She can still climb with earrings, 3 months to listen, Jess cooking?, she found her little niche, not only no warm water - but no water at all.

Dear Family,

I’m so sad about Matt Carlson. Thank you for telling me. Life is hard, isn’t it? But how incredible it is to know about the plan of salvation and that we will all be reunited in heaven again, that all the problems we have in our life are blessings, but sometimes we just can’t see it. They’re like presents - we just have to unwrap them first. But my prayers are with Tracy and Ashley and all of the family and with you as well. Wow, crazy how life can change in an instant. 

I’m sorry that it makes you concerned that I got my ears pierced. I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this past week on changes and changing on a mission and the balance between staying the same and changing. I like who I am. That I know. But, I want to be better and I have a lot to change. In my weekly interview with our district leader I was crying on the phone with him trying to figure out the line between staying the same and changing for the better. And here I am again crying at the computer, because I so want to stay the same person and have you be proud of me, and all my decisions, and know I’m always going to be your little girl. On the phone with Elder Caamal, he told me that we are supposed to change on our mission, and that we are supposed to become better, but never change our personality. I really liked this and it’s true.

For an update on my ears – they’re totally healthy and not infected, so don’t worry. The woman who pierced them, her sister is a nurse, so she knows exactly how to do it, and was telling me that the professionals are not sterilized, and that she was actually the safest option. She kept telling me over and over that she sterilized everything. She pierced the ears of the church member whom we were with. And, I am really happy with the results. Don’t worry, I chose to pierce my ears and wasn’t talked in to it. It was exciting to decide something big like that for the first time. Just to let you know, I thought about if I could still climb with earrings and run rivers with pierced ears and asked things about it, before I had it done... haha, yeah nothing has changed. :) But, if you want me to remove them, I will do it in this very moment, because your happiness with me is far more important than any thing else in this world. 

Well, with my week? It’s been incredibly full of learning moments, learning through other people’s example and stories. We were in a house with a woman named Maricela, who sells cake, so we call her Maripasteles. ;) Haha, but we were talking with her about her husband and how they have big issues and troubles in their lives. She showed us pictures of their wedding day in front of the temple with the biggest smiles and so happy. It was a crazy moment to look at the picture, happy and smiling, and look at the woman in real life and see her crying, because she said that she didn’t know the true person that her husband was before she married him. Wow. A big AMEN to what you said the other week, marry a good guy who you know well. I thought about dad’s advice of ¨Don’t marry a guy you need to fix - marry one you like as he is, because he ain’t gonna change¨. It’s so true. So… here goes to “in 5 years” to start looking for a guy I will truly get to know inside and out. But no sooner than that for me... ;)

 

President Egbert serving up cake and ice-cream

There is an elder in my zone named Elder Bickley, who is from Utah, and knows the Clapier family, and we are friends. He’s a little older (24), but so funny and nice and looks after me. I asked him how he got so good at Spanish (cause he’s AMAZING) and he told me a story. In his first 3 months he cried a lot and that it was super duper hard for him. He said that one night he just got down on his knees and prayed and asked why it was so hard for him and he said his answer was immediate. The answer was... that in the first three months you learn to listen. Whoa, it gave me goosebumps. He told me that he didn’t quite know why he was telling me that story, but I know it was an answer to quite a few prayers of mine and it makes me feel a little better about my own progress. 

 

Love my bag

And more about Spanish, this week I finally understood why it was so hard for me, and why I had so many sad moments, because of Spanish. It was so I could help a little lady in one moment here. She is in her 40’s and used to know English. She worked for people and had an interview where it was so horrible and sad because she had a block. Boy, do I understand having blocks when you get nervous and you can’t speak for nothing. She stopped working and now is looking at working again, but found out she needs to have a level of advanced English to be able to work there. She doesn’t remember English and feels it’s too late to learn it again. I let her know she’s the furthest thing from alone. That it is hard, but with the Lord, everything is possible. It’s really hard when people laugh at you, and make you feel bad, because you can’t speak their language, but these small challenges that we have can be overcome. One day we can prove to all those people that we truly can do it. It was just pretty amazing to finally understand why it was so hard for me emotionally - not being able to speak well in Spanish, and now to be giving advice of hope in that very language. Pretty cool.

 

Yes, this is me cooking

I'm taking notes Mom!

Rice and mole to share with a member

We went and taught an incredible little girl named Fernanda, who is 16 years old, and has cancer. I don’t know what happened in that lesson (it was Hermana Ortiz, me, and the elders), but I felt the spirit so strong. It was one of those moments where you leave and say, “Wow, I can never deny that I know God exists.” - a real testimony builder for me. I was super nervous beforehand, because I always cry when we are with people with cancer, because I think of you mom. I think about how I didn’t understand completely what was happening and it was scary. I think about how I didn’t help you at all when you had cancer, because I didn’t get it. But now I do and maybe I can learn from my past mistakes and help her. So I said a personal prayer before we went in for the lesson and I didn’t cry, rather, I think I cheered her up. When everyone else was timid and nervous to say anything to her, I jumped in and tried to make it all feel normal - to tell her she is beautiful and that I loved her big fuzzy hat that she wears, because she doesn’t have her hair. It was a small miracle for me. Later when I was talking to Elder Caamal, he told me that I was an amazing missionary in that lesson. He told me that now he understands why we have baptisms, because I speak with so much love. Well if I didn’t cry before, I did then. Haha, I’m a little crybaby sometimes. But this was for pure happiness, that maybe I am an ok missionary. It made me think of certain lessons where my comp says a ton, because they are scripturally based lessons, where I don’t know much. But when it comes to love, and giving people hope for the future, that is where I have my little niche. I was really grateful that Elder Caamal told me what he did. He’s a great elder and so is Elder Muñoz.

 

Happy Birthday Abby!

Remember how we didn’t have warm water, because we didn’t have gas? Well now we have gas, but... no water. Yep. Last night we found out that our entire cerrada is out of water and that we don’t have one drop. So when you thank Heavenly Father for warm water, thank him for water in general, twice. ;) Haha, but really, when you think about water, it’s essential. Now we can’t shower, can’t wash our clothes on Monday, can’t flush a toilet, can’t wash our hands and can’t wash dishes. Wow. Water is essential. Here’s hoping for water to come back!

 

I made my comp pancakes

Yeah! We went to a home and washed our clothes in an actual washing machine today!!!!

 

Miracles really do happen...

That’s all folks! Mexico is amazing. We ran out of water and almost everyone has chickenpox, but I love it here. Never really been happier. I hope you know how much I love you. How you are my world and I thank God everyday for you. I miss you so much. I miss you more than you can imagine and am counting the days to when I see you again, but in each of those days, I am living the best and most that I can. I love you more than life! I don’t have the words to explain it. Just remember I’m always your little girl, pinky love, and pinky promise. Thanks for the pictures, keep ‘em coming! You’re amazing and I love you.

Your Little Girl