Hola! It's been a good week! Busy and a little bit longer than usual but all is well.

Glad to hear everything is going well at home too! Hope you all have a great turkey day tomorrow! Our stake president's wife is making us a turkey thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.... :) So I won't be missing out on too much even though I will definitely miss seeing all the family.

These are some old photos now that I'm finally getting my memory card all fixed and figured out. Hermana Wilkinson and I thought this street was pretty cool. Day we entered the MTC :) pretty sweet. And Shaun's birthday.

We had cambios yesterday but my companion and I are staying another transfer here in Balbuena!! Excited to keep working hard together. She is awesome. Were gonna have a fun Christmas together for sure.

When we went to the visitors center with Carmen. She's the sweetest lady ever.

With the temple! They are going to have a devo on Sunday to turn on all the lights for Christmas. So cool. It already is pretty decked out.

We ran into my other companion at the visitors center. It's a happening place. You can always find someone there you know. Love having it so close. Such a good resource.

This week we had intercambios with Hermana Evans and Hermana Durham. I went with Hermana Evans to her area. She's the tall blond one. And our cute little companions stayed in our area. It was a fun day. She is an awesome missionary with an amazing singing voice. She should be a disney princess.

Someone brought us cheesecake and chocolate cake to split in case we had cambios. But we didn't. tehe. The members here are way sweet.

We thought this was pretty cool. I couldn't remember how her face is though.

One of the best things about this week is that the hermanas in our ward had a baptism! I don't have a picture with me but it was a suprise baptism cuz we had been thinking she was going to have to wait a while but talked with President and yeah. It was a miracle for sure. It was a happy day!

Our last district meeting on Monday! Our zone leaders had cambios and Hermana Wilkinson but there rest of us all stayed :)

Saying goodbye to Hermana Wilkinson yesterday!! She actually just got transferred to another ward in our stake. And her companion came here. It's pretty funny not having many options for hermanas. We can just about always predict the cambios.

La cuidad!

And a volcano. Yep we found snow in Mexico! Not sure how well you can see it from this picture but definitely was a snow topped mountain.

Well all is good. Working hard and learning lots everyday. The mission always has lots of ups and downs but its worth the ride. Hope you all have a happy thanksgiving and eat lots of pumpkin pie!

Lots of love, 

Hermana Rhoten

Hola familia y amigos! It's been another great week!

Excited to hear that Don and Tara had their baby!!! That is going to be so fun to have two cousins so close in age. Can't wait to see them. They will be 9 months when I get back! Can't believe I'm already half way through the mission! It goes by too fast. 

The mission is honestly the greatest. I'm loving every minute except for the minutes when we have to eat. My stomach wasn't made for Mexico but its alright. It's crazy how much the Lord helps us as missionaries. Almost all this week I've been feeling a little sick after the comida but yesterday really bad. We had a cita fall and were close to the house so we stopped by quick to use the bathroom. I laid down for a minute in lots of pain but didn't fell like resting either. My companion asked me what we do and I figured well I can lay here sick for the evening thinking about all the people I could be teaching and helping or we can go out and work and I'll probably still feel sick but knowing that I'm helping people come unto Christ makes it worth it. We had a lot of success that evening and I know that the Lord was blessing me a lot. It's like the promise in Doctrine and Covenants 24:12  "And at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with a voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength such as is not known among men." I can testify that this promise is true. Its like some sorta super power. The Lord really does bless us, lift us up and carry us at times in the mission. I've learned to recognize his hand more and more each day. 

Some good news this week is that we were able to find lots of families!!! My whole mission we are always praying and praying to find full families that we can teach and it's coming. Right in time for Christmas. Gonna be a white Christmas for sure. 

Selfies shopping in al centro!! Love these girls. Fun times!!!

Before I forget... next week we are going to work on Monday, have cambios on Tuesday and pday on Wednesday. So I'll be writing on Wednesday next week! Also I don't know if I can get pictures sent. I will try in a minute but my memory card is still struggling. I bought a new one today in Tipitu. We went to the biggest black market in Mexico today.... :) Then al centro and found the coolest stuff ever. It was a successful day for sure! Got all my Christmas shopping done and the Birthdays I had missed too... :) So stoked. And we found a frozen yogurt place too. Yep. Successful day.

Also before I forget.. Thanks a lot for the package mom. It was WAY good!!! Hermana Cecy makes the best cookies! They were still warm and fresh when she brought them. And I was super happy to have so many nuts and healthy snacks. They have them here and I could probably find them but a little out of the missionary budget. My companion and I were super grateful. 

This week was one of my converts from Bosques birthday and I got permission to call her and talk for a little bit. It's so cool to watch people change and grow. I feel like they are my children or something. But honestly there is no greater joy then seeing them faithful in the church. Also talked to Hector and Alejandra for a little bit and they're still down for coming to Utah to get sealed next August. SO excited for them. Love their family so much. Can't wait for you to meet them. 

Sometimes in the mission you feel so tired and so sick but every day and every effort is worth it. I love being a missionary and serving the Lord. Hope everything is well at home! Congrats on your deer Dad and Randa. Looks like a good kill. I do miss my elk and deer roast. and deer jerky. Good stuff. Love you all lots! 

Have a good week! Work hard and be faithful. 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Rhoten

Well there goes another week!

I can't believe how fast time flies by in the mission. It's crazy!! This week we had a zone conference on Tuesday that was super good. It was my old comp Hermana Medranos birthday! I had almost forgotten. But then the zone leaders went around and snuck 5 pesos from everyone and then my comp and I snuck out early to buy her a surprise cake. Yep. I still love birthdays. And surprises.

  Conferencia de zona Moctezuma

From our zone activity today!

Wednesday we went on divisions for half the day again so my comp could rest her foot. I went out with Daniela again. She's awesome. Is putting her papers in soon and will be a great missionary! But it's been a little tough having to do divisions so much. I've been praying lots that my companions foot gets healed soon and we are already seeing the miracles of  it. She should be good this week :)

Thursday we had a conference with Elder Valenzuela! It was WAY good. Learned a lot and its exciting to hear about the progress that Mexico is having. They want us to help the members and become more self sufficient spiritually and temporally and not receive so much help from the US. We are going to have some trainings on it soon. It was also fun talking with Hermana Valenzuela for a bit! She was excited that they found me and said that Rob and Rinamay are coming for Christmas. They have family that used to live in the ward I am serving in. It's not that hard to find. The airport is across the street from my area. It was cool to see them though and make family connections.

With Rinamay's aunt Hermana Valenzuela at the conference this week. She was way nice.

Now that Dia de los Muertos is over here everyone is putting up their Christmas decorations!!! Pretty exciting! They don't celebrate thanksgiving here so Christmas season starts November 1st. It's still super hot during the day though so it doesn't really feel like winter yet. Not sure if it will. I've heard it does though.. just late this year.

Pictures that I couldn't send from last week!

The chocolates they gave us last week after the baptism. Love this family! They just need to get married already!!!

We are working super hard and I really love the people here. It's the best feeling ever to be lost in the work of the Lord. We really don't have time for anything else. We have some investigators that are on fire right now. Keeping all their commitments and going to church :) Best thing ever. In Relief Society we sat in front with an investigator on each side and in the lesson about missionary work they asked what they feel when the missionaries come to visit and they both shared. It's the happiest feeling ever to hear the changes we are making in peoples lives.

From our baptism on Saturday. Manuel is awesome. He is a little bit special. But has been progressing like crazy. Super smart and loves the church. It's been a cool experience working with him. He has some mental disorders and the recent convert that we teach him with does too... they are friends. I feel like a psychologist sometimes.

My old companion came to visit! Love her. Oscar baptized him. He helps us out a lot. And he served in the same mission as Jackson Emry!!! He was the assisant when he got there. SO cool. Said he went to visit in the states and realized he was all famous. Pretty cool.

The baptism went well and lots of the ward came to support.... only the water in our chapel was freezing cold cuz it was out of gas... so we had the Elders fill up the stake center for us... and it was SUPER hot. They couldn't even get in. We didn't really feel it before... just figured it was all good... so some of the members went to go buy 3 bags of ice to pour in it. It was pretty funny actually. Makes it more memorable right?

One thing I am learning is that we aren't here to convince people. Nothing we say or do can change their hearts. It's all the Spirit. We have  been working really hard to be more and more consecrated everyday so the Spirit can testify through us and we can find the people that are already prepared to make and keep covenants with God. It's sad when we have to quit working with people because they just aren't accepting it and just aren't prepared but I know that the Lord can do all things and as we look to him in every word, action and step we will have success in His work because we aren't doing it our way but His way.

 

Better get going. But I'm learning lots, working hard and seeing miracles everyday! Love you all and hope it's a good week! 

Hermana Rhoten

Happy Halloween!! Y Dia de los Muertos!!

I was able to see Aubrey Sintay on Thursday at the Temple Visitors Center.

Halloween was all weekend because they have dia de los muertos tambien! I'm still confused which day they celebrate it here because the past three days there have been children dressed up in the street asking for candy and money from businesses and cars. Lots of people put up offerings for their family members that have died and put a display thing and believe that they come to visit them and eat the food that they leave and all that but the church doesn't really support it in that way. I think I have a picture of a decoration set up from a recent convert though.

Dia de los muertos!

Our district activity! I didn't really get a good picture though. This one I have a bad double chin so I don't really like it that much.

This week we went to the doctors twice for my companions foot. Found out she has tendonitis. We were both pretty bummed. First time I've had a companion that will run with me in the mornings and walk fast during they day. Thursday they gave her some crazy long injection thing in her foot and she had to stay off of it for a couple days so we did divisions and I went out to our appointments with a girl in my ward who is putting in her mission papers soon. She is awesome and really helped us out a lot.

Pan de los muertos. We mentioned that we had never tried it to a few people and then had to eat it twice yesterday back to back. It is pretty good but I wasn't hungry. They also made us abuelita hot chocolate. Way good!!!

From our baptism yesterday!!!! Gerardo got baptized :) He's is a golden child. Twelve years old and loves going to church. He always does the reading we leave him and remembers everything. Smart kid and an awesome example for his family. We really love them. His mom Odette really loves the church too. They have been going every week the past few months but she can't get baptized yet because her and Daniel aren't married and live together. He had been menos activo for a really long time. But they both spoke at the baptism which was really cool. I've never had an investigator speak at a baptism before. And last night we had the best lesson with them EVER. And our Bishop came too. The Spirit was so strong and they finally opened up to us about their fears and we testified strongly of the Atonement that Christ can help them overcome it. I have no doubt that she will be able to get baptized soon and sealed in the temple next year. They are the cutest family ever.

My memory card has some virus on it so we have been trying to fix it. The pictures I sent are from my comp's camera. I took lots more this week but I can't get to them. And now we've got to head to a cita but all is well in Mexico :) I will have to write more next week because we are doing good and having a lot of success. My ward is awesome here. Love you all!

Hope you have a good week! 

Hermana Rhoten