May the fourth be with you

May 4, 2015

So we had a really good week last week. I mean... it was probably the fastest week of my entire mission.. like I cannot believe I am already here again...but I guess time flies when you are HAVING FUN! WHOO!

We had two baptisms on Saturday! The two little brothers of Liliana! They were the cutest. They had been wanting to get baptized for a really long time, but the parents kept saying that they were too young blah blah blah. So we were going to go in there and planch those parents with scriptures and such, but we didn´t. We had the calmest and most spiritually powerful lesson. I felt 100% guided by the Spirit, which is always the best feeling in the whole world. They told us they would have a family council on the matter and that we could stop by the next day, which was last Monday. Monday we went to talk to them a little bit nervious. They came out, sat down, and the mom said, "You´re here about the baptism, right? Well.. we talked about it, and we decided that yes they can get baptized." WHAT?! YEAS!!!!!! It was so exciting! They were so precious in their excitement, those two little guys. Love them. And what I love more is that BOTH of the parents went to the baptism AND the confirmation! And the mom stayed there for the whole block! (Which was fun because relief society was really...erm...exciting).  We are really super excited about teaching them about the restored gospel so that the entire family can get baptized and then get sealed and then be happy!!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

Last week was also awesome because it was rainy and cold. and that means our wardrobe about doubles. We also had the consejo and therefore the zone class in cardenas. Gooood times. I don´t know HOW I get so lucky, but an assistant ALWAYS comes to our class. This time I really didn´t think one was going to be there, but then, right before it was my turn to speak, in walks the Elder. Awesome. But it was all good! It was a really good class! We have some really good zone leaders, and I think all of us got good and PUMPED to work super duper hard.

I was thinking today about how today should have been my very last pday, and I was thinking, "Boy, I am really glad that today is not my last pday." And then I started feeling the pressure, because now it´s like a race against time. There are just so many things that I feel like I still have to do, and so very little time to do it in. Hermana Knowles and I are going to work with all of our MIND all of our MIGHT and all of our STRENGTH in these last weeks to make sure that our Heavenly Father is happy with our effort. They say the mission is a marathon, not a sprint.... I´m no runner, but I am pretty sure this last little bit is about to be a sprint. HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

And I don´t know what ya´ll had planned for Sunday... but I was thinking that we could maybe skype? If you wanted? I was thinking that maybe we could chat at like 4:30 or 5 my time? If that would be possible? Okay. Awesome. See you there.

Remember who you are and what you stand for.

No kissing or swearing. 

Share the gospel.

peace and blessings.

i love you I love you I love you

Hermana Moser

I don´t know about you... but I´m feeling TWENTY TWO!!

April 27, 2015

Wow.. I feel like I haven´t even written you people since I was a least 21 years old! MAN how times does fly, doesn´t it? hahaha.... Kidding. In case you didn´t know, I am now 22 years of age, which is a lot. It is super weird. I still hadn´t really come to terms with being 21. Guess that´s life, eh?

 My people treated me really well on Thursday. My companion made me french toast because she loves me, and also decorated my wall with a "Feliz cumpleaños." It is hilarious because the s keeps falling off. Guess even our wall decorations want to be choco. haha. "Feliz cumpleaño a todo" hahaha Goood times. Then at night, we had a meeting with the bishop and his counselors to resolve a pequeño problema que tenemos... and then it was over and we only had like 15 minutes to get home and so when all the hermanos left... we did too. When the bishop saw us all he said was "Why did you leave the room? Go back to the room." So we went back to the room and just sat there awkwardly until ...

...the door opened and a bunch of members came in singing happy birthday and carrying a cake. hahaha They are the best. We had to do the traditional cake face smashing and cutting really fast, though, because the misioneras had to go! Good thing ward members have cars and are willing to drive us home. :) Other than that it was a pretty normal day. We have found and taught a lot of really awesome people, and it has been hard to decided who we need to focus on.

Feeling 22 and loved.

Traditional birthday cake face plant.

Trying to share some frosting "love" with Hermana Knowles

We have this really super awesome investigador named Jose. He is AWESOME and he is so ready to be baptized he just hasn´t realized it yet. Sometimes he gets frustrated with us for talking about it so much, but what else are we supposed to do, ya know? Last week we went to see him, and he said that he has increased his faith, and that he has repented "a little bit" and that he really has seen a change in himself. So we decided, after much talking, probably too much talking, to say a prayer. The only one that really knows of Jose needs to be baptized is his Heavenly Father. It was a really sweet prayer. And afterwords he just sat there and looked at the ground (we were outside sitting under a tree because it is HOT). We sat there for about 5 minutes, until one of us finally asked what he had felt. And he told us that he couldn´t concentrate because the chickens were making too much noise. Sigh. This week we are going back to see him again. Don´t worry, he will come around someday. 

 Sorry that you were all so confused by the Zapata thing... It WAS pretty confusing for all of us. They (the president and the office elders) were bringing to pass some sweet special conferences that required some heavy duty divisiones. Sometimes the president went out with missionaries, and sometimes Hermana Morales, and the office elders... but there are no hermanas in the offices, so they called the liders capacitadoras to help out I guess. But they gave us NO notice. So I went for 24 hours to my old area to help out. That is all. It was pretty great.

Hey good job Naflin in nationals!! Can´t wait to hear all about it!

I love you I love you I love you!!!

Hermana Moser

Zapataaa

April 20, 2015 

Once upón a time, Hermana Moser received an interesting phone call from President Morales. 

"Hermana Moser, are you doing anything important today?"

"Just missionary work, president. You?"

"We were just wondering if you could hop on a combi and get to Villa. We need you in Emiliano Zapata today, and we are about to leave."

"WHAT? The emiliano Zapata that is super far away?"

"Yes." 

"Bueno, pues. Alli voy."

And so that is the story of how I got to return to the place that I love OH so dearly. 

it was so much fun! I got to see Jorge, Gloria, mis bebes (one of them can walk now!), Juan Pablo and his familia... And also Hermana Solis! And then in the ADO I saw the bishops wife from Frontera!!! WHAAAAAT?! Plus, on the way there, President Morales bought me a Subway sandwich, and let me watch the restoration movie in English with his daughter on her super nice laptop in the back of the van. It pretty much just felt like one giant birthday present from my Heavenly Father. He loves me. :)

Gloria.

Juan Pabloa and his wife, who also got baptized!  YEAS!

Hermana Solis

We had a wonderful baptism! Her name is Liliana and she is AWESOME. Probably the most spiritually intelligent 16 year old I have ever met. Which is a good thing, too, because I was definitely on the other side of the mission when the elders did her baptism interview. She was totally ready. The only sad part was that nobody from her family came. Her little brothers were sleeping, her little sister is a bit of a stinker and didn´t want to come, and her parents had left town. But we had Hermano Bartolo, who is her neighbor and a GIANT helper in missionary work, do the ordinance. He was  happy, she was happy, we were RIDICULOUSLY happy.... I love baptisms. 

Sister Knowles, Liliana, Me, Hermano Bartolo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSSEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! Wow. 9 Years. Sometimes I look at other kids that have 9 years, and I can´t believe that my baby brother is that big. Freaky. Sure love you, kid. Hope you´re being good.

My Week in Pictures:

This is a picture of my joy at seeing a dog in a bag. Hilarious!

HUCKLEBERRY!!!! I love Hermana Weaver and I love her MORE
when she shares her packages.

The other day we were walking, when suddenly Hermana Knowles disappeared! I turned around and.. lo and behold.. she had stopped in the shade. It is HOTT here.

#Ishott!

Well... That is about all I can think of. Love your guts!

I love you I love you I love you!

Hermana Moser

#statusofficialmexican

April 13, 2015

Ways to know you are officially Mexican:

1. You eat mole without batting an eye. Because you actually like it.

2. You get really hot, and you actually crave pozol.

3. It is not considered ridiculously hot until every part of you is sweating. Eyes, neck, knees... all of it. 

4. You can carry a 20 liter jug of water from the nearest corner store to your 2nd story apartment without putting it down.

5. You CAN break into your own apartment through the tiny window in the bedroom.  

This week was a weird week. I think all the weeks are weird. haha... Just nothing here happens the way I imagined. Today, as we were sitting on the kitchen floor eating freshly made pancakes, we talked about how even 2 years ago we never would have imagined our lives here in Mexico. And now I can´t imagine my life without my time here. It continues to be the BEST. Every day I am amazed by some new thing, or some new word, or some new way of thinking. Every day i learn something new about the gospel or about the love that God has for LITERALLY every single one of His children. The mission is the best ever. So... Sorry if i don´t go home. :) haha kidding... I have already had one run-in with the migration police... Don´t really want to repeat that experience.  

Wait, about the weird week we had: 

It started with Tuesday, because Tuesday we went running. (insert gasp "BUT she doesn´t run!" here). We had been going up to the roof to excercise, because the rule is to go outside for 30 minutes, but I know that Hermana Knowles used to be a runner. She has adapted to other things for the sake of her other companions, but I thought "Hermana Knowles, if you want to run in the morning.. I will support you." You know what that was? A bad idea. We came back from our run (sweating bullets because, pues, it´s Mexico en Abril) only to find that our bedroom was locked! That was completely unacceptable because the fans were in there! We tried opening it with tweezers, knives, bobby-pins... all kinds of things. Nuthin. So then we went outside in the little hallway there and thought, "Well... there is a hole there where the invisible air conditioner lives... Maybe we can get through that!" hermana Knowles tried it... but it didn´t really work. And then I tried it... and I got in! hahaha it was really hilarious and scary and awesome. We still can´t believe it actually worked, and it happened a long time ago.  

The rest of the week was weird just because we were exhausted. I blame running. Then my companions blood pressure spiked yesterday and we had to go to the doctor and she had to get a shot... I am telling you. running is not healthy.  

It was also hard because one of my favorite investigadores dropped us. I hate it when that happens. It just hurts every time.  

We have a baptism planned for this Saturday! For a lovely young woman named Liliana. She is the greatest. I think I sent a funny picture a couple weeks ago with us and her brothers. We are super excited for her, and also for her whole family. Her little brother Kevin turned 8 like a month ago, and is repeatedly asking his mom when he can get baptized. :) I love them. 

Well I´m super stoked you got to go to Hawaii! That sounds great. How about you take me with you next time, eh?

I love you I love you I love you!

Hermana Moser - Mexican.

Gracias a que ¡EL VIVE!

April 6, 2015

Sooo... Last week was awesome.  

I mean, not awesome in that no one was home and there was zero transportation and we walked a lot a lot and it was really hot.... but awesome in that those things didn´t even matter one little bit for Hermana Knowles and I. This new video from the church is the best thing that has happened since El es la Dádiva, and we shared it with the entire world (and by that I mean the pueblito de Cunduacán). It was AWESOME. We spent all of our time testifying of the Atonement of Christ, of His Resurreccion... of His church and His prophet that we heard speak this weekend!!!! 

 I LOVE CONFERENCE! It was the best thing ever! We only had one investigador come. Turns out conference coincides with the same week that all of Mexico goes to the beach for the week. Ni modo. Our investigadora is named Jessica. She is 17 and the sister of a young man that has been less active for about a year. They BOTH came to conference, even though they had cousins at home! We were so excited! Well, I was so excited! Hermana Knowles didn´t even really know that she was an investigador. haha :) Love cambios, right? She said she really liked it, and asked when we could go to her house. She is awesome. 

And so was conference!!! IT WAS AWESOME! Except we didn´t know abou the dissenting votes... And what happened to Elder Scott?? And is president Monson sick? No one tells us anything, so if there is something we should know about.... 

We were just super excited to hear all the messages. It is literally better than Christmas in the mission. I have probably said that before. But seriously.. we go to bed all giddy and we wake up and put our best clothes  on. Well.. this time around that really didn´t happen either because we hadn´t done laundry in 2 weeks gracias a los cambios and we were both running low on clothes. Also we had daylight savings on saturday that robbed us one whole hour of precious sleep, pero bueno. We survived and today we ate pizza and last weekend was conference and IT WAS AWESOME! I loved the talk by the man that spoke in Spanish. And the talk by Elder holland. And the talk abou the Sabbath Day. That is one of our biggest problems in this area. i have no specific quotes to send you because my notes are all in some sweet spanglish. Lets just say that a lot of my questions were answered, and the spirit was felt. I love conference. We are going to use these talks to help the whole world! :D I am very jealous that you all got to go. I am also jealous of that pie that I see in the picture at grandmas house. "What is that... pie? What does that taste like?" 

I also loved when President Uctdorf started speaking in Spanish. The voice over people had a good chuckle as well. They are funny. :)

I love you I love you I love you!

And today i bought a camera. :) So.... Maybe you´ll get pictures next week.

Paz y bendiciones
Hermana Moser

Compa Americana part 3

March 30, 2015

Heeeeeey guys,

Sorry about last week. I was as sad about it as you were, trust me. My companion was just REALLY fascinated by all of the animals found in la venta, and took a picture of every single one of them. She didn´t understand the time crunch we were in, I guess. And then we took a combi that took us faaaaaaaar away from where we wanted to be.. and then we got stuck in traffic... It was a wonderful time. Trust me. Also it rained. The good news is that La Venta is really cool! When you two take me back to Mexico I will bring you and I will buy you dulce de coco and pozol. Because it is the best.

 I am feeling like my communication skills are not their best today. 

Probably because we had transfers. Transfers always jargle the noggin. My dear Hermana Rivero dela Guarda went to who-knows-where, and now I am here in Cunduacán with Hermana Knowles! (That´s right! American companion #3 for the WIIN). She is from Riverton, Utah, she has 14 months in the mission, and she is awesome. We are about to rock this place. 

This last Saturday we had three baptisms! Of Estrella, Blanca, y Zuri. They are the family of Enrique and they are WONDERFUL! I love them so much! When we go there I feel like I am going to an Aunt´s house or something. And they are super fun to teach because they do everything we ask them to do and more! Like they have read the entire Gospel Principles book. They understand everything so well, and they were so excited to be baptized! 

Something really cool happened with Zuri. She was always kind of not sure about whether or not she wanted to get baptized on Saturday, so on Thursday we went with her and read in Alma 32 about faith and then said a prayer asking God if that was what He wanted her to do. She said after the prayer she felt something like "whooosh" and all tingly and warm... so then we talked about the Spirit and everything and she seemed more calm about her baptism date. Friday we did not see them because we had a party celebrating the relief society in the which all of the hermanas came dressed up as pioneers. Hilarious, because they all brought their bonnets and their 6-inch heels. I love Mexico! haha. Saturday morning we went, and Blanca and Estrella were super sure about what they wanted, but they said that Zuri still was not sure. And she wasn´t there! she was out with her friends!! AHH! We were  super nervous, but we trusted in the answers that we knew God had already given her. 

So then all three of them were super late for the baptism service, and I was super stressed out because... well, baptisms stress me out. Until then we saw Zuri walking up the sidewalk all beautiful in a new dress and smiling and happy and ready to be baptized!!!! WE WERE SO EXCITED!!! But this is where the cool part happened: 

Zuri came back that morning more confused than before. So Blanca, her mom, started reading Mosiah 18 with her. Zuri was crying and not sure, and then she noticed that something was written in the front of her Book of Mormon. She asked her mom to read it, and it was John 3:5! "El que no naciere del agua y del espiritu no puede entrar al reino de Dios." (Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ) She took that for her answer. :) But the weird part is no one knows who wrote it! It is the book that we gave her, but we never wrote anything... and they have asked everyone that had access to it... nothing. Super cool. Heavenly Father is AWESOME and He ALWAYS answers prayers! 

I can´t remember much else that happened. I am exhausted. haha.. I am glad that you had fun in Seattle! Mexico is better, but... next year :) Also, THANK YOU for the clips of Naflin singing. That kid is GOOD! My goodness gracious... Even with the videos being upside down I was amazed. :) haha "If I were a rich man" was my favorite. Loved the shimy. 

I love you I love you I love you!

Have a good week!

Hermana Moser

PS.. Mom, the president said today that I will be going home on the 6th. I will be traveling by myself... but now you don´t have to worry about scheduling conflicts. 

SORRY!

March 23, 2015

Dear loved ones,

We have approximately zero minutes to write today. What happened was that we went to La Venta (a sweet museum in Villa) with Hermanas Pasley and Zuñiga and it took longer than expected. Actually, what took the longest was the getting lost in Villahermosa part. The point is, now we are home and happy and safe and SUPER late. Just wanted to write a little something, since I know that Monday´s are probably the day you look forward to the most. :)

I love you I love you I love you!!!

Pictures look awesome!

Hermana Moser