Tuesday, November 26, 2013

SORPRESA! ...And then there were 3...

oh waddup family...

so... I´m not sure if I´m even allowed to write you but here I am... I leave tomorrow! Que loco, no? it seems like I got here just yesterday.

here´s whats happened... Hna Hendricks left early monday morning. Hna Schumacher and I got up at 2 am with her to escort her to the bus where we said our goodbyes. She didnt seem sad at all lol just excited to go do the Lord´s work. The rest of the day Hna Schumacher and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off because we had to get all our stuff ready AND it was still a normal day of classes and lessons and such... But we did somehow manage to squeeze in a ping pong tournament with the only other companionship left in our district. (there are only 3 of us left out of the 11 we had) The rest of the elders left early monday morning or monday afternoon. I was actually really sad to see them go... I have always been able to bond with guys better than girls... and we all got really close! It was like sending my brothers out into the world. And they really are my brothers in the gospel. Its ok though because I know heavenly father will take care of them so they can work hard. Plus, we have already scheduled our district 13 B reunion for October 2015. Hno May told us that if we call him after our missions he´ll take us to cafe rio..... so.. yeah. done. Anyway... yesterday was a mad rush in between classes trying to get our stuff packed and print off Hna S´s boarding pass and get everything ready for her departure. AND we had to move into a new casa because I couldnt be alone for a day so I had to pack all my stuff too and lug it all (including my broken dragging suitcase) to a casa all the way across campus. Awesome. But the Hnas we are assigned to now are AWESOME. Hnas Miller and Buhler. lol...bueler... Everyone calls Hna Miller the Amazon because she is 6 feet tall. She is so awesome though. I really like her, too bad we are leaving tomorrow lol. But this morning, I got up at 2 again to help see Hna S off. She seemed really nervous but I told her that she would be fine and not to worry about anything. She´s like almost 22 and lived and taught on her own in Russia for like 7 months but she always seemed younger to me. I was sad to see her go but glad to get back to bed. So I´m hanging out with my new Hnas today and they´re great but they are under the impression that today is Pday because its the day before we leave... Or maybe it actually is their Pday I´m not sure... Anyways so I get to email you again since they are. I kinda feel bad because the only elders left aer probably in class right now teaching more lessons and I get another Pday lol. although theres not really much to do since I´m already packed and did laundry and stuff. Oh well.

So I got an email from the Mish pres just saying hi and to bring clothes in our carry on, etc. #stoked. So apparently we are staying the night there. Thanksgiving at the mission home maybe?????

Anyways. I´m ready. Not sure if I´ll get to email you again when I arrive or if I´ll have to wait until Monday.... 

I´m sad to leave Mexico. It´s currently 65 and sunny... but I´m so ready to leave the CCM and hit the field. It´s been such a great experience and I cant wait to enjoy the friendships I have made but I know that right now I need to go serve!

Also in our last district testimony meeting one of our elders said that we get the companions that we need. I really think its true, although at times I wanted to strangle them, there were times that I truly loved them, and I know I learned a lot from them. Patience among the forefront, but also Christlike love, sincerity, and spanish lol. I´m really grateful for them but I´m stoked to see who I need to learn from next!

Also funny (I thought) story I remembered... I was telling my district of this nice thing an elder did for me... On the flight here, the overhead bins were so full that I had to put my carry on like 5 rows behind where I was actually sitting. But of course, upon landing, everyone was trying to get out and it was like IMPOSSIBLE to go back and get my bag so I was stuck. Then I saw an elder coming up from the back and he saw me eyeing my bag and he just grabs it and brings it up to me. I was like thank you so much! I would have had to wait for all 500 people to get off the plane (see? no patience). And as I was telling them this story, I remembered something and I was like, Elder Meidell (nuestro lider zona), that was you, wasn´t it? He was like yep. So that was cool, plus we´re going to the same mission and will be on the same flight again! So it´s kinda nice that I´ll travel with someone I know really well. Plus I told him, I have this feeling that he´ll end up being my DL again or something and I´ll have to call him every week to report. lol. Also, side note, Elder Meidell trained falcons before he came here. Our district has so many awesome people with awesome stories like that I just love them all to death. 

So don´t worry about me, I´m doing great! I have learned so much and my spanish is... not amazing.... but its amazing how far I have come and I cant wait to use all my talents to help others!

con amor
hermana f

PS here´s a quote I really like from elder Holland (sorry if this is super long by the way I´m only writing one emial and there aren´t many to read so I have a lot of time)

Satan is a real being, set on destroying you. You cannot travel down forbidden paths, and expect to go down the straight and narrow one. The game is close, and victory is everything. Get in the game and play your hearts out. Be a voice for good, a voice for the gospel, and voice for God. Unbind your tongues and watch your words work wonders. We need a lot more missionaries opening the gate of baptism and helping people through it.

Monday, November 25, 2013

spanish slang, snakes, and skype

Hola familia!

como estan ustedes? This week was great. I can't believe I leave in like 5 days!!!! My plane leaves Mexico on wednesday around 11. YAY! I'm gonna be sad to leave beautiful Mexico at the same time I'm so ready to hit the field.

Stuff from this week... Devo was great. I feel like I say that every week but its true. This week was my pal Davy Beddy Nar Nar. He spoke about applying General Conference talks to our lives. And it was given right after the age change announcement so that was kind of cool. By the way, Mom can you get me a November ensign that has the recent conference talks in them? Actually can you get me one from the april conference too? PLEASE :) Also our branch got to sing a special musical number before it. We sang I know That My Redeemer Lives. It was really pretty except for the fact that we sang the first verse a capella and the sopranos went totally sharp. LOL it was rough but whatever.

This week we were walking to church (because its in a different building) and we saw our District Leader and the 1st counselor sprinting away from the building. We shout after them: Where are you going? Our DL turns around: I dont know! so were like uhhh okay whatever. Then sacrament comes around and I realized they sprinted off to the Comedor to get me a tortilla so I could have sacrament with everyone else. Our branch presidency is the best.

This week was bittersweet because our dear teacher, Hno May left us. It was cool though because we got to Skype with Victor, an investigator who Hno May baptized (the same investigator he portrayed). So that was neat. He was really nice and it was amazing to see how the gospel ended up changing his life. He ended up sacrificing basically his family so he could live the law of chastity and be baptized, and his wife never spoke to him again but he is so much happier now and in a healthy relationship.

sidenote: I didnt think I wanted anything for Christmas, but I would LOVE 2 pocket size Books of Mormon in english.... pocket size... Idk where to find them but they are tiny and awesome. also I want a case for my mini quad... NOT one with handles... just a zippy one.

But anyway, we had a mini testimony meeting with Hno May. He was such a great teacher. He leds us more than he taught us. His favorite thing to say when we asked him a question was "okay, I;m not gonnna give you the fish but I;ll give you the fishing pole." This usually causes more groans than anything but I lnow we all learned a lot from him. We gave him a tie that we all signed and we stuffed it with thank you notes. 

Also, I have almost finished the BoM! I will finish it before I leave. Also I memorized D&C 4 yesterday. Booyah.

Also Since I have been in Mexico, I have found 2 bullets. One turned up in my purse (and I was SURE it was one of our elders who put it there, but no) and one I found on the volleyball court. Awesome. #Mexico

Oh we got a bunch of new investigators this week. Most of them are our own elders now. Daniel and Tyler were the hardest (we teach them at the same time, so thats interesting too, since we have only had single investigators before), they are both baptized members, now inactive. One is even atheist now. So its a new challenge for us but we are adapting! Its just interesting because they already KNOW the doctrines so its more a matter of testifying and helping them feel the spirit again, and more than anything, helping them have a DESIRE to return. because otherwise, nothing we say will help. We also got another pair of investigators, Octavio and Santiago, who are a homosexual couple who attend that pentecostal snake handling church -_- yeah..... they aren't really taking their profiles seriously, but we are trying anyway... LOL

ALSO! we had an investigator for one day who was an illegal, so of course the question came up in class can we baptize him... and I remember mom you asking if they could serve missions... turns out, living the laws of the land isnt directly asked in the baptismal interview (at least, Im like 85 percent sure) and (according to Hno May's Mish pres) as long as they are striving to keep the laws of the land in terms of paying taxes and following traffic laws, etc., he sees no reason why someone's citizenship status should stand in the way of their salvation. so. yeah.

Also we went to the temple today. It was great. I understood almost everything and only needed a little help at the end (which is funny cuz I think I know it in spanish better than I do in english now). 

But yeah, things are going great!

Love you all!

hermana feigel



Thursday, November 14, 2013

tostadas, tsunamis and stuff

hello all

[insert cliche about time passing fast but not at the same time]. Where to begin... well I guess I'll just get it over and say I was pretty bummed about Ranger, but I;m glad he not in pain anymore. He has "gone the way of all the earth" as the scriptures would say. I can't wait to get to the celestial kingdom and be tackled by all my puppies.

On a happier note. We had a great devo this week by elder L tom Perry. we were all pretty stoked because it was our first live broadcasted devo. He talked about the importance of companions, so I guess I needed to hear that lol. Also did you realize that Elder Perry is like 91?? And he practically skipped on up to the podium. Its crazy. Also its cool because he blessed his son as a baby, ordained him to all the offices in the priesthood, got to set him apart as an elder (his first mmissionary set apart when he became stake pres) then got to set him apart as bishop, stake pres, and when he got called to be a mission pres, pres hinckley flew Elder Perry from the Netherlands because he wanted Elder Perry to be able to set apart his son again. so cool! Also at the end, the video cut off so we had to say a real prayer, and in the MIDDLE of the prayer the feed came back on and it was in the middle of the prayer in provo and it was super awkward/hilarious.

ALSO everyone was talking about the tsunami in the DEVO. WHAT?? why the heck did nobody tell us this?? Man... and I thought PROVO was the bubble... apparently mexico is even worse...

Sooooo... we got more investigators! Most people we have talked to have 2 the whole time in the CCM but we currently have 4 and are losing one and getting 2 more! #cray. its sad though because the one we are losing was my favorite. he was our teacher, hermano may, and his character, victor, had such a tough life and was really struggling and I just knew the gospel could help him and he was progressing really well. unfortunately hermano may is going back to provo, so no more victor. oh well. but yeah 2 of the investigators we got this week are 2 of our elders and they ARE SUPER HARD. they both impersonate less-actives and its a challenge because we havent had to teach less actives before. they KNOW all the doctrine, but for their own reasons, they choose not to act on it anymore. its tough, but we are learning.

our sister training leaders left this week which was sad because they were the hermanas we hung out with most (they are the ones in the pictures with us at the temple). and one of them, hermana baker, knew elder crook. pretty cool. but it finally started hitting me that I wont see any of these people for a while so we made a pact in our district to hang out once we all get back, since most of us will be in utah lol #mormonprobs.

Funny story this week. we were singing at night before we went home, and I usually pick they key so i sing the first line of Brightly beams our fathers mercy(in english, cuz I knew the words) so we start singing and Im just belting out english and everybody looks at me and then I realize that I'm singing in english and everyone just laughs at me. good stuff.

Also, we sometimes have to get creative with food here. One of my favorite desserts is frosted flakes with a GIANT blob of nutella. the first time I did it everyone was judging me.... and now I have got our whole district hooked and I see about 15 people a day doing it too. Im a firm believer that its easier to convert people to nutella than it is to convert them to the gospel....

also BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO ERICA!!!!!!! happy 20th! you're so old! no longer a teenager! I hope your day is awesome and wonderful and I hope you do something fun with Ty and I hope you got my postcard. 

By the way, I thought I would be nice and warm here, it being MEXICO and all.... FALSE. yesterday we had a blistering high of 45 degrees -_- our teacher checked and it was warmer in salt lake than it was here...... smh. but we're surviving, and its supposed to warm up again, but it does stay around 40 at night now. 

Last week my companions were doing laundry and they always ask me if I need anything taken out to hang dry, and I NEVER do so I said no... not remembering my yellow slouchy pocket skirt that I have never washed before. and I also heard them discussing turning up the dryer temp all the way to dry our clothes faster. Needless to say, my skirt shrank about 2 sizes :( oh well.

this week on sunday they didnt have tortillas for lunch like they normally do. it was toastadas this week. So they blessed a tostada for me. which is pretty much a crunchy tortilla but the elders insisted on blessing the "tostada" LOL.

That's about it for this week. The spanish is coming along. the more I use it the better it gets. we have 3 days a week where we try to use only spanish all day. its really hard but it really helps. plus when I think about it, its pretty impressive that we can use spanish all day to say what we need to...

iré y haré [I will go and I will do]

hermana feigel




Thursday, November 7, 2013

The marvelous adventures of the tallest woman in the temple (again) and other such gems

FAMILY! como estas? no enter button in this email again sorry.
#mexicoprobs. well! let's see... well the best thing that happened
this week was that I GOT THE SACRAMENT!! woooo! so yeah you may be
wondering why I didn't before. Well week 1, I went up to our sweet
little branch pres and told him my dillemma he told me not to worry
and that he would get me some tortillas or something. Next week?
nothing. week 3? nothing. BUT. after sacrament he apologized and said
he would have the elders break a tortilla for me later in the day. So
that was awesome. I was really grateful to them. also I learned that
when you bless a tortilla, you have to say "please bless this
tortilla" HAHA. So. We had DEVO on tuesday and it was great. It was by
Elder Scott (and it was recorded) then halfway through I realized it
was the same devo  that abby was present for like her first few weeks
in the MTC! so that was cool. He gave the missionaries an apostolic
blessing for the gift of tongues and I'm not sure if it counts because
we werent really there, but I appreciate the thought. Also at this
DEVO we had a special musical number by 2 sisters playing violin and 1
elder on piano. they played I know that My Redeemer Lives. and it was
BEAUTIFUL. also one of the girls on violin was the girl I hung out
with at my cross country camp at BYU! ALSO one of the new hermanas in
our ward this week was in my  american heritage class! which is cool
cuz it was like a class of 40. ALSO i think I forgot to mention that
my first week here a girl was like... Are you hermana feigel? I was
like.... yeah... do I know you? and she said no, she just knew me from
Pinterest HAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh also I just discovered that Joseph Smith's
First Prayer can be sung to the tune of Come Thou Fount. TRY IT. its
beautiful. We did it for one of our "hall singing" nights. Also we
have committed BOTH our investigators to baptism! WOOO! Now we just
have to get them ready since both are living with women they arent
married to.... #awesome #lovethelawofchastity. Congrats to my
siblings! shoutout to Ten especially for WINNING! you go girl.
#hottestonethere. yeah good job to you to aidan. Maybe next year.
oh... wait... :P haha jk. And CONGRATS to you all for WINNING LEAGUE
CHAMPS!! WOOT WOOT! #mysiblingsarebeasts. I brag about you guys all
the time. Also one of our elders loves water polo so I always read him
your stories. He's going to Cleveland Ohio :) ALSO we got a TON of new
hermanas this week (just to the CCM in general, not in my branch) and
one of the hermanas who is in my house is going to Fresno! Hermana...
shoot I forgot... oh well. Also late BIRTHDAY SHOUTOUT to CAM!!! I
sent her a postcard awhile ago... I hope she got it... For those of
you who are wondering, Elder Crook is doing great! He has another
baptism scheduled for the next few weeks I think! Guys give Ranger
some loves for me! Que mas.... My spanish is doing better. My
understanding is a lot better than my speaking. But every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday we have all spanish days in our district so we
are really improving. Also Elder Riffel and his comps had the chance
to teach some of our elders. They then came running back to me
laughing that Elder Riffel didnt say a word the whole lesson....
HAHAHA. Elder Riffel the spanish master... knowing him though Im sure
he has a reason... Ok to end my letter I thought I would impart some
gems that I have began collecting during my time here. The Second
coming began 193 years ago, YOURE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. -elder holland.
I dont know what other institution would hand over the reigns to a
bunch of aaronic priesthood escapees -elder holland. Fear not, for
they that be with us be more than they that be against us -2 kings
6:16. English is the language of the world, german is the language for
dogs, french is the language of love, italian is the language of
music, but SPANISH is the language for talking with god. Shall we not
go on in so great a cause? -Joseps Smith. El mision es la gran
aventura de su vida (The mission is the greatest adventure of your
life.). con mucho amor -hermana f