I didn't think that they would give me more time this week to email, but here I am again. My next P-day should be next Monday. So I just had the craziest 24 hours. After saying good bye to the Hermanas in my district, Hermana Meads and Burnham, and my roommates, Hermana Andes and Heaps, they put me with a random companion. She was very quiet which was fine because all I had to do was pack up my stuff and walk it over to her house. I still wasn't quite over the sickness that I have been dealing with the past few days so I just took a wonderful shower and was off to bed.
My alarm didn't go off at 1 AM like it was suppose to, but I prayed that I would wake up in order to make it on time for my bus. Lo and behold, I woke up 10 minutes before my bus was leaving. All the Elders were impressed with my ability to pack everything in one checked bag and one carry on and keeping it under 50 lbs. So at 2AM (Mexico time mind you) I was on a bus in Mexico City. This is how I know the church takes good care of us- we basically have our own private gated drop off area at the airport. Yeah, it's real. Now that I am out of Mexico, I can be a little more honest about "The Sketchy Things." So we heard gun shots all the time, especially at night, with lots of police sirens. We had a day where the water on all the campus wasn't working and rumor had it that a bomb went off by our water well. The day that happened we had lots of security guards around campus and in every building. Remember that big mountain with a B on it in the pictures?
So I am done with Mexico and here I am in Seattle. But first, on the way to Seattle.... In the Mexico airport, it was just me, Elder Ellis and Elder Thompson waiting for our flight to Dallas. We sat there for awhile and then I said a prayer that we would meet someone on the plane that we could talk to and give a pass along card to. Right at that very moment, this guy walks up sits down right in between Elder Ellis and me and said, "So, I know you guys are Mormon missionaries. Tell me more." I was honestly in shock. How could it be this easy? He was this major broadcast guy from LA who was in Mexico filming "El Voz" on his way back to LA to film "The Voice." He told us about all his success, but how his father is a pastor so he likes the idea of religion. He said that his nephew was on a Mormon mission, but he really didn't know anything about us. He said that the night before he was missing his two sons so much that he didn't want to leave his hotel room. It was perfect because he had so many questions about why we would leave our families to go to a place that we were randomly sent to go. We told him it was revelation and I told him I was only willing to leave my family because I know that I am helping others be able to live with their families forever. At this point they were saying the last calls for our flight so we had to run, but he gladly took our pass along card and commitment to look up more about Mormons at mormon.org. So sweet!
I slept the first flight, had to run through customs, security and the giant Dallas airport to my next gate. It was weird just being with two Elders without a companion, but I was so glad to have people with me who I knew. I talked a little bit with the lady I sat by on the plane about my mission and her life and stuff, but she was a little tipsy so I don't know how much that message was sinking in.
I had a totally spiritual moment flying in over Mt. Rainier and Seattle. All I could think of was the scriptures about how the Lord prepared the promised land for the Jaredites, then the Nephites, then the Gentiles and how He has now prepared that same promised land for me. Seattle is my Promised Land. Elder and Sister Bingham, a Sr. couple, picked us up from the airport and took us to the Mission Office. We meet some of the missionaries in our mission and our mission president and his wife, President and Sister Choi (It's pronouned Chay). I am already in love. Sister Choi realized that we have been up since 11:45 PM Seattle time and that we haven't eaten yet that day. She was like, "When my children are hungry, I must feed them!" She asked if it would be ok if she could be my temporary mother. She gave us some heavenly food and she was very impressed by my Spanish prayer. She and the President are fluent in English, but they are still a little bit hard to understand. All the missionaries are telling me that they are super sweet, but strict. Apparently General Authorities have to be mission presidents for 2 years right when they are called. My President will finish next July and I will have a new one for my last 6 months.
We also have one of the smallest mission boundaries in the world which made it weird driving from the airport because we had to drive the long way in order to stay within the boundaries. President Choi told be to be in bed an hour earlier tonight so that I can get some more rest. We also have a lot of unique, but cool rules. Every day the whole mission and all the members are told to stop whatever they are doing at 5pm and say a prayer for the mission work in our mission. We have to sing whenever we are in the shower. We can only listen to hymns. There are other things that I still haven't figured out yet.
Best part- my new companions. That's right, there are 2 - Hermana Boley and Hermana DeAgostini. They are both American but have been out for awhile so they speak Spanish very well. I don't know my head is starting to suffer from the lack of sleep and I have only met them about an hour ago. They seem very, very cool and funny which is a plus and I will have to fill you in more next week. They said our area is the bread and butter of the mission. They have at least one Spanish baptism per week. They said I will give my first invitation for baptism before Sunday and that we should have a baptism within the next two weeks. Our mission goal for each missionary is one baptism per week. President Choi counted them up and told me that I have to baptize 72 people by the end of my mission. Hard, but totally doable with the Lord's help.
I just read a quote that I heard at the CCM: "The World would take people out of the slums, but Christ can take the slums out of people. Then people will physically take themselves out of the slums." I am happy that I am working with Spanish people. They are more poor, but they are more humble. To be honest, I am feeling un poco overwhelmed right now, but I am so excited looking forward to success here in Seattle.
Have a great week everyone! Good luck with work and school that is starting up!
Week 6 Challenge:
Con Amor,
Hermana Stoddard
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