Chiapas, Mexico

Holy cow! I don´t even know where to begin. This is hands down the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my life. 

We arrived at like 6:30 at night on Monday. The trip was long but Hna Johnson and I talked to a few people. In spanish! It was interesting haha. Anyways, the President picked us up and we got in the car and I almost cried. Its the first time in my life when I wanted to wear a seatbelt haha. There are no lanes except the divider for a car going one way and another car going the opposite. But if you are going the same direction there are NO LANES. People will fly in front of you when you are going 60 miles an hour! I literally risk my life everytime I get on a bus haha and everyone just walks in the streets. We literally almost hit like 50 people a day. Its rough...the people in Tuxtla will randomly set bushes and sticks on fire. So you will be walking or driving and there will be fires on the side of the street...Not to scare you Mom! They are not big and are no harm so dont worry. 

Hna Johnson, me and another Elder from the MTC (Elder Spence) had dinner at the Mission Presidents house that night and I just wanted to cry. I didnt understand anything and I could not speak back either. UGH I cant even tell you how difficult and frustrated I am with the language. This week has been the longest week of my life. 

I am really struggling with the food and where we live. But the people are super nice! Though they get frustrated because I cant speak so they generally avoid talking to me haha...

I met my new companion on Tuesday and thats when I left Hna. Johnson and I have never felt so lost or alone because my companion is Native. She doesnt know English...So I am really struggling communicating and just ugh its rough. My faith in Christ and myself is seriously being tested. I have only cried once but I have teared  up probably around like 30 times haha. But as the days go on the better it gets. I still dont understand a lick in spanish (though I am starting to understand a little better) and I cant speak it hardly at all. 

My comp is Hna. Tejeda and she is 23. She is funny and very short haha. Its a struggle for both of us because she cant speak english and I cant speak spanish so communication is difficult. The Mission President felt impressed to have us together and that we should be the 1st Sister Missionaries in Chiapa de Corzo. So we have had to start from scratch with everything...Oh my gosh Missions are hard I cant even describe to you. 

BUT on the bright side the people love me...just because I am American haha. They think I am really funny and they are obsessed with my hair haha. Daily, I kid you not DAILY Every ingle person will stare at me when I walk in the streets or ride the bus. Also I get SO many winks from men and I get Hey beautiful! Or Hey pretty come get in my car! Yeah...it is funny but scary at times haha.

My house is...interesting haha. You just walk around and there are lizards on the walls everywhere. And millions of ants. The water is absolutely disgusting. It smells like manure and tastes sweet...yucky. The bathroom smells o gross too! Haha and I sleep on a cot and worms and stuff crawl all over. They are little white things and they bite me and itch like a misquito bite..But I have only gotten 4 misquito bites! There really are not any here only by the water or at night if you are just standing there. But the humidity is SO MUCH. I dont need any product to make my hair curly just a little water. I dont even worry about hardly any make up because you just sweat it all off in seriously 5 minutes. Oh my gosh its gross haha. I take cold showers but the sink water is warm. So all the water is warm unless you leave your waterbottle in the fridge and it still doesnt get very cold. It is really really hot here so I am starting to get a little color. Yes! 

The area is really pretty and I have met a lot of people whospeak a total different language. In Chiapas there are 12 different languages ranging from ancient Mayan or Aztec cultures. I have learned some words but I am only supposed to speak Spanish. :( But its ok because spanish is hard enough as it is!

Ok the food. Is good! Dfferent but good. MY absolute favorite thing is a drink. Its called fruta de agua. Its just fresh fruit with water and sugar. Any kind of fruit. So far I have had tamborine and watermelon, and some other tropical fruit I dont know.But I hope to try pineapple soon! But seriously it is so good. The tamberine is gross. My favorite is watermelon. I had like 5 glasses of it haha. I will make it when I get home...in 17 months.. For breakfast we eat sandwhiches..for dinner we eat sandwhiches...for lunch we go to a house of a member or investigator and they feed us. So far I have had lots of soups that are like at home and hamburgers but they are different than ours. They have like 4 different meats on their hamburgers. They fry their veggies and put some stuff on it I dont know but it is really good!! Then I had a whole fish. Like an investigator (Laura) handed me a plate with the entire fish on it..its whole body; eyes, bones, scales, fins, tail, etc. It was pretty good though. Yes I only ate the meat she just served the whole fish on my plate. 

I dont talk much during lessons becvause I dont what they are saying and how to talk back haha. Its like I forgot all spanish. But I did talk in one lesson and that lesson is what keeps me going and what might keep me going for the next few weeks. Her name is Joanna and she is 17. We were talking about church and then I had an impression to ask about the BoM and her feelings when she read it..3 times the impression came and finally I asked her and she just stared at me. Then she explained her feelings and they were good and then I asked if she has prayed to know if the BoM was true and she said yes yes I have and I have received an answer. Yes I know it is true. So right then we asked her to be baptized and she said yes! She had been meeting with the Elders for a month, a couple months ago. But the cool thing is a member (Carina) told me after she found out Joanna said yes to baptism she came and told me: Hna. Grover, I went with the Elders to the lessons with Joanna and we asked her 3 times and she never wanted to be baptized, at all." So what I said just really helped her out is what my Comp told me. So that was cool. It will carry me for a while. 

Anyways no time. My address is:

Misión México Tuxtla Gutierrez (accent over the 1st e.) 

Calle Jazmines #210

Fracc. Los Laureles

Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico

C.P. 29020

Love you all so much! Miss you like you could no even believe

Hermana Grover

PLEASE write me!