You are 5% Love of God and 95% water.

Howdy Friends, 

Happy Father´s Day!

Happy Birthday to Karen Lopez!

Well, the title of this email is something that someone told me this week. Ha. See, my comp has an issue with her foot, so for the past month we have been visitng this doctor a few times a week. He is so great! Like, absolutely hilarious and has the biggest personality. And he loves us. He doesn´t want to hear our message yet, but I have faith that he will soon. He seriously loves us though and made me promise to come back and visit him even after Cervantes leaves. He calls me the ´mormón muñeca de Tejas´ because I am always carrying my bottle of water he told me that I am water, ha. He is great and is going to bring us hamburgers, ha. We meet the coolest people.

We also made contact with these three body guards. They are always in the street with their big guns, in front of this giant house that is right down the street from us. I heard once that the governor or someone lives there, but I am going to find out more. They see us almost everyday and the other day I was walking with crutches, just for fun, and they were all concerned and asked what happened and they thought it was hilarious that I was just pretending. So then we started talking to them and they were like, wow, yall are the first people to talk to us in about 10 years. Everyone is scared of them becuase they have guns, ha. But, they were interested in the message and we´re going to talk to them again. It is pretty cool, ha. 

Also, we got caught in a rain storm this week. We were soaked, but continued to work and it was so fun! 

And, Joel continues to progress. Right now, he is confused about the difference between ´desayno´ which means breakfast, and ´ayuno´ which means to fast. So, we´re working on that. But, it is so fun and a great reminder that we need to always focus on the needs of those we are teaching. 

I know that this Gospel is true. I know that God has a plan for each one of us and we can choose to follow Him and be happy. I am so grateful that I get to share this truth with the people of Chihuahua and I love it!

I love y'all!

Hermana Dudley

"Gracias por Mis Hermanas"

Howdy!

First of all,FELICIDADES A MI HERMANITO TRISTAN ANDREW DUDLEY! YOU GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL! WELCOME TO REAL LIFE! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Also, Happy Birthday to Jillian Skiftun!

Random notes: My companion hit 17 months today. Ay yi yi. Also, we have a new rule that we have to be inside from our comida until about 4 or 4:30 because the heat is so bad. Ay yi yi. And, we had a meeting with Presidente this week and he called me out in front of everyone and told me my spanish was really good....ha. Thanks Presidente, pero todavia no estoy de acuerdo.

Now, the best part of the week: JOEL WAS BAPTIZED!!!! WOW, y´all, no es posible explicar el gozo que yo sentí. Era como una mamá, ja. En serio, los sentimientos mas bonitos! Of course, there were issues before hand. The person that was supposed to fill the font did not, but miraculously it was filled in time. And really, our journey with Joel has been a bit of a roller coaster. Pero, vale la pena. His baptism so wonderful. Everyone that he wanted to be involved was there. And, Hermana Cervantes y yo cantamos! I have never sang in front of people, but it was so fun and we felt the Spirit so strongly! We wanted to do something special for Joel and since it was my first baptism, really. But Joel was so great! He is this tiny little man and the baptismal clothes absolutely swallowed him. But he was so happy. He brought his tie and after the baptism He shared his testimony with everyone. He also said the closing prayer, here is where my heart just about exploded, in his prayer he thanked Heavenly Father for his baptism and told Him how happy he was. He gave thanks for the ward and his friends, and then....he said ¨Y gracias por mis Hermanas aqui enfrente conmigo. AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! It is just the most amazing thing to think back to our first lesson, to think of all the things we have talked about and see his progress and see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed his life. I have truly come to love Joel and through my experience teaching Him I have come to understand so much more of my purpose and of the love that Christ has for each of us. It is the coolest dang thing. Oh, and Joel asked if he could stay after his baptism to clean the chapel. GOLDEN. On Sunday he was confirmed and again, I was so happy. I could not even close my eyes during the blessing becuase seeing him up on the stand just lit up my soul!

It is truly an amazing thing. ´...how great shall be your joy with Him....´ D&C 18:15.

AH! I cannot say that I completely love Mexico and everything that it is yet, but I love the fact that I have the opportunity to bring this kind of joy to others. I know this Gospel is the truth and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share it.


I love y'all!
Hermana Dudley

2 Months in Mexico!!

Well everyone, I have officially lived in Mexico for two months. And, a quick shout out to one very important Elder, ELDER LOPEZ HAS COMPLETED 10 MONTHS IN CHILE!!!! WOW!!!!!

So, crazy week. On Monday, I had to eat Mexican Chinese Food. Not good. Not good at all. I went on divisiones con Hermana Herrera! I loved it, I miss her a lot. I also learned that there are quite a few "rules" that are actually just rules of Hermana Cervantes. But, she leaves in only 22 days, so I decided it was better to just go along with whatever until she leaves, ha. Not so great news, hermana Cervantes has lice. She thinks she has had it for several days and for some reason didn't want to tell me. Fortunately, my head is clean. But, I am super paranoid now. We bought that treatment shampoo and I used it just in case. And then I combed her hair and found bugs....ah.....but hey, service opportunity, ha. And really, I am in Mexico, it was bound to happen. Also, Joel is progressing so well! His baptism is set for this Saturday! Hopefully everything works out.

I love every single one of y'all and I hope all is well. Here's to another 2 months in Mexico!
Hermana Dudley

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