Hello!

Hello! 

I don't have enough time to write this week. :(  This week was good, and little challenging because I don't know anyone here, but my companion is helpíng me learn the area. We are scheduled to have a baptism this Saturday. His name in Manuel and he is 8 years old.

My companion is awesome! She is super ready to preach the gospel! We are excited, and have plans to work really hard this week, and to find those that are ready to hear the gospel.

One night this week we were walking and we passed a man who was sitting on the street corner. After we passed him my companion said, "we need to go back"! so, I followed her back and we started talking to him. He invited us into his store and we talked about the Book of Mormon with him, because that's what he wanted to know. His name is Beni and we went back yesterday and he had already read the pamphlet that we gave him and everything. We were so excited! I hope that we can make a lot of progress with him this week!

Other than that I think that's everything fun that happened! Sorry, my letter is so short, I had some other things that I needed to get done today as well!  Some weeks p-day's just aren't long enough!

I love you all and am so thankful for your examples and your support!

Love,

Hermana Riedelbach

Palenque

This last week was crazy! Hermana Magaña's new companion was late on Tuesday morning and missed her bus, so I stayed in Villahermosa until Thursday.  I was able to make good use of the extra time and was able to say goodbye to all the people I have come to love in Lindavista.  I have been in this area longer than any other area I have served in.  It was hard to say goodbye.  I have loved this area, but I know that Palenque is where I am supposed to be now.

So, on Thursday I got to drive down toPalenque with the President, Sister Morales and 2 of the secretaries. What an adventure! We practiced contacting people in english as part of Language study :) it was so funny! I am pretty sure talking in english when I get home is going to stink.

On Wednesday and Thursday we spent all day in Zone Conference! I learned a ton and I am so grateful for all that President and Sister Morales do for us as missionaries.

Well, Palenque is BEAUTIFUL. It's a jungle, the mountains are so green and it's full of plants and animals. It's really touristy because there are the old Nephite pyramids! (haha) so the downtown is really cute, it's like park city, but in Mexico... :)

My companion is AWESOME she loves to work! Which is so good! We are enjoying our days together. On Saturday, we had a Baptism. I only got to teach her two times before she got baptized, but I already love her! Her name is Rosalía, she's 15 and super-ready! She was feeling a little sad before her baptism because of what kids said at school about the Mormons, but we were able to share some scriptures and the Spirit opened her heart!

They just started to remodel the Chapel here because it's too small. SO, we got to have our baptism in a river! It was so cool! It reminded me a lot about the video of Jesus Christ's baptism. Super special and spiritual.

I am so grateful for all of the experiences that the Lord has given me! I am so excited to be here in Palenque and to be able to help all of the people here!

I love you all so very much and am so grateful for all that you do for me!

Hermana Riedelbach 

The Lord Called and I Accepted!

This week was very interesting. I had the opportunity to work with three different sisters this week, I guess that's what happens when your companion is the mission nurse and someone gets sick. But, that isn't all that happened...

On Friday, we were in the offices helping a sick Elder get some medicine when the President walked in. He shook all of our hands and then said that he needed to see me in his office. My heart sunk, and I knew something was going to happen. 

I took a seat in his office, and he closed the door. The next thing he said was "The Lord has called you to a new assignment. We need you to finish the training of a Sister. Do you accept your new assignment?" I said "yes."

So for the fourth time in my mission, I will be having special transfers. Tomorrow I am headed to PELENQUE!!! I am so excited and nervous. I will be in a Trio for this week, and then on Sunday one of the sisters finishes her mission and heads home. Pelenque is where everyone in the mission wants to go, it's beautiful and this Zone baptizes the most people. I am so excited to go out and work hard. 

I however am sad to go. I have met a lot of amazing people in this area, and I will always cherish the memories that I have here in Lindavista! 

Here in Mexico they celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) it's like memorial day. They all go to the cemetaries and put flowers on the graves and things like that. Our President asked that we all go and contact people there. We went and it was super different, but I had a good time! It wasn't as successful as we hoped but, we got a few good references. 

This week I also hit my one year mark (Thanks for all the congratulations!). It makes me kind of sad, the time goes by so fast and there is so much more I want to do, and to accomplish in my mission. I have learned soooo much and have grown even more, I am sograteful for all of the experiences, and I can't wait to have more! 

 

Thank you for all your support and for all your prayers. I love you all so very much! Have a fantastic week!

Hermana Riedelbach

To Fetch a Pail of Water!

So, last Monday we got home at 9 p.m. and went to wash our hands, to our surprise we found  there wasn't any water. So, I asked myself what are we going to do?

WELL, that's obvious Hermana Riedelbach, you have to go fetch a pail of water from the neighbourhood well. (Sorry, I know I look lovely in the picture but it was 6:30 in the morning :) So we didn't have water for a whole week, because they were cleaning the pipes!  What?!  Every day we had to go get water to take a shower. It was quite the adventure!  :)

Every single day this week it rained and rained and rained.  Because I was cold, missing my favorite time of year at home, and all of the soups and stews my mom would make, I decided to make my Mom and Bebe's famous potato soup!  It was so good and reminded me of home. :)

This week I had one of the most spiritual experiences in my whole mission. We were teaching a new investigator, named Karla, the Restoration. We explained to her that when Jesus was here on the Earth he established his church with prophets, apostles. We explained the Great Apostasy and asked her how she felt to know that at one time all of the truths had been taken away from the earth. She told us that she felt sad along with some other things. We then explained the first vision. As I was repeating Joseph Smith's vision, I could feel the spirit so strong. I knew that at that moment, it was true and I knew that Karla knew it was true as well. I could see it in her eyes. We then asked her how she felt, and I could tell that she didn't have any words to explain the Spirit, and the feeling she had, but as we were explaining it she nodded her head as if she had felt the same. We challenged her to be baptized and she accepted! She wants to pray before we set a date, but I know she knows it's true. We have an appointment with her tonight and I can't wait to she what she has to say!

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church that exists here on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all. Have a good week!

Hermana Riedelbach

Rain, Rain Go Away!

This last week was full of rain and I think I am officially Choca (people from Tabasco.) It was in the high 80's and I was freezing!! I used my raincoat and boots everyday! I think I am going to die when I come home.

(This little girl is from a less active family.  She is SO cute!  She gave my companion her tooth she just lost so that Hermana Magana won't forget her, she told me I would have to wait a little longer for a tooth because she doesn't have another loose one right now.)

Nothing super stellar happened this week. Our area is a little tough. Everyone is Catholic and right now Pope Fransico has commanded that they all go out and preach the Gospel. So we keep running into them and every time we do they say 'look the Mormons,' it makes me laugh :)

We were able to sit in on the new missionaries and trainers meeting,  it was so cool. I hope one day I will be able to train. In these training meetings, all of the new missionaries and the secretaries eat breakfast with the President at a restaurant. It is always a blast, but everyone is afraid to sit by the President so I always get to sit next to him! I love it. I always learn so much!

I love you all and pray for you all every night!

Hermana Riedelbach

The Temple!

Well, the President succeeded in teasing me...I really thought I might be leaving but, I get to stay here with my companion again this transfer! I am excited and know that there is work that we need to do here!

This week was a little interesting.

On Tuesday, we got to go to the temple with the Mission Council which was really cool! Being able to be inside with the President and his wife is something I will never forget. They are some of my best examples. I learned so much more this time at the temple, it was the first time I had ever seen the old video, I learned more during this visit to the temple than I have in all the other times I have gone through the temple.

I think going to the temple was something I took for granted at home. We are so close to so many temples and I hardly ever went. I have truly learned the importance of going to the temple here on my mission and I encourage all of you to go every week!

I love the temple!

A sister got sick this week so I had to go on splits with another sister and was working in her area the whole day. We got to teach a sister in the temple and I was so happy to be there again and to feel of the same spirit.

We found two new investigators this week! They are faithful members of another church, but we are working with them. I am so excited! I have faith that they will accept the Gospel.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow we will spend or have spent the whole day in the offices. We get to help out with taking the missionaries to and from the airport, training the new missionaries and doing all kinds of things. Tomorrow we get to be in the meeting with the trainers. I always love being in this meeting because we get to learn so much!  Tonight I get to work with the two new sisters! Hooray! I love being able to help out in more ways than one!

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Hermana Riedelbach

11 months!

Can you believe I have been out 11 months?  I can't believe it either!  11 months in the mission field. I feel like I have come a long way since October of  last year. I am so thankful that I am here, in Mexico serving a mission :) This week is also the last week of this transfer and I am ready but nervous for what lies ahead.

Today we had an office meeting (which is why I am writing so late.) and the President was playing mind games with me. He kept asking me if I am ready... What does that mean? Then he said a bunch of other stuff making it seem like I am going to be leaving. He then told me I shouldn't pack just yet, but I should say goodbye to my companion. Then, when we were talking about next week and the meeting for the newbies, he told everyone that there aren't going to be transfers. I am confused... BUT, ready for anything that comes my way.

This week we had the privilege of watching another mouse die!  Hooray!  He was trying to leave our house and then suddenly he fell on his back, rolled over and died. BUT, just to make sure he was dead, the neighbor came over and whacked it with her shoe! It was terrifying.

I loved conference! We were able to watch it in English and Spanish :) but for the most part in English. We, the missionaries, Hermana Armknect and I, had our own set up. The Elders called it Little America. It made me smile. I think my favorite was Elder Eyring (at least I think it was him). I learned so much about revelation and how we can receive it. I loved each and every talk, but the one about revelation answered most of my questions :)

I am so grateful that we have a living prophet and 12 apostles that can lead and guide us in any circumstance. I am so grateful that we can listen to them two times a year. I don't think I really understood the importance of this before my mission, but I am glad to say that I will be changing that :) I have a list of things to work on, and I hope you all do too!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Hermana Riedelbach