Week 27 - August 25, 2014

A little boy was telling me how old he was this week but instead of saying years he was saying how many piñatas he had. He said he had four piñatas, and in September he was going to have five. He then asked me how many piñatas I had. I said 20. He stayed kind of stunned for a moment, but being a four year old he shook it off pretty fast and very curiously asked me here I kept them all. 

 Every day there are small moments - like a puppy running through the lesson or a rainbow when we walk out, or a four year wanting to know where I keep my piñatas, that just brighten up our day. And when we have an attitude of gratitude, we notice the little things and are strenghtened by them. When someone lends us an umbrella or gives us an extra slice of flan, I feel so blessed to be here. I know it takes more effort to see the good things sometime, but that effort is what makes the days fly by. 

I'm so grateful for the opportunities I have every day to meet new people and make new friends, and help someone learn more about the Gospel that has made me who I am. 

This week, look for the little things. They're there in every corner just waiting to be noticed. 

Love,

Hermana Juliana

Week 26 - August 18, 2014 - So the world is small and time goes fast

I just discovered that my companion's parents have found and are reading the blog that these emails end up on, so internet hello to Phillip and Laurel Peine! Your daughter is lovely. :)

Here's the time goes fast part: this week, I hit the one third of my mission mark. I know, it's kind of crazy but who am I to tell the clocks to stop. (I've tried - it doesn't work very well, and if only mine stops, then what would I do? Be late to all appointments, that's what - and that's just not an option). ANYWAY. This week was fantastic, we got to see lots of miracles.

One of which, a man named Hugo who when we arrived to his house said, nope, not anymore and walked out the door (this after he had arrived to church with his wife without us having invited them). We stayed to talk with his wife anyway, and throughout the course of the lesson, his elbow started to be visible by the door, then he was standing in the doorway, and then he came to sit down and listen. I am so grateful for the changes the Spirit can make in a person, and grateful that I get to see it happen, every day.

My poor companion got the same welcome by bugs as I did and spent a couple of days getting to know some of the ward members while I worked with Cinthia. She's back to normal ankle size now though, and we're workin' away. It's really been amazing, what we've seen happen this week.

In the 'cool things we get to see in Mexico' front, we went to the border with Guatemala this week. It's fifteen minutes away, and so we went to take a picture. (For your viewing enjoyment, see attached)

Have a wonderful week, and look for the little things.

Hermana Juliana

Week 25 - August 11, 2014 - New Companion for my birthday!

And we´re both from the US! It's kind of weird, but it's also way fun, seeing the beginning of the mission from someone else's eyes (foreign) eyes. Poor thing, she doesn't really like fish, and guess what we had, two days in a row - her first two days here in Cacahoatan :)

I know you're all dying to know what we did for my birthday - and like the subject says, I got a new companion! (That joke got old within the first 24 hours, but you hadn't seen it yet!) We were in the mission home and the other sisters who were receiving new companions made me a cake (see the second attached picture). Hermana Garcia drew a little slices on scraps of paper for of us as well. It was pretty fun. 

Here's what I've learned a lot about this week - we get to choose. How well we fulfill what we've been called to do, how we use our time, how diligent we are - we have control over what we do. We can creators of circumstances, not creatures of circumstances. We can't control other people, but we can control ourselves. I know that someday we'll account for what we've done with our time, and I want to use it the best I possibly can. How about you?

Have a great week! 

Hermana Juliana 

Week 24 - August 4, 2014 - twenty reasons my mission is great

twenty? where I possibly have gotten that number from? who knows, because I'm DEFINITELY not that old. (yet...)

1. Every single day I get to talk to perfect strangers

2. I'm learning how to make snap decisions and just go with it.

3. Mexican food is pretty delicious.

4. TROPICAL FRUIT.

5. Electric storms. Apparently it's not normal for there to lightening pratically every day, but I think it's awesome.

6. Sometimes you get to live with your MTC companion for a week and reminisce about how fast the last five and half months have gone.

7. Cinthia bought me a cake for my birthday :) naturally, being the loving friend she is she told me to take a bite and then pushed my face into the end of it. 

8. I get to stay in Cacahoatan for another six weeks! Woot! We've been joking that I'm going to be here for my whole mission.

9. We have arcoleological ruins that I get to go past every single week.

10. people will give us food and insist that we take it with us.

11. The members here are really helpful - two young adults from the ward (Cesia y Cinthia) were my companions during the week.

12. When there are transfers, we get to travel in super comfy buses.

13. Chiapas is absolutely beautiful. 

14. The same rain that makes a road muddy enough to steal your shoe is also perfect for rinsing it off again.

15. I'm learning and growing in ways that I didn't know that I could/needed to

16. Spanish is fun. I'm getting to the point that I can make jokes! (and sometimes people even get them!)

17. I'm learning more about the organization of the Church - how it works, and how much trust the Lord gives His children to help each other learn and grow.

18. People wave out their car windows (hi, missionaries!) and we have no idea who they are, but we wave back (usually they're members who aren't in our ward).

19. i feel a connection to the scriptures and the people who wrote them stronger than ever before.

20. I have lots of people who love me back home. Thanks for the birthday wishes! 

Have a great week!

love,

Hermana Juliana

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