28.9.15

when you think you know everything

hola querida familia,

Good news! Hermana Villalobos fully recovered from chinkunguya to the point where she could walk and work just one week after having it, which is pretty much a miracle because usually no one can walk for a month after having the illness. Moral of the story: gracias for your prayers and your fasting. They were felt and received miles away in a little house in Merida, which reminds me how good God is and how nice it is to have people and love people that have faith and prayer for others in order to use it. 

Sad news: we had transfers yesterday and Hermana Villalobos and I are no longer together, which we kind of knew was going to happen at the end of her training, but still doesn't make it hurt less. We are seriously the bestest of friends and I have no doubt that I will miss her bright presence here in Zazil-ha. Because yes, I am staying in Zazil-ha. Which is what we didn't think was going to happen. We were pretty convinced that I would be leaving this part of the mission and that she would be staying, to the point that the elders were singing God Be With You and praying for my departure ( I hope they were joking..). Hermana Villalobos is now in Caucel, while I will be here with Hermana Corneco as Sister Training Leaders. We are excited to be together and already get along quite well. To be honest, I am slightly nervous. I thought that I was tired of training and being with new missionaries, but I already feel a slight sadness and longing to be with another new one. There is something quite gratifying and wonderful with being able to learn from others that supposedly don't know as much as you, and yet I learned everything from them. I am excited for this new opportunity to learn and be humbled (because I know it will happen), plus Hermana Ellgen, my BFF from Zona Centro, is now in our Zone and so I can go on splits with her and we are so excited we might have cried. 

Not much time and not much to report with only four days of working the last week. We had a glorious last four days of feeling the spirit and seeing the progress of members and less actives. It really is something quite special being able to know people and come to love them and feel the love that God has for them. The love of God is real and undeniable. I think that that is maybe what I have learned — that we are important to our Heavenly Father and that He really does know us and prepare the way for us even when we don't understand His will or His timing. 

Love you oh so much. Thanks for reminding me that I only have six months left...can't believe that I will see you relatively sooooon! 

love love
Hermana Rhondeau

21.9.15

hola dear family,

This week was another one spent in our house due to the dengue and chikungunya epidemic — we are literally going crazy because we have been confined to the house for two weeks now. I don't know how I have managed to evade it. My companion hasn't been so lucky — she has chikungunya, which gives one a rash over your whole body, a really high fever, and so much pain in your body that you cannot walk or do anything other than sleep in your hammock, which means we have been in and out of the hospital almost every day this week. In a weird way, I kind of enjoyed it because I realized that I really like being in hospitals and trying to understand everything in Spanish. Moral of the story: weird types of dengue are not fun, but I learned how to take care of one who has dengue and realized that I liked waking up every two hours to check her temperature and making her banana chocolate shakes. To make this email more interesting thatn five days in the house can make it, I will answer a few questions before having to sign off (because we are writing in the mission office and I feel self-conscious writing with everyone here for some reason...)

Okay, hammocks: yes, it's true. Literally everyone sleeps in a hammock here. It's because the weather is always so hot, and the hammock provides some type of ventilation. I actually really like sleeping in one, but sometimes end up sleeping on the floor because I am so hot and the tile is much cooler than the hammock. 

Mayan: still can't speak in Mayan. Everyone says that if you know English, Maya is more easy to learn. I don't believe it. I did learn the word for horse this week, which is tzimin

Laundry: we have to walk five calles to get to the lavandaria. This is a small sacrifice because some missionaries have to wash all of their clothes by hand. 

Okay, sorry for the lack of quality of emails from this week — but I am happy to hear that my package arrived (because it cost me 600 pesos — boo) (and because I had to wait two hours). But yay! I love you so much and miss you always. 

love love, 
Hermana Rhondeau

7.9.15


the one and only Hermana Dulce. 



hola familia,

So this week we found out that we are in the second most strict mission in the world. In. The. World. To put it into perspective, Germany (shoutout to John) is in first place...

This week we also found out that my companion has dengue, which entailed three days home-bound with only fruit, jello, and a vigilant watch for fever every two hours all through the night. We ended up studying and writing and sleeping most of the time and writing lists of impossible questions for our district leader. We think he calls us last every single night because we always have questions for him which usually takes about half an hour to answer, and then Hna Villalobos practices her English for another ten minutes. We have a lot of fun, and he is really patient. He ended up being sick this week, too, so nobody in Zazil-ha was working which equals lots of study time, lots of questions, and lots of time to end up going crazy. However, I learned a lot of new things about my companion, like how she is obssessed with Korea and anime and everything Asian. It was hilarious but also made me love her more. She has become one of my best friends and we are thoroughly convinced that we knew each other before this life because we can start any conversation with any subject and always end up talking about Christ. We had a lot of good converstaions this week, spending most of the time sitting on our tile floor with two fans on full blast just talking and laughing and listening to thunderstorms and traffic outside our front window. 

Today we also found out that my companion doesn't have dengue, just a stomach infection, and that we spent three days in the house for nothing.

We braved leaving the house on Saturday for Mario's baptism. We live about ten minutes aways from our two-story church and take 50 Penal in order to get there. We take the same bus. Every single day. And I ended up getting us lost. I thought I was right and that my companion was wrong, but it ended up being the exact opposite. I learned humility, again, and I also re-learned that I still have the talent of being directionally challenged. But we got to the church and cleaned the baptismal room that was full of ants (I will never understand the amount of ants that reside in Mexico) and then waited for three hours for Mario to arrive with his girlfriend and her family. It was supposed to start at 3. We waited and waited and he never came and we had the fear that he wasn't going to show up (it's happened in the mission before), but then he came and everything was perfect. His girlfriend's dad baptized him and a lot of the ward members came. It was really, really good and all I can remember is feeling 1) so happy, and 2) seeing and feeling so much light. It was as if the room was filled with a white light that illuminated everything and everyone and Mario was so happy. Hna Villalobos and I love him quite a lot — he has become our best friend and we already have plans of what we are going to do together when we return. His girlfriend's family took us out to eat after and we (my companion and I) ended up eating the majority of the giant pizza that they bought us. The mission has taught us how to eat. 

Not much to report this week, but will send an email next week answering all of your questions from this week. 

love and miss you always,
Hermana Rhondeau

this is what it a bus in Mexico looks like (featuring: Mario plus los elderes)
Jose at church for the first time with his new tie
old photo
selfie with Mario at church. he is literally our best friend.
 

Mario's baptism — his girlfriend and her whole family drove from Cancun to be there
Hermana Mercedes, whom we visit at least two to three times a week because she is so funny and sassy.