Xactness, Willpower

¡Hola, my lovies!

This one is going to cover this and last week, since last week I got caught up in answering back some emails and didn't get to the mass email! First of all, Momma, Dear Elder is the best because there's no chance that it will get lost and it will get to me the fastest - we get our Dear Elders every time we meet as a district, zone, etc... So, this last week, I got my Dear Elders at two different times! Also, THANK YOU MOMMA LESUEUR AND FAM for the sweet SWEET Halloween package! Hermana Salinas is using the computer that I need to use to send pictures, so I hope I get to send some today, but if I don't... the lights are up, on top of the fridge, and the pumpkin on the microwave! I'm so sad I don't have a way to make the cookies, we only have our little one-room that has a fridge and microwave...it's kind of our own little house back there, we go around to get to it and we're never in the member's house... she's a pretty cranky lady, jajaja... I'm going to try to muster up the courage to ask her to use her oven next P-day! Hermana Salinas advised me against it, haha. But just having all that stuff in the room makes me SO happy. 

Wow, where to begin? Since I last wrote a formal email, we have gained lots of awesome new investigators, many have come to church, and one is getting baptized in a few weeks. We struggled for a bit, re-opening this area and starting from pretty much nothin', but I have a notebook full of names, directions, phone numbers...in two weeks, with my second trainer, I will have to know my way around perfectly, because she will be completely new to the area! 

It's pretty well-known here when you don't get a baptism every week - at a New Missionaries Training, President Whitehead definitely announced that Hermana Salinas and I are the only sisters of this new ´generation´ to not have a baptism yet (a chapel-ful of people - yikes!), but I think he understands that I'm doing the best I can to figure everything out - he did tell everyone that we have a new area and such. Isn't that crazy? We ARE the top-baptizing mission in Mexico, a baptism a week is not only expected...it happens! I participate as much as I possibly can in every lesson, and I am proud to say that going up to talk to someone new doesn't scare me! I can honestly say I'm pushing myself really really hard, to learn the language, to learn how to teach, to learn how to work with members, to learn how to live in a different country so far away from anything familiar, and I think he can see that. On the 27th, our investigator Jessica will qualify for baptism. She's seventeen, and super cute. She's way nice about my awkward attempts at casual conversation (not the easiest - I'm a lot better with Gospel topics, jeje), she always does her reading, she always understands it, I always feel the Spirit during our time with her. Fingers crossed everything stays great, I can't wait to see her in white! She will be Hermana Salinas' last baptism, and my first! I have high hopes for a few of our other progressing investigators as well, such as Connie and Valeria Seja, Familia Romero, Dominica... I have a great relationship with Connie and Valeria, last time we had a lesson I wound up helping Valeria (the daughter) with her piano homework! Familia Romero was a reference from a ward member, and they've already been to church a few times... when we went to their house for the first lesson, they were there sitting and waiting for us, which is really unusual! Mexico is VERY lax about being on time, about following any type of schedule. I would say our second lesson with Isabel Romero was the first time where I felt like I wasn't struggling so hard to push the words out, like I was comfortable enough to explain slowly and clearly and according to her needs. Such an awesome feeling. I'm progressing! More importantly, she is! 

I wish I could adequately sum up my experience here thus far. I've passed my two-month mark, people! I have learned so many lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It's pretty incredible how much my life has changed in a matter of weeks. I walk the streets of Mexico and greet everyone I see without fear, I ride the various modes of public transportation with confidence (most of which feel like a ride at Lagoon)... I've finally had the 'corn on a stick,' pictures to come - a guy gave it to me for free after Hermana Salinas bought one, haha...
I look around me all the time and am just like, "I LIVE here!" Like I said, we're in a pretty wealthy area, but there are also some very very poor parts as well. We actually spend most of our time in those parts - so many sweet families, and they give so many references. Some don't have a roof, some have hanging sheets instead of walls. 

I've had my share of crazy experiences... we've been given questionable suckers, we've been given flowers on two occasions... the first, I walked up and tried to start talking to a guy, and he just wouldn't have it. He started babbling and finally was like "HERE TAKE THESE FLOWERS AND GO AWAY!" and we're like, "No, thanks..." and he literally just shoved them at us and told us to keep walking. Jajaja, it made NO sense. The second time, we were talking to our BFF the Flower Shop Guy, and he told us to pick a flower. So that was super sweet. We have another BFF on Cruz de Cristo, who tried to get us to take a picture with him since I'm blonde hahaha and Hermana Salinas told him that he'd have to give us free tacos for that to happen... the offer still stands... 

You know, I've learned something about language... it doesn't matter all that much. The other day, during a lesson with Connie, I bore testimony that it is possible for ALL people to know of the truth of the BoM, if they'll only read and pray. My grammar was awful, but it was one of those moments where I just felt so strongly that she understand this concept. She sat for a second, and I was feeling pretty badly about the language, but then she was just like, to the member we had with us, "I can just feel the PASSION of these missionaries. I want to know something this strongly." Goodness, this work is EXCITING! I love it so very, very much. How glorious it is to spend my days sharing with others what will make them happy in this life, and how they can live with their Padre Celestial in the next. I love you all, so much. Thank you for your prayers, for your support! Until next week!

Beeeg Keeees, Leeeetle Keees,

Hermana LeSueur