the mosquitoes are eating me alive!

This week has been an amazing week!! I have learned so much! I am greatful for my weaknesses because they give me something to work on! In the mission, you see your weaknesses like, 100% better than before. You know exactly where your limits are and where your strengths are. I am working on a lot of things right now, and I am greatful that every time I ask, I am able to see more things that I can work on.

This week I found out that E was baptized, an investigator we found in my other area! Saturday she was baptized with her daughter and her son. It was wonderful to see a picture of their big day and know that a long time ago, in an area far away, I felt the impression to buy tortillas from her. I guess there is something good that comes out of the fact that I´m gaining weight from eating so many flour tortillas ;)

I have learned this week how to better have the Spirit with me. If I have the Spirit with me, I will feel love for others, I will have patience, and I will be able to help. One of the members who helped create Preach My Gospel said that if the missionaries have more charity, they will have more success. Actually, we can´t teach at all as missionaries if we do not have the Spirit. If it is not by the Spirit, it is not of God. 

I have had the weight of an investigator on my shoulders the whole time I have been in this new area. I was teaching her from my old area, and when I left they stopped teaching her. I knew she lived in this area, but I couldn´t remember where! I knew I needed to find her. I was thinking about her constantly, not knowing how to find her. This week, we were trying to find a contact we made in the street the other day when I looked up and saw the street name! GV!!!!! It was her street!!!!! We started searching frantically for her orange house, but we couldn´t find it. It had a big plant in front too. Nothing. We did all we could--we found the street, we searched up and down, looked for her last name on the mailboxes, and nothing. So we turned back. 

I was feeling pretty down as we started walking away from where her house should have been, when all of the sudden we heard: ¨Muchachas!!¨ It was H! She saw us in the street and yelled out to us! They had removed their plant and painted their house purple, so I didn´t recognize it! We were able to talk to her that day, she went to the Visitors Center Thursday, a baptism Saturday, and even stayed for a Family Home Evening in a members house. I feel the weight off of my shoulders and am so happy we found her! I know she will progress fast :)

This is the work of the Lord!! His work is perfect, it´s us that make mistakes constantly. Gratefully, He is able to use us to bring His work to pass. And His timing is perfect.

Love you all!

Hermana Hunt

It doesn´t matter what I put on my legs, the mosquitoes are EATING ME ALIVE!!! aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!! hahaha :D

Sometimes I don´t remember people´s names. Here we have an appointment with the lady with red hair and the other with the bags....haha

Is She Your Daughter?

So this week has been a little ity bit stressful.

My companion is like a small child. If I don´t tell her what to do, she just stares at the wall or plucks hairs off her face all day long. I got a little tired this week of every five minutes: ¨Okay, you need to shower now. You should brush your teeth so we can go to bed on time. It´s time to leave the house, we need to go. We´re in the middle of companionship study, could you stop plucking hairs off your face? You don´t have clothes for tomorrow--you need to wash your clothes.¨ As you can see, it becomes a little stressful to have to say every little detail of your day. I hope it´s just a newbie thing and that it will wear off soon as she acustombrizes (I can´t remember the word for acostumbrarse).

This week an old man asked me if my companion was my daughter. Well.....clearly. I had her when I was two years old. hahaha :D

This week we got A NEW FRIDGE!! Which means now we can actually keep food in the house that won´t go bad, and we can drink milk. AND!!! We got a WASHING MACHINE!!! I feel like I´m living in....2014.....hahaha it is wonderful. When we have water (which is only between 5 and 8 in the morning, and 10 to who knows when at night) we can wash our own clothes! We don´t have to wash by hand anymore! It makes me happy. I feel spoiled :)

We have an investigator, I, that is progressing so fast! She already has been to church three times, is reading the Book of Mormon, and is starting to change. I love to see her progress. We were able to talk with her about the worth of a soul this week (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10) and it changed the way she thinks about herself. She has always had self-esteem issues, so to hear that the worth of souls is great in the sight of God helped her to feel loved. I love to question to find out what people think a soul is or what it means to be great, or what people think is the ¨sight of God.¨ There are so many interpretations! People have so many different points of view.

This week I am working on my patience. As Preach My Gospel says, ¨patience is a heavenly virtue.¨

Love you all and hope your week goes well!!

Hermana Hunt

a picture of a delicious montado--Chihuahua´s specialty

Yes. She is 19.

Yes, my companion is 19 years old. Everyone thinks she´s 14 or 15. She´s short and super skinny. Looks like I´m walking around with a kid. hahaha :) She´s awesome and is learning a lot. I have to re-train her from a little bit of damage her last companion did (she already had 2 weeks in Chihuahua before we had transfers). She is learning to be obedient and to talk more! I basically don´t have to do anything because she has already got this down pretty well. Just help her to find the light of a missionary in her eyes. It´s a light I have come to recognize out here in the field. She is learning very fast!

She´s really small. She fits in my laundry bag. Mi pequeñita preciosa. 

Funny things:

1. This week I stepped on a rat. It squished beneath my shoe. Good thing I was wearing shoes!!! It was pretty sick.

2. I learned to ask very specifically if the baptismal candidate is married by the law or just the church as we were going to have a very awesome baptism this Saturday....SURPRISE!! They´re not married.

3. An old man told us to go away, stop bothering him, and go cook some beans or something. Only in Mexico do they tell you to go cook beans.

4. A woman in the street yelled at us when we called her Hermana. ¨You´re not my sisters! You´re Jehovah´s Witnesses!!¨ 

I learned a story this week about a man who only baptized one person in his entire two-year mission in France. He was so bitter about his success that when he returned home from the mission, he went inactive and stopped going to any church functions. Years and years later, he finally went to a church activity. In the activity, he met a missionary serving in his ward from France. They started to talk, and he learned that the missionary was the son of his only convert in the mission.

We´re not here to baptize, we´re here to invite people to Christ. Invite them to Christ so that they stay with Christ. That they endure to the end. That they never let go. I have seen miracles here in the mission. Miracles of just one person changing their life, and not turning back. Sometimes it looks like we´re not doing anything, and sometimes it looks like we´re doing a lot, but I have learned there is a time to plant and there is a time to harvest. I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. I know this Gospel is true!

Love you!

Hermana Hunt

PS attached is a video of my beautiful city. From this enormous hill, you can see my old area and my new area together :)

Everyone loves little dogs here. I thought it was just the name, but seriously, legit--they all have Chihuahuas in Chihuahua.

This woman is a recent convert who is starting to forget everything!! We show up to her house and she tells us the same story over and over and over! She is so sweet. Every time she invites us to lunch with her friday, but forgets she invited us to lunch.

Missionaries. Always there when you least expect it.

We found this in the garbage the other day.

You will always be the cream to my tacos. Only in Mexico.

I ate little Caesar's this week!!!!! It´s the most expensive pizza here. haha

We were in a taxi. I forgot to tell you weeks ago that I got in a taxi once and the taxi driver had like, ten small puppies in his taxi. It was so weird.

My step-mother and my step-daughter in the mission.

Yo soy un feo. Un feo que sabe amar

Yo soy un feo. Un feo que sabe amar. Con todo su corazón. Y que te ama de verdad!!!

Well my companion had transfers today. They let us know at 10:20 last night to be in the office at 11 this morning. And guess what?! I'm training!!!!!! My little girl, Hermana P. She´s so little and cute. And I'm kinda freaking out. A bit.

This week has been awesome!! I learned a lot about how to teach this week as our zone leaders came to visit a few of our investigators. I learned how they use the spirit to speak. There are three important things in the misison--worthiness, work, and teachings. When you are worthy, the spirit can work with you. When you work hard, you can reach a lot of people, and when you teach well, they will want to change and repent and become better people. I learned this week how to teach in a way that they will really understand, and when we have the Spirit with us, it testifies to their hearts that this is true. It is true!

I have learned the importance of the Book of Mormon, and my testimony has been strengthened in that precious book. Eight weeks or so ago I made the goal to read the Book of Mormon every day at 7:45 before my personal study time. Every day, I have had the opportunity to read the book that will bring us closer to God than any other book, and I have felt the difference in my life. I feel the Spirit more strongly every day, I know more about the plan our Heavenly Father has for us, and most of all, I know better who I am as a daughter of God.

I know the Book of Mormon is true and that a man will get closer to God by reading its pages than by whatever other book there is out there. Even if it's in Spanish :P I feel the influence of God in my life stronger and stronger every day. I love the Book of Mormon!

Love you all. Quizás soy una fea, pero sé como amar :)

Hermana Hunt

The sky in Chihuahua!!

Cheese pie. Sounds gross. Best thing in the world.

Chihuahua is pretty

I saw my mommy today!!!!!

We arrived to the missionary choir yesterday matching, hahaha how embarrassing

independence day. we made a tent. that be right.

my shoes. nothing a little glue cant fix.

Hermana C. said we could use sunglasses. I don't think these are what she meant.

A New Address For Sarah!

Want to send a package or a letter to Sarah, but you want to know it will actually get there? Well, here is a new address for just that.

There is a brother in the Church that drives packages and letters to the missionaries in Sarah's mission! 

So amazing!

Julio Velazques/Hermana Hunt PO BOX 1486 PRESIDIO, TX 79845-1486 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

So send some letters. Or packages. Sarah is waiting :)

The Miracle of Family

Remember when I told yall about the man that came up to us in the street because he wanted to know why we were so happy ¨question mark¨ He was about to get divorced, and was very sad because of how his family was being torn apart. We started teaching his son and daughter too, but we had to teach them when their mom was not home because of the conflict. The mom is strictly catholic. He and his daughter started to progress very fast, but we didn{t know what to do about the family situation. We taught about good family relationships and how important the family is. We also prayed. A lot.

Saturday, we called the daughter to see how she was doing. She was so happy and told us ¨MY FAMILY IS BACK TOGETHER!!!¨ They are back together and doing great!! The daughter talked to the mom about the church and the spirit she feels and the changes she is making. The mom has decided to listen to us and is very happy with the message we have!! 

This week I have truly seen a miracle. If nothing more, I have seen a family get back together. The family is the most important social unit in this life and for the eternities. I have seen great miracles in the family. This morning I was reading about if we do not teach our children the gospel, the sin is over our shoulders. Yikes. I was also reading about how mothers and fathers have different responsibilities, but both have the responsibility to teach the gospel and help their children to live it.

It{s pretty safe to say I am good with being in the mission right now and not having to worry about all that stuff. My companion always makes fun of me when I study about eternal marriage or the familiy. haha :)

The purpose of this life is to have joy in our families and prepare ourselves to return to the presence of God. Therefore, if we don{t have joy in our families, it{s probably because we{re not all preparing to return to the presence of God, and therefore, we are not fulfilling our purpose here. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when we base our family on the teachings of Jesus Christ. I know it{s true.

I find it very interesting as a missionary to feel the spirit in people{s houses. There is a notable difference between a strong family and a weak one. We can feel the difference in every house we visit during the day. I know families are very important and I know they can be eternal!

Love you!

Hermana Hunt

This dog followed us all the way to church yesterday and waited for us to get out. I love dogs here. They are calm. This dog was really pretty!!

These are my gringas and my companion :)

This is breakfast for missionaries who have to suffer through week five in one month.

This picture doesn{t really show it, but i{m burnt. I put sunscreen on every 3 hours, and I am walking around with an umbrella everywhere I go, but I am still burning.

I got to go to the very fancy restaurant.......DENNYS!!

I sang a solo again this day. My voice gets all shaky.

My district before the cambios :(

Classic preaching to something dead the Plan of Salvation

A sister from my other ward emailed me this picture from my old ward. How cute.

Hermana L and Hermana H. 

Her last day in the mission!! How sad.