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!

Farewell Hermana Grover

Hermana Grover left for MEXICO today!!!!!! All of the Grovers were able to talk to her and wish her farewell early this morning.

Te queremos Hermana Grover! Sirva con toda tu mente y fuerza, y que el Señor esté siempre con vosotros.

Last Letter from the Provo MTC

Ok well this week has been crazy and so much has happened and I don't have time to write I'm sorry! It'll be very brief.

We had our last lesson with Alejandro and Hermano Keller taught with my companion and I was Alejandro. Great last lesson huh? I couldn't understand anything haha...it was interesting but it was on baptism and repentance. They asked me to be baptized and I thought I don't even know how Alejandro would reply but I want a baptism so I said yes haha. So he's getting "baptized"! Yippee ;) We had some great experiences with Alejandro that I wish I had time to share but I don't.

Elida is getting baptized too! (I think our teachers are just being nice to us ;) )  But we have our last lesson with her on Saturday. We've had some great teaching moments with her as well.

Saturday is the last day with our teachers! I'm so sad! I'm going to miss them so much! They have been with us from the beginning and taught me so much. Ugh I can't even describe to you!

We have gotten really close to all the Elders in our zone! They are THE coolest. I'm going to miss them as well. We have a Tongan and he is so fun to play sports with and talk to. We also have an Australian and he is the funniest kid I've ever talked to. There is also an Elder that I Swear I've seen before and I can't figure out where and then he just now came up to me like yesterday and said Hermana Grover since the 1st day I saw you I swear I've seen you before! I said now way because I thought the same thing!! But we still can't figure it out and its driving me crazy. Anyways, they will be missed. Also, one Elder is leaving today due to health reasons :( its really sad. He has only been here for 4 weeks. 

Thats about it. Next time I talk to you it'll be from Mexico!!!!!! 

I hope everyone is doing fantastic and know that I love you! 

I arrive in Mexico at 6:30pm on Monday!! 

Pray for safety!

Hermana Grove

Ah! 11 days. I don't know if I should cry or laugh or be dead serious or shout for joy for the fact that I'm leaving in 11 days. In fact all of my emotions have rolled into one and I can never tell what I'm feeling anymore haha. 

This was literally the fastest week of my life! So busy!!! On Monday we had 6 lessons! 6! With no time to prepare. It was interesting. We are now as a District teaching each other. So Hermana Johnson and I teach Hermana Johnston and Burns. They are now our new investigators! We are new investigators to Hermana Zenger and Durnford. It's really cool to be the investigator and you don't have to stress about anything haha. 

We also skyped on Monday with a Member to teach him a lesson. Yeah that was interesting. He had just got off his mission literally like 4 months ago and we had to teach him a lesson. Ha! Every time we'd say something he'd just nod his head and say yeah that's true. Hahaa...My companion and I, afterwards just laughed because of how stupid we felt that we were teaching a returned missionary. Let's just say it was the best experience haha. Pretty embarrassing. 

I have learned so much this week! That's what I say every week but that's good right? Just a few updates:

Alejandro: great! In fact after one of our lessons Hno. Keller pulled us aside immediately following our lesson and said that is the lesson I've been Waiting to hear from you Hermana's! He said that lesson was just like our very first one and it was because the Spanish wasn't the issue and we were following the promptings of the Spirit exactly! It was splendid! 

Elida: I just want to cry. We have highs and really lows with her. Her family doesn't want her to meet with us anymore and so we asked her family to come to one of the lessons and they came and it turned out to be a disaster! Her sister came (another teacher at the MTC) and she was railing us with questions that I could barely even answer in English! Seriously right now just thinking back to it makes me want to cry haha. But we have built up since then and we have set a baptism date for her on April 25th! Whoopie! My first baptism! It's not even real and she is probably just having sympathy for my companion and I! Haha no just kidding!

Ivelisse: We FINALLY had a grand lesson! I don't even know how it got to where it did to be honest but it was good haha. At the end she said we were literal angels sent from God that showered His love on her. Wow! You're about as surprised as me that that came out of her mouth! It was so sweet and kind though! And she agreed to be baptized when she felt the time was right.

Something I want ALL of you to do as soon as you can! Watch The Character of Christ by David A. Bednar. It is the most incredible talk I've ever heard. People always say oh my goodness this talk changed my life and I always thought eh..I'm sure it didn't have THat much of an effect. They are just exaggerating. No, this talk is now what I want to live by. How everyone needs to live by. You could probably just find it on lds.org. 

A few things that I've learned this week. This Gospel is a Gospel of love, of hope, and of happiness. But more importantly its a Gospel of Invitation and a Gospel of Change. Every part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an invitation and for you to exercise faith and love. But my favorite is that it changes you. Every single day. If you let it. If you have a desire. I have SUCH a strong testimony of Desire! But, I'll touch on that in a bit. 

I was having quite a few bad days in a row and getting reeeeally frustrated with myself because I didn't know what was wrong and then Hno. T (a new teacher who has been helping us out. He's Tongan and like the coolest man I've ever talked to
) pulled my companion and I aside to help us teach to meet peoples needs but at the same time teach doctrine. He could tell we were struggling haha. Anyways he said something and I don't even remember what but instantly what came to my mind was I am having these bad lessons because I am not changing myself. I am not letting the Lord shape and mold me to be a better person. I was struggling with one of the Hermana's in my District because she just got on my nerves and I was not having the best thoughts towards her. Anyways, then I realized I was set apart to have a higher thought, to become a better person, why am I still acting in maybe not the best way. I'm working on it everyday and I am hoping and praying that the Lord will shape me into the messenger He wants me to be.  

Now let me ask you this. Are you letting the Gospel change your life? Are you giving your all to the Lord and letting Him change you? I know it is a life pursuit but it is our purpose. To follow the example of Christ. 

Goodness golly I love este Evangelio de Jesucristo. Yo se que Cristo es Él Salvador del mundo, Él es mi Salvador. Yo se que Dios me sabe personalmente. Sin un duda. En el nombre de Jesucristo Amen. 

(this Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Christ is the Savior of the world, He is my Savior. I know that God knows me personally. Without a doubt. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.)

Next time I write you will be the last time I write you in the MTC. Then I'm off to Mexico! 

I should be getting my travel plans this week!!! AH!

Love you all!

Hermana Grover

Holy moly where does the time go? I have 2 and a half weeks left! And then bam I'm going to Mexico!

Boy have a learned a lot and it's only been 4 weeks. Just a few highlights from this week due to shortness of time:

Finally had a Great lesson with Alejandro! He opened up to us after like 3 lessons...I think because he felt like we really cared and that we were listening. So muy bien! (very good)

Had an incredible lesson with Elida!! We taught of Christ and His Atonement and the Spirit was there and you could tell Elida was feeling the Spirit and it was such a good feeling. At the end we asked her to give the closing prayer and she gave the most beautiful one ever and I had the prompting to say, "God loves you Elida," and then she looked at me and said, "You Hermanas are the hands of God." Pulled on my heart strings. Especially because we had been struggling with teaching lessons. That was a definite blessing to hear and feel that. It was great because then it carried over into our lesson with Alejandro and that's when we had the great lesson with him. Oh and also Elida came to church on Sunday after we invited her! Yippee!

We received another Investigator again this week and we teach her every day AS a District. Yeah! All 6 of us! Try being on the same page as your companion in a lesson, let alone having 5 more companions...Haha it is very interesting. Anyways, her name is Ivelisse and she is from Venezuela. She is very difficult! She throws scriptures at us like there is no tomorrow! We have yet to have a good lesson with her. We are just trying to figure out how to teach all together and for only 20 minutes. It's super difficult. 

Hermana Johnson and I had a lesson with Elida just on Tuesday and we were so excited because we were going to ask how church was and how everything is going and then boom...she invited us in and she looked really sad so we asked what was wrong and she said her family doesn't want her to see us any more. Yep our lesson just went right out the door. It happens like literally every time we teach. We never give our actual planned lesson haha. Anyways, so we asked her if she believes in the Church and in Christ and now she says she doesn't know anymore and its just so sad...everything was going great and perfect. So I told her that she need to pray to ask heavenly Father if the Church was true and that if she asked for help, Heavenly Father would soften her families hearts. So we are hoping and praying for her. We teach her tonight for 25 minutes and have a lesson planned but we are just going in there to see how she is doing.

Pray for our Investigators! Pray their hearts will open and they will have a desire to change!

I hope everyone is doing grand and know that I miss you all!

Hermana Grover

P.S. Please pray for me that I will be able to handle my stress and whatever else comes to your mind because it was probably inspired! Por favor! Prayers would be so gratefully appreciated.

Well I hate to say this but this week nothing that exciting happened. Haha. 

Uh actually no, I lied! Something crazy happened!

Remember the investigator we have been teaching? Jose? Yeah...we ended our last lesson with him last Wednesday. The next day he showed up in a suit and tie in our classroom and said I'm Hermano Keller and I will be your teacher until you leave for Mexico.....Probably the most embarrassing moment of my life. I started thinking like yeah it's ok about the stuff I said to him because I'll never see him again. Ha. So he is our teacher and he told us how we did overall not like individually in a companionship. So to all our district. He actually said some stuff that helped him a lot that my companion and I said in our lessons so that was a huge sigh of relief. Pretty cool.

Anyways, so now our teachers Hermano Keller and Hermana Gibson are our new investigators. Alejandro and Elida. We've taught both of them twice. But we also did door approaches with both of them and lets just skip the details because they were so bad. We obviously don't have any idea what we're doing haha. Funny thing actually, we did a door approach with Alejandro and we introduced ourselves and said why we were there but we were supposed to go inside. So we tell him why we're there and then it was like awkward silence for a few minutes and I was supposed to say we want to get to know you a little bit and then share a quick message but I totally forgot. So in that awkward silence of just meeting I said so what do you like to do? He just stared at me and was like uhhh why are you asking me this? Haha it was really embarrassing. I have the worst experiences with Hermano Keller. 

I'm still struggling with the language. And let me tell you I am humbled every single day I'm here at the MTC. I have realized that without the Lord no part of missionary work is possible. I have learned so many things that I want to share with you but 1. I left my notebook in my room and 2. I don't have time. So hopefully next week!

Sorry this is short but I have to go!

Love you all and keep writing me letters, dearelders, and e-mails! Much appreciated!

Hermana Grover

p.s. my District's motto is Si se Puede! It means yes you can! So if you are having a hard time with something in your life think of those words and know that you can do it! ESPECIALLY if you ask the Lord to help you.