I LOVE GOING TO THE TEMPLE!

Mother!

What a week!  I am so excited for the Cedar City Temple!  It is going to be so beautiful!  I can't wait to see it in it's full glory!    

The Mexico City temple is getting close.  The 14th marks the first day of the Open House.  Unfortunately I will not be helping with it but I think that I will get to go with the ward in which I will be serving.  Everyone is so excited to see it.  It has been so long since it has been closed.  I think that we will be seeing a new announcement for a new temple too because there will be so much work!  AWWWWWW!  I am so excited to see it.  I LOVE GOING TO THE TEMPLE!t.

It is so amazing that children are so close to the spirit.  They are a lot more receptive to the promptings of the spirit and have more of a desire to follow Christ than adults.  I guess that is why Heavenly Father has always asked us to be more like little children.

Things have been going this week!  We have been working hard and working on things for the next transfer.  We always have to keep this mentalidad (Note from Mom, I'm not sure if this is a Spanish word she has put in there so your guess is as good as mine.)  of how things will be for the next group of missionaries.  Transfers are next week.  My comp and I are praying that we will be able to stay together but it is very rare that that happens.  .

I have some exciting news!  The 29th of August Elder D. Todd Christofferson will be coming to visit our mission!  I am so excited because his talks are always my favorite!  I cant wait to hear what he has to say to us!

This past week we had a zone meeting and I learned so much!  I love my zone because they help me know how I should change. How I can be a better missionary but also they help me to enjoy my mission!  The mission is wonderful!

Have the best week ever!  I love you more and I am so grateful for all of your support!

Hermanita Drew

Our Zone  Las Torres

 Fabians baptism

A selfie

Our backs were hurting so we moved our beds.

Mi Amigo!

I finally found someone as tall as I am!

English/Spanish....Spanglish. That's what I speak!

MOTHER!

I am so glad that Gma and Gpa are in their new house now!  It looks so nice!

I am glad that you have work! I hope Tay and Kenna are having a great summer!

Ooooooh I cant wait to see pictures of her wedding!  It is going to be so beautiful! I am so happy for Ash!

Taylor is going to be a pro at piano by the time I get home!  I can't wait to play with her!  I miss singing together by the piano!  Also hearing people sing on tune.  The people here sing with all of their heart but it doesn't sound so good....

Let Stef know that I love her and I am praying for her!  The Plan of Salvation is amazing!

I cant wait to see pics of baby Drew!  He is going to be so cute!  (Note from Mom, I'm going to be a grandma!  Woo hoo!  That's right Hailey and Robert are having a boy!  She is due on the 4th of December!  They are naming him Drew!)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no worries about the head lice.  It happens a lot in the mission.  2 other sisters in my area had it too but mine went away a lot faster.  And my haircut isnt too bad its just that the layers are really spread out and the hair that is in front is a lot shorter than the hair in the back.  I actually tried to fix it a little so it isn't as bad.  (Another note from Mom, refer to Cait's last email, she got lice, my worst nightmare as a mom when my kids were in grade school.  The girls never got it, thank heavens, but I would freak out every time the school would mention an outbreak.)

The work is coming along great.  This week we have met a lot of families that have problems with unity. There is usually a lot of fighting going on when we are in the houses.  I am not really sure how to help the families because I am not married or have children but if there is one thing that I know its that when we live the principles of the gospel our families are truly blessed.  The Family A Proclamation to the World is amazing!

I do have to help my companion learn English.  It is a requirement for all of the Latin missionaries to learn English. But yes my Spanish is improving a lot.

Please send my package ASAP we only have 2 weeks left in the transfer and I don't know if we will be staying together.....

I love you so much mom!  Thank you so much for your prayers. I can feel the difference so much!

Hermanita Drew

This is my car!  I wish....

Maybe this is a new way to treat lice?!

Don't be a Robot

MOTHER DEAREST!

I am so glad to hear that everything is just swell with the fam!  I love all of the pictures!  The pergola looks fantastic and the plants have grown so much!

My week was a little crazy too.  I noticed that I had been getting into to a routine.  Acting like a robot in all of the lessons, contacts, with the ward members.  I honestly felt lost and like I had lost the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  So I did what I know best.  I said a pray with all of the faith that I have.  I told Heavenly Father how I had been feeling and what I wanted to change.  MY testimony has grown so much.  Always on your knees. I love that phrase!

We had a ward activity where we watched 17 Miracles.  I am such a cryer!  I cried at every moment.  After the ward missionary leader asked Elder Johnson and I to share why this video means so much to us.  I was thinking about the time that we did the Stake Trek.  How I had so many thoughts running through my head. How The Bishop from 3 Peaks Ward died, and how blessed I am.  I love this Gospel with all of my heart. 

I have really noticed that my English is getting worse. I don't know how to spell or read without think of it in Spanish.  It makes things hard for my companion when she has to learn English and her companion cant tell her how it is pronounced!  HA HA!

These past few weeks I have had head lice....so gross.  It is really hard to get rid of them but I think they are finally gone.  Also the hairdresser gave me a mullet.  My poor head cant take anymore.

I love you so much and thank you for everything that you have done for me!

LOVES;

Hermana Drew

AUNT CAIT!!!!!

(so excited for baby Drew)

Even in the rain, we have fun!

Look at this beautiful place!

Computer problems

MOM!

AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!  I am so glad that McKenna's pick
up was great! 

Tay is 16 how crazy!  We are changing so much!

As for the package...send it to the mission office and put a little picture of Jesus on it so that it is protected.

We had another miracle baptism! J. is a teenager that has always gone to church but always said that she would never be baptized. She went to the convention (Note from Mom: I think she may mean youth conference, I'm not sure) for the Young men and women and returned with a strong testimony of the church. She asked if she could be baptized that Sunday!  I learned from this experience that this work is really the Lord´s work.  We told her to go to the conference with Baptism in mind and while she was there the spirit changed her mind.  It is amazing that every person has a time when they are converted.  Even the people that have always been members of the church.  Her brother is Christian.  He also never wanted to be baptized I only knew him for one week before his baptism but I could tell that he really had the desire to be baptized.

 I learned this week that it is important to explain the why of things.  Why we need to be baptized.  Why we need to go to church. And why the plan of salvation is so important.

My computer is having the hardest time right now and I cant up load pictures :(  But yes we did go to the Cristo Rey and it was amazing! We decided to read 3 Nephi 11 whenwe got to the top and I love that story so much!  Heavenly Father and Jesus want to have a personal relationship with Him and I love that he takes the time to know us too!

I love you so much!
Hermana Drew

Cristo Rey

We love the Gospel!

Sharing the Book of Mormon

Tenancingo!

Mom, 

You have so many questions and I just don't have a lot of time but here I go.

My new area is great, it's called Tenancingo, and it is a ward.  My new companion is amazing! Tenancingo is known for having El Cristo Rey and flowers.  Next p-day we will be going to El Cristo Rey so be looking for pictures.  Tenancingo is pretty big.  I feel really small here but it is funny because all of the people stare at me as I walk down the street because I am so tall!  H ha!  Their eyes widen when I stand up or pass by.  Ha ha!

There are 2 other elders serving in the ward.  Elder Johnson, from my first transfer and Elder Reynoso from the Dominican Republic.

I am really grateful for this chance that I have to work with Hermana Salazar.  She helped me realize how I can improve.  One thing that I have been lacking in is confidence.  I know that it is important to have confidence in the Spirit and if we don't have confidence in ourselves we will doubt even more the Spirit.  This week I have been praying and working to develop this confidence and I can already tell a difference.

We had a very powerful lesson with some new investigators.  The lesson started out slow at first because no one wanted to talk but we found how the gospel will help them.  The mom died a couple of months ago and the father drinks a lot.  The two daughters are still in their teens and they have to work a lot.  We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and promised them that it they lived the gospel, they would have the chance to see their mom/wife again.

I finally realized how the Spirit feels.  I think I always expected that it would be something overwhelming but as we taught about the restoration, I was happy.  Like it says in Galations, the fruits of the Spirit are feelings of peace, happiness and joy, etc.  Sometimes it isn't an overwhelming feeling.

I am so excited for you to have McKenna home!  At first it seemed like her mission was going on forever, but in those last few months it has just flown by.  I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary.  I have learned so much in such a little amount of time.

I love you tones!

Hermana Drew

I found Hermies in Mexico!

A new companion!

A new Church in Valle!

Mama!

Seems like things are going so great for you guys at home!  The yard, the ward, work, and family!  Sounds like a dream! 

It is true I have left Valle and now I am in Tenancingo (ten an sing o) With Hermana Salazar from Tampico.  I will admit that I tried my best to give everything in Valle and we saw the fruits of our efforts.  This past Sunday we had 4 investigators in the church and we were in the new building.  Testimony meeting was amazing, of course, because everyone was so grateful to see the changes.  One hermano has been a member since the beginning,when we first met in a little room.  I started to cry when I saw the new building, walking in the chapel was such a spiritual experience.  Every member was talking about how they need to fill all of the seats now. I think that the missionary work is going to change so much there. 

Hermana Olivas was an amazing companion!  We were literally the same person.  She likes the same things that I do.  Her sister is going to finish her mission the same time as McKenna.  we both like to sing A LOT.  I was sad to leave her but I know that we will see each other again.  I learned how to show the love of Christ from her.  

Things are great in the mission!  I have already met so many people and contacted new people here in Tenancingo and I have only been here 4 hours!  Hermana Salazar has a lot of energy and loves to work hard.  I know that we are going to see miracles here!

I haven´t had to eat any beetles yet but I will let you know when I do.  I have had some trouble in eating food though. I think that all of the Mexican food and soda is getting boring to me.  

We had so many amazing experiences in Valle this past week but my mind is a little jumbled right now so I will do my best to let you know what happened.  First I have exchanges with Hermana Burgos from Tijuana BC.  We were street contacting and we found one women that was walking by herself from work.  We started talking to her and it turns out that she feels like God has left her side.  We testified with all of the power that we have and she started to cry in the street.  She told us that she knows that we were sent from God.  I don´t know what happened with her because she doesn´t live in my area but Hermana Burgos told me that it was very easy for her to accept baptism.  

M. is doing great in Valle.  She has told all of her friends that she will not do certain things because she is a Mormon (she hasn´t even been baptized yet)  and she always puts the church first.  She accepted to be baptized on July 27!  I am so excited for her!

I am so grateful for the experiences that change the people here in Mexico.  I know that the Holy Ghost is real and helps us when we need Him the most. 

I love you so much!

Hermana Drew

New church, Mariana, and my last moment in Valle

New Church in Valle!

Marina

My last moments in Valle de Bravo