one eternal round

hola familia,

I think that this has been the happiest and also most content that I have been my entire mission. It is almost too perfect, and at times I think that my whole mission has almost been too good to be true — seventeen months that have felt like years and years of learning, and seconds and seconds of happiness and joy. We had a last minute conference yesterday with an elder from the Seventy where we sang "I Believe in Christ," and right then and there I realized how much I will miss singing in Spanish and being a missionary. It really is the best. 

The highlights of this week include: 

— the bishop asking President Garcia for permission to drive us around, even when an hermana isn't with us. Because he is Bishop Parra, President of course told him yes. Sometimes he reminds me so much of how Papa probably was that I feel at home and among real family. 

— intercambios with las hermanas de Industrial. We were worried that Hna. Leon would feel like a neglected child with all these other hermanas coming for exchanges, but we have decided that it is good for her so that she is not an only child. She will just have a lot of sisters for the next five weeks. 

— ward talent show, which featured a country dance by the Primary and a Japanese pop song. So many talents. 

My favorite part of this week was Sunday, when we all gathered as missionaries with President to listen to Elder Mendosa. He talked to us about teaching repentance and baptizing converts, and then he asked us if there was a limit to faith. I woke up this morning thinking about this question and realized that to all good things, there is no end. There is no end to faith — perhaps we will one day have a faith that is more perfect and more of a knowledge, but we will still have to have faith in the way that God did when He sent His children to earth. It makes me grateful, knowing that all the Gospel principles and everything that comes about because of them are each eternal — progression, understanding, love, family. And this Valentine's weekend, I am grateful for the knowledge and surety that I have of our eternal family and limitless happiness. So, thank you for being a part of my eternity, dear family, now and forever. 

Love you so much and can't wait to see you!

love always,

Hermana Rhondeau

walking on sunshine

(literally: because it is so hot, and figuratively: because I am so happy). 

dearest family, 

We were basically a wreck on Sunday night waiting for our transfer calls to come for our last transfer together. We might have gotten everyone to pray with the hope that we would be able to stay together for these last few weeks, aaaaaaand WE ARE STAYING TOGETHER. And training a new missionary together. Poor girl, she is going to have two mothers to listen to, but we are so excited and unbelievably happy and basically God is good and listens to prayers and the inner desires of the heart. We just got back from picking her up; her name is Hermana Leon, from Ecuador. She is 19 years old and we already love her — so willing to please and in awe of everything that is Merida. We are excited to figure out how to be parents together. It is kind of hilarious and we will probably mess up a lot of times, but we are willing to learn. 

Don't have a lot of time to write today, due to so many things that we have to do within the next few hours to get her home and settled. But I love you and miss you each so much. Maybe I will try to send pictures because I haven't been able to in these last few weeks? Still working on trying to be good with technology...

love love

Hermana Rhondeau

visiting the sick

Rebeca & Jonatan

baptism de Hno Gonzalo

with Elder Nolasco and Elder Saunooke, before eating cake

we always end up twinning with the APs without planning it. and then everyone asks us if we planned it and it gets uncomfortable...

on the calle

hammock shopping with the bishop and his wife

talking with Maria del Socorro 

dear family,

The Zone Leaders just called informing us that we have interviews with President today, which means that we are madly running around trying to get everything done before making our way to the offices. So in short, this week was full of all good things and glorious reminders of why I have come to love the mission so much:

— We ate hamburgers with the bishop on Tuesday while sitting and listening to him relate his hopelessly hilarious six month story of how he finally won over his wife. After eating and talking he had us sing "How Great Thou Art" for everyone by the hamburger stand. We are slowly becoming a two man show, my companion and I, because everywhere the bishop takes us, he makes us sing. He has recorded our last two performances with the threat of putting it up on FaceBook (which we would be worried about until we realized that he doesn't know how to put videos on FB). 

--We pretended to want to buy fruit so that we could contact a reference from one of the members that works at the fruit stand by the baseball stadium (did I mention we have a baseball stadium? Makes me miss America every time we walk by). Our super sneaky contact tactics would have worked out if he didn't come right up to us and ask if we were looking for him. Ummm. At least everything turned out well. We are now currently teaching almost the whole group of workers that work by the fruit stand. They all gather around and sit on empty fruit crates as we sing and teach them and read the Book of Mormon. One of them that works at the gym right next store came to church on Sunday. We met him Saturday, invited him to baptism, and then he was there at the church bright and early with his way too nice motorcycle. His name is Luis and he has about a month living in the Yucatan. He has never gone to church because by the time he was six he was taken out of school to go work on a ranch. He never learned how to read and his mother never taught him about God, but He believes in Him and wants to find Him for the first time. He is really great and the ward has been really nice to him. They are going to teach him how to read so that he can read the Book of Mormon. 

— We watched the Face 2 Face with Elder Rasband because they transmitted it in our ward building. It was strange seeing part of home and all the teenagers that look ten years older. We are now afraid to come home because we do not know how to get ready anymore and are used to people thinking that we are pretty just because we have blue eyes. 

— We taught two lessons this week that especially made me realize how much I love the mission and how unique of an experience it is to be able to sit in people's homes and talk to them about things that go far past the material and right to the soul. We had the thought to go with an inactive couple that hasn't gone to church in more than five years. We sat at their big wood table and listened as they told us of how they came to know the Gospel to the time the had everything and then lost more and how they now feel the consequences of not living what they knew all along to be true. We simply listened and then sang a hymn and bore our testimonies and left. The next day as we passed by their house, the dad came out and told us, "I felt great joy and happiness within me when you came to visit. I know that the Lord is with you because I felt His presence." And then they came to church yesterday for the first time in a long time, and we felt great joy and happiness within us, too. The second lesson was with Cesar, a single father of three who wants to stop drinking. He is a very good person, despite his choices. He does everything for his children and listens to us because he used to be religious until he decided to start drinking and left the church he was attending. On Saturday morning we taught him about the Atonement and read 3 Nefi 9, when Christ invites us to come unto Him and be healed. He read the scripture out loud and then with tears in his eyes just looked at us and proclaimed, "Oh, how I wish I could be like you."  It made me realize how lucky I have always been to have the Gospel, and how lucky I am now to be able to share it with others that need it so much more. It really is a privilege to be out here serving God and seeing His hands and the grace of His Son manifested daily in the lives of His children. 

Wishing you a happy week! Love you and missing you always. 

love,

Hermana Rhondeau

this is what children do for fun in Mexico