Viva Mexico!

¡Hola!

Lots to say and little time, so let’s get started!

It's September! That means that it is now one of the biggest party months in Mexico. And there is red and green and white everywhere, but it's not Christmas. Viva México.

Also, this is my newest hair clip, since I won't have space to bring a real sombrero home with me:

-A mission first happened this week. Someone asked us if we were Jews. Nope, but we're happy to explain what we are!

-Fun things to do while sweating at midday:

Take paint off of a house! While walking along we saw a woman working at it, so we went to go help her. Have I mentioned I really like giving service? Even if the dust gets stuck all over my sweaty arms.

-I dunno what is happening here in Gusave but I am finding many of these here in the streets:

Yep, that's a tarantula. Thank heavens, though, that I have yet to see a living one.

-In gospel principles this week, while singing the opening hymn, I gave a solo. Good thing I don't get much stage fright!

-Speaking of singing … while eating with a sister this week we talked about how I sing and she asked if I was in choir before. But turns out I didn’t understand her question very well, because when I said yes, she said, "You were in the Mormon Tabernacle choir!" It was a bummer to tell her no.

I've run out of time to tell you everything else, but know that I love you and things go well!

Have a great week!!

Hna Anderson

Sorry ... No Post Again This Week ...

Haha, tricked ya! I am writing this week. Aren't I sneaky.

Last week:

-Good missionary skills: Eating and/or drinking whatever the people give you, whether you like it or not. This week a sister made us a very healthy drink, made from a carrot, a peeled lemon, half an apple, and some kind of leafy green plant. Turns out if you mix that all together it tastes like … leaves! Yay, leafy goodness.

-As a missionary I dream about different things. Like finding my scripture marking pencil that I lost a few weeks ago. I just really want it back, okay?

-Illustration of the cultural differences in our companionship: 

 My companion bought the fish on the left. I bought the Fish on the right.

-So, good news! (Sophia, you will be especially excited to hear this.) Elvis does in fact live! We contacted him the other day in the street. I dunno if he can still sing, but we found him!

This week:

-Well, there is good news and bad news; which do you want first?

Good news? Ok. 

I'm not sick!!

The bad news: I was.

Tuesday I got a fever and chills so we went to see a sister who is a doctor. Wednesday I went for blood and urine tests (sorry, that's gross and probably TMI) and it turns out I had an infection. But Mexican meds are awesome, so I'm all good now! I'm still taking an antibiotic, but that's OK considering that I started out taking this many pills:

There's one for my fever, stomach pain, infection, as well as my Claritin and a vitamin so that the mosquitos don't bite me so much, because I do not have time to get dengue.

-We went to eat with a couple this week and I showed them the picture of my family that I carry with me. I have short hair in the picture, and while commenting on how very different I look now, the brother laughed and said, "This was when the hermana was emo."

-Here in Sinaloa and Sonora, vibrant colors are very common. So often group photos like this:

-Hna Patraca and I figured out how to beat the heat. Just get your hair wet various times throughout the day. We look like we just got out of the shower, but my head isn’t burning so I don't even care.

And there went August! I can't believe it. I now have only two more months left as a missionary (what the crazy, when did this happen?) So naturally I am panicking. Just kidding. Ish. But I do feel exceedingly grateful that I have this chance to be here. And that I have two whole months to keep at it.

Love you all!

Hna Anderson

I Dunno What to Call This One … Potato.

Hello!

My final week in Obregon:

-On night while knocking on the door of a recent convert his neighbor was outside playing the guitar and singing. I tried to ignore it, because really it was like a romantic movie scene, which I do not have time for, but then I realized that he was playing and singing "I Did it My Way." Then I wanted to go give him a high five. I didn't, but I considered it.

-I was a bit dehydrated that week (only the beginning symptoms, and I'm fine now, so no worries) so I called the mission president's wife and she told me what medicines to take, as well as foods that I should eat and ones that were prohibited until I got better, which was pretty much everything delicious. On that list was "anything with dairy" and I all of the sudden understood what Brain Regan meant when he said "and no more happiness." Then when we went shopping, I went to the juice aisle with the juice people (and my companion) and watched the people in the dairy aisle with their party hats. (If you don't understand what I am saying, go look up Brian Regan on YouTube and watch his clips until you do.)

-Things I like about being an adult:

  

 I can eat chicken nuggets with my yogurt and pears if I want to, and no one can tell me no >:)

-I bought myself a hand fan. It is the best 22 pesos I have ever spent.

Also, it was really hard to say goodbye to friends here in Obregon (the first time I actually cried about transfers). I had to say goodbye to one of my besties, Hna Brown. We're cholas together. That is a very special bond. Also, she's from Baytown, TX, which was part of Ben's mission, so extra cool points there.

There were more sad goodbyes, like with my former companion Hermana Hernández, but I don't wanna talk about that, because it's sad.

This week in Guasave:

-I can't escape it: I am once again the English teacher. Funny story – I don’t know how to teach English. So I just make it up.

-After writing last week we bought ice cream cones and then got to work. We went to set up an appointment with someone and it turns out that they work in a gym so that's where we had to go to set it up. Guess who felt like a fatty eating ice cream while others were working on the elliptical.

-This has been another week of big spiders – I found one one night on the back area/patio and another one last night in the house. I took pictures but they are yicky so I won't send them. You’re welcome.

-While flipping through an old conference issue of the Liahona, I found this:

Guess who now wants to do family history more than ever (for those of you that don't know, my mom's maiden name is Wickman).

Other random notes: It's hot again. It rained today. I like spicy food. I successfully have avoided eating cow stomach three times this week. I pretty much want to read everything I can get my hands on. 

That's all for now.

Love you all!!

Hna Anderson

Greetings From Gusave

Well, once again I have little time. 

I am now back in Sinaloa and in the most remote zone in the mission. And it’s a really small zone of only nine companionships. Really different than being in Obregon, where there were more than 15 in my last zone alone. So pretty much I only know what happens in my district and that's it. Guess I'll just have to be extra focused or something. :P

Here is less hot! It's still really hot when the sun is out, but when it rained on a few days this week it didn’t feel a sauna! Now the sun is back and it's ridiculously hot again, but I got a lovely welcome nonetheless.

Speaking of rain … rain on dirt streets makes mud. So after getting dolled up yesterday for church (gotta make a good first impression in the ward, of course) we went to stop by and visit some investigators, and while trying to find some wet earth instead of mud, I stepped wrong and right into wet mud … and almost lost my shoe. My companion, who was wearing rain boots, just laughed at me. I borrowed the investigator’s hose to clean my shoes off before we went to church.

My companion and a Young Single Adult girl in the ward have figured out what I really am: A hippie. Here, being a hippie means that you are chill and don't worry a lot. It has nothing to do with weed or tree hugging. Cultural differences are fun like that.

OK, next week I promise I will catch up on what happened the last week in Obregon.

Love you all!

Hna Anderson

Transfers!

Not a lot of time, so I'll be brief.

I got transferred, and most likely this is where I will finish. I'm in Guasave, Sinaloa. I know almost all of the missionaries in my district and so that will be fun. I'm just not excited to be the only companionship of sisters here :P

Also, my companion’s name is Hermana Patraca, I will properly introduce her next week. 

Other interesting news: I celebrated my Quincinera this past week!! Which just means that I reached 15 months and used it as an excuse to eat cake and a giant hot dog.

Out of time, but I shall write you properly next week. 

LOVE YOU!!

Like a Lightning Strike in a Summer Storm

Hello friends, family, and other loved ones,

Highlights:

-That awkward moment when you need a banana for an object lesson and you don't want it to get squished in your bag so you carry it and then you don't know if people are staring at you because you are white or because you are a weirdo carrying around a banana.

-These past two weeks I came across something I haven't seen in almost a year-and-a-half: a toaster. I've been buying toasted bread or making toast in a skillet my whole time here. I freaked out a little bit to see them. But the weird thing is that I saw two of them in the same week.

-We’ve been getting those lovely desert storms!! :D The other day, after we got a sudden and dramatic one, there was a ton of mud in some of the streets :D So at one point we had to take our shoes off and walk barefoot and it was so fun to have the mud squish between my toes! And mildly therapeutic, too – ha-ha. Between being out working and having to wear flip flops all the time in the house I pretty much have shoes on all the time. And, even though I love shoes, I adore being barefoot.

-OK, about the title of this entry. During interviews this week we were sitting in the mission offices and admiring one of the desert thunderstorms. All of a sudden there was an incredible burst of light and the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard. We realized that lightening had struck really close by. It was powerful, and awe-inspiring. While I was thinking about it I remembered a conference talk from Elder Holland, which everyone reading this should read or listen to again or for the first time. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/where-justice-love-and-mercy-meet?lang=eng.

I reflected on our experience, what Elder Holland has said, the atonement, and how very powerfully – and quickly – our Lord and Savior helps us. I have seen it time and again in my life and also in the lives of others. Many times the atonement works in our lives slowly – so gradually and perfectly that we don't even notice it. But there are times when our savior reaches out to us like a lightning strike in a summer storm and changes our lives forever.

I testify of my savior, that He loves us, that He is real, and that He is there at every turn.

With love, 

Hermana Anderson

Catching Up

-So, a few weeks ago while goofing around we tried to take jumping pictures....it didn't go very well.

-As I mentioned last week, I got a new companion at transfers. It was happy because Hermana Hernandez had a really long time here, but it was sad because she is my friend. Plus, who else will buy crazy pants on Monday and take pictures with me?

(OK, lots of friends and or sisters would. But in a mission companion that is a rare and beautiful quality.)

-Reasons that I should accept that I am an a adult and stop eating children’s candy – my bag sometimes falls and then my Fun-Dip falls out and stains my foot blue-green.

-Reasons I won’t accept that I am an a adult and stop eating children’s candy – I like Fun-Dip

-Things that make me laugh really hard: When my recent convert says that he can tell that I come from big money. Really big international business money. I just laughed and laughed (in a polite way, so he wasn’t offended, of course).

-I think that I am going to go home and be an actress. When we went to visit one hermana this week she said, "And you guys aren't even hot or sweaty!" I laughed and told her that I'm changing my major because it's ridiculously hot here and I am pretty much always sweaty.

-While teaching a family the Ten Commandments, I taught them hand signs to go with each one so that they wouldn't forget. While reviewing them, the 18-year-old mom said, very exasperated, "Hermana, you complicate my life!"

-Well, I am pretty sure that my bag has hands of its own because it always does crazy things. Like put another companionship under blocked numbers in the cell phone. But the craziest thing was when it changed one of my Sister Training Leader's names to the letter 'A' and no matter what I did I couldn’t get it to change back. Well, I would change it, but then the next call or text would still be from 'A'. Well, many of you know that I watched Pretty Little Liars before the mission, and anyone who knows anything about that show knows that getting calls and texts from 'A' is not a good thing. I was very happy when I stumbled upon how to change it back to normal. Panic attack over.

-Fun things to see in the street: A teenager with a shirt that says BYU-I. Bummer I didn’t have my camera to sneaky-take a picture.

-Something even more fun to see: A baseball cap in my investigator’s house with the BYU 'Y' on the front and the cougar logo on the back. Sign they should get baptized? I think yes.

-During Exchanges this week I got to see my former District Leader and buddy, Elder Wight. He's really funny and says crazy things without meaning to, which makes him extra funny. When we ran into him and his companion locked out of their house (he forgot the keys inside) and we were talking while the locksmith worked his magic, Elder Wight said, "No, actually our house is really cool." Then super-excited he said, pointing upwards "It's got a roof!" What he wanted to tell us is that on the roof they have a weight bench, but he got so excited only part of the sentence came out. I'm going to tease him about it until the end of the world.

-This week I made history because on said Exchanges I got my very first SUNBURN! Almost (almost being a very important word) 15 months here and it’s the very first one. Sigh … almost made it to the end without one.

-We also had another historic first today! I had my first zone activity! Since early on in my mission, because of an accident that happened when a sister got really hurt (she still wears a neck brace) zone activities have been PROhibited. UNTIL TODAY! ‘Twas nothing more than a few rounds of volleyball, but it was a beautiful thing :)

-Also, I found out that I am not the only missionary here from Colorado! That also made me happy. Here we are, Colorado Buddies:

OK, my fingers are tired. Be good. Talk to you soon.

Hermana Anderson