Mexico Week 61 -- Tender Mercies

Dear sweet family, 

I love you all too much! I hope that everyone is happy and having faith and learning from all of life´s challenges! 

This week was AWESOME!!  So like I told y’all last week, they sent me to Guadalajara on Tuesday to sign my Visa again. Tuesday night we get there at like 6:45 and I was kind of tired of being on buses.  The next bus to the house in Cruz del Sur takes like an hour and half.  So, I called the Elders and asked if we could just stay the night in Tlaquepaque.  Not going to lie, I was hoping to run into some people!  I knew Hermana Gonzalez was still there!  I got shut down by Elder Guillen, so we got on the next bus to Cruz del Sur.  Totally funny, the minion piñatas that Hermana Buttars and I bought are STILL THERE.   We got to Cruz del Sur and the Hermanas start giving me the update on all of the families! It was so awesome to see how much they have grown!  Maria Dolores is getting ready to enter the temple soon!  I’m hoping to be able to go with her!  I felt the Spirit so strongly and decided to write letters to everyone there. They all made fun of me because I was writing letters all night. Ha! Ha!  It was just such a cool moment!  It was so special to see that everything we do makes a difference. I love those people. 

Then Wednesday morning we go sign our Visas and one of the Elders in the offices asks me, Hermana what airport are you going home to?  I whipped around, “WHAT??!!”  I did not believe they were looking at plane tickets.  The Elder just laughed!  All of the Hermanas got so excited, “Wow!  They are already sending you home!”  I just felt so sad!  Kind of like...whoa, what a second!  It is not time yet!  I have so much left to do!  I don’t like talking about it!  Anyways, there’s a new mission map in the offices that is sweet!  This is me pointing to my three areas!

So we head back to the bus station to go back to Uruapan and there aren’t any more buses until Thursday and it was like 3:00 in the afternoon.  We called the zone leaders and they said they would look into something for us to do until the next bus.  That’s when my heart started beating really fast … WELL, just so happens that Tlaquepaque is like 30 minutes from here.  Like no one can see through that little helpful hint!  Five minutes later he called us back and said to go to Tlaquepaque.  Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Casanovas will be waiting for us in the church.  We hung up the phone and I started giggling and yelling YES! YES! YES!  The lady in front of us in line started cracking up!!  Literally, the whole time felt like a dream.  This is me in my chapel where my heart will be permanently reside!  Hermana Gonzalez gave me the hugest hug and we almost get teary!  She starts catching me up on everything!  

They changed the boundaries and Hermana Elsa and Hermano Jose aren’t in their area anymore.  I was so bummed!  I kind of wanted to see them and Hermana Gonzalez reading my mind says well hey, let’s invite them to our appointments!  Hermano Jose comes with us. Ahh, just seeing him was so awesome and we go visit Hermana Irma (the investigator that makes piñatas) She and her husband are going to church now and reading the book of Mormon. How cool is that?  Hermano Jose shared a powerful testimony and then we went to see Hermana Ruby. Hermana Casanovas made it a surprise and covered the Hermana’s eyes and then she saw me and just squeals and we hugged for a long time and then we both start crying. She gave me a wallet, the ones that Juan is making while he’s in jail.  As we left, she got all teary again and tells me that I can’t forget about them. We took pictures with the girls and they want to be missionaries.  Hermana Gonzalez and I talked all night!  It was just the BEST DAY EVER!  In the morning, Hermano Jose and Hermana Elsa took us to the bus station. Hermana Gonzalez told me that the first time they went to see Hermana Elsa after I left, she almost didn’t want to receive them and said she wasn’t prepared.  About a week later, she let them come to visit.  Hermana Gonzalez told me that Hermana Elsa was crying a ton because she wasn’t expecting me to leave and that she loves me like her own daughter and she never thought she would love me so much. I got to see her in the morning and she gives me a big hug and ahh, I just love them and the whole trip felt like a dream. 

As a bus left super early on Thursday morning, it was all dark and we saw the whole city and I felt empty ... like a huge hole in my heart and super sad. You know, like the feeling when we leave Disneyland. I got a little misty eyed and just started thinking about when I actually leave this country.  It has all gone by so fast and it’s hard. It’s so hard leaving. I thought about Christ in 3 Nephi when the people start begging him not to leave, and it says that he had compassion on them and stays a little while longer. That’s what I’d like to do!  I made y’all a video talking about all of this, but it’s not uploading. But anyways, it is like I saw all of the fruits of my mission in like 2 days. I could see how everything we do matters.  Nothing is in vain.  It’s all worth it!  It’s so incredible to have relationships so strong, to love people so much and feel like they’re family. Mom, PRETTY PLEASE, we have to come. You have to meet these people. You will love them!  But yeah, it was awesome, so awesome and just a tender mercy of the Lord. 

The rest of the pictures would be me feeling like my arms are going to fall off after being a real woman and washing clothes and cleaning the house with my pizza!

After getting back from Guadalajara we had some pretty cool experiences here in Jardines! Hermano Mike isn’t really listening to us anymore.  He’s just not ready to give up some things.  We finally found his wife after about a week and a half yesterday and we watched the Joseph Smith movie!  She loved it and said the most awesome prayer afterward. She was pleading to know if it was all true and she thanked the Lord for letting her know Joseph Smith better and asked for time to be able to read the Book of Mormon. Her kids are also listening with her!  Woo!  Hoo! 

My companion also hit five months in the mission, so we had a little celebration for her!

We have another investigator named Karla. She is 29 and recovering from breast cancer. She is so tired but she went to church yesterday! She says she knows it’s all true and wants to be baptized.  She has been through so much, but still has so much faith.

Last night we had a pretty special experience with the Camacho family. Their mom has been super worried and stressed lately and her oldest son wants to go and live with his girlfriend. Last night, as a miracle, we found them all together and as we said the opening prayer, I felt impressed to talk about prayer. We start talking about prayer and her oldest son asks a ton of questions and kind of doubts that Heavenly Father listens to us. As we talked he started realizing lots of answers and his whole attitude changed, then he starts asking about eternal marriage and we leave him some homework and an appointment for next Sunday. His mom afterward gave me the biggest hug!  I think we hit just what he needed to hear!  I just love people. I love the opportunity to love them so much and just try to help them and for all of the inspiration the Lord gives us. 

I´m also still stuck on thinking about the pioneers.  Ha! Ha!  I was reading more today and there’s a part where the Lord says that sometimes we have to suffer and pass through trials in order to learn to be humble and obedient. We have to be truly converted. In our ward conference, the stake president talked about that and it’s so true. We have to sacrifice, we have to trust the Lord and follow Him completely. I love Him and I love the gospel. The real world is scary and I can’t believe my mission is already winding down, but I know that I love Him and that together we can figure the rest out. I love y’all!! 

 

Hermana Villa

This is my new companion .. Hermana Villa!  She is from Columbia and I already love her.  She is so sweet and has such a strong desire to work hard.

Mexico Week 53 -- So Many Emotions

My dear sweet family! 

Well it turns out that today is transfer day and I am no longer in Guadalajara.  I have been transferred to Uruapan in Michocan! It has been 24 hours of just too many emotions.  I’m not too good with transfers!  Our zone leaders call us last night and well I left and Hermana Gonzalez stays there! Hermana Casanovas is with her (remember when I wrote y’all about her at the beginning of my mission?) She is the best! They will work miracles there! 

My new companion is Hermana Lopez. She arrived here with Hermana Gonzalez and just finished her training! We are going to work a ton! 

So anyways, they call us and then we get a little teared up and then we decide to make videos about our feelings and we cry some more. I was up until about 2am packing and then we left super early to go to the bus station. Hermano Oscar came to say goodbye and brought me a Guadalajara temple poster, with a note on the back.  A note that may or may not have made me cry, but it talked about his promise to make it there. As I boarded the big bus (like Greyhound but a lot nicer), I just started looking out the window and thinking. I felt the Spirit so much and I realized I wasn’t angry like the last time I was transferred, sad and with a big whole in the heart, but not mad. I trust my Heavenly Father more and I trust His plan. I just felt filled with gratitude that He’s let me be a missionary. I feel so blessed to feel this kind of love for people. I love this country … I mean I really love it. It sounds so cheesy, but I just feel like it has become a part of me.  In a way, my areas have been like home. I am excited for my new adventure even though I will miss Hermana Gonzalez lots!! I am excited to work and just give the best of me. Serving a mission is truly the best decision of my whole life. 

Okay now that the cheesy is over .. Let’s get these pictures explained! 

We ate out pretty much every day this week! The Hermanas gave us money instead of inviting us to eat and well I think we’re sick!  Ha! Ha!  Enjoy Cuarto de Kilo and the dehydrated life with mil suers. 

Hermana Irma passed herself with this Spiderman piñata .. it’s 3D! 

I have a new habit of always going to Reforma’s zone meeting! The sister training leaders wanted to be able to attend both meetings so I traveled to Reforma again! There are more hermanas there, and we have a good time!

This dog is like Cody’s twin, just a lot bigger! Every day we walked by there and he just gets so excited because he recognizes us! He wags his tail and jumps and runs to get his ball and then we keep walking and we runs to the other side that’s like a store and puts his front paws on the table.  He loves us! Ahh, I need a big dog! 

These young adults are Jessica and Javier. They’re cousins and Javier is a returned missionary. They work a lot in the ward and they’re just good kids. They’re not from here, but they are just great. 

Hermana Elsa was too good looking yesterday!  We told her we needed pictures because she was so beautiful!  She has progressed so much and I just love her and her whole family a lot. They’re just a special family. 

We had the most special lesson with Hermana Karla and Hermano Alejandro yesterday. They are having quite a few difficulties in their marriage and we talked about service and the pure love of Christ, how they can serve inside and outside of their home. We all ended up crying and we ended with the family hug. Ahh, I am seriously going to miss them and our families.  Marriages are so important! 

I also hope you love our video journal this week. We had so much fun doing it, but I don’t know, it made me feel the Spirit so much and I imagined showing them to my kids one day! I just love my mission! 

Our investigators really opened up this week and listened and listened and listened, and testified and testified and testified. So many people are losing hope in this world.  They’re losing hope and they can’t find relief or solutions in their problems. We have to help them. We have to testify of Christ and help them learn how to use His Atonement. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He loves us. I know that He understands us, that He knows our pressures, our stress, our worries, our responsibilities, all of it .. He knows it all and He helps and strengthens us in these things. I want to always by strong in my testimony of Him and I hope that as a family we can always bear powerful testimony of Him. 

I hope y’all had a great week and that this week is even better! I am here for whatever y’all might need and I love you all too much! Next week I´ll give you more details about the new area!

Mexico Week 52 -- Listening to the Spirit

Buenas Tardes darling family!

How are you all?  I hope you’re doing well and smiling and all that jazz!  First things first ... the pictures! 

The food is a chile reyeno.  It is a chile stuff with cheese basically and I just love them! One of my favorite things here! 

Our electric stove finally arrived!  Now we eat more than cereal!  Ha! Ha!  Hermana Gonzalez and I ate an unnatural number of quesadillas this week! 

Hermana Irma has been making so many piñatas and they are just getting better and better! 

  

      

  

I have decided to better live the Word of Wisdom and that includes less coke.  Now just every once in a while, there is a mini one! 

This is Hermana Pamela.  Probably one of the toughest people I know. She’s had some pretty rough times these past few months, but she is so sweet and tries to serve the best she can at church. We love her!! 

Sunday night was a party!  Our Zone Leaders call and ask if three sisters can stay with us one night. We tell them no problem. We arrive at the bus station and there are seven sisters and four of them have no idea where they’re going. We are calling all the leaders, nobody knows anything, and well, we slept all nine of us in our house last night! The good news is that I got to chat with Hermana Valdez for a while! I love her too much! She is training right now and goes home in seven weeks! Crazy right?!  Ahh, she told me to tell you all that she loves you so much!  Thanks for her package … and she is just a little bit sad that you forgot to send her the promised iPod! LOL! 

I also got to see the MTC Crew!  They also slept in our house and we went to the city to sign Visa documents today.  It was fun to catch up and see where everybody is at!  We all just sat and thought … WOW!  Time is flying. 

I also got to see Hermana Buttars today!  We had a special conference early this morning to watch Meet the Mormons.  It was SO good!  I may have had a little moment at the end when the missionary is leaving and the whole family is crying, and then the little sister starts sobbing, but it was just a feel good movie.  You all should really invite people to see it!  I realized just how blessed I am to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We know the truth.  We’re happy.  We know how to find strength and comfort in our trials.  We enjoy this life. We have felt the pure love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, now we just need to share it!  Long story short, I loved the movie and it reminded me of so many blessings. 

This week we also had another special training with President Camarillo. It was so good!  I felt excited to work and like the batteries had been recharged.  We talked about how much the Lord is preparing people to receive us.  We worked with some members and practiced how we can practice with them to help them share the gospel.  I felt a hope to be able to increase and strengthen my faith.  Our President is so powerful and I know that he’s a servant of the Lord. 

Leaving our training, we go visit Hermana Elsa and Hermano Jose to put into play what we learned.  We asked them to think about someone that they loved a lot, someone they worried about, someone that isn’t a member of the church.  They both thought of a few names and we practiced with them how they could share their testimony and invite their friends and family members to learn more.  At the end, we knelt in prayer and Hermana Elsa prayed for every single one of those people.  She prayed for us that we could find people to teach and that all of us could have missionary experiences.  It was the best and wow, what an experience!  Visiting them another day, Hermana Elsa starts to talk about how one day on the bus she started thinking some of her friends who go to church and show their devotion few times a year.  She thought about the true gospel of Jesus Christ and how it requires a constant effort.  She says, “these people just don’t understand what Christ did for us.”  Leaving their house Hermana Gonzalez and I were in shock!  She has changed so much and wow, it just warms my heart seeing her like that!  In Gospel Principles we talked about faith and Hermano Jose raises his hand and says, Bishop, I just want to invite those that are here today to pray and fast to week, to really ask to see if they believe this is the truth, to ask our Heavenly Father for a confirmation.  It was so awesome!! 

We visited Hermana Judith this week and ahhh, what an experience.  She has been having a pretty rough time and Satan is really going after her. About a week and a half ago we felt impressed to give her a Word of Wisdom pamphlet so that she could read it before we taught her.  About a week and a half later, we felt like it was time to teach her.  We went and visited her in the store they’re working in and we start teaching about the Word of Wisdom.  She tells us that the first time she read the pamphlet she was kind of skimming when she was at work and she said, “NO COFFEE??!!”  The Hermanas lost me with that one, this game’s over!  She said in order to read better with more attention, she hides the pamphlet in her shirt and goes to the bathroom at work.  She started looking up all the scriptures and started to understand.  She said her coworkers started teasing her for wanting to be Mormon and one of them says, “How are you going to be a Mormon if you LOVE coffee?!”  She says, in this life we have to make sacrifices in order to follow Christ.  She’s so brave and just shares what she knows and feels with people.  She wants to be baptized with her son!  She tells us, “I just feel so privileged that you found me and that I know the truth.”  She is so special and her prayers are the best. She knows Joseph Smith was a prophet and in her prayer she says, ¨I know I’m on the right path.¨ We love her!! 

We also visited Hermana Irma this week.  It was an incredible experience. She had a lot of questions about the Atonement.  At first, they were cooking and we in the kitchen sharing a lesson, but as we testified and as the Spirit came stronger and stronger, everyone stopped what they were doing and it was silent, the looks on their faces said everything.  We just testified of Christ and what we need to do in order to receive all of the blessings of the Atonement.  It was a total wow moment!  We felt the Spirit so strong. 

We have some newer investigators that live with Hermano Victor.  They are Suleina and Miguel.  This week we taught them about the law of chastity and the importance of families.  They are praying and went to church and want to form their family right.  They loved church and we have a lot of hope in them!  They have a beautiful 2-year old daughter and she has blue eyes and is too cute! 

This week we also kept working with the Moreno family. We are looking for a family that can help them and just keep them in your prayers okay?  They need so much help.  On Fridays, we have our service project and this week we decided to work with their two kids that are really struggling in school.  Well, actually, they don’t go a lot and can’t really write or read.  Only one of them knows the alphabet.  We went all kindergarten teacher on them!  These kids just need a lot of help and they’ve stolen my heart! 

Just one more thing!  This week, I realized something really important.  At the end of our weekly planning, Hermana Gonzalez and I had our companionship inventory.  We worked some things out that had been bothering us and I realized how many times in my life mom and dad, you’ve tried to have companionship inventory with me … I guess that is what happens when both of your parents served a mission! LOL! 

I was kind of too prideful to accept it.  When we talked about priorities, or taking care of Cody, or whatever, I just got defensive and didn’t listen and didn’t want anybody else telling me how I could be better or improve.  I was too prideful and wanted to realize myself in where I was falling short and fix it myself.  I realized that in the mission, my companions and I have listened to each other, we accept suggestions, we try to be better and we work together.  I am so incredibly grateful for my mission and all that I am learning.  I truly feel like I’m getting better and better and preparing myself to form my own family.  Life is great!  Humility is key! 

I love you all to the moon and back and I’m here for whatever you might need!