"Not quite ready to leave yet, but Pres won't let me extend my mission..."

March 2, 2015

Sooo this week, guess what happened...

A lot of things. FIRST of all, my very last transfers of my whole mission came yesterday, and HW and I are staying in Chichen and dying together [this is missionary lingo- it means they will be finishing their mission together ]!!! We're soooosososososo very happy.

BUT, we have a third companion. AGAIN. I'm now done being surprised about being put in a trio anymore. This is literally the 8th time I am in a trio.. I should be freaking out about how unusual this is but I just am not even phased. Our companions name is Hermana J and she is from Bolivia. AND we were supposed to be with Hermana L (AGAIN) but there were some complications and some complaints and some drama and so we're with Hermana J. So that is that. but she's way cool! I think. I've only been with her for not even one day but I hope she's cool!

HW and I with E Tobler and Hainsworth. They're some really great elders, and maybe this is bad to say or maybe not, but the four of us are really just like great friends and we joke around a ton. HW and I have been in the same district as ET twice now and he's always been either district or zone leader to us haha, and he's just goofy.

SO this week the ward had 3 baptisms, one mom, one 20 year old kid, and one 9 year old girl, and they were all in one day! It was actually a great baptismal service and a lot of people came! Among them Mishel, and Manuel's granddaughter Brigette. And Emmanuel too but he goes to everything we invite him to cause he is so stinkin' cool. He is totally going to be a missionary.

Mishel still isn't getting baptized and we really can't figure out why. She is PERFECT! She signs up to feed the missionaries, and goes on visits with us, obeys all the commandments and is already reading in 2 Nephi!!! She is sooo ready!!!! But maybe this Saturday will be the day. Elder F planched her for us. Elder F is still here as our district leader which we're way happy about 'cause he's so funny and a great leader! 

Us with mishel. She stinking needs to get baptized. I don't know whats stopping her, she's the most prepared person I know and has a stronger testimony than some of the members! Wellll just pray for her...

We are officially of the oldest generation of hermanas in the mission. Not sure how I feel about it. Not quite ready to leave yet, but Pres won't let me extend my mission, he doesn't let anyone.

English classes are going great, and they're way fun! They mostly consist of sarcastic comments from Elder F and everyone laughing, and this week featured Hermana Williams and I acting like different animals (which I imagine was highly entertaining) which the class then had to say the name of- in english, only after first running across the room to grab a marker and whoever grabbed it first got to say the name and get the point. 

Us with the Palma family. I really love them a lot. When we come here on vacation, we're totally going to eat dinner with them and chill with their family

Ok well that's pretty much the news for this week and I have to go now. 

Love you all dearly!

HS

"My converts are ruling the world..."

February 24, 2015

Well... a pictures worth a thousand words right?

I don't know what is happening to my time on p-days lately. Note that today is not even Monday, but Tuesday that we are here writing to you. But it's been pretty crazy down here in Chichen this week. This week we had a random conference with president on Tuesday which was hard 'cause we had to cancel all our appointments and had very few lessons that day, but it was a great conference and we learned a lot! The big thing in the mission right now is family history, and everyone is super into this whole spirit of Elias [in English we say Elijah] thing! SO we're using that a lot to contact new people by helping them realize that not only can they see their loved ones again one day after we die, but that they can get close to them now and perform saving ordinances for them in the temple!! Soo that's fun. 

Fun family history contacting activity at the Tianguis! Some members of the ward with us:)

Morning run to the turtle park

Me in the turtle. One of the 3 days of the year where you need a sweater in the morning in Merida.

AND we're doing that a lot as missionaries too. And on Sunday we were in the church with Mishel and Emmanuel (Investigator and recent convert, we are currently trying to set them up so that they can be each other's support system, also they're both single and great hehe) anyways and HW and I were messing around looking at my geneaology tree thing finding funny names or whatever, and we notice that this one line that we're following goes back pretty far, like in the 1600s, and we're like wow cool! And we keep following it, and we start seeing names  titled like "Sir Edmund" and "Lord Thomas" and stuff and HW and Emmanuel start joking around saying that I must come from a royal background and all this stuff, and we keep going and all of a sudden we see the name King Edward I, nickname Longshanks, King of England...... whattttt????? and HW and I both freak out! and the lady there helping us comes and verifies it and then everyone bowed down and started worshipping me. No just kidding, but Emmanuel keeps calling me "your excellency" and HW tells me that she is getting me a crown to wear. And we found other names like Louis IX, king of France, Matilda Adelaide, Princess of England, Empress of Germany, and a bunch of other royal people from like Normandy, Italy, Tuscany, France, and I don't know where else!! SO cool story mom and siblings, we're royal. Dad you're not sorry. but we still love you:) 

Ok get this. THIS is my family history chart. mom, we are royalty. note that it says KING Edward I!! And he is my ancestor. I started at Gigi and drew the line all the way back to the year 1239, and found a king.. No big deal.. 

We googled him and he's totally a legit king. 

Haha ok well I have to go now but I also saw a movie before it even came out in theaters with a bunch of other missionaries, my converts are ruling the world and the whole elders quorum of the ward is in the hands of my recent convert who may or may not still not know the difference between the temple and the church, My companion got sick and had to go to the hospital, but was miraculously healed in the temple today, I got to do baptisms for the dead in the first time in 16 months, and went to probably the most disorganized crazy disastrous baptism ever. 

And sorry I don't have time to explain everything in more detail but I'll tell you more in like 2 months OK? OK. 

Love you all bye!

HS

A visit to Campeche- seeing the ocean!!

February 16, 2015

Mom, 

Wow your ski trip looks so fun!! I miss the snow. And skiing. HW skis and she and I want to go skiing in Deer Valley together when we get back. It's so cool that we're together to finish our mission and we started it together, I don't know anyone else who that has happened to!

 Beautiful Campeche!! The girls live on top of a hill. and by hill I mean like mountain.... like think San Francisco... like where Judy and Ron live. Actually I don't know if they still live there... but at one point they did.. Campeche is notorious for their hills. Poor missionaries who work there always have sore legs. Including my companion who had to climb some gnarly hills and was dying the next day..

 We were really scared going up that hill. You feel like you're going to fall backwards!

Ok well this week was AWESOME and terrible at the same time. Terrible 'cause we had very low numbers because we went to Campeche for like 3 days (oh I need to tell you about that trip 'cause it was crazy!) and awesome because our recent converts, Emmanuel and Manuel, yeah, you know them right? The ones who got baptized like 2 and 3 months ago? Yeah yesterday they received the MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD!! They had a special conference with all the Melchizedek priesthood holders 'cause there were like 8 in the stake who could receive it! Isn't that crazy!?? M didn't get it cause he is presently having issues... BUT we're pretty happy. 

El mar:) SOOO this is what the ocean looks like in Mexico! we got to go to Campeche and I saw the ocean for the first time in my whole mission! It was so pretty and we ran along the boardwalk and it was so fun! 

HW and I going off to sea. We decided to become pirates. 

Also, Fatima is doing great. She's already baptized herself. The other day she was talking to us and she said "when I WAS catholic..." and we're like "Hermana, When did you get baptized??" Haha she's awesome. 

 Also, I ate this fish. HW loves fish and she always tells the members that she wants fish for lunch so they make it for us and I am about ready to never eat it again! This was a whole fish fried all together. with the eyes and the teeth and everything. So that was fun

Yeah I finished it.

Valentine's day pancakes! 

OK I'm going to have to copy HW's letter on here cause they're kicking me off the computer now, sorry! I'll try to do better on time next week! Love you all bye!!

HS 

"In the spirit of Valentine's day we are currently playing cupid..."

February 9, 2015

Mom and other people,

Yeah it would be great to have a washer, but I have been washing clothes our of a bucket for the past year also so anything goes really. Yeah HW totally wants to room with us! She is deciding between UVU and BYU. 

UGH se me hizo tarde otra vez hoy y no voy a tener tanto tiempo para escribirles [I'm late again today so I don't have much time to write you]. BUT I told HW to send me her email that she sent to her family so I can borrow chunks of it and everything will be a lot faster. Hahaha we're so sneaky:) 

[The following is her hijacked email that HW wrote]  Sooooo H Williams and I are back to being two instead of three.. again! Hermana C only ended up staying with us until Tuesday afternoon but it was fun being her companion while it lasted. On Tuesday we had leadership conference with President Garcia! We focused on Mexico's area plan for 2015 and how we can apply it to our lives as missionaries, the members and others that we are teaching. The blessings of the plan are really specific and the goal is to help everyone be more spiritually and temporally self sufficient.  I think that's how you say it in English at least hahaha. 

Zone Volleyball game - Just the Girls!

Also I realized this week how thankful I am to have a temple so close to where I am right now. The temple is like 20 minutes away from Chichen and we were able to go on a few tours of the temple this week with our investigators. Manuel took his daughter Fatima, his grandkids and our other investigators Manuela, Rosi and her two kids in his van all the way to the temple. we got there and all get out and everyone got quiet and could immediately feel the spirit of the temple. We went inside the waiting room and had a really cool lesson about family history and temple work. Everyone got really excited about family history and Manuel shared his testimony about the temple and how it has helped him. He is the sweetest!  When we were leaving the temple Pres Garcia (President Garcia's brother who is the temple president) came out all dressed in white and Manuela (who is like 60) went up to him and gave him a hug without saying anything and while we were walking back to the car she said "this truly is like Heaven on earth" it was so cute.

Also today HW and I were doing our own family history and I discovered that there are like 23 temple ordinances available to be done on Dad's side, and I am going to try to take them to the temple next time the mission let's us go!!! I appreciate it so much more that we are actually allowed to go inside now and everything:)

"Us in the house. Its casual Friday so that's why I am wearing flip flops. 

Just kidding, casual Friday does not exist in the mission..."

Other great news, Rosi (the mom of Roger Rosi, don't get confused, there are two Rosis we are teaching right now..) is back home and progressing again! YES!  She left our area to live with her other daughter for a couple weeks and everything kind of got put on hold but she came to church this week so it's all good. In the spirit of Valentine's day we are currently playing cupid and devising a brilliant plan to get together Rosi with our recent convert Manuel!! They are both widowed and looking for a companion, and about the same age!!! And they both like to talk a lot and live with one of their daughters in our area...... So we'lI see how that goes am so excited!  Also we have another super cute 18 year old investigator named Mishel. she is so sweet and she is so involved with all of the activities in the church and she is reading the Book of Mormon and praying and doing everything that she should be doing but she doesn't have a baptismal date yet. We are hoping that really soon she will accept! I will send pictures of her next week, The tips of her hair are green!

"Emmanuel invited us to his house for lunch. Chicken and green spaghetti:)"

Ok well that's all folks. I gotta go now, love you all!

HS

"4 people came to church!!!!!!"

February 2, 2015

AH Mom today is literally the craziest day ever and I have like 5 minutes to write I'm so sorry! But real fast,

My new room sounds fantastic! YES I will bring my hammock, you won't be able to find one anywhere else, you just need to get the hooks up. 

Good thing you didn't send the camera! Hahaha yeah maybe you can stop sending me packages soon 'cause they sometimes take a long time to get here and I'm afraid that you will be sending stuff and it will arrive after I'm already home... HW has been waiting on a package for like 3 months now...

Can somebody please triple check that my BYU application is in? 

Stuff this week:

OK yesterday the assistants called us with special changes, Hermana Cruz is gone. Went to a little town called Baca.

Today: another call, you guys get another companion, Hermana Carrasco!

Apparently Presidente only trusts us with the hermanas left without companions, if there is an emergency he just sends the girls to us. SO we are in a trio again. After a couple of hours of just being us two..

4 people came to church!!!!!!

Fatima. Is amazing, progressing like crazy, wants to get married, wants to get baptized and put her life in order. She has changed so much that the people at her work have started calling her "Sister Fatima" cause she like reads the scriptures now! Brigette is her 8 year old daughter who comes to church with her too.

Jenifer. 13 year old girl but you'd think she's 20, has awesome questions and really likes listening.

Rosi. Not the one you're thinking, this is another one. But she's way awesome and even though she has a ton of family and economic problems, she knows that this is what will help her have more peace in her life.

"Here's a picture of me and Hermana Velasquez making tamales!"

We went to the temple on Tuesday.  Manuel and Emmanuel woke up with us at like 3:30AM to go do baptisms for the dead and it was way special to see them all in white saving their ancestors!

Ok sorry I have to go now 'cause I have to do a millions things before 6:00 so I have to go now but I love you all dearly!

Bye!
HS

"Well this week a miracle happened."

January 26, 2015

SO glad to hear the fam is doing well. So is the mish:)

Well this week a miracle happened. And it's called someone returned my backpack that I had lost that had all my stuff and my camera in it!!!!!!!! So in your face all of you Debby downers who said it was pointless hoping that someone would have a heart and return it! There are good people in the world!!!!!!! Well either that or I just accidentally left it in the church without realizing it...but so the good news is that I have my camera again and when the girls called to tell me they had it I almost died! 

Sam and Hma Williams

Tomorrow we are hoping to go to the temple because the missionaries are allowed to bring recent converts to do baptisms for their ancestors. So we are kind of last minute rushing to get Manuel and Emmanuel and Miguel all ready with their family history work and everything. (Jasmin can't go:( she got a new job and we hardly ever see her anymore so we're really worried about that actually...)

But I'll let you know how that goes down. 

The trio!! Us with Hermana Cruz! She's great. And she's Mexican so she can help us out with stuff like people not ripping us off 'cause we're gringas.

Family history is the big thing now! All the missionaries now have to do all their family history work up until the great grandparents and show it to all the investogators and recent converts and members and everyone! And it's actually working way well. Go espiritu de Elias!! 

Bunk bed hammocks!

Mom! Can you remind me how to do yoga? Like pictures or videos or something? I can't remember and we want to do yoga for exercise in the mornings.. that would be awesome:) 

Ok sorry I have to go now! I am out of time! but don't do anything rash like send me a camera, 'cause I have one:) love you all dearly!

HS

"..we have a third companion. and I am in a trio, yet again. I need my crown."

January 19, 2015

OK I'm so sorry today its going to be really short cause we're way short on time. 

News:

Changes happened, after begging president to keep us together, HW and I have another transfer together in Chichen!!!!!!!!!!

Also, we have a third companion. and I am in a trio, yet again. I need my crown. This is my SIXTH time in a trio on my mission!! But we're excited. our new comp is Hermana Cruz and she's Mexican, So I guess that'll force HW and I to speak Spanish more. So that's good..

M didn't get baptized. turns out there were A LOT of things she failed to tell us about and she totally didn't pass her interview. Soooo maybe some other day when she's ready she will get baptized. 

Another thing, the assistents called us last night to tell us this surprise part of our changes. Sooo turns out, president had to take away a ton of sister training leaders to have them train because  11 new missionaries came in this transfer!  Now in Merida there are only 8 of us, and 2 in Ticul.. ANDDD HW and I are called to be the senior head chief captain-I-don't-even-know-how-you-would-call-it-in- English sister training leaders. So that's kinda fun. 

 Moises (the stake missionary leader who is SUPER cool), invited all us missionaries of the stake to his house on Saturday for food! He made us tacos and they were so good

I don't really ever wear my own clothes anymore, I just wear Hma William's clothes. and my cute new clothes that my sweet family sent me:) [note from Camille- I have totally noticed that!]

Me and HW, we thought we might leave so we were taking Sunday pics.

Today in a comvi we sang I am a child of God and this guy told me that we were a false church and that the restoration is a big lie because the church was never lost and all this junk and he was like intensely trying to argue with us in front of a bunch of people there on the comvi.

Me with the grandkids of Manuel. they have been coming to church with us for the past 3 weeks!!!! Their names are Kenneth and Brigette and they're way cute. 

Rosi is trying really hard to get baptized but she needs a new job because her job makes her cranky and also she can't go to church sometimes because of it. We took her to the center of autosuficiencia (not sure how to say that in English) and are in the process of finding her a new job. 

I am out of time now sorry, but I love you all! Bye!

HS