A Ginger Takes on Mexico: The Sun Will come out Today!!! (4)

Hola!!!

Another crazy, tiring week has come and gone. I can't believe how fast time has gone! The days still feel like years and then the week is over. Seriously the most messed up my time schedule has ever been! Happy belated Valentine's day to everyone!!! Although there wasn't a whole lot of romance here in the MTC, I still got lots of love! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE PACKAGES (momma, Chris and Jill, Dick and Mary, Christie, Dad)!!!!! I'm still working my way through the massive amounts of chocolate and cookies and more chocolate and sweets. They are enjoyed by me and the other girls in my apartment! Muchos gracias!

The weather is finally starting to change a little bit. Even though we are stuck in the classroom all day, when the sun occasionally decides to peek through the clouds/smog, it's like we have a new level of hope and determination. I love the sun! I am so lucky that I will get to go to Xalapa Mexico, which what I have heard from everyone who knows anything of it, is that the city is absolutely AMAZING. Basically, I can't wait!! I can't believe I only have like a week and a half left. Do I feel ready? Not at all. Do I know I can do it? YESYESYES!!

So one of our investigators 'moved' so now we only have Leticia and Fernando. It's nice because they are both around the same area in our teaching, so when we have study time, we get to study for both of them at the same time! We are on the Plan of Salvation, which basically talks about our life before the time here on Earth through this life to what happens after we die. Fernando still loves to talk, but my companions and I definitely feel like we are making some leeway with him! He's starting to listen more, we can tell that his heart is changing. It is so amazing to be able to see that throughout the lesson. I actually invited him to be baptized! This was the first time I had ever asked an investigator, and apparently my face turned bright red - so my companion told me. I'm fine with that is long as my neck doesn't get all splotchy too. I told my companions that I was going to have to start wearing turtlenecks to lessons because I keep getting so flustered and red hahaha I'm not sure how the extra insulated heat from the shirt would help though. Decisions, decisions! So I invited Fernando, but he still doesn't feel ready...that's ok though! We asked him again yesterday, and he said 'esperanza', but that could either mean he wants to wait OR he hopes to be baptized. GAH. I guess we will find out tonight when we teach him again! AND we invited Leticia to be baptized, and she said yes! YAY :)!!!!! One of the best feelings ever

We've had a bunch of really good devotionals and spiritual messages this week. One of the things I know I have trouble with is knowing is the Spirit is prompting me, or if it;s just my own personal thoughts and biased. We watched this talk by Elder Bednar - you should look it up! - about a 20 mark note he gave someone. Just look it up on Google or something. But basically, we don't always realize we are being prompted until we look back in hindsight....so we just need to ACT on it! Hard to do, but it's another thing I can work on! Something else I am working on this week is developing my Charity and Love, especially for my companions. This is the Christlike attribute that I chose for this week, last week was Obedience. I know that the lessons will go so much better, that I will be able to communicate and learn so much more, if I have ABSOLUTE unconditional love for my companions.

We have been having a lot of wicked interesting lessons about the history of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith's life. SO MUCH HAPPENED TO BE WHERE THE CHURCH IS TODAY!!!! I cannot imagine being in Joseph's Smith's shoes. And I am grateful that I am here learning in the MTC as opposed to going through what Joseph Smith did. I count my blessings every day!

Sunday was a long, very rewarding day! My district sang in church, Senor te necesito, which translates to I Need Thee Every Hour. According to the Elders, we were good! But I don't actually think they would tell us if they thought we were awful. I'll take the complements though! SO AT THE DEVOTIONAL ON SUNDAY ELDER HOLLAND CAME!!!!!! SLDKFKJLSDKFJSLKDFJ!!!!!! I basically had a heart attack when he walked in. They bused us up to main campus to practice Praise to the Man, and we knew there was something big going on if they were bringing us all the way up there to practice. The speaker was actually his son, Matthew Holland, who is the president of UVU. Matthew Holland's mother was there, it was her birthday, and so it really should have come as no surprise that a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles was there too. It truly was an amazing night. Being in the same room as this spiritual giant, singing on of my favorite songs, it was honestly one of the best nights of my life. Matthew Hollands spoke a lot about the life of Joseph Smith, his trials, and I realized, a prophet of God had all these trials in his life...why should I think that mine would be any easier. I am grateful for my trials! I am grateful my my opportunities to grow and learn from hard times in my life. I wouldn't ask for more, but I am grateful for what I have been dealt."Our eternal destiny is no less significant than the prophet Joseph Smith." HE WAS SUCH A GREAT SPEAKER! Also, one of my new favorite songs is Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief. Lovelovelove!! I know this work is inspired, I know that I am going to the the answer to someone's prayer, I know this church is true!!

On a not so happy side note I am getting sick. I am pretty sure is is from the lack of sleep, and possibly also from the high amounts of sugar intake. But. I currently sound like a frog going through puberty, so that's always something for the investigators to laugh about in lessons!

On another happy note, we buried english on Monday! Meaning, we no longer speak it in the classroom, and we do our best to not speak it outside the classroom too. It was so weird at the end of the day, writing in my journal in English, I kept switching over to spanish. #MTCprobz. Also, the Elders like to play small jokes on us. For example, they thought we lost their bouncy ball, so they gave us a Snickers Bar but somehow put a piece of lead from a pencil in it? I don't know how, but we found it before we ate it. They also spiked my water bottle with a little packet of Crystal Light, WITH CAFFEINE. I didn't even know they made that! I found the packet after I had already consumed my entire water bottle...so it was too late haha I was just thinking that I had finally reached my second wind for the night. I had some chemical help though.

I played the piano yesterday for 2 people in my district who are trying to do a musical number. Just let me say, that was one of the most stressful times since I have been here. I haven't really played since 8th grade, and my skills have deteriorated to almost nothing. But we made it through, and they said it wasn't too bad. Hopefully I don't have to do that again hahaha.

I love you all, and I am so grateful for the letters and love and support! I love Spanish, I can't wait to get to Xalapa! I'm so grateful to be here, this work is true and I love feeling myself grow as I study.

Love, Hermana Westergard