Week #1 Adios!

Set apart as a full-time missionary Monday, April 15, 2019 by my Dad

Saying goodbye to the best family in the world!

Goodbye Ben!

Future Companera? 

A man from Philadelphia took our picture and sent it to our parents!

Easter Sunday with Hermana Austad

This photo was on the package website- surprise to our Moms!

Hola, my neighbors to the North!! Mexico is WEIRD. But it's also super charming. My favorite thing about it is at night when we come back to our casa we can hear mariachi music playing in the city. It's so amazing!! I love hispanic music lol! Also, this week happens to be Semana Santo, where they celebrate all the religious people. It's hilarious because my companion, Hermana Austad, and I counted just about how many fireworks we heard throughout the day and it was over 20 times!! In the middle of the day!! We'll just be sitting in class or studying and randomly we think we're getting bombed, but then we remember that it's just fireworks.

My mom sent me some questions she wanted me to answer so here we go!

1. The food is meh. My favorite thing is how they have cereal at any time of the day!! Some of the juices they have here are super gross. Some taste like cough syrup lol! But it's alright cuz I'm surviving,

2. We do get to go outside at the CCM. Sometimes we get to study out there and it's BEAUTIFUL. It's perfect weather here and there's absolutely no humidity. The other sisters that room with us, Hermanas Jensen and Lopez, and my companion, have been sunburned. I'm the only one who hasn't yet!!

3. My classes are kind of fun cuz our teachers make us play games to learn spanish lol. When we don't get to play games or go outside it's super hard for me to concentrate and sit still because we just sit for hours on end.

4. I happened to fly out with 2 kids I went to high school with! Elders Justin Thomas and Bridger Spendlove for all  you Binghamians out there. There's also an elder in my district who graduated from bingham the year before me. Small world!

5. I think my greatest strength that will help me be a missionary is my ability to feel God's love for others. Here at the CCM, I have felt it ever since we drove through the gate. It really is a special place, and I feel more close to God than I ever have before.

6. Hermana Austad is so amazing!! I love her so much. She is an incredible example to me and I strive to be like her every day. Also, boys, she's beautiful so make sure to look her up when she gets home haha!

7. I really hope I'll get to sing with Hermana Austad in the CCM. I've been thinking about trying out for the devotional performances with her.

8. Easter here isn't really any different than any other day in the CCM, but I've been studying Christ's resurrection in the 4 gospels and WOW. The atonement and the sacrifices Christ made for us truly are eternal and sacred.

I've decided to write down funny quotes that anyone says and it's amazing!! A couple of them being...

Hermana Jensen: "I look like a mom from 2004 that's just trying to take her kids to soccer!" (No offense moms, we love you!!)

Hermana Lopez: "That alarm could wake someone up from a coma!!

Backround info for that last one: Hermana Lopez has this alarm clock that plays super loud classical piano music when it goes off. The first day we used it it scared us all out of bed XD

I really hope you all will take the time to read about Christ's resurrection today and find graditude for Him. God gave His Son that we might be, so we might as well thank Him for it!! I have a personal testimony that Jesus Christ died for you and I on the cross and gave 1000 drops of blood for my sins. He loves us, and I know He wouldn't have sacrificed Himself for us if He didn't love us. Look for His hand in your life and I promise you will see it. 

I will try to send pictures on Thursday!! Love you all and thanks for supporting me!!

Love, Hermana Mangum :)