Necessito mas confianza

We got to do some sightseeing today!

Our Christmas Tree! Yes, it's time... they're already playing Christmas music in the stores here.

This was the day that we got locked out of our apartment.

Me and Hermana Manzana just playing around.

A hotel here... take a look at the name. No, it has nothing to do with my mission. My mom saw this hotel advertised online and says it looks way nicer in the advertisement! (Notice the grass growing in the crevices on the wall?)

Today during our sightseeing trip we stopped at Dairy Queen! My first "real" ice cream since I've been here. It was much needed!

I finally got the birthday box from my family, sent the first of October. I was pretty freaked out by the picture! My mom said she put it on the box to inspire the Mexican postal and customs people to respect the package. It must have worked because I'm pretty sure everything sent was there in the box!

Hospital... Round Two.

Everything is Okay! I just wanted to go the pharmacy, but the mission president's wife wanted us to go to the hospital instead. So we did. Allergic to mosquito bites.

So, for starters I still haven’t received any candy corn...that’s a problem. I still love you, but I’d love you more if I had some candy corn in my hand right about now... ha-ha! Today I got my birthday package and I was super excited about that! The picture on the front freaked me out but it was necessary. Ha-ha, I’m pretty sure everything was there. I loved all of the pictures the kids drew and your letters! The pictures you sent, on the other hand, should never be publicized! We have a beautiful family but we looked...different ha-ha, but I loved them! The one with us on the hill I think is the worst! Ha-ha, the bad thing is when I showed my companion she thought they were serious family pictures and she just said oh...how nice...ha-ha but I explained our family the best that I could ha-ha. 

So, sad story; we didn’t get to go have an early Thanksgiving with the members because we were assigned a different family, so this Wednesday we will be eating with them. I don’t know what but I’ll let you know if we get the turkey or not? But on Monday we had a really cool experience. We were looking for a reference of a person we contacted in the streets a couple of weeks ago and we thought it was the right house, so we yelled, they came out and it was a different person. His name is Lewis. He was saying how he was so glad that we were there and that he knew the Lord sent us to his home because he had been wanting something like this in his life. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he was soooo excited to start reading it! It was funny because at first I thought he was drunk or on drugs because people don’t usually act this was about the Book of Mormon. Ha-ha, but he wasn’t; he was just excited. He has two little boys and a wife. We went back later in the week and talked with his wife and we are going back and teaching him tomorrow! It should be really good! 

So the exciting time this week: we went and hung out at the hospital again for a while. On Monday I woke up and had about over 35 Grande red bumps on my legs. I knew it was a bite of some sort but I didn’t know what. So long story short, we went to the hospital and he just looked at my leg and said it was mosquito bites and I was allergic to them. So I got a shot in my butt and for the past 5 days I’ve had to go the pharmacy for 5 other shots in my butt so it’s been pretty fun. I got really tight with the doctor there. She’s seen my butt probably more than I have so therefore, we are pretty close. 

On I believe it was Friday we got a call from a member in a different area that is close to ours and she had a cousin she wanted us to teach. We met her at the house and talked with her. She is really cool, she served a mission in the visitor’s center in Mexico City. We met her cousin and taught him about the Book of Mormon and he had lots and lots of questions. Which was good because it showed that he was really interested in knowing about the church. We get to teach him again today so I’m hoping for the best with him. I’m pretty sure he will progress really fast because he wants to learn so much and his cousin is a great example for him and helps him a lot. 

Sorry this letter is kind of short, but for the last thing I want to share what I learned this week. Yesterday we had dinner with some members. Some members I get really nervous around. I don’t know why but I do. So when I get nervous I don’t talk much to them. So at the end of the meal I shared a short message and read a scripture with them. After I was done the nephew that is a returned missionary told me good job, but I need more confianza (trust?). Confianza en yo y en la poder de dios. Which is true. After hearing that it really made me realize that I can’t be nervous around anyone and I just need to speak as much as I can. And if I make mistakes it’s okay because that’s how you lean. If others look at me like I’m crazy that’s okay too because I’m learning. It’s only been 2 months here and it’s amazing how much I have already learned. Not just about the language, but myself and this gospel. The knowledge in this gospel is endless. We can learn so so so much, but we need to have the want, drive, patience and faith. Most of all faith. I know if I didn’t have the faith in the Lord I would not be where I am in this language. I have come far and I’m not even close to being done with learning everything that I need and want to know. Always stay close to the Lord and he will bless you so much. I love you all and loved hearing from you! Always look and notice the blessings in your life because they are always there, big or small.

Dad - don’t cheat in rummy cub anymore...

Love you all,

Alma 32

Hermana Velasquez