Cancino & Hermana Gingell

Hello!!!! 

My new companion is Hermana Gingell. She is 19 and from Myton, Utah. You are probably asking yourself where the heck is Myton, Utah??? Yes, that was precisely my question. It is between Duchesne and Roosevelt. She is so darling. She makes me laugh, is so kind and thoughtful, and she chases away the dogs for me. It has been interesting being back in the training program. As I´ve watched her go through the transition into the mission field, I remember what it feels like. It is such a distinct feeling. It feels confusing and overwhelming - like an out-of-body experience. It feels like all of these things are happening but you are not really there. Learning the language is incredibly frustrating and people often laugh when you don’t speak well or don’t understand. It’s physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting - come 8 p.m. you can barely keep your eyes open. But she is doing very well and fighting through all the challenges. 

We made it through our first week here in Cancino. I have now had four areas and have whitewashed four times! This time has definitely been the most challenging because my companion obviously can’t help me too much. It has stretched me sooo much and forced me to work hard, manage my time better, and plan more effectively. 

We are in a great area. I think we are really going to like it here. We have made a to-do list of things we are going to do while we are companions. It’s important to try and make it fun and take advantage of the time we have on this beautiful island. 

I was reading about when Christ told his apostles to leave their nets behind and follow him. In Luke´s version he says, “launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.” I definitely think this metaphor applies to the mission. The mission requires you to leave behind what you were doing before: “launch out into the deep - even if it is scary and uncomfortable. At times we find ourselves reminiscing on the past or even longing and glorifying the past. It is so important to live in the present and always be moving forward. We must travel into the unknown, be bold, make good sacrifices, leave behind bad habits, and develop the attributes of Christ. I like what Elder Holland said in Remember Lot´s Wife, ¨It is possible that Lot´s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what he was asking her to leave behind. So it isn't just that she looked back- she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future.¨

It sounds like i am missing out on some quality yard work haha. My companion said the movie Divergent was super awesome. It’s weird to me that she saw the same movie you went to see. It shows how little time she has in the field. She is super cute. I am teaching her how to cook, shop, and manage her money. We are growing together. 

Have a good week! I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Xoxoxo

M

“We make our own destiny... We can satisfy ourselves with mediocrity. We can be common, ordinary, dull colorless, or we can so channel our lives to be clean, vibrant, progressive, colorful, and rich.”

                               - Spencer W Kimball

“To achieve sustainable innovation you need to seek persistent disequilibrium. To seek persistent disequilibrium means that one must chase after disruption without succumbing to it, or retreating from it. A company, institution or individual must remain perched in an almost falling state. In this precarious position it is inclined to fall, but continually catches itself and never quite topples. Nor does it anchor itself so that it cannot tip. It sort of skips along within reach of disaster, but uses the power of falling to propel itself forward with grace.”

                                   - Kevin Kelly 

Heinamosa

Familia!!!

How is my lovely family?

We had a good hot week here. On Saturday I looked at our phone and noticed two missed calls from President. I thought that’s strange. In that very moment he called again and told me that I am going to be training in Heinamosa in this next transfer. I am so excited!!!!! 

The transition from the MTC to the field is a tough one. It’s like sprinting and colliding with a brick wall. I'd love to hear your ideas to help me be a good trainer. 

I am definitely going to miss the sassy Hermana Mack. She is nuts. Also, I am going to miss Gazcue. The ward is so incredible and the area is beautiful. It is so fun to be in the same area as the mission office- so much energy and there is always something going on. But, I am excited for this new adventure! Guess who is going to be Hermana Mack's new companion and take my place here in Gazcue.... Hermana Thomas!!!!  Hermana Thomas and Mack together = trouble. 

I told you last week that Hermana Mack had Dengue but turns out she actually has Chinkungunya fever. There has been a big outbreak of it. Fortunately, she is feeling a lot better. 

I just finished reading Jesus the Christ. I absolutely loved it. It is a very long and insightful but some points that I really liked are: 

• His realization that he was the chosen and foreordained messiah came to him gradually. 
• His advancement was from one grace to another; from good to greater good. He was in a different lever, but he progressed as we progress. 
• He experienced the full range of human emotions. Sometimes I have imagined him to have responded like a robot but he too felt loneliness, pain, friendship, happiness, relief, hunger, illness, abandonment, anger and contentment. 
• His service and sacrifice was completely voluntary. God never obligated him and he had the option to back out. He chose to continue, persevere, and stick to what he chose to do. 

I loved reading this book because I feel like it gave me a new perspective of the man who died for us, the things he had to go through, and the courage he had. 

My feet got fried today at our P-day activity! I didn’t put on sunscreen and the white part hasn’t seen the sun for many moons.

Note Meg's Tan Line on her Feet

I love your emails and love you all so much. Have an excellent week. I’ll fill you in next Monday on the details about my new area and companion. 

Meg

Meg's Opinion of the Laker's

"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... you find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down."

                                             - C.S Lewis

"Some believe there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills, against the misery, against ignorance or injustice and violence. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the new world, and so can we all."

               - Robert F Kennedy

Notice the elder's arm on my shoulder. I felt it and said: "that better be an hermana."

Mothers Day

It was so incredibly wonderful to talk to you all yesterday. It felt so natural and like nothing has changed. I have to admit, it was so hard to end the call. I always miss you and always think about you all; but I've gotten used to missing you. It really gave me so much strength to talk to you. I want to work hard and finish strong. I really like what mom said in her letter: I don´t want to wish it away because it will be over before you know it and this is precious and sacred time which you will never have back again; so finish strong. 

I was finally able to print off and read your letters from last week describing your trip to the Philippines. I love how much Meisha loved her mission and how much the people loved her. Your descriptions of her reunions with members, investigators, and companions make me reflect on my own relationships with the people. I want to take advantage of all the opportunities I have to meet people such neat people and to truly love them. 

This past week, we shared with an investigator the talk by President Uchtdorf, Forget Me Not. One point that I liked is that we shouldn't forget to enjoy the little things in life and be happy now. He talks about Charlie and the Chocolate factory and how we put off our happiness until we find our ¨golden ticket¨, to be happy. ¨The happiest people are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals discover and reassure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy." So often in our lives we think we will feel happy when we get a certain job, finish school, are less busy, etc. We create this list of things that have to be reached, and then after we'll feel happy. It is an art to be able to see the beauty and joy in the little things of life - even though there are always problems. 

The woman we shared this with told us a story of when she was a child. She would hide all the gifts she would receive in a secret spot. If she received a doll or a piece of candy she would put it away in this secret place. Then there was a civil war in 1955 and her family had to leave their house for a short time. When they returned she ran to her secret spot to find everything she had hidden stolen. She said after that she stopped hiding her gifts and started enjoying them. 

We are going to the doctors’ tomorrow to confirm (but I’m 95% sure) that my companion has dengue fever. She has a high fever and can barely walk her body hurts so bad. As a result, we have been stuck in the house. I have had lots and lots of reading time. I finished the conference ensign you sent me (thank you for sending it!). Here are my top ten ideas or statements from conference

•          Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual traction, we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most. 
•          Not only does the atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but his atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities... I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe that we must carry our load alone- through sheer grit, willpower and discipline and with our obviously limited capacities. 
•          Let us be compassionate and encouraging. We must be careful that we do not destroy another person's confidence through careless words or actions. 
•          Perhaps focusing on what we are grateful for is the wrong approach. It is difficult to develop a spirit of gratitude if our thankfulness is only proportional to the number of blessings we count. I don’t believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of trial than in times of abundance and ease. Most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude for things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude. 
•          Truth is truth! It is not divisible, and any part of it cannot be set aside. Whether truth emerges from a scientific lab or through revelation, all truth emanates from God. 
•          The priesthood is the power of God delegated to man; the consummate power on this earth by which it was created. We are accustomed to thinking that all the keys of the Priesthood were conferred to Joseph Smith in Kirtland temple, but... there are other priesthood keys that have not been given to man on the earth, including the keys of creation and resurrection. 
•          What we insistently desire, overtime, is what we eventually become and what we will receive in the eternity. If you are not proactive in education your desires, the world will do it for you. 
•          As you pray for forgiveness, you will find yourself forgiving others. As you thank god for his kindness, you will think of others by name who need your kindness. Again, that experience will surprise you every day and over time it will change you. 
•          The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ, that he died, was buried, and rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages of it. 

Happy Mother’s day yesterday! And happy birthday tomorrow mom! You are an amazing, inspiring, loving mother and i am so grateful for you. !Come mucho pastel! I am stoked that Spence's new comp is Dominican. Can't wait to hear where he's from. 

We have an investigator who contacted us a while back in the park. We were teaching someone else and he sat down and asked where the church was. We told him and he actually ended up going. We took down his info. The first time we went we were on the phone with him- lost and asking for directions. He said just look for the Dora the explorer; He had placed a giant stuffed Dora over his balcony. He is such a character- has a big Afro, loves to laugh and talks with so much slang that I barely understand him. He reminded us that we had passed him one time before when he was playing basketball and he shouted at us, "When are you going to preach to me?" We waved but kind of ignored him. The reason he is so interested in the church is because his girlfriend is a member and lives in none other but Salt Lake City. He said that he is moving to Salt Lake in June (i told him i was moving there in August). he has only gone to church twice but is starting to progress. 

Last week on P-day we went to a modern art museum. it was super fun. 

I got the new shoes! Thank you, thank you!

We had a baptism this past Saturday - yay!! I'll give you the deets next week

"Patience is not passive resignation; nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can - working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well

                                                                  - President Uchtdorf

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

                             - Polonius from Shakespeare's hamlet

Have a great week! 

Meg

Cheese, Harrison Smith, and Other Stuff

Greetings!

Another week has come and gone. The days are flying by. 

We had zone conference this past week. We watched a little cartoon based off the popular book: “Who stole my cheese?” The video has a depiction of two men who leave their houses everyday to a big mountain of cheese. Every day they eat this cheese. Then one day they find the mountain of cheese is gone. One of the men becomes angry and wants to know who is to blame. He wants to know who did this to him. The other suggests that they can go looking for other cheese but he says he doesn't want new cheese - he wants the old cheese. The other takes proactive steps. He goes searching for new cheese. The difference is that this man visualizes success. He is willing to take a risk, think positively, celebrate little successes, and can adapt and enjoy the taste of the new cheese. 

I like the idea that our reaction to certain situations is the key to our state of being. As missionaries, it is easy to live in the past and want the old cheese and forget to enjoy changes and a new challenge. It can also be easy to be negative and search for someone to blame when things don’t go right. I am feeling ready for a new challenge in a new area. I have absolutely loved it here in Gazcue but am ready for a change. I feel that I have done what I can do here. While I was watching the video I was reminded that I need to be adaptive and make the most of what I have because where we work is out of our control. 

Someone shared a spiritual thought this past week that I really liked. She talked about how Laman and Lemuel were actually quite obedient in the quest to go retrieve the plates. They did what they were told but with a bad attitude. They complained and said, "it is a hard thing which is required of them." It is interesting how much of a difference their attitude made. Our obedience isn’t beneficial if it is done with a heavy heart. 

At zone conference a missionary was showing us pictures of his family. I saw a picture of him at his baptism with the two missionaries that taught him. One of the missionaries resembled Harrison Smith. I asked him the missionaries name and sure enough he said: Elder Smith. I told him “no way, he married one of my best friends.” It’s a small world in the church. 

We got to go through the temple this past week because robert went to do baptisms for the first time. That was wonderful. Also, my companion is working on her English. We practice as we are walking in the streets. My companion lives 20 minutes away so she often runs into family and friends in the street or in the market.  It would be very different to serve so close to home.

I got a dear elder from uncle Robb. Thank you Robb! He has such a funny sense of humor. 

Also, I straightened my companion’s hair this past week. She showed me how to do it. I gasped and told her she was going to fry her hair. She told me, "hermana calm down. My hair is very different than yours." Ain’t that the truth. Mine would fall out if I straightened it like she does. 

peace and blessings, 

meg

"Write your fears, grief, and the things that offend you in the sand and the things that make you happy in a stone. For the words in the sand will be erased by the tide but the words in the stone will last."

"Is man what he seems to the astronomer, a tiny lump of impure carbon and water impotently crawling on a small and unimportant planet? Or is he what he seems to Hamlet?"

                                                                        - Bertand Russel 

Habichuelas Con Dulce

Happy Easter! 

To celebrate the occasion, hermana manalo and I had eggs for breakfast. It made me think about Jim Gaffigan: 

"What do eggs have to do with Easter?" 

"Ok, we'll hide em." 

"I don't follow your logic." 

"Don't worry. There's a bunny." 

Here, they celebrate the semana santa  during the week leading up to Easter. its really more like spring break because everyone goes to the beach. 

Also, a tradition here is to make habichuelas con dulce for Easter. This consists of beans, condensed milk, sweet potatoes, raisins, coconut and lots of sugar. It's different but yummy! Add enough sugar to anything and it tastes good. 

One night we got a call that we had to stay home because the streets can get pretty dangerous. What did we do? We made treats and watched Legacy. Then we painted each others nails and jammed out to efY songs. It was girls night-in; missionary style. 

The sun is getting stronger and stronger. I always walk with an umbrella but i was still getting terrible squinting headaches. There were a few mornings I couldn't study because my head hurt so bad. President gave me permission to use sunglasses. So now i walk around with shades #missionarywithsyle. Some people here already thing that missionaries are spies. I feel pretty ridiculous but it's worth it. 

We really tried to focus all our lessons on Christ this past week. He truly is the center of our message. I thought a lot about Elder Holland's talk about the days leading up to his crucifixion. His apostles betrayed him; his closest friend denied him; and the father had to take the spirit from him. He was completely alone. I wonder if he had doubts or second thoughts. Nonetheless, he fulfilled his mission and gave us the greatest gift. Everything in this world has a price and that which holds more value has a greater price. I am so grateful that he paid that price for us and that he had the strength to do what he came here to do. I love my savior and am grateful that I can testify of him everyday. 

Good job Cate on the marathon!!! so proud of you. I love you all so much and am so grateful to have you in my life. 

xoxo

Hermana Christensen

"It's great to have your feet on the ground - but keep them moving. Nobody can think straight who does not work. Idleness warps the mind. Thinking without constructive action becomes a disease."

                          - henry ford

"you cannot control the length of your life, but you can control its breadth, depth and height."

Hermana Mack

New Companion

Hey hey! How is my beautiful family? We had a good week here in Gazcue. The temperature is definitely rising again.  I walk with my umbrella and put on sunscreen but  I still seem to always burn. 

I was sad to say goodbye to hermana Morales. We got along really well and had a lot of laughs. However, my new companion is also wonderful. She is super sassy and hilarious. The other day a pigeon pooped on her head and shirt and I was crying and laughing watching her freak out. She got all the pigeon poop off then drenched her head and shirt in hand-sanatizer. She loves accessorizing and is really creative. Her goal is to teach me all the Dominican slang so that I can be a “Gringa on the outside and Dominican at heart.”

One thing I have discovered throughout the mission from living with people from different countries is that there are indeed different customs within cultures. Many of the American sisters have a "this is mine and that is yours" approach to life and my Latina Hermanas generally have more of a philosophy of "what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours" approach.  It’s something I had to adjust to at first but I can see the beauty in the Latina mindset. 

Another thing  I have discovered here is that I like change.  I have found that whenever I am transferred or get a new companion, I am more likely to progress both personally and in the work. It also helps to keep up my excitement for the work. A lot of what we do everyday is very routine and it is nice to get some change so that I don’t get complacent. 

 

Meg is Praying

Robert is preparing to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. He is gathering information on his grandparents - which is pretty exciting! I hope you all have a fantastic week. 

xoxo

hna Christensen

Sister Mack

Family!!!

Thank you for your emails and pictures. It looks like you had a fun weekend. Conference was so wonderful. 

Transfers are tomorrow and my companion and I are going to be separated. I am going to be staying in our area and my new companion will be Hermana Mack. She is Dominican. I am getting demoted and will no longer be a Hermana Leader. I am going to miss the meetings and I have learned a ton, but it will be nice to not have to go on so many exchanges. 

The pros in staying in this area are that 1) I love the ward, 2) the bishop is wonderful, and 3) Gazcue is beautiful. One of the cons is that I have already contacted all the buildings and I am not sure where to work now. My companion and I decided that I will make my new companion re-contact the apartment buildings; I will wait at the bottom and she will yell down to me if someone lets us in. Hopefully, Hermana Mack is down with the plan. 

The other night when we came home we found our door open; the lock was thrown on the floor, the lights were off, all the dresser drawers were opened and it looked like someone had gone through them. My companion and I saw the mess, freaked out and ran. I was so scared I couldn't get the gate open. We finally worked up the courage to go check out our house again and the Hermanas that live with us jumped out and said, "April Fools!" I didn't remember it was the first of April. They got us big time. I love the story you wrote about Karla aka "bambi" tricking Wayne. 

The leadership meeting was really good last week and I think my talk went well. I didn't blush like I usually do when I am embarrassed - so that was a plus. I used quite a few of the ideas you guys gave me. The A.P.s gave a talk that I really liked. They talked about the middle of things; we often focus on strong beginnings and strong endings - but there is a lot more in the middle. They showed a clip from a movie about a football team. The coach challenged a player to crawl from one end zone to the other with a player on his back. The player didn’t think he could do it but the coach was by his side the whole time cheering him on. The player said his arms hurt and he wanted to quit but the coach said, "I know they hurt but keep going!" It was something I needed to see. There are definitely moments when I feel exhausted or unmotivated, but we have to keep going and push through. The AP’s asked if we thought that Christ ever felt tired, discouraged, or alone during his ministry. Of course he did. But he just kept going and focused on what he needed to accomplish. 

Conference was great! It seemed like quite a few speakers focused their talks directly at the youth and young adults. I was hoping I would be able to watch it in English but it wasn't an option; the voice-over’s are not the same but it was still cool to have that experience as well. We took our fifteen-year-old investigator to one session and I didn’t get one thing out of it. He was asking me the whole time why everyone in the choir was old; how many people were in the conference center; is the pope or President Monson is more powerful? Haha – it’s funny to see conference from his perspective.

Congrats to Madelyn on her mission call! That is so exciting.

Have a great week. 

Love you so much,

Hermana Christensen