Then Sings My Soul

(The following email was was never received by us when Eden sent it Easter Week.  She resent it this week for all of us and you.) 

 A year ago, on Easter Sunday, I was in the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.  A year ago, on Easter Sunday, I decided to serve a mission.  I would have never guessed where I would be spending my next Easter or what I would be doing, but let me tell ya, God works in mysterious ways.  

Did you know that Jerusalem and Tijuana Mexico have the same latitude on the globe?  Well they are, and for this they have a lot of things that are similar.  The same climate, same amount of sun, even the same type of greenery and earthly terrain.  Its incredible.  From my first day here in Mexico I began to notice the similarities of the two places.  The city flows with the hills and valleys, creating mountains made of colorful houses.  There is garbage everywhere and rundown houses just like Jerusalem.  There are even women here that shave off and repaint on their eyebrows like the Palestinian women do. I LOVE IT!  

One of my worries about leaving on my mission was that I would forget a lot of my Jerusalem experiences, and I think knowing this, Heavenly Father sent me to a place that would remind me everyday of the incredible moments I had in Israel and at the same time, allow me to combine them with the incredible work of a mission.  And so this Easter has been a great combination of mission spirituality and Jerusalem memories.  The Saviors life, mission, and work.... and my job as a missionary to follow His footsteps and continue spreading the good word.

Now what did I actually do on Easter?  For those who know me well take a wild guess....  I sung of course! Ha ha.  We had un concierto de Pascua in the mission.   We have been practicing for it since January and I wish that I could send videos of it because it was AWESOME!  Unlike the typical missionary concert, only six missionaries in the entire Tijuana Mexico Mission participated.  Myself, Hna, Beaumont, and four other Elders.  Elder Crocket, Elder Perez, Elder Wood, and Elder Clingo.  We got together in January and began creating our own arrangements of hymns about Easter.  Now I dont want to brag or anything, but based on the outcome of some of our arrangements, we are musical geniuses.  

 Myself, Hna, Beaumont, and four other Elders. Elder Crocket, Elder Perez, Elder Wood, and Elder Clingo

We created a few group songs, as well as duets and solos.  We managed to convince the president to let Elder Clingo and I sing Savior Redeemer of My Soul even though it is in English.  That song has officially become the theme song of my mission.  I also sang Senor Mi Redentor or in English is Oh Lord My Redeemer.  A song that goes through the last moments of the Saviors life up to the resurrection.  A song that I first heard the Saturday before that Easter Sunday in Jerusalem and has always been dear to my heart since.

All of the songs were great and had incredible spiritual power combined with mini talks by President Carreon and his wife.  We held three concerts (which ate up all of our teaching time Saturday and Sunday... but I didnt mind.  Singing is one of my better teaching methods anyways).  One on Saturday in Ensenada.  They had rented out an outside theater for the concert and it felt legit!  The concert when along great even though the piano was a dinky little keyboard and afterwards the prez took us out for some of the best tacos Mexico has to offer.  I refuse to ever step inside a taco bell again.

Sunday there were two concerts here in Tijuana but more specifically in Otay y Florido.  Oh, and hears a fun fact for you.  I woke up that day with literally a snot ball in my throat and unable to breathe through my nose.  Thank you springtime allergies.  So to cut the story short, there wasnt anyone in the world praying as hard as I was that day.  Hoping that my throat would magically clear up and the concerts wouldnt be affected.  There were a couple bumpy parts during the concert in Otay, but an Easter miracle occurred in Florido.  My throat still felt horrible, but every time I got up to sing I could hit the notes.  

I have a strong testimony in the combination of the Spirit and Music.  It can work wonders.  We received many new references por medio de los concierts.  New investigatores, and a strengthening of testimonies for the members.  Lots of crying in general.  Easter is awesome.

PS the obispo de Florido recorded all of the songs in a very cool high tecky way and is going to make us all CD's!  

PPS President Carreon told me that I have the voice of a Disney Princess... no big deal.

Struck Gold

Out here in the "mish" we dont have much to talk about except for our investigatores.  So whenever we have a moment to chat, we tend to swap stories about contacts, converts, and all the crazys we meet.  Often the subject of the Chosen Ones comes up and missionaries begin to share the stories of how they found (or were found by) people that were highly prepared by Heavenly Father to hear the gospel.

Josefa is a chosen one.

A little over 4 weeks ago Hna. Torres and I were a little desperate for investigatores.  So we decided to take a stroll through the area book and reanalyze some of the former investigatores from the long forgotten past.  There is where we found the old teaching record of Josefa.  Really, she wasnt even an investigator, just a contact.  But they had written a note that they couldnt continue to teach her because she was leaving for a vacation in Porto Rico and to check back with her in about 3 months.  Well, it had been three months, and she lived close by, so we decided to check it out and see if she was still interested. 

Yeah, she was interested.  She told us in the first lesson that she had been searching for years for the truth.  She had realized on her own that the beliefs of other religions were confusing and didnt make sense.  She told us that she was willing to do absolutely anything that God wanted her to do if she knew that it was, in fact, from Him.  Accepted eagerly baptism...with the condition that we would come back to teach her more.  Claro que si!  

From there on out it was easy sailing.  We came, we taught, she listened eagerly and accepted todo.  She had a scripture case with a religious text of a different church and as soon as we gave her a Book of Mormon she took out the other book and replaced it with the BOM, un himnario, and all of the pamphlets we had given her.  Her prayers were music to the ears.  She went to the Relief Society General Conference and ALL sessions of General Conference last weekend.  Not to mention invited all of her family and friends to her baptism.  

She refers to us as her Angelitas hermanitas.  One day we went to visit her and she had made us a full dinner, not knowing any other manner to thank us for everything we had done for her.  She is constantly giving us old clothes of her grandchildren or lip gloss and other knickknacks.  And is currently making Hna. Maldonado and I skirts.  She is a chosen one.  She keeps trying to figure out different ways to thank us.... but really we are the ones who are grateful just to have known her and teach her.

I could say so much more about this wonderful lady, but my time is up.  Just know that I have now had the privilege of teaching an angel.

Josefa "The Golden Investigator"

Hermana Maldonado

Three weeks ago we had transfers and I got a lovely new compañera named Hermana Maldonado.  I believe it is about time for me to talk a little bit about her.

Unlike my trainer, Hermana Maldonado is pure Mexican.  She doesnt know much English so obviously we only speak Spanish together which has helped me progress in the language.  However, she LOVES the English language. She says that it sounds so elegant to her..... she clearly hasnt ever been to Detroit... or the south.  Her music is all English EFY songs and MoTab and she often talks about how much she wants to learn English... to which I respond by only speaking English for the next 5 minutes ha ha.

Although she has never been there, she loves America.  The music, chocolate, places.  Her sueno is to be married in the San Diego Temple to a tall American lad.  I have been commissioned to find her future spouse at BYU when I return home from my mission.

We both LOVE cars.  Old and new.

We are addicted to Pïcas Fresas.  What are Picas Fresas?  A Mexican candy that is covered in chili.  Yeah, it happened people.  I have been converted to the chili candy.

She is my second companion who has an identical twin.

She is 21 and halfway through her mission.

Her favorite quote is  Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and WORK.

She is exactly a head shorter than me.  The difference between the length of our legs is quite hilarious. When she cant reach the cereal she wants I grab it for her.  We actually make a cute looking couple. 

She is always laughing, joking around, and has a smile on her face.  Its great.  People often comment on how we, as a companionship, talk with such gozo about what we are teaching.  She knows how to get people to feel comfortable and laugh.

Well thats about all I have time for to write.  She is great.  We work well together and we have helped each other grow.

2nd Companion - Hermana Maldonado

Nice to meet you too........?

Some of you might have heard that the greetings south of the US are a little more friendly then us Americans are use to.  A handshake is always accompanied by a kiss on the cheek.  This did not phase me when I arrived to Mexico because it seemed to be only something done between women.

Flashback to my third week in Mexico.

We had to go and pay the rent lady.  An event that I fully expected to have no participation in because my Spanish was still quite pathetic.  However, small talk started up and she began to ask me the classic questions like, where you from, how old are you, the usual.  When I mentioned that I only had three weeks in Mexico, her son, who had been chill-in out on the couch, butted in the conversation saying that my Spanish was really good for such little time.  Turned out that he was fluent in Spanish and English, so we began talking and I explained what we did as missionaries and what not while my companion paid the rent.  

Time came that he had to leave and he went to his mom and kissed her on the cheek to say goodbye.  My thoughts were, Oh thats so sweet, he loves his mommy.  But didnt think anything else of it.  Then he turned to my companion and I to say goodbye as well.  Another typical Mexico and below custom, you say goodbye to everyone in the room individually.  Sitting in my chair I reached out my hand with the words Mucho Gusto about to come out, but as he shook my hand his face started to move in closer as well.  Thats when time started to move in slow motion.  

All I could remember was not being able to move (cuz I was sitting in a huge chair) and thinking in my head, OH NO, OH NO, OH NO, WHATS HAPPENING? WHAT DO I DO? IS THIS A SIN?  I couldnt pull away because it is EXTREMELY offensive if you dont shake hands or say goodbye to people.  And although it felt like it was in slow motion, it all happened so fast.  On the sidelines my companion was repeating over and over, NO NO NO! NO PODEMOS! NO PODEMOS!  But she was too late.  He kissed my cheek.  Im still not sure if it was a sin or not ha ha.  As a missionary these things become so foreign to us.  Not to mention he was about the same age as me AND had some serious 5 o'clock shadow going on.  The sensation of that fuzz lingered on my cheek for sever minutes after he left.  

Ever since then I have been very careful to stay away from possible situations like that.  It nearly happened again about a month later.. but with a man quite significantly older... like in his 70s and who weighed about four times me.  No thank you.

A Broken Heart... and A Contrite Spirit

Ive have never had my heart broken before.  An accomplishment that I am quite proud of.  No hombre has ever caused me to experience such a pain.... until I met Juan.

As a missionary, it is inevitable to love the people you teach.  If you dont love them, it means youre not doing your job.  But Juan made it easy.  We started teaching Juan the first week I arrived in Mexico... yeah, three months ago.  We didnt know where he lived so we taught him at his TostiLocos stand.  He was very shy, quiet, and I could hardly understand him then.  He hardly said anything and combined with little eye contact, I had the impression that he didnt really want us there.  We were taking up valuable customer time.  But just when it seemed like we were about to start making progress we found out that he didnt live in our area.  So with much regret, we handed him over to the Elders in that area to teach.

Two months later I had nearly forgotten about Juan.  But one day we were contacting some references with Hno. Montes when he told us that Juan had moved back into our area.  Score!  So we passed by once again to say Hi to our old friend.  He seemed the same.  Kind of figity and not super willing to listen, but we made an appointment to come back anyways.

This time we made sure that we were sitting at the table and chairs outside of his stand, instead of standing with him behind the counter.  And although there were cars driving by and customers walking up to interrupt, we got all the way through lesson 1, The Restoration.  We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon, to pray if it and our message was true, and accept a date for baptism.  The typical first lesson.  Then we made another appointment to come back.

Prayer works people.  

We came back when we said we would, but we came back to a different man.  He was excited to see us.  He was talkative.  He was smiling!  Hola hermanas!  Que mas cosas hermosas tienen para mi?  I was confused I wont lie.  So we asked him.  Followed up as some would say.  Ha preguntado Dios acerca de nuestra mensaje?  Yes he had, and he told us that something beautiful happened.  He prayed to ask if the Book of Mormon was true and felt something he couldnt describe, but something hermosa.  So he continued, and asked God if the right path for him to take was baptism.  And once again, the feeling came, even stronger.  More beautiful that he couldnt put into words but it filled him up. And he knew that this was true.  Hna. Torres and I just looked at each other with shocked smiles on our faces and responded that, yes, it is true.  And so we began to teach Juan.  REALLY teach Juan.

He ate up everything we taught.  Wanting to know more and more and more de la palabra de Dios.  He told us that he wanted to leave all of his old life behind him.  He wanted all of his friends to be members of the church.  He wanted to be someone IMPORTANT in the church.  The only problem was his smoking.  But we were working with him every day to help him stop.  He was ready.  He wanted to be baptized.  He kept asking us if we could move up his date.

One week before his scheduled baptism date Hna. Torres y yo had plans to stop by and talk with him.  But as we walked up to his house, we saw him swigging a big ole bottle of Tecate beer.  His eye got wide as he recognized us and quickly removed it from his lips and wiped his mouth clean.  

There are no words to describe how I felt in that moment.  At first I refused to believe that it was true.  They just happened to run out of clean glasses in the house and so he just filled up the empty bottle with milk....yeah... that was it.  But no.  That was not it.  He came up to us, said that we had caught him in the act.  We said that we would see him tomorrow (knowing that we couldnt talk to him drunk) and had to walk away.

I was of no use the rest of the day.  My heart had broken inside.  There is no other way to describe it.  He was so close!!!!  Just one more week!  Stupid Satan!!!  When we went back to our apartment at the end of the day all I could do was curl up on my bed and try to convince myself that it really was just milk... or mango juice perhaps.

But life goes on.  We have these problems and they help us grow.  We chatted with Juan the next day.  Reminded him of the power of the Atonement, and scheduled for him and new fecha bautizmal two weeks from the day.  And everyday for the past two weeks we have stopped by his house or TostiLocos stand to help him, teach him, support him.  Lots of work.  But totally worth it.  Last Friday

Juan's Baptism

Juan was baptized.  Cleaned from all.  And yesterday I got to see him confirmed.  Two small, short acts, but they mean so much.

I love my job.  I love this people.  And I will have a thousand more heartbreaks if it means that I can see the change that happened for Juan happen for others.  He said he is content.  So am I.

Por Fin

There is some news to be shared.  

First, MY SISTER IS GOING TO THE CHILE CONCEPCION MISSION!!!!  I know everyone and their dog knew that before me, but as a missionary, and as the big sister of a future missionary, I have a right to make my own announcement.

Second, I am no longer in training anymore.  We had transfers today and while I will be staying the the same area, I have a new compañera. No more excuses for not knowing anything.  I am a legit missionary now.... what have I been for the past four months I dont know haha

Third, as though to signify my leaving training-hood and becoming a real missionary, I have now experienced what every missionary needs to serve properly.  I have been bit by a dog.  The right of passage is complete.  

Now to get to the really good stuff.  BAPTISMS!!!!!

We had two baptisms this week.  First I will talk about about Miguel.  His story is short and sweet, how I would like them all to be.  He was a contact of the other set of missionaries in our ward.  We stopped by his house one night (after half an hour of searching for it) but because it was late we could only set up another time for us to stop by the next week.  But ever since then it was smooth sailing.  We would teach and he would listen and accept everything which was good because we basically have to walk up a mountain to get to his house each day.  But that was something that grabbed his attention.  That these two girls who hardly knew him were willing to walk in the heat very far and hard to to be able to teach him about the gospel.  It was so worth it.  And after overcoming the little obstacle of drinking coffee, he was baptized five weeks latter.  ONE MORE FOR THE KINGDOM!

Baptism of Gaby and Miguel

Now for Gaby.  She was a headache to handle.  We started to teacher when I first arrived here in Mexico... 3 months ago.  She was always very accepting of everything we taught.  Her husband had died 5 years before and as we taught the Plan of Salvation she said that she had known a long time ago that her husband was just fine.  She KNEW it all and said that she wanted to get baptized, but she would never agree to a date. Her 12 year old son was even a member. Talk about frustrating!!!!  And then, to add to the irony, when we finally were able to get her to start going to church, we were never able to see here again.  For the past two months she has never missed a Sunday at church, but as much as we tried to get appointments with her to teach, she was either too busy or wasnt there when we stopped by.  And she is our neighbor!  You would think it would be easy to meet with her.  But no.  

Gaby and her son

Finally, about two weeks ago, we were able to meet with her again.  But we never taught a lesson.  She just let out a lot of stuff that she had been keeping for awhile.  Stuff about her late husband, raising her children, work, everything.  So we just counseled her and at the end, when it was getting time to leave I felt that we should ask her to be baptized again.  We had asked her so many times before, I just thought, what could it hurt?  So as Hna. Torres was packing up her stuff to leave, I asked Gaby, once more, if she would be baptized.  She said yes.... but she always says yes.  So I warily attempted to set a date for the 22 of Marzo, thinking that she would want the extra time and that if we pushed for sooner she would shy away again.  But in response she paused a moment... and said,  yes, but I heard there was going to be a baptismal service next Friday.  Right?    

We were shocked.  Was she saying yes?  We jumped on that and told her that she was more than welcome to be baptized then if she wanted....OF COURSE!  She certainly had enough sacrament meeting attendances to make it work.  As soon as we were out of sight and hearing of her house, we began running, jumping, dancing, laughing for joy.  After 3 months Gaby had accepted a date!!!  POR FIN!!!!  And so last friday she and our dear Miguel were baptized.  I still cant believe that it happened

Just Two Hermanas doing their Thang.

Hermana Torres and I really love food!

Last P-Day with Hermana Torres

Last P-Day with Hermana Torres

My entire Zone.

A crazy Elder from the Zone.

Hermana Torres and my room.

Me and my apartment roomates with our matching blazers.

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Well I am out of time and have to go.  Thank you all for your prayers.  I will write again next week!

A Day in The Life

Because the manner of mission work is a little different in Mexico then in the good ole U.S. of A. Ive been asked a lot what our daily schedule is like.  I will tell ya right now, no day is like the other.  But I will try to give you a glimpse into what its like.

6:30 to 8 am:  Wake up, exercise, get ready, and eat breakfast.

8 to 9: Personal Study

9 to 10: Companionship study

Now here it gets tricky.  Depending on the day, we either have District Meetings, weekly planning, or some other reunion to go to.  But if there isnt anything else planned, and because Im still a tranie, we have an hour of entrenemiento followed by another hour of language study.  So usually we dont get to leave the house and teach until 12 in the afternoon.

From 12 to 8 pm we are out teaching.... except for 2 pm.  Thats when we go to members homes to eat.  Everyday a member signs up to feed us.  Its awesome how willing everybody is to just give us food.  Sometimes so much that I feel like Im going to explode.

But back to teaching.  Usually we try to have as many appointments as possible to fill the day because we cant fill up hours tracting.  But here is a fun fact about the Mexican culture.  Making an appointment with someone does not mean you have an appointment with them.  It means, sure, you can pass by around that time and if I am here we can have a chat...but no promises.   It is soooooo frustrating.  Everything we do depends on other people, no matter how hard we work.  We might have walked half way across the city to get to their house and then find out they arent there.  In this manner, a lot of our time gets eaten up with walking from place to place and waiting for people who are late and so on.  But the lessons with progressing investigators make it all worth it.  They never let us down.  They want to be there, they dont want to miss what we have to say, and I always walk away from those lessons with a big smile on my face.

So to answer another question I was asked, the amount we teach each day totally depends on other people.  On the members, investigatores, contacts.  We just do our best to be there on time and ready.  So each day differs.  It is very clear that we are not in control.  He is.

Because we live in Tijuana... and it is a tad sketchy at night,  us Hermanas have to be back in our apartments at 8 pm.  Then we plan and PRAY for the next day and go to bed at 10:30.

In two weeks we will have transfers again.  I will have a new companion and wont be training anymore so we will have to see how the schedule changes.  I will be sure to keep you updated.  But now when you are sitting at home with your bowl of ice cream watching Once Upon a Time  9 at night... you can imagine what Im doing :)

Oh!  P.S.  I have now learned what everyone who ever goes to Mexico needs to learn.  How to make legit tortillas!  We learned from one of the sisters in the ward last Monday.  Enjoy the pictures!!

.

Barrios

Nothing out of the norm has happened this week to talk about.  Some investigators are doing fantastic.... others not so much.  The usual.  So I figured I would answer more from the extremely long list of questions I have been asked.

Q: Is the rule of working with members only for Tijuana or all the Mission?

A:  It is the whole mission.  Actually, it is the rule for all of Mexico.  Wowzers right?  We arent allowed to knock on any doors unless they are a reference from a member.  It really is the ideal way to do mission work because if the investigator is a member reference, then they already have a friend to guide them in the church and someone to join in the missionary discussions.  The only problem is that as missionaries, we are entirely dependent on the members to get new investigators and only a handful of members have the desire for mission work.  Every lesson we have with a member we ask for referencias and everyone claims that they dont know anyone.  It can be frustrating, especially when appointments fall through and we cant go tracting to find new people.  But those few members that have that flame, and want all of their friends to hear of the gospel and love joining us in lessons with investigators, they make our days great.  I cant stress enough to you folks back home how important members are in mission work.  Everything works 100 percent better when members help with references and lessons.  Plus, when you do that, you become the missionaries favorite people... and you know there has got to be blessing that come from that. 

Q: Are the wards big?

A:  Just like the US it depends where you are.  Some areas are just branches, but most of the wards in the Tijuana city area are average sized.  And if we could get all the less actives to reactivate they could be twice their size.

Turns out I didnt have as much time as I thought to answer more questions, but I promise I will get to them!

Speaking Hebrish?

We baptized a Jew last Saturday.  I say we, but he was the investigator of the second companionship of Hermanas in our ward.  Still, it was really cool.  No matter where I go I cant seem to escape Jerusalem.  I dont mind.

Its very interesting.  There are such great differences between Mormon and Jewish religion.  Trust me, Ive studied it.  And because the Jewish beliefs are so strong its somewhat difficult to talk to them about the gospel and we often think that the Jews wont be convinced until the Second Coming.  But Im seeing it happen right now.  

The message that we bring is incredible and the Book of Mormon is key.  It really is the tool for the convincing of the Gentile and Jew and I am so excited to get to hand out copies of it to all those who are willing to accept it.  I would also like to put in a plug here for member missionaries.  Us full time missionaries cant do nearly as much good without you guys.  When you can invite your friends to hear the gospel, something that you hold near and dear to your heart, they are more receptive.  That is how Jose (our Jewish friend) came to a knowledge of the church.  Despite his firm conviction in Judaism, his loving friend, step by step, introduced him to the gospel and now he is a member. With out his friend, he would have never listened to the missionaries and been baptized.  We need you.  Mission work really is that of the members.  We are just here to teach the lessons, hand out pamphlets, and eat members food... chiste chiste.

But it really was a special moment for me. True, I never taught Jose and I didnt know him very well, but the other Hermanas asked me to sing a musical number at the baptism.  I sung How Great Thou Art, one of my personal favorites and as I sung Jose raised his hands, palms facing inwards and elbows down by his side, in a typical Jewish praising manner.  I recognized it immediately from my visits to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  While it was extremely odd for a Mormon baptism and no one else did it, it was very touching for me to see.  It reminded me of a time and land that I love very much.  But not only that, I realized immediately the significance of it for him.  I saw the expression on his face and as I finished the last verse he raised his hands high above his head in final praise.  Sure, its not how we usually worship, but that doesnt make it mean any less.  I was so happy I was able to be there and experience a second tiny trip to Israel and see the great change in his life.

This work is good.  Be a part of it if you can.  You wont regret it.

Hermana Torres

First off, I wish you all a Happy Valentines Day.  Try to think about me if you have a moment.  

Now how about I tell you a little about the person Ive been living with for the past two months.  As usual, here is a list of fun facts about her:

She has 7 months out on her mission

Is from Queretaro, Mexcio

20 years old.

She loves headbands

Cant eat bananas

Birthdays are a really big deal for her

Is Mexicana

Lived in the good ol U.S. of A. for eleven years

Slightly obsessed with pears

Loves musicals

Quotes Disney movies all the time

Dont even get us started talking about The Office.  The quotes will never end.

She knows of every YouTube phenomenon.

Was an English teacher before her mission.

I have been pretty lucky so far with companions.  I have been great friends with all of them (a grand total of 2) so far.  Hna. Torres lived in the US for eleven years and so is fluent in both Spanish and English.  She is my walking dictionary.  We actually found out that in 2008 we were at the same EFY(especially for youth) in Bowling Green, KY.  We never met each other there, but its still cool nonetheless!  

Hermana Torres is great.  Due to her Mexican nationality, but American childhood she really is the best of both worlds.  She can correct my pronunciation, show me how to make a REAL burrito, and explain customs

and cultures.  But at the same time we can make missionary remixes of NSYNC songs, quote BonQuiQui and Can I Have Your Number?

She says that Im the first companion she has had who was taller than her... go figure.  Our situation is rather funny.  Since we are close to the border many people know a little English.  So they will try to talk to me in English, thinking I wont understand the Spanish... and then say it again for her in Spanish thinking she doesnt know English.   Little do they know we understand both.

Shes great.  We get along just fine and have similar ideas about a lot of stuff.... especially on how much we love food....

Exclusive Interview

Nothing fancy has happened this week... except for mission work.  That is always awesome.  So I just thought I would answer some more questions that I have been getting.

Q: Have you been able to see the ocean?

A: Sadly no.  But at night I can see the lights of San Diego.  Sweet sweet America.

Q:  Do you prefer snail mail or email?

A:  I am a lover of both.  Its so great to be able to log on each week and find so many letters to read and it is  perfect to get information to me fast.  However, I am a little bit old fashioned too.  Nothing beats a handwritten letter.  Especially the surprise of getting one at District meetings.  The only downside is that it takes awhile for them to reach me.  Two weeks mas o menos.  So if you need to let me know something fast or need a response fast.  Email.  If not,  and you have legible handwriting, I would love a handwritten note too!

Q:  How do you like the candy?

A:  For those unfamiliar with Mexican culture, here is a fun fact for you:  They eat chili with everything.  Burritos, tacos, enchiladas, hamburgers, hot dogs, hot chocolate, potato chips, the list goes on.  And yes, it includes candy as well.  Every type of hard candy is coated in chili powder.  It is... interesting.  Ive tried it a few times and it is no doubt something you have to get used to.  Usually after what seems like and hour of sucking on fire, you hit the sweet fruity center.  By the end of my mission I will be addicted to them and forcing them down my younger siblings throats.  Consider yourselves warned. 

Q:  Is it dangerous?

A:  Its aight.  They take really good care of the sisters in this mission.  There are only a few cities that we are sent to and they are all close the the mission home so that if anything happens to us the mission president can get to us as soon as possible.  Also, in parts of the city that are un poco mas peligroso, it is a rule for the sisters to go back to their apartments at eight instead of nine.  

For those have been concerned about my welfare, thank you so much but dont fret.  Im doing just fine.  I never feel like Im in any danger.  And for those who havent cared a smidge about me..... I will pray for you.

here are some random pictures of the beautiful city I am in.... and what I like to do in my free time.... missionarys arent as wise as you think we are :)

My 1st District in Tijuana

Tijuana at sunset

"Hola Senor"
( Eden's companion in the background says, "Huh, Hermana, can we continue with our companion study now?")

Double stuffed conversion

Ive been in Mexico for over a month now, supposedly doing mission work, yet I havent mentioned anything about our investigatores.  For all you know, I could have been down here for the past few weeks spending everyday eating tortillas and enchiladas.  Well I am proud to set the record straight and let you know that I have been working.  And to prove it, I will now introduce to you my first baptisms!!!!!

We had our first lesson with Claudia and Susana Montes my third day in Mexico.  They were a reference from their brother who has been a member for a few years now.  He has always tried to get them to take the missionary lessons but they have never been interested.  However, a week before I arrived they attended a Christmas concert put on by the missionaries, felt the Spirit, and decided that they wanted to know more.  

It has been so neat to be able to see every step of their progression, from lesson one and the First Vision, to attending church, and that lovely moment talking about the Law of Chastity.  They have been so accepting of it all, it made me wonder a few times if they really were gaining testimonies or just said yes to things to make us happy.  But we had their baptisms last Saturday and let me tell you, we had lots of apprehensions about how everything would work out.  One of the obstacles was finding white clothes that would fit them (they have a lot of personality and therefore need a lot of... body to keep it all contained).  But everything at the baptism went smoothly.  The Spirit was strong, and I could see tears in their eyes.  The best part was hearing Claudias closing prayer.  It was so plain, but very sincere and just PERFECT!!  And hearing their thoughts on how they felt afterwards just made my week... which actually was horrible lesson wise.

Hermana Torres, Claudia, Susana, and me.

Montes' siblings

They are the kindest most friendly ladies ever.  Every time we visit they give us food, health tips, presents for Christmas.  We really are their friends... actually, more like daughters.  I especially love them for how they have treated me and my language handicap.  When I teach they focus on what im trying to say instead of how I sound.  If I make a mistake they lovingly help me correct it and we continue with the lesson.  

We always joke around with them, even with my messed up Spanish, but its still fun.  One of their favorite things to tease me about (especially after teaching the law of chastity) is that right after my mission I will go to Spain or Paris and get married quick as lighting... I dont fully understand what makes them think that but I roll with the punches. 

People keep congratulating me on my first baptisms,but they dont feel like mine at all.  Well, they werent.  I was just lucky enough to be alongside them and watch the process.  And I am so excited to continue to see them grow and learn in the church.  

The work is moving forward people.  Its exciting, its hard, its love.  Do what you can to help it and I promise you will see the blessings come.

Spiritual Tan Lines

Time for a question answer session...

Q:  How do you feel about walking around?

A:  I love it.  Tijuana is very beautiful in its our special way and I love getting to walk around and see the colorful houses covering the mountains, tennishoes hanging from telephone wires, and even the graffeti covering the walls.  Not to mention all the taco stands we get to pass by and smell (one of which I got to try last week.  TAN RICO!!).  I´m glad we are a walking mission, but it does get frustrating when we walk muy lejos for a lesson to find that no one is home.  That´s when Heavenly Father sends us a stunning sunset to keep us company as we continue to another appointment.  I´m proud to say that due to all the walking in the sun I am officially a real missionary now.  Tan lines included.  My companion complains about getting a tan line from the straps on her shoes but I´m all for it!  Bring it on!  I was so happy the other day when I took off my shoes and washed my feet to find that the lines weren´t from dirt and dust but my actual skin. I´m ligit now!

Q:  How is the language coming?

A:  Slowly.  But in this manner my patience is improving.  It´s still very frustrating when I can´t say exactly what I want, but I accept it now.  I can understand most of what I hear, or depending on the speed of talking, follow the general topic.  I´m really good at pretending to laugh at the appropriate times when everyone else understands the joke but me...  It´s much more difficult for me to talk.  I know a decent amount of vocabulary but grammar kills me.  The order of words is always changing and don´t even get me started on conjugating verbs.  In the next life I´m going to search out whoever it was that thought it would be a fun idea to make six different ways to say one word... and then another six for past tense and so on... and when I meet them I´m going to give them a piece of my mortal mind.  And then we´ll hug it out and I´ll forgive them with my immortal heart.  But seriously, it´s ridiculous.

Q:  Do you like the food... is it too spicy?

A:  I love the food, and the food I don´t love I´m trying to slowly get accustomed to it.  There are a couple of drinks that are sort of funky and were tough to force down the first time.  But each additional sip gets better.  Everyone is pretty good at not giving me too much spice.  They bring out two types of salsa.  The usual for my companion and a baby version especially for the American.  But that doesn´t stop me from trying it.  After all, chili makes you speak better Spanish right? 

I was never a big fan of Mexican food in the U.S. but now I realize that that was because it wasn´t real Mexican food.  The stuff down here is much better.  Tacos are HEAVEN!  And don´t even get me started on enchiladas.  Hermana Torres and I have a long list of all the places we´ve passed by that we´ve smelled and have to try.  The only problem is that they have no portion control. 

The Fun People I Love

So I hope enough suspense has been built up from last week to really get you excited about this weeks post.  If not... thanks.  I love you too.  Regardless, as I said las week, my ward (Paraiso) is a little... special.  Lots of unique members.  So I thought that this week I would mention a few of them.  Names have been changes for my own enjoyment of making up new ones.

Hermana Science Fiction

This darling hermana has many ideas, strange ideas about the gospel.  What will happen in the Second Coming and how we will look after resurrected.  When she was younger she had to have surgery and she firmly believes that during the surgery they inserted a chip that monitors her.  Why?  Because she knows things... and they need to watch her to make sure she doesnt spill the beans about their secrets.  Now how does she know there is a chip inside of her?  She can feel and hear electricity.  Her house is surrounded by intenas... watching her, making her body hurt with all the electricity.  She is quite the character.  Her hearing isnt very good, which I now realize how ironic it is considering how she claims to hear electricity.  Regardless, due to her bad hearing, we always have to yell at her to make her understand.  It is quite a strange experiance yelling a prayer in a horribly obvious American accent.  But she yells right back at us, claiming that she still cant hear.  She also refuses to believe that I understand spanish.  Entonces, because she knows a decent amount of english, she will talk to my companion first in spanish, and then reexplain everything in english to me... es un poco frustrating.  Oh, and she likes to call me Hermana Barbie....... I dont even understand...

Hermano Highway

Is a recent convert and absolutely adores the sister missionaries.  Every time we go visit, as soon as we finish the closing prayer we migrate to the kitchen for hot chocolate and cake, doughnuts, cookies, pizza, something!  And when we leave he stuffs a grocery bag full of more goodies.  Once he gave us a literal bread basket.  No joke, the basket was made out of bread and filled with cookies.  It was heaven... and horrible temptation to have in our house.  He is also quite the gentleman.  About 60 or so years old, he is very worried about our welfare.  He always insists on walking us back to our apartment if its close to 8 o'clock y cosas así.  Since we have to have another woman with us every time we go to teach him, we always bring Hermana Soap.  We are secretly hoping that through our lessons they can have a charming little courtship.  Honestly, they are perfect for each other.  Hey, as missionaries we cant date... but they never said that we couldnt play matchmaker.  After all, our goal as missionaries is to put people on the path of the temple right?....matrimony included.  They only downside to visiting Hermano Highway is that he talks 90 miles per hour and hardly opens his mouth.  I never have any hope of understanding what he says.  Perhaps, after my mission, and several more years of studying Spanish, I will be able to return and have an actual conversation with him.

Well, no time left to mention the many other ..unique.. members of the ward.  But let me tell you, despite their qwirks, they feed us well.  Everyday we have lunch with a member and portions are crazy here!  I have no hope to loose weight.  In fact, Im afraid Im going to blow up here.  Not only are portions huge, but if you dont eat everything they give you they get offended.  You have to lick the plate clean.  No crumbs

, no sauce, nada.  And the same goes for drinks.  And when we arent eating with them, they are just handing us food.  We hardly ever have to actually buy food.  Members keep sending us off with more and more and more.... Im starting to seriously consider getting a tapeworm.  Im going to need it.

Tijuana - My Home Town Now

Chille helps you speak Spanish

Time, as always, is short.  So I am sad to say that once again, my email wont be as long as you might hope.  But you have something to look forward to because I am dedicating next week to talk about my.... special ward.  Oh yeah, feel the suspense. 

my first SPICY burro

Bowling on new years!!!!  

Feliz Navidad

And a Happy New Year!!!

So here in Mexico the big day for holiday festivities is Cristmas Eve.  Thats when everyone eats and the fiestas happen.  To put it plainly, Christmas day is more of a hangover  day.  How quaint.  Anyways, X-Mas Eve we had meal after meal after meal.  But the highlight of the day for me...besides skyping with my family, was eating with Presidente Carreon y su familia.  It had a very homey feel, was deliectable, other Elders that spoke english were there!!!  

Im afraid I cant write anymore so I will try to make up for it in photos.  

This work is awesome!!!  And just think, if I like it this much when I cant even speak the language, imagine what it will be like when I can!!!!

Tijuana

Loving the work.

Eden and her missionary roommates.

Christmas Eve with Presidente Carreon and Zone Missionaries

So this is Mexico

So it turns out  the inhabitants of Mexico arent as short as I thought they were.  Still, Ive gotten many looks that imply Im a very strange, white, tall, American woman.  I will apologize now for the strange punctuation.  The keyboards down here are slightly different and I have yet to figure out where all the apostrophies and quotations marks are.  Also, we are only given an hour for emails on P Day so I wont be able to write much.  It drives me mad becasue there is so much I want to say to so many people but I dont have the time to write them all.  One of the many sacrifices of mission work I suppose.

So for those who are curious to know a little bit about Mexico, here are a few things Ive noticed.

*EVERYONE owns dogs.  Mean little things that never stop barking.  Anytime you walk by the front of a house brace yourself for a chorus of annoying yelps.

*Watch where you step.  Because of the grand amount of perros, there is doggie doodoo  everywhere.  Walking on a sidewalk is like my own strange Labyrinth, made from perro unmentionables.

*When inquiring where someone lives, don't bother asking for street names.  Just ask them what color the house is.

Next week I hope to write more but this will have to be it for today.  I literally have no time left.  Keep me in your prayers!

 

President Armando Carreon  and Sister Carreon