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

Martin Carerra - Hey Hey Hey

Feliz Navidad a todos!

Well I saw all you guys a couple days ago and it was fun to see all of you and see that you guys haven't changed much, just more facial hair from Luke.. haha but it was fun to talk. And the member whose house we were at was laughing so hard at Parker's Spanish and hna Woodard thought it was pretty fun... Parker she said your mexi accent is pretty spot on! This last week was fun and really busy!

Christmas temple trip

Nativity skit at the Christmas Party

   First off we had a mission Christmas party on Tuesday and it was THE BEST!  Why was it the best... well it was the best because we got to do a session in the temple #blessings and then after we all went to the stake center next to the temple and we ate tamales and had a talent show with all the other zones. We just sang a song in Italiano, español, ingles y portugues! I can't remember what we sang but it was a Christmas hymn. Then one of our zone leaders did a cool magic trick and the best part of it all... hna woodard and I convinced the boys from our district to do a lip-sync to the song "love me but don't show me" from Sons of Provo and it was the best thing ever! They had to get pérmission from pres before because they were not sure if the dance moves were okay and yeah they were so they did it and closed the talent show ahahaha it was SO FUNNY!!!!

Our cookies that burnt because we were so busy killing cockroaches.

Hmm what else this week... oh yeah Christmas Eve... we had decided to make cookies for all of our menos activos and investigators and everything and as the first batch was cooking we saw more cockroaches then usual (fyi we have a really bad roach problem in our house its nasty) so then we noticed that they were coming from the panel in the oven where all the knobs are and we think there might be a nest back there so we were freaking out and had our roach spray and we were spraying a ton and then we couldn't breath so we went up on our roof and watched all the Christmas lights for a little bit and yeah it was a very memorable Christmas eve hahah!

 Christmas was good we went caroling with our district and then we went to eat and called you guys! After that we went and visited more people and yeah a good Christmas... and of course we ended Christmas with a bang... we forgot our keys and our land lady wasn't home so we were locked out and she wasn't answering her phone! haha so we called out district leader and he wasn't answering so then we called our zone leaders and they had to come to our area and sit outside with us till America, our landlady got home! haha we were all just sitting there and we were like wow this Christmas we really will never forget! Also that night we got a killer reference from the centro para visitantes ( CV ) of a family that wanted the lessons so it was like the best Christmas present EVER! and of course also seeing all your beautiful faces!

The next day we we went looking for that family and we couldn't find the house number anywhere because Mexicans like just painting a random number on their house and the numbers don't go in order or they do and and then there is just a random! Anyways the number was 32 and we couldn't find it so we were just walking down the street and we were about to knock on every door but then I asked this random little kid if his mom's name was Nayeli and he said yes and walked away so we were like okay what do we do? So we went later and knocked on the house of where the kid was and there is no number on the front door but then we went to the side door and saw number 32 written in sharpie and we were so happy and we found the family and they are really cool and the kids are super cute and we are going to go and teach them tomorrow! So yay! Also we had a big contacting thing where a lot of the elders came to our area and helped us contact to find more new people and we have a lot of cool potential so I will keep you all updated!

We bought ourselves jerseys for Christmas.

  As for the ward the max number is like 35 and this last Sunday it was only like 15 because everyone went to their pueblos for the holidays! I also play the piano in church because nobody else can and me and hna woodard spoke yesterday! There is a lot for us to do there... we teach gospel principals and when there is young women we teach that too! So yeah the ward is small but slowly growing! Everything is good though and our bishop is awesome and there is a lot of work to do here!

Also madre, muchísimas gracias for the packages you are the best and the amazon came really easily I didn't have to pay anything of customs are anything also Deanna thanks for the package we have been drinking our hot chocolate in the morning!!!!!  All is well here in Martin Carrera!!!! I will send some pics in a little bit!

con amor,

Dana

ps happy new year... I will hit my half way point the 1st of January!!!!!! craziness!!!!!

Trying out Sister Woodard's new selfie stick.

The hill we climb home every day.

Our Christmas view from the roof.

Merry Christmas to you!

Martin Carrera - Fotos

Sorry, sorry, sorry the myldsmail was not working yesterday so that is why I did not write back but... so this Friday for Christmas we are gonna call at like 3 or 4 ish mexico time... We are going to eat with a family in the ward and then after use their IPad to talk to you guys it might be skype or face time we are not sure... but I will just plan on calling dads number.  Is that all good and we will call you on the phone before we do it okay? But sorry I don't know what the time difference is from here to AZ! But I  love you all so much and I will talk to ya on Friday... oh ps it can only be 40 mins MAX!  Pres is getting pretty strict with us here but it is good because then we will have a good focus on everything here in the mish! Tomorrow we get to go to the temple and we have a mission Christmas party... buts only half the mish because half went today so its a bummer because I wont see like more than half of the other hnas because they are there today!  All is well, I really like Martin Carrera the people here are super down to earth and we just got along really well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our ward is like 30 people but that is okay we will help it get bigger and start working with more menos activos and baptize more and yeah... lots to do here! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! love you so much!!!!!!!!

We are here at the CCM, got to wash our clothes and DRY them!

Here is my new house, cute but infested with cockroaches

Hermana Heywood

New Zone after the Stake Christmas Party.

Martin Carerra - La Virgen

Hello a todos!!

I found this picture on CNN. 

   Well this week was CRAZY! We were not allowed to be in our area for 3 days because well, it was Virgen day on the 13th and it was really crazy around here... there was so many parades and its was sad but funny at the same time! So people here LOVE the virgen and they were literally in the streets carrying massive statues in their hands with their virgen T-shirt and if their statue was too big of the virgen they had a glass box strapped to their back in order to show their virgen pride!
Jaja and our area was crazy because we have the biggest catholic church in Mexico or even Latin America.. not sure but it is 5 mins from our house in the neighboring ward so nobody from our zone could be in their areas for that time. So we got sent to the CV and we stayed in the dorms with the CV sisters and and we worked in the areas of one of the sisters since they can only be in their area 4 hours a day and then we worked in the secretary's area for awhile to find them new people to teach. So it was fun but it kinda stunk because we didn't get anything done in our area but that is okay this week we have a lot to do so yay! 

Here is the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe; One of the most important pilgrimage sites of Catholicism, the basilica is visited by several million people every year, especially around 12 December, Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast day. (From Wikipedia)

  And sorry mom, my camera was dying so we didn't take very many pictures.  The CV dorms have washers and dryers so it was so nice because we got to wash our garments not by hand!!! Man that was so nice and we dried our towels all I can say is we are #blessed! jaja  The sad thing is I don't know very many people here. WE did meet this cool family and only one of the teenage girls is baptized so we are working with them and also the cutest 7 year old that turns 8 in a couple weeks... his grandma is a member so she always takes him but since he wasn't born under the covenant we have to teach him... his name is Iker and he is so so cute! Also today hna woodford emailed me and Isabel and Augustin got married yaya!!! I don't know when her baptism is but I hope I can get permission to go! Also Odalys and Vanessa are getting baptized on the 27th so I will call pres to see if I can go... if not, I will not be happy and they want me to speak so I better get to go haha! 

Oh also we had the temple of Tijuana events this week so we went to the cultural celebration and it was good... haha a little weird because they were playing worldly music and we had permission to listen to it but the dancing was good and it was good and the dedication was really good. WE only got to go to 2 because the other one was at like 5 pm and our stake wasn't showing it! The temple looks so nice we will have to take a road trip and go and do a session there! Oh also sorry mom I didn't take pics of the house because it is messy because they are re-doing one of the rooms and we are living out of our suit cases so yeah I will send pics next week! Oh also hna Woodard is awesome and we get ALONG really well and yesterday was her birthday so we made cake and it was fun! Also um I will email you next Monday about what time to skype and everything if that's okay! But yeah that is about it not much happened besides la virgencita is ruining our time to find neuvos haha but this week we will find a ton and we are planning on baptizing week to week in January so we need to find a lot of people that are ready for that! I love you all so much and I loved all the pics you sent and have fun on all your vacations and also dad send Carmel my condolences.  Love you all and talk to you next week!!!

love hna heywood