Makin' Memories in Monterrey México: Week 67: I can't complain

hasta luego to mis hermanas

Wow. I am so stoked to tell you guys about all that has happened this week!! On tuesday morning I recieved the new hermana that I will be training these 12 weeks! Her name is Hermana Quispitupac-- I'm proud i've got the pronunciation down-- and she is from LIMA, PERU. She is 28 years old, studied psychology and is the most prepared new missionary i have ever seen haha!! wow she is so intelligent. It's fun learning about her country and introducing her to the mexican culture-- fun fact, they don't eat tortillas or spicy food in peru! So her eyes have been widely opened this week haha. Her accent and vocab are also different so it's been fun learning different spanish vocab. I am super excited for all the hard work we will be doing my last 12 weeks.

Well I finally have left the "san Nicolas bubble" haha and my new area is about 30 minutes out in a city called Apodaca! I am now in Bosques de San Miguel and wow it is so different and awesome and I am just on cloud 9. So this is the 2nd time in my mission where literally on tuesday i recieved the keys to my new apartment and a cell phone and off we went in a taxi trying to find the house / new area haha. But i love how both Hna Q and I are new here because it is such an adventure finding our way around. We eventually pulled up to a private lot of apartments with a guard and everything, and we make our way to my new address, we get out of the taxi, i open the door, and i couldn't help but shout for joy seeing a giant fridge, a WASHER AND DRYER, air conditiioning, and literally a dishwasher.....havn't seen one of those in 15 months. I turned to my companion and said: Esto no es normal. This is not normal. we are spoiled. hahah the asistants to Pres Bird were messing with me on tuesday that Pres put me in the BEST mission house to "die" in haha let's just say I will be living in paradise these last 2 transfers! I've never been so excited to do laundry.

pulling up to our private apts ;) mom and dad- im super protected dont worry

2 hermanas were here before us but they didn't leave us a map of our area....haha so we had to go to a gas station around the corner, buy a map, and call the elders for our area boundaries. This area is 3x as big as my first 3 areas! IT'S GIANT. I've got foot blisters again. We have been running all around haha but i love it because the people here are SO much more open and accepting. The people are much more humble here than my former area, and in just one week I have taught more complete families then in all my mission!! Great miracles are in store for us here in Bosques de San Miguel. It's incredible too how GUIDED we have been by the spirit. On the first day we happened to run into many members, former investigators of past missionaries....although I am in a complete new area and don't know a single person, I feel so incredibly guided in where I am supposed to go.

Our church building is absolutely gorgeous. It is brand new-- since june, and it is right on the main high way. 20 min walk from our apt, and it's great because EVERYONE here has seen this beautiful chapel and it draws a lot of interest. It is helping the missionary work grow a ton here. My previous 3 wards had about 70 active members in each, but here in this ward we have about 200 active members!! one of the biggest wards in the mission. We have 8 missionaries in this ward!!! Largest number of missionaries in one ward in the mish, 6 elders and us 2. For food each day we divide into 2 groups of 4 and eat with diff families, but yesterday it was a blast because a ward family had all 8 of us over to eat! It was a party. The chapel is absolutely gorgeous-- first time i have seen / felt carpet in 15 months hahaha. And a super nice electric piano that i will be playing each week as newly called ward pianist haha :) mom i will forever be grateful for making me take piano for 8 years. My other wards have been super low in baptism rates, but this ward has one of the highest baptising rates in the mission so i hope we will be able to help many families enter the waters of baptism!!

Honestly I am just super stoked and happy to be here in my last area with my last companion because I can just feel that so many miraculous opportunities are in store for us. I absolutely love training and it's an honor being able to teach my "hija" all i've got these last weeks i have left.

exciting news: my dear investigadora andrea got baptized yesterday in AMERICA i couldnt go :( but teaching her for 3 months and her conversion will always be a treasure in my heart.

ADIOS AMERICA: