Martin Carrerra - Hola Hola

Halo mamita y familia! 

Ah Hna Rodriguez...you are killing us!

   Pues este semana fue interesante... estábamos enfermas... de la comida... ahhh México! It was a good week apart from being sick. haha funny story our favorite sister in the ward (we skyped at her house on Christmas)' she was asking us on Sunday what we don't like or can't eat. She already knows that I don't eat green salsa because it gives me gastritis but then she asked hna woodard what she doesn't like. She told her hotdogs haha because she has texture problems and they sick her out... anyways we get to her house on Thursday for comida and what do you know she invented something new. It was just cut up hot dogs, green chilies, and creama nada mas. And we both just looked at each other and we were like.... is this a challenge to show our true love to this women... because she is a funny one... so we ate it like champs and then that night and the next couple days we couldn't really leave our beds it was that bad for us... hahaha she told us if we got sick from it she would make us food to make us better but we didn't tell her but it is all good because now we are all better but yeah that was a big part of the week!! I recovered faster than Woodard and she had to go to the mish doc! haha but we are good and healthy now! 

    Other things this week.... well we have been focusing a lot on young womens in the ward because there is one that goes. So we went on a lot of visits with the new young womens presidente to menos activos to help that out a little bit more! And it was good there so much work to do here but we are happy and Javier should be getting baptized this week... he is stressed out about tithing but we are trying to help him see the blessings from it... he just gets stressed about money like everyone does! Also Carlos should be getting baptized next week so yay!!! Right now we are just looking for part member families to help them all get active and baptized and to have the temple as a goal in their lives! 

Fatima's sister likes to talk to us from the bathroom window.  

We love tamales and mangos are back in season - So happy!

Sounds like everything is going good at home! I loved all your notes from Bednar,it sounds like it was an amazing meeting! Also that is cool the aps are in the 4th ward... is it because the mish offices are close to the chapel... are they in the singles ward too? Also traveling aps what is that? hahha that doesn't exist in Mexico.  This week we are starting divisions because hna Woodard is the coordinator of half of the hnas in the field so we will be doing lots of entercambios! I am pumped I am going on divisions this week with my granddaughter in the mish so that will be fun! But yeah not much else. I loved Taylor's morp date pics hahah Hillary Clinton is a good one and the limo just topped it off! I hope you all have a good week and Katie I loved your pics of your trip!!! well love ya all have a good week!!! Here are some pics from this week!

Dana

Look at the crazy street names.

Zone activity today; volleyball and tamales!

Martin Carrerra - Hey

Well trasfers have come and gone and me and hna woodard are still together... we were surprised because she has 6 months here in the area but we are so pumped! We actually had interviews this week with presidente and we told him if we could stay together we would make him a cake! Looks like the bribery worked out and all is good! 

Every Tuesday we can never sleep all the way through the night because people show up to set up a Farmer's Market at  4:30 am!

This last Wednesday, we went up to the roof to take a pic ... under those red tarps is maddness! 

   To start off we did a ton of apt searching this week.  We would go to apt buildings knock on doors and ask where the land owner lived and yeah its a tiring frustrating process and of course we didn't find anything... but we went and talked to our landlady and asked her if there was anyway we could stay and only pay one deposit and then just pay for all the things the elders broke the first time and she gave in so now we are not moving YAY!

Javier!

OH MY GOSH! on my mish bucket list is to baptize a nun and GUESS WHAT a preacher and a nun literally just came and sat next to me in the internet cafe and oh my gosh prayers answered, I will teach her! So excuse me if this is short.

Anyway back to what happened this week! So Javier (Micheal McLean's doppleganger) is doing really well. WE took him to the CV this week and it went really well and he is preparing to be baptized the 31st of this month! He once again was sleeping outside before church started so we took a pic with him haha and I will send it to you guys! HE is one of the funniest people ever that man. He was waiting for us to get to the CV and he had been to the casa abierta and so he thought to meet him at the temple entrance (not the CV entrance) and so he was waiting there and a wedding walked out so he gave the bride and groom a big hug to congratulate them jaja!

  This week also Carlos finally got to church... he didn't have any more family deaths... first time in like 3 weeks! He is preparing for the 7th of Feb and he is doing really well... he loves the Book of Mormon!

Also funny story so there is an old investigator named Dylan that is like 17 and we decided to see if he would like to learn again... hna woodard taught him back when it was the casa abierta... anyway we went to his house and his mom is really cool and she told us to come in and Dylan wasn't there but he was on his way home so we were just there is in house chilln' with his family talking to them for a second and then he walked in and it was quite funny his reaction... haha I don't know if he wanted us to be there but his mom made him schedule another cita and so we are stopping by today! 

With our main girl Fatima, we teach in her room where it is quiet!

Also this week's miracle: Fatima who is a recent convert that hasn't gone to church basically since she was baptized went ... we were so happy! We did have to make her cake to get her there but it worked and YW was really good with her... she was participating .... probs because it was just us and her and Aris, the pres... but it was a good lesson for her!  That was mas o menos everything that went down this week it was a good week and we are excited to keep on working hard here and see all our work pay off!  Tomorrow is a big missionary broadcast for all the world so that will be fun to watch and also we heard the Pope is coming in like 3 weeks so we will have to leave our area again because the basilica is too close and it will be crazy and dangerous here! haha  It sounds like all is good there and Parker and Lauren, you are having a little boy.  I am so excited to come home to all these sobrinos mios! I want to hear your name ideas!!!!!!!   I will send pics in a sec love you all!!!!!

hermanita heywood

My District.

On the roof with a shot of my "pueblo"; everything you see behind me is my area.

 This elder was having a serious contest (yes I know the things we do to be entertained as missionary's) but he wouldn't crack and everyone was talking selfies with him.

Competitive Elder has some mad "serious" skills.

Walking home from church with the jovenes.

We got snow on the volcano and it was actually a clear enough day to see it.

Our view walking home from church.

Martin Carrerra - What's Good?

Querida fam bam!

     Crazy another week has gone by...WARNING THIS KEY BOARD IS KINDA BAD SORRY IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME:)

So this week was good and hard and everything in between! For starters this week I had to eat like 12-14 hot dogs, not sure because hna Woodard has  a texture problem and couldn't eat them in our comida apt.  She slowly, slyly put all of her cut up hot dogs on my plate because she can't eat boiled hot dogs... just picture my plate covered in cut up boiled hot dogs it was funny but yeah that is what we eat here in Martin Carrera, because its a little bit more poor here but I love it! 

      This week was good but sad because EVERYONE is dying! Our investigator family members and it is so sad but perfect time to teach them the plan of salvation! Also we found out we have to move from our casita because we have to sign a new contract and our landlady wants a double depósit and yeah we have to move so we wont worry about the roaches as much! Also this week we had el plan del area de mexico so it was the 70´s for Mexico that did a broadcast from the temple square in mex (yeah we have the biggest temple grounds in all of latin america or that is what they tell us) and the broadcast was just so great because every tech problem that can happen happened and it was just funny because that is just how we roll in Mexico and I love it. Also this week we just got a new ward missionary Hna VALDEZ.  She is this little 65 year old women with bright red hair that is one of my favorite people here in Carrera and we just love her coming to citas with us because she basically tells people that they are living in sin and things like that and it is so funny! 

Michael McClean = Javier, Javier = Michael McClean

Also breaking news:  I have found Micheal McClean's doppelganger...no lie I will try to send a pic next week!  He is our investigator, Javier or as everyone calls him guerro (white boy) and I just love him because he is Micheal Mcclean and I couldn't get that out of my mind the first time I met him. He has been listening to the hnas for like 2 months or something but when I got here we couldn't find him.  Suddenly we found him and he is gonna get baptized this month! He is a taxi driver and he drives in the night shift so sometimes the capillas are hard for him to get to! But he called us at like 6 on Sunday and said, "hnas I am parked outside of the church, I am going to sleep in my car so when it is time for church come and wake me up.... so we did it con mucho gusto!  Imagine this; Micheal Mcclean sleeping in a car...you knock on the window as hard as you can and he wakes up right away with the BIGGEST SMILE ON HIS FACE! We were laughing so hard and we were happy he got to church! 

That miracle family from last week disappeared and we are sad but WE WILL NOT GIVE UP AND WE WILL FIND THEM!!! Also Fatimamy, our favYW in the ward got back from her vacation at her dads in Puebla and is like an angel now and we are so happy because she hasn't been to church since Oct.! Also we have a new investigator named Gustavo he does taekwando (or how ever you spell it) and he is quite possibly is the most intense man and I am going to ask pres if we can get permission for him to come teach our district taekwando! haha 

 Speaking of mission pres yeah we will get a new one... we went to the offices today and the Anthonys (the sr couple in the mish) they were telling us more about him and they showed us his facebook and apparently two of his younger kids like high school age will be coming with them in July... he is from Chile and his wife is Finnish or something like that but that is cool we will have a white guy and he is brilliantly smart!!!!! 

Also I have decided when I get married my wedding cake will be flan!!!!! ALSO mom can you pay tithing for me from the money I got from Christmas! Gracias you are the best ... Next week we have transfers so I will email Tuesday I think because there is a special broadcast next Wed... also tell Dave Bednar hi for me! That is way cool he is coming and Mom keep it up´with ice skating you can teach me when I get home because I am trying to expand my talents!!!!!!!!!   Love you all have a good week!!!!!!!

Ah no pics, I just got a virus on this computer.... :)

love Dana

Martin Carrera - We found the Lamonitas

HEY HEY HEY! 

   Well this week was good and hard and everything in-between! Honestly I hate vacations because everyone leaves and goes to their pueblos and there was nobody here this week but that is okay we kept on working hard! First of all funny story: while we were walking around in the area looking for a couple of our people we heard drumming and we were like what is that... then suddenly we see lamanite men dancing and singing in their costumes so we watched them for a second and then the one came up to us because he lives in Chicago and is just here on vacation visiting people and he said their dancing is a way for him to find his inner spirit!  It was cool and he and his family want to learn more about the church but they live over by the temple and of course we asked if we could get a pic with them. 

  Also this week while I was taking a shower suddenly all the power went out and we thought maybe it was just the neighborhood because the power and the water shuts off sometimes.  That night we came home and there was still no electricity so we went and talked to our landlady and she said that it was just us and we had not paid for our lights that month which we did; so we didn't know what happened... so we were in darkness for a couple days and then yesterday when we came home they were on again... MILAGRO! 

Also another funny story, I ' know if I told you but last week I burned off my arm hair and a big amount of my eyelashes lighting the oven.... hahah as if I already don't have enough eyelashes well now I have less! But hna woodard was laughing so hard and I was freaking out because like a ball of fire came from the oven when I lit it... gosh dang! 

 And guess what I hit my  month mark... for those of you that don't understand what I mean... that is the half way mark for sisters so I am officially half way done with the mish and I burnt a skirt so yay! 

my skirt :) well actually it was a skirt from a dead hna that i have worn a couple times....

Burning skirt

As for new years there was so many drunk people out and fire works and guns shots and singing and all that good stuff so we didn't sleep all that well but at 12:30 when I had finally gotten into a deep sleep I wake up and it sounds like BOMBS are going off outside our house and then I look over to hna woodford and she is up and we both start laughing and we tried to get to sleep again... but yeah the fireworks here don't really have lights they are just kind like bandits but louder and bigger and it is the worst when the children throw them right next to you in the street we just walk away laughing and plugging our ears! 

Hna Woodford was so tired one day; she just laid down.

But honestly this week was hard to work because nobody was home and we were a little disappointed but kept on working and then MIRACLES HAPPENED!!! Right after we started our fast on Saturday we instantly started finding people we have been looking for all week and honestly I can't tell you how cool it was and then.... okay first I must tell the back story.... this last week a lady named Ivonne came up to us in the street and asked if we were Mormons and how she could find out more about the church. She said that her husbands micro (sketchy mexi bus) route drives next to the temple every week and so they wanted to learn more.  She didn't know her house street or anything so she said they would try to go to church on Sunday. And that is what people always tell us so we were like ahh dang we couldn't get an appt.... but then Sunday right after we got to church she called us and was like hnas I am lost how do we get there and our chapel is really far from our area and you have to take taxi or bus to get there and she was walking and we can't really say the names of the streets for where the church is because they are in like Indian like lamanite language... but just then a member drove by in a taxi (at this point we had left the capilla and we were running around trying to find her) and the members explains the directions to her and we wait on the corner and here she comes with her whole family #blessing she has three little girls and her husband and yeah we have a family and they LOVED CHURCH! So we were very happy because after a long hard week we saw the lords hand in the work and yeah it was a good week... we are going to visit Ivonne and Santos (her husbands name) Thursday so pray for us!!!! 

So I am happy and everything is good!!!!!!!! Chris tell Senorita Ohl hola para mi y diga le que ya ahora yo sè españo pero todavìa yo tengo l!!!!  

After our soccer game and before a huge rain storm.

 LOVE YOU ALL MUCHÎSIMO!!!!

hermanaita heywood