Feeling the LOVE

Got a new companion this week! Her name is Hermana Flores and she is from Durango Mexico! She speaks ZERO English and understands ZERO English también. Therefore...we are lost a lot of the time. 

I have a hard time understanding her Spanish because she kind of slurs her words together and mumbles, so that's kinda rough...I feel bad because I can tell it's frustrating for her because I don't know what she's trying to say to me. But we're figuring it out and getting better at communicating everyday! 

She is a little more serious than Hermana Monterrosas, but she is really obedient and I love that about her. She knows the lessons really well and she always helps me out when I'm struggling to explain something. She really is an awesome example and I'm learning a lot from her.

Feeling the Love:

Had a super awesome experience this week as we taught an old couple about prayer. How we found them was hilarious. We had extra time so I walked up to the nearest door and started knocking. An old woman came to the door and looked at my name tag. She brought her face really close to it and read out loud, "Herrrrmana Matesen...Jeeesuuu Cristo...JESUCRISTO?? Adalante! Adalante!" 

As soon as she saw the name Jesus Christ she was practically dragging us into her home eager and happy to listen to anything and everything we had to say. The husband is very old and has an injured (and infected), eye so he can't see very well...the wife can't hear very well. She is probably less than 5 feet tall (the people here are TINY, its adorable, and I've never felt so tall in my life). 

Their living conditions are very humble, but they are so full of love, they practically SHINE! As we yelled the lesson (we wanted to make sure the wife could hear) love flooded into that room. I felt so much genuine care and concern for these dear old people. I thought my heart would explode, it felt so full. When the lesson was over I hugged that little old lady tight. She kissed my cheeks and shed a tear and yelled in Spanish "May God Bless you Angels!" How I love these dear dear people. words can't properly describe my love for the people here.

Changing:

Something I've noticed in my time here is... I'm changing. Before my mission I was super awkward and uncomfortable around crying people. I never knew what to do, what to say, how to help them. I was never very good at comforting people. But here in Mexico everyone and anyone spills their guts and their long list of problems to us, and many people cry. 

The other day we were in a lesson with our dear friend Carmen who has a long list of difficulties and trials. As she spoke with us she began to cry and her crying turned into sobs. Before I knew it I was walking over to her and I hugged her. I just held her for a while and she cried. She held me tight.

I held this tiny Oaxacan in my arms for a while and just let her cry. I offered some comforting words and bore testimony to her that we are never alone. Never. She cried some more. When we left I realized how far I've come. How much I've changed. How Im learning to be a little more and more like Christ everyday. 

Some days its hard to bear the weight of all these people and their problems. But at the end of the day I give it all to the Lord. I don't need to suffer for these people because He already has. All I can do is love, hug, and try and dry those tears. I'm really learning to do what it says in D&C "lift the hands that hang down" It truly is an amazing experience to be a missionary. We are His angels, we are His hands.

Looking back:

This week we had a lesson with the same family that was my first lesson here in Etla. At the end of the lesson we reflected back on my first lesson with them 6 weeks ago and laughed. "You were so lost!" they said. It was in that moment that I realized how far I've come. I still struggle with the language, and there is still days where I just feel completely and totally lost and unable to communicate, but I really can speak SO much more now and understand SO much more as well. Its truly a miracle. God's helping me out. I can feel it.

LOVE YOU ALL

This weeks funnies:

-Having to chase down a giant lizard that was in our house in the middle of weekly planning.

-People yelling stuff at me in English, as they zoom past in their cars, my favorite this week was "I LUUUUFFFF YOOOOOUUUU!"

-Sometimes when I walk down the streets, little kids point at me and say to their moms "look at that lady's eyes!" And sometimes when I look at babies they cry because they've never seen blue eyes before and it scares them...haha great.