Photos

1. The first photo is the missionaries from my generation that are in my zone when we completed a year. Elder Leany, Elder Phelps, me, and Hermana Metler, who is my twin. (we were born together in a trio)

2. After zone meeting with Elder Bigger, Elder Valle (our district leader), Hermana Beltran (my companion), and me. They're also in our ward, and the zone leaders too, but we didn't end up getting a picture with them.

3. This is called a percheron. They're literally like.. more than a foot long. Like a burro, or a burrito, but like a million times bigger and full of tons of crap. Literally, any kind of food you can think to put in a percheron is probably in there. And it's all wrapped in a flour tortilla the size of a table. No joke. The Elders have contests to see who can eat one in one sitting, but as Hermanas we just eat one half one day and eat the other half another. Best thing in the world, though.

To: The world 

Hello World,

Guess what. This week (Thursday, to be exact) I turn one year in the mission. One. Year. It's slightly terrifying, and I really don't know what to make of it. I only have 4 more transfers left, which means I only have one more area left after this one. And probably only 2 more companions. Maybe 3. And I feel like I've learned so much, and helped people, and tried to be a good example and a good disciple of Christ and everything, but I still lack so much that it's kind of terrifying to think about. But hey, that's the thing. I just can't think about it, and I'll be fine. 

This year in the mission has probably been the most tumultuous year of my life. There's really no way to explain it. I feel only people that have served a mission understand what the mission is like, and even more, only people that have serve in Mision Mexico Hermosillo understand what this mission is like. I wouldn't trade these experiences for the world. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. Have I learned bastante? Yes I have. I'm a completely different person, but I'm a better person because of it. I'm made my mistakes, and I learned about repentence. I learned what it feels like to truly be a disciple of Christ, and I'm happier because of it. I've felt the joy of helping a lost soul find his way again, and there are no words to explain the love and satisfaction. 

I suppose that I'm still young and inexperienced, but the way I see the world is clearer, with a little less innocence and a little more pessimism, but also with a lot more hope. Never before had I quite understood so deeply the necesity of the gospel. It is probably the strongest promise God has ever made to us- that if we will follow Him he will give us everything He has. Christ is the only way to happiness. It is so simple, but it is so true. Blessings in this life, blessings to come in the next, the point is that they only come through Jesus Christ. Sometimes I just want to hit people over the head with my Book of Mormon and yell at them, ''Would you please just listen to me (or better, to the Spirit) because I'm trying to give you Eternal Life here! It's slightly important. It's only the destiny of your soul.'' 

I`ve learned that the only thing that really has the power to change people is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the healing power that comes through Him. I've learned that we shouldn't try to change people to form what we think they should be, or what we view as perfection, because this world is full of an infinitely drasticly distinct humanity, each one of us completely different than the other, each one of us beautiful, individual children of God, and it`s beautiful. I've learned that the human heart is hurting, and is looking for something it thinks it'll never find or achieve, but that that eternal peace that we so desperately seek really does exist. We just have to accept where to look for it. I've learned that every human heart is broken in some form or another, and that everyone of us has a form of expressing ourselves and trying to heal ourselves, but the only real way to do it is just give in and let Him fix it for you. When we try to fix it ourselves it just ends up looking like an old cardboard box stuck together with scotch tape and sent through the Mexican mail system. Nobody can survive that. 

I've learned that the most important and profound things are really the most simple. That God loves us, that He lives and is an active part in our lives. And that anyone who begins to believe on that, however proud or stubborn or hard or hurt they may be, can feel that love and that presence. I've learned that there is nothing more important in the world than the primary answers- pray, read your scriptures, go to church, serve your fellowman. Listen to your primary children. They haven't been changed by the world, and they know what's up.

I love you all, and I wish you all the best. I'm sure you can survive 6 more months without me (haha), but if you can't, the good news is that Christ will always be there, even when I'm not. 

This video made me cry.

Gracias A Él (It's better in Spanish)

Because of Him (But here's the English version if you don't understand Spanish)

Hermana Day

Livin with the bonis

Hello All.

Well, I feel totally frazeled. Where to start? 

Saturday night we recieved transfers from our zone leaders... and the two of us gone transfered! Freaking transfers. We had just barely had 1 transfer in the area, and we had started from the bottom, learning everything together, and then after 1 freaking transfer they whitewash the area again! We were pretty angry because we had some pretty awesome goals for our ward this month, but whatever. The bad news is that they took us out and put Elders in. Probably a good thing, because our area was ridiculously dangerous and we almost couldn't work in it because of how dangerous it was... but everyone was pretty sad because now the ward will have only Elders again, and Elders are always a bummer. (That's a joke, Elders. Sort of. :P)

Sooooooo now I'm in Satelite. Wow. Where to begin. Satelite is one of the richest, if not THE richest area in Hermosillo, and it's the hardest area in the mission. They say this area kills missionaries. Not because they go home, but because it's so hard that they just stop working and die (figuratively speaking). Pleasant news. I'm now in Zona Pitic, with is the zone where the temple is, where Presidente and the Assistants are, offices, everything. Yesh. And, of course, every Hermana of Zona Pitic has to look super put together always. Ugh. Which means I can't just put my hair in a braid, or not put on a ton of makeup or whatever. Yup. Now I have to forget how to eat with my hands and remember all the table manners that mom pounded into me all my life. It's like a completely different world, honestly. I feel like I'm in a different country now, and everything seems so different. Today was really weird. I'm going to miss my areas where the only thing people had were tortillas y beans, but had hearts the size of the ocean. I'm going to miss the confidence we had, sitting on a plank in a tin shack, laughing as well as sometimes crying myself to death, loving these people like my family. It's different now, but I suppose that I need to remember that the people in my area are people too, and that, as always, there is a way into every human heart. 

The good news is that our District Leader (who is also in our ward) is one of the best singers in the whole mission, and he's super excited that I'm here, and I'm super excited that I get the chance to sing with him, so we're going to light this ward up with our voices and it's going to be awesome! 

Well. Yup. That's the news for this week. My companion is freaking awesome, and I feel good, honestly. I don't know, I just feel happy. I guess that's a good thing, right? Fruits of the gospel.

May you all have an excellent week!

Hermana Day

PS Boni in Sonora means some that is super rich, like, ''Ohmygosh, el esta biennnn boni'' (he's got a lot of money) or ''yesh esta area esta bien boni buena suerte'' (that area's super rich so good luck) I have no idea if this word exists in other parts of Mexico or Latin America. :P

High Desert Winter

Hey everyone,

Did you know that in winter, deserts are really cold? Of course, I was completely aware of this before the mission, but for some reason I didn't remember when I was planning and packing for the mission, and only focused on how hot it was going to be. 

Well now it's freaking cold.

Literally, we just can't catch a break here in Sonora. When it's not 130F, it's 30F. There seems to be no inbetween. It's not too fun here, though, because nobody here has any sort of heat. Our house is built out of cement blocks and has no heating whatsoever. I sleep with 3 heavy blankets, and in a sweatshirt and sweats, so at night it's fine, but in the morning when we have to get dressed and study outside of our warm beds. :(

Christmas here was pretty interesting. Talking to the family was awesome, of course, although everyone needs to quit reminding me about how soon I get back. :( I don't want to leave! It was awesome to see everyone though, and everyone seems gigantic (in a good way). Christmas Eve dinner was pretty average. Nothing in comparasion to the Scandanavian feast that mom always creates, but we're used to suffering in the mission, so it's all good. :P Haha! Christmas in Mexico basically consists of lots of beer, loud music, parties, etc. Not exactly my kind of scene, but they seem to enjoy it. They also dance a lot. Latinos are always dancing. I was planning on sending a bunch of pictures of what went down, but the computer that I'm using doesn't want to read my memory card. So pictures will have to wait until next week.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas, as well as the snow dump that everyone's been writing me about (trying not to feel trunky here). 

This Christmas I feel like I really actually understood what Christmas is all about. We kind of took the role of everyone in the Christmas story, and it was pretty cool. We knocked on doors like Joseph and nobody had any room or time to recieve us. We came from far away countries like the wise men to share our precious gifts of the gospel. We watched over our flocks of investigatores and members and less actives like the shepards and recieved the news of Jesus Christ with them. We sang to everyone we came in contact with, sharing the good news of Christ's birth like the angels who sang good tidings of great joy. And in a small way we were like the Christ child, young and innocent, watched over and protected by everyone else who knew we had a great work to do. 

This Christmas was different. We didn't have presents, or our families, or the food we're used to, or any of that stuff, but I was happy. Honestly we don't need any of the things that we usually focus on during Christmas. We just need the love of God and the peace of the gospel. (And our families, of course, but for that reason we got to talk to them on Christmas.) It sounds simple, but being on a mission in Mexico has taught me that it's actually true. I've become a little disenchanted with everything that exists in the States, and I'm just starting to realize how little everything that we have matters, and the things that really matter the most. 

I love you all, and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! 

Love,

Hermana Day

Big Changes

Well hello all. This week has been a week of big changes. Here we go.

First off, let's just get it out and over with that tomorrow I turn 20. Thanks for all the emails reminding me how old I am. Honestly, it's truly terrifying. As mom said, I never in a million years expected to spend my 20th birthday in Mexico. Well... moving on. :P

Other changes include that I am now in Hermosillo and not in Guaymas. This is probably the biggest change I've had so far in the mission, and it's been a little difficult. I was born in the north of Hermosillo, but honestly I never became super attached to that area because I was new and didn't know anything. :P But Guaymas was the place where I florished and grew and became the missionary that I am now... so it was super hard to leave. The members all cried, I cried too. It was... super sad. Like, I can't even explain so I'm not even going to try. 

So now I'm in Hermosillo. Which... sort of sucks, to be completely honest. Hermosillo is a huge city with tons of pollution, dirt, cars, a ridiculous amount of people, and lots of busy, bad attitudes. Haha. Also, the climate here is way drier than Guaymas because, well, I'm not living 2 seconds from the ocean every day, so my skin has really dried out and now it looks terrible. But everyone still loves me because everyone just automatically loves white people for some reason, so it's all good. 

Other changes include the quantity and quality of cat calls we've recieved... my companion is a short feisty (FEISTY) Dominican (again, I have another Dominican companion. I'm fairly certain that President always puts me with the Dominicans because I'm the only Hermana that has the eternal patience to handle their black sassy attitudes) who has this super cute figure and so that, combined with the fact that I am a blue eyed American calls for a lot of problems. This week has been worse than the entirety of my mission before. Yesterday was the first time I had actually been followed for a significant amount of time. Thank goodness I don't have blonde hair like Hermana Hansen in Chiapas, because the blonde American sisters here always have problems here and have to get special transfers to areas far, far away where their stalkers can't find them.

I feel like I'm freaking mom out again. Don't worry mom, I'm perfectly fine. The thing about being a white girl in Mexico is that after awhile you figure out how the system here works and can avoid the majority of the situations. With those you can't avoid, you learn real quick how to get yourself out of them. :D

Another change is that now it is super cold here. I guess I forgot the most important rule of deserts: they're either super hot, or super cold. Well, now we've entered the super cold period, and the drastic change in climate sort of killed me, so I'm a little sick. The good news is that I bought a good thick black sweater today, so that should hold me over for the winter. 

We also changed our house. Obviously. When we arrived, it was disgusting. Elders that are reading this, I have a thing or two to say to you. CLEAN YOUR FREAKING HOUSES. We know how terribly dirty they are because when we arrive at your old house and have to clean it, it's literally the most disgusting thing I've ever seen (this happened in Guaymas too). Also, your area books always suck. Fix them up, because they are completely useless. 

Yeah. That was my rant. 

Also, apparently it was Thanksgiving this week. I didn't realize until it was about 10 minutes to 9 on Thusday, and my companion was like, hey, isn't today like your day of actions of thanks or something? (That's how they say it in Spanish here.) And I was like, yeah... that's right... And we didn't have time to go by turky meat or anything, and the hot dog stand outside our house was closed... so we didn't do anything for Thanksgiving. Yup.

Also, speaking of changes, my brother Jed is literally the spitting image of dad when he was in high school. I was absoluely shocked with the picture dad send me of the kids. (The almost life-size cardboard cut out of me did add a nice touch I must say.) But seriously, everyone is gigantic. I'm not sure what's going on up there in Utah, but everyone needs to stop changing and go back to being small because I'm not prepared to come back to the house and have my three little siblings be raging hormonal teenagers. Haha :P

Well, there we go. Christmas is coming, and it still looks like summer here. Palm trees, green everywhere, sun... It's a little strange without snow. Speaking of snow, my last words in this email are thus: for those of you that would truly like to honor me and my beloved birthday while I am here in Mexico suffering without snow, I command (or invite, whichever offends you the least) you to sluff school or work, or both, and go skiing. I MISS SKIING SO MUCH. Trunky, trunky...

Love, 

Hermana Day

PS. I expect pictures from everyone this next Monday of their adventures in the mountains on my birthday. Thank you.

Hello outside world

You know, it's always sort of amusing how people seem to think missionaries live in a bubble of happiness and joy, trying to indoctrinate everyone with their messages so we can all live happy lives like swaying flowers in beautiful fields of gold.

The mission isn't like that.

Honestly, I'm convinced that as missionaries we get a view of how the world is more clearly than perhaps anyone else. We live to serve and lift and help others, and with that we enter into all walks of life, hear all sorts of terrible things, see all sorts of terrible things, and suddenly the rose colored glasses that our parents raised us with are ripped from our faces and we see the world for what it really is. 

The good news, though, is that the church is true. There's a cure for all this, and there's actually a purpose to all the suffering too. God has a plan, and while that plan may be impossible to understand at times, the good news is that this life was never suppose to be guided by pure knowledge in the first place. We're here so we can learn faith and humility.

Well, some of you might already know this, but I'm at the half way point in my mission. On 5 of November, I will have completed 9 months, and I will have 9 months more to go. The time has gone by ridiculously fast, and truthfully much of it is meloncholy and bittersweet, but I'm also content that I used these 9 months wisely, and that I'll use the rest of the 9 months I still have to continue serving the Lord. 

I've learned a lot of things while I've been here, but honestly I'm not sure how much good it would do to make a laundry list of them all here. The things I have really learned are things that have been integrated into my being. I'm not sure how to explain them in coherent thoughts or sentences, but I do know that I've changed. 

I guess the number one thing I've learned is love. Everything else really in secondary to that first eternally principle. Really, nothing works without love. It is the motor behind this work, the motor behind everything that God does. It is what keeps us, as missionaries going through the hardest days of our missions. It is also what keeps this world going despite all the terrible things that happen. It is the strongest source of energy we have, and everything we do should stem from the love we have for God, and for our fellow man. The purpose of our life is to learn that really, it's not our life. 

Well, I love you all. I am grateful for your support, your prayers, your words of encoragement, everything. I'm grateful for my parents, who really did raise me right. I'm ridiculously proud of them. :D And I'm greatful for God, who gave me this life as an opportunity to learn how to serve him. 

Cuidense mucho,

Hermana Day

Hello world. Today I'm not going to write anything, but instead send you some of the photos you've been asking for for months. Here we go.