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)