Semana 12

Semana 12

Taco Count for the Week:  16

Total Taco Count:  153

I´m pretty sure this keyboard is older than I am... it´s super sucky!

So bear with me through this letter=)

Ya know how I normally start out at the beginning and always say how fast the week flew by?

NOPE... not this week.

This week was ETERNAL!! 

We had transfers today!!

aaaaaaaannnndd.......

nothing changed!=) Hermana Ruiz and I are really happy about it!=)

In other news, I FOUND my camera this week!!

I seriously wish I had time to tell the whole story because it is suuuper cool!

But it´s one of those stories that spans out over weeks with a bunch 

of different little parts!

But it´s super cool! Super spirtual!

So..... Ask me about it one day=)

I am going to try and send a bunch of pictures today!

(Editor's, Mom, very rough translation:  Believe me, it will be worth , I do 

not know why you expect the destination)

Besides the fact that this week was never-ending...

We had some really great times=)

We have an investigator that was in a really bad car accident about a 

year ago. She hardly has any mobility in her neck.

We had a lesson with her on thursday and we had to cut it short 

because she couldn´t hold her head up anymore.

She explained that she had fallen that morning and that she 

pulled something.

She recieved a priesthood blessing and has been getting better=)

Hermana Ruiz and I showed up at her house Friday morning and cleaned everything top to bottom!

We did her laundry and then cooked lunch for her!

We sat and visited for a little while and laughed harder than I have in a while!

She gaves us each a huge hug when we left with tears in her eyes!

She is so AMAZING!!! 

Keep her in your prayers please=) her name is Virginia.

I also mentioned another investigator a little while back that was just SOARING!!!
Our golden investigator=)

Everything has been going perfectly!! there were seriously so many 

days that I stopped and just thought how it wasn´t even possible!

Well, Sunday at about 4 in the morning we got a text.

Of course we were dead asleep.  

But the next morning H. Ruiz checked the phone and I could see her 

face just drop!!

She looked up at me and just handed me the phone.

He explained that he has been praying and asking and reading in the 

Book of Mormon...

But feels like it isn´t right for him. That he doesn´t want to continue 

meeting with us and that he won´t be coming to church anymore.

I remember before my mission someone told me that the only way to 

describe this feeling is like a bad break-up.

There are times that you need to break it off and others times that the other person super unexpectedly ends things!  This time was the latter.

That´s how it felt! it suuuuuuuucked!!

We are going to pass by Wednesday=)

Women's Conference was AWESOME!!

I was completely glued to the screen the WHOOOLE time=)

President Uchtdorf is just the best!!

I hope you are all as excited as I am for General Conference THIS WEEKEND!!!!!

WAHOOOOOO=)

I think I am really starting to feel at home here=) I have my little family in the ward that has practically adopted me!

I love walking around the streets because we always run into random people that we know=)

Don´t worry, it´s still super HOT! 

September is basically the death month of the year! With all the storms 

it just makes it hotter=)

I miss not being sticky all the time.  Haha

Literally, I get out of the shower and instantly start sweating again.

As I walk with my umbrella I can see sweat dripping from my elbow.

Super cute. I know=) 

Hahaha, just to give you all an idea=)

But the month is almost over... 

Just a quick update on Los Cabos...

We got an email from one of the sisters there... More CRAZY stories!! 

Again... ask me about it sometime=)

President sent me an email saying he wanted to send me there so that I could enjoy the storms! 

Haha

I seriously have never met anyone as sarcastic as my President!

He is the most spiritual loving man but super funny at the same time!

It took me a while to cach on to his sense of humor and actually realize that he is kidding but...

HE IS THE GREATEST!

I gotta run but I love you all so much!=)

Con Amor,

Hermana Robinson

Semana 11

Semana 11

Taco Count for the Week:  10

Total Taco Count:  137

(Editor's note from Paige's mom....this post is late since we were at Lake Powell all last week.  Sorry for the delay.  She also sent a picture but I have not yet been able to open it.  I'll add it as soon as I can.  On to Paige's blog...)

So I´m not sure if everyone knows but the Baja is part of this mission. With all the 

hurricanes there has been some excitement in the mission!

Los Cabos was the last area of my companion, Hermana Ruiz.

For this, all the members and missionaries there are always on her mind.

I want to share something that happened...

They had a big conference in the Baja about 6 weeks ago. While Hermana Ruiz was still there.

The Stake President talked during the meeting.

He shared that he had received a letter from the First Presidency and instructed all the 

missionaries to have a suitcase packed with all the "essentials."

He didn´t explain anything further than that.

It was just a few weeks later that the hurricane hit.

We had no way to communicate with any of the missionaries there.

No water.

No electricity.

Nothing.

We have heard that buildings are completely destroyed! People have started robbing stores, 

and what has caused a lot of trouble...

The prison was one of the buildings that was destroyed and everyone was able to escape.

President didn´t have anyway to get to the Baja.

Honestly, I still have no idea how he did it...

But he got to Los Cabos to evacuate all the missionaries!

They were all waiting at the chapel with their suitcases lined up against the wall.

There aren´t any missionaries there for the time being. They have all been moved to La Paz.

The apostles and the Prophet.... They know what they are doing.

UGH!! I´m seriously GIDDY for conference!! I can´t even describe it!!

Somehow in EVERY single lesson we end out teaching and testifying of the prophet!!

The spirit is SO strong in moments like this!

I love that Hermana Ruiz and I have the same goals, and that we always work

 together... and we have seen the difference in our investigators!

They are all just taking off and sailing!

Okay, I can´t totally say that.

Because NONE of them came to church Sunday.

All of their baptismal dates fell.

Our investigators need to have 5 Sundays that they have attended Sacrament before their baptism.

With transfers every 6 weeks, it makes it more difficult.

We transfers this coming week and every has their own idea about what is going to happen.

We just have to wait and see=)

MUCH LOVE!!

Hermana Robinson

Semana 10

Semana 10

Taco Count for the Week:  14

Taco Count, Total:  127

Alright...so let me apologize in advance, I don´t have any pictures from this week.

Long story short...

I had to buy a new camera today.

I lost ALL my pictures from the mission so far...

Ugh. I was devastated!!!! I have sent a lot home but there were still so many that are gone forever!!... =(

I have a few from today though=)

We went ice skating!!!!!

SOOOO MUCH FUN!

For a lot of the missionaries it was their VERY first time!

It was super funny to watch all of them=)

We went bowling too=)

We have some awesome missionaries here!!

It´s fun to get together and share stories and joke around. It adds a nice break to the week=)

This week has been interesting with all the hurricanes that are passing by.

We will be out working and suddenly get a call to go home.

Sometimes a huge storm hits and other times nothing happens.

We have seen so many miracle this week!!

I love being involved in a work that I am able to see the Lords hand

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

 I am feeling the spirit in the smallest things!

People write and ask for different spiritual experiences that I have had.

Honestly, there were SOO many this week!

I´m to the point that I´m not focusing on the language as much or trying to translate as fast as I can in my head!

 I can have conversations with them!!

It is such a relieving feeling.

We have one investigator in particular that is just...

SKY ROCKETING!!!!

All of his family is super religious and part of another church.

He explained that he never joined that church because he never felt like it was the TRUE church!

He has been asking but never knew where to look!

One day we were going to a members house and didn´t have the house number.  All we knew was that it was orange.  We knocked on the door of an orange house annnnd...

THERE HE WAS=)

He told us he had a lot of questions! So he came to my English class and we had a lesson with him after=) 

He has been coming to church and EVERY lesson that we have with him is SO CRAZY POWERFUL!!!!

I got my letters from Culiacán today and I just want to thank all those that wrote me=)

They really are little envelopes of GOLD!!!

I am always praying for all of you!! Family and Friends! And I always pray for you by name=)

I can´t help but think a lot about Logan and school starting. This time of year is always so great=)

LIVE IT UP FOR ME AGGIES!!=)

Enjoy the cool fall weather!!

I love you all.

MUCHISIMO AMOR,

Hermana Robinson

Sorry I didn´t have much time to write this week...

Semana 2

SEMANA 2

Taco Count: 12 

It´s almost unreal everything that can happen in just one week!!

What an eventful week, too...

Mexico is still super HOT... somehow I feel like it gets hotter every day.

One day we were praying and since my head was down, I could feel drops of sweat dripping from my chin and nose and ears! Yummy, right?:)

People always ask why in the WORLD I would leave my home to come to a place that is so hot...

Well, let me explain :) haha

In the mornings we have to drink a liter of straight electrolytes! It tastes like salt water but  without the salt. I know it makes no sense. It´s the only way to describe it. 

Not my favorite... yuck!

Spanish kicks my butt most days.  There are some days where I can understand everything and the people can understand me and everything flows beautifully!

Then the next day... nothing.  I can´t understand what anyone is saying and they 
can´t understand me. 

There are a LOT of people here that speak English.  But nobody will talk to me in English.

We had Comida with some members yesterday.  They are both English professors at the University here.  Neither of them wanted to talk with me because they were intimidated!

I was reading a story to two little girls and they looked at me like I was crazy!! Then they said, “Now do it in Spanish!!”  Uh.......that WAS in Spanish.

By the time my head finally hits my pillow at night it is just throbbing from the day!

My companion asked me if I dream in Spanish yet...

Yup!! But I can´t even understand Spanish my dreams either!! haha

The people here are interesting... some people LOVE Americans and some hate them! 

People yell at me and say, “SPEAK ENGLISH!!”

Marriage proposals aren´t that hard to find...

They always want to know my first name.

When the men ask me why I can´t date or kiss them on the cheek like I do with the women, 
I start to explain and they stop me and say... wait, wait, wait.  Before you to tell me anymore 
let me just get it all of my chest and then I won´t need to say anything else! 

They spill everything out... and I don´t understand! hahaha 

People always comment on my eyes.

You would think even here in Mazatlan people would be used to Americans. Guess not!

We had exchanges this past week... we have them every week.

SUPER different!!

I seriously lucked out with my companion! She is amazing! I am already sad knowing that she will be leaving in just a few weeks.  :(

So I finally feel like I am getting used to the area and the people and everything.

Well I just found out that our area is changing tomorrow...

Nooooooo!!!

We have 7 baptisms that we are just handing over to the Elders.  It´s great!! But at the same 
time it’s way sad!

The very very very first lesson I had was at this cute little purple house. 3 kids, 15, 17, and 19.  Their first lesson AND my first lesson!

They have been doing SO great!!! 

The youngest girl is SUPER smart! She loves reading and is super responsive to the 
Book of Mormon.  Her date is the 16th of August.

She told us she would only get baptized IF she got an answer that it was true.

Well after sacrament meeting she pulled us aside and said,

 “Hermanas, I got an answer last night.  I´m ready to be baptized.”

WHAT?!?! 

I honestly had her repeat it probably 5 times!! 

I have always heard of these moments... and expected these moments to happen on the mission.

But, I was NOT ready for it.  I just cried and hugged her.

After church her brother came up to us... he told us he wanted to be baptized...

Once again...

 WHAT?!?! 

He told us he still has questions though, and wants to work through some things before we set a date.

When we went to their house last night, we told them that we wouldn´t be coming back... That there would be Elders that would be coming to meet with them now. 

They started crying... it broke my heart.

I have learned so much this week about the power of teaching with the spirit.  There are times that I have NO idea what I am doing... But if I listen close enough the spirit will tell me exactly what I need to do.

I know what I am teaching is true! I love this gospel with my WHOLE heart.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Hermana Robinson

Also... don´t forget taco Tuesday :)