¡Aye Chihuahua!

Monday, February 9, 2015

February....Already?

Monday, February 2, 2015

Buenos Dias!

You know when you hear the alarm and you think, "Just five more minutes?" Well that is how I feel with January. Just five more days of January, please. It is just insane that we are already in February, I can't believe it.

So, this week in Mexico has been great. It has been cold and wet, but great. The work continues and February is a big month because our investigators that want to be baptized but aren't married can get married for free on the 14th! So we are currently organizing a couple of weddings, ha.

So, the also changed the districts and now I am in a district with 4 people from Utah, one Mexican, and my district leader is from Ecuador. It is quite interesting, ha.

Biggest event from this week, we found a rat in our house. We had it trapped and we were waiting for the elders to get there to kill it, but our land lady came to try and kill it and it escaped. So, we are currently looking for another house. This photo is about what our faces look like every time we think about nuestro ratoncito...

I love y'all!
Hermana Dudley

We found wet cement in one of the streets.
I have now officially left my mark on Mexico. Ha.

I really wanted to catch one that looked like a cow, but they moved super fast!

Hermana Dennisse, Hermana Lizbeth, Hermana Aramburo y Yo,
Y la mama de Dennisse, Hermana Lucy!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Birthday Fun in the Mission

Monday, January 26, 2015

Hola a todos

I don't have a ton of time this week, but I have a few pictures from my birthday that I am going to send y'all. My district leader bought me a cake and it was super fun.

It has been cold, but great. Really, the people here in Anahuac are incredible. They all remembered my birthday and all hugged me and even called me and sang to me in English, ha.

I am happy here, truly happy. I hope all goes well this week for each of y'all.

Hermana Dudley

P.S. It is a tradition here to have a 'mordida', or cake in the face!

Hermana Aramburo, ME, Elder Perez, Elder Castro.

The best district in the whole world, and to prove it, there is cake, ha.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Anahuac y Cuauhtemoc!

Monday, January, 19, 2015

Hola a Todos,

Solo quiero decirles que me encanta Anahuac y Cuauhtemoc! Seriously, when I first got here, I was a little hesitant, and I can also say that these cambios have been the most stressful times of my whole mission, but dang, I love it here and I don't ever want to leave. Seriously.

I love it. I love the members. The other day we were working with a member and her three little girls. They love Frozen and of course so do I. So naturally we started to sing together. I taught them the English version of ´Let It Go´and they taught me the Spanish version. Really, it was just fun and is something so simple, but it just helped my love for this place and these people grow so much! And now I have three best friends under the age of 9 to sing with, ha. But really, all the members are so great. They just have this pure love that they share. They all remember that my birthday is tomorrow, even though I only have two weeks here. And today in our district meeting we are going to have cake.

This was a very rewarding week. We had a reunion with our presidente and we worked really hard. It was one of those weeks that just makes me love being a missionary even more. My companion and I are still getting along great and we have met some wonderful people that are progressing very well.

I know that Heavenly Father has a specific plan for each one of His children. I know that He loves me so much and for that reason He blessed me with the opportunity to serve a mission and even more to be here in Anahuac. One thing I have learned from the members here is that being a missionary, being a disciple of Christ is something that is forever. It is not for 18 months. Actually, we had an activity yesterday with the members and we went to a park and just talked to as many people as we could. I split up with the cutest little old lady and her testimony was incredible. She said in one instance that she cant imagine dying without first inviting everyone to know Christ the way she does. I invite y'all to think about that.

Les Amo!
Hermana Dudley

P.S. Y otra vez, feliz cumpleanos a mi mama y tambien a Elder Lopez esta semana!

These are two jovenes that work with us. Alex and Johan.
Johan´s mom is trying to get me to stay in Mexico and marry her son. Ha

And these are algunas jovencitas that love to work with us.

Una Foto para mi mama!

Look Mom! We made you a birthday cake!

Here We Are In Anáhuac.

Monday, January 12, 2015

Hola a todos!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Mother! On the 17 she will turn another year wiser, and let me tell y'all, she is great.

This week has probably been one of the fastest, busiest, OH MY GOSH weeks of my life. I just literally don't know where it went.

We really worked so hard this week. I am kind of started to know how to get around in my area and I am starting to get to know all the members. Lucky for me I am in a branch, so there aren't really that many that I have to remember. We have a great pool of investigators and so many possibilities for these next few weeks.

I learned this week that Anáhuac means "place of many waters." We don't know what language it is from, but that is pretty cool. There is a great possibility that is will snow. Last year it snowed here in March. And well, it is pretty dang cold. So, we will see. My companion is from central Mexico and her biggest wish is to see the snow. So, I am hoping that she will get to see it. We continue to work well together. She takes really good care of me, ha. She protects me a lot. Like I said last week, I am the first American Sister here, I call a lot of attention, ha, it is the hair. But she is great.

It has been super busy and I don't even know what to write y'all. I know that I am where the Lord needs me. Honestly, Anáhuac has been a challenge. But, I am grateful for the difficulties that presents a new area. Without change and difficulty, we dont progress. We have to have trials and failures to learn. That is the point of it all.

I love y'all!
Hermana Dudley

CAMBIOS...But for real this time.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Hola a Todos,

Well first and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRISTAN! Tomorrow my not-so-little brother is going to turn 19 years old! I am so proud of you Tristan and I love you!

Okay, so I actually had transfers. They called on Friday night, completely out of the blue and I had to pack all my stuff at 10:30 and leave at about 6:30 in the morning. I am now in Anahuac, it is a tiny little town close to Cuatemoc. It is really cold here. Like, really cold. we actually didn't have water this morning because the pipes froze. Super cold. But, it is so pretty. It is more rural, wide open spaces. It reminds me a little bit of home. We walk a ton, more so than in Delicias because it is more rural here and the houses are farther apart. And there are hills. So I am getting some good exercise. It is definitely different than Delicias. It is cleaner.

Also, here I am in a tiny little branch, not a ward. Yesterday there were about 30 people in Sacrament Meeting. It is super tiny. Ha. But, I am excited to be here and to get to know everyone. We have already started working with the members and they are just great. They are all super interested in me. I am the first American Sister here. They have had gringos, but always Elders. So, I am the the first gringa. Actually, yesterday in his testimony, one of the counselors said that he had only ever seen white sister missionaries in the Liahona (church magazine) and didn't really think they existed. But here I am! ha. So, it is pretty exciting. It is a little frustrating as well. In Delicias I knew everything and everyone and here I am totally lost. But, with a little bit of patience and time I know it will get better. And my new comp is super sweet. Hermana Alambura is her name. She actually is pretty new, I have to finish 2 weeks of her training. So I told her not to worry, we would be learning together. She is 24, and has always wanted to serve a mission. She is truly just super sweet and...pure. That is about the perfect word for her. So, I am excited. Everything is different, I have a lot of adjustments to make, but I know that with change comes progress. So I am excited.

Anahuac....it really is super pretty. I hope to take more pictures this week to send, but I will send a couple.

I hope all is well and I love yall!

Con Amor,
Hermana Dudley

Monday, December 29, 2014

Happy New Year!

Monday, December 29, 2014

Hola a Todos!

Hey, so Christmas in the mission is awesome, seriously, awesome. Look forward to pictures. And New Years I am sure is awesome as well, it is just seriously so weird to think that we are already entering 2015. I come home this year, ha. Yikes, it goes by so fast!

These dates are all about family, love, and goals. We always make goals about diets or jobs or school. But I have been thinking a lot lately about what our goals should be. Mostly because my companion always asks me what my goals are and I never know. But one thing I have come to know here in the mission is that the most important thing that we can know and apply in our lives is who we truly are. If people could really understand the fact that we are all literal children of God, that we are loved beyond comprehension, and that we have a divine nature and an eternal potential, every thing would change. We are God{s children, He loves us and more than anything He want us to return to His presence. I testify of that, with all the energy of my soul. What can we do this year to prepare to return to His presence? Well, there is a quote that I love from President Thomas S. Monson.
....May I suggest a formula that will ensure our success: First, search the scriptures with diligence. Second, plan your life with purpose. Third, teach the truth with testimony. Fourth, serve the Lord with love.....

If we remember who we really are and apply this formula, we will have success. Not only the success of the world, but success on an eternal scale.

I love y'all and wish the happiest of New Years.
Hermana Dudley

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Monday, December 22, 2014

Hola!

First of all, I have a ton of pictures to send but I don't have the cable thing so I can't send them. Stupid technology, maybe next week.

This week is Christmas! I am so excited! We are going to be with La Familia Duran and Contreras on Christmas Eve and we are calling with La Familia Cruz and on Christmas we are going to be with La Familia Cabrera y ay chihuahua les amo! Seriously, this week is so packed full already with plans and citas y cenas y I love it because the people are all just a little bit more open and accepting during this time. So we talk to a ton of people and we have a ton of work to do. The initiative ´Él es la Dádiva´ is so great and yesterday we went to this big plaza with a giant Christmas tree and we started to sing and contact everyone that was there. I loved it. Really, Christmas is the best time to be a missionary. I love it!

We also had a Christmas Mission Conference, which was a blast! I have a ton of pictures with Hermana Brown and Hermana Corzo and all these people that I just love. Especially Hermana Brown, ha. And it is hilarious because everyone was like, ´Hermana Dudley, are you still in Delicias?¨ Ha. Yep. 9 months, one area, eat it up. But it was just so fun and honestly made me a little sad that I only have one Christmas here. We had a Piñata and I went first. But, they blindfold you and twirl you around so I didn't break, or really even hit it, ha.

This time of year is so special. But what I love about the Gospel is that is teaches us to have this kind of love and focus every day of our lives, not just in December. I know that Jesus Christ is Christmas. I know that I am His Representative. And I love every minute of it!

Merry Christmas y Feliz Navidad a todos! Les amo!
Hermana Dudley