Wise Men, Sharks, And Volcanoes

What's up everyone?!?! This week has been pretty business as usual so basically I am going to just tell a few cool things that have been going on.

Día de Los Reyes Magos! So, basically an awesome tradition here in Mexico is that on the 6th of January, they celebrate the coming of the wise men to Jesus Christ. So like on Christmas it is just kind of like a day to celebrate Jesus but then everyone gives and receives gifts on the 6th of January representing the Wise Men. It is really cool and the kids even write letters to them.

Rosca de Reyes! Another similar tradition is that on Día de Los Reyes Magos they will eat a thing called a Rosca de Reyes which is like a big ring of bread that is really good. And so they will cut it into pieces and there is a little baby statue thing in one of the pieces. Whoever gets the baby has to buy Tamales for the entire group!! We did it for our district counsel and my companion got the baby and has to buy our entire district tamales now haha!! I'll send you all a google pic of it so you can see what it looks like.

Aquarium! For our district activity a week ago we went to an aquarium for P-Day. I'm really lucky to be in the city for my area because there are so many cool things to do!! The aquarium was so cool and it was actually so sick. There were like these fishes that eat the dead skin off your hands, sharks, rays, birds, and like a whole bunch of cool stuff I will drop some pics below.

VOLCANOES!!! Ok Ok this part is so sick. So, in my mission, there are 3 volcanoes all around me!!! Their names are Mount Popocatépetl, Mount Iztaccíhuatl, and La Malinche. Mount Popocatépetl is absolutely huge and it smokes every single day, and oh my gosh it is so cool to see. Also, it explodes like every two years so I might be there for that which is so sick.

Día de Los Inocentes! So basically Mexico's April Fools day is December 28th, and so we actually got trolled like a few times. Like one of our investigators posted on her Whatsapp story that she was pregnant!! And so we were like shoot, we should contact her to congratulate her and she responded in all caps, "FELIZ DÍA DE LOS INOCENTES GRINGOS!! Oh my gosh it was so funny.

Alright Food Review Time!! Something absolutely fuego that we had was called a Guajolota, which is a Tamale inside of a torta. SO basically we had a Pollo en Mole tamale sandwich (called a torta) and it was so good it gets an 8.7/10.

My spiritual thought comes from Sister Joy D. Jones when she says (Echoing comments from President Nelson):

"The Lord loves effort, and effort brings rewards. We keep practicing. We are always progressing as long as we are striving to follow the Lord. He doesn’t expect perfection today. We keep climbing our personal Mount Sinai. As in times past, our journey does indeed take effort, hard work, and study, but our commitment to progress brings eternal rewards."

Also, in an email that my dad wrote me this week, he shared his closing thoughts on a day from his missionary journal that read, "Let's work, obey, and have fun."

I can testify of the truths of these principles. First, above all else, THE LORD LOVES EFFORT!! When we work hard, we show our desire to serve our God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. And there are special blessings in store for those that (no matter what calling they have or where they are on the covenant path) are all into the Lord. Second, we need to be obedient. We've all heard that "Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles." And that is because it's true!! When we are exactly obedient. We can see miracles in our lives that only come from obedience, and I stand as a witness of that in my mission. Finally, HAVE FUN!! We need to find joy in serving the lord, practicing his gospel, and ultimately being a disciple of Christ.

I promise you all that if you commit yourself to these principles, the blessings that will come will absolutely surprise you in every way!! I hope you all will have an amazing week!! Love you all!!

1. Rosca de Reyes

2-4. Aquarium!!

5-8. Los Volcanes!!!

9. My new best friends

10-11. Guajolota