Happy Memorial Day!

Fun Fact: Mexicans don't really get the whole "patriotism" thing. They love the song Achey Breaky Heart. Like, a lot.

So, I had typed this big long email with lots of fun facts and cool things, but then the stupid internet stopped working and we had to find a different cyber and I don't want to type it all again. So, here is the most important thing:

My name here is never pronounced correctly. It is always "doodley"and sometimes I don't even get a name, I just get "guerita."At first, this hurt my feelings. But, I was studying baptism this week and all the parts of the covenant that we make. The most important thing is that we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. That means that His plans, His purposes, His timing need to come before our own. In reality it means that our names don't matter. So, I decided that if no one here remembers my name, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that they understand that I am a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know He Lives. I know His Gospel is full and pure and restored.

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Dudley

HHHOOOOWWWWDDDDYYYYYY

Que Bien esta semana! Hoy, yo cumplí 3 meses! WHOOP!

First of all, we had gorditas twice. I love gorditas and now I know how to make them. Secondly, Hermana Cervantes y yo estamos trabajando mucho y nuestra companionship is so fun and we are just truly doing so well. Part of this is service. I have really been trying lately to serve her and I have seen such a difference in our days. My opportunities to serve have increased a lot because she has an issue with her foot and we have to start going to the doctor like twice a week for treatment.   

I am writing late today because we had this activity with all the hermanas and I had to teach a class over eating healthy, ha. But, it’s all good because I can write to y’all about all that happened today.

I discovered my favorite place to go on P-day. It used to be Walmart. Holy cow, I love Walmart here, like, y’all can’t understand. Walmart is grand. But today, I discovered somewhere even better. There is this restaurant called Banditos. It is like a western steak house. There are pictures of John Wayne, the waitresses wear chaps and cowboy hats, and American Country Music is always playing.  AAAHHH!!!! I felt so at home, ha. And, the food is pretty good. I had a Texana Burger and their horchata has ice cream in it! SO GREAT!

Banditos was awesome, but the coolest thing was right after our District meeting. We had this investigator who we were forced to drop for various interesting reasons. He really is a bit of a roller coaster. But, he came to church on Sunday all on his own and wants to be baptized! Vanga me!  Entonces, hoy tuvimos una leccion con el, para review todas las cosas que ya ensenamos. He remembered pretty much everything, which is extremely impressive because he is very, how do I explain him....slow. His name is Joel and he is a very interesting case. But, he understands and is progressing and it is so cool! 

Last thought:  On Sunday I heard this phrase and I love it. ¨Hay una diferencia entre una creencia y la fe. La diferencia es las obras.´ Entonces, it is our actions that turn our beliefs into faith.  Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary.

I LOVE YALL!!!

Hermana Dudley

First Transfer!

I have officially made it through my first transfer! Hermana Cervantes and I are still together. We do really well together most of the time. Every now and then there are some cultural differences, but it all works out.

This week was fun. We helped an investigator make tortillas de harina, SO GOOD. We had some lessons with some viejitos, old people, and those are always hilarious because they can't hear anything. So we have to literally yell. I prayed, and yelled, AMEN. Pero ella no escucho. So I yelled again, AMEN HERMANA! But again, no. It always feels a bit blasphemous, but it is hilarious.

Another time, we found this guy who we had contacted before in the street and we started talking. He actually knows a lot about the church. It was a good conversation, and he accepted a return appointment. But, he doesn't live in our area so we told him that the Elders would come by to teach him. But he didn't want the elders, he kept saying, "No, ustedes!" Haha, it was really funny. That type of thing happens a lot here.

And, I got to call home. Whoop. Ha. 7 more months and I will be calling again. This week has had a lot of ups and downs, but when it all comes down to it, I know that this Gospel is true, and with that knowledge, everything else is worth it. El Evangelio vale la pena.

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Dudley

Happy Cinco De Mayo..

Howdy!

FYI, Cinco de Mayo is not a real holiday. When I asked my comps about it they had no idea what I was talking about. I have no idea why everyone in the US thinks it is a big deal here, but it is not, ha.
Some funny little things: a lot of people here think that the church is a church for Gringos, ha.
My comps call me a muneca. The n is supposed to have the little mark over it but I havent really figured out the mexican keyboards. Anyways, it means doll, ha. And, that activity we had where we got 140 references? Out of 140, only 6 are in our area. What the heck! Ha. But they are good references.

Two very important things happened to me this week. First, I started to understand Spanish! I dont know how or why, but one day things just started to make sense! Not 100%, but I can actually understand a lot now. It started when we were on Splits, and this other Americana was with us. She has been here for about three months, but her companion is Americana, entonces ellas hablan mucho ingles. Throughout the entire day I had to translate things for her, and I ACTUALLY COULD! It was the coolest thing! Being able to understand and communicate changes everything!!!!

The other important thing that happened is the realization of what my job really is. I am here to teach and testify and serve, yes. But, my job is not to help people. My job is to facilitate others´abilities to help themselves. In all aspects. An investigator has to fulfill committments and have a testimony of their own. They have to learn to be self sufficient in the Gospel and other areas of life. That is a really important concept!

Oh yeah, and cambios have arrived. I am staying put, thank goodness, but Hermana Herrera is leaving. So, finally, I will experience the mission in a regular duo, ha. I am interested to see how is goes becuase Hermana Cervantes and I are a bit different and both of us are new to the area. And on top of that, Hermana Cervantes goes home in June. So after she leaves, I dont know what will happen to me, ha. I am interested to see how it all goes down, but I am not worried. I know that it is all according to the Lord´s plan and I know He will help us deal with all the things we have to learn.

Happy Mother´s Day this week! And Happy Birthday to my Dear Daddy!

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Dudley