Week 34

I have been asked by Hermana Madsen, the MP’s wife to direst a Christmas choir! I’m so excited! I‘ve asked my family to send me the music of “The First Noel” by Dan Forrest. I love this arrangement! The concert will be in Santa Maria for the branch members there. I love the members here. They have absolutely nothing which makes them the happiest people around. It’s so interesting to watch the food being made here, and to eat it :) We eat a lot of fish!! Mole is eaten a lot too. We eat a lot of eggs and home- made tortillas and beans… lots of beans! I’m finding it quite hard to stay healthy with such starchy foods. My companion, Hermana Valdivia is an amazing cook! She gets offended if I don’t eat with her or the food she cooks so Hermana Valdivia is often ill. Luckily I’ve got a good water bottle and DoTerra oils to help!! DigestZen and Clary Sage to the rescue!! :)

Speaking of health issues, I’ve been sick this past week, first, with a horrid eye infection but it is better now. I couldn’t put makeup on so I walked around “looking like a man that’s been crying for days”… ahha!  I still haven’t been able to get over a bout of nausea and vomiting though, it could be the food but it could also be the weather. It finally started raining and the mosquitoes are out with a vengeance—the bites are bad.  There are swarms of them! My District Leader has contracted denge and is in the hospital.  Prayers all around to these missionaries so they can all get back to doing the work! All of this going on the same week as Divisions… I got to serve with my old companion Hermana Olsen!  It was a blast serve together again! She is serving in the “Istmo”, the very indigenous area of Oaxaca, in the mountains where it seems the people haven’t been touched by modern civilization since the Book of Mormon times… I really hope to be able to serve there sometime during my mission. Oaxaca State is the most diverse, indigenous state in Mexico…19 different dialects spoken in that state alone. They say that each area has its own dialect of Spanish to learn.  I’m so happy I’m a quick learner, though learning Spanish has been one of the hardest things. Knowing German sort of caused the conjugation of the Latin language of Spanish to come on pretty slowly for me, but I’m still holding out hope that I’ll be able to teach someone the Gospel in German!

We may have a baptism at the end of this week! Mary may be baptized! We’re so excited for Mary! She is so smart and very knowledgeable of the basic tenets of the church.  We will find out next week! 

I finally got my hair cut! After 8 months! I got “Mexican layers”. :P

We do our washing outside in a sink near their house. I feel like I’m getting really big arm muscles because of all the scrubbing.

Hermana Valdivia and I get along very well, though Hermana Valdivia only has 3 weeks left in her mission. I get to “kill” her… which means that she is finishing her mission as my companion. The mission phrases are so funny! When you go into the MTC, you are “Born” and you “Die” when you finish. Haha! :)

I am very glad for my mission. I never thought I would go and do something like this. I am very glad I am here right now. 

I love everyone and hope you are happy and enjoying life!

Hermana Walker