April 25 - New Companion in Estaca Lerma and saying goodbye to everyone

My new companion!

I'm in the Estaca Lerma, in a new little rama that's called Aeropuerto. Should be good! back in the pueblos! Our house is super nice so that's cool. and I'm excited to be in a small branch again.

I saw one of the converts of Ixtapan today during cambios, that was really cool. :) miss it!

The Salgueros

I can't tell you how much I've learned from this family.

and they are probably the ones that I'm MOST excited for you to meet. El Hermano speaks English too so that will be good. and Hermana Sheila understands it too.

Hermano Salguero worked 10 years giving tours to members and nonmembers of archaeological sites all around mexico.  he knows SO much about the Book of Mormon, and it's so cool because everything makes sense, it all has a lot to do with the Mayan culture and history.  so we TOTALLY have to come back and go to some ruins and museums with him, and the family.

Okay this was on Saturday. we went to eat with the Familia Saavedra, to Despedirnos. and wow, they took us to the GREATEST restaurant in la Ciudad de Mexico, is called Casa de Toño.   just has really typical mexican food, but I'm not kidding it's the best I've had in the mission.  so I don't think we ever tried it when we were in Cuernavaca, but a really traditional dish is Pozole. its got maiz, a little chile, they throw in some carne and then put in lettuce and rabano and onion and  oregano. from the first time I tried it in Loma Hermosa its been my favorite :)

but in the casa de toño its like the specialty so we are definitely going back together because you've gotta try it!!

Ah, it was kinda hard to say goodbye to the Saavedras. They are so sweet, and they have so much potential in the gospel. they have so much faith and honestly are probably some of my best converts. I feel SO blessed for the spirit that led us to them, and that prepared their hearts to receive the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Like they were the easiest baptisms, because they were SO ready.   Those are the type of people we need to find, and I know that there are LOTS out there. We just have to find them :)

but it wasn't even that hard to say goodbye because 1. its not even a goodbye because I know I'll see them again before I leave to go home, and 2. because I feel like I really don't have to worry to much about them. They will be strong and will keep progressing

It's impossible to really express the gratitud and joy I feel. Just for this family, and I feel like its multiplied with everyone I get to know here. Our Heavenly Father is so loving, He loves His children so much.  And our oldest brother Jesus Christ too. Just never forget it okay

It totally hailed the other day.  It started raining a bunch this week and then it started to hail.  Totally crazy

Joshua his is my favorite kid ever.  He is just super goofy and he looks like he comes out of a cartoon, I don't know I just love him a lot and we were playing keep the balloon up for awhile on Saturday.  I am going to miss him a lot!

 Okay, and on Sunday it was David's birthday. We went over to his and Pamela's house, and ate some awesome tacos de alambre and we hung out with all his family. He is also the greatest convert ever, just was super prepared as well. We got there and he was talking to his cousin about how great the church is and telling her about the organization, how its an unpaid clergy, everything about prophets and apostles and Hermana Gallacher and I were just listening and beaming. It was so cool because he's so excited to share the things he learns. On Sundays it's awesome, him and Pamela just study stuff together, they spend hours watching Mormon videos and talks and learning new things. I wish everyone had the same passion for learning about the gospel as he does! oh and the best, they bought a dairy queen ice cream cake for his birthday. YESSSS we died, I didn't know they had that here! For his birthday and as like a goodbye present, we gave them a picture of the temple in a frame, and they loved it

 Another amazing family that we had to say goodbye to, la Familia Sanchez.  They're members, and probably my favorite. ah, the twins are just little studs, they are the funniest 14 year olds I've ever met and we just get along really really well.  Raul is 12, he told me to say hi to Aidan because they're the same age.  whenever we go to their house, they give us food. like literally without fail, even when we are not hungry at all. and so to send me off, they gave us some tlayudas.  These GIANT tortillas tostadas things and it was delicious. It's not very common here, its from Oaxaca, because that's where they're from. but we got excited,you guys have to meet them

April 18 - Trials

 So on Saturday, the Familia Salguero had us over for dinner, and made a TON of wings and carne asada.... I was in HEAVEN.

and note Hemano Salgueros Utah shirt... he just does that on purpose to bug us.

and I'm bringing the scrunchie back in style.  I bought a sick one the other day and wore it all week haah 

and we went and ate crepes today. eees for fun.

 I didn't take a tons of pictures but these are some cool ones  from Hermano's house Parque Villa, I just love the ciudad! 

Well this week was a week of pruebas, like the refiners fire. We feel like the Lord is seeing if we really REALLY want it, if we really want to reach our goals. Every fecha that we had fell, Danae, Aaron, Andres, Alejandro. We didn't baptize this week. We have been getting up early, fasting, praying all the time during the day, trying new things to find new people and people that are ready to be baptized.
We did find a really great new family, Rosario and her hija Fabiola. Rosario is a nurse, and has a complicated schedule, so she will have to miss church once every three weeks. But she is really excited about the message of the Restored Gospel!! Wow, we had some really great lessons with her this week. We contacted her in the street outside her apartment, and she told us to come on up and talk to her. She had a really good friend who is a member of the church, and she told us she's really interested to learn more. We talked to her and when we taught the restoration, she was super excited, she got on the LDS page the next day and read a bunch of conference talks and studied a ton of information about the church. Wow she is really escogida, and I'm excited for her to be baptized next change <3 I learned a lot teaching her, and seeing how excited she got. We take for granted a lot of things, especially the blessing of having the plentitud of the gospel in our lives. We gave her a book of Mormon on sunday, and she gasped and wouldn't stop thanking us. It was so sweet, and it makes me so happy to be out here as a representative of Christ, and a carrier of this great message :)
So even though everyone is falling through, and we don't have any possibles right now, I know that we will baptize before this change ends.

I'm also super grateful for my companion.  I have learned SO much from Hermana Gallacher, and I know there was definitely a reason that we came to the mission at the same time, and we were together for so much.  I have needed her to learn to be more humble, more serviceful and more obedient. The Lord knows exactly who I need, and I'm getting sad just thinking about how I've probably only got a week left here in Claveria. 

I love you a lot!!!  thank you for all your prayers <3

Hna Schneider

April 11 Rebeca's Baptism

Rebeca and Viridiana y Hermana Sylvia.

 

We had Rebeca's baptism on Sunday! She was really happy. It was sweet, and her grandma Sylvia was super excited.  La hermana Sylvia probably has the most faith that I've ever seen, I love her a lot. she doesn't have much, she is so humble and relies 100% on the lord.  They don't have any money, but still somehow get to church in a taxi every sunday with her daughter who can't walk.  It's amazing.

What else, this week we are going to start something crazy..
Hermano Salguero gave me this book.. invocando los poderes celestiales. its the best book I've ever read, by Grant Von Harrison "drawing on the powers of heaven"

We decided that what we need in the ward is a miracle. a big one, we need to lift the spirit of the whole ward, and get the members attention.  They need to witness God´s power, and believe in it again.

We decided we want 12 baptisms. 6 in the next two weeks, 6 in the first two of May.

It's kinda sad because we have cambios on the 24th, so we don't know where I'll be. but even if I get transfered out, I know that Hermana Gallacher and her companion will keep working for this goal.

We are really excited. really nervous, but it's gonna be crazy.

I hope you guys have a really good week.  I love you all TONS!!!

hna schneider

April 6 General Conference

Keeping the family tradition alive. We made the little egg activity for easter and did it with la familia Sanchez.  They loved it and loved experiencing a little of the american easter of finding eggs.

 

Well I LOVED CONFERENCE.

It was incredible. and my favorite thing is that I got to see how we really can receive all of the answers to our questions through the Spirit and the words of the Prophets.  I know that President Monson and the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles and the Seventies are called of God.  I know that they speak for Him, and it really was Christ´s conference.  That's just so cool. The Church is TRUE guys!!!!

I loved all of it, but received a lot of strength from Elder Hollands closing talk especially. 

We have a really busy rest of the week planned, it's going to get pretty crazy. We just want to use every moment we have left together, Hermana Gallacher and I.  

We are teaching some pretty cool people, a part member family who we are trying to activate, they all went to conference and we have a fecha with Danae for the 17th, I'm really excited for them, because they could be really strong fro the ward when they all come back, full force :)

and teaching more of the Marquez family, Rebecca (who is the niece of Maribel and Carlos who got baptized) has her fecha for this week! she's really excited, and its been incredible seeing her just be so much happier in the past few weeks that she has been going to church. The spirit really changes people.

I'm so grateful for my Savior, I'm beyond grateful for missionary service. I realize more and more how the Lord doesn't need us out here, he doesn't need our help. The escogidos will get to the church, with or without us.  This time really is just so we can grow. and thats how it is will ALL service in the church. The Lord doesn't need us.  We NEED to serve.

I love you all the much!!!

hna schneider

La Reyna and I back at it.  I enjoyed catching up with here at concilio, she is the greatest!

 

March 28 Women's Conference

Okay so my favorite part of this week was probably going to the saturday womens conference session!! It was incredible.

I loved Hna Neil F Marriot's talk.  she's just a really good speaker, all of her expressions and everything haha, but I love how she talked so much about LOVE!

She said that Love is just making space for someone in your heart, or somethng like that, and how being a mother doesn't just mean having kids. It is simply GIVING LIFE.  whether that is spiritual life, like sharing our knowledge of the gospel with all who are around us, or being kind to others or caring for our primary class, there are a TON of ways.  It just requires a little bit of  selfless sacrifice.

It was really cool because we brought a really good investigator, her name is Laura, and her husband Gustavo, and she is SUCH a good person. She has about 8 dogs in her house that she rescued, and tries to find people to adopt them. it's so cute, she's so good. I really just hope that she enjoys the conference next week too!! 

I also loved loved President Eyrings talk.  If you didn't get to see the conference, I hope that you guys can watch a few of the talks this week!

I hope that everyone is getting REALY exicted for general conference this week. do ALL that you can to see all 4 sessions, because I have a huge testimony of the blessings that we receive when we listen to the prophets and then try to apply the counsel in our lives. 

I'M  glad everyone had a good Easter, actually I bought some eggs and tried to make the easter eggs with the numbers and the little things inside, and we were gonna have a noche de hogar ayer with the familia Salguero but then didn't end up doing it, so we will do it tonight!

What else, we had a conference with President Whitehead and hna Whitehead on friday and it was really good.  We have so so much work to do, a LOT of elders and hnas are going home this next change, and a lot of them are leaders. and the mission has had a lot of problems in the last month.  So yeah it was really good though the conference and we just have to get everyone going again, with the same DESEO and obedeince and hard work. 

but yeah thats about it, i love you all all the much!!! have an amazing week

March 14 Staying in Claveria

hola!!

Well this week was kinda crazy.  To be honest, a really hard one. I don't know why, but I felt pretty sad on wednesday and it was just hard.but after I felt a lot better and we had an incredible weekend. 

Juan Carlos (the husband of Maribel) FINALLY got BAPTIZED.  A straight MIRACLE seriously.

We just put our faith to the test and filled up the font and brought the clothes and got everything ready just hoping that he would finally say yes and decide to do it. 

The Lord answered our prayers. Not for us, but for this family.  I know that Padre Celestial LOVES this family a ton, and they were just waiting for their dad to get baptized so that now they can work towards the temple.  I feel so grateful, because it strengthened my testimony of the power of fasting and of prayer.  I am so so excited, and I feel so so blessed to be able to witness these types of milagros each week.

The other really exciting thing, I'm STAYING here in Claveria!!!! I can't tell you how scared I was on saturday when they were telling us the cambios, because honestly this ward is my absolute favorite.  I feel so close to a lot of the members, and a lot of the families that we have taught here, I was just completely not ready to go. at all haha so we feel really relieved.  So its ROUND 3 with Hermana Gallacher haha and we are loving it.

I am so glad to be out here. To be learning so much. and the time is flying by way way too fast.  But Thank you so much for all of your support and love. <3 

hna schneider

March 9 Baptism of Irais, Abril and Joshua

We had an incredible week! I felt the spirit so strong this weekend, we went to the temple on Saturday. It was awesome, we rented a combi (minibus) and now I feel like all the conversos recientes and members are just really good friends! We played big booty on the way and just joked around a ton.  Our mission leader is the greatest, just cracking jokes and making fun of us. (I had to do the BYU fight song... ridiculous),. Then in the centro de visitantes we had the best time.  Everyone was crying watching all the videos.  Then on the way home, everyone was just bearing their testimony and talking about what they learned and more about how they felt.  The spirit was so strong in that combi. 

Mexico City Temple

We had a wonderful Sunday!  David was all ready with his suit and tie and got confirmed a member of the church. He was just beaming, so so happy.  It was domingo de testimonios, and so in the gospel principles class our lider misional just asked a bunch of conversos recientes to share their testimonies.  David shared his, but then when his wife Pamela talked, I just lost it. She broke down (she never cries) and just bore her testimony about how the Gospel really does CHANGE people. She kept repeating that she never ever could have seen this happening, and that she is so grateful for the way the gospel will bless her marriage now.  I am so excited for them, and to see them get sealed in a year (we already are putting the temple date!!)

Then Irais and her sister Abril shared their testimonies as well, I can't even describe it, they are the MOST escogidas that I have ever known in my whole mission.  I am so grateful because the Father trusted us with His precious daughters, and I know that they will be very strong ward members.  (hoping that Irais decides on a mission, that would be incredible)

They had a great baptism service, Hermana Gallacher and I sang #50, the classic mas cerca Dios de ti(Nearer My God to thee). Irais went first, then Abril, and then Joshua last, and he loved it, wanted to stay in and swim for a while, it was just so cute. and I felt the spirit testify of how much our Father LOVES these two daughters and son. He loves them, and there isn't words to describe the JOY that you feel watching people open the gate to enter back in to the presence of God. <3 

This month we are going to have to work a LOT harder, a lot better, and we have a lot of hopes for March. but we have a TON of work to get done, everyone does in the whole mission. February went pretty bad, and we are going to have to change a lot of things. But I'm excited to see the changes. 

I love you all, so much!

Crazy Zone Picture