CRAZY!!!!! LOTS OF NEWS!

This week was awesome!  We had so much success in our area and have been seeing a ton of improvement.

We had a ward activity this week in the church called Feria de la Vida (which means Fair of the Family).  Hermana Flores and I, with the Elders and ward mission leader planned the entire activity and it turned out fantastic!  It was a blast and lots of members showed up to play games, eat food, and just socialize :)

Hermana Flores trying out a ukulele

I don't have much time to write today because we had changes!!!  I am going to be OPENING a new area in Aguascalientes and I am going to be a TRAINER! 

It was so hard to leave my area in Fresnillo after spending so much time there and becoming so close with the people, but I am excited for this new opportunity and challenge.

I promise to write more next Monday!  All is well and I hope everyone is doing great :) 

I love you all.  Please write or email me!

Hermana Eliason

[Some pictures]

It RAINED!!! there was so much rain this week, this is one of the streets that became like a river!

Here I am in front of a tae kwon do place and thought of Quinn

[I think the following pictures of pictures of people of Fresnillo
that Kiley took before she went to Aguascalientes]

Here I am with an investigator named Luz.   She is great!

Here I am with Hermana Bringas
(the member that is a chess master and has a super cool house!)

   This is hermana Lupita and her daughter Diana
(the daughter and grandaughter of the Perez family) They are awesome. 

This is the Piña family! She always makes super yummy food! 

They are the ones with the animals and the rooster.

Here I am with Hermana Winsor
(She and I have the same birthday and have been in the same zone here together!)

This is the Hernandez family (the progressing family we have been teaching!)  I ADORE them!

AMAZING WEEK!

This week was pretty much a perfect week in the mission :)  Nothing huge happened, but everything went so smoothly and I am truly comfortable here with Hermana Flores.  We both like to work hard but have fun along the way- it makes the time fly by!

We have been walking a lot because we focused on using the ward lists to encounter less active members.  The ward list is super outdated so sometimes when we knock on the door, the new owners inform us that the person we are searching for moved over 13 years ago or passed away 7 years ago.  It is kind of a hassle, but at the same time rewarding, because if the less active person doesn't live in the address we visit, we ask if we can stop by and teach the new owners (and most of them accept the invitation!)  So we gained 5 new investigators this week to begin teaching!

We ate pigeon eggs this week...tasted just like regular eggs,
but super tiny so we each ate 5! haha

The only bummer about walking a ton, is that is has been scorching hot!  Hermana Flores introduced me to the saying "me quema mi coco!" (which means "my coconut is burned!" or my head is getting burned)  It is amazing how happy I am here.  Although sometimes plans fall through, or we are tired we both help each other look for the positive.  We are constantly smiling or making each other laugh and we have become the best of friends.

Hermana Flores wants to study English in school when she returns, but is using her time with me to begin practicing. I t is a lot of fun, and she has been picking it up quickly. 

During a lesson with the Velazquez family we watched the Restoration video, which describes a bit about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.  Samara (one of the 2 little cousins) took my hand and placed it on her lap and then announced to everyone "este es mio" which means (this one's mine).  I truly adore all the children here.

This week there was a big motorcycle event with a huge dirt course
and this is the day after (before there was tons of people,
music, and easy ups set up!)

Oh, one day for lunch with the Gonzalez family I was enjoying my tacos until one of the Elders commented on how good the meat was, and how Hermano Gonzalez prepared it.  He then proceeded to tell us it was a mix of several meats including cow tongue....yum ;) haha

We helped Hermana Lupita pack up her house to move.  We used newspapers to wrap up her glass cups and plates and pretended we were wrapping presents for each other and practicing for Christmas. Hermana Flores and I both LOVE Christmas even though it is super far away, we sometimes sing Christmas hymns in the mornings ;) haha

Well, that is about all the news I have for this week. I am loving the mission and learning so much each day.  I keep you all in my prayers and hope all is going well for each of you.  I know this gospel is true and can bless the lives of everyone.

Quote of the week: "God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." - President Spencer W. Kimball

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Eliason

Special Changes

Tuesday:  We woke up like every other day and did our 30 minutes of exercise, then prepared to shower / get ready for our studies.  But then, the phone rang and all I heard from the zone leaders was "Hermana Eliason, you and Hermana Ortiz have special changes.  Hermana Ortiz needs to be in the central today at 4pm to leave for her new are in San Louis."  When Hermana Ortiz heard the news, she started to cry and tell me she's never been so happy or close with any of her other companions and didn't want to leave.  I was too stunned to accept that my trainer and only companion so far in the mission would be in an entirely different state, and I would be left here in Fresnillo to teach the area to my new companion.

We spent the few hours packing her belongings and passing by some of the members' houses for her to say good-bye.  It finally hit me when she gave me one last hug before boarding the bus that would take her far away.  We both cried and promised to keep in contact.  I love Hermana Ortiz and am going to miss her.  We had become more than companions - we were best friends who helped one another become better.

Me & Hermana Ortiz

Wednesday:  My new companion is Hermana Flores (Sister Flowers) and she's just as sweet as her name implies.  She's 19 years old and from an all-member family of 12 in El Salvator!  What's super cool, is we arrived the same day in the mission and I remember sitting by her during our orientation by the Mission President in Aguascalientes back in January.  When we found out we were going to be paired up together, we were both thrilled.  I am so lucky to serve with her.  Hermana Flores is so sincere and kind.

Hermana Flores

Thursday:  We had a great day together!  We taught 9 lessons and the people here love Hermana Flores!  She's learning the area quickly and teaches with the Spirit.  I absolutely love being with her.  She and I have clicked so quickly and it already feels like we've been friends for years.  :)

Friday:  Walking.  Walking.  Walking.  We went all over today and it was dreadfully hot; although they say this month we should be receiving rain.

Oh, the circus is in town!  They have their big yellow and red tents set up with animal cages and other exhibits on the side of one of the main roads here.  While walking past, we saw monkeys, lions, and tigers and bears (Oh my ... - reference to Wizard of Oz  haha)

The Circus & Hermana Flores

The circus is in town and here I am in front of the elephant near the front gates

Saturday:  Happy Mother's Day!  Here the 10th of May is El Dia del Madre!  All the mothers received flowers, watched the elementary school children dance and sing, and in the evening there were tons of celebrations.  :)

I got to Skype my family in the evening - which was wonderful.  Hearing their voices and seeing their smiles made me feel like I've only been gone for a week or two.  They gave me encouragement and assured me that all is well back home.  I can't wait to be with them again.  I know that one of the main reasons we are here on earth is to experience the joy that comes from families.  I am grateful to have the peace that comes from knowing that we can be together forever.

Good quote:  "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." I am learning that people matter most, and it is the small moments that together have the impact on others.

This is a meat shop in our area and every time we pass by, we bust up laughing at the picture of the cow who is smiling while his rear end is being cut up! haha I tried to mimic the action ;)

I hope everyone is doing well! Don´t forget to show the ones you love how much they mean to you (we should never assume they know our feelings, we must show them through actions of appreciation or love).  I love you all so much!  Happy Mothers day!

-Hermana Eliason

GREAT Week!

This week was GREAT!! Hermana Ortiz and I are having a lot of success here with less active members.  We've been using the church list that has the addresses of these less active members (some of which haven't been visited or attended church for years!)  One man named Jose Luis was baptized over 10 years ago and now has a wife, and three children who aren't members, but who we've been able to start teaching!  He is now a tattoo artist (his wife does the piercings) and he lived in the US for 6 years. So while he was tattooing a big dragon on the back of some random man, he and I talked in english for a good 20 min (while Hermana Ortiz talked with the wife).  It was such a different environment, but regardless, I could feel the Spirit and they were so kind and welcoming.  Their kids are adorable and they have 3 huge bulldogs that we got to play with before leaving.  We´re going to continue visiting them so I´ll be sure to keep you all updated.

This dog made me think of aunt Michelle! I miss her

Here they celebrate a holiday called Dia del Niño (day of the child).  There was no school for all the kids and tons of parties!  There were lots of piñatas in the streets and children running around with all their candy ;)  It was a lot of fun, and Hermana Ortiz and I bought some cake.

The Velazquez family taught us how to make tamales from scratch! (a surprisingly long process) After a couple of tries, I finally mastered how to spread the masa on the corn husks ;)  LOVE the food here! They turned out totally yummy!

Hermana Ortiz and I completed 100 days together!  It is amazing how fast the time is flying by here!

Sometimes I still feel like such a little kid because the simple and small things make me so happy and can entertain me for hours!  The other day Hermana Perez was using her walker to get some fresh air outside, and gave Hermana Ortiz and I permission to use her wheelchair.   We then proceeded to make speeding car noises while pushing each other around super fast (oh and the cobblestones made it all the more bumpy and fun!) Hermana Ortiz and I had a grand ol' time and Hermana Perez got a good laugh out of how much we were enjoying her wheelchair ;) haha

Hermano & Hermana Perez

For P-day today we played soccer again! We all had a lot of fun...and great news...I used sunscreen and didn't get burned ;) 

I don't have much time today to write, but all is going well here.  I see miracles everyday and love the mission life.  I hope all is going well for everyone back home.  I keep you all in my prayers and am so grateful for the love and support I receive!

Hermana Eliason

[Last week Kiley's photos wouldn't load, so below are follow-up photos]

Little dog that relaxed on my legs as I prayed
(story from last week's letter)

Here is our entire zone with the mission president the day he visited (last week)

Here are all the sister missionaries in our zone right now with the mission president´s wife
(as you can see, i am the tallest!) haha

This is from last week when I described Hermano Perez visiting Hermano Vargas when he was sick

This is one of the daughters of the Vargas family that we've become close to; her name is  Lupita.

This is Hermana Romero when we had intercambios together

I got a package from the Carter family!!

BIGGEST farmers market EVER!!! it was crazy cool!!!

This is our kitchen

This is where we study

This is our new district