Hermana Dangl - Missionary in Mexico: Semana 12 - Days are long and weeks are short!

I don’t even know where this week went. It’s so true what they all say – days are long and weeks are short. In the beginning, one day was like four days, they felt soooo long. Now one day is one day. I’ve been told that pretty soon, four days will feel like one day and the time will really fly. I guess it’s kind of true as we’re wrapping up this transfer already and I’m killing my mom (meaning, my trainer – mama, is going home) and I’m here companion (hija-daughter) for her last transfer. It’s pretty rough to watch her pack and clean and feel like I should be going home as well! But I still have a little over 15 months until the people of Chiapas are no longer graced with my presence. :o)

Something that I love about being here is that all the beverages (agua) that are here you buy from people just wandering around selling them. People are always selling stuff, either from bikes or from their houses—little abarrotes and tiendas (stores) out of people’s houses are on every street. It’s amazing! We started teaching someone I thought might be an Escogido (chosen investigator) but I’ve recently started thinking is a mob boss. On Thursday during our planamiento seminal (weekly planning), we went to the market and bought dulce de papaya and agua de sandia (watermelon). It’s super cheap and they give it to you in a bag and then tie it around a straw. We returned to the casa and watched the District for a bit with our goods and laughed more about how unrealistic the videos are for our situation and area. For example, how music always plays when they pray but that never happens to us during lessons.

I ended up talking to a doctor on the phone and she said, “I have to eat super bland food for a bit to see if I have some kind of infection or if it’s the different food that’s making my stomach hurt (still.)” I had a member tell me she was tired of me not being able to eat as much and always giving the excuse of still accustoming to the food. She told me that as a missionary I need to have faith that no matter what I eat, the Lord will keep me healthy. That sounds really nice but it isn’t happening so far. We checked in on her on Sunday because she wasn’t at church and she said she stayed home with stomach pain.

Saturday we had another baptism. It was great! The water was kind of green from the chlorine and blue toilet water changing tablets that we put it in but all in all, it was a great service. A baptism is a really nice “Happy 1 Month in Tonala” present.

On Sunday we had a special noche de hogar (Family Home Evening) for a member that’s moving away and for Hermana Juarez. All the members were crying over her because everyone loves her and it was making me really sad. I don’t want her to leave me! There was warm rice water which sounds weird but like everything that sounds weird here, was actually pretty good. Hermana Juarez wants to visit her old areas before she goes back so today (Monday) we’re going to Tapachula. It’s about 3 hours from Tonala, more south towards Guatemala. Then Tuesday we’ll go to Tuxtla (5 hours) and my new companion and I will ride back to Tonala from there. Usually adventures like this are against the rules but apparently if you spend your whole mission baptizing every single person in Mexico you get to do what you want, plus bring your companion (me) along. We spent the day in Tapachula and its less hot there and a big city. I got to catch up with Hermana Nelson, my MTC companion who is in that area. Thank you all for your love and support! Con amor, Hermana Dangl