A Ginger Takes on Mexico: When it rains, it pours

Hola!!!!

SO XALAPA IS SO AMAZING!!!!!! The weather is PERFECT EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!! I am no longer sweating 24/7 and my sweat is no longer dripping into my food. Such a weird experience. I almost forgot what it was like not to sweat! But it is also starting to be hurricane season or something? Or there is a hurricane in the Atlantic? So, we have MASSIVE, torrential downpours every single day. Once the drizzle starts, you have about 30 seconds to book it to the nearest members house, find some sort of shelter, or accept that you are going to get drenched to the core. BUT I LOVE it. The weather is literally sososososososo perfect, I cannot get over it. This week was amazing too. So many miracles. I really feel like I am in a dream.

First off, so much amazing food this week. Everyone says that people get fat in Xalapa, I can see why. The members casually give us flan and hot chocolate and cookies. WHERE AM I? England? That is what it feels like! So weird. Also had watermelon with chile and limon (lime) and salt. Actually wicked good. Churros...need I say more? Capeados, which is basically fried bananas with lechera aka sweetened and condensed milk and cream. We had carrot tacos. I like the health conscious idea, but the fried aspect kind of cancels out the goodness that the carrots had Oh, and an Hermana in the ward makes pan, the bread that they sell at all the little shops. And she gave us a HUGE bag full of all the different kinds after comida (lunch) one day. I wish I did not have the love for food that I do.

We have SO MANY great investigators! There spirits are SO strong. It is amazing. So so amazing! One investigator's name is Caludia. She has 2 children, and loves church. We need to help her get married, but she comes to all the activities we have, her daughter asks us when the next time we can go to church is. We watched the Restoration video with her, she wants to get married and is really interested in temples AAAHHHHH :). Another investigator is Raquel. Her whole family is members, except her. She is 16, just had a baby, we need to help her get married too. But even with her newborn, she comes to church and has lots of good questions. AAAHHHH :). Another investigator, Mario, I cannot tell if he wants to actually learn or if he just wants to have intellectual battles with scriptures. Trying to break down his walls. Another investigator, Cynthia, was a reference from Claudia. Her son has special needs, but she has a lot of hope also. When we were talking with her, I felt prompted to share with her how I felt about my sweet cousin Elizabeth. I was crying, she started tearing up too, it was really special.

OK: now for the day of miracles. Sunday was a day of miracles. Sunday was also fast Sunday, Hermana M and I were fasting that we could find more people to teach. Sunday we found, taught, and set baptismal dates with 10 people!!!!!!!!! THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!! We also did a TON of contacting on Sunday. Contacting references is so important. Out of the 19 contacts we made, 2 of them accepted the invitation for us to return and teach them later. The percentage is small, but the work is worth it! So the 10 people we found are in 2 families. Families are so important to this work, and the fact that they all - with their families - want to be taught and baptized is amazing!!!! This work is a work of miracles, I am reminded every day.

Sunday we also had pansita for lunch. From the sounds of it, it sounds like it would be something to do with pan, or bread. WRONG. It is a soup made from, if I understand everything correctly, SHEEP BLADDER. I tried. I really really really did. I managed like 2 pieces, but i could not eat the rest of the soup. It looks like the skin of something with little hairs or taste buds or I do not know what. I was trying to distinguish what it was the whole time I was trying to eat it. I felt so bad. Then the Hermanas family got back from church and it turns out none of her kids like it either, so I did not feel so bad. Apparently, it is the husbands FAVORITE thing in the world. I do not know how...but he can have mine!

Something interesting about people here....I always ask how to spell things, like peoples names. No one ever actually tells me the letters, they just say the word realllllyyyyyyyyyyslowly. Thank you for the help!

I love you all!!!! I love my mission!!!!! This church is true, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and I know our families can be together forever.

Love, Hermana Westergard