A week of Learning!

MAMA!

Sounds like you had the most exciting week ever!  Clark wrote me!  I was so happy to get his letter!  It sounds like you had a blast for Thanksgiving!  

Baby Drew comes in 5 days!  AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!  That is amazing! (Note from Mom: Caitlin oldest sister is having a baby and they are naming him Drew.  He is due on Dec 4th.  This mom is pretty excited!!!!!)

I am so excited for this new Christmas Season!   I love how the holidays help us to remember the most important things in life!  Have you seen the new Christmas things from the church?   Because I haven´t......I think that we are going to talk about it tomorrow!  Whoo hoo I am so excited!

This week was wonderful!  I feel like I have been learning more and more everyday from the members, investigators, and my companion.  

We had a miracle baptism this week and it was a little stressful because the 2 times that she was supposed to be baptized the week before she disappeared.  I honestly lost all trust in her and felt betrayed but I learned that as missionaries sometimes we just need to forget what happened, move on, and keep working.  I think that it is an important thing that we need to learn as people too. To learn that disappointments happen but we just need to keep working. 

I feel like I have been learning a lot about leadership in this area.  Honestly at the beginning of the transfer I did not trust my leaders.  I felt like they only cared about the baptisms and they didn´t trust me.  But I have learned that the most important thing that we must do is trust our leaders.  Trust that they have the divine assignment  and trust that we have something to learn from them.  We have met some less active members here that fell away from the church because of the leadership but the most important thing that I could learn is that I can let my pride overtake me or really have trust in my leaders.  I also learned that I can´t expect these less actives to return if I don´t trust in my leaders.

We have another progressing investigator named Melina.  She absolutely loves the Gospel and loves going to church.  I am so happy that we are able to help this area!

I learned that it is most important to have hope in situations when everyone says that it is impossible.  Remember what it says about my p blessing.  that I have the gift of hope.  I finally realized that it is true.  That I have had a lot of hope in these areas.  Its funny because I felt like I was depressed and didn´t have an ounce of hope but really sometimes we have more hope than we think!  We had our branch conference and President Torres gave a talk that changed my perspective.  it is about the neighbor that didn´t know how to wash her clothes and the lady who was looking out the window always sad that the neighbor didn´t know anything.  Complaining to her husband.  But the next day the husband washed the windows and the wife finally saw that the neighbor always knew how to wash her clothes. Sometimes we look out the window and see everything dirty and we judge what we see but other times we just need to wash the window.  I am going to try to wash my window this week so that I can see the people as Christ sees them!

I love you so much!  

Hermana Drew

Thanksgiving in Mexico with tacos and little pies!

Edith's baptism

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Tacos for Thanksgiving!

Little pies!

Dia de Accion de Gracias! translation....Thanksgiving Day!

MAMA!

33 Days until I get to talk to you!  Woo Hoo!  I just hope that I will be able to speak English.  Sometimes I just forget some words in English and my Spanish comes out.  Don´t make too much fun of me OK!

My week was great! We have a lot of goals as a zone and I feel a lot of unity with this zone.  We are working hard to "transform"  this area.  

My companion is AMAZING!  She has a heart of gold!  Did you find her mom on Facebook?  She told me that she was really excited that you wanted to be her friend.  We do have a lot in common but she definitely likes a lot more girly things than I do.  There is a lot of pink in our apartment....haha.  I think that all of my companions who are Latinas have liked pink a lot.

In Zitacuaro there are 8 missionaries.  H. Ramirez, H. Puga from Guatamala, H. Dagua from Columbia, E. Davis from Portland, E. Zamora from Sonora, E. Juarez from Washington, and E. Roca from Merida.  We are sure working hard but loving every minute of it.  This week was a little crazy with getting everything ready for the Branch conference that we are going to have.

Elder Barton was the AP last transfer and We didn´t get to work with him but I am glad that good things are being said about me.  Although I would prefer that nothing be said about me...

This week we did a service project and we went and helped the Branch presidents family with their greenhouse.  There is a little town called San Felipe that grows and sells poinsettias so we went to make bags to sell them in.  They have so many flowers!  There are so many different types of poinsettias!  We had a little photo shoot in their greenhouse to remember the project. 

We have been working with a few families lately but it is hard to tell if they will be progressing a lot or if it is only to be nice.  Lots of prayers for this area please!

Thank you for the pictures and always writing me!  I love you so much!

Hermana Drew

We went to the poinsettias farm to make bags for the people to put the flowers in to sell.

So pretty!

We were caught in a pretty bad rain storm.....

There was hail involved!

Our Branch President taking a selfie!

All about my area!

MOM!

So many questions!  I will try to answer all of them the best that I can!

First I LOVE MY NEW AREA!  Can I tell you the best part?!  The Public transportation is Volkswagen Buses!  That´s right!  I get to ride around everyday in my dream car!  My love has grown so much for them!  MY new companion is AMAZING!  She came into the mission at the same time as me but will be in the mission for one month more because she wasn´t in the MTC as long as I was.  So we are a tag team in planning and taking care of the area!  My Spanish is getting better and better everyday.  Some people say that I am a native speaker but I don´t know if I believe them.  Just wait until Christmas when I talk to you.  I can tell you that my English is horrible.  I think I will be struggling when I talk to you. Hermana Ramirez´s English is great!  She has to study it everyday for 30 minutes so we help each other out.  I have had a few dreams in Spanish but it isn´t too often that that happens.

If you want to send anything to my companion have it be a cool American thing  The coolest thing that you can find!  She is a girly girl and loves pink, lotions, perfume, jewelry.  Just something cute!  Also you can send her a Christmas card if you would like!

I would love some nutty buddies and Reese's.  also could you put some of the socks for dress shoes in there?  I love you so much!  The packages are the best thing!  No matter when you send it I might have to wait a little because it will be in the offices and the people only bring things at the beginning of the month.   In December there will be more time because we are having more conferences.  I am so excited!

This week was great!  A very humbling week and I learned a ton!  I spoke in sacrament meeting about humility.  I think I learned more about humility preparing for this talk then in my whole mission.  Don´t get me wrong I have learned a lot about it but this time it was different!  I love the Church!

LOVE YOU SO MUCH!,

Hermana Drew

Funny story with this pic.....This man jumped in at the last second and would not move.  We were going to take another picture but then the park police came and started talking with this man.  We left the scene before talking a redo. HAHAHAH!

Good bye Tenancingo.....Hello Zitacuaro!

MOM!

IT¨S TRUE!  I left Tenancingo and the Sate of Mexico!  I am now in Zitacuaro with Hermana Ramirez!  She is from my generation of missionaries and I am way excited to serve here!  Fun Fact for you....I am serving in the same area that Hermana Brinkerhoff served in! Woot woot!

The last week in Tenancingo was a rough one.  Our investigators weren´t really progressing and it was a little sad to see them in this state.  It is amazing how much the little things make all of the difference!

We had a really cool experience while  we were waiting for a member to join us.  We sat down and started to study and all of the sudden a big group of construction workers came and sat down by us and started asking us questions.  We ended up teaching about 7 workers the Restoration of the Gospel and their responses were amazing!  Many of them were saying that they had never heard about Joseph Smith before and how the message we shared changed their whole perspective on their lives.  Unfortunately......They live in a different missionary area.  We were glad to share the message.

What else can I tell you....Oh I did get a message that I received a package and I guess that is the Halloween package that you are talking about.   it still isn´t in my hands but it will be here soon!  I am so excited!

Also if you would like you can send the lenses for my glasses and there are pawn shops that I can go to to buy a camera but what ever is easiest for you is great!

I feel like I have learned so much out here and I am really excited to learn even more from this area and Hermana Ramirez!  Everyone from Tenacingo says HI and they thank you for sending and supporting me on the mission!  

I hope that you have the best week ever!

LOVE,

Hermana Drew

Primary Program day!  Hermana Toone played the piano!

And the relief society program!

Primary Program Hermana Toone played the piano.

After the Relief Society program.

Going away flowers!

The missionaries in Tenancingo.

Day of the Dead

MOM!

This week was fantastic!  We worked hard but had a blast doing it!  I think I have learned so much in this transfer and that is exactly what I wanted to do!  We will be having transfers again next week.  I think that I might be leaving....I don´t know how I feel about that but I am glad that I got to know Tenancingo.

Good job with bearing your testimonies!  I practically cried the whole time during our testimony meeting!  So much power!  (Note from Mom, Last email, Caitlin challenged us to bare our testimonies.)

For day of the dead we worked but we decided to plan a little activity for the ward. That morning we went and played volleyball.  It was raining in the morning but then the rain went away and it was sunny  and we were ready to play!  For day of the dead the people here go and visit the graveyard.  They put an offering of flowers, fruits and chocolates and bread for the dead.  The kids go around to the stores to ask for candy and everyone dresses up really scary, Chucky, skeletons, and other creepy things, not cute things like ponies, grandmas, and pumpkins,  It kind of scared me but really cool to see their traditions.  In Tenancingo there was a lot of traffic because of the flower market.  Day of the Dead is their biggest selling day and all of the streets were closed for the market.  We got to know a lot of the taxi drivers haha,

It doesn´t really bother me I am glad that you let me know what is happening because a lot of the time I don´t hear anything from my friends.  Julia is faithful in writing me. (Note from Mom, I asked her if it bothered her me telling her what is going on around town, as you can tell she doesn't get many emails from people so all of you out there reading this, get busy and write Hermana Drew.  As for the rest of you who have been faithfully writing her, like Julia, nice work!  I know she appreciates it!)

Sarah is engaged!  I cant believe it! Woo hoo!

I love you more!

Hermana Drew

Having Day of the Dead treats in Tenancingo

Day of the Dead candies

Activity with the ward for Day of the Dead

Hermana Drew in the window

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Testimonies and Conversions

MOM!

I love Halloween with all of my heart!  I think it is so fun to be someone different for a night!  There is something magical about holidays!  I am glad that we can celebrate them!  I think for Day of the Dead we are going to try and go to Malinalco and look at the ruins if not we will be headed to the cemetery to take pics and latter spend some time with the members.

Unfortunately I was not able to find my camera....I am so mad at myself for not listening to the spirit and putting my pictures on a memory card.  I feel dumb for all of the times that I have not listened to the spirit.  Luckily Hermana Toone is nice enough to let me borrow her camera when I need it.  The only sad thing is that this week we didn´t end up taking pictures either.  We will do better in this week.  No worries.

So the painting that I bought is of the last supper.  The Catholics have a really tacky picture that they usually have in their houses  but I bought a pretty one.  But it is a little small.  And then I just bought some handmade sandals.  I thought they were cool but I don´t know if you would like them.....haha.

For Christmas!  OOOH I am so excited!  Things that I need....a couple new skirts and shirts, nutty bars from Little Debbies, and maybe a Christmas CD and the CD Choose Something Like a Star, and Showtime, by Motab.  Well those are a few things that I want but I will gladly accept what you think is acceptable!  Maybe a new pic of the Fam. :)

The work is going great!  A lot of our investigators went on vacation this week so we didn´t have a lot of people in church  but we are starting off this new month strong!  

Remember Janeth from the Noche Mexicana?  Well we had one of the best appointments with her.  We hadn´t seen her for a month and when we saw her again she bore her testimony to us.  She said that finding this gospel was like finding the light in her life again.  Everytime she picks up the Book of Mormon, she feels like the story is familiar and what she needs.  I was so impressed with her testimony!  I have studied a lot about testimonies this week and I am embarrassed to say that I was scared to share it before.  We shouldn´t wait until we have a strong testimony to share it.  That is when we most need to share it.  I challenge every one of you to bare your testimony in this Fast and Testimony meeting on Sunday!  It doesn´t have to be something big and powerful but just sharing the simple truths that you know!  We must stand as a light to those around us!

Mom I learned that we get to choose our parents before we come to Earth and I am so glad that I chose you and Dad.  I feel your love and support in every moment and I am so sorry for how I treated you two before.  Thank you for everything that you do for me!

I LOVE YOU MOSTEST!

Hermana Drew