Makin' Memories in Monterrey México: Week 70: Twenty

Well i am officially 21 years old. it's honestly a weird feeling haha! I feel so old. It was my 2nd bday here in the mish, and what's really weird is realizing that I got here when i was 19 and now i've hit 21. I remember telling myself-- "right after my 21st bday i will be going home!" well, that is right around the corner. Mi cumpleanos was filled with phone calls all day long from friends in the wards i have been in (don't know how they got our number hahaha) Pres Bird and Hna Bird singing to me, other missionaries in my zone calling us, ward members here in bosques de san miguel calling me-- i feel so loved. And thank you all soooo much for all the emails!!! I'm sorry if i didn't reply, i barely have any time on here! One lovely gift was having Estefania drive over here to spend the whole afternoon with us!! i have missed her so much and i feel so grateful she dedicated her day to come and teach all day with us. She brought me cake, baloons, and a super special gold necklace wiht a charm with the shape of mesico-- it's a gift i will treasure forever and reminds me that i will always have mexico in my heart.

My necklace :)

The best part about my bday was that we were able to visit lots of progressing investigadores and Estefania was able to share her conversion story with them. Luis, 40 years old, is planned to be baptized october 25th and has a really neat story. All of his life he has been really involved with drinking until it got to the point where he almost died a couple of times. He knew he had to change his life around for his wife and 2 kids and so last december he ended his drinking habits. At this point he began searching for God-- trying to fill his emptiness in his heart. He has a friend at work, Vicente, who began to talk to Luis about the church. They spent hours talking about the gospel, and at first Luis didn't have an interest of going to church but one day it hit him that he needed to go. So vicente drove and picked him up for church== this happened in july. The hermanas got in contact with him in august and taught him about 2x then we get to the area and have been visiting him continually. He has gone to church each week and continually tells us that this gospel/ church fills his emptiness he has had all his life and that he knows it is true. He is a bit nervous about the 25th but we know he is ready..please keep him in your prayers!!

familia herrada

A golden family we have is la familia Herrada. So all my mission i have had this wish of seeing a family of 5 be baptized, and so our first week here in bosques de san miguel i prayed specifically to find this family of 5. That very same day that i prayed, we met Alma outside of our house and she let us share a message. This woman is full of faith in christ, and she and her 3 little kids started listening to us frequently. They ahv had lots of questions, doubts, but juan manuel, 11 years old, literally reads the bible everyday and knows everything and our comfort visit asked us........ how can i be baptized the very same way that christ was baptized? hahha he literally was born to accept this gospel! They ahve had difficulties with alma's husband but after a month of teaching them they finally went to church and absolutely loved it!!! the kids are beyond thrilled about the primary program this sunday and we hope the dad will have a change of heart and go this sunday. All ofmy prayers and energy goes into this family-- on the night of my birthday we visited them and the best bday gift of all was having them say they wanted to be baptized and accepting a baptismal date. Alma, Juan Manuel 11yrs old, and Abril 8 yrs old have baptismal dates, and Elias 5 years old will wait until he is 8. The best part was that we were all eating the cake that estefania brought, and in walked alma's husband and we made nice conversation with him-- first time meeting him!! i know all 5 will be baptized one day, and i hope to still be here when that happens!!

This past sunday about 20 kids got up to bear their testimonies.... it was so cute. There are about 80 kids in the primary here....hugeee compared to all the other wards in the mission. I have the honor of being the pianist for the primary program thissunday haha i am excited!! tuesday night we had a rehearsal and lets just say i have a whole new respect for all primary / school teachers....wow it requires lots of patience haha lets just hope it all goes smoothly this sunday!

we understand each other

another weekly highlight...having intercambios with my blonde sista hna wagner, she and her comp are our hermana lideres so we had a super fun 24 hours together== it was pretty funny walking around all day with her. I've become pretty accostumed to all the people on the street just staring at me with a look of "what is she doing here in mexico" haha but with the two of us walking around.... it really was pretty funny. She goes home 2 weeks after me, so we just bonded over all that has happened to us here in the mission, the desperate need to hit the spa returning home, and the excitement of putting everything we have learned into practice. it was a bit of an adjustment speaking in all english to her! typing and writing in english is fine, but just a warning folks-- my english speaking skillls will be a bit off the first week or so hahaha im not kidding!