Hermana Heywood Serving in Mexico City East: Izcalli

Querido familia! I am so glad you guys are all doing so good and enjoying life! Mexico is GREAT! We had transfers yesterday and GUESS WHAT! .......................

I am still here in Izcalli with mi hija Hna Woodford! WE are so happy and were pretty sure that we would stay but with this Presidente anything is possible so yeah we are way happy! They changed the Elders in our ward so that will be a bit different and hopefully they are hard workers! Everything is so so good! This last week and a half was great... so much happened. First of all we are happy because we have so many people progressing right now here in Izcalli and we are starting to see the fruits of our hard work! Not gonna lie, opening an area is not the easiest especially because it takes a bit of time to see progress with everything but yeah 6 weeks later and everything is GOLDEN! Carlos is getting ready to be baptized the 8th of Nov and is doing really well... he's just a bit slow and we teach him like I would teach Seth but hey he gets it and has a testimony; so snaps to him! Then there is Magali... she needs to get married and guess what last night we talked to her and she and her husband are DOWN! Yes my second marriage in the mish so we are gonna plan that and it will be before the 22nd of Nov because that is her baptism date! She is awesome and so excited and we love her and her cute little girl! Then there is Isabel and Augustine and they need to get married and we are gonna talk to them about it tonight but I think they would be down for it... I hope .... pray for them haha! But Isabel is a solid she is ready the book of Mormon everyday for an half and hour to an hour.. she started last week and I think is almost in Mosiah... we love her! And then Iztel needs to get married but we are working with them and then we have Luz and Odylis... I don't think I can even explain how much I love them.

Activita de barrio

Isabel & Augustine & us

We were not ready for this pic; with Magali

I am gonna tell you a little story about her. So her husband has been in prison for 2 years and has 6 more to go... we don't know why... I think something with swindling money or algo... but when he got arrested she had a 8 month old baby and had just gotten pregnant again... they were living 2 hours away from her family in Teluca or how ever you spell it and they had a good life... she was a stay at home mom and everything was good. And then their whole world flipped up side down because he was accused of doing something. They think one of his business partners set him up and so she had to move her 3 kids, all their stuff, pregnant back to Ecatepec. She had to move in with her parents and start working nights in her dad's store and wash peoples clothes in the mornings when her kids are at school... Luz is only 28! Her life is so hard right now and we just love her ... and she has accepted the gospel and is so excited to get baptized... but she would never pray at our citas always her daughter or yeah but last week we were like NO LUZ YOU NEED TO ! and we wouldn't take no for an answer because she has been doing her personal prayers but would never pray with us... so after some stubbornness on both parts she started to pray and ..... she ended just bawling and we were all just ahhh and it was so strong and the spirit was just ahhh... as missionaries you live for moments like that when the spirit is just so strong and your investigadores are so in tune and it was so great... highlight of the week. Man I love them.

We also had a fecha with the butcher that works by one of our investigadores and he is a bible basher and he was a reference from one of the hnas in our ward... but she wanted us to bring the elders because they can actually speak Spanish ... but we were like ... NO. haha it doesn't need to be a debate we just need to teach simply to make him feel the spirit and yeah! FECHA! We are pumped because he has a family and he goes to a church that still believes keeping the Sabbath day holy is Saturday... but once we explained, the priesthood and authority and revelation he was like WOW and yeah I think he will be pretty cool! We are trying to meet with his family too!

But yeah as you can tell I am VERY HAPPY! The other week I was just thinking about how I was before the mish and I think I am gonna be weird like (one of her brothers who will not be named) when I get home but it's just because being a missionary, well I have never ever been happier in my life! And I just know it's because I am in the service of the Lord and helping people find the hope in their lives to keep on going and putting their faith in Christ. Man oh man I just love it here! Our ward is great... at first they were all kinda cold but now that we are bring a lot of investigators to things they have really embraced the investigators and are more willing to help us... especially the Bishop... but he still will not let the missionaries go to ward council ... but we are working on it!

Selfie before Divisions
with Hna Chavez and Houghton

Yesterday, there was a ward activity to make pan de muertos ( popular bread because dia de los muertos is this Sunday and Monday) and all the lights went out because there was a big thunder storm so we went and bought candles from Luzs tienda and took them to the capilla and yeah we kept on going with the ward activity! It was fun and hna woodford has pics of it and I will send them when she sends them to me... and the pics I forwarded are from the ward activity the other week... that is the family Pena in the pictures they live above us and we LOVE THEM! Its the best living with members because when we have problems they are so willing to help us and she makes the BEST FOOD! also this last week we had divisiones and I went to a different area and on the way home we got lost but we taught our car driver the Restoration but we were really lost hahah! That's okay we made it back 3 hours later and everything was all GUCCI but Presidente was laughing at us! Today we did go to the temple but didn't go in because I guess in our mission we can only go every 4 months... lame but hey we get to go during the mish so it is all good! We went because hna woodford needed to buy things from the distribution center!

Dia de los muertos pan making

So yeah that is our week and a half for ya! I am happy Res came over and got to hold Cole before me... love his nickname! I love you all and I will send pics in a little bit.. Chris, good luck with football! Love you all and gracias for the pics eh!