{Week 12} Aculco - March 3, 2014

It's been an awesome week and a super busy P-day.  I have pretty much no time right now.  Sorry for the lame letter but I love you all!  I may or may not have time to write later tonight.  If not, you'll get a super long letter next week.  I love you all and thanks Chelle for finally sending pics!!  My new comp is named Hermana Cruz. That's all I know. We're going to do cambios pretty much right now. But I love you all and I finally got your hearts today which I loved. (I mailed that Jan. 17 - over 6 weeks for her to get a regular letter.)  And I got a letter from Danielle Jacklin!  Tell her thanks for me.  It's been a crazy week though... goodbyes to Hna G, we went to chapultapec (the zoo), went bowling, went on splits with a lady in our ward and her daughter twice, taught a bunch and contacted even more.  I've learned tons from Hna Aguilar and I'm sad to see her go.  I love you all!!!  The mission rocks!

Be good, say your prayers, and stuff!

Hermana Taylor

PS - Jordy and Jenna!!!! Happy Birthday!!! I love you both so much and tell everyone about you all.

PPS - I'd like my ipod shuffle back and speakers . . . It's the only thing I regeret sending home.

And more contacts would be amazing. I've started wearing them again and I didn't realize how much I love them and miss them.

And letters!!! I love letters and would love some more please if possible!!!

Bowling!!!  (thanks Hna Ingram for the photo!)

{Week 11} Aculco - February 24, 2014

Hola mi familia!!

I have loved this past week. Hna Aguilar is wonderful! I've learned so much from her, and she helps me a lot. She finishes her mission on March 4, and then heads home! She is 23 and from El Salvador, and loves pink things... She's really spunky and sweet. I love her and am glad I get to be with her for 2 weeks.

Hermana Aguilar and I

But in other news... on Friday we went to the doc for a checkup for Hna G, but first we stopped at the mission office so she could talk to Pres Morales. When she came out, she was crying and told us that she was headed home to Chile the next Wednesday (26th). The decision had come from Salt Lake that because her condition was serious, they were sending her home. She was sad, but at the same time feels peace. I think we all know it's for the best. D&C 126 was a big comfort for her...

Our hospital room the day we left, so she looked tons better!

I'm sad that both my awesome comps will be gone in a week!! And I really want to know what will happen to me, and who my next comp will be. I love Hna G and A, but it's also been a little difficult, because they both want to say goodbye to all their old member friends. Pretty much all Sunday was spent eating and visiting with their friends, and while it was fun, it was not productive. And then today, P-day, Hna G had another checkup at the doctors. Hna A opted for splits so she didn't have to spend her last P-day traveling across the city, so Hna G and I set out. She didn't know where she was going so I navigated (I now know the metro really well, certain buses, and downtown where the hospital is, not to mention I know my area almost perfectly!! I can navigate my way around one of the biggest cities in the world!). It was fun... not really. I haven't actually really had a P-day yet, because we go to the doctor's every P-day, and that's 1.5 hours each way, and then 1 or 2 hours in the doctor's office. It kind of stinks... especially because each P-day the district or zone gets together and has a lesson then an activity, like basketball or soccer, and people wear JEANS. We usually have time to go to the lesson, but always have to leave before the activity. I really want to play a sport and wear jeans!! But esta bien... next Monday.

My trio!!

On Saturday, we went to our last cita, and no one answered!! But we knew that some of the family lived on the 3rd floor, so we thought we'd go up there and see if we could find them. We got up there, and found the entire family and a bunch of other people having a fiesta!! They ushered us into the room, sat us in the middle, gave us a whole bunch of food, and continued the party!

Hna Aguilar and I at the fiesta.

There was mariachi music and dancing, and absolutely everyone can jive really well. It was really tempting to join them... Then they brought out the cake, and it was then we realized the whole party was a kid's 5 year old birthday party! It was hilarious!! But a lot of fun!

The birthday cake at the fiesta.

Then when we got home, we realized our neighbours had decided to have a fiesta too...until 4 in the morning they were blaring music. And the funny thing here is that a lot of people play American music, and sing along knowing all the words, but no idea what they mean. It's kind of hilarious. Gangnum style was a favorite for the fiesta next door. They probably played it 10 times. Needless to say, we were pretty tired the next morning due to lack of sleep.

Spanish is hard. I still have trouble understanding, but I do understand a lot more. It's even more difficult to speak!! But I'll get there... eventually...

Our capilla (chapel) and the RS pres daughter, the security guard (because there's a
fence around everything here and a guard at all the chapels), and my comps.

My awesome comps!

Mom you keep asking and I keep forgetting to answer, but we write in an Internet cafe down the street. And the keyboard is Spanish, so similar but a few small differences that make it tricky to type, so if there are mistakes, that's why! Plus I'm in a rush, plus the computer is in Spanish so every word I write in English has that little red line under that means it's spelt wrong because these words don't exist in Spanish.

All three of us sleep in the same apartment - bunk beds!! I get the top... yay. Now I'm closer to the spiders. I cleaned out all the cobwebs I could reach but... The hardest part is the morning, because our shower has only 10-ish minutes of hot water, so we all have to go super fast or the last person gets a cold shower. And right now it's still a little chilly in the morning, so a cold shower isn't great!

Our newly arranged house. Hna A has a TON of stuff...

I love it here. And I'm learning tons. I hope you all have fun in the cold in Canada! I love telling people how cold it is there and about the snow.

I love you all!! Be good, say your prayers, and have a lovely evening.

-Hermana Taylor

A whole bunch of us at a members house for supper -

Left to right - Dana (members daughter), Hna J (Dana's mom) Hna G, Hna Bennett from the MTC, me.

 Front: Hna Mercedes from the Dominican Republic, Hna A, and Hna J's sister (don't remember her name).

This is Hna J's house, and is where I slept all day that one day...

{Week 10} Aculco - February 17, 2014

Hi Family.

This week has been really hard. Hna G and I got out of the hospital at 6, and got home at 7 pm. It was a crazy day, and we're exhausted!

On Monday night when I went back to the hospital, she looked a lot better. she was up and dressed and I was thinking we might get to leave earlier than a week. But then Tuesday night around 6, she told me her pulse was low, so I went and took it. It was at 35... it's supposed to be 70ish. We called a nurse who took her pulse, then brought in another nurse who also took her pulse, and then the two of them brought in a third nurse who also took it. They all looked at each other for a moment, then got to work. Her IV dosage - which was really low at the time - was increased dramatically as they pumped stuff into her, they did some electro analysis thingy that I couldn't understand the Spanish word for that involved a lot of wires and things hooked up to her, and they gave her a bunch more medicine. We suddenly had doctors and nurses pouring in and out of our room. Around 9 they gave her some more medicine, but it caused her to have major pain in her head. She was crying and screaming because of the pain for about an hour, and all I could do was kneel beside her and hold her hand. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I don't think I've cried that much or prayed that hard in a while... which is saying a lot because we're constantly praying here. They gave her something for the pain, but it took a little while for it to take effect. Basically I kneeled beside her bed till around midnight, then dozed a little in the hard chair by her bed for the rest of the night. We constantly had people coming in and turning on the light, so it was really hard to sleep, and I was so worried about her. They hooked her up to one of those machines that tells your pulse and blood pressure and respiration and that was beeping all night because her pulse was so low. It was one of the most difficult nights of my life.

The next morning, I didn't want to leave, but by order of Pres. Morales, we switched again, and I was taken to a members house where they let me sleep practically all day. It was wonderful, and helped to refresh me both physically and spiritually. Then the next day I worked with Hna Aguilar and Hna Bennett in there area. It was difficult to be in a trio... but it was nice to do missionary work again! The next morning, we went to a wedding! They had a baptism on Sunday, but first their investigator, Miguel, had to marry his wife, Gabriela. They're a really sweet couple and she is 5 months pregnant and is less active they have a 1 and a 1/2 year old named Abril (April in Spanish, pronounced Avreel) who is the cutest thing you'll ever see. I'm convinced that the children here are the cutest in the world. But anyway, we took them to the courthouse where they got married. It was really different, but really sweet because Miguel cried through the whole thing. He is a really humble guy, and they're a great family. They're super poor, and it costs a lot to get married here, so the missionaries paid for it. And then he got baptized on Sunday, but I was back in the hospital so I didn't see it. After the wedding, we went back to the hospital and switched again, and this time Hna Aguilar stayed there and Hna Mercedes came with Hna Bennett and me. We worked all Friday and Saturday, and then Sunday morning before church we switched again and I was back in the hospital. And Hna G was so much better! Her pulse was back up, and she was had a lot more energy, and she was no longer connected to an IV!!!!

Then today, Monday, we were supposed to leave the hospital around 11:00, but due to some miscommunication and confusion with the insurance company, they didn't let us leave until 4:30. Our wonderful landlady, Hna San was there at 11:00 to drive us home, and stuck around till they let us go. But when she left to get her car to come pick us up, it had been impounded or something due to a parking infraction, so she had to pay to retrieve it and the whole thing took forever, so basically Hna G sat in a wheelchair and I stood in the lobby until 6ish when she came and got us. Then it took an hour to drive home! None of us had eaten since breakfast, and were all super starving, so as soon as we got back she made us food.

Hna G has to stay in the casa for one week by doctor's orders, so Hna Aguilar is being switched to our area for the next two weeks, and will be working in our area with me while Hna G rests. Hna A has been here for 17months and 2weeks, so basically her last two weeks in the mission will be with me. And she's nice... but it'll be interesting! I'll let you know how it goes. She arrives in the morning.

The past 11 days (and the next 2 weeks!) have been a huge exercise in both patience and faith for me. My lack of Spanish is really starting to frustrate me, and I've been trying really hard to have faith that this is what's supposed to happen. I've been studying faith a lot recently in my personal study, and I highly recommend Ether 12 to anyone who wants to read it. It's been difficult and I've cried a lot or been close to tears a lot this last week. Hna Mercedes and Aguilar were both really nice, but kind of condescending, and kept butting in when I was trying to teach my part of the lesson - probably because it was taking me forever with my lack of Spanish. But they said really good things both times. Maybe the Spirit was directing them... I don't know. It's been hard. I feel like it's the first couple days all over again. But I'm praying a lot and I believe it will all work out. ''I give unto men weaknesses that they may be made strong''. I believe that's true, and I'm trying really hard to live according to it.

Story time!! One day for lunch the lady fed us fish! as in she plopped an entire fried fish in front of me! head and all!! And boy was it good!

And in the hospital, there was this one doctor who every time he came in he asked us a different question about the gospel. He was super catholic and was just curious, but his questions were interesting! for example, ''can a Mormon and a catholic get married?'' I was like ''uh... yeah... not in the temple but they can get married....'' He was shocked that it was possible. I'm not sure why... He also told us he didn't like tithing, and then launched into a huge explanation why that had something to do with China... I didn't understand. Hna G explained a bit though.

And my area must be really tame or something, or maybe it's just cuz it was Valentine's day, but I got whistled at a lot in the other Hna's area! And several guys offered me chocolate! I didn't take it though... it was kind of sketchy.

All in all it's been a crazy week. And it will be interesting to just be with Hna A. Hna Bennett has been a huge help this last week. I was so happy I got to be with her for awhile.

I love the mission. It's stinking hard.

Be good, say your prayers, and have fun in Hawaii mom and dad!!

Love you all,

Hermana Taylor

 

The mission conference on Saturday that I wasn't at! :)