1st week at the Mexico MTC.

Hola amigos! I still have a lot of español in my brain so sorry if I have spanglish or spell words wrong!

It has been absolutely insane.. stressful.. happy... pretty much every emotion you can think of! After landing and going through customs, w-e got on a bus to ride to the CCM (Mexico MTC) and I thought Chicago people were insane drivers! Literally there were people walking in-between cars selling stuff, I swear we almost crashed so many times! It was so cool and crazy!

The first day, we got here around 6ish.. moved into our casas and then went to Devotional! Which was ALL in Spanish! So I freaked out a little (internally) and then I was okay.. The devotional was pretty much all we did the primera dia! My compañera is Hermana Christensen, she’s taller than me (5.9) has brown hair, and is super good at Spanish! It’s a little discouraging because a lot of my district is really picking it up fast, and I understand most everything now, but I'm struggling with speaking it. My mind just hasn't made that connection yet, but I know that the Gift of Tongues is so real, and I just need to keep working hard and It will come!

My district is literally the best! We were all super quiet the first couple of days, but now we joke around each other like siblings! When any of them get something that has been struggling with, we all cheer and its so amazing! Some of the things we say is "Golaso!!!" (Goal) and "Dios Nos Ama" (God loves us). I feel so close to all of them, I honestly love them all!

All of the Hermanas were having a really hard time on Sunday and so we asked the Elders in our district to give us some and it was literally a cry fest. Elder Franz gave me my blessing and it was so good. My dad wasn't able to give me a blessing cause it got crazy the day I left, and I didn't think that I was missing it, But When Elder Franz gave me my blessing I heard it in my dad's voice and I broke down crying! God knows me so much better then I know myself! So that was a total blessing within a blessing!

All of my district is really good at singing so we are doing a special musical number in devotional next week, I have never thought that I was a good singer before, but I was reading my patriarchal blessing and it says specifically that that was one of my special talents and to bless others with my voice, so I'm going to try! Hermana Wanicott is helping me learn the alto part and I am in love with it! I'm literally almost always singing or humming something.. She's also a blessing because she’s not only helping me with singing, but she's helping me get my frustration through dance! Because I can't do it anywhere but my apartment and she really wants to learn how, so that's a total blessing to me because I miss dancing so much!

The new missionaries came in yesterday so I'm no longer a newbie and that was so cute seeing them! I can't believe that was me a week ago, it seems like I've been here for months now. But it’s only been 8 days!!!

The language is really hard. Like I said earlier most everyone is talking really good in it, and I'm struggling... But the teacher asked if anyone wanted private help and normally I wouldn't have raised my hand, but I honestly don't care if people know I'm struggling! So I talked with her and she helped my realize that I'm a visual and movement learner so I can't just memorize words and phrases off the papers, I need to do some sort of action to help me remember them, so that’s helped a lot!

I now know the Missionary purpose and the 1st baptismal invitation and Mark 9:23 in Spanish! That is such a big accomplishment for me! So it’s coming slowly, but I'm not as stressed about it as I used to be, I just know that I need to learn a different way. And most everyone in my group had 2 or 3 years of High School Spanish and I haven't so I don't feel too bad...

We have been teaching our investigator Nijelli and our first lesson was absolutely horrible! I wrote everything that I wanted to say out and because I did, I didn't allow the Spirit to help me teach.. But our last 2 lessons have been so good! I decided to just write down a basic outline of that we are teaching, and because I didn't write down every single little thing I wanted to say, The spirit was so strong! I used so much Spanglish but She now has a baptism date! These teaching lessons have helped me grow so much! I love her so much! I never felt God’s love for someone this strong before.. The spirit and God have helped me soooooo much!

I’ll send more in a bit if I can think of it, but I would love replies! I’m on for another hourish..

Dios nos ama!

Hermana Williams

PS. Also, walking to and from class and our casa at night, the mexicans play music so loud! THe houses up on the hill blare music so loud we can hear them in our little CCM bubble!

The CCM is so beautiful! I sometimes forget I’m in Mexico and then I look around me and The trees, the birds, just everything is so different and so wonderful! I love it all!!!

The food is different but the same.. Like, they have rice and beans with every mean, but then Tuesday night is Pizza night (a lot people get sick from it, but I've been blessed with a strong stomach so I haven't been sick yet. The fruit is so much better than in Utah! I'm in love with the cantaloupe here!!!