Hola Familia!!!

Madison Rose!!! I am so glad to see your birthday party was a success. I love you so much and was thinking about you all day. And congrats on your cheer awards!!! So proud of you and sounds like softball is going well!! The volcano you were asking about is here in Mexico City but is not in my mission. I've heard there are awesome ruins and pyramids here too but also not in my mission. But maybe if you come pick me up in a year and a half we can go :) Crazy that you are driving now!!! Be safe. And a 22!! So cool. I'm sure dad will take you shooting soon. I expect to hear EVERY detail about this date. Not sure how I feel about that yet...

The giant tower thing we were in. We went up 41 floors in the elevator.

All my district. 3 elders from Mexico one from Ecuador and 2 from Bountiful from the giant tower thing we went in

We took so many pictures. Here is some from the top.

So many people

This week was great! Kinda crazy. We had to travel to the mission office/visitor center/temple area 3 days in a row! Wednesday my companion had to go get her finger prints and sign papers for her visa. I stayed at the visitors center with the other companions. I love the Spirit there. The Hermana I was on splits with had a shift at the front desk. It was really slow so I asked her to read with me en El Libro de Mormon and correct my pronunciation. She didn't know English and we only had the Spanish Book of Mormon so whenever I didn't understand a word she would act it out to help me understand. We had a lot of fun and it really helped my Spanish too :) Thursday my companion had a training meeting again so I went with the other companion and studied and gave some tours at the Visitors Center again. Friday I had to go get my finger  prints and sign for my visa so my comp had to wait this time. It made for a busy week and only half days to teach in our area.

Me in the Visitor's Center at the temple.

Mexico City Temple

The rainy season is coming!!! We had a few sweet storms this week here. When it rains it pours and sometimes hails a little... then it stops and everything is flooded. Like PERFECT puddle jumping status. I love the rain!! But we definitely need to start carrying our umbrellas :)

This was after I cut my hair yesterday before the rain.

My light brown shoes after the rain.

My companion and I after the rain

Life in the city is great! Food is great! Haven't been sick from it at all. I discovered a new obsession with guavas yesterday. They are SO good. SO GOOD. And the mangoes here too! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I sent a picture of our nasty beetle things. We find a few everyday and I check my bed every night. We have fun checking for them every time we get home and then spraying them and watching them squirm and die. We hear a cricket every night. Not sure where it is. I named him Roberto. Sometimes he makes me feel like I'm camping but then I'll hear an airplane flying above us and remember I'm in one of the biggest cities in the world.

Our crazy nasty beetle things. This is a few days worth.

The work here is going well. We are praying so hard to find a family to teach. Since a lot of our area is commercial, we are always finding people to teach that work here but don't actually live in our area. We give them as references and stop by to teach them when we can. Between less active member families and investigators we stay really busy. We were supposed to have a baptism Friday, but her boyfriend and her were going through a hard time and he's the one who had referred her to the missionaries and is a member. She ended up cancelling. She is really great though and we are praying that she will remember the answers that shes received and decide to be baptized soon. 

Saturday we took the Diaz family to the Visitors Center. They had been inactive for 12 years and are have been coming to church the past month and are wanting to prepare to enter the temple now. We have been helping them and talking lots about eternal families and the blessings of the temple with them. We've actually had a ton of lessons this week about families. It made me think of how grateful I am to have an eternal family! 

Taking the Diaz family to the Visitor's Center

My Spanish is improving quickly! Still a long ways to go but I am amazed by how much better I can understand and express myself already. This really is the Lord's work. We have seen His hand in it so many times this week just with the little things. I love being a missionary and being a part of His work. 

This week I was studying in Alma and LOVED reading about Ammon and Alma and their joyful meeting when they returned from their missions. Alma describes the joy he received from bringing souls unto repentance, being an instrument in Gods hands, seeing others truly penitent and come unto Christ, being given a calling to preach and being successful and lastly seeing the success of his brethren. I was thinking of how awesome it will be to see all the fruits of our labors. Not only mine, but Miranda and all my many friends and fellow missionaries here in Mexico City! It is such a great time to be a missionary!! 

Yesterday at church the last hour was combined and the whole thing was on missionary work and how we can hasten the work as a ward. It was awesome! Even though I didn't understand lots of what was being said, the Spirit was so strong and the ward members are really united in helping us work. I love my ward here. They are all so nice. Well times up! Hope you all have a good week and dad gets over his flu!! That sounds miserable. Love you lots!!

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Rhoten