First week in Tonala - Semana 8
This week has been a bit of a whirlwind, I am not
going to lie. We took like 3 buses and there was a lot of waiting, but we
finally made it to Tonalá, our area, on Tuesday night. Mexico City and Tonalá are
like completely different worlds, I can´t even express how I felt getting off
the bus. The only thing that felt real
was the heat and the sweat, honestly. This is the hottest area in the mission
because it´s so close to the coast. Also
the people here slur their words the most out of anywhere in the mission, so as
you can probably guess, I´m just loving life to the fullest. But in all seriousness, the area is full of
people to talk to and share the gospel with, which is good.
My companion is amazing - her name is Hermana Juarez and she is from Michoacan (Mexico). She is 23 and has a degree in nutrition. She speaks very very little English but is learning! She is so patient with me, with investigators, and with everyone she talks to. I try to follow in her footsteps in many ways. She pushes me a lot to talk with people, bear testimony, and invite people to be baptized. I think she pushes me just enough- sometimes it´s really hard, but that´s where growth happens. I struggle a lot with having patience with myself. A lot of that frustration comes from the language - speaking to people in Spanish and then also having a lot of people speak to me and then I don´t understand them, or I only understand half - its very difficult. It feels like taking a page from a book and ripping it vertically and then trying to read and understand with only a part of the story. It´s hard! It makes me feel discouraged a lot because I desperately want to teach more, contribute more, talk to everyone, and get to know and love the people but I can´t understand them. I am praying for patience in this constantly, but regardless things are going well.
We have an investigator with a baptismal date and had 2 show up to church yesterday. Maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, but for me, seeing our investigators sit down in the chapel felt like success and progress. The members here are great. We are still trying to meet with them all. The streets get kind of crazy sometimes and there are no stoplights or signs. A lot of times cars will drive through the streets blaring ads from speakers on top of their cars. Or a bicycle with 2 people on it will have one pedaling and the other holding a sign with numbers on it. Apparently it’s for a lottery thing. Anyway, it´s a whole new world. I´m used to the way things are in the US and here things are very different. It´s literally a life changing adjustment. I think my favorite part (there are many) is that we have to refill the tank for the toilet every time and that the shower is just water falling out of a hole in the wall. But of course as always, it could be worse!
I joke a lot that my "mejor amiga" is the fan because it´s soooo hot. The only time I´m not sweating is in the cold showers, but I´m getting used to it. Like I´m not surprised anymore when we step out of the house and its 100 degrees and we are swimming to our appointments because of the humidity. But it´s not bad here! Just different. The houses are all colored, for example, we ask someone where they live and they say on this street between this street and that street. And we ask what number and they´re like, oh I don´t know but it´s this color. Everyone will talk to you if you start a conversation. We do a lot of hymn singing for people in the streets and mini impromptu lessons. Also, I have a lovely nickname! Basically, only kids or men will call me this, but people in the streets will either stare or whistle or call me "Guarita"- which basically means little white girl. There are kids here who have never seen a white person before (according to my companion) so they especially stare. The only other American or person who speaks English here that I´ve seen is an Elder from my district in the CCM that is in the same area as me. I am excited for the adventures that Tonalá will hold for me!
(click here to see Hermana Dangl's casa and to walk the streets of her first area.)
My companion is amazing - her name is Hermana Juarez and she is from Michoacan (Mexico). She is 23 and has a degree in nutrition. She speaks very very little English but is learning! She is so patient with me, with investigators, and with everyone she talks to. I try to follow in her footsteps in many ways. She pushes me a lot to talk with people, bear testimony, and invite people to be baptized. I think she pushes me just enough- sometimes it´s really hard, but that´s where growth happens. I struggle a lot with having patience with myself. A lot of that frustration comes from the language - speaking to people in Spanish and then also having a lot of people speak to me and then I don´t understand them, or I only understand half - its very difficult. It feels like taking a page from a book and ripping it vertically and then trying to read and understand with only a part of the story. It´s hard! It makes me feel discouraged a lot because I desperately want to teach more, contribute more, talk to everyone, and get to know and love the people but I can´t understand them. I am praying for patience in this constantly, but regardless things are going well.
We have an investigator with a baptismal date and had 2 show up to church yesterday. Maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, but for me, seeing our investigators sit down in the chapel felt like success and progress. The members here are great. We are still trying to meet with them all. The streets get kind of crazy sometimes and there are no stoplights or signs. A lot of times cars will drive through the streets blaring ads from speakers on top of their cars. Or a bicycle with 2 people on it will have one pedaling and the other holding a sign with numbers on it. Apparently it’s for a lottery thing. Anyway, it´s a whole new world. I´m used to the way things are in the US and here things are very different. It´s literally a life changing adjustment. I think my favorite part (there are many) is that we have to refill the tank for the toilet every time and that the shower is just water falling out of a hole in the wall. But of course as always, it could be worse!
I joke a lot that my "mejor amiga" is the fan because it´s soooo hot. The only time I´m not sweating is in the cold showers, but I´m getting used to it. Like I´m not surprised anymore when we step out of the house and its 100 degrees and we are swimming to our appointments because of the humidity. But it´s not bad here! Just different. The houses are all colored, for example, we ask someone where they live and they say on this street between this street and that street. And we ask what number and they´re like, oh I don´t know but it´s this color. Everyone will talk to you if you start a conversation. We do a lot of hymn singing for people in the streets and mini impromptu lessons. Also, I have a lovely nickname! Basically, only kids or men will call me this, but people in the streets will either stare or whistle or call me "Guarita"- which basically means little white girl. There are kids here who have never seen a white person before (according to my companion) so they especially stare. The only other American or person who speaks English here that I´ve seen is an Elder from my district in the CCM that is in the same area as me. I am excited for the adventures that Tonalá will hold for me!
Katelynne emailed Jeff and said, “You know how
you always told me when I complained that it was hot that I didn`t know what
hot was. I can now say with a surety
that I KNOW what hot is. It’s SOOO humid and it never stops. I am always sweating and there is no AC anywhere
(especially not our house). I am never not wet. I`m always sticky and gross, from the moment I
step out of the shower until I get back in the shower. Also it randomly rains
and I understand so little.”
We were able to skype with her yesterday for
Mother’s Day for an hour and we loved hearing her share her experiences and are
so proud of her. She went to the church where
they had ac and was able to use the computers there. It was so awesome, and when we talk to her in
7 months at La Navidad she will be in a whole different place. She will understand the language and will
feel more accustomed to everything.
She emailed Jeff her street and the color of
her house and we were able to find it on google maps. That is the picture that is attached. Crazy cool!
We can actually look at the city she live in, see the dogs on the streets
and where she is spending her time. They
don’t have addresses on the house, they locate them by color and proximity to
other things. Therefore you need to send
her packages to the mission home.
Thanks for your support. You can continue to email her at:
Her birthday is June 18th.
Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez Mission
Apartado Postal 278
29000 Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
Mexico
Her badge that is still black, she says it starts to turn yellow in time from the sun and humidity.
The family with our Hermana Dangl via skype. We cried, laughed, and rejoiced.
The extended family joined in and listened to her share about her new experiences.
Her house is found by its color, yellow and purple, with no address. We found this picture on google maps.
The room where they study their language and the gospel every morning. She is teaching her companion English and then her comp teaches her Spanish.
The toilet and shower all in one. She showers twice a day because she gets so hot!
Picture from her last week at the CCM with her district and her teachers.
The B on the hill is from the name of the school, Benemerito. It used to be a private Mormon High school until 2013 when they closed it and converted it into the CCM (MTC)
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