Week 5

 I got these scripture covers cause literally all Mexicans have them and i am in love with them. Everytime i look at my spanish scriptures i get way too excited. its the little things.

Well to start this off with some lighthearted "you have to laugh cause if you don't you will cry" kind of humor, we had quite an interesting thing happen in the casa del raton this week. So like on Wednesday, we walk up to our door to a note that says that our house has been fumigated, kinda sketchy cause I'm pretty sure in the states when they fumigate your house for termites, you can't live in there for like a week or a few days or something? well turns out they left a few windows open to air out the house. So there we were, it was just a regular morning around 6:58 am leaving our house to go to our classroom. We walk through the laundry room cause its a shortcut. Anyway, remember how we had a mouse problem. Well they set this sticky mousetraps all around our casa in the corner of the rooms. Well we are going to walk out and hermana lee jumps back and hermana olsen screams actual bloody murder. And then we peek our heads in and there is a massive bird all mangled in the trap in the MIDDLE of the laundry room. So yeah i started freaking out because for anyone who knows me i am terrified of birds. and it was like flapping its one wing trying to save itself and it was grizzly. So we had to call reception and Hermana Spencer called and simply said "Buenos Dias, we have a dead bird in our house" no small talk right to the point. too funny. we were dying. like dying cause of how grossed out we were and we just had to laugh. so yeah theres that. 

Oh also, it was raining so hard Tuesday night that the auditorium flooded! we had a devotional in there and we were in the front row and we look over and there this water soaking into the auditorium and they had to move the front 4 rows to the back because there was a straight up river in the auditorium. Needless to say, focusing was difficult hahaha and then we had to walk straight back home after and we were wading in the flooded streets up to the knees! yes, the skirts had to be hiked up hahaha. 

This week was a breakthrough week for me!! Not only have a learned so much about the language, but I learn so much about the gospel and how to teach the gospel! Its so easy to leave a lesson and feel, well that was rough I don't even know what to say in English for this person. But I feel like I'm finally learning how to teach a person, not a lesson. It is way harder than I thought but its so much more worthwhile when we do this. So big news: WE TAUGHT A REAL PERSON THIS WEEK. This Saturday, Hermano Silva (he is a convert) brought his cousin for us to teach. First of all, what the heck he trusts us enough with his cousin?? so we were teaching here and for the first time I truly felt like a representative of Jesus Christ. Because I could literally feel the love that He has for her, and every time I would open my mouth, I would feel the spirit so strong. I started even tearing up (also for anyone that knows me, I don't tear up easily so that a big deal) 

Also, one more cool experience. So yesterday morning. I was straight up struggling. Could not pronounce anything right. I  don't know one of those days hahaha I think far too often I speak before I really think out what I'm saying but my district gets a kick out of it hahaha anyway, this teacher Hermano Leon was observing our class and he was our member present for our lesson. During this lesson, Hermana Spencer and I felt the spirit so strong and were really teaching to the investigators needs (FINALLY). He is struggling with his family a lot and we talked about when Nephi was bound my his brothers and he prayed to God and God loosed the ropes by which he was bound. Did his trials go away? no. but when we come unto Christ and have faith unto repentance and prayer and all of those things, he will give us power to over come. I was testifying of this and almost got emotional again!! (what is this??) the best part is after the lesson, Hermano Leon said he had to look over and see if it was still me talking. He said that I spoke with such power and passion in Spanish! That was probably the best thing I could of heard. I almost hugged him but don't worry I didn't #sistermissionary. 

I leave for New Jersey in only 6 days!! I will be emailing again on Saturday so i would love to keep hearing from you and receiving emails from you all!!

Happy birthday and fathers day to the very best dad ever!! dad, i thought about you all day Sunday and on your b-day! I hope you had the best day and the only times I wish I had a cell phone is to text you how advice on how to approach a lesson or for doctrinal insight or about your mission! I can't wait to be able to speak Spanish with you! 

I can't say it enough, the church is true and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to serve my Savior 24/7 and wear his name always. 

 there are this short mirrors and our theory is that they are for knee check soo of course that means selfie time

The lunch today was so delicious. oh and that is a drink that we made. We like to call it "bebida en la rocas"

Week 4

I just wanna start off my saying that the mission is truly a unique experience because i don't think i will ever again be so emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally exhausted in my entire life hahaha (disclaimer: i look kinda beat in these pictures so there is my excuse) hahaha i love it though. I am so anxious to go out to New Jersey already!! But i know there is so much i need to learn especially with the language. I asked my district this week if we could set a goal for sunday if we could ONLY speak in spanish. We were doing pretty good but then our devotional meetings and classes with the MTC presidency are all in english so we kinda lost our spanish rhythm by the end of the day haha. I don't have really anything specific to report this week! oh one highlight is always when new missionaries come in! so we are eating dinner in el comedor and I'm just sitting eating minding my own business and then i hear "MALLORY" from across the comedor. I was like what the heck thats my name.... no one calls me mallory. I look up and there was my friend Scotty from BYU! I was so excited when i saw him!! Its so good to see people from before the mission because its just like what the heck worlds colliding. its the best. A few more people from my mission prep class at BYU came in too so it was fun to go up and talk to them and give them some words of advice haha I will hit one month here at the CCM this week! If all 17 months are this fast I feel like this will all be over in a blink of an eye and that its just crazy to me cause i feel like there is so much i need to do! This week there was definitely major ups and downs but one of the greatest things I've learned here is that who God calls, God qualifies. Because I know that i don't have anything to worry about as long as I have faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ and work as hard as I possible can. Its do or die mode ;)

Sunday was like the farewell for all the missionaries going into the field and it was kinda sad cause we had people from our Zone leaving! we get so tight with them! anyway, that happened. oh and its funny cause when people leave you can take pictures and these random latino missionaries will come up to me and ask me for my picture and I'm so honored every time hahaha perks of having blonde hair in Mexico i guess.  

Today we went to the Mexico City Temple Visitors center!! It was so beautiful! There is such a spirit there and i love it. Its crazy to drive through the colorful and crazy busy streets of Mexico city but when we get to the temple its so clean and beautiful and white. We couldn't go inside cause its closed for the next year and a half for renovations or something. Oh and two of our teachers came and met us at the temple! Hermano Palma (we call him hermana pavo because he teaches us street cred words haha) and Hermana Martinez! oh and i bought this super colorful authentic Mexican scripture holders and that I'm so stoked about. its the little things.

Ok. I had a revelation that was seriously the best thing that could have happened to me this week. So the devotional this sunday was given by the director of the CCM and he's this young american guy who is so awesome. So the topic of his talk was Remember Lots Wife and it was so good for I'm sure everyone there. I gave me a lot of things that I want to improve about myself which i love. Like not letting songs that are stuck in my head stay stuck in my head and not worrying about stuff back home or life before mission or even life after mission because that doesn't matter right now. What matters is what I'm doing. Then he said something that really hit me. He said that the Lord has been preparing us for many years to fulfill this call in the place that we are going. Hermana Spencer leaned over to me was like yeah especially you! because she knows about how i went to New Jersey a year ago! but then something else stuck out to me about how i have been prepared for this mission. My teachers have been stressing a lot lately that personal experiences will be one of the most powerful things in helping convert our investigators. I kept thinking and really couldn't think of anything really good to share! cause it either applies to my patriarchal blessing or something else. anyway. it didn't hit me until during his talk that i thought of this. I will never ever forget being 6 years old and kneeling down to pray with you dad for the first time in my life. I will never forget the calm that came over me knowing that I would make at least one friend over at good ole canyon view and i will never forget how i had perfect faith that this would happen because my dad and i knelt down and prayed that I would. Then that week Vanessa DiPersia moved in. And Now i have been called to serve a mission in the very place that she is now! I have not thought about that time for YEARS but it came to me and i cannot tell that story without getting emotional every time! It is just a powerful example of how the lord answers our prayers! I cannot wait to teach my future investigators and show them the picture of vanessa and i from last summer and testify that i know the God knows us and loves us perfectly and that we can communicate with him. 

Thank you so much mama and dad for always putting the Lord at the head of our family.

anyways i thats my update! I love pdays because i love hearing from all my friends and family and seeing pictures and everything! 

Pictures: we always play sings with our zone for "family night" so we did our signs for the pic. Im the blowfish sign. Don't worry people I'm not packing on the lbs yet. the Nutella intake is kept to a minimum haha

with the hermanas that our leaving our zone on sunday.

Les amo mucho! 

 my paper with the note hahah

 with some of the elders leaving our zone

 streets of mexico. trash. trash everywhere 

 some more mexico

 hermana spencer and me in front of the christus (yikes idk how to spell that)

 inside the visitors center

 with the hermanas that our leaving our zone on sunday

we always play sings with our zone for "familyi night" so we did our signs for the pic. Im the blowfish sign. Dont worry people im not packing on the lbs yet. the Nutella intake is kept to a minimum hahah

Week 3

Ahhh i cannot even believe its been a week since i last wrote you guys! It honestly just goes by faster and faster. I think it also has to do with the fact that I am so excited and anxious to actually get to New Jersey! The CCM is the greatest thing though because I have probably taught at like 25 lessons at this point all in spanish and im only halfway done! I just cannot wait to get to New Jersey though. I pray for those people every day and teaching fake investigators just isn't the same as real people you know? any way. to start off with my week,

Well last pday I told you guys about the mouse. Well that tuesday night we got back to our casa and it smelled really bad so we were like what the heck. and then I go over to my bed and my shirt was laying on my bed cause i was gonna iron my shirt when what was on my shirt? mouse poop. and then in was in ALL FOUR of our beds. like under the sheets and everything. So then we start freaking out cause the dreaded mouse in just taunting us. Then I see it (again. why do i have to be the one who sees is every time what is this hahah) and so we close the bathroom door on it. anyway we called the reception desk and we were like "tenemos un raton in nuestra casa ayudanos por favor" they probably thought we were such pathetic americanas. but the two nicest guys came and straight up and... well ill just say... they took care of business. ANYWAY they even asked if we wanted them to pose for pictures hahah too good. well thats all for the animal update. No mice to date.

This week is honestly all such a blur! So ill just share one quick teaching experience. So our teacher Hermano Silva (i seriously love him) made us necklaces of shame and we have to wear them everywhere. Its acutally helpful though cause all the natives like to practice their english with us but now they have to speak to us in spanish hahah okay so anyway.we were teaching our teacher who was pretending to be an investigator and his name is Danny. Its super stressful teaching your teacher cause you dont wanna mess up and its like kinda awkward cause hes pretending to be someone else. anyway. he is 16 and he was telling us about his situation. He has a really strained relationship with his brother because of his drug abuse. oh and he had been reading the book of mormon and praying about it and was having a hard time receiving a spiritual witness of it. anyway, he were telling him how the spirit cannot dwell in an environment with contention. the thought popped into my head to ask him if he loved his brother. I thought to myself wow thats kinda an awkward question and i dont know where the heck ill go with it but okay. So i asked him and he paused for a really long time and Danny (my teacher) started to get emotional. I couldn't believe it. hermano silva doesnt cry. after a long pause he said he didn't know. I told him that Christ has taught that the first commandment is to love God and to love all of his children. That includes his brother. And in order for him to receive a spiritual witness and to know the this gospel will bless his family, he first has to pray to love and strengthen his brother. After i said it I couldn't believe it! the spanish I was studying came to me when i needed it! and then we asked him to end the lesson with a prayer and it was the most emotional heartfelt prayer and i have ever heard. My eyes were watering! Hermano silva later told us that the part he was playing was his 16 year old self. we had no idea he was a convert and he is still struggling with his brother today. It truly is so amazing how the spirit works. With just little thoughts that come. 

Oh and fun fact: fast sunday was this week so it was fast and testimony meeting. we only have like 14 people in our zone so I knew I was going to have to go up and the spirit was pumping. and so i went up there and could not for the life of me tell you what i said. when i speak its hard for me to remember what i say in english let alone spanish. ANYWAY i sat back down and my comp looked and me and said "you're spanish has seriously improved soooo much" i could have almost cried. That was the best thing for me to hear. And my branch president said my spanish was beautiful! Like what the heck? hahah truly a miracle. plus hours and hours of endless study. Im hoping ill be like the worlds best student when i get back from the mish hahah 

I love this work. I am so lucky to be apart of something this amazing. So yeah I cant really think of anything else to say! just that i love you all and look forward to hearing from all of you dear friends and family! You are all the best. 

Me with my necklace of shame :)

The people that saved us from the mouse

Me & mouse droppings

Hermana Materihan