Transfer ?? Santa Lucía 3

Best Things...

-Training.

Worst Things...
-Leaving Santa Lucía

Things that are working for me...

-Depsite what everyone thinks, my crocs are still going strong. 

I wish I would have known...

Food...

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

Weather...

-Apparently it´s cold now...like 65 at night. 

Mayan...

I learned...

at the ADO 

Transfer 10: Santa Lucia 4

Best Things...

-Krispy Kreme dougnuts. #´nuffsaid

Worst Things...

-Your companion thinking there are Aluxas (ah-loo-shas) in your house. Aluxas are elves from the Yucatan Peninsula. 

Things that are working for me...

-Sunscreen. I ran out this change....

I wish I would have known...

-

Food...

-Pan de Muertos! 

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-They don´t really do Halloween. They have El Día de Los Muertos. But there´s still candy. :) 

Weather...

-supposedly it´s fall now...it´s still hot but it´s cooling off at night

-it´s still raining

Mayan...

-holchoch: mezcla: mix

I learned...

-How to baptize every week...We´re going to do it!

-How to spin a hand towel on my finger like a pizza.

Transfer 9: Santa Lucia 4

Best Things...

Worst Things...

Things that are working for me...

-Make sure to bring a debit card or something before the mission...

I wish I would have known...

Food...

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-In Mexico almost all shots are in the butt

Weather...

-It´s almost cooling off. Almost. 

Mayan...

I learned...

-How to be American again! Woo! 

This is late and very incomplete...Love you! 

Transfer 8: Santa Lucia 4

Best Things...

-Root beer....and a ward that loves us! 

Worst Things...

-Killing a companion #TRUNKY

Things that are working for me...

I wish I would have known...

-Mascara is crazy expensive. Bring a lot. 

Food...

-The tradicional thing here is Pan de Cazón...which is baby shark. Woo 

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-No EFY music

Weather...

-It might be hotter....I thought April was hot..haha

Mayan...

-tux cabin: adonde vas

-wi hen: tengo hambre

-co´ox hana: vamos a comer

-co´ox wenée: vamos a dormir

-chilén: acuestete a dormir

I learned...

-How to "kill" a missionary

Transfer 7: Santa Lucia 4

Best Things...

-Santa Lucia loves missionaries. And they haven´t had sisters for a looonnnngg time. They REALLY love sister missionaries. 

Worst Things...

-Directions that are basically like ¨you´re gonna go straight until you see a tree..it´s a tall tree with leaves... and then you turn left and then right at the mangy-looking dog that´s always sitting in the corner..and it´s the third house made out of blocks. You can´t possibly get lost¨ -_- Yes, yes I can get lost. 

Things that are working for me...

-Luggage strap. I have two hands. And three suitcases. My luggage strap saved my life in transfers. 

I wish I would have known...

-It floods in Campeche...

Food...

-Hna Torres taught me how to make pupusas. I´m basically Guatamalan now. haha. 

-Pitaya: it´s a fruit...I´m not sure how you spell it, but it is delicious

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-There are more people with light eyes here

-Campechanos are taller than Yucatecos

-Shopping is better in Campeche. Go to Centro... I liked Melody. (It´s a store)

Weather...

-It´s cooler in Campeche but more humid

-Also there are hurricanes here...

Mayan...

-chancole: little woman

-box caualic: que dice: what do you say

-bixán: como estás: how are you

-xexek: your hair is crazy

-hasta sama: until tomorrow

-sucum: brother

I learned...

-How to open an area! 

Transfer 6: Chuburná 2

Best Things...

-Knowing your area like the back of your hand.

Worst Things...

-Knowing your area like the back of your hand.

-Transfers at 10 sunday night.

Things that are working for me...

-Spray sunscreen. Buy some! 

I wish I would have known...

-Bring dry shampoo. My hair is gross after a day of sweating. But seriously though. Sweat. 

-DON´T buy the plastic shoes here and if you do buy a size bigger because if they are at all tight (and you have messed up feet like me) they TEAR UP your feet and then your companion tells you you look like the missionary from the Other Side of Heaven (when the rats ate the bottom of his feet). Buy plastic shoes in the states. #Nuffsaid

Food...

-Costco food tastes the same in Mexico. 

-Mangos, can we talk about how much I love mangos??? 

-There are so many weird fruits here that I can´t even explain them all...but I love almost all of them. #Almost

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-I don´t know if I´ve mentioned this, but all the last names here are so weird (well not weird...just not what I think when I think Mexican names) like Chi, Dzab, Tzul, Xequeb, Poot, Pech...etc. 

-Everyone calls me doll here...I´m not a barbie!!!!

Weather...

-It is hot!!!! Like above 105 every single day....And then it was like 110 for a week. They say it´s a record breaking year, even for Mérida...wooo. What luck I have. 

Mayan...

-co´ox virar: umm... I think it means someone who changes (like religion) 

-kekem: cerdo: pig

I learned...

-If an investigator goes to Gospel Principles class it counts as a lesson with a member present....do you know how many lessons I haven´t counted!!?? 

-How to be a Sister Training Leader....It´s more than you think

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.

Transfer 4: Chuburná 2

Best Things...

-Meet the Mormons! (Can we talk about how much I loved the football part??? And that I want to go to Costa Rica now. Mormons are cool, no big deal.)

Worst Things...

-It got hot. And all the cockroaches came out.

Things that are working for me...

-I´m pretty sure my Jambu shoes are indestructible. They look the same as they did when I got here. 

- Spray suncreen lasts forever too. I just finished my first bottle after like 4 and a half months.

I wish I would have known...

-They don´t give you white sports bras in the temple here for baptisms. You should bring one. hah.

-You really should plan better than I did; and bring patterned skirts OR patterned shirts. Its doesn´t work too well with both.

-Mascara costs like 150 pesos. Which is a lot when you think about the fact that we only get $150 to eat every week. I don´t know why I didn´t stock up on that...

-Get a Spanish Dictionary (not English to Spanish just Spanish Spanish). Presidente wants all of us to learn the language more thoroughly and a dictionary would help a lot.

Food...

-This lovely cabbage dish that basically translates to babies in envelopes....or something like that. hahah. 

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-They don´t normally whistle at girls here, it´s more of a chhh sound. And they´re normally drunk...

-Also, calling someone bitter doesn´t actually translate to Spanish.

-The schedule changed back so we don´t have to get up at 5 to study language...I think everyone just stopped studying language so that´s why it changed back. hah

Weather...

-It was incredibly cold for like a week....incredilby cold means like 65 degrees. haha and probably not even that cold. But with the humidity I feel like I can´t escape it.

Mayan...

-miz: gato

-pabia: ya se va

-kik: hermana

-sucon: hermano

-bixavel: como está

-malóo: bien 

I learned...

-I´m training! Which means I learned A LOT of things. How to plan on my own, how to lead in a lesson, how to find my way around...Lots of things.

-Don´t flush toilet paper unless there is a sign next to the toilet that tells you too. All the houses here have septic tanks so if you flush toilet paper you just might kill your toilet...like we did.

-Un Misionero de Éxito Predicad Mi Evangelio pagina 10. It´s not always the numbers, folks.

This is one of our practice sessions...probably one of my favorite videos of Hna Castro. LOVE HER!

Proof that I practice too. 

Transfer 3: Chuburná

Best Things...

-We got a calentador (not sure what you call it in English...a heating coil we put in the bucket) for the water so I can have hot water!!!!!!!!!!! UPDATE: Shortly after writing that, our calentador melted itself and we´re back to cold showers...-_-

-Él es La Dádiva. Even though no on knows what that means. He really is the greatest gift our Heavenly Father could have given us. 

-Devocional Navideño!!!! Getting the whole mission together is like this big family reunion. 

-Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Jesus, I love my family, I love Mexico. It was a perfect Christmas.

Worst Things...

-Showing up to a lesson and your investigator is drunk so you can´t teach them anything. I want to help them with their addiction but we can´t when they´re wallowing in it. Palabra de Sabiduría people. 

Things that are working for me...

-Sticky notes! I use them for everything; to study, to leave notes...They´re awesome.
-Super Agenda: I took apart two agendas and put the pages for Futuros Investigadores in my agenda (otherwise I run out of space like 2 weeks in and have to use sticky notes *see above)

I wish I would have known...

-Get a Spanish-English hymn list. They´re at the MTC, but I didn´t and it´s a pain to try and translate and find the hymn number. Be smarter than me.

-It wouldn´t be a bad idea to get an extra Spanish Himno too. We sing at the beginning of every lesson, and sometimes there are a lot more people than himnos. 

-Bring an English dictionary. It would be nice. But maybe that´s because I´m a nerd. 

-Also a mini whiteboard and dry-erase markers are great for diagramming things out during lessons. Basically all visuals are awesome. 

Food...

-POZOLE! I love it. It reminds me of home. Hah the members are always surprised when I say that my mom makes pozole. 

-Ceviche de pupo...That is octopus and it´s actually a lot more delicious than it sounds. haha

-Cochinita is this pork in Condimento Rojo...not sure what it is exaclty but it´s very Yucateco and delicious. 

-I don´t know how I haven´t mentioned this yet, but MEDIA CREMA! It´s basically cream in this box and they put it on and in everything...yup cream in everything. :)

-Fresh coconut...It´s the bomb

(Why do I have more things about food than anything else?? What does that say about me?????)   

Fun Facts about Mexico/This Mission...

-There are about 13 pesos in a dollar.

-Elders aren´t allowed to pluck their eyebrows...I have no idea why that became a problem serious enough to make a rule. haha

-Mexico has a serious explosive addiction. haha. For New Year´s there were all kinds of little stands selling fireworks and mini bombs, the streets were full of children with explosives, we may have had a couple thrown in our direction...it was as entertaining as it sounds. ;) 

-No caffiene. It´s a mission rule. No podemos tomar la coca. 

-The mission schedule changed this cambio; if you´re not in training (first two cambios) and you need to study language you have to get up at 5:30 to be out the door by 10:00. 

Weather...

-I feel like it´s hot, but I´ve been told that it doesn´t get really hot until Abril. Wish me luck because I may melt. 

Mayan...

-wayanone: here we are

-cuulem: sit

-coóx hanal: come eat

-háa: water

chichi: grandma

I learned...

-How to explain why we don´t worship the virgin Mary. Idols and the Virgin are huge problems here.

Transfer 2: Chuburná

Best Things...

-The people. I seriously love them. Members, investigators, missionaries. They´re awesome. 

-When someone accepts a baptismal date! Seriously, there´s nothing like it. It´s even better when you can continue to teach them and they progress (we´ve had a lot of first lessons where people accept a baptismal date and then we can´t find them again...*Long drawn out sigh*....)

Worst Things...

-Cold showers. Hate them. Every. Day. So much hate. 

-Dogs. They hate me. I hate them. They´re everywhere.

Things that are working for me...

-I love my bag. It´s nice because it has a waist strap that keep some of the weight off my shoulder. Also, mine is a smaller size but I think it´s good because it keeps me from packing too much stuff in it. 

-My Clarks are the bomb. I would wear them every single day if I wasn´t worried about them lasting for the next 15 months. I had no problems with them right off the bat, no blisters or anything.

-My watch lights up! Which is more helpful than you´d think it would be when you´re wondering the streets at night in the dark.

-USB adapter-thingy for my SD card is really nice because I can keep it in my camera case and I don´t have to pack a camera cord.

-Spray sunscreen!! We have to wear sunscreen every day (it´s a rule) and it´s so nice to spray and go. 

-My favorite skirt is actually the one Hermana Messenger gave me in the MTC. It´s longer and patterned, so it covers everything when I´m perched on someone´s front step and it does´t show the dirt. :) 

I wish I would have known...

-The MTC is NOTHING like a real mission. At least for me, it was completely different; it might be different if I was serving state-side or english speaking, but...Yeah. NOTHING like the MTC.

-The first two weeks are the hardest. I had to take it one day at a time there for a while, but after that, the weeks have seriously been a blur. 

-To bring more pens! I´m seriously territorial over my pens. haha. They´re expensive here and not as nice. 

Food...

-Lots of rice, beans, and pork. It´s all been really good, nothing too strange.

-We have tortillas with every meal. Hah we even have spaghetti (I´ve actually had spaghetti a lot here...) with tortillas. They are part utensil, part napkin, and part food. I love tortillas. 

-Boudin. Not sure how you spell it, but they take the bread from the day before, grind it up and mix it with eggs and stuff, and then it´s like a brick of custard-y bread-y deliciousness. Also, it´s only like 3 pesos...and this is why I´m going to get fat.

-Panuchos. They´re delicious bean filled fried tortillas piled with chicken and cabbage and onions and salsa. I legit eat waaaayyyyy too many of these every time we have them

Fun Facts about Mexico...

-90% of the people here don´t flush their toilet paper. They put it in a trash can next to the toilet. 

-Women kiss each other on the cheek. I thought that was a French thing...apparently it´s a Mexican thing. Hah. 

-This time of year it gets dark really early, like 6:00pm or so, because Mexico doesn´t do daylight savings. It´s weird to be walking around in the dark for like 3 hours. 

-Everyone is a crazy driver. I´m terrified every time I have to get in a vehicle. Hah. It´s a zoo. I am SOOO grateful we don´t have cars. 

-In this mission we wear our tags on the opposite side as we were told to in the MTC (so on our right instead of left). Not entirely sure why...I´ve been told it´s because a General Authority told Pres. Garcia that that´s where a person´s eyes go when you shake their hand. 

Weather...

-Hot! But only really from 12 to 2, and then we have lunch and by the time we´re done it´s usually started to cool off. I´ve been told it´s not even hot yet so...yeah.

-Also humidity, it´s not too bad. I was expecting worse. I do feel vaguely sticky all the time.

-It hasn´t rained too much, but when it rains it either pours or it just kind of mists. I kind of love it.

Mayan...

-coox waye: come here

-ek: star

-pec: dog

-mixpa: nothing

-manlo: it´s good

(x is a shh sound by the way...)

I learned...

-How to teach about the Trinity. D&C 130:22. Look it up. We seriously have used it at least 100 times. You can´t teach people to come unto Christ if they think Jesus and Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost are one big convulted mess of everything and nothing. 

-How to contact on the bus. It´s seriously a skill because it´s so loud and people don´t really want to talk to you... I just smile and keep asking questions until they talk to me. :) 

¡Vale la pena!

Hermana Wilson