Dogs, Interviews, & Missionaries

Hola! 

We had a good week! Lots of things happened:

President came to Campeche this week! And that meant three things:

1. We had interviews. I never know what to expect with interviews; last time we talked about how many tortillas I should eat, this time we talked about what brand of shoes I have... I love President. 

2. Hna Garcia checked our house. Which meant we cleaned REALLY well before. And we passed with flying colors. I think that´s because compared to the elders´ houses ours was a dream. 

3. Before interviews Tuesday Hna Garcia took me, Hna Romero, Hna Schmit, & Hna Allen to the mall to get ice cream and crepes. It was a great day...even if Hna Garcia almost fell trying to go down the up escalator. hahahha

I realized that last week I sent the really bad, awkward, we-weren´t-ready-for-the-picture picture.

Woops... 

I just want everyone to be aware that I still hate the dogs. I almost got eaten at least four times this week. Twice with Hna Allen in one day (we were on divisions...she has really bad luck with dogs), once with just Hna Romero and I, and once with two YW (who knows if they´ll ever come with us again). I hate them. They´re everywhere...Oh yeah, and they poop in front of our house every day. We´re not friends.  -_-  

We have an investigator who is progressing! He´s a really great 19 year old kid (I can say that becasue I´m old now), and he´s a reference from the members and he´s awesome. He´s coming to church, he´s reading his book, he´s keeping his commitments, and this Sunday all these return and future missionaries spoke and he really liked it. I´ll keep you all posted. :) 

Two missionaries came home in this ward this week, and Hna Armida finally got her mission call #MexicoPachuca! It was a glorious week of missionaries and missionary work, and i am so so so grateful for the priveledge (I don´t remember how to spell that word...) I have to be here serving a mission. There is nothing like serving the Lord; nothing better and nothing more important. It really is the best, happiest, hardest, most beautiful time of my life. 

I love the mission! I see miracles ALL the time, and I am so so so so happy. I know that this Church is true. I know that my Heavenly Father has a plan for me, and for every single one of His children.

I love you all!!!

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

#Ponderize #Itooknopicturesthisweek #Lookhowcleanourkitchenis

Transfer 5: Chuburná 2

Best Things...

-I hit 6 months! And still feel like a mission baby. haha. 

-Having people argue with you about Joseph Smith, teaching the First Vision, and then they don´t say anything else. :) #winning

Worst Things...

-Sweat. Waking up sweating. Going to sleep sweating. Sweat in your eyeballs. Sweat. 

-I got bit by a dog! Luckily it wasn´t bad. 

-Shopping as a missionary. Why is it so much work to find modest, cheap, shirts that don´t boil me alive???

Things that are working for me...
-Slides. All of my comps have flip-flops for shower shoes and they all break really fast.

I wish I would have known...

-Find images/demonstrations/visuals/teaching tools stuff. Sometimes people really just don´t get a concept so I have to explain 5 billion ways. And visual things always work out better. 

Food...

-I finally tried a marquesita which is kind of like a crepe only they put this cheese in it and deep fry it. :) 

-I ate a fish eye!! 

Fun Facts about Mexico...

-We went shopping, and there are a surprising number of modest swimsuits here. So I would say if you´re coming here on vacation buy a suit here...Not that that helps much for missionaries...hah.

Weather...

-It´s hot. And it´s still only spring.

-It´s a lot more humid at night. So even though it´s not as hot I still feel sticky.

Mayan...

-p´o a nook: laundry (I think.....) 

-papa: comida

-zules: de los caballeros

(papazules is a type of food) 

-ab: ser (to be)

-may: the correct way to live; justice, integrity, and peace

I learned...

-So very many things...haha. 

-How to love an hija

.How to avoid the drunks

-How to really be patient.

Black Sheep, Mermaids, & Dogs (Still Hate Them)

FAMILY & FRIENDS! People I love!!!

This was a good week. It was a little slower teaching wise, but we´ve been finding new people almost every day and have a couple of good progressing investigators. We´re going to have baptisms this transfer!!!! (Fingers crossed. You all should pray for that. Pretty please.)

It was ward conference this week and it was like the best day. Somehow, last minute (like 20 minutes before) I got talked into singing a solo during the prelude, and Hna Castro & I got sucked into the choir. I was totes the black sheep, everyone wore white shirts and I had a black one.... #didnotknowtherewasadresscode And we had 122 people in the capilla, including 21 less active members!!!!!!!!! Hno Arturo (less active) finally cut his hair and came to church! (This man and his hair. It´s been a project for at least 3 months now.) And we had 2 invesigators come all by themselves, and everyone was just happy, and it was just a beautiful day in the capilla.

Half the ward was in the ward choir.

In other news: 

I got bit by a dog this week. But I was walking fast so it couldn´t actually bite me, just kind of pinched the back of my leg. (No reason to worry Mom.) For the record, I did nothing to provoke it. #totesstillhatethedogshere 

Dog Bite. Not bad. :) 

This was the week of weird older men hitting on me. One gentlemen asked what color my eyes are then proceeded to recite a poem he wrote (I didn´t understand everything and neither did Hna Castro, but he said something about green eyes and mermaids), and told me I was too pretty to be walking around in the calle all day. The next day our investigator told us that if he was younger he would wait for us after the mission.... -_-.... yeah. Hermana Castro thinks it´s hilarious.

I do not. 

It rains almost every day. But I bring my rainjacket everywhere now. I´m learing. :) And when it doesn´t rain it is HOT. But it´s still winter.....wish me luck.

Casa de la familia Molina

Hermana Castro says I sound less like a gringa right before bed when I´m exhausted. I don´t know how that works either. 

We had the best lesson with a less active gentleman. He stopped going to church like 35 years ago...or more. But when we gave him a Book of Mormon he just kind of lit up and hugged it to his chest and it made me incredibly happy. I love the Book of Mormon and I love it when other people love it too. 

I love this work. I love the gospel. I love being able to help people every single day. I love being a missionary.

And I love you all.

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson

PS Be on the lookout for a cool new iniciative. #GraciasaqueÉlvive #BecauseofHim

 

   

guanavana

Buckets, Iguana, & Chugging

Mis Queridos,

What a week. Kind of a roller coaster, but that keeps things interesting, right?? We´re in what I like to call the "finding" phase of the work. We don´t have many investigators, and so we've been putting in a lot of time hunting down references (want to know how many incorrect addresses we've gotten???),  going around with Hna Delfina (who I swear literally knows every single person in her colonia, I want to be her when I grow up), and just talking to as many people as we can. 

And it can be really hard.

Hna Castro & I 

But (there´s always a but right??), I realized this week that it´s when all of our plans have fallen through, when we've been straight out rejected by everyone, when my feet think they can´t go anymore, when we´re literally standing in the pouring rain asking people if we can please teach them; it´s at that point that we always find someone. I think it´s Heavenly Father´s way of showing me that He´s in charge, and I just have to keep chugging. 

And that´s when we get miracles. Like finding 4 new investigators in the last three days the week (after 0 the first 4 days that´s a miracle), like finally having investigators with a baptismal date, like having an incredible day in the capilla when the lessons are perfect for your investigator...

And like showing up to a member´s house and having them tell you that you answered their prayer, that they needed someone and we showed up. 

Piano with the familia Mull

Miracles.

There are so many in the mission that sometimes I don´t think about how they actually are miracles. Sometimes I realize I´m just a 20 year old kid from a little town in Oregon, and I really have no idea how to help people face some of the problems that I see out here, but time and time again, Heavenly Father helps me out (A LOT) and I've been able to help people in ways that I never could on my own.

In other news: 

We got rained on. Twice. And when we talk about rain here in the Yucatan it´s like buckets of water being dumped on my head. Hah. And it´s humid here so I just walk around damp for the rest of the day. 

After the rain, looking for directions

It´s all good. The drowned cat look is good for me. I now know to bring my umbrella even when there´s not a cloud in the sky. 

I learned that the Elders who were here before us (like 3 companionships) brought iguana to one hermana for her to cook. 

And they actually ate it. #NOTDOINGTHAT. 

A dog popped out of a window in a wall (RIGHT NEXT TO MY EAR) and tried to eat me. I may have jumped...but just a little.

There may have also been people laughing at me as they drove by. #totesstillhatethedogshere

All in all, the life is good. I love being a missionary, and even when it´s hard (because, yes it´s hard sometimes) I know I´m where I´m supposed to be. I've felt such LOVE from my Heavenly Father, and I know He´s always helping me out.

I love you all. 

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson