Week 40: Still Alive!

Here we are on the combi ride to La Guarda last week

Here we are with Elder Reyes grilling carne asada, and making puree de papa, arroz y tortillas

Here's a lovely taco de hamberguesa--a hamburger between two tortillas!

Yo Amo Jesus tambien!--spiritual grafitti!

In our area with some local kids

Hola Familia

This week has been really cold like EXTREMELY COLD. One day it was 5 degrees Celsius and the other 0 and below. The first day we got un aguacero (a downpour) con un buen de viento (high winds). The streets turned to rivers and even with our umbrellas we got thoroughly soaked. So much so, that when we showed up for lunch the members wouldn't let us leave till they had taken off our outer layers (including the skirt I had on over my Guatemala pants and fleece leggings) and used a hair blow dryer to dry them off. Then the next day we had a lot of hail, and then we even had a little bit of snow. It was so cool to see it falling around us. I was filled with childish joy as we danced around  and tried to catch snowflakes. Hna. Jones took a pic of a snowflake on my arm but you can't see it very well.

I realized I haven't actually told you a lot about what it is like up here, but I just don't even know where to start! Here all the kids ride around on their bikes but in Rio Frio, our other pueblo, all the kids age 3 and up have whips that they go around cracking. It is funny, but they get together in gangs and these 3 little (between 4-6 years old) kids were playing with their whips among themselves.  But then a bigger kid, probably about 8, comes around with his whip and started chasing them away. The bigger the kid, the bigger the whip.  Then a 14-yr old showed up and we didn't stay to see the thrilling conclusion.

Life is cool. You know--just normal missionary stuff.

So Just want to let you know that I love you guys. A lot a lot :) It seems in no time it will be May and we will be talking again!

Love Hna Lambert

P.S. Dad, where in Puebla did you serve?

A snowflake on my jacket, to prove it is cold!

Sister Jones and Sister Ramirez, so windy their umbrella turned inside out and broke!

All bundled up!  Sis. Jones is wearing a poncho the members gave her to keep warm!

Week 39: Hola!

The Wondeful Sis. Jones and I at the church camp

No tengo tiempo para nada hoy. [I don't have time for anything today!]  Today we were all day at the Guarda that is a church camp up here with lots of swing sets, obstacle courses, a rock wall (that I didnt climb#obedientmissionary) and basketball courts, soccer fieds, kickball field, volleyball court etc. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! WE got special permiso de Prez to go up two zones together we were about 40 missionaries. Well, 6 hermanas and the rest were Elders. We took lots of pictures I will try to send you some next week.

I love the mission! We have lots of successful days but sometimes I feel, looking at my mission as a whole that it hasn't been what I wanted it to be. Well, I can only control myself and it really is the effort that counts.

Recently I have been studying the plan of Salvation AND IT IS SO COOL!!  Really deep study of any topic del evangelio (of the gospel) just gets super intense. I have also started a study journal (as of 2 months ago) That is much more organized and beautiful it really helps me. Also I have been thinking a lot about my high school friends. I can't believe I never set them up with the missionaries! Sometimes it literally keeps me up at night so to all my siblings in school DONT WASTE THE OPPORTUNITY YOU HAVE TO SHARE THE GOSPEL. You have the unique opportunity to help your friends receive this joy. Missionaries spend so much time looking for new people to teach but you guys don't have to look. You already know who they are and where they live and what their needs are. Please invite your friends to meet the missionaries. Yes it might be awk, but it won't be as AWK as you think it will.

 Love you all, Hna Lambert

Week 38: HALF-WAY THERE!

Whoaoh we're half way there, whoaOH livin' on a prayer, take my hand we'll make it I swear. WhoaOH LIVING ON PRAYER....

A few days ago I reached 9 MONTHS IN THE MISSION!

So as my parents know I have been sick... again but I am trying to decide if I give you an nice harrowing recounting that has you all wondering if I am about to die, or a quick little overview. (side note: I am not actually dying.)

Since nobody is ever interested in how sick you are except you, I guess I will keep it to the basics. (hahah have you ever heard me retell a book or movie?)

Wed- I had a throat thing for about 3 days, wasn't really worried. In the afternoon when we got to the next town over to work I started to feel like crap but there wasn't another combi for 2.5 hours. My comp asked me if I wanted to sit down as I was huffing and puffing when I shouldn't be. I decided that I could sit on a curb and feel miserable or I could teach people (or try to) and feel slightly less miserable. When you teach it is like everything else shuts off. You just get so focused on the investigator. Are they listening? Do they understand? Do they have questions? What do they need? So that pretty much keeps you from thinking about yourself. When we got home I was freezing so I bundled up till we took my temp 100 F here is a pic

The sick puppy

Thursday: MY temp went up to 101 despite the double dose of Ibuprofin I was taking and my voice had sounded like a toads. Slept in-- felt gross and cold. We planned a little, went to lunch, went home, packed and headed down the moutian to Neza for a special Leadership council meeting to plan the training thing we are going to do in zone conference. We went, it was great except I couldn't really talk. Not talking is hard for me.

Friday: Woke up with a temp of 102 and my voice had been further diminished to a soft whisper. I felt like I was dying and I couldn't even call my comp to come help me because I couldnt talk :( My District leader

District leader--he doesn't usually have whipped cream on his face.

told us to go to the hospital at 39C so we called some people and heaad out to Cami hospital. The only problem is that Friday morning in nessa was the Mission Council for all the zone leaders and sister training leaders and Jones and I were supposed to train them. So Jones stayed to do it with Llaguarima and I went with Wolferts. There were a bunch of paper problems and Wolferts and I ended up stranded outside the hospital for 2 hours without money, service on our cell phone, or a way to get in. That was rough... may have cried. Then we got diagnosed and went home with Prez Stutz.

We stayed up late that night (11 I think) trying to get my fever down but it just kept getting higher (102.3) or around there. We started using celsius and I don't know the conversion. Eventually they put me on a quadruple dose of Ibuprofin and 3 hours later another large dose of Tylenol and the next 3 hours ect. They all set alarms and woke up with me through the night :) HOW SWEET ARE THEY!!!

Saturday: My 9 month anniversary!

after that it was a lot of the same with my fever bouncing up and down and today POR FIN! I don't have a fever :) Which means tomorrow I can train in Zone Conference. OH YEAH! Only problem is I didn't bring makeup when I was sick so I have to face all those Elders WITH GIANT PIMPLES ON MY FACE but well it is the message that counts right?

Love, 

Hna Lambert

Week 37: Ollis

FRESH AIR &WARM SUN!

HERE'S MY NEW AREA! DEFINITELY FAR FROM THE CITY NOW!

Hola familia,

Perdon que no tengo tanto tiempo para escribir :( Le escribo algo mejor la semana que viene.)  [Sorry I don't have time to write, I'll write you a better letter next week)

My new area es muy different. And I thought I was far out before! (JAJAJAJ) Pues aqui estoy. I have decided that the farther you get from the center of the city the larger the tortillas get. The were bigger in Ixtapaluca but here in Avila Camacho aun mas!

Here there are way more sheep, goats, and everyone rides by on their horses. In Ixtapaluca they had burros pulling the garbage carts but here we see even more. Everyone has chickens, everyone has a dog (at least one).

When I got here our house was covered in mold. COVERED! THE CEILING WAS BLACK I KID YOU NOT! Clorox has become my new best friend. We got the ceiling back to white but I discovered a different brown, blue, and lots of white mold on the walls and the next battle begins. Also I discovered that the grout isn't supposed to be black and that the tile isn't brown it is a light pink. We have decided to throw out the curtains (also full of mold) I was team wash them but... they were ugly anyway.

The members here are amazing. They are so friendly and loving and they are always trying to help us. They make me feel so at home and loved I think this will definitely be high on my list of places to visit after the mission. Plus they give a ton of references. In this first week I have gotten more than during my entire mission!

It is so beautiful up here :) The cold is mostly over and it is just nice and pleasant though it does get cold at night. It reminds me a lot of Maine. Plus for the first time in my mission it doesn't smell like sewage in the morning! It just smells like trees and animals and wood fires. I love it! I feel like for the first time in my mission I can breath :) I love you guys!

Hna lambert