Week 30: Transfers

Today we had transfers and Hermana Vergara left me. It was super duper sad because we got along REALLY well! We would sometimes (but rarely) butt heads and that was because we are ridiculously alike in personality. She really helped me open up more, learn more of the gospel, and how to love everyone. I will miss her tons!

My new companion is Hermana Mayorga. She seems nice. She is almost 22 and only has 3 months in the mission, so I’m the senior companion. Scary stuff.

Cake for Cambios

Week 29: Learning About Prayer

This week I have learned a lot about prayers from one of my favorite people, Hermano Tinoco. One day he was about to say the prayer. After a minute of silence we asked what was wrong. He told us that he knew he was going to talk to God, so he wanted to think first about what he was going to ask Him and thank Him for. A few days later in his prayer he said something like, “Heavenly Father, remember how two days ago I asked for help for my friend? I would like to thank you, because he has improved a lot.” These two experiences really struck me. First, how many times do I really recognize that I’m talking with my loving Heavenly Father and that he is listening to what I am saying? Second, do I remember what I prayed for two days ago? Hermano Tinoco remembered and was able to recognize the answer to his prayer. How many times do we miss our answers to prayers or blessings because we aren’t paying attention?

Lately I have noticed how good I am at recognizing the things I’m doing wrong and what I need to improve on. That is good because it helps me to change, but I forget to recognize the things that I am doing right. I think it is really easy to see our imperfections and become depressed, therefore stunting our growth. God expects progression, not perfection. God wants us to be happy. There is always something we can improve, but it will do us no good if we only think of these things. We should rejoice in all that we have and be happy. :)  My week has been much better once I finally realized that. 

Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” -Gordon B. Hinckley

“God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. Let me add, God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not. And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others - usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. As a result we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Hermano Tinoco's Baptism

My companion heard if you hug a tree
it will take away your tiredness.

Week 28: Teaching About Prayer

Hermano Tinoco is one of our investigators and we love visiting him! We have been preparing him for baptism and he is progressing well. He learns very slowly, but he has such a desire to learn. In one of his notebooks we wrote the steps on how to pray.

1. Heavenly Father

2. I thank thee for…

3. I ask thee for…

4. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen

We’ve explained these steps at least a million times, but every time he prays he just reads each of the points. Then before he says amen he just starts talking to God. He says things like, ¨Okay Heavenly Father, this is what I have to tell you...¨ or ¨I know I’m old and slow, but please help me to remember what the sisters are teaching.” His prayers are so sincere it amazes me...just he puts things a little out of order. lol

Prayer is such a blessing! On the mission, I miss you guys a lot and I think, “Oh, I would love to be able to tell my family this or that!” It’s easy to forget that we always have family close by. Our Father in Heaven is anxiously waiting to talk to us. He loves to hear what’s going on in our lives, how we are feeling, and what we need. He wants to help us, if we humble ourselves and ask.

INVITATION FOR THE WEEK: Take time to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father. I’m sure He doesn’t appreciate hearing the same things every time. As we bring ourselves closer to God we will find the answers to questions we didn’t know we had. We will find more purpose in our lives, and great joy through the good times and even the bad. We will find more love filling our lives.

Hermano Tinoco has at least 10 pairs of glasses and
he can't see with any of them.

Most of the sisters in my district.

This is our district. Beautiful, no?

Week 27: Six Months Out

I hit my 6 month mark this week! Craziness right?

Answering Questions

Whenever we ask the boys questions, Danny and Leo look at Christian (the oldest) for the answer. Now we have them put the hats over their faces so they have to think for themselves. They learn ridiculously fast! 

Family Baptism

Here is our lovely Garcia family on their baptism day. Don’t they look so great! They were very happy.  :)

Delicious Dinner

After the baptism we ate pizza and then flan. Flan is a popular dessert made with sugar, eggs, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. In Mexico they put hot sauce and ketchup on pizza.

Week 26: Perfection Pending

I am doing a lot better with Spanish, although sometimes people can’t understand everything I say. I want to know Spanish perfectly; NOW! I think I need to study much more about patience.

We have been teaching a family from Congo. Only the dad speaks Spanish and everyone else speaks French. It makes teaching a little difficult. We´re always uncomfortable because the culture is different and we don´t know when we are doing something wrong. The dad is a teacher at the nearby university. He talks a LOT and he took the pleasure of informing us that as servants of God, we are doing a very bad job. We are boring, bad teachers, and he has learned nothing. No offence of course. lol So he gave us a nice long lecture on what we should do differently. We were pretty distraught.

My companion and I are both ridiculously stubborn, which makes me mad. This week we had a few rough spots...and a really long Thursday. We both went on strike and it was absolutely ridiculous. Woofta.

“Think the best of each other, especially those you say you love. Assume the good and doubt the bad.” -Jeffrey R. Holland

We Love Pan

Week 25: Spicy Hot

I can eat a lot more spicy hot food then many Mexicans. People are so surprised. I just think of mom and I piling jalapeños on our Mexican food until my mouth hurt. lol The members expect me not to be able to eat hot food, and they think it’s funny. So I often act like the food is super hot, because they are expecting that reaction. Actually, I really like the food here.

This week we have been working a ton with the Garcia family and we are having much success. We love their family! We had a family home evening with them and they invited their nephew, Leo. Their daughters, Jessica (17) and Rosa (15), taught the lesson on faith so they could complete a goal in their “Personal Progress”. They prepared a PowerPoint with scriptures, stories, and a video! We were shocked and it was great. We played games and had prizes of candy. Afterwards the parents said that they finally understand the importance of FHE. It’s a time for family to be separate from the world, so they can learn and have fun together.

FHE with Garcia Family

Since FHE the sons, Christen (12) and Danny (8) finally want to have lessons with us. The other day we were teaching their sisters and we told them to be back from playing in 30 minutes, so we could teach them. In 30 minutes they came back with Leo and patiently waited. I love the lessons with them because they are young and we have to teach in a way to keep them involved and awake. The other day we were teaching them a lesson and my companion mentioned something about Pinky and the Brain (don’t ask me what it has to do with the plan of salvation). They just looked at us like we were really old. We felt really old!

Leo wants to be baptized and go to church, but his mom is extremely Catholic and won’t let him. Yesterday he came to church with the Garcia family. We were excited until we asked him how he got permission from his mom. He told his mom that he was going to the Catholic Church with the Garcia family. Ah! We had to clarify that he can’t lie to his mom.

  

Yesterday I got sick. It has been building up for a few days, and yesterday it hit me. I was trembling and throwing up - I thought I was going to die. On the bright side, when I put on my skirt this morning it was a lot more loose! lol I’m feeling a lot better today.

We visit Hermano Alberto a lot. He is over 90 years old and can’t attend church because he has a hard time walking. He is funny and we love him! But…there is a problem. His house is the perfect temperature, and very calm and pleasant. We are wide-awake before the lesson; then afterwards we are so tired. We had to start bringing little candies to eat during the lesson to keep us awake and alive.

I’m pretty happy. This week I have learned so much! The gospel is absolutely beautiful and when you piece everything together it makes so much sense. God’s plan is perfect and I have no doubt that the gospel is true. Go and study!

Week 24: No Cambios

We didn’t have cambios. Yeah! We were so happy because we have some grand plans for this coming transfer. We are going to lose a ton of weight and Hermana Vergara will be able to speak English! :)

No cambios! We had a fiesta by eating what we had in the
house! Tostalladas, frijoles, some wierd mexican queso,
and of course liquado.

We have a really funny investigator named Isarrarás. He is always so happy to see us and he tells us we are not allowed to leave the area, ever. We’re not exactly sure if he’s progressing in the gospel yet, but he’s reading and attending church.

We have been teaching the Garcia family. They have been listening to the gospel for over a year now, but they didn’t like going to church. Their kids always ran when we came to teach because they didn’t like listening. They thought it was boring. lol But this was a week of miracles for them. We invited their daughters to EFY and they said, “sure, why not”.  They went and they loved it! Their parents thought the first thing their daughters would say is how much they have missed them, but no. The first thing they said was, ¨We don’t care if you guys don’t want to go to church, we want to. And we want to be baptized!¨ I couldn’t believe it (jaw dropper). My companion and I had to try our hardest not to cry. They received answers to questions they had that we didn’t know about because they wouldn’t talk to us. Now their daughters are much friendlier and they seem to see us as normal people (which is nice). They went to church and liked it a lot more. The dad said he received his answer and he’s now ready for baptism! After so much time and many baptism dates, we think they are ready. :) 

My companion told me some interesting history. There are pyramids in Mexico and one tells of a Dios Blanco (White God) who will come again. When Hernan Cortez came to Mexico the people thought he was the god because he was tall and white, wore wealthy clothes and traveled in big boats. They gave him lots of gold, believing that the god had come again and all was well. People here understand and accept the Book of Mormon a lot easier because there is history here that they can link it to.