“The 7 week Challenge to Change”

With Hermana Spencer when she was in the hospital.

With Hermana Cockerham and Hermana Spencer during intercombios.

Some pictures from last week at the Christmas party and me and Raul! He is pretty great and is getting baptized next week!

Hermana Hoggan and me.

Hermano Hipolito and his Son Martin.  It was really hard to say goodbye to him! He’s a good and prepared one!

A cool skirt a member had.

I gave in and got my hair cut by a 17 year old member, but all is well!

I got home and put my hair down and let’s just say that it was VERY unevenly cut, so I just went ahead and fixed it myself....

With Hermana Imelda!

With Hermano Hipolito for our last lesson together!

The family Lopez!

Obispo Poot and his wife.

Saying bye to Hermana Hoggan!

My new daughter Hermana Cabrera!  She’s from the Dominican Republic; she’s pretty great!

Our generation of missionaries that came with us to the mission.

Hello family! 

So, we had changes and I got pushed out of Garcia Gineres and I’m in a new area of Almendros. I am training a Sister from the Dominican Republic and she is really nice! She has a different accent and it’s a little hard to understand her sometimes, but it will just push me more to learn better Spanish! I’m excited to end with someone who doesn’t know English so I can teach her and also so I can learn more Spanish! Hermana Hoggan is still in Garcia Gineres and is training there as well. We were really sad about not ending the mission together and all that, but all will be fine. I think this will really help me not get trunky and keep working hard!

So last week we had a good one. We had the Christmas party and we really enjoyed our last week together. We knew one of us was leaving because President told us one of us would be leaving. On Sunday we were able to go to my old stake house in Pacabtun for the dedication of a temple in Mexico and it was so great because I got to see almost everyone from Pacabtun! They all didn’t recognize me; it was really funny actually! Ha-ha.  They all kept saying how skinny I was and how I needed to eat more and that the people in my other area weren’t feeding me enough! Ha-ha, it was really funny. I was a good 25ish lbs. heavier when I was there, so I probably looked really different to them. 

Also on another note I cut my hair and it was real bad, ha-ha! I am a changed person though, because it looked/looks really bad, but I don’t even care! Ha-ha, I remember how I freaked out when I cut my hair at home, here it’s like nothing and I even had to cut a huge chunk off when I came home! Annie, I will need some of your help when I get home! Ha-ha! It was a good experience! 

So over these next 7 weeks I decided to start something called “The 7 week Challenge to Change”. No it is not a weight loss program. I want to see how much change I can do in 7 weeks. To other people and to myself. I am in a new area with everything new around me and I want to make the best of it. I am going to take attributes of Christ and study one every week. The Faith, Charity and Love, Knowledge, Patience, Hope, Humility, Virtue, Obedience, and Diligence. There are 9, but I’m just going to combine them. Anyway, I know I always invite you guys to do things, but you probably never do them, because you never tell me about it. So I really, really want you guys to do this with me! Just for 7 weeks of your whole life. It’s nothing! You can choose which ones you want to work on and study. But I want to hear how it went in your week when you were able to read a little bit about it and then apply it in your week! Just give it a try and see how it goes! I hope that you all try it and see the CHANGE in your week and in your life as you apply all of them into your life. I know that you will feel Christ more in your life and feel happier and feel a greater love. I love you all and hope that you have a great week! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Velasquez