Tamale Day!

Today we went to Esteban's house and we made tamales with him and his wife. It's pretty fun to learn how to make those kinds of things and I'm learning all kinds of things so I won't lose the Mexican side of me when I'm home. It's been a good week. We had our zone conference on Wednesday. And new sisters came here for the other part of Zanate, so we're back to normal again... Sad and good at the same time. I feel like I lost half of my area though.

Thursday we had an activity in the park. We did a video night. :) We showed the ¨Because He Lives¨ video and a bunch of others. It went well and it was nice to be able to do that. It's been a fun work this week! Definitely very hot.. one time we came home and my clock said 114 degrees.. oooh it was hot!! And I always wake up sweaty, but it's a fun and funny adventure that I never imagined I would be having.

I hope you all have enjoyed Easter week and had a good chance to really think about Jesus and the reason for Easter. It's really something amazing that many of us tend to forget. Also I hope you were all able to see the conference. It was really great and Saturday was my favorite! We almost didn't get to see conference on Sunday because the church doesn't have internet, but last minute they made it work! So it was a great thing to be able to see it! I hope you all have a very enjoyable week and are all super happy!! :)

Making tamales

The zone

Happy "Holy Week"

This week is semana santa which meants it's a week full of vacations and all that stuff. It's going to be a great week though! And they always say that semana santa is the hottest week of the year.. but I think it won't be until the middle of April. 

We've had a good week. It's been a lot of work - getting to know the other area (which really isn't that hard because we only have to learn the names of some of the streets, but I already knew some. We are going from one side of the town to the other and another all day each day and we have a lot of appointments, but also a lot of them haven't been home. I've walked a lot this week and had a good sweat! :) So that's always good. I come home each night tired and wet, but that's when you know you've done a good day's work. :)

We're working still with a sister (Leidi) who is really progressing well. She's been to church four times now and I am so happy to be here watching her change. Her sister-in-law said that she has changed so much and is so happy. It's my favorite to be able to see the people who really see the need for the gospel and do everything they can to follow in the path! We're working with a few families from the other area, but they're still in the process of getting an answer.. I wish I could just give people the answer for them, but I can't, so I just have to keep helping them and hope they find it soon! 

On Monday, something really special happened!!! It rained. I had the thought to eat our quesadillas outside that day. It was a random weird thought. And as we were out there, we heard thunder and it was weird because it's March and usually rain doesn't come until later. And then IT RAINED!!!!! So that was a great day. It  was only about an hour of rain, but it made me so excited! :) I'm looking forward to May because that's when the rain will really start to come!

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week and enjoy conference and all the fun stuff of this week! 

Hermana Humphrey

Mango season rocks!!

Mini mango

Pozol (the best drink ever) in a bag

RAIN!!!!!

I have a new assignment! Well my companion and I do! It means lots of work and fun times! The other sisters of Zanatepec had a special transfer. They were both taken out of Zanate. And we are now in charge of the whole town instead of just half. I'm pretty excited to be honest. I know it'll be a bit difficult, but it's going to be so great!! :) We're now the only missionaries here in this place and we have a responsability really grand and large.

We have worked a lot this week.. And we haven't even started with the other area yet.. They told us on Saturday about the change and we had to go to our lessons on Sunday, so today we'll start to mix it up. We had a lot of lessons and a lot of sun and all kinds of things. It has been a good time. We're still working with some people who are really great and are going to be baptized! One sister has come three weeks in a row and wants to make this a part of her life. Seeing people like her make me so excited to do this work! And there are some from the other area who have been to church several times. We're going to work with them a lot and see what we can do to help them progress. We also have a lot of activities we're planing here in the branch and it'll be a lot of work with that too, but it's going to be great!

I'm trying to remember what else has happened this week and really it has been pretty calm and normal in general.. just this new change they gave us on Saturday. We'll see how things go.

Today I decided to see how hot it was because I have just wanted to know the truth of this hotness. So I took my clock outside.. the one with a temperature reader. And it said it was 48 degrees Celsius.... that's 119 degrees Fahrenheit!!! I knew it was hot, but didn't think it was truly that hot. Now I know I'll be able to survive in July weather in Utah. :)

Well I hope you all have a fun week and do lots of crazy and fun things!!
Hermana Humphrey

Hey Hey

Hey family and everyone! I hope all is well in Utah for you all! Here things are going really well. We are working hard and having lots of fun doing so. The sun can be a bit of a killer some days, but it's worth it every time I see someone change or come to church or have a special experience. Also because it means mangoes. Yesterday I was walking down the street with my compa and we were hungry.. but it was Sunday. But guess what we did? We picked some fruit (tamarindo) off of a tree and found some mangoes that had fallen off of another tree and ate them. Mexico is pretty cool! :)

We have worked with a lot of really special people this week. We have people who we've invited to be baptized and of them three came to church yesterday. It was truly a miracle. I felt faith that they would come, but with the way some people are it's hard to have that faith. But in the end.... they came!! And I know that of them at least one will be baptized! But I have faith that all three will (and their families) sometimes it's just a matter of time and patience. It was a great Sunday because of that though and really hope I'm here to see their baptisms.. I never know when I will go from here.

Thursday we had our zone meeting and in it we had to teach something.. It really went a lot better than I thought it would. So that was cool. And after that, we had intercambios. Fun times, but it's also great to be back with my compa Hermana Maya. She's great and full of jokes, so it's always funny to be with her.

I hope you all have a fun week and enjoy the weather and St. Patrick's Day! :)

Hello Nature

Hey family/everyone! How are you all doing up in Utahville and around there? I hope things are all great and happy for everyone! This week was a good one. We had transfers and the whole bit, so things are different but really going well. On Tuesday we were in Chahuites because we stayed the night there so Hermana Oliphant could be off bright and early in the morning. I stayed with Hermana Grover.. It ended up that rather than going to Arriaga to where our companions would be, we waited for them to come to us because Hna. Grover went to the doctor for an ear problem. I got to hang out with her for the day. We went to the doctor together, talked to him in English, and had a resting time (sort of). It was a strange day and we ended up getting to our area around 8 p.m. so we didn't really work that day, but it’s all good. It was an adventure type of day.

Since then, Hermana Maya and I have been working together here in Zanate. It’s been going really well. She has 10 months in the mission, so we both know pretty much what we’re doing. Not like we do it super perfectly or anything, but enough to get by and not be teaching one or the other all the things. We work well together so far. And happy thing: we have a family that we’re working with that is really great! The mom, Leidi, is reading a lot and keeps on saying she’ll try to go to church if she can. I've been super excited for her and her family, but she just never made it to church. But yesterday she finally came, so I’m super happy about that!! We also had a family home evening with them and a family they have in the branch. It’s going great!

Experience of the week… Some of you may not want to read this part if you get a little squirmy. (my warning to you, Mom) Once upon a time I was sitting at the foot of my bed a few minutes after I woke up and I saw something weird. What do you think it is??? A snake!! Eww! It grossed me out a little, but I just sat and watched it until my companion came out of the bathroom. We did all we could to hit it with a broom to kill it, but then it disappeared and we searched for it but couldn't find it. So a little later I’m putting on my shoes and they feel a little tighter than usual. Yes, I did shake them out before putting them on just to be safe, but anyway I guess it wasn't enough. I looked to see why it was so weird and saw something moving and I take it off super quick because it was the SNAKE!! Yeah.. I pretty much freaked out this time. But it was cool. We tried to kill it but only somewhat paralyzed it. But our yard neighbor is really great and we took it to him in the dust pan and he killed it with a hammer. It wasn't a dangerous type of snake, but it was all just an eww experience. Yay for adventures in Mexico!!  J

Anyway.. It’s been a good week and I’m happy and going strong as much as I can! I hope you all enjoy the week and do lots of great things!

Hermana Humphrey

In the Moto Taxi

Hna Humphrey, Ceci, and Hna Maya

The snake in the shoe - ewwww!!!

The Ocean and Apostles...

Hey friends and family! So this week was a good one. We didn't end up having a whole lot of time to actually work for one thing or another.. Let me explain. Well Tuesday was rather normal. We had a district meeting and just did our regular teaching thing. Always good. :) Wednesday we went to the.... (guess where?) ... BEACH!!! It's true. We went to the beach with our zone and one other zone. Every six months we have a missionary activity and this was my last one. It was definitely much better than the Izapa one! I have missed the beach so much and hope I can go again soon after I finish the mission. When I can actually go all the way in. We were able to go about waist high which was great, but I am excited to enjoy it to the fullest again!

Thursday was normal. Friday was mostly.. except that none of our appointments received us, but that's kind of the way it goes sometimes. And it's fine. Saturday! ... was a cool day. We got up before the crack of dawn so we could go to Tuxtla. We left here at 4:30 a.m. to make it on time. And the whole entire mission went to Tuxtla because we had an apostle there to give us a conference. Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and talked to us all. His talk was super great! He talked about the work (obviously) and he talked about having the end in mind always. We should focus on the end as we teach the people. But not only in teaching. He said that we as missionaries don't finish our mission until we find someone to marry and get sealed in the temple. It was interesting that he talked about marriage so much, but it was a cool talk and I liked what he said. He said that men that don't get married are only half a man... and I'm pretty sure that is really not what any guy wants to be. It was also great to listen to our mission president and to Elder Walker (from the 70) who also came and spoke to us. It was all super great! I also saw everyone from my MTC district and my past companions that are still in the mission (Hna. Leon and Hna. Agustin).

And today is transfer day.. But I'm staying here. And here comes Hermana Maya! I don't know who she is, but I've heard good things. I'll let you all know about her once I know a little more.

I hope you all enjoy your week and do lots of good and safe and healthy things!

Hermana Humphrey

Hooray for the beach!!

A great beach day!

Conference Week

This weekend we had district conference (like stake conference, but this isn't big enough to be a stake). So we had president here with his wife to speak in the conference. It was cool. The Saturday session was in Chahuites (about 45 minutes from Zanatepec) and then the Sunday part was in Zanatepec because it's the midpoint for the area. That was convenient. :) We got all dressed up in the traditional clothes of this part of Oaxaca (I'll try to put in some picutres for you all). :) and it was fun to have all kinds of pictures taken and such. Also while there for the Saturday part I met the mom of two of the girls from my ward in Tapachula. And then on Sunday she gave me a shirt that they asked her to buy for me. Her brother and her dad also went out of their way to come talk to me. It was so great to be able to have that sort of communication with some people from that ward. I've missed that ward lots!

Besides the conference, the week went well too. We had a nice district meeting that we talked about the importance of inviting people. So we had lots of baptism invitations and by Saturday we had 8 who accepted a date. The sad thing is that only two people went to conference, so some of their dates had to fall. We're going to just keep on a working with them though so they can make it to be baptized!! I love it because I'm just seeing the work move right along here. The people don't go to church though. It's the biggest problem with the work here right now. Everyone says they will and we just get so excited, then we get there and none of them even go.. :( But we'll help them soon.

We did have a cool thing that is at least a good first step. We have a family we've been teaching and they are super great! They haven't been able to go to church yet but they are beginning to progress. On Thursday though, they went to the activity that we had planned. It was a soccer night. Every week we have activities. But this one was perfect because that whole family (4 of them and their nephew) came and also another investigator. I'm happy to be here doing the work of the Lord and am excited to see the change and improvement that each person can make!

I hope you all have a great week and enjoy the end of February!! Love you all! Have fun! :)
Hermana Humphrey

Hermana Humphrey, Hermana Oliphant, and Ceci

District Conference

Ceci with Hnas Humphrey and Oliphant in traditional Zanatepec dress

Four hermanas in traditional dress

Beautiful hair!