Birthday Edition

Hermana Hansen celebrated her brother and sister's birthdays...Tapachula style!

Tuxtla Pimienta...Birthday Edition

The Birthday Girl...at Cañon de Sumidero

FELIZ Cumpleaños A MI.

Yes, I'm 20 today. But I don't like to talk about that because I feel super old. For my birthday surprise, I got an infected ingrown toenail (TMI?).  But that's the mission life for ya. I just keep trekkin on in my crocs. 

Also, today we went to the Cañon de Sumidero with the YSA (young single adults) from my ward and it was super chido. Blessings of a birthday on P-day!! 

 At Cañon de Sumidero with her YSA ward birthday posse

This week was a week of SERVICE SERVICE AND MORE SERVICE. But, not your normal service.... weird service opportunities like making bolis for the primary activity, making and selling mole, and helping a truck driver during the rainstorm..get unstuck. We've been praying for more service opportunities, and apparently it worked.

We made Bolis for the Primary Activity..."Day as a Missionary"!

With Hermana J, we've been trying to figure out how we can better gain her confidence so she can come to church and bring her son, Hermanito P. We asked her if we could do anything to help her, and she jokingly said to help her make mole. We told her we would be happy to, and we actually wanted to learn how anyways.

Making Mole

She also didn't want to read the Book of Mormon, so we made a deal with her that if we found 7 people to sell mole to, and helped her make it, then she would start reading the Book of Mormon. We put a date, and wrote it down in our agendas, all set.

 Making Mole

 So we went to her house on Friday, at 10 am like planned, and called her name up the stairwell. She stumbled out (obviously just woken up) and said, "What? I didn't think you guys would actually come!" 

We responded, "Of course, Hermana!" 

She said, "And you have 7 orders?" 

We said, "Claro Hermana como crea?!" (little did she know we had been frantically calling everyone we knew an hour before asking if they wanted to buy her freaking mole haha).  

 She told us that she hadn't even bought the stuff.  

So I said, "Bueno! Let's go to the market!" 

 

Making Mole like a boss

So, we went to the market with her, came back, and she taught us how to make mole! We made it in about an hour and a half. She told us alone it usually takes her 3 hours or more!! Then we went walking from east to west, bringing all the mole to her clients all over the area!! We had an awesome time, laughing with her and really just becoming her friend!

So, the next day we stop by..and she's ironing her sons clothes for church the next day. She says, "I'm not gonna be able to make it tomorrow. But, I'm gonna send my son. Will you guys watch out for him?" 

 We just blinked at her like uhhhh yeah sure!

YES! MIRACLES HAPPEN BECAUSE OF SERVICE! 

We also were able to help this kid who got stuck in the rainstorm. We ditched our umbrellas and bags on the side of the road and went with a member. We couldn't do too much since we were in skirts. But, we ended up getting in the truck bed and jumped around a bit giving it leverage so he was able to pull out! 

The kid was so grateful. Everyone was passing by, but nobody was helping him. He tried to offer us like 15$. But we just said, "No way man, the way you can repay us is by going to that church down the street Sunday at 10!" Haha 

LES AMO UN BUEN 
Hermana Hansen

Enjoy more photos of Hermana Hansen's week

 Bolis!

  At Cañon de Sumidero with her YSA ward birthday posse

 

 

Primary Activity: I can be a missionary too!

A day in the mission with the primary!

 Being Missionaries!

 

 Hermana C (one of our investigators)...teaches Hermanas how to crochet.

Display of Hermana C's creativity

Birthdays, Agua Verde and Chistosos

Happy Birthday Austin y Sav!!! 

Hermana Hansen, her companion and a friend sing Happy Birthday

I cannot believe you guys are 16. You can drive.... date..... DO IT ALL. But seriously love every minute of it. Don't be afraid to ask boys or girls to dances and go to every dance you can. Just go with your friends! Seriously they are so fun. And go to all the football games and soccer games. Be involved. You will have way more fun that way. 

 I am so grateful for you, Austin and Savannah. Being on a mission has really helped me realize what I need to change to be a better big sister, and I want you to know I am ALL IN. I love you guys so much.

You are such great examples to me. You are both so talented and so hilarious and muy guapos. Don't be afraid to stand out, always work your hardest and give your all to every single thing you do. Read your scriptures and pray all the time. 

Seriously, it's essential in high school.

Hermana's celebrating a birthday party for a little boy in Tuxtla

 OK sorry for the missionary rant. I promise I'm not that weird.... I still say things like freak...and I still sneak peaks at the TV every once in a while for Mexican soccer games....... 

Hermana I. has two cats that look just like Elvis (Sav's cat at home)

But, I love you guys so much. Seriously! Thanks for all the emails. I hope you have the best birthday ever. EVER. EN EL MUNDO.

Love you more than you can imagine! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We had a Birthday Party for Austin and Savannah - Chido (cool), no?

Los Chistosos  (funny things)

*Something important I forgot about our first baptism last week.... the water was green. No se porque (I don't know why). That's right.... AGUA VERDE.

 

Hermanas Martinez & Hansen with Hermana I. on her baptism day.

*The word for scared is miedo. This is very close to an extremely bad word in Mexico. Apparently I've been saying the bad word for like... all this time and my companion didn't notice...until I said it in front of some elders...and the elders had to correct me. AY.

Hungry Elders picking fruit from a tree near the church.

*Today I was contacting a young man on the bus. He asked me to take him back to America, invited me to a party, and then offered me some weed (which he pulled out of his bag to try to give to me). Needless to say Hermana Martinez (mi mama) was horrified. 

 In the combi (colectivo) alone... a rare occasion because people 
aren't surrounding you like pillows.

*Apparently Hermano H. (the ward mission leader and Mama C's son), walked past our apartment one night, and could like see into our windows or something. So, Mama C. (the lady who makes the huge quesadillas) freaked out for her poor missionaries, and gave us curtains to hang over our windows. It was hilarious. 

Shout out to Mama C. for looking out for our Hermana!

Chiapas rocks. Spanish is hard. But I understand the city accent now... it's the Tonala y Honduras accents that throw me off.

Hermana I. makes THE BEST food!

ESTA ES LA MEJOR!
(The mission is the best!) 

Hermana Hansen