It's An Earthquake !!!

Hola mi amors! How was you week? How are you? This week was interesting to say the least.

It was semana Santa this week. Or in English Holy Week. It was big and crazy here. People were marching in the streets throwing water and chanting weird things on Friday. Friday is the worst day because its the day they act out the final days of Jesus´s life. It was crazy. This week and the past week its also vacations here. So no-body is here! We searched for 9 people in 30 mins and did not make contact with any! It has been a pretty boring last few days. Now on to some excitment.

On Friday in the morning we were doing our studies. I felt the ground shaking and I honestly thought I was going crazy. I look over at my companion and she has huge, wide eyes as well and she says "Do you feel that!?" "Yep.. I feel that. You feel that too?" "Hermana, its an earthquake!!" we did not know what to do, and it was pretty strong! It is a feeling I can not describe, but we were moving! It was only like a minute, but it felt like forever. We ran outside because we did not know what to do and we felt more safe out there. The water tank we use to wash our garments was moving and the piliars to our house were moving. It was scary. It turns out it was a 7.2 earthquake in Guerreo. But we felt it. I can now say, I have been in an earthquake, and I do not think it will be my last.

We have had a little more success this week. We have two new investigators with baptismal dates. Don Ramon and Hector. Don Ramon has a huge problem with drinking so please pray for him. Hector runs a AA group here in San Marcos. If all goes well, we will have 5 people get baptized on the 18th of May. Maricela, Don Ramon, Hector, Jacobo, and Katia. Please pray for Andres and Octavio as well. They still do not want to make a date for baptism, but they like the church and they like the feelings they get when they go. I just do not understand it.

I think that is all that I have for this week. I hope you have an excellent week!

con amor- Hna. Turek

Not Much New

I do not have very much to tell you about this week. It was a pretty boring and blah week.

Hermana Gonzalez and I survived through transfers. We have another six weeks together! YAY!! :) 

This coming week is a big week here in Mexico. It is Semana Santa. In other words this week they act out the crucificcion  and all the events leading up to it. One man from here in our pueblo is "Jesus Chrsit" and he will be crucified. Crazy crazy. So we need to be careful this week.

We watched the Joseph Smith movie with Andres in hopes that it would help him gain a testimony. But nope.. he has so many doubts and it is SO hard to teach him. But we have faith. We are going to keep being persistant with him. Please keep praying for him.

My spanish is continuing to get better. Yay!! 

Oh, and all my shoes are wearing out. This is good because it shows we are working hard.. but.. the biggest size they have here in Mexico in girls is 7 or (27) I need 9 or (29). This is a problem.. and I do not have a solution for it!!

I have a request. Can you please send some extra prayers mine and my companions way this week? We need them.

I think that is all I have for this week. But I love you and hope all is well! Until next week- Hna Turek

Being Sick is No Fun

Hola familia! 

  This week has been pretty.. well.. blah. My companion has been sick. With the same problems I have been having. Ha. The bad news? Every single doctor has a different diagnosis. One Dr. told her it was typhoid, the other said hepatitis, the other said colitis. So.. yeah. Our work this week was not all that great.. which is also bad for me. When we sit in the house all day, it gives me time to think all that I am missing at home and then I get home sick and then I am sad. So.. we just need to stay busy!!

  Today we were playing basketball and another missionary threw the ball and it smacked my face.. I now have a split lip.. that should probably use a couple of stitches. But that is not important haha. I do not exactly trust the medical care here yet. :) 

  Andres is still struggling. Yesterday the lesson was combined for the last hour. It was on how to prepare a body for burial and a lot of things to do with the temple came up. We know he is going to have even more doubts now. Gah. haha. Oh the joys of being a missionary. On a happier note, we told his wife to bare her testimony in church so he could here it and she said no, I do not like that blah blah blah. Anyways, I bore my testimony yesterday and after me she did it and after the block she told me that she figured if I could do it when I am learning a whole different language, she could do it too. That made me happy. :)

  Speaking of the language.. I am starting to dream in Spanish.. oh cielos! It is the weirdest thing! Also another thing with Spanish. A lot of people here when I talk say "No entiendo" or they laugh and it is starting to get a little discouraging. I know my Spanish is not great.. but they could at least be understaing that I have not been speaking this language my whole life! In fact.. 5 months ago yesterday was the first time I really started to get into real Spanish! 

  Can you believe it has been five months? I do not know how it has been for you, but for me the time has FLOWN by. And just for my mom.. tomorrow.. one year ago around noon we were sitting in Chilli's and I said "oh by the way.. I am going on a mission" and you just cried, and did not know whether it was an April fools joke or the truth. :) Ah.. It is still so weird to me. I honestly never thought I would be a missionary. I never saw this in my future. And at times, I feel so inadequte, but I just put my trust in Heavenly Father and he makes up for my weaknesses. But I honestly love being a missionary. It is discouarging at times and it is very hard. But I love it. Complete strangers become like my family. Ah. I just can not explain it.

  You asked about my companion- Hermana Gonzaléz. She is from Queretaro. (very close to here. In fact in July before they re-did the mission boundaries she lived in this mission.) She is like my sister. We have so much fun and we stay up all night talking. It is horrible but it is fun. I feel like I have known her forever and it is going to be a very sad day when we have transfers. She is an awesome companion. 

  I watched the broadcast on Saturday, obviously in Spanish.. and it was so neat! I loved the I am a child of god video. It made me think of just how true this church is. If it was not true.. it would fall and it would not be in all the countries and places it is in. 

  I think that is all that I have to share for this week, but please pray for Andres, Juanita, Maricela, Fernanda, Liliana, Yanet, Yolanda, Octavio, Marybel and Viridiana. I love you and hope you have a great week! nos vemos- Hna Turek