9/22/14

Want to know how to make a bunch of Mexicans angry at you? Dye your "beautiful blond hair" black. They don't like that because they love your hair. Opps. But hey, it grows back! ;)

This week I had divisions with our sister training leaders. My leader is my "Mom" or aka my trainer. It was really fun to be with her again. But it was also weird because we weren't in our area and I could actually speak Spanish. Haha. But its amazing how fast time flies. We were talking about how we were sure we were just companions and now we are both more than half way done. I cant even describe how fast time flies here. I have no idea how it is where you are, but I'm sure I left Utah yesterday!


Saturday was N. birthday. She turned 14! She is so excited for her baptism and doesn't want to wait any longer. For her birthday, one of the young men helped us make a slide show of her baby pictures and we put it to I am a child of God. We were soooo excited to show her! he doesn't have PowerPoint...... NOOO!!!!! But hopefully we can figure out a way to show her it.... Bj, any solutions?


Also, I found out that there is a less active who doesn't come to church because he is mute and deaf and no one knows sign language. Right now he is on vacations, but I really hope he comes back soon so I can TRY to communicate with him. We will see how close ASL is to MSL :D


The weather is still crazy. Yesterday, for some reason after church lots of the members were outside talking. us included. All of the sudden there was LIGHTNING and right at the same time THUNDER. It was like right in front of us. It reminded my of the Book of Mormon when Christ comes to the Americas. It was pretty awesome.


The Lord really is preparing people to be taught. He knows everyone personally and he knows what everyone needs. He knows YOU! He loves you. He needs YOUR help. Sometimes we just want to sit back and relax, but the war is on. Satan is trying harder and harder to bring Gods children down, but we cant let him! Help your brothers and sisters! Share your testimony! Give out a Book of Mormon! Invite friends to watch General Conference! (Its only 12 days away!!) :D Sing hymns! Study Preach my Gospel! Go teach with the missionaries! SMILE! LOVE!!!!! We need to love others, and we need to love them BETTER! GO, FIGHT, WIN!!!!!!!!!


Love you ALL!!!! Hope life is treating you well! And if it isn't, change it. :D Our heavenly Father wants us to be happy. So, be happy! LOVES!

Hermana Stanger

9/15/14

Well, it has continued to rain. Almost everyday. And sometimes its like the sky is falling because there is so much water. The roads become rivers and peoples...um... i don't remember what is called in English.... Become waterfalls, and its just a bunch of fun!! I kinda really like it. I will try to put a picture on here. Funny story, the other day we were walking to one of our appointments and we looked down the road at where we normally walk and it was FLOODED. My companion said, "wow! Good thing we went thing way!" *Splash! In front of us was a ton of water too! 

Another thing, us silly American celebrate 5 de Mayo, yeah, thats not a thing here. BUT September, THIS IS THE PARTY MONTH! Its pretty exciting. Friday we had a stake party, and our mission president let us go, and we got to stay out until 9! Woot! All the wards did a cultural dance from different parts of Mexico. It was fantastic!!! (But oh so hard to not dance.) Lots of people went to the activity and I even got to see some of the wonderful people from my first ward! Parties in Mexico are pretty fun I have to say.


Our star investigators are progressing very well. October 11th is going to be a great day! The daughters birthday is this Saturday and we are "first on her list." Its so amazing to see their progress. The other day, the mom was talking about how at breakfast, the daughter was bearing her testimony to her dad and brother that she KNOWS this is the way and that its true. She also shares with all her friends. We still got to get her mom married, but other than that they are PERFECT.


Last Monday night, we had planned to have FHE with a sister and a couple in our ward. When we got to the couples house, they weren't home. The sister was sad because she lives with her nonmember daughter and her daughter goes to school at night so she felt lonely. So, we decide to go to her house and have it with just us 3. When we got to her house, her daughter was home! Her zipper had broken at school. She really likes to sing, so we sang some hymns and then had a short lesson. She said the last prayer, and I just had an overwhelming feeling to ask her to be baptized. (*Side note, the first time we met her she didn't want ANYTHING to do with us and made it clear.) So, We asked, and she said YES! :D So, we will see where this goes!


Thats about all I can think of. Love you all and I witness that this is the true church! What are you doing to prepare to listen to the prophet? :D

Love,
Hermana Stanger

9/8/14

Hello! 

This week was an adventure. It rained. A LOT. Like, they closed school and didnt leave their houses. Only crazy people. And those crazy missionaries! It was really fun though. The first day was tuesday. We felt really blessed because everytime it would start to rain, we would be teaching a lesson (or in zone confernece in the morning). so we didnt really get wet alllllllll day. Except 15 minutes before we were supposed o be home. and we were infront of our house contacting our neighbors. It DOWNPOURED. Like, someone took a firehose and stuck it over your head and turned it on full blast. That continued for about the rest of the week. My poor companion got pretty sick and couldnt really talk, so I have preety much been teaching all of the lessons alone. Which has been a small blessing in disguise, because it has helped my spanish and teaching skills and such. Shes almost better now, so thats good.


Our golden investigators had to change their baptismal date again because in my mission, they have to go 5 weeks to church without missing, and she got sick and was in the hospital and couldnt go, so, were hoping for oct 11. The mom said she has caught her "husband" reading the Book of Mormon in seceret about 5 times now. And he has not drunk his weekend alcohol for about 4 weeks now. How cooll is that?! They are the best. The daughter just wants to get baptized already. She reads everyday, loves mutual, shares everything she learns with her friends, if she catches her parents doing something they shouldnt, she helps correct them. Shes is just amazing. I think sometimes we take the youth for granted. Something I have seen many times is when the youth are being taught and they are changing, the parents see the change and want to change too.Her mom said, " I always thought I would be the teacher, but I learn so much more from my children than I teach them." I dont have children, but I think maybe shes right from what I have seen.


On sunday we had a FHE as a ward. It wasnt planned at all until that morning. Luckily we were able to pull something together. The people here struggle a lot with keeping the Sabbath day holy, especially the part about not buying things sunday. So, the subjecty was, Keeping the sabbath day holy. We then did a small relay race where the first part they had a rubberband with shoelaces and you have to make a tower of cups using the rubberband7shoelace thing. Then the classic 3 legged race, and then eat a piece of bread as fast as possible and blow a bubble with gum after! It was so fun to watch. :D And, the daughter of one of the members came. The first time we met her, she was really rude to her mom and didnt want ANYTHING to do with us. But her mom has just reactivated and so, she is starting to change too. Maybe we will be having another baptism soon.


Its amazing to see people change. The gospel really does help people to change and to be more christlike. It is amazing to see. If you havent had this change, CHANGE! He will help you. Love you all and hope all is wonderful. Loves!
Hermana Stanger

9/1/14

This week was pretty good. Saturday We got to give service! In this ward, its ridiculously hard to give service because the bishop told everyone that we aren't here to serve, so, when we can, its a miracle. Anywho, We got to help a member who's is in his 80s and in a wheelchair. His house is a wreck and his family has pretty much forgotten him, even though they live next door. He is diabetic and hardly eats and he drinks the bad water from the tap. So, we went and cleaned his house and helped him to have good water and such. The worst was his stove. It was so caked in layers and layers of grease. It was disgusting!!! We couldn't even get it all off. Hopefully this week we can get it off.


Miracle of the week. The brother who never wants to listen to us, but normally "hides" listened!!! How? We gave service. He was mixing cement and then putting it in the wheelbarrow. I am now professional ;) We helped him and then he asked why there were so many different religions. So, we told him and taught the whole first lesson. The we got to teach the plan of salvation. He loves it, because he has lost a lot of loved ones. he wanted to cry a lot of times, but hes a tough guy and wouldn't cry in front of us. He has agreed to a baptismal date! Now we just got to get him and his wife married!


Sorry its short today, but the computer crashed and I lost everything I had written and all the photos I posted. Sorry. Hopefully next week. Love you all and hope all is well!!!!