A Ginger Takes on Mexico: Visa

¡Hola!

Sí, yo estoy en Mexico por el 5 de mayo, que chido eh? (Yes I'm in Mexico for cinco de mayo, how cool huh?) This week seemed a bit more relaxed than all the other weeks of my mission because I was stuck in Xalapa for 3 days because we traveled down Monday night for our visas, they were not ready Tuesday, and then we stayed with the missionaries down there for an extra night and finally got them on Wednesday and then made the 4 hour bus trip back again to Papantla! The mission honestly goes SO slow when you are doing nothing. I wanted to be in my area, visiting my investigators! THEY NEED ME! Every time I go to Xalapa I am in a little bit of shock. More like a lot of shock. They have everything! It is like the United States almost. Shock shock shock. They showed Brave on the bus on the way down, so we were all happy about that hahaha I cannot understand all of it, but I still felt a connection with Merida! We went on divisions (this in when they change companions for the day) with the Hermanas in Xalapa because we were literally doing nothing all day. I was with Hermana Johnson - from Utah - and Hermana Hidalgo - from Chile. LOVE THEM BOTH! And they had a 3 leches cake. You could say my love for them grew exponentially when they shared it with me.

NEWS I FORGOT FROM LAST WEEK: Hermana Daza said I was sleep talking in spanish! The goal of my mission has been fulfilled. She said I had a great accent and everything. There is hope for me yet! I am a Mexican at heart.

So I kind of felt like I did not do a lot this week, since we were stuck in Xalapa, but when I got back to Papantla, the weather has been absolutely perfect! It is a tease though....we were in a taxi and the taxistas radio was talking about how this up coming week is going to be the hottest it has been in years, with temperatures in the 50s Celsius...I do not know the conversion exactly to Fahrenheit (122F). All I know is they were basically saying if you do not drink water and walk in the shade, you will shrivel up on the spot and become a human raisin. Every man for himself!

We met some new families this week! This week has a bunch of holidays, dia de los niños (day of the children), dia de los pozos (day of the wells), dia de las mamas (mother's day)...there should be a dia de los misioneros (day of the missionaries). Anyway, barrio Tajin (the local ward) was having a party in the capilla (at the church) for the niños, and we got a call from one of the elders there saying that there was a family there, from our area, that were not members! We booked it over there, and talked to the dad - Juliocesar - and he is super excited and wants to learn more! Yay for ward activities! Usually we have problems with the husbands and dads, but if he is all for it, I feel like we are one step ahead of the game now!

We were taking a taxi another time this week, and were talking to the taxista - Pedro. Of course he says he is Catholic and everything else that Mexicans say, but we hada decent ride ahead of us so we just kept on talking. We figures we might as well have a lesson in the taxi hahaha so I give the opening prayer and bless his family and we proceed to talk a little about our loving Heavenly Father. When we get to our destination, he would not take any money! He just thanked us for our message, and gave us his information for us to visit his family! EEEKKKKKKK!!!! Prayers are the best!!!

Felipe section...he needs a section all for himself. This same day there was a baptism, and we brought Felipe, through the pouring rain, arrived soaked as a hurricane. Felipe went and sat himself in the front and everything! We were so excited! Sunday, we thought Felipe did not go to chur ch, but it turns out he just walked in late. So he came! There was a young single adult activity later that night that we brought him too.....but he was COMPLETELY DRUNK. Everyone at church had been thinking he was drunk, but he always smells like the way he smells and we thought he had some brain damage because he used to be an alcoholic and do all kinds of crazy stuff. But at the meeting - innocent missionary me - even I could tell he was drunk. We were so embarrassed. We gave him a ride to the estaka (church) and everything, and after the meeting the 2nd counselor of the stake told us to leave while Felipe was in the bathroom and he would drive him home. I HAD SO MUCH HOPE FOR FELIPE!!!! He was my investigator from the beginning, and I thought we were making huge strides, and now we are not. Just like that. Ug. Last night was hard. It is so hard to just drop people, especially when I have been working with them for so long. (In missionary lingo when they drop someone they say they died as an investigator.)

The viejita Maria died as an investigator too :(. This week seemed like a week of dying investigators. Isabel also died....I do not think her husband was as open as we initially thought. But I know that if one investigator does not work out, there are always more! There is someone here who is ready and open and waiting for this Gospel, we just need to find them. I know it!!!

Sunday was great though, despite the incident with Felipe. 5 less active members came to church who we had been visiting! None of our investigators went, but 5 MA (menos activos= less active) went. That filled me with so much hope and joy, I cannot describe it. Reminding them of their feelings they felt when they were first baptized and first went to church is a great thing to do.

I suggest you all search for molotes and try them. They are delicious. With salsa and beans of course.

Love you all!!

Hermana Westergard