Rachael's Mission

Mexico Torreon Mission October 2015 - April 2017

Rachael's Picture

Rachael's Picture

Monday, December 28, 2015

Week 11 (Thank You Bishop Sanchez!)

Hello once again family and friends! 

Can you believe that Christmas has come and gone and the New Year is upon us!? It is time to make those New Year resolutions once again. I have definitely learned the value of setting goals while I have been here. We must prayerfully ponder on how we can improve and then make goals that will help us achieve those improvements. I know that if we make the goals, make the plans, and pray that ANYTHING is possible!

Monday

Today all the missionaries gathered at the offices to practice our play. Missionaries are so funny and creative! We also planned the grand finale. Once again, when we came to the part of Mary for the finale, everyone automatically started saying "Hermana Lutze! Hermana Lutze!" I don't even know who these people are!? This is what happens when you are the only white blonde girl in the vicinity. You get picked to do everything and stick out like a sore thumb. So now I am officially the Mary of the grand finale. After our practice, a family, whose nephew collected clothes for the missionaries, brought them in for us. Christmas was here early. It was so nice and thoughtful! As missionaries we will always accept new clothes! We need to do that at home. 

Tuesday

We tried to teach but Hermana was so sick it wasn't going well. Eventually we called the Bishop. He and his family took us to a doctor. It turns out that she had Strep throat (I totally called it!) The doctor prescribed her a billion pills! I have never seen so many pills! It was ridiculous! I'm pretty sure it was just so she would have to pay more money. She also had to buy an injection and Hna Sanchez (Bishop's wife)gave it to her. (They give injections at home here.) We stayed home for the night and Hermana Rubina slept. I was so grateful to Bishop Sanchez because he drove us, found the doctor, and paid for it. Without him, I don't know what we would have done! He really taught me what it means to consecrate all that we have to the Lord. We need to each have an eternal perspective in life so that when we are called upon to help our brothers and sisters we will be prepared to willingly sacrifice whatever is required.

Wednesday - ACTIVIDAD NAVIDEÑA!

Today we traveled to a church in San Pedro and watched Avengers 2! Awesome!...except it was in Spanish... and I don't yet understand Spanish movies very well. So I just laughed when I remembered it was funny or when everyone else was laughing!;) After the movie we had a piñata! It was so fun to watch the Elders swinging madly at the air! They were so energetic and enthusiastic to break that piñata! Oh and did you know there is a piñata song!? I will have to write it down and teach you all when I return. After the pinata we ate dinner. Then we went to the park-Bosque Urbano and the Planetarium. Ultimately we ended up at the amphitheater to perform our play! It was awesome! Ours was definitely the funniest and produced the most laughter!  After the play various people performed talents. They are so gifted! Watching them helped me realize what it means  to use it or lose it. We need to use our talents to help, uplift and bless others because if we don't, what was the point of having that talent? There is no point in only using our talents for ourselves. Oh, I ate some strange desserts today. One was a cream mixture with pineapple, pears, and carrots? The other was a chocolate cake with some kind of fruit in the middle? They were not my favorites.

Thursday

We had previously bought gifts for our investigators and today we wrapped them! Actually, I wrapped them while Hna Rubina rested some more. That evening we went to the house of Hermana Lourdes and ate dinner with them. We had carne asada, cebollas (onions), grilled peppers filled with cheese, tortillas and guacamole! Delicious! Everyone was saying the guacamole was spicy and burning their mouths. Then they asked if I was having the same problem. I told them that I was fine. I have now passed the Native Mexican Guacamole test! (Thanks Grandma for making salsa so hot that it kills small children.) We gave them our gifts and then went home.

Friday

Christmas! Well, it didn't really feel like Christmas. It was sunny and 70 or 80 degrees. We had an Actividad Deportiva. We played different sports. Sadly the sisters cannot play contact sports with the elders so all we played was volleyball or kickball. Not quite as fun as soccer. Then in the evening I got to talk to my family! Best part of the day! Being away from them I have really learned how much I truly love them and am so grateful that I can be with them for eternity! I could never ask for a better gift from the Lord! 

Saturday

This was a mostly normal day of teaching with a few weird moments. We were teaching Maria when her drunk brother walked in. We ended up teaching them both, but let me just say it is HARD teaching someone that is drunk! He asked the strangest questions and constantly interrupted us! Don't drink totally not worth it to be that annoying and dumb. We also went to see our progressing investigator Mario. (The one we found smoking last week.) He doesn't know how to read so he is learning with the Book of Mormon. When we came to visit him today, he had all these doubts and questions about Habakkuk in the Bible. These questions came because he had watched a movie with this person's name. I was confused. ;) We had to explain that movies are not doctrine and are for entertainment and do not always have truth in them.

Sunday

We taught more people today and  really saw some miracles. We visited with Pati who is a recent convert and menos activo. We were teaching her and then had the opportunity to teach her husband who is not a member. We were able to address some of his fears and doubts and now he wants to learn more! This will be so good for Pati to have more support in her religion.

We also taught Omar and Marcia again. Today their son had a rocking horse. He got on it, clicked his tongue, put on his cowboy hat and said 'Yee-haaaw!' He's so adorable! We brought up baptism which opened a whole slew of questions and doubts. However, with the help of the spirit we were able to answer their questions and give them the commitment to pray to our Heavenly Father for an answer. They need to feel the spirit and obtain their own answers of whether or not this is the truth. I am praying they get their answers.

Well, that is all for this week!

I did come up with a new acronym this week. I.L.L. Infectious Love of Life! Friends and Family, life is good. There are bad things that happen, but still, life is good! We have so many blessings especially as members of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints! We need to take this life and enjoy it! This is our time of probation! We only get one, don't waste it. Also, our love should be infectious! We are members of the church that has the restored gospel and has everything we need to return to our Heavenly Father!! WE need to share this joy with everyone around us! If we have an Infectious Love of Life then everything will seem a little brighter and go a little smoother. Our trials and troubles will not seem so great especially since this ILL comes from our Savior Jesus Christ! When we are yoked with him, everything is possible!! Spread the ILLness! ;)

Love you all! Hope you are all still becoming and failing forward! The only thing that can stop you is yourself! 

Love,

Hermana Lutze

P.S. It is freezing here! Day and Night! This wind started blowing and now I feel like I am in Estonia with Kyle! Brrr! I thought I was in Mexico!?

P.P.S We were at a house this week that had cockroaches EVERYWHERE. One of them jumped on my coat. It was a miracle I didn't scream and freak out. My companion saved me.

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