Week 23 - July 28, 2014 - this week was weird

It was also fun and exciting and enjoyable and lots of great things happened, but it was also very weird. I´ve learned a lot about how the mission program is organized and I´ve been really impressed by how smoothly oiled everything is from Salt Lake to Cacahoatan, and I know the whole thing is run by somebody who knows exactly what it's doing. 

The attached photo was a really amusing lesson. We taught some kids the Restauration playing with clay and some pens while sitting on the floor. Missionary work should never get tedious because there´s always something new to try :)

That's about it for this week, I can't remember having eaten any weird food or anything, so just know that the Church is true and it's head is our Lord and Savior. 

Love you all, y vayan por la sombrita (stay in the shade),

Hermana Juliana

Week 22 - July 21, 2014 - Christmas in July

I don't really have a story to go with the title, it just seemed appropriate considering it's July and all, and every day I get to share with people what I believe about the person who's birth we celebrate in December. 

Anyway, this past week I hit the 5 month mark - yes mom, I'm trying to figure out where the time went too. The scary thing is this month it'll be six months, which is a third (!!!!) of the time I'll be here. I've learned a lot, grown a lot, and I'm excited because in the next year I'll get to grow and learn even more. 

This week something fun we ate: I tried chamoyada, which is icecream with chamoy (it's a sauce I don't really know how to describe) sprinkles and chile. They put chile on everything. It was quite delicious. I spent a day with Cinthia as my companion because Sister Rodriguez went to the mission home six hours away in Tuxtla to finalize her visa, and she showed me where to buy said deliciousness.

I love this work - and I'm learning to love it more and more every day.

Have a great week, and remember, we remember Christ all year round, so it might as well be Christmas in July. 

Hermana Juliana

Picture #1 : I found my home. After my mission, I'm going to search for this Island and live there permanently. (A family in the ward have a beautiful home with super awesome murals)

Picture #2: Sister Oliver! Happy companions-in-the-MTC-now-serving-in-the-same-ward-reunion, with a pretty background

Week 21 - July 14, 2014 - Lots of news this week

And by news, I mean new things. First and foremost, I have a new companion. Who is also new to the mission, which means I am training. The best part, she´s from Ecuador! (Santa Elena for those who care to google/know where it is). It's fun talking about places we've both been to and foods we both miss. 

In news-news, my good friend Sam left on his misson to Tijuana this last week. (in the picture, we had run up to the chapel to say bye in the rain, all of the members just laughed at us) I'm working on thinking of better stories, but really, one of the most exciting things about being a missonary is being able to see people get excited about sharing the Gospel and get excited about learning more about it.

For Dad: Something that made me smile this week was playing Book of Mormon charades with other missionaries while we waited for our interviews with the mission president. The Elders started to get really into it, it was pretty funny.

Speaking of the conference with the new mission president and his wife, when Sister George arrived one of the elders got our whole zone to sing Más Cerca Dios de Ti. We started right as she walked in and when we finished went to greet her - we made her cry, but I think they were happy tears. 

I didn't eat anything weird this week, sorry to disappoint.

Well, that's all for today, but enjoy the little things, and make life what you want it to be. There is one thing you have complete and total control over, and that's YOU. 

Lots of love,

Hermana Juliana

Week 20 - July 7, 2014 - Yes, there was an earthquake

It was an excellent alarm clock (when it ended it was 6:25, so there was no point in going back to bed). Don't worry, we're fine. It was the first time I experienced a real earthquake, so I don't really know how to describe it. Solid earth turns not so solid, everything is moving around you but you're not. It was weird, but kind of cool at the same time. 

This week, we had several conversations with a slightly eccentric painter slash sculpture. It was interesting. He reminded us slightly of Einstein, he is EXTREMELY intelligent and eats tuna with onions, mayonnaise and peach jam. Granted, I don't know if Einstein ate his tuna with jam on tostadas, but I imagine he had weird eating habits too. I tried it - it was actually really good, and I would even dare to recommend it. 

Cinthia and her family continue to be wonderful. We helped Cinthia try to pull her little brother off the couch on Sunday morning, he got up and went into another room to lay down - we let him be after that. It was really amusing though. 

The Fourth of July my companion and I both dressed in red white and blue (even though my companion is Mexican, isn't that sweet of her?) and other than that it was a pretty regular day. Wish Happy Birthday to Gramps, please. I was thinking about him a lot on Friday. 

On Saturday we had an awesome activity with the youth. They came to learn about what it's like to be a missionary. They arrived at 6:30 am and we were finishing around 5pm - and they weren't bored or complaining! It was motivating to see their enthusiasm and see in them some of the same nervousness I had (and still sometimes have) when they were participating in the activities. 

I am thoroughly enjoying where I am and what I'm doing, earthquake or not. I'm looking forward to whatever this next week brings our way. I know it'll be what it needs to be (not trying to be cliche, but there really are no non-cliche ways to say I know what I'm doing is what I need to be doing and where I am is where I need to be). 

Mango season is over, but lots of love,

Hermana Juliana