A Ginger Takes on Mexico: ¡Feliz Navidad!

Hola!!!!

Well I had the WONDERFUL opportunity to talk with my family!!!! AAAHHHH I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!! So that was the highlight of the week.

I love Christmas. Everything about it! The lights, the trees, the extra service, the cooler weather, families being more united, todo! I love it all! This Christmas was way different for me because...well.....1) I am in Mexico and 2) I felt like I experienced Christmas more in the way that it is meant to be experienced. Obviously, we did not have a whole bunch of presents or stocking stuffers or any of that stuff, but we got to enjoy the company of the members and of the other missionaries. It was so nice of the members to invite us to their homes to use their computers and give us a little of feeling like we were a part of their families :) I am so grateful for amazing members here in my mission!

BUT starting with Christmas Eve! We did not end up making tamales, we ended up making sandwiches hahaha but like 150 of them! We were a well oiled machine slabbing on mayo and then the cheese and then the jam and then the chiles. We also made atole and ponche. IT WAS FREEZING!!!!! We could see our breath, and my fingers turned into icicles, but it was so great! We ran out of food in like 20 minutes, there are SO many people there! The mission leader told us to sing in English so people would come to us hahahah and it worked! The people were obviously very grateful, I am so blessed that I got to help make their Christmas Eve a little warmer! I love the mission! It was a Christmas Eve I will never forget.

My companion and I also made chocolate chip cookies, the kind I always make in my house. We made a ton and put them in little baggies and gave them to members and investigators. They now think we are master chefs! Too bad my skills stop there.

Christmas, Hna Z and I opened out presents! I basically bought her a ton of American sweets in the supermarket and made her look the other way when I was putting stuff in the cart and then wrapped it all and put it under the tree. hahahahahahaha BUT she loved it all, so she was happy :) I feel kind of like her mom because I have 11 months in the mission and she only has 6! I also turn 21 in May - which is crazy to think about - and she just turned 20 in December. So I feel like a grandma compared to her in multiple ways. I made her hot chocolate and told her that Santa told me that he put 3 presents in the tree for her hahahaha I TRY :) We made a zone dinner with jam and mashed potatoes from the bag....it is the thought that counts!

This week was really rough to teach basically anyone because everyone left for their pueblos for the vacation. Pero vamos poco a poco. In the times where we did get to teach, I felt like a man with water in the desert hahaha sharing all my favorite scriptures and looking a little crazy I think. BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD TO TEACH!!! I love it!!!! I want to help these people enjoy all these blessings I have!!

We taught the non-English speaking missionaries to say ´This food is gross´ and ´not´ jokes in district class. For example, I want more food....not. We teach them well.

Coca-Cola is truly an addiction for the people here in Mexico. An hermano in the ward found a finger in one of the bottles, and he continues to drink it. I will never understand.

Hit my head really hard on a low roof that I always walk under. I kind of yelped Ouch and then almost fell off the curb and a large group of men started laughing at me. My companion also. Hahahahahahah I did too.

Carmen - her mom is still very Catholic, and still very much in her house. ug. We stopped by this week, and chatted with her a little bit and gave her a Bible we bought for her and the cookies we made. She was very happy :) and her daughters were ecstatic to see us too. She has still been reading the Book of Mormon and praying!!!!!!!! Now, it is just a waiting game it seems like to wait till her mom leaves her house.

Emmanuel - a chosen contact from like 4 weeks ago that we finally got to sit down and talk to!!!! His aunt is a member and his cousin was just married in the temple! What a small world! He is a great guy, and committed to read and pray about the church. We taught him in his mom´s house so it is a little tricky because he does not live there. But he is a genuine guy, and we are working out a time to meet with him this week!

Camilo - FINALLYYY!!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!! So Camilo is still all over the place attention wise. I am 100% positive that he has ADD and or ADHD. BUT his crazy aunt is finally leaving and I made a little connecting chart thing so he could choose who to give talks and prayers at his baptism. And he linked the names with the assignments and then asked the people if they could participate. SO NOW IT IS LEGIT!!! I love this little kid so much, I know it is going to change his life! We also made a prayer and scripture reading chart for Camilo!!! We went by his house on Sunday, and I found his notecard!!! AND IT IS WORKING! He is dutifully and diligently doing it. So proud of him!!! I really feel like his mom. But I love him!!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!! Enjoy this time with your families!!

Hermana Westergard