TWO MONTHS -- TOP TEN

We've been on our mission for a year now and it's been just over two months that we've been here in Mexico City. It's a time of reflection. I remember Sister Bentley asking me when we'd just been in Tampico for two months, “Have you had your two-month cry?” I had had several of them. There's something about being in a strange place, unable to understand the language, and trying to figure out what your doing, trying to belong, and getting to know people --that part of all this process involves crying. I can attest to it.

Here in Mexico City, I'm going through the same process—maybe not quite so bad—but I'm going through it nevertheless. Especially this week. The only other time that I cried more is when we were faced with leaving our beloved Tampico. Poor Jeff. It's hard for him when I cry—even though he understands and has experienced the same struggles. We both know that this time will pass.

And so we keep counting our blessings and the many little tender mercies that come our way. Here are the top ten:

1.We've been able to do some more site-seeing with some of the other missionaries (Doctor, Psychologist, Visitor Center missionaries, temple missionaries. Last Saturday, we traveled to a former Carmelite monastery, Desierto de las Leones, and Tula. The Monastery was built in the 16th and 17th Centuries and is big and impressive, with beautiful gardens, a series underground tunnels, and many smaller hermitage cottages surrounding it. It's now part of a national park where people come to picnic, and bike, and hike, etc.

A monk explained what life would have been like here.  It turned out that he was an actor. 

2.We also traveled to Tula and saw some more pyramids that came into prominence after Teotihuacan (the pyramids we visited last time) at about 600 – 800 A.D. We traveled back into Mexico City and ate the most wonderful Chinese Food at a place called Blossom.

Tula

3.We've heard from many of our Tampico Students which always brings a lift to our day and our spritits. A very special email came from Mario—he was from our last English Class. He wrote to share with us his happiness and special feelings of his baptism on May 15. He sent pictures and everything. Lupita wrote us at her one year anniversary of baptism. We got the news of Nelly's and Marco's upcoming wedding via facebook. Edgar sent us photos of his and Celia's wedding. Omar, Cindy, Ale, and Karla have written just to see how we are doing and letting us know what's going on in their life.
 

New friends...

4.Jeff has been called to be a Sunday School teacher—now he spends most of his spare minutes studying the lesson and then studying how to present it all in Spanish. He's doing great. His Spanish is improving immensely. He is speaking all the time now on the telephone at the service center without a panic attack.

5.We are slowly getting to know others and it's making me speak my Spanish. Candy gave me a permanent and cut in our apartment and she is so nice and repeated so I could understand. She likes to talk. She came to Mexico City and Benemerito so she could be around her last child who is attending school here. Fabiola, another new friend and the Institute secretary, is helping me speak Spanish and I'm helping her speak English. The same is with Esteban and “Chuey”, the two bosses, we work with here in the PEF Service Center.

Walking outside Benemerito--to the institute.

6.The other day when Jeff went to have his hair cut with Candy at the little shop at Benemerito, I decided to go to the Library to check out some English novels. The ladies at the Library sent me to Maestro Bucio in another building who is the Coordinator of their English classes. He was very friendly and so happy to accomodate me. He took me to another building and I was able to pick from a room full of books. Jeff and I have been grateful for good books. We've been reading many of them together in the evenings as well as reading the scriptures in English and in Spanish..

7.A special “tender mercy” moment was as I was walking back with Bro. Bucio after picking out the books, and after telling him that Jeff and I were working in the Perpetual Education Fund Service Center, he shared with me with passion and testimony and excitement his experience with PEF. He said that he was on his mission (New York Manhatten Mission) when the announcement was made by Pres. Hinckley. He started to cry. He had been wondering what he was going to do when he returned back to Mexico. Now he knew. He came back, qualified for a PEF loan, attended a university, graduated, has a great job, and last year he paid off his loan. He spoke with excitement and gratitude. That moment made me feel the blessing and importance of this miracle program. I felt happy and joyful and lifted as did the rest of the office when we shared this experience.

Jeff & Arturo, one of the volunteers and a good friend at the Service Center. 

8.Jeff and I are both learning things we never expected to be learning while on this mission-- Excel, Mail Merge, texting, even genealogy and the YW Personal Progress. Probably couldn't be a better class room. Because I have limited Spanish skills, I seem to have a little bit more free time . So I've been learning genealogy from Sister Jarvis. She works on it a lot in the office. I was feeling a little bit guilty about doing my own genealogy here on our mission, but we've watched how Sister Jarvis has been a blessing to many people around here. Everyone from the Area Seventy, to the Institute Director, to young Benemerito Students, to ward members, and to even Jeff and I are learning New.FamilySearch under her direction.


9.Elder Bednar has been in Mexico City this week. This morning we attended a broadcast to Church Employees of a devotional at which he, Elder Gonzalez, and Bishop McMullin spoke. It was so uplifting and just what I needed to hear. Elder Bednar, sharing his experiences at Ricks & BYU-I, told us that having the best people doing their jobs with diligence and consistency will not insure success. What it needed is for the people to go beyond what their job description dictates--”to be anxiously engages in a good cause”.

A little bird that always shows up outside our window in the mornings.

10.We've been blessed so much. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve where we are needed. Everywhere we go, and in the strangest places, people thank us for coming to serve in the PEF Service Center—it seems everyone has heard that we really we had a difficult time as we didn't want to leave Tampico. We know that we are supposed to be here and hopefully we can do some good.