongside my name is the name "Jesucristo" the very man I represent. That is a huge responsibility! But I find comfort in knowing that I'm not alone: D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

"For the first time, the Sister Training Leaders helped teach at Zone Conference"-quote and pic courtesy of Sister Stutznegger.

Everyday this week we were teaching and training in zone conferences all over the mission. Friday we also had a leadership training meeting and we also had to train the zone leaders in all of the mission. I'm not going to lie...it's a little intimidating sometimes! But it has honestly been a blast!
(A little more about zone conference from Sister Stutznegger: http://stutznegger.blogspot.com/2015/03/zone-conferences-and-hermanas.html)

W/ President and Sister Stuznegger and the AP's.

Sunday...what a day! Our investigators all showed up to church despite being out of our area the majority of the week. So that was a huge blessing. When we got to church we immediately noticed 2 ladies sitting towards the front that we didn't recognized. We approached them and introduced ourselves to them. They weren't members and had shown up by themselves. Anytime that happens it's a miracle...but it gets better. The day before they had gone to the temple visitor's center out of curiosity and LOVED it. While there they were given a Book of Mormon and both had already read through 1 Nephi...can you say MIRACLE!? They stayed for all 3 hours and left afterwards to visit the visitor's center...again! What a blessing!!

Jessica: Jessica is a 13 year old girl who actually contacted us in the street wondering who we were and what we did. Turns out her parents got baptized over 30 years ago...unfortunately they haven't been to church in over 20 years... Jessica is AWESOME! She learns and understands faster than anyone I've ever taught. She always talks about being a missionary someday...she's great!

Jessica's Baptism

Later Sunday we headed back to the church to prepare for Jessica's baptism. We started to fill up the baptismal font...I've never seen such dirty water...it was filling up with yellow/green water that smelled like wet dog...gross!! I never thought blue food coloring would come in so handy! Blue wet dog water is better than yellow wet dog water...right?? At about 6:50PM Jessica was still nowhere to be seen (the baptism was supposed to start at 7:00) so I decided to call them to make sure they were on there way. Her grandma answered informing us that they had gone to Center and wouldn't be back until 10:00 that night. My heart sank. I tried calling their cell phone but it went straight to voicemail. I had absolutely no way of communicating with them and was left to hope they were going to show up. I grabbed my comp and we went into the bathroom to kneel and say a prayer. 30 minutes went by...nothing. I was really starting to think that they weren't going to show up. At about 7:45 the church door bell rang...and it was her!!! Hallelujah!!!! And even better is that her whole family showed up too! We ended up having an awesome baptism!:)

Emptying the font

Afterwards everyone left and we were left to drain and clean the font. We had to drain it completely by hand by filling and emptying buckets. It took forever!!! (2 hours) But it was worth it:)

Week 57 More Mexican Cuisine February 23, 2015

The view from my roof

This is how I start my day. When you've lived in a place where the majority of what you see is concrete you grow to REALLY REALLY appreciate nature. I go up to the roof every morning just to look at the mountain. It's a good day starter ;) It's called Itztaccíhuatl and it's a dormant volcano.

So we’ve been working like crazy with our investigator Jorge. My district leaders have been talking to lawyers for the past 2 weeks and I finally got a call from them saying that everything was cleared and that Jorge was eligible to get baptized. I was so excited!! We immediately went to Jorge’s house to fill him in on the good news. He literally couldn’t stop smiling when we told him. You should’ve seen the look on his face! I have never met ANYONE with a greater desire to be baptized than Jorge...it’s amazing. Anyways...he passed his baptismal interview and we started planning his baptism for Sunday. Sunday came and he showed up to church in slacks and a white shirt and tie ready for as he said it "the best day of his life". Everything was ready.... and then we got a phone call...he couldn’t get baptized.... I had to pull him aside and tell him the bad news...he was beyond devastated and walked away bawling. I was pretty frustrated with the whole thing to be honest.... but I guess everything happens for a reason. Jorge is going to get baptized someday and I’m going to make sure it happens!!! But for now, we’ll just continue preparing him!

This morning we played basketball, soccer, and volleyball.

Update on Ana Rosa (Adlolfo's friend who we have been teaching at his house)...She’s awesome!!! And she’s SO going to marry Adolfo...they’re in love:) She’s progressing really well:)

And we also have an investigator named Jessica whose baptism is next week so that’s good:)

So last Sunday we were invited to eat at the home of some members. There was a dish of what looked like salsa sitting on the table with the food. I thought it was some sort of salsa so I ate it without asking what it was...and it tasted kind of like salsa. Anyway, then the dad came and sat down and started talking about the ant eggs. "What ant eggs?" He pointed to the "salsa".

So yeah, we ate ant eggs in tacos...it actually wasn't too bad.

These are the ant eggs before they are cooked

But you want to know a secret?? I usually carry around a plastic zip lock bag for emergencies. You never know when they’re going to serve you something disgusting. For example...the other day a lady served me a giant plate of papaya. I HATE PAPAYA! It literally smells like vomit...it’s awful. Anyway...she left the room, I took out my plastic bag, emptied the papaya into the bag, sealed it up, stuffed it into my backpack, and continued as if I had been eating. I guess we learn how to get away with things here ha-ha. My mom says that it's good practice for Survivor. But Survivor no..plastic bags aren’t allowed! ha-ha

My emergency bag

Thursday I went on divisions again and got to know Hermana Valdivia a little better. She’s super awesome!! She’s from Tijuana Mexico and we’ll be going home together. It was great to get to know her and to be able to work with her in her area. I’m really looking forward to getting to work with the other Hermanas! But I think I’m going to be more like an assistant than anything. We have to be at every zone conference in the mission, train people, meetings...etc. All of next week and the week after I’ll be with the president. So I’m super excited because Hermanas aren’t allowed in almost all of the mission...so I'll get to see it all! There are only 2 zones for Hermanas; Neza and Oriental (before there was Parquet (where I started my mission) but they closed it down to sisters for safety reasons)

Anyway...nothing much happened this week! Just a lot of hard work! I love you all to the moon and back!!

Yuca fruit

This is the "milk" from the yuca fruit. It's like bubble gum.

Week 56 (62) February 16, 2014

Where is the world is Hermana Ingram?

What a great week! Hermana Luque and I are really starting to see the blessings here in Polanco. Hard work and obedience really pays off! We have an investigator named Jorge who hasn't been able to be baptized for reasons I won't say. He's 17 and has a two year old son already. I have never met someone with a bigger desire to be baptized... He fasts almost every Sunday hoping for a miracle so that he can be baptized. What faith!! So, I'm going to do everything in my power to help him be baptized!

Sunday I noticed that a homeless guy had come to church the two weeks that I've been here. He literally sleeps on the street. I asked my companion about him and she told me the story: About a year ago he showed up one Sunday to rob the church. He walked in and the members welcomed him, sat him down, and handed him a hymn book. He loved it so much he forgot about robbing the place and hasn't missed a Sunday since!

This week I realized that in the prayers of the people here they almost always say,"Bless us that each day we have at least a taco to eat." For some reason today I realized how weird that sounds. It's something you'd only hear in Mexico; the word "taco" in a prayer.

Thursday I started divisions with Hermana Mercedes. She's from the Dominican Republic and has 16 months in the mission. Her companion Hermana Williams came with my companion. Divisions went really well! I think I'm learning more from each sister than they are from me!

Pics from Hermana Mercedes' house

Friday: !Feliz Día de San Valentín! Or as we like to put it in the mission: Happy Single Awareness Day! We saw all sorts of crazy things Friday...from drunk homeless men mimicking Michael Jackson in the middle of the street to lines of people waiting to get married (weddings were free Friday)...we saw it all. Some members invited us over for dinner and we had the most romantic Valentines dinner ever: pig ear pozole.

My companion loves ringing doorbells. Each house usually has one or two doorbells. But every once in a while we come across an apartment building with about 20. Have you ever seen the movie "Elf" when he's riding in the elevator of the Empire State building and he pushes every single button for the 100+ floors? Well, that's what my comp. does...it's hilarious.

This week we found a ton of new investigators! Recently a convert named Adolfo gave us a reference of a girl he had met the day before named Ana Rosa. She accepted us but the people where she lived didn't want anything to do with us and told us that we weren't welcome back in the building. So we teach her in Adolfo's house. She was REALLY unsure about the whole baptism thing...but later in the week she accepted a baptismal date. I don't know if we've ever had a more powerful lesson . She was in tears and Adolfo finished the lesson by sharing D&C 39:7-12. She started reading the scripture out loud and couldn't finish because she was crying. She paused and said...I want to get baptized. It was amazing!

Sunday was a super successful day! We had a bunch of investigators at church and all of them stayed all 3 hours.

When you knock doors here about 95%of the time someone screams "Quien??!!" (who?!). I don't usually say who I am because if they know we're missionaries they almost never open the door. Normally I reply "Buenas tardes!" which is normally followed by a few more shouts "Quien!?". About half of the time they'll open the door without my response as to who I am. The other half yell "Dígame!!" (tell me!!) in the rudest tone possible. We tell them we're missionaries and immediately they yell one of the following: "No tengo tiempo!" (I don't have time!), "Otra ocasión!" (Another time!), "No gracias!", "Leo La Biblia!" (I read the Bible!), "No hay nadie!" (There isn't anybody!), etc. Sometimes kids answer the door and we send them for their parents and the kids come backing saying, "My mom says that she's not here." On a rare occasion do we find someone who kindly accepts us. Sunday we went looking for one of our investigators. We got to her house and knocked on her door. Like always someone yelled, "Quien!?" We responded, "Good afternoon, is Marisa home?!" Then someone yelled, "Marisa!!!" A few minutes later, and still no one had opened the door so we knocked again. "Quien!?"... "Is Marisa home?!"..."Marisa!!!!!" The same exact thing happened 5 times in a row. I was starting to get annoyed...that's when we realized that we weren't talking to a person...but rather to Marisa's pet parrot. I died laughing! There we were, 2 sister missionaries talking to a bird!

Week 55 February 9, 2014

Monday night, February 2nd, was a holiday where the people here celebrate one of the many Virgin Marys. The tradition is to make tamales and go to mass. As we were walking home from our district meeting we noticed that the streets were filled with people carrying little porcelain baby Jesus statues. I had forgotten it was a holiday..so the sight of hundreds of people carrying glass babies confused me. Some even had baskets to hold their baby. These babies come in all sizes; some are life size and others small enough to lie in the palm of your hand. Then they recite prayers with families and friends.

Elder Johnson and his parents

Tuesday I finished packing up my bags and officially said goodbye to Heroes. I'll never forget that place!! We got to the stake center and talked outside while the rest of the missionaries arrived. While I was waiting, Elder Johnson´s (one of the departing Elders) parents showed up. It was the first time they had seen each other in 2 years. His mom came flying out of the car and gave him the biggest hug ever. That's the first time I've ever seen that... and I wasn't the only one who teared up. Just think....in 4 months that'll be me! It's amazing how much you grow to love your family and friends in the mission. T minus 4 months everybody!

Hermana Ingram and Luque

Changes started and I officially became Hermana Luque's new companion. She is from Buenos Aires, Argentina and has almost 16 months in the mission. She's 22 years old and studied music before her

mission which explains why she plays the piano like a pro. We packed my bags into a taxi and headed to my new area in Barrio Polanco. Mexico City is FAR from being the prettiest place on earth but when you've lived there for 14 months your definition of pretty seems to change a bit. Now I seem to compare things on a scale of the amount of concrete and stray dogs. Heroes was paradise compared to this place...but can't complain!! My new house is great! However...say goodbye to hot showers...I'm back to good ol´ bucket bathing with boiled water. Lucky me!! We also don't have a washing machine...but I'm actually a fan of washing my clothes by hand. It's actually really relaxing!!! haha I'm super excited to be here! This area is about 4x bigger than my old area...so that means 4x the amount of people! I'm excited to work hard here with Hermana Luque and have a lot of success.

My new house

We had a pretty great week this week and were able to find some new investigators. As a mission we've changed how we set baptismal dates. Before, we knelt down and prayed to know. When I started my mission we baptized with as little as 2 Sundays. It then changed to 3 and more recently got moved to 5 (to help retain the coverts better). Now, in the second lesson with an investigator we hand them a calendar and THEY set their own baptismal date. It's actually a great idea because they seem to work harder towards a goal they set rather than one we set.

We also teach English every week. The ward here put up a big banner that says "Free English Classes" so a lot of people show up from everywhere. It's a great way to find new investigators!!

Church starts at 8:00AM here which makes it a little tougher to get people to go to church. They REALLY like they're sleep here....if they think 10:00AM is early...8:00AM is like waking up in the middle of the night! The ward is a lot smaller here. Mexico is still learning how the church works...so there is a lot of teaching and learning to do. Something that really surprised me at church was that before asking someone to read a scripture or a paragraph you have to first ask if they know how to read. I'd say about 20% or more of the people here don't read or write... crazy!! Anyway...I've got a lot of work to do here!! I was super blessed to be able to see a lot of blessings and changes in Heroes. My goal is to see the same here but in half the time! I'll start doing divisions with the other hermanas starting this week as the sister training leader so that should be good.

More photos of my new house:

 

Week 54 (60) February 2, 2015

Noche Buena (poinsettia tree)

Remember the magic beetles people eat here to magically cure disease? At lunch on Thursday there was an entire bucket of them sitting on the table while we ate. After eating, we just couldn't resist, they had been calling our names way too long. Each of us took 5 beetles (living) and popped them like pills. It was pretty disgusting but worth it...I mean who would pass up the opportunity to be cured by magical beetles??;)

I hung a piñata in our apartment

Well...this week I was presented with a new and exciting opportunity to make a difference in the mission. I have been called as one of the new Sister Training Leaders along with Hermana Luque (Argentina). There's going to be a lot on my plate...but I'm super excited to be able to help each and every sister missionary know and understand that they have a potential bigger that they can imagine. Sometimes I think, "If Christ were here in this very moment, what would he say and what would he do?" We all know that Christ came to Earth, preached, taught, and died for us...but that was over 2000 years ago! He's not walking the streets of Mexico City...but we are. We've been called as literal REPRESENTATIVES of Jesus Christ. We've been called to teach and preach how Christ would. What a huge responsibility! But what an amazing experience! There's no time to waste! We've got to leave it all on the field!!

Friday night we had planned another ward movie night and we once again had a great turn out. We watched the movie "The Other Side of Heaven" and they loved it. We filled about 60 bags full of chicharones and made 'tamarindo' water. (they call everything water-based here "agua" which means that if you want water as we know water to be, you have to ask for 'agua simple' or translated 'simple water')

Yes, that is a grapefruit!

This weekend was probably one of the hardest I've had in my mission. I've been in my area for 9 months (half of my mission!) and I've grown to love the people here more that you can imagine. This past week I decided to gather a few things to give to my converts (pictures, frames, etc.) Saturday I started to give them out. We started the day off with Susana and her son Bryan. She didn't know I was leaving yet and when she opened the package she realized. I could tell she was sad but didn't want to show it; she has never been one to express herself or open up much. I started to say goodbye to her 2 girls and to Bryan and when I turned to her she was bawling. I'll never forget that. I couldn't hold back the tears either. I gave her a big hug and said bye. THAT'S how I knew that this weekend was going to be tough... You can imagine how the rest of my lessons went..haha.

We finished Saturday off teaching the Ayala family about temples...and in the middle of the lesson Ernesto started to cry. It's sad when a woman cries..but a grown man is so much more sad!! They promised that they were going to do everything to prepare themselves to enter the temple. I love these people!!

Sunday. What a day. We woke up extra early and went to ward council. I knew it would be my last so I expressed that I wanted each convert to have the opportunity to enter the temple and do baptisms for the dead with their own names of their own ancestors. How amazing would that be???

The Bishop and his wife (Heroes ward)

It was testimony meeting and many got up to bear their testimonies including Ernesto Ayala. He very simply said, "I knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church." It's amazing how such a simple testimony like his can make everyone feel the spirit. It is absolutely undeniable. I also got up and bore my testimony. I was pretty emotional...It was hard knowing it would be the last time I would stand up at that pulpit and bare testimony to the people I love that I too know without a doubt that this church is true.

The Carrillo family came to church today. (Family we found knocking doors whose 9 year old daughter isn't baptized yet.) They've come for the past 2 weeks now. The other day the mom thanked us because we were the 1st missionaries in 6 years to convince them as a family to attend church again. They've been sealed in the temple and everything but fell away. But now, they're going strong!!

We headed to gospel doctrine class and Hermana Lopez leaves me stunned every time she opens her mouth. She reads and studies like you wouldn't believe. She literally knows and understands more gospel doctrine than some of the members here who've been members for 20+ years. That combined with her testimony...POWER. She amazes me.

I didn't tell many people I was leaving, but word seemed to get around really fast. People kept stopping me in tears...can you make it any harder on me?!!;) Hna. Lopez stopped me and said, "You know what? We all need stop being so sad about you leaving! We're being selfish! There are people waiting for you out there!" To think that there is a possibility that I could grow to love a people more or as much as this ward seems impossible to me...but she's right! There are people for me to find!!!

When Relief Society ended, they brought in a huge going away cake. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!!! I said my last goodbyes, took a few pictures and headed to lunch. We ate a dish called "Mixiotes" and it was actually really tasty. They put meat, veggies, chile, spices, in a plastic bag, tie it up, and steam it all together for about an hour.
When it's ready you just open the bag and bon appétit!

Later that day we went to the Ayala's house and had dinner...my favorite: mole enchiladas. The Ayalas turned out to be some of my favorite converts. And the small things they do for me mean the world.

I still clearly remember weeks before I left for the MTC. You start to value even the smallest things; sitting down and eating as a family, the smell of your house, the sound of your family members talking. I remember thinking, almost constantly, that it was going to be my "last" time doing this and that. As my time came to an end at home the lump in my throat grew bigger and bigger. The thought of not seeing my family for a year and a half made me SAD! It was hard to hold back the tears sometimes. I remember walking into my mom's room one day and finding her totally bawling...knowing that just days away her daughter would be leaving everything behind. That sight made my heart break! The day came and I left my family on the MTC curb...about to begin a year and a half of adventures. I completely left life as I knew it. But now, this mission IS life as I know it! Saying bye to these people isn't an "I'll see you in a year and a half" kind of bye...it's a possible "bye for a lifetime" kind of bye. THAT'S sad!!!! I thought saying bye to my family in Utah was hard! But here....I feel like I'm saying bye to 50 families all at once! I'm amazed each day at the love I feel for the people here. I know I say it a lot but I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! But, goodbyes are part of the mission and part of life...like Hermana Lopez said: "There are people waiting for me out there!!"

My companion eats cactus almost everyday.