Goin' with the Flow.....Literalmente (Week 14)

 shout out to the 7/11 around the corner with hot chocolate!

The rain has arrived-- I'm literally "goin with the flow.... hahah" the week started off with scorching heat and all of a sudden it just down poured -- let's just say that I made a big mistake packing only summer clothes haha!  I have this nice big jacket and that's about it.  I have never needed rain boots so badly in my life!  All the streets here are river rapids-- you know the ride "splash mountain" at Disneyland where you get soaked at the end?  Well i've been able to experience that same thrill everytime a car drives past us haha!  It's also a challenge finding shoes here because my big american feet don't match the average size here...I have to face the fact that my feet are bigger than both the elders in my ward.....  So let's hope I find rain boots sometime soon

On thursday we had a conference with Elder Pieper, a general authority here in Mexico, and he served his mission here in Monterrey about 40 years ago!  There were about 80 of us missionaries present and Pres. Bird and his wife, and I had the lovely opportunity to play the opening and closing hymns....however, it was so scary because 1 of them I had never played before haha!  Mom and dad- thank you for forcing me to take 9 years of piano lessons where I have learned to sight read music haha I played it perfectly!  Heavenly Father was definately listening to my silent desperate prayers.

our zone's "name" is Paciencia-- it is perfect because patience has been crucial for me here haha!  I have been here in Monterrey for 2 months now, and as I think back to my first few weeks I have no words to describe how big of a culture shock I was experiencing!  (still.....)  Because you are constantly busy as a missionary, you never just sit back and think about your emotions but mannnn this has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do!  When I'm feeling discouraged I can't just go for a run or a drive, take alone time, take a nap, listen to music, text a friend or family member....all of my outlets have been taken away and I've had to really rely on the power of prayer and faith and reading scriptures for comfort and it sounds cheesy but I'm grateful for these experiences I've had with out wordly distractions to know that these powers are real.

when you're with someone 24/7 you tend to start wearing the same colors of clothing......

"cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.  For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might recieve the promise" Hebrews 10:35-36

This week I learned a valuable lesson of not "judging a book by its cover".  We are teaching a 26 year old woman and she comes from a very strong catholic background.  At first I really did not expect her to accept our message and continue meeting with us, but after our 3rd visit with her she just opened up to us and expressed how much trust she has in us.  she began to unload lots of problems she has been experiencing, and she says that she feels the same peace with us that she feels in the catholic church.  I was totally caught off guard when she opened up to us about her personal life because she had been so confident in her own personal beliefs and didn't really show much interest in our message.  But now she is very interested in what we have to say and it's so great!  It just goes to show that I have to have the same amount of hope for every single person I meet.

Every day we have an investigador say to us... "everytime i'm with you hermanas I feel peace and warmth in my heart"  or  "there's something about you missionaries and I can't quite figure out what it is...." Adriana Montemayor, a return missionary who goes out and teaches with us, expressed to us how much she loves being with us because she notices a distinct change-- she says the spirit is so tangible being around us.  As missionaries, we can be numb to the spirit at times because all day everyday we are teaching people, reading the scriptures, praying....but to "normal people" haha the spirit really is so real!  During lessons sometimes I feel like my comments aren't making any difference in these people's lives...but I need to always remember that Heavenly Father really is working through me and touching every heart I come in contact with.

Beba, a girl in our ward who goes out and teaches with us!

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's, the Son also, but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.  Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us"DyC 130:22

A lesson with Beba and Familia Aguilar!

Haha so in our area there really is nothingggg to do.....which is good in a sense because we are focused on the work haha but last week we were waiting for the computer place to open and we got to spend some quality time on a playground nearby and take some quality photos:

  not sure how this works......

pumpin' some iron

 

  feelin' artsy

Today is Independence Day here in Mexico, so we are doing some quality Mexican festivities as a zone with mastaches and all hahaha also next sunday I am giving a talk in church ahhh wish me luck!  and Patricio's sister Dana is getting baptized on sunday!  So hopefully all our plans work out!  

more pics from this week:  

weekly planning sesh

¡HASTA LUEGO!

C O N  A M O R

hermana riches

familias (Week 13)

Javi, a boy in my ward! He is super smiley and has tons of energy hahah

This week went by sooo fast!  I can barely remember what happened haha.  Also, we are not going to the temple until October because we have various conferences and other things scheduled for September.  This week we had lots of rain as well as super hot days.  Also it is safe to say that Hermana Batalla and I may overdose on tortillas, rice, and beans....haha good thing we walk a ton here!

pondering in how many tortillas, rice, and beans we have eaten here as missionaries......

Also this week was Hermana Batalla's 21st birthday!  woohoooo Feliz Cumpleaños hahah unfortunately birthdays are not super exciting here....still have to work all day long.  But of course there was a birthday cake.

We had a cool experience on saturday with a family we have been teaching....Familia Aguilar (I have mentioned them before).  Oh how I love this family!  We have been teaching them for about a month, and they treat us like their own kids haha the mom, Olivia, always has a Coco Cola light ready for me in a glass bottle ;)  So they have been experiencing weird/spooky feelings in their home, and they feel that there is some unwanted spirit lurking around-- so we told them that some elders could come and give a blessing on the home to invite more peace and comfort (for those reading this who aren't mormon, all the men in our church hold the priesthood:  special authority from God to baptize, give special blessings, etc. and it is the same authority that Christ had on the earth and his apostles)  Sosaturday night Elders Melara and Martinez came and said a beautiful prayer to bless the home-- it was so neat because every member of the fam was present, about 8 family members, and the elders also gave each person a special blessing of comfort (for a blessing they place their hands on their heads and say a prayer that is inspired from God).  The spirit was so strong in the room, and the whole family was so grateful to have recieved individual blessings of comfort.  It was so sweet to watch all of them smile at the end of their blessing.  This experience was especiallly great because Olivia, the mom, has expressed concern with why only men in our church hold the priesthood and not women.  It was so great for her to see that the priesthood blesses BOTH men and women-- it is just the role men have to perform these blessings, just like women have the role to bring children into this life.  It is the way christ set up his church from the beginning.  I am so grateful to have access to the priesthood in my life, and I have seen miracles come from it. I know without a doubt that it is direct power from God, and I am so grateful that Dad and Jordan have the priesthood in our home :) And that whenever I need a blessing of comfort or when I am sick I know that they have the power to act in the name of God and provide me with this comfort.

"that the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness" DyC 121:36

sweet oliviana, 11 years old.

some of the family with our "Plan De Salvacíon" diagram haha!

I had the opportunity to teach a lesson in english!  Some members of the Aguilar Familia are learning english, and they wanted to practice with me :)  I taught them all about the Plan of Salvation in english- what happens before we come to earth, our purpose in life, and what happens when we die.  haha it was soooo weird teaching in english!  I had to speak in "spanglish" because I am so used to speaking these terms in spanish haha!  you'd think it'd be really easy for me in english but it was surprisingly difficult!  When you speak in your native tongue words have different meaning to you, like saying "God" has more of an impact on me than "Dios".  It's really interesting.  But yeah it was cool speaking in english haha!

"For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yeah, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors"Alma 34:32

We are also teaching another family, familia Luna and it was especially great because the bishop and his wife came to teach with us!  This was special because the bishop rarely goes out to teach with the missionaries.  It was great to have the bishop formally invite this family to church.

Some families in my ward (who I go to church with):

Familia Sanchez:  Alma, the mom, is like the "missionary mom".  When we are near their home and are thirsty, hungry, or need a bathroom haha we always stop by this house.  they have been members of the church for 4 years.  She loves to cook- homemade tomales and tortillas de harina....flour tortillas mmmmm. and every week she bakes these "ïmpanatas" which are like rolls with jam in the middle.  Their family is always pulling jokes and always says "äyyyy juera!!" haha which is blondie in spanish.  they are full of energy and blunt about everything.

Familia de Ola de Mar:  Ola de Mar means "wave of the sea" haha!  Ola is the mom and this family is so humble and the happiest kids you will ever meet.  The mom is suchhh a hardworker and does everything she can to provide for her children.  Their living situation is very very humble...and yet they have so much to give to others and always thinking of others first. They have been members of the church for a  year.

more pics of of the kids in this family:

other church pics:

every thursday night the women have a meeting all together haha it is very sweet to watch!

  other members in the ward

i love being with families every day.  It really makes me miss my own!  But it's so great teaching families because I have the opportunity to share with others the things I have learned in my own family and the blessings I have gained from those teachings in my life.

"train up a child in the way he should go:  and when he is old, he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6

Well this week we have a conference and of course more teaching every day!  miss you all!  until next week!

c o n  a m o r

hermana riches

New Beginnings (Week 12)

First off I wanna thank Pat Riches, Brooke WIlls, Emily Crowder, and Katie Barrus for your letters!!  Mail takes about a month to get here...but I successfully recieved them!  Thank you!  And also thank you for all the emails I recieve each week...It is so great hearing from all of you.  By the way, if any of you have questions about missionary life or what I have been doing, feel free to email me at lindsay.riches@myldsmail.net.

This week has lots of new "beginnings"

- start of september and the dreaded rainy season here haha

- all the kids here are running around in their uniforms because school is now in session

- all around here are ads for upcoming Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Justin Timberlake concerts in Monterrey coming up in sept/ oct (Hermana Batalla and I are very sad we can't attend..... #crying)

- new missionaries came in yesterday= no longer a baby in the mission field haha yay :)

-we have "cambios" this week- as a missionary you learn to think in "6 week" terms.  Every 6 weeks there is a chance you could be switching areas, companions, leadership positions, etc.  or you just stay where you are for the following 6 weeks.  Because I have 12 weeks of training I am staying in Sada Vidrio with Hermana Batalla, my trainer!  But all other missionaries were anxiously waiting sunday night to hear what the changes were.  I really am enjoying my area so I'm happy to stay!  and elders melara and martinez are still in our ward which is awesome because they are seriously so hilarious haha!

this week also marks my 3 month mark in the mish- I can't decide if time has gone by fast or slow haha mom?  dad?  what do you think?  I've been told it takes about 6 weeks to adjust to a new living situation, and I really do feel that to be true.  I've reorganized my desk area and it's starting to feel more like "home"-- as much as home can be haha :( FAMILIA I MISS YOU

we pretty much have all new investigadores-- when investigadores don't go to church or keep up with committments you give them, you have to "break up with them" hahah it's sad saying goodbye!  But we need to be focusing our time and energy with pepole who are ready to accept this gospel.  We have a motto in the Mish....."tomates verdes" or green tomatos are those not ready to accept the gospel and "tomates rojos" or red tomatos are those ripe and ready to listen to our message haha!  we are really excited though because Patricio's younger sister, Dana, has a baptismal date for the end of this month! woooohooo!  (refer to week 11 for Patricio's story)

This week I've thought a lot about why we are given challenges in life...why "bad things happen to good people".  Pretty much every investigator we talk to opens up to us and just starts crying, letting out all of the trials in their life- deaths of fam members, sicknesses, abusive relationships, financial problems, depression, and various others.  It's really sad to listen to.  It's important to remember that when we go through hard times, that is when our faith needs to be the strongest.  There is a really great familia in our ward-- Familia Montemayor.  The father, former stake president, was a very active guy up until a snow mobiling accident he had in Utah where he fractured his vertebrae.  He slowly walks with a walker and you can just tell how much pain he has-- and yet he always has a smile on his face and is thinking of others before himself.  His faith can literally move mountains haha he just talks about Christ, Heavenly Father, El Libro de Mormon and can't help but tear up.  He was talking to Hermana Batalla and me one day about this snowmobiling accident, and he expressed how grateful he is for this time he has had to reflect on the blessings in his life and to strengthen his faith-- he is a great example of unwavering optimism when most of us would rather pity ourselves and act out of anger.

"But behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.  yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God"  DyC 63:9-10

"for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"  Romans 8:18

something Hermana Batalla and I studied this week is special gifts/ talents we are given and how God expects us to use these gifts:

"but with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they will hide the talent which I have given unto them because of the fear of man..."  DyC 60:2

we shouldn't be afraid to share our talents because we don't know what positive effect it might bring to others--i've had many opportunities to play hymns and sing here and it's been so awesome to incorporate my passion for music!  (cough cough jordan you better brush up on your piano playing before the mish!)  I really do know that we are given special talents for special purposes.  Whatever talents or strengths you have, put time into them and share them as much as you can-- you will begin to realize why you were given that gift and see how it blesses others.

Life in Sada Vidrio is good!  haha basically everyone in the streets knows us and yells out "ayyyy hola hermanas!"  or even "ayyy hola élderes!" hahaha.  We have made friends with a sweet old man who sells corn out of his cart-- same cart for the past 25 plus years.  all day every day he sells corn (for those who have seen NACHO LIBRE...the corn covered in mayo with red chili flakes is EVERYWHERE here hahaha)

It's still super hot and also really dusty.  Other facts about the culture....every candy or snack has red chili in it blehhh it's spicy and nasty haha!  they loveee coco cola here, especially in the glass bottles mmmm :)  everyone has atleast one dog and one other strange pet such as an iguana/bird/rabbit/turtle....they loveee their pets.  One of our investigadores literally has 20 dogs that all live inside her house hahaha it's ridiculous.  Constant barking in the streets.  You greet everyone with a kiss on the cheek here too, the people are so warm and nice.  everyone owns a Hollister or abercrombie tshirt hahah so when I pass people on the streets and see their "cali" tshirts it's a good conversation starter!  Every weekend people hold fiestas in their homes and play loud musica.  there is also a serious lack of peanut butter and sour patch kids here haha so mom send me some por favorrrrr!  #withdrawals 

Well....here is to a new month and week!  I really am so happy and love the language/ people/ this work.  PS next week we are probably going to the temple so I might not be able to write until thursday....

well I'm off to go bake a cake for Hermana Batalla's bday tomorrow!  Adios amigos! Hasta próxima semana!

C O N  A M O R

hermana riches

Why I Am Serving a Mission (Week 11)

I had the amazing opportunity yesterday to watch one of my investigators enter the waters of Baptism.  What a wonderful day!  Well, I will first talk about saturday.  Saturday night, we talked to Patricio about Faith, Repentance, and the importance of keeping commandments.  As we were talking about Faith and Repentance, tears just started streaming down his face-- and at first I was thinking.....oh no, he still has some mistakes he has to clear up before he can get baptized....but soon after he had the biggest smile on his face.  Patricio has had some difficulties in the past, and witnessing the pure joy on his face when talking about repentance and the power of the atonement was such a wonderful thing to see.  I can't put into words how powerful it was to see the joy on his face!  At the end of our lesson, he said in his prayer "Padre, gracias por esta oportunidad a cambiar y empezar una vida nueva".....Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to change and start a new life.  After his prayer we all just sat there for about 10 minutes in silence, and he was just balling and had the biggest smile on his face with his hands at his mouth--almost in shock because he was so happy with his decision to be baptized.

Yesterday's baptismal service was perfect.  Little backgound info:  Patricio's fam started looking into the church 5 years ago-- his mom and younger brother got baptized a year ago and his younger sister is still not baptized.  Patricio's mom is so animated and full of wonderful energy, and words don't describe how happy she was yesterday to watch her 18 year old son get baptized.  Hermana Batalla, me, and the 2 elders in our ward also sang the duet of Un Oración de Un Niño (A child's prayer) and it was so so beautiful!  Patricio, his siblings, and mom and everyone at the baptism was tearey eyed.  Patricio had the chance to say a few words after his baptism, and He began to talk about this 5 year journey he has had investigating the church, and how profound his answer was when he knew for himself that this church was true.  He explained that when he was in the water in the baptismal font, he was overcome with feelings of joy, and when he was fully immersed in the water he opened his eyes and saw the most profound light he had ever seen, and he kinda laughed and said that he was smiling under the water and felt a bit awkward hahaha.  When he came out of the water he was crying and smiling and hugging Raul who baptized him.

Patricio with Raul and His wife, a couple in our ward

I have so many more things to say about this wonderful event with Patricio, but the most important aspect I wanna focus on is how real and powerful the Atonement of Jesus Christ is.  This was the first time where I witnessed first hand how much joy repentance can bring someone.  Like....I can't explain how true and real the atonement is haha!!  Christ suffered for all of our pains, sins, and burdens in our life,and when we have a humble heart and go through that process of asking for forgiveness...it is life changing. When we are baptized we are fully cleansed and are able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  We are currently teaching his younger sister Dana (14 years old) and we are eagerly waiting for her to get baptized so that their whole family can go and be sealed in the temple for all eternity.  Baptism isn't the end point- it is the beginning of a new life, and the most important thing for our investigators to understand is that it is acontinuous uphill journey.  But an uphill journey full of blessings and love from our Heavenly Father if we keep his commandments. So yes, having the opportunity to be here at this point in Patricio's life was an honor, and It brings me so much joy to picture other investigators I will get to see enter the waters of baptism.  This week it really hit me how powerful my calling is as a missionary, and how life changing this message is to people.  I am serving a mission because I know without a doubt that through Faith in Jesus Christ we have strength to do all things, and that through his atonement we can be made clean.

 us missionaries here in Sada Vidrio :)

"And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins...I cried within my heart:  O Jesus, the son of God, have mercy on me...And now behold when I thought this, I could remember my pains now more...Yea my soul was filled with joy as exceeding was my pain!" Alma 36:17-21

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus sayeth the father:  Ye shall have eternal life" 2 Nephi 31:20

Other weekly highlights:  MOM I GOT YOUR PACKAGE!! :) and sara wilson I got your letter!!  Mail takes about 3 weeks to get to me....and Monterrey is pretty reliable with mail so yay!  Just remember to put Jesus Stickers on the seams of the package so people don't cut into them... hahaha.  Tuesday I switched companions for the day and went to a different area which was fun!  I'll have an intercambio every 6 weeks....it was really fun teaching different investigators with a new companion for the day.  This week I also had a pretty painful ear ache, but I got meds so i'm all good now haha :)  and I've been rockin' some pretty sweet spiderman bandaids and my blisters are healed!

Hm...what else...we are teaching a few new families which is exciting so hopefully they progress.  My spanish is coming along!  I can understand about 70% of what is being said to me, and it gets easier each day to say what I want to say.  The people here ask me....how did you learn to speak spanish?  and my response is....well, I have no choice but to solely listen and speak spanish all day long so with that and my many many prayers I am being blessed to learn it haha!!  God really does listen to our prayers. It's so clear to feel the difference in my comfort level right now compared to the first few weeks here in Mexico.  Yes it's still hard, but not nearly as stressful.

Some pics from this week:

Sweet Sol and her dog who is probably dying in the heat... hahaha

an investigator gave us a bunch of clothes.... hahaha

Love and miss you all!! and i'd just like to end by saying......Becca are you seriously in high school and Jordan how are you a Senior???!!!!  How are you both so old.....

C O N  A M O R

hermana riches

Week 10: Life is Good

This week was great as I am beginning to feel much more comfortable with the language, people, and how the system of everything works.  I felt a distinct change this week and I really do feel great being here.  One month down here in Mexico!  I've learned to expect that everyday I am going to be overly exhausted, my feet are going to hurt, and that It will be 18 months of minimal makeup and hair up in a bun hahaha.  I still miss home a lot, but it's really neat interacting with all different people and their lifestories every day....and doing it all in spanish is even cooler ;)

About every 12 weeks we have a zone conference, and so this week on tuesday and wednesday we had big conferences with the 20 missionaries in my zone and our mission president.  There are 10 zones in our mission.  We go over mission goals, learn teaching skills, and it's a great time to really reflect on this amazing opportunity we have as missionaries.  I really enjoyed this conference because it gave me a chance to just sit for 7 hours and feel united with my zone.  It's nice being reminded that there are lots of other missionaries here doing the same things as me every day.

Every week we have an activity as a zone

GOAL SETTING:  we talked a lot about the importance of "metas"- the life of a missionary is centered around goals.  Every night we plan for the next day the number of lessons with a member present, lessons without a member present, lessons with less actives in the church, number of new investigators, how many street contacts, etc.  and on top of that we have weekly goals with other components- it's so important that we have attainable goals so that we can further progress and have motivation.  On top of planning goals we also have a big binder of every investigator, lessons taught, street addresses....everything we do as missionaries is recorded and reported back to different mission leaders- seriously everyone needs to serve a mission just to learn how to plan haha!  It's crazy how much planning we do!!

"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential.  When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in life" - Elder Ballard

us with the two elders in our zone walking to a member's home for lunch

LEARNING ENGLISH:  Another interesting topic during the conference was the focus of non american missionaries learning english.  Just like we have to learn spanish it's cool because they have to learn english as well.  Everyone has an hour each day for language study, and they have to bear their testimonies and pray in english at various conferences- so it's been fun teaching my companion!

We had a great experience this week.  So every companionship has a big black binder of all current/old investigators, and so we decided to go out and contact some old investigators.  We went to go visit David (he met with the missionaries a few years ago but wasn't too interested) and we got to spend some time talking to his family as well- mom, aunt, 16 yr old brother, and 11 yr old sister.  The Augilar Familia is wonderful! We have had a few lessons with them, and they all have lots of questions and are interested.  And they make comments about the memories they have with the missionaries a few years ago....so yes finding this fam was great!  It shows how effective it is to really keep track of all the people you come in contact with so it can be of use to future missionaries as well!

Some exciting news....this week I get to plan for my first baptism!! Patricio's baptismal date is set for this sunday, so hopefully everything goes as planned!

the weather is still hot, i've got giant blisters on my feet, and I think I may O.D. on tortillas haha but life is good!  Being a missionary is stressful and you feel lots of pressure at times, but I sincerely love being able to learn more and more everyday from the scriptures and having this time to strengthen my faith.  The daily life of Lindsay Riches includes walking all day erry day finding different people to talk to haha but it's really cool seeing the people that are placed in your path for reasons that you don't know until later.

Smile...Jesus loves you haha!

Something I've had to keep reminding myself of is people's agency.  You can't make people act a certain way.  Everyone has the ability to make choices, and although it is difficult sometimes, you have to accept the fact that you can only do so much.  You shouldn't stress about it because it isn't in your control.  I tend to over stress about little things haha but really you can only be concerned about what is in your control and just let all other stresses go.

"use boldness but not over bearance, and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that you refrain from idleness" Alma 38: 12

MORE PICS FROM THIS WEEK:

c o n  a m o r

hermana riches