If we are with Him, Everything will be OK

This week was awesome!  I WENT TO EFY!  (But just for one day)  EFY is a week long program for youth ages 14-17.  It’s super spiritual and super fun!  I went three times in my youth... and never thought I would go again!  Especially in the mission.  We led an activity (about missionary work) and at the end we had a question and answer session where everyone asked us about how we came to the mission, the difficulties we face, how we like Merida and things like that.  It was kind of surreal, all of it, because I felt like I should be the one asking instead of answering!  It was weird.  I felt really young and really old at the same time.

Our recent convert Jereth went to EFY and absolutely loved it.  He was so excited to make new friends, learn about the Gospel and dance with all the girls.  It was so fun to watch him interact with everyone, see him participate in the class and everything!  I felt like a proud mom!  On Sunday the Bishop asked him to share his testimony and his experience and it was really powerful!  I was so happy for him I almost cried.  He’s the cutest!

We had a rough day on Saturday because all our plans fell through and we were just walking around in the sun for a couple hours.  But then we went to go sing to a viejita member that has Alzheimer’s.  She loves when we visit her!  This time she had a different caretaker with her.  We immediately starting talking with her and figured out she’s not a member.  We taught her the first lesson and she accepted to be baptized!  Our awful day turned around!

This week we’ve seen lots of critters in our house.  On Thursday night I fell asleep while praying (again) and woke up to a huge spider on the floor in front of me.  I killed it and screamed haha.  Also we had a HUGE scorpion by our kitchen window.  Hermana Torres smashed it with a broom and I cut off its stinger with a kitchen knife.  Only the best weapons for us missionaries :)  I did manage to record some of the scorpion so I hope you’ll all enjoy my screams.  Unfortunately she forgot to send the video :(

I can’t believe I only have 3 more weeks in the mission!  It’s unreal!  I also can’t believe that so many of my friends will be married when I get home!   Sorry I can’t go to all your weddings!  But I know that the Lord called me to this place at this time for a reason!  Actually, quite a few reasons, and I’m discovering more every day.  I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and that sometimes, more often than not, that plan is not the same as our plan.  He knows what’s best for us.  If you let Him, He will guide you!  Just like the scriptures say, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

Let’s be a little more humble and trust in our Heavenly Father.  If we’re with Him, everything will be okay :)

I love you all! 

Hermana Keeler

They did some sightseeing with a member last Pday.

Adriana as a future missionary?

The HUGE scorpion

This week was a waterballoon activity with her District (this time they are actually wet and not just sweaty!)

Avoiding dog attacks and Choosing Happiness

This week was way long and really crazy.  On Tuesday, Hermano Eduardo got baptized.  For a second time, we rode to the church in the back of the pick up truck.  I felt that same sense of gratitude that I felt last time.  I’m glad I’m here teaching all of the Yucatecos :)  There was water in the church this time, so we didn’t have any problems!

Eduardo has a sincere desire to do what is right.  He also wishes that his family would support him.  Eduardo and Sara are the only members of the family that are active right now, but we are working on the rest of them.

On Wednesday we went to Tekax, a pueblo 30 minutes past Ox.  We drove through Ox to get there and I saw Hermano Tigre through the window! :)  We went to Tekax to do divisiones with Hermana Christensen (my MTC comp) and her companion Hermana Lopez.  Hermana Christensen actually got really sick so Hermana Torres and I actually ended up taking care of her!  But it was really fun to catch up with her.  We talked for like 5 hours straight.  It was fun to reminisce on the good - and fun to actually be able to speak Spanish together.  Lots has changed since we were in the MTC.

This week we found out that an eternal investigator was just granted her divorce and now she’ll be able to get married to the viejito she’s living with!  She’s been waiting 7 years for her divorce papers to finally go through, so it’s a pretty big deal.  We’re excited to start preparing her for baptism.  I probs won’t be here to see her baptism because she still has to get married haha.  And I’ll probs already be at BYU.  Crazy to think about  it! 

Well, I only have one month left.  I almost finished my mission without falling in the street or getting bitten by a dog.  Well this Friday almost both happened.  A dog wanted to attack us when we walked past it’s house and it crawled through a hole in the fence to come bite us.  When my comp saw that he was halfway through the fence, she turned to run and I kept walking straight, so we crashed.  I tripped over her and fell straight onto the street.  The dog managed to get out from behind the fence but thankfully got scared when I fell and went back!  It was actually a blessing in disguise!

We had a multi-zone meeting - my very last one!  All the missionaries that are going home soon shared their testimonies.  I didn’t ever think that I’d make it to this point!    But yeah, I shared my testimony.  I really wanted everyone to know how much I have enjoyed every single day!  (Except the day I threw up multiple times on people.)

I’ve realized that happiness is a choice.  Happiness has nothing to do with your circumstances, it’s a personal decision.  And I’ve chosen to be happy!  Make the decision to be happy and you will be!

I love the mission.  I love Yucatan.  I love this gospel.

Con Amor,

Hermana Keeler

 
She took this picture to show us how sweaty she got after sweeping the floor of the house to prove that Yucatan is the hottest place on earth!

Hermana Christensen - her MTC companion.  They are on the same flight home!

She was so excited because this town finally got their letters!  I guess it's a yucatan thing!

A kid from Ox who attended their mission conference.

Gospel Doctrine class! 

Back to the Beginning!

Lindsay didn't write a letter this week.  She just sent pictures of journal entries for a few days last week.  I love it, it's the real her for sure!  

 13 Julio 2017

I WENT TO OXKUTZCAB!  So, on Tuesday we went to Ticul, a big pueblo close to Ox, to do splits with some hermanas there.  I couldn’t bear being so close to Ox without going, so I asked permission from President to go!  And he said yes!  We were only there for like 5 hours, but we made the most of it!

I called Hermano Tigre to let him know I was coming and he greeted us at the bus station!  It was so FUN to see him again!  I almost cried and so did he!  We went to visit a few members including all the kids that drove us crazy in Sacrament meeting every week, los ninos with the crocodile (they now have a monkey as well) and Presidente and Hermana Villareal.  It was so cool to see everyone again.  And it was even cooler because I could talk to everyone without problem!  Various people were quite surprised, haha!  I guess I’ve learned a little Spanish in the past year.

Ox is so cute.  I love it!  I’m so glad that I started my mission there.  The people are so loving.  Legit everyone gave me fruit, haha!  Just like old times.  Also, los ninos gave me a backpack, a little bag, a bucket hat and some sparkly white sunglasses :)  The people of Ox are so giving.  It’s incredible!

It was so amazing just to be there again.  It’s so cool to look back on everything that happened there, everything that has happened since and how much I’ve changed.  I’m definitely a better missionary/person now than I was then.

Back on Tigre's Tricicolo.

Her first home!

All the kids that gave them a hard time in Sacrament meeting...

Los Niños - the kids she first baptized.

They had a crocodile when she was there and now they have a monkey! 

14 Julio 2017

Today was legit crazy.  I woke up sick.  Like really sick.  But I felt like it would pass so we went out to work like normal.  But during our first lesson I had a lot of trouble forming coherent thoughts because my head hurt so sooo bad!  My companion realized I was not doing well so we went home after.  I had almost no energy and it was so hard to walk home.  And it was only 3 blocks.  I just laid down in my hammock until my back hurt!  (It was a long time).  My sweet companion took good care of me!  She helped to bring down my fever.  While I was sleeping she put wet cloths on my forehead - she was so worried about me.  She’s way cute!  After like 4 hours my fever broke.  And just in time because we had to leave the house to go to Jareth’s baptism!

So we got to the church and there was no water!  A repeat of my first baptism in Ox!  We tried figuring something out, but nothing worked.  So we asked permission to go to the Stake Center and we all went!  The font was empty so we had to wait like 45 minutes to fill up.  Jareth got baptized at 8:45 that night!  That doesn’t sound that late, but in the missionary world that’s very late!  But I forgot to mention that on the way to the baptism, the cops pulled us over because Hermana Elsy ran over a cone! haha!  But she got out of a ticket because she said she was going to her son’s baptism!  It was so funny.

Jareth was sooo excited!  After the baptism, he shared his testimony and said that he’s excited to be a member of the Church and excited to be able to pass the sacrament!  Ahhhh, he’s so cute!  We got back home at 9:30 and realized we left our phone in the Stake Center!  Ni modos!

16 Julio 2017

We didn’t take a bus all day yesterday.  That was pretty cool.  We planned to go visit an investigator because her husband wasn’t going to be home.  We went to eat at their house and right after we finished, he got home and one of her friends came over.  So we couldn’t teach her :(  We were sad because we studied hard to be able to teach her well about the Restoration.  Opposition in all things :(  We’re going to have a noche de hogar with them tomorrow.

But today was pretty normal.  Actually no!  It was awesome because Adriana got a calling!  She’s a Relief Society teacher!  She taught the class today, I was so proud!  She taught it with an object lesson and passed out little papers for the sisters to read and everything!  Like a RS teacher with experience!  It was so cute!

I gave a talk in Church! It’s the 5th time I’ve spoken in the mission.  And probably the last time!  The next time I speak I’ll be at home.  What the crap.  But my talk went well I think.  I cried a lot at the end.  The mission has made me soft!  I can’t even imagine how much I am going to cry the next time I speak.  Que eso!  

Con Amor,

Hermana Keeler

The Zone!