GUESS WHO I SAW THIS WEEK?!

First of all a BIG SHOUT OUT to my wonderful Grandparents for 65 YEARS OF MARRIAGE! I wish I could give you a big hug to thank you for being my grandparents and for raising the best mom I could have asked for. I hope you enjoy your day and can think back on the wonderful adventures that you have had and are still going to have! Here is to 65 more!!! :)

One blessing of being on a mission: I got a jury duty summons...first one in my life. And I am in Mexico. Score.

This week was good but Eder didn't end up getting baptized. His parents told us that he wasn't ready which I thought was crazy because he has had all the lessons, been to church, knows how to pray, etc. but they are the parents so we postponed it for two weeks. Also, Edgar blessed the sacrament this Sunday! One of the counselors in the bishopric brought him a tie. He had to repeat the prayer twice but it's all good! It was so exciting to see that and Tomas was super proud, too. They had a priesthood fireside and they both went. I love seeing how exciting they are about church. We had a lesson with Helen, Edgar's wife, yesterday about the Book of Mormon because she has some doubts. I asked her if she has seen changes in Edgar since his baptism and she smiled really big and said YES! He doesn't drink, he's a lot nicer and more respectful to his parents and seems happier. I was like...That's because this gospel changes lives. You will continue to see these good changes as you two work together to live the gospel! How cool. 

We got a reference from the elders the other day named Erik. We called him to set up an appointment and he speaks English really well. He told us that he really needs help and that he would meet us at church on Sunday. When we met him, he told us that he basically lost everything in his life...his job, his motorcycle, his girlfriend, his grandfather died...everything. He said that he has no idea why this is happening because he is a good person. I told him that sometimes in life, the Lord sends tests, not to punish us, but to prepare us for something better. He is searching to find his purpose. It was like a little miracle finding him. He is totally prepared for the gospel and I know that these things in his life are preparing him to accept the message that we have. YAY!! There are escojidos here! 

The highlight of the week was out multi-zone conference. WHY...well, because it's zone conference and we learn lots of great stuff. ALSO...I was reunited with HERMANA GARCIA after months of being apart. I can't explain how excited I was to see her. She looks like a mouse in the pictures because she was in a skit that we had to do for zone conference. Speaking of the skit, I was a background character that has no part...but I was happy with that. My companion was also a mouse and this sister in our zone HAND SEWED the costumes. Don't asked me where she found the time, but I thought it was rather impressive.

Zone conference was really good and we focused a lot on the Book of Mormon. It really is the key to our religion and if people actually read it, they will gain a testimony of the gospel. 

We are getting the hang of things here. I know the Lord gives us challenges to help us become stronger. Sometimes I don't really know how I am doing what I am doing. Especially this change with both of us being new...but then I realize that it is because we are working on the winning team and the Lord will help us with His work. This is the last week in the change and I am highly doubting that we will be changed...but in the mission, one never knows...

I love you all! Have a wonderful week. 

Love, Hermana Durham :)

Some sisters from my zone...Hna. Hellstern, Me, Hna. Hingano, Hna. Thompson, and Hna. Perez...she is hilarious!

Hna. Hellstern. We found out we have the same name (hers is spelled wrong but that's ok) and that we are basically the same person. 

Me and Hna. Mouse...Ward.

I Am Wearing A Sweater

It is actually kind of cold in my area. Maybe I am just used to the deathly heat of Iguala, but I pulled out my cardigans that I brought with me because my area is high in the mountains and actually is a little cold. And by cold I mean, Las Vegas in October...it's nice, but with wind you need a little something to keep you comfortable.

Another week...where does the time go? I couldn't tell you. We are still trying to find our area and get to know the people in the ward. He got lost a few times and we ran out of minutes on our phone so that was an adventure. We are getting the hang out things for the most part but we want to move houses because we live really far from our area. We are in the process of looking for a new place and we have some members helping us out in the looking process.

There is a sister in the ward who is American and came down here about 9 months ago to learn spanish and to just hang out. She has a friend here and decided 'what the heck, I'll go to Mexico.' She ended up getting a job teaching English at a preppy high school so she didn't actually learn any spanish, but she is super cool and had us over la comida this week. Hna. Ward and I almost died of happiness when we saw rolls, mashed potatoes, salad, gravy, chocolate pudding...everything fattening and American. I almost cried. She went on a mission when she was old like me, so we bonded over that. We made her sign up for one more day before she heads back to the US. Don't get me wrong, I love Mexico but it smelt like home when I walked into her apartment. 

I also felt a little bit at home today because we found a walmart in our area and went there to buy groceries. They don't have my facewash...but they had lots of other good things...like Kraft Mac N Cheese. We bought it to have for lunch today. So delicious. haha. 

 This week we focused a lot of the family Pintor because Tomas and Edgar needed a few more lessons and their interview for their baptism. Man, this family is so great. Tomas talks a lot and you can tell that he has a big desire to learn and to do what is right. Edgar is 19 and married to Helen. They are so great. I like them both so much. Helen was actually born in the US and lived there until she was 13 so she speaks English but is loosing it because she doesn't practice. I told her to practice with me and she got so excited! She was like...I was going to ask but I felt silly doing it. I told her 'WHY? You talk better in English than I do in Spanish!' We were trying to teach Eder...the youngest son of Tomas how to say things in English. I would say 'Hi! How are you!? and he would look at me and say 'YES!' Then I would tell him what to say and he would just say YES. haha. 

The highlight of the week was THE BAPTISM!!! Tomas and Edgar were so prepared and so ready for this. The baptism went perfectly...the water here is actually clear which was a huge relief. haha. Our mission leader put together the program and put it on facebook so we had a lot of people from the ward and investigators there. The spirit was so strong. I love baptisms. It makes it all worth it to see someone enter into the waters of baptism and change their life for the better. The 1st counselor in the bishopric was conducting and he asked Tomas and Edgar to give their testimonies/feelings and I almost cried. Especially when Edgar spoke because he is more reserved than Tomas is and doesn't share his feeling much. He said that he couldn't describe the feeling that he had in his heart and that he knows that this is the true church. He is excited to start a new life and follow the example of Jesus Christ. I was bursting with happiness. I just can't explain what it's like as a mission to see these people change and give us their old lives to start a new one on the right and true path. 

They were confirmed members of the church, received the gift of the Holy Ghost and were ordained to the priesthood on Sunday. They were so content and you could just see a difference in the way they looked. Eder, the youngest son, has a baptismal date for this Saturday if all goes according to plan. AND Tomas will be able to baptize him! How beautiful is that? I love the gospel so much. 

I am grateful for the blessings of the gospel. I know that this gospel changes lives. It brings families closer together and helps us overcome our weaknesses and become the people that our Father in Heaven wants us to become. 

I love you all. Thanks for your love and support. 

Love,
Hermana Durham

pictures:

 The Pintors have this bird and I was trying to take a picture kissing it and it BIT MY LIP! So that is how I captured this beautiful picture. Enjoy.

With the little devil bird. He pooped on me the next day. 

Eating Elote for the first time. It's corn on the cob with mayo, cheese, and chile powder. Sounds gross but it¿s good. Also, I'll probably come home with diabetes. Gotta love Mexican Food.

We ate at a family's hosue and they had these awesome chairs so we took a pictures, obvs.

BAPTISM!!! Back row: Ramon (baptized Edgar), Bishop Alarcon (baptized Tomas), Hna. Ward, Me

Front row: Helen, Edgar, Tomas, Eder

Me, Helen, Edgar, Eder, Tomas, Hna. Ward

Crazy eyes...I taught him how to do that. My only talent. haha

Some awesome mexican hats. 

Mac N Cheese for lunch. YUM.

Kneeling To Pray Can Save Your Life

HI FAMILIA!

What has even happened this past week. I feel like I have been here for over a month...nope. 1 week.

This week was full of trying to find our investigators, looking for old investigators that might have potential to progress and trying not to get lost. We have a HUGE area...and we know probably like 5% of it right now. But we are learning and will get there eventually...or I will get changed to another area. haha. 

First off, we have a family that we are teaching...I think I mentioned them last week. Familia Pintor. Tomas is the dad and his son is Edgar. If all goes according to plan, they will both be baptized this Saturday! They are so awesome. Tomas loves learning about the church and is so excited to have a calling and really contribute. I gave a talk yesterday and he was like...one day I'll give a talk, too! Edgar is married to Helen and Tomas is married to Fabiola. Fabiola and Helen have baptismal dates in a few weeks and we are thinking that Tomas can baptize his wife and that Edgar can baptize his wife. How cool will that be?! 

We were teaching them the other day and my companion suggested that we kneel to pray at the end of the lesson. We all kneeled down and RIGHT AFTER I kneeled, a huge cockroach fell from the roof RIGHT WHERE I WAS SITTING! I am not kidding...I could have died. I could have died. I told my companion later that her idea was inspired. Prayer can save lives, people. :)

We went looking for a family that used to be investigators of the sisters but their 15 year old daughter had cancer and they were always out of town for her treatments so they couldn't come to church much. We decided to pass by and meet them to see if we could do anything to help. We got there and the dad told us that Angelica, his daughter, died a week before and that we could come in and say a prayer with them. We walked into their house and they had a room with pictures of her and flowers. We decided to sing Families Can Be Together Forever. It was a miracle that I didn't cry while we were singing the song, but after the prayer, I lost it and began to cry while I was telling them that they would be able to see their daughter again some day. The dad was so calm and handed me some tissue. The spirit was so strong as we explained a little bit of the plan of salvation. I was so grateful for that knowledge and the blessing of the temple. That in the temple, we can be sealed for time and all eternity and be with our families forever. We are going to go back to see them again this week. 

We also found some new people to teach and are working hard to try and find new people every day. I wish we had a car or someway to get around faster than the buses because it wastes so much time traveling and we want to get to know our area more, but i know that all will work out and that we will find the people who are waiting to hear our message. We are going to see if it is possible to change houses and live in our area. I have no idea why we live where we live but we are going to work on it. 

We gave talks in church on Sunday and I recycled my talk from Iguala since no one here heard it before. :) 

I hit 6 months in the mission this week. What the heck! Where has the time gone. Although we have no money, we splurged and bought a lemon cake at the grocery store and celebrated. Hna. Ward made me a sign and she also made me cut a sock...I don't know why but it was fun. Also, our house has the virgin mary everywhere. Our keys have a key change with her on it, too. I think they belong to the landlord so we can't really take them down so we covered them up with a picutre of Jesus and an I'm a Mormon magnet. You can see the pictures attached. 

I have to tell you all that the mission is the weirdest thing ever. But also the best. Everyday I talk with random strangers in a different country and different language and try to help them change their lives. We meet so many different kinds of people (for example I met a witch this week...awkward....) many of whom don't have any desire to talk with us. It can be discouraging, it definitely is tiring and some days are just hard. But then there are times where we actually find people who are prepared or searching for the truth,and it makes it all worth it. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord is directing this work. We are trying our best to do all that we can but there is no way we can do it alone. This is the work of the Lord. 

I love you all. Keep praying for me because I need it. :) I will keep praying for you. Have fun at the Dodger game this weekend...I almost cried reading that you are all going down there. Eat a Dodger Dog, chocolate malt and Tito's Tacos for me. Love you!

Love, Hermana Durham

our splurge for the week

If you are wondering, yes...I always look that beautiful after the day is over.

Confusion...haha...the magnet goes over the virgin. :)

SPECIAL........

Changes. WIth a few miracles here and there.

I don't know if I will have sufficient time to write everything I want to...but I will do my best. 

Ok, this last week in Iguala was so great. We sent a list around in Relief Society to see what sisters were willing to accompany us during the week and we had a bunch of sisters sign up that never have come out with us before. We were super excited. On Wednesday we did divisions and I went with one sister (Susanna) and Hna. Hernandez went with another in order to meet with more people. It was fun to be with Hna. Susanna. I have to tell you all, members in lessons are so powerful. Your testimonies help the investigators and also the missionaries. I love hearing the conversion stories of the members and it is something different than my own voice or my companions.

After our divisons were over, the sister that went with Hna. Hernandez, Hna. Eliadora, had a little more time to go out with us. I asked her about her granddaughter because I heard that she brought a friend to EFY the week before. She was like 'Oh yeah, I'll take you by her house and introduce you to her mom!' Sweet! We went by her house and the mom, Marilu, told us she didn't have much time but Hna. Eliadora was super awesome told her that we wouldn't take much of her time and was practically walking in her door haha. She agreed and we taught her and her daughter and they both accepted fecha for baptism. She also has a husband and three other kids that could be baptized, too! FAMILY!! During the lesson, though, Hna. Eliadora was super great and helped explain things from the perspective of a member. Marilu was saying that maybe she will just come to church alone because her kids are really irreverent and Hna. Eliadora was like 'My grandkids are all like that but I take them to church anyway because they need to be there! Bring your kids!!!' It was so awesome. She also offered to pass by for her and go with them to church on Sunday. Magic. 

We saw many other miracles like that this week because we had members with us. We would not have been able to find certain people without them. I was so pumped and really feeling a change in the mentality in the ward about missionary work. I love Iguala so much. We really found so many awesome people this week. 

And then...Friday night happened. We were heading to visit a family in the ward when we got a call from our District Leader, Elder Gonzaga. It's not unusual to get calls from him with annoucements or questions so I wasn't expecting anything more than that. He told us to put the phone on speaker and said that he was going to miss us. We ask him if he was leaving early this week (he only has like  3 weeks left in the mission) and he was like 'No, I am going to miss you two together because you have special changes!' I thought he was joking and didn't believe him but then I realized that he was serious and that I would be the one leaving. I got changed to Cuernavaca and would be with Hna. Ward from Pennsylvania. I started to cry a little thinking about all the people that I woulnd't be able to say goodbye to. This is the worst part of the mission...having to say goodbye or not being able to say goodbye to people you love so much. We also had so many investigators that were really starting to make progress and I was so sad to leave. But that's the life of a missionary. We passed by the mission leaders house to say bye and take a picture. Love this family. I look horrible in the picture because it was after a day that was  really hot and I got a little sunburned but it's all good. Their son who is 9 kept running around finding things to give me so that I would remember him. He even ripped a page out of his journal to give to me. haha.  I will miss that family for sure. 

I went home and packed up all my stuff. I had to be at the bus station at 7 the next morning to head to Cuernavaca. Hna. Hernandez and I had our last meal together...Tacos de Barbacoa...outside the offices waiting for the other sisters to arrive. My new companion, Sister Ward got to the offices and I asked her...'So how is our new area?!?! Do we have investigators?' and she was like...'I don't know. I thought you were here before. I just came in from Chilpancingo.' Um...what?! Apparently both the sisters that were in this area were changed and we are both BRAND NEW. The sister training leaders were telling us...that we don't live in the area that we work in and that it's really far from where we live. They were trying to act positive but I could tell they were thinking 'I'm glad I'm not you...' you know what I mean? 

But here started the miracles.

So we had 4 huge suitcases and we didn't know how we were going to get to the apartment. Right at the moment when we were waiting for a taxi, a member from our ward pulled up in a truck because he was going to take something from the office to another apartment of missionaries and he said that he could bring our suitcases to our house for us. Miracle #1. The sister training leaders came with us to show us where we live. As we were walking in the house they said 'there is a slight problem with your apartment...you don't have water right now.' Oh yeah...just a slight problem. No big deal. WHAT?! Apparently the water in the morning doesn't exist so we have to fill up buckets of water in the night in order to shower and clean. Also, the sisters that lived their before us were super nice and left us a mountain of dirty dishes and other lovely things. I was feeling a little...well...tired, hungry, overwhelmed and slightly annoyed. Luckily there is another pair of sisters in the ward that live really close by us and one of the sisters was actually in this area at the beginning of her mission so she knows how to get to our area and everything. Miracle #2. Also, we were eating at the same house for la comida that day and they could show us where it was. Miracle #3. ALSO, all of their appointments fell through and they had time to show us how to get to our area and introduce us to a few members that could help us. Miracle #4. After the comida, we went to met a sister that is about to leave on her mission and she knows where our investigators live and a few other people. Our investigators weren't home but we figured out where they live. They actually signed up to feed us on Sunday and the sister told us that they come to church on their own. Miracle #5. After an overwhelming day, we got back to our apartment RIGHT when it started raining. I didn't know how the keys to the door worked so we got a little soaking wet but we just laughed about it and started to plan for the next day. The Hno. brought our bags with his wife and helped us bring them up to our apartment. They told us that if we need anything, they live close and they are happy to help us. They told us we are like their kids and to not hesitate for any reason. I hadn't cried the whole day but in that moment I was so overwhelmed with so many emotions...but mostly gratitude that I started to cry a little. I gave the sister a hug and resolved in my heart to always help the missionaries when I am a normal member again.

That night we filled up buckets of water and washed the dishes and got ready for the bed. The next morning I had my first shower with a bucket and it wasn't that bad. We warmed up the water on the stove so it wasn't cold and yeah. No big deal. We were on the way to church and a member saw us and gave us a ride the rest of the way. Miracle #6. We got to the church and met some of the members and our investigators showed up! I think sacrament meeting was probably one of the best that I have had in the mission and I was really really encouraged. I bore my testimony with my companion so that everyone knew we were new and needed help! haha...After church another member gave us a ride to the food appointment so we didn't have to take the bus or pay for a taxi. Miracle #7. We got to know our investigators more. They are a family and are super great. They have come to church on their own for the last 4 weeks and are really progressing. 

The last two days have felt like a week but I have really been able to see the Lord's hand in all of this. Honestly, I would have freaked out if I was in this situation 3 months ago, but I am actually excited to be totally new in the area with my companion because we can talk to EVERYONE and turn the work around here. My companion is awesome, too. Miracle #8. We have a LOT of work...mostly just getting to know our area and how to work the bus system, but I am confident that we can handle it. But...I will ask for your prayers because, well...we could use them. 

Man, I can't tell you how much I love this gospel and missionary work. I finished the Book of Mormon today, after 65 days of reading 10 pages a day, and I felt sad that it ended. I LOVE that Book with all of my heart. I know that when we read it, we learn how we need to live and what we need to change in our lives to receive the blessings of the Lord. I also know that the Lord is so aware of our situations and he puts people in our paths to help us. He never gives us a commandment without preparing a way for us to achieve it. There were so many other little miracles that happened in the past few days that would seem insignificant to any other person, but to me it reaffirms that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and cares about even the little details. It's amazing, really. 

If you finished reading this whole email, go reward yourself with a piece of chocolate in my honor. 

I love you all. THANK YOU for the prayers and thoughts. It really means the world to me. 

Love,

Hermana Durham

I Fell In The Mud

Hello Family!!!

Another week here in Iguala. It's weird because it's starting to feel like my home here. 

Yes I fell in the mud. Ok, it wasn't that dramatic...but it was really embarrassing. We went to visit an investigator and he wasn't home, but his brother was and he said that we could teach him. He got out some chairs for us to sit on. It had rained the night before so the ground was muddy. We had a member with us and she and my comp sat down first and all was fine. I sat down in the chair he handed me and all of a sudden, I was on my side in the mud. I don't know what happened...well, yes I do. The ground was soft and when I sat in the chair, one side sunk down into the mud and I lost balance and yeah...so I had mud all over my hand, my skirt and my leg. My hand was a little scrapped up but mostly I just felt really dumb and I almost cried...ALMOST. But I held it together and we had a good lesson.  We didn't have time for me to change so I had a dirty skirt the whole day but luckily it was dirty right in the spot where my bag hits me so it was hardly noticeable. Yes, the life of a missionary is super glamourous.

This week went well...it wasn't quite as dramatic as last week with the baptism craziness, but we are finding more people to teach. We have some really great investigators and we are working really hard to help them progress...but the thing standing in their way is going to church. We do everything we can, but the thing I am realizing is that the obstacules that these people are facing...well, most of them are from their own making. Excuse after excuse after excuse. Being a missionary is great and I love it...but it is so frustrating at the same time. We have one less active sister who has 5 kids that want to come to church. 2 of her kids should be baptized. She tells us every week that she will come to church. We go by her house, call her, text her, but in the end, she dosen't come. It makes me so sad because she is not only halting her spiritual progress, but that of her children who really want to learn and go to church. 

OH...remember the investigator I wrote about who only wanted to pray in Hebrew? His name is Cipiano. HE CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY! When I saw him I was so confused. His dad is a member so he came with him. There is a member in our ward who apparently knows him so he brought him over to us to tell us that he wasn't a member. Of course I already knew. Cipiano was like 'Yeah...you haven't come by my house lately.' And I was like 'Um...actually we have but you were never home....and you are slightly crazy and scare me.' The member asked us why we haven't gone by to visit him so we explained to him why and he offered to visit him with us...so I might have a chance to hear a prayer in Hebrew. 

Romaldo recieved the priesthood yesterday and Danna was confirmed a member of the church in sacrament meeting (since her baptism was on Sunday last week she had to wait a week to be confirmed). Our ward has a goal to read one chapter in the Book of Mormon everyday and the goal is to finish by March. THey gave everyone a little paper that says 'HE LEÍDO EL LIBRO DE MORMÓN' in block letters and there are little boxes to mark off each chapter. Romaldo asked me about it after church because he was confused so I explained to him what it was all about. We went to visit him later that day and he whipped out his paper and showed us that he has already read 2 chapters! I was so happy because he can't see very well...or read very well, but he is trying his best! We asked him about what he read and he explained about Lehi and Nephi and how they left Jerusalem and all. He told us that when he went away for 2 weeks to work, he read up to chapter 12 in 1 Nephi but started over since they gave this goal in the ward. He is seriously so awesome.

I love hearing from my family that you are going out with the missionaries!! That makes me so excited. Lessons with members are SO helpful and I am glad that you are helping the missionaries. I can tell you that they love and appreciate you!. 

I am almost finished reading the Book of Mormon and I can't tell you how much I love that book. It truly contained the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has the secret to being happy. You want to know what it is...obedience to the commandments of God. I know that obedience to the commandments is the only way to be truly happy in this life. God knows what's best. And he gives us commandments to help us reach our potential and receive all the blessings he has in store for us. I hope that all of us can come to the point where we realize that the commandments of God aren't burdens...but they help lift the burdens we have. 

I am sure I have said this before, but if you aren't reading the Book of Mormon everyday, I would encourage you to start. 1 chapter everyday...that's all. You will learn so much and your life will be blessed with a greater understanding of God's plan of happiness for your life. It's a wonderful thing. 

Well, I hope you all have a fabulous week. I love you all!! Thank you for the pictures, letters, and prayers.

Love, Hermana Durham

I didn't take any picture this week except this one. This is Pao  and he is one of my favorite kids in our ward. He is obsessed with my stickers and always asked for 'estrellas'. I had Dora stickers this week and he decided that I should have all of them on my forehead. 

What A Week

I have a lot to write and this keyboard is really stiff...this should be interesting.

HELLO!

What a week we had here in Iguala. Let me tell you about it.

On Tuesday we went to visit some investigators. We had just arrived and were talking with them when their neighbor came out...this old crusty man named Juan. We introduced ourselves as missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We started to tell us that he respects us a lot because we are preaching the word of God. He respects all religions...EXCEPT the mormons because they don't talk about God. I laughed a little inside, smiled and said 'well, Sir, we are mormons. But the church is called the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints. He then started to tell us all that was wrong with our religion and was quite rude. He insulted my spanish and I didn't feel bad. He was like 'your accent isn't very good. You sound very gringa' I thanked him for his kind words. At least I could understand the insult! We let me talk for a little longer and then we started to teach the Restoration. It was actually really cool. He has all sorts of weird ideas of our church and all were resolved through the scirptures and the spirit. I really felt like I was teaching with 'power and authority'. At the end of the lesson, he had calmed down and his weird ideas about our church were resolved. Then he started talking about how pretty I am and how beautiful my eyes are so we left quickly after. But...I love the gospel because it is perfect. It really answers all your questions that you have. I love when investigators have questions or doubts because I am confident that their answers will be found in the Book of Mormon. I love being able to teach people about the restoration of the gospel because it MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. All of this makes sense.

This week was full of preparations for BAPTISMS!!!

Like I mentioned in last week...Romaldo returned! He's so great. He had his interview on Friday with the Zone Leader. We were waiting for them to finish but my companion really need to go to the bathroom and didn't want to use his because she REALLY had to go (if you know what I mean)..so we booked it over to the house of Adrian and Cristina Hernandez Roman and used their bathroom. Suddenly it started POURING RAIN and we only had 15 minutes to make it back to our house so they offered to give us a ride. They have a bug like us...and it doesn't have windshield wipers! So we took it slow and right before we made it to our house, the car died! So Hno. Adrian got out in the rain pushed his car to the side, got soaking wet but fixed the problem so we all got back into the car and made it home in time! haha. I love mexico and that family.

Saturday was the baptism of Romaldo...and it was the most stressful day ever. Let's start from the beginning. We had a correlation meeting in the morning with the elders and our ward mission leader. While we were there, the sisters in another ward called us and told us that the water in the font was green and they didn't want to use it. We have a connection in our ward with a company that has a pipa..a big truck with clean water that can fill the font. I was confused why the sisters were in charge of the font because our ward mission leader assigned the elders to make sure the font was good to go. The sisters also had a baptism that day rght after us so the elders pushed the responsibility to them! Our ward mission leader wasn't very happy. Anyway...we gave the number to the company to the sisters and they were working on getting the font filled.

We arrived at the chapel at 5pm but no one had keys. The sisters (Hna. Junca and Hna. Sappenfield) were there and told us that the font still has no water. They called the people with the pipa and they waited for them but they never came. We were waiting for the elders to come with the keys to open the chapel for like 30 minutes, too. It was 5:30 when the chapel was opened with our baptism was at 6. The font still had no water. We called and called and the pipa people never came. We waited and waited but at a certain point, we decided to just fill the font with the green water and deal with it. But it was like 630 by this point and we had two baptisms..so we decided to combine the two and had a joint baptism. OH my goodness, I was so stressed. But Romaldo was baptized and that is all that matters. He was confirmed a member on Sunday and is now official.

On Sunday, the missionaries gave talks in church. It was missionary sunday. My first talk in Spanish in Mexico! It went well and I felt good about it. I talked about the conference talk by Elder Ballard from this last conference. We also sang a song about missionary work and the ward mission leader made me sing a solo and the others sang the chorus. It was fun and all went well.

We had the baptism for Danna and Alan Hernandez Roman. There was another little girl in the ward that was getting baptized, too. When we got there, the little girl didn't have white clothes. I don't know what happened with that, but we decided that Danna would get baptized first, and the other little girl would use her wet dress, and get baptized after. The baptismal service was really beautiful. They had 4 young boys from the primary give talks on Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and the Holy Ghost. They were so precious and the spirit was really strong. THe talks were like a minute each and perfect. The primary sang 'WHen I am Baptized' and they were of tune and half yelling but I started crying because the spirit was really strong. The BEST part of this all was that Hno. Adrain was able to baptize his kids. He was so nervous but said the ordinance perfectly. I was so happy. After, we had cake and then we booked it home.

We were so exhausted but so happy. Good things are happening here in Iguala and I am blessed to be a part of it. Oh, and Hna Hernandez and I are both staying here for another transfer so there will be more to come from Iguala.

I love you all! I love this gospel and KNOW that it is true. We have to share it with others because it is the only way to salvation. The only way to true happiness.

I have a bunch of pictures so get ready.

LOVE YOU!

Hermana Durham

With Danna and Alan

ROMALDO!!! I love this picture. We kept telling him to smile so he started laughing.

Thumbs up!

Return of Romaldo

Hello my dear family and friends.

I hope everyone had a great and happy week. I had a pretty good week...with some not good mixed in there.

First...Happy Kidney Day yesterday, Kara and Christen! 15 years and still going strong. 

And...CONGRATS TO EMILY!!!! You will be an awesome nurse. I am so proud of you!

We are finding more people to teach. When I first got to the area here...we had no one. Maybe like 3 people. The area was split and the elders were nice enough to give us all the areas that they never worked in. It was really hard in the beginning, but now we are seeing miracles and finding investigators and a lot of menos activos and part member families! AND...if all goes according to plan, we will have 2 baptisms this week. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

I got sick this week. Really bad. On tuesday we ate something called Rajas con crema y pollo. It's chile but it isn't spicy and it's in a cream with chicken. It is my companion's favorite food. It tasted really good. We also had agua de papaya. Little did I know that agua de papaya is a laxative and the combo with cream is deathly. Not literally, but yeah. So Tuesday night I was in the bathroom ALLLLLLL night long. My companion didn't hear a thing. My stomach hurt so bad and I even threw up. I had what they call here in the mission the ´double dragon´ hahaha. TMI? Sorry but I'm in Mexico. I wanted to die a little. I also had a fever and felt so weak all Wednesday so we couldn't leave the house. When I called my district leader in the morning to tell him I was sick, he asked what I ate. I told him and he was like 'SERIOUSLY, HERMANA? Usted no es Mexicana!' Why didn't anyone tell me before?! I wasn't feeling any better that night and still had a fever so the elders and my ward mission leader came to give me a blessing. I looked so disgusting and had my glasses on and everything...lucky elders got to see the real me. But the blessing helped and I felt well enough to work the next day...although it was pretty rough. 

I mentioned last week that Romaldo was missing in action. He left to work and didn't return when he said he was going to and he doesn't have a cell phone. We went by his house almost every day. On Friday, we were walking down the street and I looked up and saw some men working on a roof. One of them looked familiar so I stared for a minute and realized that it was Romaldo. I literally jumped for joy. We set an appointment to meet with him because he was working and left feeling really happy!

Saturday we had interviews with President. I really love President and Sister Kusch. They are so great and really have our best interest in mind. My companion and I set goals with Sister Kusch to help her (my comp) learn English. Every missionary that doesn't speak English is supposed to study it. We also got chocolate because we cleaned our house...not all the elders got chocolate, though. My interview with President was good. He told me that one day, I will look back on this experience and realize my capacity to do hard things has increased. That one day when I am a mom and my kids are complaining about doing something hard, I can tell them about my mission. I said that I'll just hand them my journal and let them read it. Or I'll send them to Iguala for a few months. haha. But really, I am learning so much and this experience is one that I will never regret. Yes, this is a sacrifice..but one that is worth every minute. 

After interviews, we went to look for a menos activo reference that we received from our ward mission leader. We found his house but he wasn't home but we met another lady that lives next door to him. She invited us in and we started teaching her and her kids the first lesson. We mentioned the Book of Mormon and she told us that her husband went to our church, is baptized and has this book and reads it. He was baptized in Cuernavaca and they haven't lived in Iguala for very long. I guess when he was meeting with the missionaries, she was sick and couldn't go to church, so she didn't get baptized. Her husband was at work but we are going to go back and teach all of them. She and her kids have a baptismal date. There are some days that we don't find anybody. That all of our appointments fall through and it's sad. But there are other days where it is VERY clear that the Lord's hand is directing this work. I realized that the hard days help us enjoy the good days even more. I felt so happy that we found them. Saturday was a good day. 

Church church church...Sunday is the most stressful day for a missionary. But guess who came to church. Romaldo. YES! If all goes well this week, he will be baptized on Saturday. Also, Danna and Alan...the kids of the Family Hernandez Roman who we found and reactivated will be baptized on Sunday. I really hope that all works out because this is the last week in this change and there is always a possibility that my comp or I will be changed! And I don't want to miss either of these baptisms. No way. 

We ate with the Bishop and his family last night and I couldn't help but think of Pop and mom feeding the missionaries. Our bishop here is super cool. He was giving us marital advice for some reason...not sure why. 

Things are good here. Only 1 week left in this change so who knows what will happen next week, but I am going to work as if there are no changes because I want to see Romaldo, Danna and Alan baptized this week. I love Iguala and the people here. 

I have a testimony of this gospel. I know it is true without a doubt. I know that the Lord requires us to make sacrifices in our lives that aren't always easy or comfortable...but that we are always blessed ten times more than the things we sacrificed. I know that keeping the commandments is the only way we will be protected from the evil of this world. I know that the covenants we make at the waters of baptism and also in the temple help us reach our potential here in this life and in the life to come. I am grateful to be a missionary and a member of this church. 

I love you all. 

Love, 

Hermana Durham

Picture:

Front row: Yara, Denisse, and Nayeli 

Middle: Danna and Me

Top: Alan

Danna, Alan and Yara are kids of Fam. Hernandez Roman and Denisse and Nayeli are their cousins. Alan is the one who is scared to look at me in the eyes! haha. I love this little kids. THey are so eager to learn and so much more spiritually in tune than adults.