A Ginger Takes on Mexico: 7 months?!?!

Hola otra vez! (Hi again!)

This past week I completed 7 months in the mission!! I cannot believe time is going by so fast! I feel like I left SLC airport yesterday, but here I am in Xalapa, joking with the people in the market and bartering for fruit and enjoying every sight, smell and sound of Mexico! Life is so great!!!!!! For those who know me, they know I never burp. BUT, I burped that day!!! Just something random to celebrate 7 months I guess!

Our last P-Day we made french toast with the zone and played games like children. It was such a good day! And then today the Columbians made arepas - kind of like a non-sweet pancake with cheese and ham in the middle - and we played basketball. I kind of dominated, but I love my zone and I love that we have so many cultures here!!

Something that Hermana Q and I are struggling with is we feel like people are not actually listening to us. We feel like they are focused in us too much, and not in the message we are sharing. That is really frustrating because when I am sharing my testimony, and then the person tells me they really like my skirt or they wonder what I would look like with my hair down, it is like a shot in the heart. PAY ATTENTION TO MY TESTIMONY BECAUSE IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME and I am sharing it with YOU because I care about YOU.

I cannot describe how excited I am to still be with Hermana Q!! We are moving ahead full throttle and we love being companions and missionaries here in Xalapa!!! We are setting goals, talking about creative ways that we can find people to teach, share embarrassing experiences with each other and all that good stuff! We have been doing a lot of reflecting. What goals am I setting and achieving? What kind of person am I and who do I want to become? I have a whole bunch of thoughts jumbled in my mind, and I am trying to sort them all out! Something that Hna Q and I am doing together is we are trying to work on developing our Christlike attributes together! That way, we can remind and encourage and monitor the progress of each other all along the way! This week is virtue and knowledge, and I am already learning so much in my studies! We felt that virtue was the base, because if we are not clean emotionally and mentally, we cannot have the Spirit! And we know the Spirit is the most important thing in this work! It is hard to describe. We are also trying to be more efficient and effective. For example, no dilly dallying in the morning when we go outside to run. Wicked easy to waste 15 minutes tying your shoes verrrryyyyyyy slowlllllyyyyy because we are so tired hahaha but we already feel so much better and feel like we start off the day so much better if we just get out there and do it!! SO EXCITED FOR THIS TRANSFER!!! I am also feeling like I am starting to be more creative missionary, and not robotish missionary. We have cool lesson plans and are trying new things with the investigators! The mission is an adventure! I love every minute of it!

Robin: he works for an hermana in the ward in her cheese store. He is 18, and is super animated and wants to read and learn more! We left a pamphlet with him and he was reading it before we left. I LOVE FINDING PEOPLE WITH A TRUE DESIRE TO LEARN AND FEEL WHAT IS RIGHT!

Monse and Perla: they are both SO great!!! BUT their moms are impeding them from doing anything :( it breaks my heart when people have this true desire to do the right thing, and someone else stops them

Saul, Saul Jr and Irvin: Saul - the dad - got confirmed on Sunday!!!! MY HEART WAS SO FULL!!! There really are feelings here that I cannot describe. He was so happy, everyone was just so happy! They also all love us a lot. They never want us to leave when we have to go, but we gotta go hahaha. They always ask us how we are doing with our goals so we ask them how they are keeping up with theirs! Reverse psychology.

Yolanda, Rosalba and Eduardo: Yolanda opened up to us a little more. We found out one of the reasons she is so bitter to her dad is because he tried to kill her mom, and she has told us very firmly that she will never forgive him. However, that is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for! To do the things you did not think were possible, to change for the better, to share your burden with Him...because He felt it all. When we left, after discussing all of this, she was very pensive.

Random:

Had pozole this week...look it up!! SO GOOD

Also ate EXTREMELY spicy chiles rellenos...Hna Q and I were basically dying with a fire in our stomachs the whole day.

Our old investigator Karla and Irvin are basically dating

Thank you for your prayers and support! I love this Gospel and I know that miracles are possible and we can see them every day if we look hard enough! I love my family and I know I can be with them forever!!!!

Love, Hermana Westergard