Valle - Milagros #blessed

Dear Fam! 

   okay okay okay first of all... I LOVE VALLE Y HNA SAYLOR! 

This week was so great! It was full of lots of meetings and going to the offices but all good things. Some how we made time to go and find a lot of really cool people. So to describe my new area... it is super fresa (chilango talk para Parker) super nice and kind rich... though if you saw all the houses that are here; in the states you would think ayyy ghetto or sketchy but here its like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh dang this place is nice. The ward is AMAZING! I have never seen a ward so converted to the gospel everyone here shares the gospel and everyone is always bringing friends to church so it awesome! For example this week we actually got references from the members when we asked them ... that doesn't happen here in other areas... its usually references of menos activos so yeah bit of a change. The ward is about 100 people or maybe more and so for me that is like massive because I have been in a ward of 35 for the last six months. And Hna Saylor is quite the character! haha She is from Wyoming ... Lander or something and is a runner she loves to run, so we run in a park by our house in the morning. She is always happy and she basically has plans of saving the world.  She is really into non profit stuff and has traveled the world! She also loves Jimmy Fallon and Broadway so we get along really really well!  We just laugh most of the time!

Where I live:

Okay now about the people!!! 

  There is an amazing family here that the hnas have been teaching for a while... the son got baptized a month ago and yesterday he passed the sacrament and bore his testimony of how he wants to go on a mission! Super awesome and his mom is amazing her name is Silvia... I guess people named Silvia just are amazing in general! She loves everything about the church and wants to be baptized so badly BUT you remember how when I was in Ecatepec like 6 months ago and how EVERYONE needs to get married welll yeah that's the problem. Silvia wants it but her husband is still married to another women and he needs to get divorced and married to Silvia but his wife doesn't want to get divorced even though she has several children with several men... so that is the prob.. he also wants the church but we are stuck in that issue right now!  Sylvia is awesome and pays tithing and feeds the missionaries, she just needs to be baptized and she was telling us she might kick her husband out so she can be baptized... but we ague and tell her, "No hna families are forever lets work this out! "

#Selfie

Then okay biggest miracle EVER! So idk if you all remember my life in Izcalli but we taught this man named BETO well he had a laundromat and we would teach him there and he lived in Valle so the hnas in Valle would tell us if he went to church... well after I left he kinda stopped going BUT yesterday he walked into the capilla and I was like HERMANO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and he was like no manches hna que haces aquí and he came fasting because he is ready for the gospel in his life. So he stayed for all of church and we went and visited him last night and we also taught his wife and daughter and they said they are willing to learn and see what is like! We were soooo happy and I was soooo happy so see him again! The nice thing is Beto and I are already buds so I was like hno ya sabe es su tiempo and he was like yes hna asi es sop yayyyyy! 

Hna Saylor eating a huarache today  ahh so good soo good! 

Consejo de ĺideres May 2016

There is a lot of good things going on here!!! I love it and there is SO MUCH WORK and the members are super cool here and I think one fb messaged pics to Katies FB because I don't think you or dad have FB! 

All is well and I will send pics in a sec okay ...oh and I am going to Moctezuma this week yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well love you all so so mucho! Have a good week 

duces

hna Heywood 

Valle - LAS AMERICAS

Dear fam! 

   Well sounds like everyone is doing good and happy! Shout out to Maddie for giving her farewell talk... hopefully I will see her in a couple weeks. I have some stuff for her when I see her! but okay I shall answer your questions now... 

   Yes I am not in Carrera anymore... its weird but I am excited... I am in Las Americas... my area is called Valle and it is SOOO NICE!! It is one of the best and richest wards in all of the mission and I feel like I am in the states.,.. so I am not sure how I feel about that. I kinda miss the ghetto! But my comp is Hna Saylor from Wyoming she is the one of the funniest people and loves to talk so I am sure we will get along just great.

I knew I was getting transferred on Wednesday because hna Mortenson got a call that night and they told her she would be training an hna that is waiting for her visa to go to Texas so luckily I was emotionally prepared and I still cried to leave but not as much and I was happy I had time to say good bye to everyone!

Dana is somewhere in the area shaded in Red (Ecatepec)

The graffiti here is actually cool and not just te amo jeni haha always in Carrera 

Me and Hna Saylor

Hey Maddie you see that hill... that is where you are going to be... we are gonna be SO CLOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Our house... we live behind the estetica

Valle is cool though the hnas always have a ton of success here its like a gold mine because even though the people aren't as humble here... the ward is AWESOME and they help like crazy! They said people are always asking when they can come with the missionaries on citas. So that will be fun! I was sad to leave but I think it will be good for me to have a change and to get to know the people out here. I am in Ecatepec again... Izcalli is in my zone and we get to do divisiones with them so I am excited to go and see the people! But yeah the taxi today cost $120 pèsos... but luckily another elder from my zone had transfers so we went to together and split it 50/50! It is strange to be out here in the middle of nowhere again! If you are wondering where I am ... I am almost to Pachuca... like almost to the pyramids.  All I ever hear about this area is that it is awesome but not as crazy as the city!  I am excited to see what kind of crazy fun I can find here and to help the members and the ward to keep on keep on working hard en la obra misional! 

Now speaking of my week in Carrera, we finally had time and someone to go with us to the top of the hill where is is super ghetto and not safe and it was so so so fun! We found a ton of people up there that hna Mortenson can teach and this one lady we found.  We helped her take her bags from the mercado up the hill so she invited us into her house gave us food and just wanted a friend I think... haha she wanted to show us her chickens her rabbit... her roosters... haha we were like wow que bonita... and then her poor 95 year old mother that was blind was just lying on her bed with no pants on and we were like ok cool this is different and her mom was just eating a bag of cheetos... so yeah good old mexico stuff. Everyone was sad I was leaving but I told them all we will be back in DEC and they all want to meet everyone and feed us so yeah pàrty in Carrera in  DEC!

The rain this week!

Goodbye Iker

Also saddest thing ever... I really didn't tell anyone I was leaving until Sunday but I think bishop knew because they sang God be With You Till We Meet Again... and then I saw hna Magda who was leading the music crying and then I started crying and then hna Mortenson who was playing the piano  was crying and we were all kinda a mess hahaha but its all good! Sorry not mucho to say but i will email next week with lots of pics and more info about my new area! love you all lots

Goodbye to Aris and Gibron

Magda, I will miss her!

The hill going home from church

One last walk home from church with everyone.

Goodbye to all the saint street art!

I hate goodbyes!

con amor,

hna heywood

ps i am writing in place where it is internet , belly dancing classes, kick boxing and tikwando...so that is fun!

Martin Carerra - No Para La Fiesta

Hey there fam

First of all

SHOUT OUT TO PARKS AND LAUREN FOR BECOMING PARENTS!!! You make cute children... can't wait to meet that child!

  

    Second of all... how are things with all of you ... Mexico is GREAT!! Today I bought the coolest soccer jersey, it's the Mexico and America jersey put together.  Best $100 pesos I have ever spent! haha 

This week was good, we found a lot of really cool people and we had stake conference and... zone conference so double spiritual wammy, am I right? 

It was sad because it is pres last zone conference because he goes home the 28th of June :( but it was a really good conference!

Some of the cool people we found this week we couldn't really go to the follow up cita because we were sick:( but its okay we will find them this week. One is named Manuel and he is from Spain... Enadina... Naomi's mom works in his cocina and we gave him a book of Mormon! He is really cool and really wants to learn and his food is really good... he gave us this Spanish food like they make in Spain.  Spanish paella and it had sea shells in it and my first bit was crunchy and I was like what is this!!!! ahah but it was good and we keep our clam shells! 

Spanish paella

With the shells

Also things are coming along with Georgina... she just needs to understand a little bit betta! 

Also MIRACLE we found Rogelio and he was like hnas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and so we finally taught him the commandments and when we were reading about dia de reposo... Sabbath day.. he was like hnas how can I keep this commandment... because he works on Sundays and we were like... ahhhh yes Rogelio!  So we all three fasted to help him find a solucion and he is like hnas if I need to find a new job I will because I want to follow God no matter what is takes and we were just like YESSSS! so tomorrow we are gonna go see how it went!

Also pres gave the most touching talk at stake conference about how hard missionary work is and how much he loves us for giving up everything to help others and follow Christ and I was bawling and everyone was crying and man I am gonna miss them so much!!! 

Also I hit a low point... don't worry mom I am fine... I just had to do some test to check if all my parasites are gone and they made me pee in a cup at home and then put it in a syringe and then poop in a cup and I had to do some blood work and take everything myself on the public transport.  Being in public transport in the morning is bad here because there are so many people and I was like ahhh please don't break and spill all over my bag ahaha...low point....carrying my pee and poo all over Mexico City, but its all good and didn't break!!!! I am happy and that is all that matters right!!!!

Next week is transfers so I might be writing from a diff place but all is well and I love you all so much!!!! 

hna heywood 

Zone

Martin Carrera - Hey, Hey, Hey Party in the USA

So hello familia it was a pleasure talking to you all yesterday... looks like you are all good and nothing much has changed just Katie's hair (I love it kt)! it really was fun to see you all... but not gonna lie it kinda freaked me out... I am not ready at all to live in the real world... I like my little missionary world... but its okay I have a lot of time so yay! 

 Okay so this week was literally CRAZY! 

First of all sadness, Orfe broke up with us she is getting baptized in the christian church in front of our house and we were all crying including her because SHE KNOWS THE CHURCH IS TRUE! heart breaking right... so we were just like hermana we love you and we want you to be with us in the kingdom of god so please PLEASE just read the book of Mormon and get over your fear. She is getting baptized there because it is the easiest route for her... less commitment #APOSTASÍA 

Then Felipe ... Naomi´s dad... was super wasted the other night and he was like hnas please come in and pray for me so we were like um okay super fast we can ... because we needed to get home... well se ended up saying the pray and then he was saying ahhh there is so many voices in my head... and then he was like SOY SATANAS.. and we were like ok yeah we gotta go... and we left and now he is in the hospital from alchola poisoning or something like that!!! 

Then well Iker decided he should probs get baptized so he is gonna get baptized this Sunday #porfin we are pumped but he is a CRAZY CHILD!  In sacrament he was sitting next to me and took a hand full of bread and i was like ahhh crap and all the jovenes were laughing at me because they were watching from the stand and Mortenson from the piano was laughing and I was like oh my child... and then he told me he was gonna take two things of water and I said noooo you can't ahahaha! But he is really excited for his baptism.

  

Also sadness, Angeles got back together with her hubby and now is living in the state of Mexico and so we had to pass her referencia to the elders over there. Hopefully they will help her. 

Also we had divisons this week and I went to Olivos with hna Woodard and it was fun to see her area. Also fun fact now when I eat really healthy food... like chicken and veggies I get sick... we ate it like 3 times this week and I got sick every time... dang it Mexico is throwing off my health. haha but everything was is good and we are working hard to help Georgina get baptized before I leave in June because I am pretty sure I will have cambios... also guess what do you all hear.... MADISON HEYWOOD IS COMING TO THE MEXICO MTC IN LIKE 3 WEEKS! I AM SO EXCITED I AM ASKING PRES TOMORROW IF I CAN SEE HER WHEN SHE GOES TO THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Tomorrow we get to go to the temple #YAY and so I will see pres! But yeah that is pretty much it...

Oh, funny story this week the jovenes have a camp out and they were learning how to set up a tent at church but they didn't know how so me and hna Mortenson taught them... city problems am I right! Love you all keep on being awesome and doing the running man or whatever that is!!!

con mucho amor,

hna heywood

Martin Carrera - Que Calor!

Dear fam! 

Here in mexico it is heating up and I LOVE IT!  Everyone is like ahh its so hot and I am like ahhh its like my home haha!  Good things are happening here in Martin Carrera! 

Right now we are working with the same peeps till they are ready to get dunked! This week we went to the CV (visitors center) with Georgina and man the hermanas that gave the tour were HARSH. Everyone time we go we give them a little post it note with our investigators needs and well Georgina doesn't want to get baptized YET she doesn't feel like she has a testimony.  So they were super strong and she was kinda like Whaaa but then afterwards when we were walking around the CV she was happy again! I love that women she deff takes care of us and she signed up to give us comida on Tuesday so that will be fun! She is gonna be a GREAT MEMBER! WE just gotta help her understand that she really does have a testimony... she is reading in 2 Nefi 16 right now so she really is awesome and is also reading the Gospel Principals book! 

Also we are still working with Angeles... but dang she didn't go to church yesterday.  I guess her husband showed up to her house super drunk and someone beat him up so she had to take him back to his house (right now they are separated until he understands to grow up and be an adult and take care of his family)  So yeah she didn't make it to church but this week I  know she will. We are gonna go to the CV with her this week and she is planning on going to noche de hogar. It was super cool this last week she fasted all by herself for her husband. Angeles really is embracing the gospel and gaining strength from Christ's atonement entonces #snaps4angeles 

Also we started teaching Jose Maria (yup his name is Joseph Mary) he is a boyfriend of a less active. They are living together and with her mom who is hna Valdez one of my favorite women in the ward she has red hair... I know I have sent home pics of her before. Anyway, Jose is 18 and they have a little girl and he decided to start listening to us. This week we taught the Plan of Salvation and all went well. He read his folleto and even did the questions in the back. WE also made hna valdez´s grandson help us who is also less active and usually is in the street doing drugs... but it was cool to see that her grandson knows everything he just need to apply it in his life.  It was also cool because they are both the same age and it was fun to teach them. It´s like teaching Chris and his friends because they are the same age group! Jose wants to change though it just might be a slow process! He also belives in the Santa Muetre so that is fun... that means he prays to death so death won't kill him... its like Harry Potter hhahah! But fun fact did you know death is a girl... yeah thats a new one for ya! haha

Also shout out to you fam... for the valentines! (They only took 2 1/2 months to get there)  I loved all of them especially the ones with Nicholas Cage (creepiest guy ever)... I have decided I am gonna start hiding them and putting them in hermanas houses when we have divisions hahah! Also Luke I must give you a special shout out for the Step Up 2 quote... my comp was deff looking at me super weird as to why I was laughing so hard... also who copied the spanish poem? haha a little uncomfortable coming from a sibling that one hhhaha! But love you all and i deff have some new decor on my wall and in our house! haha But yah not much else happened this week. It was hna mortensons birthday so we celebrated and we made cake and ate crap haha but its okay I am doing insanity in the mornings so all is good!  I love you all so so much! Have a killer week! good luck in v-ball Chris! 

love hermanita heywood

Martin Carrera - La Rata

Okay I am going to start with a fun fact... Hermana Heywood is terrified TERRIFIED of rats and do you know what?  She has been living with one since Monday!!!!! 

  

   Yes it is true although I have become a lot tougher on my mission when it comes to bugs, spiders and cockroaches; I can kill them easily... but a RAT!  Not gonna lie it was a stressful week but definitely memorable! For starts we saw the rat a couple times more and it wouldn't die... I had no idea how smart rats were! IT WOULDNT DIE! So Monday it ate all of the venom and there was a trail of venom to the shower drain so we thought oh good it went back to where it came from... but  NO! We put a bucket full of water over the shower drain and what do you know?  We heard the rat all night in our kitchen and we didn't know what to do because when ever we would turn on the light or something it would hide because it is freaking smart. So on Tuesday after district class we got permission from Pres to have the ZL come over and dedicate the house and tambien to try to kill the rat... well they couldn't find it. But our landlady, America asked can they dedicate my house too? so we went up and dedicated her house too and it was really cool... she has never let the missionaries enter her house before.. we always just talk to her out in the court yard. So that was cool and then after the prayer she was crying and it was cool the spirit was really strong and she said she wants to go to the CV with us!!!!! yayyyy 

Rata Killers

Then later that day (Tuesday) hna Mortenson got really sick after we ate so we stayed at the hna´s house who feed us until hna Mortenson felt like she could walk and hna Anaya was like ahh hnas go to the hospital... so we went and she is sick with gastritis and colitis! We were there till about 11:30 pm and pres picked up and took us home... but then that night we couldn't get back to sleep because we could hear the rat and ahhh yeah! then luckily Thursday and Friday we could work! 

Angeles is doing really really well!!!! She is super pumped for her baptism and said she is gonna fast so she can get back together with her husband! She honestly is awesome and she is only 22 with three kids! I just love her so much! Also Naomi is doing awesome and LOVED her baptism and when we showed up she had given us jello and she made drawings for us to say thank you for helping her get baptized... honestly she is so cute! she got confirmed this Sunday but we couldn't go to church... I will explain in a bit! Also Orfe well... ahhh she doesn't want to get baptized still so we are trying to figure out what is holing her back because she is awesome... I think she feels guilty for committing sin because her and her ex weren't married and they have two kids... she was crying about that the other lesson we had and we told her her kids are a blessing and that we have repentance in order to take away guilt! But we are still working with her.....

Then we were still having problems with the rat... we set up three different traps and it escaped two of them and one it wouldn't enter because its smart... but then Friday night we didn't hear anything so we thought maybe it finally died from all of the poison it ate because it ate A TON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But...still living... so we took like everything out of the house... ready to kill it with the staff of the broom and we couldn't find it... we think it crawled behind the oven and is living in the the part between the oven and the counter.... but the oven is glued to the wall so yeah...now what?  I guess the poison dries it out ... they were saying it petrifies it and I am just like oh my gosh petrifies... like harry potter and the basilisk.. hahah so yeah we still haven't found the rat... but we are pretty sure it is petrified in the part of the oven and wall hahah! 

Then Saturday we didn't sleep because hna mortenson was throwing up all night and couldn't stop so we went to the mish doc and got her even more meds and then ... when we were trying to catch a taxi out side of the CV (that is where the DR is) she fainted so back to the DRs we went and they put her on bed rest for two days and we were not able to go to church but pres came and gave us the sacrament BUT he got in a car accidente on the way! LITERALLY THIS WEEK WAS CRAZY! But we are just happy its done and to be able to work with our people again.... 

In all honesty I am so grateful for the mish and I know every second of my mish is helping me be a better person and I know that my Savior lives!!!! And the Lord deff works in mysterious ways.  It was a blessing I guess that hna mortenson was sick because we hadn't been able to sleep for 5 days with the rat and got some rest and then America letting the missionaries in her house, So yes Heavenly Father listens and hears our prayers but sorry really don't have many pics this week.  I will see if I can send some to you all but love you all!!!!! Have a good week and I will write next week... oh madre with mothers day idk yet we will ask around and see where we can call you!!! love you all 

hna heywood 

Martin Carrera - Best Week Ever

Dear fam... so guess what happened this week! 

Okay honestly I don't know where to even begin... we have seen SO MANY DANG MIRACLES! 

First of all I'M STILL IN MARTIN CARRERA!!! YAY cambios were today but we got to say together and this is now the longest i have ever been in an area! 

Also after I logged off last week, we went to go look for Orfe because she had gotten an answer that baptism isn't for her and so we taught her about the bom and told her to pray again ahah. Anyways Monday, she was like, "Hnas guess what yesterday I was washing my clothes and I heard a voice say... bautizate buatizate ... (get baptized get baptized)"  She said  it was so peaceful and we were like YESSS! and then she said, "But ahh hnas I don't want to what if I don't live up to my promise with heavenly father?"  We all talked about it and yay, She is  doing good and feels more comfortable about her answer so she should be getting baptized pretty soon here! She has almost all her asistinces. THEN Angles who wasn't going to church asked when she could get baptized and she didn't smoke on Wednesday!! so yeah some good things going on here! 

Also Naomi got baptized yesterday and it was so good and she was so happy and luckily she doesn't like hot water because the boiler wasn't working so she didn't have hot water it was more like swimming pool cold but not ice cold. But it was good and her family all came even her dad who is major alcoholic. And all these people showed up to church on Sunday so it was great! Carlos our convert of two weeks brought his mom!!!! WE are gonna go to the CV this week with them. 

Also the best part of it all Elder Oaks came and we all got to shake his hand! He is a funny guy and just super happy! Luckily I got to sing in the choir we sang Battle Hymn of the Republic and oíd el toquen del clarin a spanish hymn.  He shared a really good message with us about the importance of wisdom and how it is different then knowledge and how we have wisdom when we ACT AND APPLY the knowledge that we have. It was cool and he also talked about equality is a tool of the devil because in the plan of Satan he wanted equality ... super interesting. And Elder Piper the area pres here came too and gave a super cool talk about using the godly talent we have. In the last Oct conference, elder Holland talked about elder Pipers daughter Dora in the temple de mex city dedication. Anyways they brought Dora with them and it was the first time she had ever come to something like that. Elder Piper brought her up for his talk and told us how when they were in Russia as mission presidents Dora was one of the best missionaries because she would stand at the door of the church and greet everyone with a hug... but Dora cant talk. He was telling us how she used her godly talents to the best of her ability and I just loved that! Then elder oaks did a question answer and it was just really cool and he is such a humble servant of the Lord. And when he shared his testimony... WOW when he said I KNOW you could feel the spirit so strongly and I truly know that Christ talks with his servants!!!! And that we are so lucky to have a living profeta and apostelas. 

But yeah it was super cool and also fun to see all the old comps. It was especially fun to see hna woodford who is in moctezuma proud to see what an amazing missionary she has become!!! haha motherly love

Also wanna hear something funny that happened this week... this morning we were cleaning and a HUGE RAT ran our of our shower and into the kitchen and it ran over hna motensons foot and we freaked out! so then America our land lady came down in her sports bra and was like hnas what happened and we were like its a RAT... hahah so we were all freaked out and there is America helping us look for a rat in her sports bra and then she brings us poison and she is just a funny lady we love her and we are gonna convert her! Yeah all good things all good things! It was a killer week and we are so blessed to be here in Carrera.  I am glad I have another month here to help these people who I love so much!!!!  THE CHURCH IS TRUE! love you all so much! 

Eating with hna graciela 

My main home girl Hna Magda

con amor, 

hna heywood