Andale, Pues

Primero:

ATTENTION TO MY FAMILY. Basically all of you are going to be together this weekend. I would exhort you to TAKE A LOT OF PICTURES and then send them to me. I love seeing pictures of your beautiful faces. I will miss you all and I KNOW you will miss me, right?!?! Also, you can always send me pictures and packages. :) Mascara and chocolate are always appreciated. 

Next order of business:

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS to PAPA and CHRISTEN yesterday! I thought about you yesterday and hope that you had a wonderful day. 

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Family,

Everyone in Iguala...not sure if it's only here or Mexico in general, says ´´ándale, pues´´ It means nothing, really. I always want to say it because I think it's cool but I feel really dumb because I am super white. Also, this little girl today asked me why I am so güera (white). I told her because I only eat vanilla ice cream. Just kidding...I don't even like vanilla. 

Also, mom, you already know because you are the biggest blog stalker in the universe...but yes...Hermana Junca is now in my zone and my STL. I was super excited to see her last week. It felt good to talk to a girl in English. I specify girl because Elders are annoying. Just kidding, they are cool but it's different.

My half-birthday was June 28th (thanks for remembering...) and I realized that I am half-way to 2......6. AHHH!!! Which means I am more than half-way to 30. I almost cried. Everyone thinks I'm 19 or 20 (probably because I have acne now) so at least I don't look my age. :)

My companion completed 1 year in the mission this week! I made her a sign and taped this little package of hot sauce that came in my Doritos bag to it (I know, so thoughtful. But seriously, she DRINKS Valentina Hot Sauce like it's water). I can't imagine having a year in the mission but then I realized I will complete 5 months in a week and that time is going by. Crazy!

This week, unfortunately, was full of lessons with people who JUST DON'T GET IT. I swear, my companion and I teach simply and clearly but people here (and all over the world) have such a skewed view of who God and Jesus Christ really are. Satan has been hard at work during the last...well, since the beginning of time. We taught a lesson to this man and at the end of the lesson, we asked him to pray. We had explained in the beginning how to offer a prayer. He was like...yes, I'll pray, but only if I can pray my way. So I asked him how he prays and he said that he only prays in Hebrew and he prays to Jeshua or something like that because that is the real name of God and a whole bunch of other things. I looked at my companion like 'what do we do?!' We explained the godhead and the reason why we pray to God and in the name of Jesus Christ. I bore my testimony. All that good stuff...and he was like 'I renounced Christianity a long time ago. The bible was originally written in Hebrew so we should pray in Hebrew' I was like 'Hermano, if we all had to pray in Hebrew, nobody would pray. God speaks all languages so you can pray in Spanish.' He refused so I offered the prayer.  I don't think we will be going back. 

We had another Noche de Hogar (FHE) with the ward and people showed up...none of our investigators, but some recent converts. It was really fun. We played this came called Fruit Cocktail and everyone is a fruit (pineapple, grape, or apple) and the person in the middle says 'I want a cocktail with pineapple and grape' and everyone has to change seats. The last person standing is in the middle but before they can call out another cocktail, they have to say a joke, dance, or sing a song. I only know 1 joke in spanish 'Cuantas estrellas hay en el cielo?' 'Cincuenta or Sin cuenta' (If you don't get it, ask someone who speaks spanish) I don't know if they didn't understand me or if it just wasn't funny but nobody laughed at first so I slumped my shoulders and frowned my face like 'Dang it!' and then everyone laughed. YES! Silly white girl. hahaha. 

Also, for one of our plans to receive more references from the ward, I asked the bishop if we could teach the 5th Sunday lesson. I know, I'm crazy because I don't speak spanish but I thought it would be a good idea. WE taught it with the Elders and I gave a portion about the Work of Salvation...what is it and what is the purpose of the members and missionaries. My companion told me that I did really well. There was only one point where I couldn't remember how to say 'failure' and my companion was trying to tell me but I couldn't hear her. The WHOLE ward said the word at the same time to help me out. Haha. THANKS!! The whole lesson went well and I am hoping we inspired the members to think of people we could teach...and hopefully they live in our area because the references we do receive are always for the Elders. But it's all good because we are all on the same team. 

I am continuing to learn a lot from my Book of Mormon reading. I am at the part about the Sons of Mosiah and their missionary work. Man...they were powerful missionaries. As I was reading the story of Ammon this morning, I had the thought that he really had a love for God and for the Lamanites. They were a hard-hearted and ferocious people, but he understood deeply the Plan of Salvation. He had a firm testimony that it is only through faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism by someone who has the priesthood authority, the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End that we will be saved in the Kingdom of God. He desired that these people, his brethern as he called them, repent and be saved. I will admit, sometimes it is hard to have love for everyone. But when we love God and understand the beauty of the Plan of Salvation and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we will be filled with love for others. 

I love this gospel and know that it is true. I am grateful to be a missionary at this time. I hope all of you realize that you are also missionaries. There are people waiting to hear this message. They may not know it yet, but they are being prepared. The work of the members is so important. Open your mouths, talk freely about church and your beliefs, make it apart of your life and ways will be opened for your to bring others into the fold of God. I promise it is worth it. 

I love you all. 

Love, 

Hermana Durham

Photos:

We ate breakfast this morning with Hermana Tomy. She is the sister that is in a wheelchair who was mentioned in my bathroom story last week. Her roommate was there, too. Also, if you notice in the background...there are all of these saints because her roommate is SUPER Catholic. 

My lovely shoe tan. And bug bites galore. 

Happy 1 year, Hermana Hernandez!