Not An April Fools Joke!

All this week I was trying to think of something witty to send you guys on April Fools.  Something about me having dengue, or getting sent to another mission, or baptized 12 people last weekend.  But it's been a crazy enough day that I don't have to make anything up.  Today's been quite a day, but none of it has been a joke.

So Sunday Hna C said she got bit by something.  And from there her foot kept getting more and more swollen.  We had talked with the mission nurse and we couldn't figure anything out to help her.  This morning Hna C woke up and her foot was huge!  SO big and red.  And she said she couldn't feel anything up to her hip.  So we rushed to the hospital.  I didn't have time to bathe or read my scriptures or eat breakfast or anything.  So we go to the hospital and it turns out she has a really bad infection that somehow got triggered Sunday.  She has to be in the hospital a few days.  She won't be able to finish her mini mission, which is so sad!  Yesterday she was really scared that she'd get sent home, but she cant walk so its better that way.  Poor thing!  Its especially sad because we had become really good friends.  Things were rough at first but it was so sad to say goodbye!  The Senior missionaries came and got me from the hospital and took me to a members house in the ward until I could find another companion.  When I saw the mom of the family I just hugged her and bawled.  It had been such a stressful morning and being without a companion is scary.  I just needed a hug from a mom even if it wasn't my own mom.  But its nice to know I have people to take care of me all over the world.

My new companion is Hermana Valenzuela!  She is an 18 year old from our ward here.  She is also a mini missionary, as of 2 hours ago!  She called her mom and asked 'Hey can I be Hna Haymonds companion until April 16th.'  Her mom said yes and now she's a missionary! I'm excited!  She's very cute and really excited.  She's sitting next to me reading Preach My Gospel as we speak.   Woo!  It will be a good adventure.  Hopefully Hna Cucinatii gets better soon enough to go on her own mission.

Before I forget...SHOUT OUT TO CHASE WHO GOT HIS MISSION CALL TO WASHINGTON!!! AHHH!!!!!!!!  I'm way excited for you.  And shout out to Grandma Suzie who's 40th birthday is today!  (April Fools!  I think she's actually turning 25.  :)   )

This week was rough.  The people who were going to get baptized this weekend aren't quite ready yet, and we didn't reach our goal of 400.  But we saw so many miracles and we have to be thankful for all the success that Heavenly Father has given us.  Its just hard not to look back and wonder what I could have done better.

I'm always having funny experiences with English.  The other day we were in a lesson with 2 younger guys and we asked if we could help them with anything.  One asked me if I knew English (I always tell them no just because I think its funny.  Of course I know English.  I have a terrible accent and I'm the only canchita here.).  He told me he had one of those bears that talks when you squeeze its hand and he wanted me to translate what it said.  He thought it said bad things and wanted to get rid of it if it did.  So I nervously agreed, because they were convinced that it said bad things.  He brought out a normal teddy bear.  It started talking about Teddy Roosevelt and how the teddy bear had been invented.  It was a 100 anniversary teddy bear.  I just started laughing and tried to explain that it talks about presidents from the US.  I never thought I'd be asked to translate the history of where Teddy Bears come from. 

Sunday we had the 3rd hour of church with all the adults.  Everyone was all excited because that doesn't happen very often.  We all wondered what we'd be talking about.  Turns out we spent a good hour and a half talking about how to clean the church.  We watched a bunch of videos with not so great acting about how important it is to clean the chapel.  There was a lot of heated conversation about how everyone needs to be responsible and clean up after themselves.  I just laughed to myself.  I totally felt like I was in one of our Family Home Evenings where we learn how to keep the toilet clean or how to pull weeds or how to caulk the bath tub.  Good times.

I'm glad I get to write home today.  It's been really crazy.  But I will never forget my April Fools in Guatemala.

Thanks so much for all the prayers!

Love you all!

Hna Haymond

There is no such thing as a good pictures of me anymore.  I look so gross today.  There was no time to get ready.  but I was also there supporting my comp.  She really was happy at this point.  She looks more miserable than she was.  Oh! I forgot to tell you the best part of my day.  I got to eat lunch in the hospital because I was the person who accompanied hna c.  and it was sooo good!  There was chocolate cherry cake and steak and really good baked potatoes and sweet potatoes..  Holy cow.  I almost died.

Ah Fruit Loops, an American Favorite

Ah!  The mission keeps going by faster and faster.  I feel like I just wrote.

We were teaching a couple that just got baptized and they asked me if I liked cereal.  I say yes and then they told me they had a surprise for me.  They brought out a bag of knock off  Fruit Loops from Malt O Meal.  They were all excited and said 'these are for you!'  They had gotten it, but don't eat much cereal so they decided to give it to me because it's an American company.  They were excited that I had heard of Malt o Meal before.  I do like Fruit Loops but it was just so funny that they thought to give something like that to me.  I'm going to make rice krispie treats out of them.  Everyone is going to go nuts.

It's always fun having companions from different countries.  I've had to teach Hna C how to use the microwave (I stopped her from putting a whole pan in there this week), how to make rice krispie treats, how to shop for groceries and what songs in English really mean.  She always asks what song titles mean because she listens to a lot of music in English like a lot of people here.  Its always funny to think about how different life is in the states.

Things are going really well.  We've found even more people who are getting ready to be baptized.  We even found someone on Wednesday that already met with missionaries and is going to be baptized with us this weekend!  Heavenly Father is always helping us meet our goals!  Thanks so much for all your prayers and support!



How to wash your clothes in the pila



First you fill the pila with water then you get
 your clothes wet




Then you rub soap all over it



then you stretch and pull the clothes and rub it
again the textured bottom of the
pila until its super bubbly

Then you rinse out all the bubbles.

And then ya hang it up to dry!

Weekend of Miracles

Ah!  I only have 10 minutes to write so I'll try to make this good still.  I hope the pictures make up for a short email.

This morning we had house inspections where President and his wife come to see how clean the house is.  We were stressing out and cleaning like crazy yesterday.  But the water got shut off in the morning and I was panicking!  I did not think we were going to be able to clean!  But I think we did okay.  President didn't really say anything. They just talked to us and looked around for a few minutes and seemed happy.  Ah!  I love seeing them.

They also brought me mail!  Thanks to mom, Gma and Gpa Haymond, and Aunt Jen for the letters!  Love you all!!!!!

This weekend was incredible.  We had the wedding Saturday and it was way less stressful than the last wedding.  It was so incredible to see them take that step!  And Sunday we had 4 baptisms!  Ah!  It was such a miracle.  I really don't know why Heavenly Father is blessing me so much.  Its just such a humbling experience to know that He lets me see these miracles and be a part of these conversions.  I was just bawling when I saw each of them get baptized because I thought about the first time I talked to them on the street or knocked their door.  I cant even explain how happy it makes me feel to see them taking a huge step towards Heavenly Father.  I read Alma 26 Monday and I think it explains my feelings a little better than I can.  I love Alma 26 verses 11, 12, 15, and 16.  I know where I'm supposed to be.  I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father is letting me see the fruits of my labors.  I love these people and I love sharing a message that will change their lives.

Thanks sooo much for all your prayers!  Look how it's helped these people!  Love you all!

Baptism of T from last week

Wedding of  K and M

The young single adults in the ward who came to T's baptism.

Baptisms of K, M, K &

M J

M J and K

Baptism of K

Baptism of M

K and her mother.  Her mother has a baptism goal for the end of this month.

Mini Mission

This week has been way different.  I received a mini missionary.  She isn't a full time missionary, but she's getting ready to go on a mission when she's 19.  It's been an adventure!  I have to teach her everything because she hasn't even been to the MTC or anything.  We're both learning a lot!  She's getting better every day.

We had a recent convert (a guy in his 70s who got baptized my first weekend here) with a taxi take Hna Vasquez and I to the change meeting where we switch companions.  On the way he picked up another guy who was going to that area too.  The second the guy got in the taxi the convert said 'Hey! Come on in!  These are my Sisters and we're the Mormons!  Here!  Read this!' and he pulled out a Book of Mormon from the glove box.  He went on and on about how he just got baptized and how it's changed his life and how he really ought to come to church with us.  It was so hilarious and so awesome!  The cool thing is that the guy is super pilas!  He knows some other members and read 1 Nefi 1 in the taxi.  We haven't been able to visit him yet though.  But it was so cool to see this new member giving his Book of Mormon to a stranger and sharing his experiences.  Ah!  I love moments like that!

Last week I learned that I'm not a fan of cow tongue.  We went to a members how for lunch like always.  And she usually cooks really good!  But I quickly realized that we were about to have a stew with chunks of cow tongue.  I tried a little bit and it just weirded me out.  The flavor wasn't bad, and the texture was survivable.  But I could not get over the fact that there were chunks of an animals tongue on my tongue.  So I strategically got it out of the soup and into the trash without anyone realizing.

Yesterday was a really good p-day.  We actually ended p-day 2 hours early as a mission.  We went to work at 3, because we are going to baptize 400 people.  Hay que trabajar!  But yesterday we went out to lunch and ate ALOT of really good food.  We got the family special...4 hamburgers, 2 pieces of chicken, a pizza, and pop.  We ate almost all of it and didn't think much of it.  Then the Elders came into the restaurant and order just 1 hamburger each.  Hna C and I just laughed.  I'm glad the love of food is consistent in all of my companionships.

Sunday was a great day!  We had our first baptism of March!  It was really amazing because she's the first person I've baptized that I've known from the first visit all the way until baptism.  Her sister got baptized last month and her brothers are already members.  It was really cool to see the gospel bless one more member of their family.  She is a really sweet girl and I'm so thankful to be part of her life.  Her testimony is so strong and she's so grateful for all she's learned.  It's such a privilege to be a small part of people's conversions.  It's so humbling to see how much they thank us and love us for what we do.  We don't do anything!  We teach a little in a language  we don't know.  The investigators put it in practice.  They change their lives, not us.  We just get the opportunity of seeing them receive those blessings.

Keep praying for 400 baptisms!  I'm excited to see it happen! Thanks for all your love!

Hermana Haymond

I got an email from someone probably from the ward Alexis is serving in with
 these pictures and a message saying this:
 Aquí esta hermana haymond sirviendo con todos los deseos de su corazón,
sin importar las condiciones. Del ambiente lo ara y lo seguirá haciendo porque en
 el mundo hay muchas almas de oro.
Google Translated it to say: 
Here Haymond sister serving with all the desires of your heart, no matter the conditions. What ara environment and will continue because in the world there are many souls gold.

I loved it and love the people there who are watching out for Alexis!

Hermana Haymond with her new companion Hermana C.  In an email to me she said they were not able to teach as many people because her new companion had not learned to walk fast yet!  I am sure it is hard for short Guatemalans to keep up with the Haymond long legs!

¿Dulce o Acido?

Good news...I don't have changes!  Which I'm so happy about!  I love this area so so much.  The people (members, nonmembers, everyone) are super awesome!  But Hna V is going.  Which is hard for her because it's her first area.  It's rough to leave.  We'll find out who my new companion is tomorrow.

This last week we figured out that a bakery right by our house sells the most delicious donuts!  I never would have guessed that the worlds best donuts are in Guatemala but it's true.  And they're only 1 Quet each!  That's only 4 tortillas (or 12 cents, for all of you gringos using the dollar)!  It's really a great deal!  This week we bought a total of 41 donuts.  It's just a nice little highlight in our day.  But it's a good thing there are a lot of pacas here, because I'm sure I'll need bigger skirts soon.

The other day I taught Hna V how to play 'Sweet or Sour', where you wave or say hi to someone and see if they're friendly or not.  She thought it was awesome!  She made us do a competition to see which one of us could get the most 'sweet' people the fastest.  It was just funny to see how excited a 20 year old got about Sweet or Sour. 

I also explained to her what 'creeper' means.  (There's not a word for that in Spanish, but there really should be.)  She was kinda starting to get it, but it wasn't clicking.  Later that day she was contacting and asking for the address, and it turned out she already knew exactly where he lived.  I then pointed out that as missionaries, we are the perfect example of creepers.  From that moment on she fully understood what a creeper is.

I forgot to mention that we went to the temple in my last email.  As always the temple was really good.  Its not in our mission but we have permission to go as zone activities every once in a while.  We can also go every 6 months on our own.  It was so nice.  Sitting in the celestial room is like the only place in the world where I as a missionary can feel calmed down.  We have to work work work sooo hard all the time and my brain can never rest.  But in the temple its nice because I know I'm allowed to sit down on a couch for a second and just enjoy it.

Oh and I'm feeling better by the way.  I figured mom would want to know that at least.

We are seeing so many miracles here.  The people we're teaching are progressing really well.  There are always challenges, but Heavenly Father is helping us know how to help them.  I could go on forever about how amazing the members here are.  They have really embraced President Monson's counsel about working together with the missionaries.  They visit investigators who didn't come to church.  They read the Book of Mormon with them.  They give us references.  If you haven't helped the missionaries in your ward this week, repent and go help them.  Not because I said so, but because the Prophet said so.  We cannot do this without you.  I know that the members are a huge part of the miracles we're seeing.

Love you all!  Thanks for all the amazing support and prayers!

Hermana Haymond

Ya es Marzo..¡Bautizemos pues!

I've been kinda sick lately.  I have a terrible illness called gripe (aka a normal cold.  but everyone freaks out like I'm dying.  Random people on the street will say to me 'Oo..Esta mala de la gripe.'  Yes.  I have a cold.)  I feel fine to keep working and everything.  But it's been kinda rough because I cough SO much at night and I can't sleep.  It's wearin me out a little.  But there's no better cure for gripe than more hard work!

Last week I had a very unexpected test of my Spanish.  And unfortunately I did really well.  We were sitting eating lunch and the Sister that feeds us was talking to her mom.  I just kept eating and didn't think much of it.  But then I figured out that they were talking about how she donated blood that morning.  They were going on and on about needles and how she felt and what happened and about all the other people who donated blood too and how she still had the little mark in her arm...AH!  I about died.  I jumped up and started freaking out in my head.  I told them that's my biggest fear ever!  So she tried using bigger words that I didn't know, which helped a little.  But it was too late!  Ah!  I felt sick all that afternoon.  Worst timing ever for the language barrier to fail.

This week was kinda crazy.  We had divisions with the training sisters (which is always awesome.  I learn so much!), a big meeting with President Brough and half the sisters in the mission to learn about weekly planning, a big weekend, and a temple trip.  Lots of big things.  But it all worked out good!

We had a wedding and 3 baptisms this weekend!  It was a crazy, stressful, beautiful experience.  I love baptizing families, but weddings...not my favorite.  Everything was running late and no one was showing up and there was lots of stuff that was out of my control and I just had to sit and not freak out.  But it turned out good!  They were really happy!  Thanks to the members it wasn't too awful.  I also learned a lot from the baptisms.  I mostly learned that I am the worst baptism planner ever.  I forgot so many little details and our speakers didn't show up and..ah!  Very stressful.  But I just prayed that I'd be able to enjoy the moments when they went into the water.  And Heavenly Father really did help me on that one.  It was such an awesome experience.  The actual baptism is so simple.  It's over in seconds.  But the quiet and peace and love that I can feel seeing Heavenly Father's children take one step closer to returning to Him is incredible. As missionaries we get to see them all in white.  I look at them and think about the kind of people they were when I met them.  I think about all that they've been through, all the changes they've made to follow Christ, how they've allowed the Atonement to help them.  All dressed in white, I get to see a glimpse of the potential that they have as Heavenly Father's children.  It's amazing.

Thanks for your love and for thinking of me!  Keep praying.  I need every blessing I can get because we have to fight this month.

Love you all!

Hermana Haymond

 Zone temple trip

                       

 Hermana Haymond and Hermana V at the temple

                                                         

  Wedding of W & M

Signing their marriage document thing.

weddings here are really official.  not all fancy and cutesy.  its them sitting at a table listening to a lawyer read their rights and obligations.  then they sign. and ya estuvo

Baptism of P

P with her brother who baptized her

Baptism of W & M

Alexis looks very happy to see so many people wearing white!

Surprise!

We're going to the temple as a Zone tomorrow, so we're writing today instead.  Surprise!  Happy early email!  I'm super excited for the temple though.  It will be nice.

Sorry to disappoint but here closer to the Capital there aren't as many funny shirts in English.  But lately I've noticed a lot of knock off American brands that make me smile.  We were teaching a guy with a 'Nike' shirt on.  It had the logo but I could just tell it wasn't really made by Nike.  It had a bunch of random English words like 'Nike. Sports.  Since.'  The ´since´ made me laugh.  Whoever made it probably got that from all the shirts that say '...since 1982'  thinking it would make sense. There is also a ton of fake Hollister and abercrombie stuff.  I've seen 'hollister' baby onesies and really beadazzley non-abercrombie looking 'abercrombie' shirts.  Yesterday I saw an Aeropostale tee shirt with the American Eagle eagle on it.  Every single pair of jeans has the Hollister seagull on it sewn very convincingly on to the pocket.  It's super funny.  I always point out the real American clothes to Hna V.

We must live really close to the airport because there are always planes flying really low.  I don't like it.  It always makes me think 'Oo I wonder if that plane just came from the states!' or 'Hey next time I'll be on a plane I'll be going home.'  So I sorta hate that.

I'll try to send more pictures. There's just not a ton of stuff to take pictures of by our house.  And I don't wanna carry my camera around all the time.  I'll try to get more creative.

Fun fact we have cockroaches in our house.  I don' think I've mentioned that yet.  They don't bug me much.

Every once in a while on my mission I'll hear a TV show or a movie as we walk by houses or from the neighbors houses in our lessons.  It's the weirdest thing to hear it in Spanish.  Some of the funniest ones to hear in Spanish so far are the mice on Cinderella, Phineas and Ferb, Jake and Finn, the Chikmunks, and the voice of Abby Lee on Dance Moms.

So the whole Rice Krispie Treats thing is a huge success.  Presenting the prize in front of every one is the key.  The whole ward sees that someone is getting immediate, delicious blessings for helping us.  Right after church people come giving us references or explaining their excuses for why they haven't been able to help us yet.  It's awesome!

It's been a really good week.  Thanks to the help of the members we had a lot of investigators at church Sunday.  We also keep seeing little miracles with the recent converts who haven't come for a long time. We are preparing 6 people to be baptized next weekend!  It's going to be a miracle but Heavenly Father will make it happen! 

I still love what I do with all my heart.  It doesn't ever get easy.  Sometimes (specifically at 5:30 am) its not even fun.  But I love it with all my heart.  I know I'm where I'm supposed to be, and I love where I am.

Thanks for all the love and support!

Hermana Haymond

Alexis with Hermana G her CCM companion outside the church today at district meeting.

Alexis with her companion Hermana V who is from Hondorus