A Ginger Takes on Mexico: Goal making is the name of the game

This week was so great!!! It was so inspiring, so motivating, I feel like a new missionary!

So today we found out transfers!!! ANDDDDDDDDD I am still going to be in Xalapa! I thought for sure I was gonna be sent to Martinez de la Torre, but I am still in Xalapa! Just going to a different Zone. My new ward is Museo and my zone will be Estacion. I honestly cannot believe that I will still be here! My new companion is Hna H, from Chile! She is from my generation also! I always seem to be with people from my generation, I actually love it! I have also spent a day with her before, and she is super sweet. And, I am not going to be too far from Hna Q, so I am still a happy camper!

This week I have thought a ton about goals and commitments and how we can achieve our goals. We had a really inspiring zone class, and they talked a lot about what we need to do to achieve those things. I am so grateful to have great leaders who care so much about us as missionaries and want to see our success in the mission. They want to see us happy! I know I need to testify with all my heart, that if I do that, people cannot deny what I am expressing to them. ALSO, I know if people do these things that we invite them to do, they will be blessed! I know if they do these things, things will work out! It just takes that little leap of faith on their part, and I need to be there helping them take that leap, leaping with them. And that is what I am here trying to do! Gain their confidence so they can make that leap of faith! They need to desire to do that for themselves though. It was also the last zone class for Elder de la Hoz and Elder Dean. They were both such great missionaries and everyone was getting a little emotional at the end. We sang God Be WIth You Till We Meet Again obviously and Elder de la Hoz could not even sing he was so choked up.I JUST LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

We had a great planning session this week! I LOVE PLANNING!! I always feel so good after and we always have tons of ideas and new motivation. Planning is so great! We made a game called la papa caliente, or hot potato. We picked a number between 1 and 10 and whoever chose the number got to pick a family. That family now needs pray and think about to whom they can give a Book of Mormon to someone this week. And then the next Sunday, they get to chose the next family! WE ARE SO CREATIVE!!!!

I FINALLY FINISHED THE 42 POINTS!!!! Now I can finally move on and study what I want to hahahaha

There was a missionary musical this Sunday and it was beautiful! The missionaries from another zone prepared this whole program and I cannot describe how loving it was. I can guarantee that every person there felt the Saviors love at some point or another. I also got to see my friend Elder Woodward! He didn't know I broke my foot hahaha he was in shock when he saw me.

Reymundo does not want anything, he canceled his lesson with us. :(

We have a new investigator named Monse! SHE IS SO PERFECT! She is the friend of a member. and her friend was able to be in the lesson with us. I finally got to go out and teach a little this week, and the lesson was beautiful. The Spirit was testifying, she was asking lots of questions, and had so much to say. Lessons like these are my favorites. It is what makes being a missionary worth it.

I wrote a letter to my former non-amigo the ward mission leader since we had changes. Something I was really working on my whole time here was loving him. Trying to put his schedule first so that he could help us. And I wrote him a little note, thanking him for everything he does. I know that a lot of people kind of forget about the work that he does. But I let him know that I do notice, and I am very grateful for it all. He called me today to thank me for the letter! I also wrote that we weren't friends in the beginning, but I am glad to say I would consider him my friend now, and he told me that we were friends now also. He asked when was the next time we were going to eat at his house and I told him I was being changed, and he was like DONT TELL ME THAT!!! I told him we would see each other again someday :) whether here in this life or after. I am so grateful we got to be friends, and I am SO grateful for his work in his calling.

Random:

Never would have thought that I would be cold and have goosebumps here in Mexico. But at night I sleep with 2 blankets, sweatpants and a sweatshirt....and I am still cold. I am gonna die this next change

called tortillas negras tortillas azules....BECAUSE THEY LOOK BLUE

trying to say the language mandarin....es mandarin en español pero dije mandarina...que es una fruta....sí los miembros empezaron riendose jajaja y yo tambien. WHY IS MY MISSION SO EMBARASSING

I unofficially have gastritis thanks to all the chile I have eaten and the antibiotics from my stomach infection. YAYYYYYY. I was kind of dying Saturday but I feel much better now. Hna Q has pills for it though so she has been sharing with me. Feeling a little better!

I love the mission! I know this church is true!

Love, Hermana Westergard