First Transfer

I made it past transfers. My new companion here in San Marcos 2 in Tula is Hermana Gonzalez. I LOVE her!!! We have SO much fun! It was a very very good and needed change. I am only 30 mins away from Atitalaquia too. But I love San Marcos SO much. The members are golden! 

Hermana Slaughter went home. I have struggled with this, but she wrote me today and she is so happy. My companion has also helped me alot with this. What she doesnt know is we would have been in the same district. But all is well.

I got stung by a bee today three times. I was worried cause I know lyssa is alergic and I do not know if I am or not, but so far so good. 

Okay to answer your questions. No, we do not have hot water here. But I am used to this now. It is normal. Members do our laundry here. I like this. :) 

I do not have much to write this week. Other than I am happy and all is well. Oh.. and guess what? I am the new choirs pianoist. yay.. ha. 

I hope all is well and that you have a great week!

Another Great Week

Ah, this week was SO good! I had an interview with the President on Wednesday and it was very good and much needed. I am not so sure that Hermana Barraza and I will have transfers, but I am learning how to love someone when they really do not deserve it. So that is good. I am also learning how to stand up to her and talk with her. I will be prepared for marriage. :) We have a family that is progressing! They are just waiting for his divorce to be finalized so then they can get married then baptized! Please pray for Isreal, Doris, Yurtizi, Sherlyn, Itzayana, and Jessnany. Buena Suerte con el nombres! :) (good luck with the names) Missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.

Spanish is coming along. I know a lot more than I give myself credit for. Things are slowly but surely getting better here. I am so happy this week, and the past week. Sick, but happy. I am also getting better. :) I do not know what I have because Drs here are crazy haha. Oh goodness. The stories I will have when I get home. 

I got my package on Wednesday!!!!!!! :) THANK YOU!!! It wasnt even opened to get inspected.

Saturday and yesterday where really good days. I feel the love my investigators and the members here have for me. I got a note yesterday from a girl here and she wrote about how strong I am and how much faith I have and how she looks up to me. I needed it. 

I have a sad story. I have felt for a few days now that we needed to go to a less active young women in our ward. I did not know this girl but I felt like we needed to go. I told my companion about these feelings and she said it was not important or that we did not have time. On Saturday We were in Tezoquipa and this feeling came very strong that I needed to go see this girl in Dendho. I told my companion and I told her we NEEDED to go. After some arguing we were headed to Dendho. I am going to call this girl Jill. We got to her house and she answered the door. I talked with her and she did not really want much to do with us. I saw a guitar so I asked her if she played the guitar. She said yes. I then asked if she would play a song for us and she said she needed someone who could play the piano. I told her she was in luck because I play the piano. After some begging she told us to come in and she played a song. I started talking to her about life and what she likes to do. I felt like I needed to ask her if she knew that Heavenly Father loves her. So I did. and she just started crying and saying how alone she feels and like God is not here for her. It broke my heart. It broke my heart because she felt this way.. but also because I saw a lot of me (before I had my conversion) in her. I felt like I was sister rigby and she was me. We talked a lot and I gave her our number. It was crazy how I love people and care about people I do not even know here. and More importantly, it showed me how I can not EVER ignore a prompting. 

Thanks for all the love and prayers! I hope you have a FANTASTIC week!!

Wow Two Months in Mexico City

Hello my dear family! How are you? Time is very short today because we went to the ruins!! I loved it!! Expect pictures next week. This week was much much better. The President helped me a lot.That's the good thing about being at rock bottom, things can only get better and you can only build yourself up and make you a better, stronger person.:)

  It is true that you have to work really, really hard with the investigators. None came to church yesterday, so many have baptismal dates but they don't come to church.

  A typical day in my world.. hmm.. there is no such thing ha-ha. We wake up at 6:30, from 6:30 we pray then exercise until 7. Then we get ready for the day until 8. Then we have personal study from 8 to 9. Then companionship study from 9 till 11. Then we have lang. study (well we are supposed to anyways) from 11 to 12. We then go to work. We have lunch from 2 to 3. then work, work, work until 9. then at 9 to 10 we plan, then at 10:15 we write in journals then bed. P-day is the same until 10. From 10 till 5 it is our time, time to wash clothes, go to the store and clean the house, and write home.

    (This is in response to a feeling Valerie had last Wednesday night. She inquired of Ashton in her email if anything may have been happening that evening. Who says that the spirit and a mothers intuition don't work.)

  Okay.. this is really creepy mom. And I do not want to worry you, but on Wednesday we were supposed to be home and we weren't because the transportation stopped and we had to walk a good distance to get home. At around 8:55-9:00 we were in Bojay and it is right next to the train that lots of people jump on to sneak into the states. There was a big group of men staring at us and making cat calls. Right as we almost had to walk past them a member drove by and started honking and took us home. I think that it was inspired. Who knows what would have happened.

  Thanks for all the love, support, and prayers. I felt them this week. I have so much to tell you! Ah! How is Grandma doing? I fasted for her on Wednesday and have prayed for her everyday. My whole district has actually been praying for her. That's what I love about how close our district is.

  All is well here is Mexico. Keep the prayers coming. I hopé all is well in Utah. 

New American Elder

Hola familia! ¿Como estuvo tu semana? We had two investigators show up to church yesterday! They have a baptismal date for the 16 of Feb. So hopefully all goes well and they keep keeping their end of the deal. We have seven people who have baptismal dates but only three of them are working towards it. 

  I had an interesting experience on Friday. We were in Cardonal contacting old investigators and we went to one. I will call him Juan. We contacted Juan and he started telling us how he is gay, suicidal, very depressed, and addicted to drugs. He started crying because his mom doesnt like him because he stole money from her. It was really awkward. We cant teach people who have the problems he has.. which is sad because the gospel could help him. We told him that Heavenly Father loved him then left haha. It was real awkward though.

  Transfers were on Tuesday. A brand new American Elder is now in our area!! My Spanish is really good!!! I just needed to hear a new American talk to realize how much I have improved. I am real excited to have him here!! Now I dont get all of the stares in church!! :) 

  Not much happened this week to tell you about. It is same old same old here. The weather has been super nice though! We have to invite investigators to baptism on the first or second visit and I hate it! It always makes them say no because we are rushing them!!

 I think that is all I have this week. Keep the prayers coming. I need them. I love you all!

Hard But Good Week

This week was hard, but good. I know the first few months are going to be the hardest.

   I keep telling myself that when I want to give up that I can't because I am going to be somebody's Sister Rigby. Also I am going to be a better person, a better wife and a better mom for going on a mission.When I got my blessing last week I was told that people have been prepared just for me. It was like my Patriarchal blessing over again. It was really neat and I am sure Sister Rigby had hard times. If she would have gone home.. I don't know where I would be.. but I def don't think it would be here. I can do this, I can do hard things, and it is going to be a blessing for me to know Spanish when I get home.  

  We had three investigators come to church yesterday!! Yay for improvement!! Our investigators don't really understand why church and the sacrament is important. No matter how much we explain with scriptures. It is frustrating. It is hard because there are so many expectations here and we are trying but our investigators are not progressing.

   I had something neat happen yesterday. We were at  our lunch appointment and the family (the same one I skypéd you from) invited their non member friends. We started talking to them about the church. They are very, very Catholic and wanted nothing to do with it. At the end I just opened my mouth and words literally just came out. There was so much power in me. I have no idea what I was saying but my companion said the spirit was very strong, and Hermana Angles was crying and said it was very powerful.

   This week we did a lot of work with the members and MAs. It is an honor to be a mouth piece for the Lord. He def watches over us and protects us. He tests our faith and patience too. As a missionary you get to study a lot and you become very close to the spirit and our heavenly parents.This week I studied faith and the Atonement.. The more I study it the more I don't understand it and I am confused. This week I think I am going to study grace, and faith, and the Atonement more.

    We still have cold water. We need gas for the boiler and the people said they were going to come and they never did.

   I don't know what else to really tell you about. I played fútbol today. That was fun. I am sore now ha-ha. 

        I love you and hope all is well! 

Hardest Week Ever

  This week was freakin hard.. harder than my first week here to say the least. I hit rock bottom on Wednesday and just cried and cried. I asked myself why I was even here, 1500 miles away from home and everything I am comfortable with. It carried on into Thursday. We had district meeting on Thursday and I got a blessing. Things are still hard but they are getting better.

    I will get a list of all my investigators together this week and send names to you this next week. We have a lot.(We asked for a list of her investigators so we could pray for them by name.)

    Mexico is super hard to teach in because everybody and their dog is Catholic and there is a lot of Bible bashers here. I wouldn't go back in time if I could. I love the person I am becoming. I don't think I have ever had a testimony this strong or have been this close with my Heavenly Father in my life.

   The weather has been nice!! It rained on Saturday but it has been nice since. Transfers are this week. I am staying in Atitalaquia with Hna. Barraza.
  We had 11 Baptisms scheduled for this next week and the week(s) after. But 0 showed up to church so when we called in to report our indications we got a nice chewing out that left me and my companion crying. There are so many expectations for us here and it seems that no matter how hard we work we don't have any success.

   I love this Mormon message a lot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5FxdCgD-qI&list=PL4E784EC0770935C0 and this one too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8xvw0cgw0&list=PL4E784EC0770935C0 I need to remember that the Gardner is going to trim me because he knows what I am supposed to be and what I can become.
   Here are a few more pictures.

 

   I know this week will be better. I love you.

Mexico City Temple Visit

  Ah!I have so much to say. I hope I can remember it all! Sorry about last week. We were running around with an investigator helping her out all day.. so I only had time to email the President. 

  The Mexico City Temple closed on Saturday for the whole time that I will be here. Luckily the Angeles family (The family who I skyped you from) invited us to go with them. I loved it!! It is such a beautiful temple. I didnt understand a whole lot but it was still a great experience.

  How was your New Years? We had to be in by 7 on New Years so I had a lot of time to reflect on 2013. What a year. I have loved it. I have struggled. and I have grown. In more ways than I ever thought I could. Its just funny to think about where I am now and where I was back in January. 

  It rains here all the time! Its funny how fast our bodies adapt to the climate.. I am freezing here now!! The houses dont have carpet or heaters so that doesnt help either. 

  I have a cute story. Last week we were working and it was raining and all of our investigators fell through with their appointments or they didnt have time so we started contacting and just talking with everyone and no body wanted to listen to us... we are now soaking wet, freezing, and no body wants to listen.. very frusterated we look at each other and both just start cracking up. We couldnt stop laughing. It was a memory I will always remember here.

  We couldnt make carmels.. here in Mexico they dont have any of the ingrediants that I needed.. 

  I need to write Grandma Johnson, Grandpa and Grandma Turek, Uncle Joes family, Misti, and aunt Marilynn but I havent had a chance to buy stamps yet. Im working on getting letters out though. 

  Today during personal study I read Alma 8. I loved it. It hit home to me because thats how I have felt here. But like Alma, I am not going to give up. Its a really good chapter. I invite you to read and study it. 

  Yesterday we taught the lesson in Relief Sociey. I used the talk You Never Walk Alone by President Monson. I love this talk and I hope you will take the time to read it. 

  I have a million pictures to send so be ready. I love you and hope you have a great week!