Week 31 Slumber Party with the Stutznegger's August 25, 2014

Best Lunes ever!!! (Hailey didn't email last week because of this adventure) We got permission from President Stutznegger to go as a district to the pyramids in Teotihuacan. We woke up early Monday morning, met up as a district and took a bus...or should I say 5 different buses. It took us almost 3 hours to get there but it was SO worth the travel time. The main pyramid is gigantic!!! I don't know how in the world they built it...CRAZY! We climbed it and the view from the top was super green and amazing. And the craziest part about the whole thing was that there were other white people there! Tall, white, English-speaking people!!! I forgot they even existed! We headed back down and stopped at a few shops and I put my bargaining to the test...you should've seen their faces when I started to speak Spanish. It was so great to get out of the city and see something other than old houses and mangy dogs! haha

 

We also figured out how to use the oven!! We had to light the pilot light etc. One thing about Mexico is that no one...repeat NO ONE...knows how to use an oven other than for storing pots and pans. So...we figured it out!!! And to celebrate we made brownies and ate them with ice cream! YUM!!

We were teaching some of our investigators on Wednesday and we started out with a prayer. We all folded our arms, bowed our heads, and shut our eyes and I began praying. About halfway through the prayer, I heard the door open and someone walked in...it was their 95 year-old great grandma. I continued praying but was interrupted by her yelling, "What in the name of Baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary are ya'll doing in here?! Sleeping?" She then walked around the room to each of us yelling, "Wake up you little devils! Wake up!" I couldn't continue...It was so hilarious! I gathered myself..and explained to her that we weren't sleeping but that we were praying and tried my best to finish the prayer. Viejitas...

We left the lesson and were contacted by a 90 year-old man asking us if we could teach him the word of God. We said of course and he asked us where he could see us. We replied that on Sunday he could come to church with us. He replied, "Ok perfect! I'll see you on Sunday! And after....we're going on a date to the movies!" We told him we were "taken"... He got pretty sad after that one and said, "Well....I'm turning 91 next month....and I REALLY love gueras!!" Creepy old men....you're 90 for crying out loud!

In case you were wondering :)

Thursday we woke up early to go running as usual and when I walked out the front door onto the street I saw something that I haven't seen in over 8 months....STARS!! And my favorite constellation: Orion. I kind of just sat there and took it in...THAT'S what I miss about my house!!

We started teaching a lady that drinks fresh Iguana blood... completely normal right? She gave us quite the explanation too...too much information!

Changes were on Tuesday.. I didn't have changes, which means I'm going to be in my area for a little longer. They also split my area and put two Elders in our ward which is going to be awesome and I can already tell that our ward is going to improve even more than it already is. Their names are Elder Hunsaker (from Utah) and a brand new Elder named Elder Garret (from Tennessee). And Elder Garrett has type 1 diabetes!! What?! If you know anything about diabetes, that doesn't happen! He's also ranked number 8 in the world at playing Super Smash Brothers...he payed for his mission by playing in tournaments...crazy stuff. (Hailey's younger brother has type 1 diabetes and has been told that he probably won't be called to a mission outside of the US. That explains her surprise)

This picture was taken in President Stutznegger's house as Hailey was typing this email.

Yesterday = Best day ever! After church we met up with the President and his wife to spend the night at their house. Long story short, my permanent retainer started to come off so the President booked me an appointment with a dentist near his house. So, we got to stay the night at their house. Let me tell you...going to their house was like going from sleeping on the streets to sleeping at the Marriott.

The first time I have walked barefoot my entire mission!

They're going to have to drag me out of here! Dish washer, stove, fridge, mirrors, hot water, piano, tables, I could go on forever! The first thing they did was give us a house tour followed by two bowls of ice cream followed by a great dinner.

We slept in the most comfortable beds ever...the only problem was that I've gotten so used to sleeping on rock hard beds that I had a tough time sleeping...I almost considered sleeping on the floor but I toughed it out. (It reminds me of the movie 'The Other Side of Heaven' when even after his mission he continues to sleep on the floor...mom, get the floors ready for when I get home in 9 months;))

One thing is for sure....the Mexico City Southeast Mission has the best President and President's wife in the entire world! Those other missionaries out there are missing out!!! Today I'll be going to the dentist.....and it kind of worries me...the dentist here do the weirdest things to teeth...don't be surprised if next week I end up with a mouth full of metal or something...wish me luck!:)

Talking to President and Sister Stutznegger has made me realize how much English I've forgotten. It has been hard to remember English words.  And he laughs at me because apparently I speak with a funny accent.

The area that they live in is SUPER nice and is really safe (safe enough that I pulled my camera out and spoke English without feeling like I was going to be murdered)

El Dentista

...The dentist was a success! They reattached my permanent retainer and only charged me $45.

Hasta la próxima semana,
Hermana Ingram

Hailey couldn't get enough of this beautiful house.

*Hailey and her companion were blessed to be able to spend some time with the Stutznegger's today. They ate, shopped, and had a successful dental appointment (according to Pres. S) They also share an affinity for Coke Zero :) Here are some more of the pics that she sent home today: