primera semana!

The Hermanas

My first meal in a member's house... my companion loved it!

Yes! It's really me... here in Mexico! My first area is Pacabtun.

Hola Familia!

So my first week is over! Crazy how fast that went. I’ve had an interesting couple of days here in Mérida! First things first, I left you off last week talking about how I was going to have my first meal here in Mérida. Well, safe to say, it was different. I have a pic for you. The Hermana whose house we went to for lunch was really nice. She was really excited that this was my first meal in Mérida and she had me take a picture of it to show everyone -- ha-ha -- it was funny. So I started eating it, and I liked it at first and then I started getting sick. I saw her cooking it and that kind of set me off a little with feeling sick. Ha-ha, so I felt really bad because I couldn’t finish it and my companion was horsing down her food and I’m over here drinking water and trying to eat this food! So the Hermana had to go outside real quick, so I turned to my companion and was trying to tell her I couldn’t eat it and didn´t want to offend her cooking. By some miracle she understood what I was saying and let me dump a lot in her bowl. So we quickly did so and then the Hermana came back and just looked at us and started talking about something I couldn’t understand, but she had to have known because before she left I had a lot in my bowl and my companion was almost done, and then it switched! So yeah, that was my first experience with the food here. It was called basole or something like that? But the rest of the meals have been great! The avocados are massive here and so much better than in America! Like sooooo much better! Dad you would love them! 

So this week we have taught a lot of people! On Thursday we went to go and find a lady that was a referral and we found her in this little cement house. She has two girls and one boy. All I have to say is be very grateful for what you have back at home. It’s a lot different here with the children. Their clothes are really worn down and sometimes they aren’t wearing much if any. Just always, always, always be grateful for everything you have at home! Anyway, this lady with the children; so we walked in and she was really nice. Her son was asleep in the hammock and her daughters were there just staring at me the whole time, ha-ha. I had my hair in a bun with one of those head wraps Annie made me before I left, and they just kept touching my clothes and my hair and said I looked like a doll. Ha-ha, it was really cute! So this was our first lesson with Isabell and it went great! She is getting baptized on October 18! We were so excited! My companion basically did all the talking. I just said a few things that I could and bore my testimony. But it was so great and the spirit was so strong during the lesson. It was a great experience.

 So another story: Every lesson, we sing with the people we are teaching. We sing hymns together. So one time when we were at a members house for lunch we were talking and they were trying to speak English to me (everyone loves to try and speak English to me -- it’s pretty funny) so I asked them how it worked with the whole sleeping arrangement when you are married? Do you still sleep in hammocks or beds? So the Hermano said in English “no, it’s disgusting to sleep with the person with you”. and I was like “really?” and he thought for a second and he meant “annoying” -- ha-ha -- it was great! So after we were done eating with them we sang a song together and then they asked me to sing it in English. I can’t remember the name of the song. But I started singing it and I couldn’t remember the words so I just started singing in the tune of the song “I don’t know the words to the song so I’ll make them up so you think these are the right words”. Yeah, it worked like a charm! They clapped for me and said it was beautiful! -- ha-ha -- my companion was just laughing about it because she understood -- ha-ha. So on Saturday we had an activity with the youth in the surrounding areas of Mérida. There were about 50 there. It started at 7 and went to 6. It was called “Be a Missionary for a Day”! We each had some youth come with us tracting for the day. It was really fun; we had two girls with us. It was a lot of walking and it was super, super hot! We were all dying! We went and ate at a member’s house and all of the young men were asking me about America and how they love the music there! Ha-ha, and about the sports teams and they all just laughed at me when I would try and speak Spanish and I would laugh at them when they would try and speak English, ha-ha. 

So this week I’ve made a lot of nice friends in the bathroom! First the ants; they’re pretty great friends to have because they take care of my other friend the cockroach! Yeah, they ate him right up! I was pretty happy to see him go! Then while I was showering yesterday I had a new friend with me. His name is the lizard! The big green lizard! He had to go, so I splashed water on him and he crawled out the window. So safe to say I HATE the bathroom. Like a lot! I am physically scared of the bathroom. I only go in there to shower and for any emergencies but nothing more! And you know how we see deer everywhere in Idaho? Well here it’s Iguanas. They are massive and they are EVERYWHERE! And all of the dogs are pregnant here and there are a lot of them, but they are really nice!

So this week has been kind of hard and frustrating because I don’t know what people are really saying, and I don’t know how to speak very well, and I was kind of getting down on myself a little, not a lot, but it was just hard at that time. While we were walking down the street to go teach someone, we ran into a man that was driving the motor-taxi. He had taken some of the lessons then got busy with work and stopped. But we went and talked with him and he spoke English! I was so excited! I got to teach him a little bit right there about baptism (sorry everyone for my bad spelling, I was bad at it before but now it’s worse because I am used to writing in Spanish now) (mom is correcting things for the blog…) and he didn’t know that it was okay that he could be baptized again, because he was baptized as a baby in the Catholic church. So I explained to him how it was good to get baptized in our church with the correct authority and a few more details. He asked what he had to do to be able to get baptized in our church and he thought he had to take a written test, but no, I told him we could teach him more and he could get baptized and he was really excited! So we are teaching him this week! I can’t wait for what’s to come this week! I get to go with another sister missionary tonight and stay with her overnight and teach with her all tomorrow. It’s called divisions! She’s from Utah and she is really nice so I’m super excited for that, but sad to leave my companion! 

Well, love you all and hope you have the best week ever! I love it here so much and I love the people here so much! It’s all so great! 

Funny misinterpretation of the week: My companion and I were studying and she started singing Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus and she got to the main part and sang “I came in like a cannibal” (a person who eats people) and I just looked up and started laughing at her. She just laughed when I explained to her what she just said. It was great! 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE YOU ALL!

-Hermana Velasquez