Week 11 in Azteca Leon

So this PDAY was different and very fun! The international festival de Globo..or hot air balloons is in Leon every year and Presidente let us missionaries in Leon go!! We had to wake up at 3am...but it was worth it!  There was a total of I think 250 hot airballons all in one place and in the sky.  It was so cool and I have lots of pictures.  I'll make sure to send them.  

So alot of things happened this week, and didn't happen.  First off, we had a multizona conference and interviews with President Mejorada.  The conference lasted from 9am to 2:30pm but it was soooo good and I learned alot, and actaully understood most of it!!  That's a good thing.  Afterwards we had interviews.  There were 3 zones so lots of missionaries, and literally the interviews were3-5min.  But still cool.  Presidente Mejorada is soo funny!  He was like "wow your skinnier...are you eating well?"  .yo...um yea..I'm eating a ton actually haha not sure.  He told me I need to teach my companion English- lol-and asked me if i was prepared to be a great misionera...because my training is ending this week, I was like...uh huh! hahaI'm  nervous and excited all at the same time.  Not sure what to expect for these cambios.  I think I'm staying but, ahh! Don't  know, its all super weird for me right now.

We had a hard time contacting people this week.  For some reason (not sure why) we had a lot of people who just weren't home.  We would get through 5 or 6 of our planned visits in 1 hour because no one would be home.  It was odd.  But we did have a pretty cool experience with this one investigating family-Familia Jaime.  We kind of decided at random to visit them and it was cool, because we hadn't been able to in something like 2 weeks, and the mom who has a lot of struggles was mentioning this to us. She said that she expected we might not come visit again, but that they wanted us to.  They are going out of town next week for 2 weeks and so she thought it was a miracle that we happened to show up right before then. 

 I'm playing the piano...a lot. a lot...a lot.  But it's fun!  Thank goodness though for a new family in our ward.  They are super cool-part Japanese-part mexican family.  They have lived in Japan, US, and now Mexico.  All 3 of their kids were born in a different county and every member of the family speaks 3 languages....its crazy. But they are super sweet!! A very cool family.  The mother, who is from Japan, plays the piano, so now we can share a little bit of that cargo haha.   So not a lot this week--working hard and excited to see what happens next week! I'll let you guys know!

Week 10 in Azteca Leon

     Yes, they dress up for Halloween here. But here it is a mix of Halloween and el Día de muertos (Day of the Dead).  Halloween is the 31st and el día de muertos es the 1st and 2nd of Noviembre.

      About picking up new investigators every week...only one this week :(  Bit of a tough week.  Wasn't the most successful and we are still having a rough time with Nicolas.  Pero, we are quite determined to have a turn around. Only 2 more weeks for this cambio....crazy!!  Most likely I will be staying and Hermana Sancheq will be leaving-- although it's not guaranteed.  Super nervous if that happen's, because then I have to show the area.  I've got start knowing it better!  By the way, these pictures are a little old, sorry.

     So, as far as an update on my Spanish, I haven't really done that much yet, I don't think. But I'm improving and I understand probably 85-100% of what I hear, which is really good.  But, as far as speaking...it's a lot more difficult.  Although eventually that will come.  I feel the Lord's help in everything so much. I don't know what level I will be at in December for our Skype call-definitely not fluent!  So don't expect too much Spanish!      

     By the way, one of our investigators just got accepted to Fresno State! haha. But not sure if he will go because of ViSA stuff.  But he is going to California in December to study for a couple months so pretty cool.  

     So another cool thing happened with our investigator Luis- I'm pretty sure I have mentioned him before. He is about 18 or 19 not sure- very nice kid- not very talkative but super sincere and very interested in the gospel. He lives with his aunt, who is the mission nurse and YW presidente in the ward I serve in.  So we have literally taught him all the lessons we can without starting to repeat.  We teach him 2 to 3 times a week, since my first week.  And finally we asked him what he thought about baptism..again. jaja... and he was like "yes, I want to be baptized this month!" So that's awesome! Don't have an exact date, but most likely the 21 of November!  It was awesome!   We are now required in our mission for 100% lessons con miembro and the mission Presidente is stressing it.  It's difficult because our ward isn't super active, and we don't have a ward mission leader.  But we are working hard and did pretty well for the most part! Sorry, that this letter will be kinda short, running out of time! I love you all so much!!!!!!

Con Amor 

Hermana Sever

Week 9 in Azteca

¡Hola Familia!

Primero, ¡Feliz Cumpeaños a Sidney!  I hope you had a wonderful birthday.  Here in Mexico, Halloween lasts 3 days..jaja.

     So, this week was interesting.  Still having some problems with Nicolas, but, things are looking up,. We are hoping for a baptism on the 14th of this month!  So, 2 really crazy funny things happened this week.  First, we have this investigator se llama Victor- a more elderly man, we contacted en la calle my primero o segundo semana en el campo, no recuerdo...(wow so sorry for that run on sentence in Spanish.  My companion is laughing at me so hard right now.  You don't even want to hear my prayers in English..my Spanish is bad and now so is my English! jajaja oh well, the lord is helping me with both).   SO... we could never find him after that and when we did he commited to baptism but couldnt come to church for 2 weeks, so the date needed to be changed.  So we went to talk to him again and we asked if he remembered us talking to him about baptism, he said he did.  We asked if we could change the date to the 5th or 12th of Deciembre no recuerdo, and he was all taken aback, like hurt!  He said, yes, I want to learn more, but you guys said the 21st of Noviembre- I want to be baptized then.  SO naturally we were ecstatic . It's not every day you get an investigator wanting to get baptized earlier! jaja.  That was awesome! Second experience...we were in Maria Dolores -a colonial en mi area,and we were going to visit a family, when we stopped at the intersection and my companion looked at me and asked if I wanted to visit this family, and at that moment I was thinking, no, let's go visit the Rosas family instead, so that's where we went.  They have been investigating for some time and although they seem interested and always told us every Sunday morning they were going to attend church..they never came.  So it came up in our lesson this time around.  Only for it to finally come to our realization that this family was attending church every week, but they had the wrong directions for the capilla (building)!! Entonces they were attending  a different church for 5 months!...We all laughed so hard, but seriously, we were relieved and at the same time shocked that this had happened.  So they are now attending La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. Finally!! jaja, So that was really amusing.  

     TAMBIEN! I have some new responsiblities in my ward.  I played the piano in sacrament meeting, (not very well I might add), and now because of that one event, I have to play every Sunday, also for primary and the primary program, AND a musical number with the Women and YW of the ward.  jaja!  Well lots of piano practice is in store.  Also, what I am most nervous for is a new class I'm teaching --I'm teaching clases de ingles- starting Saturday.   It's always taught by a person from los Estados Unidos, usually with about 10 months to a year's time in the mission-- I have 3 months.!  So it will be interesting.  Quite positive I will learn more than the people I'm teaching -but, I'm grateful for the opportunity! 

     So, lately there has been a lot of talk from my mission president about callings and the importance of missionaries, and the importance of members in missionary work.  So this letter is a call to action!  From me :) and my mission president, and a prophet of the Lord, and ultimately, the Lord himself.  (like how I grouped myself in with them-.talent.  jaja.)  In 2013  the Lord declared that members and missionaries need to start working together to help further the work and the salvation of our brothers and sisters without the gospel.  As a missionary, I know of the importance and help a member brings to every lesson.  It makes a difference! YOU HAVE NO IDEA!  First off, it gives new investigator and new converts a friend.  Every convert, like Gorden B. Hinckely said, needs first, a friend, second, a calling, and 3, nourishment from the good word of God.  Missionaries come and go every 6 weeks, but members stay.  If a convert only knows missionaries and then they leave, then guess who else leaves...the new convert.  It happens all the time.  In our mission we are required 100% lessons with members, and its very difficult.  Having a member in lessons is crucial, and I encourage to you to participate in 1 lesson at least weekly with your ward missionaries.  That is only 30-40 minutes in your entire week that you will help another come more fully unto Christ.  I can promise you that you will be blessed and probably learn something as well.  

     I love all of you soooo much and miss you bunches!

Con Amor

Hermana Sever