Another Week in Mexico Week 5 February 24, 2014

Hola!

This week has been pretty normal overall...(normal meaning no crazy ladies trying to break into our apartment).

Hermana Zambrano and I are working so hard everyday and we are finding a lot of people. We are leading our district in street contacts and new investigators by a landslide. The trick is getting them all to continue to progress!

Tuesday we went to visit a contact we had made to teach them for the first time. They are a couple and both are 85 plus years old. We taught them while sitting on logs in the street because the other families in their home didn't want us in their houses. While we were teaching, the man would ask my comp. questions about where I was from, if I was learning Spanish well, etc. Just because I'm a gringa doesn't mean I can't speak Espanol! When I started speaking to him in Spanish he was pretty surprised but still continued to act like I wasn't there. We started by singing a hymn and he listened (he can't read) and when we ended he said, "Thank you so much for singing that hymn but how am I supposed to learn from the words if you are singing in English?" We told him that it had been in Spanish and he refused to believe it...yes I can speak Spanish and can sing in Spanish too. We ended by teaching him how to pray and asked if he would offer the closing prayer. He agreed, folded his arms, looked up to the sky and said absolutely nothing. After about a minute of silence my comp. asked if he would please say it out loud. He agreed and again did the same thing. We literally sat there for 5 minutes in absolute silence while he stared at who knows what. Finally my comp thanked him for his wonderful prayer and we left. It took everything in me not to bust up during those 5 minutes!

We are finding all kinds of people who are very interested in the church. We have a new investigator named David. He is homeless, jobless, and left his family because his neighbor tried to shoot him. He lives on the streets so we teach him at the church. He quit smoking and drinking and is coming to church every Sunday. He tells us he is doing it for his kids because they aren't making the best decisions. His baptism date is in two weeks!

In a Moto Taxi on the way to Church

My companion and I have to return to our apartment at 8:30 every night. The normal is 9:30 but because our area is dangerous (and because I'm a white girl), we have to return earlier. Two nights ago we were walking back to our apartment and as we got to our front door my comp stopped and said that she felt like she needed to call one of our contacts. Her name is Marisol and we found her about 3 weeks ago in the street and she was very interested. When we asked if we could teach her sometime she said, "How about right now??" We walked with her to her house and her mom wouldn't allow us inside because she thought we would corrupt her house and family. We made an appointment for a few days later and left. We had tried about 30 times to teach her but every time her mom or her sisters would tell us to leave and that Marisol didn't want anything to do with us (which we knew wasn't true). When my comp. got the random thought to call her, but this point we had stopped trying to find her for about a week, but when we called she answered. She was crying and said that we needed to come to her house right away and help her because her mom had gone into a diabetic coma. We told her to call the police right away and when we got to her house the medics were putting her mom in an ambulance. Her sisters were NOT happy that we were there and told us to leave right away. We helped with what we could, made another appointment, and left. We are hoping for the best! 

Our Ecuadorian companions taught us how to make their food (greeeeeeeen bananas cooked and mashed with cheese and butter served over black beans) Sounds weird but it was REALLY GOOD!

So...the moms here LOVE my companion and I...to the point where they want to make marriage plans with their sons....NO WAY JOSE!! Last night we were invited to dinner at a members house..or should I say, an "unexpected dinner date". We got there and the mom started ranting about how her son had made a special dinner just for us, and that if we wanted we could live in their house for free, and that her son could show us all of Mexico, and on and on and on. They always ask me questions like, "Do you want to live here in Mexico after your mission?" or :"Would you ever consider marrying a Mexican?" No ladies! I don't want to marry your sons!!! So moral of the story, if I get married while out on my mission..blame it on the moms! (don't worry mom...it's not going to happen!!)

That's all for this week! Hasta luego! Gracias por toda!


Hermana Ingram

In our "Mormon Taxi" after a big family home evening.

Week 4: The Real Life Barbie February 17, 2014

HOLA!!

This week was...let's say crazy..

We had a crazy rain storm this week... I thought I knew what rain was..that is until I moved to Mexico City. We were with a family later in the night and right as we were leaving it started to rain. We weren't prepared for the rain at all and we had about a 30 minute walk back to our apartment. It was pouring! Within 30 seconds we were absolutely drenched from head to toe. They don't have a drainage system here which means that the water has no where to go but sit in the streets and build. The streets turned into rivers..all we were missing was a raft and some floaties and we would've been in for an adventure.

Well, to make a very long story short.......my companion got sent home. (Edited out by Mom here) But I got a new companion!! Her name is Hermana Zambrano and she is from Ecuador. I am already learning so much more. Not going to lie..the whole experience (with previous comp) was pretty frustrating. I left my family and home for that? Really? But I am so thankful for my new companion. She is a hard worker...and I love it! Finally I get to work hard! I've waited a whole 4 weeks to work!

Our first day as a companionship was awesome. We worked SO HARD. I came home that night with very bloody feet..not fun..but we are already seeing the results of our hard work.

I'm learning a lot here; and not just about the gospel. Living with a stranger is hard and when you add the 'stranger from another country' part, it's ten times harder. Cultures are just so different! And combining cultures is tricky sometimes. For example, my old comp. started crying one night because she was offended that I didn't want to give her a kiss goodnight every night...some things like that just crack me up sometimes.

Mexico City Southeast Missionaries

Sunday I gave my first talk! Before I got up I was praying my heart out that I would be able to say what I needed to say. When I got up, I was actually super calm! I gave my talk on the Book of Mormon and the words were flowing. I was really surprised I wasn't nervous considering we had 3 investigators there but when I finished, I looked up at the clock and realized that I had spoken for almost 15 minutes. That's hard enough in English! After sacrament meeting everyone was coming up to me telling me that my Spanish in just 4 weeks is a miracle. Hard work pays off!!

After church we were talking with some of the members when I noticed a little girl walking towards me with her head down. She looked up, saw me, and her face was priceless. She stopped in her tracks, eyes wide, jaw dropped, and stood there without moving for a while. Finally she turned and ran to her mom and started tugging at her shirt. Her mom leaned down and the little girl whispered something in her ear. The mom smiled and walked toward me. She got to me and told me that her daughter's dream had come true...she had seen the real life Barbie in person. I couldn't stop laughing.

As we were leaving the church, I went to open the gate to exit and a very dirty lady dressed in rags approached me and started to say all kinds of stuff that I couldn't understand. I closed the gate and she pressed her face against the fence, yelling at this point. I was trying to speak with her but couldn't understand a word she was saying. I turned around and looked at one of the Hermanas who, in broken English said, "Sick in head". The security guard of the church came over and told her she needed to leave but she refused. Luckily for us there was a second exit in the back that we were able to sneak out of to avoid her. The Hermanas explained to me that she was calling me some pretty bad names. No wonder I couldn't understand her! Just a tad different from the gospel words I've grown so accustomed to...haha.

Later, the 4 of us were at our apartment. At about 6:00PM we got our things together and started down the stairs to go contact and teach. We got to the door and about 15 people were crowded around it looking out the window. They told us not to go outside because there was a very crazy and very aggressive lady outside trying to get in. The windows are one way from the inside so she couldn't see us but we could see her. She kept standing up and slowly walking to the window and staring at us with really mean and scary glazed eyes. She would stand there for 5 minutes at a time and just stare without blinking or moving a muscle. Then she would slowly turn back around and sit down on the cement. A few minutes later she would stand up and do the same thing. It was pretty freaky. She did that for the next 4 hours. I was really bugged because we couldn't leave the apartment and teach. I was considering opening the door as she sat down, hurdling over her, and making a run for it but the other Hermanas definitely weren't up for that one..haha. We called our district leader and he told us not to leave until she was gone. Finally, at about 9:30 PM she slowly walked away and the other Hermanas were able to return to their apartment.

I have had so much more success this week! I love my new companion because she has the same work ethic as me...we do work! It's hard because I feel like I am having to learn everything over again..but it is such a blessing having her as my trainer. We are leading the zone in contacts and have so many new investigators. I can't wait to see where we go with this!

I love you all! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Have a great week!
¡Hasta luego! ¡Adios!

Ciudad de Mexico Week 3 February 10, 2014

HOLA DE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO!!

This week has been pretty crazy because there was a Mexican holiday and the people celebrate as much as possible. The streets are absolutely filled with all kinds of carnival rides and food stands. When you add about a million people..it gets pretty crowded. There is literally not a square inch of walking space! But it's perfect for talking to people and getting lots of contacts! From our apartment you can hear absolutely everything throughout the entire night.

View from the roof of the apartment

No more washing machine... We do our laundry the pioneer way with a little water, some soap, and a wash board. We felt really bad because we were using a member's machine and it uses a lot of water....and they're really poor.

On the day of the holiday, we had to be in our apartments an hour early because of all the parties, drunk men, etc. While walking home we had to walk through a huge crowd gathered around a giant stage where a Mariachi band was performing. We wanted to stop and listen so bad!! We got to our apartment (which was on the same street as the celebration), ran to the roof, and watched the band from there. There was a man playing the accordion, another playing the trumpet, another playing the guitar, and they all sang in harmony. My comp., Hermana Valdez, taught me a few traditional Mexican dances (so different from any dances we have in the US) including one where you dance with a pineapple on top of your head.

Fiesta en la Calle

I'm learning how to cook the food here and it is so fun! The members noticed how interested I was and when we eat at their houses for lunch they always teach me something new. Corn tortillas from scratch, black beans....Yum! I may look like a 5'10'' white girl with blue eyes and blond hair...but I'm Mexican at heart! 

Delicioso

Yesterday we were walking back to our apartment after lunch and as we got to the door a giant bus drove by. When it was right in front of us the roof of the bus caught the telephone wires and they all came crashing down. There were live electric wires falling and swinging all around us. I quickly grabbed the other Hermanas and started running down the street. We stopped when it was safe, turned around, and watched the driver speed away with about 20 men and women chasing after him. When we got home later that night, none of the wires had been fixed or even touched. Watch your step!! 

Yesterday we ate at a member's and as we ate they were watching the Olympics. I couldn't help but peek over and look a few times...my American pride got to me. As we began eating, I went to grab a tortilla and as I flipped the towel open it was absolutely covered in dog hair... I thought I was going to die! I looked down at my beans and that too was swimming in dog hair. I have never tried so hard to swallow every bite. Would you like some dog hair with a side of Mexican food anyone? A little extra protein never killed anybody did it?

Perros por todas partes

Saturday we all woke up at 4:15 AM. We had a big conference with all of the Southeast mission where Elder Christensen spoke. When we left the house, we were strictly prohibited to speak a word of English because it was so early and there were still a lot of scary people in the streets. When people hear English here they immediately think you have money. But no worries! My Spanish is coming along great! I can understand everything everyone is saying! The hard part is speaking it.. but it gets better and better every day! 

Yesterday, I went on a split with Hermana Benson. It was definitely a lot harder without our fluent companions but we were able to contact a ton of people in the streets and teach a few lessons. We sure have come a long way since the MTC! People were extra attentive to 2 white girls...maybe we should do that more often!

Hermana Benson Y Hermana Ingram

We have had a TON more success this week! I have been working my absolute hardest everyday and I'm finally seeing it pay off. Yesterday we were sitting in class at church when the bishop pulled me and my comp out. He was with a little man dressed in jeans and a torn up t-shirt. He told us that someone had given him our names and the address to the church and that he had been looking for us for the past week because he wants to become a member of the church. That never happens!!! I was SO happy! Later that night in our apartment someone buzzed our floor. We went down to see who it was and it was the bishop with a slip of paper. He told us that there was another really old lady that had been looking for us. Apparently she is really sick and immobile and wants to be baptized before she dies...2 in one day!! I couldn't believe it! Hard work pays off! It's so great to finally see blessings. These past few weeks we haven't had any success and it's finally starting to come. 

Adios!! Les amo mucho!

Hermana Ingram

Our Apartment

Lunch with some of the Elders

Week 2 February 3, 2014

¡Hola!

I didn't get robbed this week!!! Improvement!!

Everyday we have a goal to talk to 15 people in the streets about the gospel. It's a lot different here because they willingly give you their full name and address. That would NEVER happen in America. I'm the first white girl to ever serve in this area...which explains why everyone stares at me like they have never seen a white girl in person before, because they haven't. We get a lot of creepy guys that approach us wondering what a white skinned, blue eyed girl is doing here. Most of them are pretty drunk and it's actually pretty funny. Don't worry...we don't teach them...we leave the creepy ones for the Elders. Today, a homeless naked man approached us....ya we sprinted away from that one... pray I don't see that one again. They always ask me where I'm from and I've started telling them that I'm from Chihuahua Mexico...they're drunk enough to believe me most of the time.

The language is pretty hard..but it's mostly hard to speak. Understanding what everyone is saying isn't too hard. My companion doesn't speak any English at all but it's good because it forces me to speak more Spanish.

Every Thursday we gather as a district at one of the churches and have "planeamiento semanal" or weekly planning. This week's was a lot of fun because one of the Elders brought ingredients to make pancakes and chocolate milk. It was a great way to get to know them all a little better.

Tuesday we taught a lady who LITERALLY lives in a cardboard box. Everything she owned was packed into the tiniest room made of cardboard boxes. This room was her kitchen, her bedroom, her closet, her bathroom, her office, her everything. We sat on little buckets while we taught her. She's an amazing lady!

There are a billion dogs here! Every family has at least one dog..not to mention the other million stray dogs that roam the streets. Some of them are actually pretty cute but the majority are really mangy. The long-haired dogs are the worst because they end up completely covered in dreads.

The 'pan' (bread) shops are my absolute favorite to walk by because they smell so good. Every morning the streets smell like freshly baked bread. They make it all from scratch and sell it to you right outside of the shop. The tortilla shops are also the best! They make corn tortillas from scratch by the 100s!

I had my first experience with doing laundry here! Luckily we have a really awesome member that lives below us that lets us use their washing machine. It's still a little different though because the machine isn't hooked up to a water line so you have to fill up the washing machine with a hose. After the machine goes for about 20 minutes, we take our clothes to the roof and hang them up with clothes pins on lines to dry. I've never been so grateful for a washer and dryer!!!

Every Saturday is the Tianguis. The streets are completely filled with little shops and tarps are strung across the streets from apartment to apartment. Hermana Benson and I were walking together and I have never heard so many cat calls in my life. There were literally 20 + men cat calling and shouting at us all at once. It is so hard to keep a straight face when that happens. Let's just say that we don't lolly gag through the Tianguis..we speed walk. This Saturday I saw 2 Books of Mormon for sale...THAT'S where they all go! They sell anything and everything...you name it and it's at the Tianguis.

Here in Mexico it's completely normal to call someone fat straight to their face. A lot of the time men will introduce their wives as "mi esposa gordita" (my fat wife). They always call me the flaca Americana (skinny American) and practically force me to eat extra food to try and fatten me up.

Today we went to the capilla and met with the entire zone. There are only four Hermanas out of 50 Elders. It was a lot of fun today because we got to play sports...FINALLY!!!!! We played volleyball, soccer, and basketball for hours! I was the only sister who really played..the rest of the Hermanas sat in the shade. We had a big picnic with all of them too. Towards the end, the Elders brought out a huge garbage bin full of water balloons and we had a ginormous water fight. What a blast!

My Zone. There are only 4 Hermanas

Hermana Benson, her companion, and me

The work here is definitely progressing! We only have 4 investigators right now...we will probably baptize a little 9 year old girl within the next few weeks..I hope. Her family are all members which helps a lot. I haven't been back to visit the little 3 year old girl yet..but a lot of kids have soccer balls and are pretty impressed that a girl knows how to play haha.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers! I love you all forever!

Hermana Ingram

Mexico City Week 1 January 27, 2014

!Bienvenidos a la Ciudad de Mexico!

The plane ride into Mexico was absolutely insane! For most of the plane ride we were flying over the ocean and when the sun began to set, the sky was more orange than I have ever seen it. It was especially pretty because off in the distance, you could see the volcano in Mexico poking through the clouds. The sun went down and when we hit the coast of Mexico, all you could see were millions and millions of lights as far as the eye could see. I couldn't believe it.

Blurry View From the Air

We landed, grabbed our bags, and met up with the mission president and his wife. He told us to follow him and we walked out to the parking lot where we piled into a little van. He told us that he hoped we were really hungry because we were going to have a Mexican style bienvenidos. He drove us to a tiny taco shop on the side of the street and all 20 of us missionaries squeezed around the only table they had. The 'chef' cooked everything right there in front of us. On a long pole near a fire on the wall was a big hunk of meat and right above the meat was a whole roasted pineapple. The man would roll up a small tortilla, cut off a piece of pina, some meat, and bring it to us. This food is called 'tacos al pastor' and is SO DELICIOUS. 'Gringas' is another type of food that's pretty good. They laugh at us Americans when we order it because gringa means white girl. We also got huge mugs of ice cold horchata to drink...yummy!

Mexican Bienvenidos!

Horchata

The driving here is LOCO! No one follows any rules whatsoever! We got to our apartment, grabbed our stuff and walked up to a metal door leading into a sort of porch (this is how every house is set up). We climbed the stairs, walked inside our apartment, and the smell was absolutely overwhelming... There was garbage everywhere! Nada was clean!

Old Apartment

When we started unpacking I kept thinking, "I'm going to have to live here for months..ah!!" I put my bags in my room, opened one and immediately noticed that tons of stuff had been stolen.  (all of my make-up, my hair dyer, alarm clock, probiotics, underwear, feminine items, all of the photos I brought with me of my family and every photo that I got at the MTC, all of my books and Spanish dictionaries, all of the books I had been given at the MTC, my precious Biscoff that my mom sent me) My heart sank, and I was on the verge of tears. Nearly half of my stuff was gone. I could not believe that within just hours upon arriving in Mexico, my things had already been stolen...to keep myself from crying I kept thinking to myself, "Ok...the people here have close to nothing...I can survive..." and, "At least this will make a good story.." Oh the things I tell myself..haha.

New Apartment (We got to move!)

Am I in a 3rd world country? Yes! EVERYTHING is so different from what I'm used to in America.

My companion named Hermana Valdez. She is from Tampico Mexico and speaks zero English. Its pretty hard to communicate with her sometimes, but it's all good. Our roommates are Hermana Benson (my companion in the MTC) and Hermana Bravo from Ecuador. We are in an area called Parque and are the only missionaries in the area...hoping to convert enough people to make a ward here.

The cars: The majority of cars here are either Volkswagen bugs or vans. On a single street, there are usually around 10 bugs. A lot of the taxis here are Volkswagen buses that we pile into to get to church and stuff. There's a barrier between the driver and us and you have to speak and pay your pesos through a little hole in the barrier. To stop, you pull a little rope that connects to the front. And when you don't think that you can fit one more person, the driver will pull over and they squeeze right on in. Personal space doesn't really exist here..haha.

The houses:
The houses are side by side and are usually painted different colors. In a single house/apartment around 5 families live in all the different rooms; some downstairs and others up the stairs onto the second floor. The roof of each house is where people string their clothes to hang dry.

Every day when my companion and I go to visit/contact people, the men on the sides of the street cat-call like crazy! It's actually kind of funny..like they've never seen a white girl before. Everyone stairs at me...but hey...the more people that notice me, the more I can convert!

Lunch here is like dinner in America. It's the time when families gather to have a big meal together. Each day at about 2:00 PM, we eat at a members house and they make the best food ever. Tacos, floutas, sopa, homemade tortillas, jugo from scratch, etc. The food here is SO GOOD!

Here, the church is known for having a lot of money. We have to be very careful in what we tell people. We can't mention that there are computers or anything. Every chapel is surrounded by a 15 foot fence lined with razor blade barbed wire. How inviting..haha.

There is absolutely no hot water here. To heat water we either have to put a hot iron inside a bucket of water, or use a heating coil. WARNING: Do not put your finger inside a bucket of water when there is a heating coil in it! I learned that one the hard way. Each morning, I wake up early, fill each bucket with water, heat it with an iron or coil, go back to bed, wake up 30 minutes later, and put the buckets in the bathroom for everyone to use to shower.

Our Water Heater

The people here are the most kind, loving, and service oriented people I have ever met. They will do absolutely anything in their power to help you. They serve without you saying a word... They barely have enough for their own families and would still give you everything they had. They would feed you until you died! The Hermano that lives below us does so much for us. He brings us hot water in the morning to use to shower and his wife sewed us curtains for all of our windows. I can hardly believe how loving these people are. They make me want to be better.

Friday we went to immigration near downtown Mexico City to get our Visa pictures taken. We woke up at 4:00 AM and found a Taxi bus to take us to the Metro. We got to the Metro, bought our tickets, and walked through a maze of underground tunnels/stairs. Never in my life have I seen so many people in a single area. Literally hundreds and hundreds of men and women were crowded, trying to get on the metro. Every time the metro came and the doors would open, everyone would push and shove each other trying to get a spot. It was like cows being herded into a tiny coral. We finally managed to squeeze into the Metro. People were literally smashed up against the walls and against each other. What a sight..I couldn't help but laugh the whole time.

I got to go to the temple visitors center to buy a few things I needed. The temple is SO pretty! Unfortunately its closed..but I was glad to at least see the outside of it.

Mexico City Temple

The kids LOVE me here! I catch them staring at me all the time. One of our investigators has a 3 year old daughter. Our first time visiting her she brought me a basketball. I spun it on to my finger...you should've seen the look on her face. Now, every time we visit them she brings me the same basketball.

The garbage trucks here are chariot looking trailers pulled by horses...just a tad different then America wouldn't you say?

Let's just say that Mexican food DOES NOT sit well in the stomachs of American missionaries. I haven't had any serious problems...but every single American missionary in our mission is just a tad sick. Some of the Elders have had some serious accidents...like not making it to the bathroom in time.. I'm crossing my fingers that that never happens to me. One Elder (while in a member's home) got up, and started running to the bathroom...didn't make it. The members thought it would be a great idea to gather all the hairdryers they had and try to blow dry his backside dry..of course that didn't work.. I can only imagine the embarrassment. Pray that that doesn't happen to me!

Local Fruit called Semilla

I had my first baptism invitation this week! And they said yes! It was in the first lesson and was pretty scary to ask, but I'm so glad I did.

Lunch on Sunday was insane! They gave us so much food. We started with a huge bowl of soup. As if that wasn't enough, they brought us each a plate of french fries and a HUGE hamburger. (they like to make us Americans American food sometimes) We began eating and I hadn't even eaten two bites when they brought me yet another hamburger. I couldn't believe it... Here, when the people give you food, you eat it, every last bite. Hermana Benson was whispering to me the whole time, "Si se puede...si se puede..." But it wasn't over yet...out came the flan and cookies... If I come home obese..you'll know why..haha

The mission is hard...but it wasn't meant to be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it! It's so comforting to know that we have the Lord on our side, tenemos Dios! When things get hard, he is there for us, siempre! I am so grateful for the opportunity to bring this gospel to the people of Mexico City. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers! I love you all!

Hermana Ingram
(or Hermana Instagram as they like to call me here)

¡Hasta La Vista Los Estados Unidos!

What a week!  

First off...My mom is crazy!!!  Last Saturday, we finally got to go to the temple.  As a zone, we boarded a bus and went up to the temple to do a session together.  Afterwards, 3 of the sisters and I walked back to Wyview and got ready to go to Brigham's landing.  As we began to walk to lunch, I heard a very noticeable cat call off to my right side.  The first time, I tried to ignore it thinking that there was some creep in the road catcalling the sister missionaries.  I thought it would be best to not even look over there or pay any attention to it and I continued to walk.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a big white car pull into the median and once again I heard a cat call.  White van...cat call...you could say I was a little scared.  My first instinct should've been to run but I decided to glance over to see who it was.  As I looked over, I saw that the 'creep' was my own mom half hanging out of the window.  I stopped and my jaw dropped.  The words that came out of my mouth were, "Are...you...serious!?"  I could not believe that my mom was right there in front of me.  After what seemed like 5 minutes of just standing there speechless, I jumped over the snow-packed curb and ran out into the middle of the busy road.  I reached my arms through the open window, hugged her, and gave her the biggest kiss on the cheek I have ever given.  With tears in our eyes, we said bye and she began to drive away.  A few seconds later she stuck her head out of the window and said, "I promise I'll stop stalking you!" followed by a, "This is the last time I will ever see you again!".  I'd would like to take a moment to reassure you mom, that I will only be gone for another 17 months and that, listen carefully, I AM ALIVE!  Later that night at dinner, I was stopped by a group of Elders and Sisters.  They asked, "Hey!  Is your name Hermana Ingram?!"  I said yes and they informed me that they had met  my mom at the temple earlier that morning.  Yes yes...she had gone to the temple on a rampant search for her daughter.  Oh mother... They continued by telling me my life's story.  Can you tell that my mom misses me maybe a little?  I wouldnt be surprised if when I go to Mexico she follows me there!  I feel the love mom!  And I love you....craziness and all!

This week's TRC was awesome!  We got to skype a sweet hispanic lady from Mexico. It was

definitely different than our normal face-to-face conversations but it was still a lot of fun.  When I sit 

back and think about it, I am amazed that my companion and I can skype a lady in Mexico who only speaks Spanish and have a full on 45 minute discussion.  I'm amazed!  

Once again, Elder Bednar and his wife spoke to us for Tuesday Devotional.  He was the last person we expected since he had come for Christmas.  He told us how he had received over 1000 questions from Christmas and he decided that for his talk he would choose a few more and talk about those.  As a choir we got to sing "Nearer My God To Thee".  It was sad thinking that that was our last time singing with the choir.  We sang our absolute hardest to make up for it.  

Wednesday was Visa Day!  Mom, you can stop sweating bullets now!  At about 10:00, about 20 of us missionaries boarded a bus and headed to the Trax Station near the old Tabernacle.  The whole top floor of the train was filled with missionaries.  

We rode it to the Mexican Consulate in SLC.  When we got there, it felt like we had been dropped of in the most ghetto and scary part of Salt Lake.  I felt like I was in a different world or something.  Everything seemed rough...I don't know if it really was or if it just seemed that way considering I've been in a missionary bubble for the past month.  We walked into the consulate (the front door had bullet holes in it) and we all sat down.  A little hispanic lady called each of us up, one by one, to get our pictures taken and to get finger prints.  I felt like a criminal or something.  Us missionaries were the only white people in the whole place and none of the people there spoke very much English  When we had all been called up, one of the workers, who stood about 5'5", got up and stood in front of us.  In his Hispanic accent he said, "Now I have a few things I am required to say to you before you leave..."  He paused and then pointed right at me and said, "Don't steal the pretty Mexican boys from our country."  I expected him to laugh and continue with something more serious but instead he turned around and walked away without saying a word.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I LEAVE FOR MEXICO MONDAY!  This month has flown by!  It feels like yesterday that I was the scared little missionary being dropped off at the MTC.  I'm definitely going to miss the MTC and I'll especially miss all of the people I've met and the friends I've made. However, Monday starts the journey that I came here to begin.  It's going to be a wake up call for sure considering no one will speak English.  I'll probably have a companion that doesn't speak a lick of English.  I finally get to eat REAL food and not cafeteria food...HALLELUJAH!   I'm nervous but I know that there are people to meet and places to go!  It's weird to think that from here on out I'll be writing home from Mexico.  I CAN'T WAIT!  ¡"Estoy muy animada!  ¡Les quiero mucho!  ¡Hasta la vista los Estados Unidos!  ¡Hola Mexico!  

Last Gym Time

Consulate Trip

Week 4 in the MTC

I am having the time of my life here at the MTC. To all of those people who told me it was prison....Y'ALL HAD IT ALL WRONG!!!

Not much has happened this week but we have been teaching a lot of lessons. Sometimes we even teach up to 4 lessons a day and afterwards your brain feels like it has turned to mush because of all the Spanish you've been speaking and hearing.

This past Sunday was fast Sunday. Fast Sundays at the MTC = the longest days ever. Sacrament meeting was a lot of fun though because the district that was leaving got to bear their testimonies and sing their "going away" musical number. Those sisters and Elders feel like family to me and it was really sad hearing from them one last time. During sacrament, Brother McCracken's (branch presidency member) visiting grandson got up to bare his testimony. He has Down's syndrome and when he got up I immediately started smiling. (*Hailey's aunt has Down's) He stood up to the microphone, started speaking, and none of us could understand a single word that was coming out of his mouth. In the middle of his testimony, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crinkled piece of paper. We didn't know what the paper said or what this boy's words meant, but it was amazing how the entire congregation felt the spirit so strong. After he finished, brother McCracken got up and explained that that paper that was in his grandson's hand was an obituary of one of his best friends whose funeral they had attended just the day before. That right there was proof that the spirit can testify even when none of the words are understood. At the end of sacrament, the leaving districts sang the EFY medley and I remember sitting there thinking that in less than 24 hours, I may not see any of them ever again and that things just weren't going to be the same ever again. But at the same time, I was so excited for them and the adventures that each of them were about to begin.

The Leaving District

The Last Gym Time

Later that night, we gathered as a zone to sing a hymn before we went back to our apartments. It is tradition for us to sing hymn #88 (a hymn found only in the Spanish hymn book) when anyone is leaving. The love we have for each other is insane! I will never forget those nights we sang that hymn.

We were able to be hosts this week which means that we got to show the brand new missionaries where to go and stuff. Buses would come and missionaries would begin to poor out. We would grab a few missionaries, find their bags, take them to their apartments to drop their things off, and take them back to be guided to their classes. I remember stepping out of that bus not too long ago! It's crazy to think that I've been at the MTC for almost a month!

TRC has been so great this week. We are teaching real investigators who have real interest in the gospel. Sometimes, it can be a lot of pressure but mostly it is an absolute blast. Our investigators are usually from another country and don't speak English so it feels like we are in Mexico already! I have been taller than every single one of them...I'm getting a taste of what Mexico will be like in every way;) We have one investigator named Ivette. When we walked in for the first lesson, she was noticeably sad and depressed. She didn't smile the entire time we were there and at first it was very intimidating. She told us about how she wasn't happy, that she felt depressed, and that it was mostly because her dad had been diagnosed with a sickness that was very dangerous. As we began to teach her, she began to ask questions on questions on questions. We could tell she was very interested in what we were teaching. We left her with an invitation to pray (she's never said a single prayer in her life) and a chapter out of the Book of Mormon to read (she's never touched a Bible let alone a BoM). Hermana Benson and I left feeling a little sad and confused about the lesson in general. The next day, we met with her again and she was a completely different person. So happy. You could see it in her eyes and countenance. She told us that after we had taught her the day before, she had gone home and prayed for the very first time. She said that immediately after ending her prayer, she felt that depression completely disappear. That morning, she had received a letter from her dad whom she hadn't talked to for over 6 months. In the letter he told her that his medical results had come back and that it was a miracle because the results had come back and the sickness had disappeared. Two miracles in a 24 hour span and she recognized it. Hermana Benson and I were on top of the world when she was telling us this. We taught the rest of our lesson and invited her to say the closing prayer for us (we taught her how to pray during the lesson). She was extremely reluctant when we first asked her but we were patient and she finally agreed to pray for us. Let me remind you that this was her second prayer EVER! Talk about an amazing prayer! I can't wait to see where this goes!

Elder Toala was supposed to leave last week with the rest of his district but had to stay this week too so that he could go to his mom's funeral. It was a lot of fun having him around for another week. The night before he left, we all gathered and sang our famous hymn #88 and as we sang, not a single zone member didn't have tears in their eyes. He's like an older brother to us all. After saying our last goodbyes we went to our apartment and set an alarm for 4:00 AM so that we could see Toala off the next morning. 4:00 came and we met up with a few other zone members to say our last goodbyes. The 4 girls across the hall had prepared a Samoan hymn to sing for him one last time. (it was the same hymn Toala had sang in sacrament a few days after his mom had died). With teary-eyes, we all shook his hand one last time and off he went.

Saying Goodbye to Elder Toala

I can't believe that I have been in the MTC for a month now and that I leave for Mexico in a little over a week. It's true what they say: time flies when you're having fun!


-Hermana Ingram

Hermana Benson, Call, Amis, Ingram