Week 49: Speaking Spanglish

I am enjoying my companionship with Hermana Corbridge. It’s fun because we speak English a lot... well more like Spanglish, because neither of us can speak either language. We start off talking English and end up talking Spanish. Our mission President encourages us to speak English because he doesn’t want us to forget it. Yesterday during a class the teacher said the word ¨sixteenth¨. So I started thinking, “how do you say that in English? dieciseisth, no.... dieciseisnth... no.” I finally realized that I was mixing English and Spanish together! Dieciseis is 16 in Spanish and I remembered that in English it ended in Th or something. Ha-ha. We’ve had some pretty funny experiences this week speaking Spanglish.

  

I love being a STL, because each exchange we have with the sisters is for a specific reason and we can see how God does His work. During one exchange my companion Hermana Valdez stayed in our area and a sister from Morelia came to work with her. While they were walking they ran into a young man (I shall call him H.) who knew the other sister. H´s wife is a recent convert in Morelia where the sister serves and so they knew each other in that way. But H lives here and his wife converted when they were living apart. They took down his address and what not. After some time, while I was in exchanges, I saw his name on the list and decided to go visit him. That’s when I learned his story. He is already a member; his wife makes him go to church in Morelia, read the scriptures, and say their prayers together. He already knows a lot, but the missionaries have never taught him. He wants to do the best for his family and is happy to learn more about the church. He is someone truly prepared by the Lord. It makes me happy to see the funny ways the Lord works, and how He will get the work done if we just follow His will and do it in His way.

Quote for the day:

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trails are not consequences of your disoedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." -Elder Richard G. Scott

One of our investigators has these adorable pink and blue chicks!

This is a super pretty river in our area that we found.
It smells bad, but it looks good in pictures.

It rained shoes!

Week 48: American Companion

Today is transfers and I am staying in my area! Hermana Corbridge is my new companion. It´s super weird to have an American companion, especially because she was my sister training leader (STL) before.

I had exchanges with the sister training leader leader, Hermana Luna. She knew me from my first three months after I came to Mexico. She said that Hermana Cuazitil (who was my STL) said that I would end up being a STL. She said that the exchanges were really good and that I´m diligent. It made me feel good to hear that I wasn´t a complete wreck like I thought I was when I started. lol 

I got news from Hermana Mayorga (my last companion in La Huerta) that one of our awesome investigators is going to get baptized! I´m so excited for him and to hear of the changes he has made. He is in Helaman of the Book of Mormon. He truly loves to learn and understands the importance of it.

We have a great new investigator. During the lesson she told us that she is extremely Catholic and has never accepted anyone of another religion in her house. She let us come because she really liked the way we presented ourselves. It made me think of the importance of being examples to others. We have no idea who is watching us, so always be a good example.

 Before Hermana Valdez left.

I can't do a serious face!

District meeting! Well, it isn’t actually my district because I was on
exchanges this day...but they are from my zone. And they are pretty great.

This giant iguana just chills out and lives in our investigators house.
He is extremely big and quite friendly as long as we were feeding him.

Week 47: Greetings From Gertrude

This is the last week before transfers. It is very likely that my companion will be leaving and I still don’t know the area. Worst of all I will not be in my area at ALL this week since we are either traveling or having exchanges. Oh no.

While we were walking, a dog stuck its head out of a window and almost bit my head off. I no longer walk near houses.

We visited a new family and while we were talking to them I heard a squeak. I immediately thought “GERTRUDE!!!” It made me super happy when I saw a fat guinea pig stick its head out from under the cabinets. Of course it was a chicken and wouldn’t let me pick it up.

Greetings From Gertrude

Week 46: Decisions Determine Destiny

Happy Three Wise Kings Day! This is special bread called Rosca. In Mexico everyone gets together and eats this bread and inside it there are little baby Christ figures. Whoever finds a figure in their bread has to buy tamales for everyone else on the 2nd of February. I found a figure, but we will have divisions before February. I will still buy tamales because they are yummy, and so is this bread :)

We went to eat at the Steakhouse Sirloin this past week. They serve American style food there, so it made me feel at home for the night :) My companion also thoroughly enjoyed eating there. 

She enjoyed it so much that as we left the restaurant she told me she didn't think she would be able to walk. 

We had to sit down along our way home. I felt awkward sitting on the sidewalk at night in the middle of Guadalajara. When we got home she threw up her buffet. It brought back childhood memories. lol

I calculated it out that this past week I spent at least 24 hours on bus rides. That doesn’t include combies (minibuses) and taxis. We were traveling absolutely everywhere! The next two weeks are going to be the same. Keeping me busy.

For two days we could not find anyone to teach....but we did find adorable kittens to hug. :) 

The little sister of my first convert was baptized this Saturday! It made me happy :) Their mom told me, “Look what you started Hermana Johnston! First my son, and now eight-months later my daughter too!” lol These are the elders in our ward who are the ones teaching her.

We are working on finding young men who are preparing to serve missions, who have not yet committed to serve missions, or have not yet received the priesthood. We found this great young man who hadn’t attended church in a long time, but told us that he has always wanted to serve a mission. We are making goals with him to get him back on track, and then he came to church on Sunday! It makes me happy to see the progress that he’s making.

On Sunday my first convert, who is now 18 years old, gave his testimony. He said that he has made the decision to serve a mission. He also said that he is extremely grateful for the “accidental coincidence” that resulted in us teaching him. We were trying to go someplace else and had the wrong directions - that’s how we found him. He is going to start working on his papers and preparing to leave after high school. I am very happy. :)

“It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.” -President Thomas S Monson

Week 45: Happy New Year!

I loved Skyping! It was super exciting to see you guys and this time Brycie wasn’t asleep and Dallin accepted to be seen. I believe that it was a Christmas miracle. lol

On Christmas I got to Skype my family!

Thanks for the Christmas package! It made me pretty excited! I’m sorry, but I will not be using the things for the cold now...but I will when I get home! It’s good that I will get home in August when it’s still warm. I’ve heard that lots of missionaries get really sick if they go home from here when it’s winter. 

Christmas Package From Home

We tracked all day on Christmas. Absolutely nooooo one was in the streets! Where it was normally busy - it was empty...so logically we laid down and took photos. :)

Merry Christmas!

 Sadly we don’t have any water in Lazaro Cardenas right now. The workers have gone on strike and so the entire city is without water. That makes living a lot of fun! lol The good thing is that we are in Guadalajara today and tomorrow for a meeting with the president. There is water here. :)

Right now Hermana Valdez and I are going to go to an awesome buffet that she says is super yummy. It will be our Merry Christmas/New Years present to ourselves because our Christmas was pretty pathetic. lol So we are going to eat! Yeahhh!

After our district meeting, we had a little 
breakfast-dinner and a gift exchange.

Week 44: Merry Christmas

This week was my ten-month mark! On the same day was the eight-month mark of my first baptism here. My convert was pretty happy and reminded me that it was his eight-month mark. Then the next day he baptized someone! Can I tell you how happy that makes me? He is truly converted. He is preparing to serve a mission and is helping his sister prepare to be baptized as well. I love being here because I can see how my last area has progressed. Three people that we started teaching are now baptized, and the elders are preparing three others. Sure it took a long time for a few of them, but I love to see them happy and with testimonies.

Missionaries and my first convert.

I go on exchanges with the sisters. My companion and I change companions with a set of sisters for a day. We do this so we can see how the sisters are doing and help them with anything they need. While we were out we found a little family of hogs walking around looking for food. 

This Little Piggy

One of our investigators had a birthday, so we bought her a little cake. She was pretty happy because they hadn't done anything for her birthday, since they don`t have much money. 

Happy Birthday!

It honestly does not feel like Christmas because it's so hot. Mexicans don't put up many outside decorations. They are afraid that it draws attention to their house and people are more likely to rob them. I can’t believe that after four months of driving my companions crazy (only 54 days until we talk to our familys) it is finally this week! How exciting is that?

"To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ." -President Thomas S. Monson

Week 43: Welcome Back Again

So I’m pretty sure I have heard the phrase “welcome back again” at least a million times this week! It has been really nice to see all the people again: our investigators who have gotten baptized, the less actives who are now active, and how much the ward has grown.

This week we traveled to Guadalajara to have a meeting with the apostle Elder Russell M. Nelson. The meeting was amazing and afterward we got to shake Elder Nelson's hand and also a few of the seventy.

I feel like we spend more time in the bus then in my area! Guadalajara is eight hours from here, and we have traveled there four times this month. We also travel to other zones for meetings, go and study with the sisters, and have exchanges with the sisters. It's a miracle when we are in our area together. It surely does keep me busy.

Lots of Traveling

I got to see Hermana Vergara again!