She is in the field

Rachel wasn't able to send out a mass email this week because she was traveling but I thought I would post some pictures from her new adventure.

 

Para Siempre Dios Esta Con Vos! :) Week 5 *Last week in the MTC*

HoLa EvErYoNe!!!!!!! :)

WASSS UP?! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! :) Thanksgiving was great! :)  It was very special, because we got TURKEY!!!! I miss American food so much! And it was just sooooo nice to eat something that I actually recognized for once! (Seriously, the food here sometimes scares me. Mystery meat Monday!) haha :) They even had table cloths put out and played music while we ate, and I just was so in love! haha :)

We got to listen to a LIVE devotional given by Bednard (YESSSSSSSS!!!!) AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!! He didn't give an actual talk, it was more of a question and answer thing, and it was so cool! Everyone from all the MTCs got to participate! It was awesome! My favorite thing he said was, "Does the trial of faith accure daily only to be strengthened?" yep! :) It happens!  Someone asked him the question about how he gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon and he answered it in the coolest way! He disappeared for a few minutes and to get a piece of paper, and it was a copy of Joseph Smith's first personal journal entry.  He read it out loud and talked about how Joseph has little education and couldn't write or read for the life of him.  And then he compared it to the Book of Mormon, and we all know the Book of Mormon is super powerful and its words are LITERALLY not of this world. And then we went on about how there is just not possible way Joseph Smith could write the Book of Mormon just to trick people.  And there really is no possible way! It just is not real! So it was just another testimony builder for me about the Book of Mormon, it was really cool! :)  Two days before we had ANOTHER live devotional by Dallin H. Oaks (YES YES YES!!!) and it was AWWWWWWESOME! I love that man.  I just love all of them.  But I will always have something special for Holland, haha. :) Anyways! He talked about some great stuff! My favorite thing he said was, "Do something for men and women that is a small but kind and a brave thing that the Savior would do." Amen to that!!! I just love all that the prophet and the apostles have to say! These men are certainly called of God! GOTTA LOVE THEM!

This week has been great, but it has been really hard.  We have been trying to speaking only Spanish, and at times it is so frustrating.  But I think that my Spanish has really improved, I feel like I don't even struggle that much! I can pretty much talk to anyone, but at times I will be in the middle of a sentence and be like, "Wait, como se díce blah blah blah." and usually I can work my way around when speaking, but it is going well! I am not perfect, but it is sufficient! :) I feel like I am prepared for the mission field! :)

Things with Alejandro and Miguel are going great! :)  Alejandro is getting "baptized" this Saturday and tomorrow is our last lesson with him!  We taught Miguel the last time and he FINALLY committed to Baptism! He is getting "baptized" January 15th! Woooo! haha :) Yay! :)  So proud of them! :)

Well! I have been saving to do this for the last week, and I am just so excited to share this with all of you!  But I have been wanting to bare my testimony to all of you, and if I mess up, I'm sorry! But I have a testimony of Spanish now, and every day that I have been here has strengthened that! :) So here you go! :)

Yo sé que La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días es verdadera ! Sé que Jesucristo es muy cariñoso, y Su ama es para todos las personas! Yo sé que nosotros somos muy bendecido ! Yo sé que La Expiación es muy importante, y es parte del plan de Dios . Yo sé que Jesucristo murió por todos los hombres, y no fue fácil. Yo sé que El Libro De Mormón es de palabra de Dios. Yo sé que nosotros tenemos un viviendo profeta, Tomás S. Monsón.  Yo sé que José Smith es un profeta, tambien.  Estoy muy agradecido por todas las bendiciones en mi vida! Estoy muy agradecido por mi familia, y my mejor amigos,y especialmente mi Eterno Padre.  Estoy muy feliz, y yo sé que es porque a Dios y Jesucristo! 

I know that my Redeemer lives, and He loves us all so much! I love you all so much too! Have a great week everyone!!!!! LOVE YOU ALLLL!!!!  :)

Spanish of the Week: 

Estoy muy cansado! (Es/toy moy cone/saw/doe(

I'm so tired!

LOVE YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH! 

Con amore, 

Hermana Duncan

Random dude with a machete and cutting up the tree in front of our house!

Miracles, Hijoles, and Doughnuts. :) WEEK FOOOOOOOOOOUR!!!!

Hola everyone!!!!!!

SUP?! I hope all is well!!!! :) Things are going great here! I suppose! :) First things first. I want to thank my mommy for sending me donuts. They were delicious! And with all the struggles and frustrations throughout the week, I would go home, eat a doughnut, and everything was okay. So thank you mom! Hermana Nelson got some donuts too, so we had 3 dozen donuts and she even ate one in the shower!  She says you have not lived until you eat a doughnut in the shower, so if you have not, you better get on that!

We had some great spiritual experiences this week! First one would be when we went to TRC (Teaching Resource Center) where we actually teach volunteers (most of them are members, but some are actual investigators!) Hermano Polo said there were not many people that day to teach so Hermana Brown and I were together with Hermana Nelson and Hermana Redford.  We had a lesson all prepared and it was suppose to be about receiving answers to our prayers, and we said a quick prayer together and prayed that we would be able to teach with the spirit and we would be able to help whoever we were teaching.  A girl around our age came in, her name is Casy and she is so beautiful! We started to get to know her and asked her what she liked and we learned that she loves to do ballet! :) We began our lesson with a prayer and we discussed what we were going to share with her.  Hermana Nelson asked her if she felt like there was any time in her life that she did not receive an answer to her prayers.  She waited a moment and she began to cry and told us that she had a boyfriend who is an RM and they want to get married, but she feels like she needs to go on a mission.  She had only discussed it with her mother the day before (I think, I may be missing some details, my Spanish is not up to par!) about it, and she did not know what to do.  Well. Three of us (Me, Hermana Brown (My comp.) and Hermana Nelson) have boyfriends serving missions!  We just looked at each other and we knew we were suppose to help her.  We shared some scriptures with her about receiving answers to prayers, and I shared my experience with her about making those exact decisions while Zach was out, as well as Hermana Brown and Hermana Nelson.  We were all in tears, because the spirit was so strong and in my heart I knew she was suppose to go on a mission.  She would be a great missionary!   Her spirit is so strong, and I hope to see her again! I already love her! i love all the investigators we have! (Even if two are pretend and they are our teachers) but I still want to help each of them and to serve them.  That is why I am here! :)  Oh! Alejandro committed to baptism!!!!!!!!! :D YAYYYYYYY!!!! He is getting baptized December 6th! Three days before I leave! :) We finally figured out the problem, and he just wants to be with his family forever.  His mom died when he was young, and he fears that she is in a not so nice place and we informed him that is far from the truth, but she can be in paradise if the work is done for her, and the only way to do that is to get baptized! So I invited him to follow the example of Christ and to be baptized, and he said yes, but he would have to ask his wife. His wife is a member, why would she not say yes?! haha :) So yep! All has been so well! I love this Gospel! It is so wonderful! I feel like I have been blessed so much this week with my Spanish, and I feel like I took a huge leap.  I still struggle, but it is getting so much easier. :)

Yesterday I got to leave the CCM with my companion!!! Haha :) Her retainer broke the night before and she had to go to a dentist that was an hour away, and it was quite the experience! :P People here are nuts.  Everyone drives super fast, everyone is swerving around one another, and random people will be in the middle of the street selling tacos.  What.  I actually got really sick on the way home because if the crazy driving! It was not pleasant, lets just say that. But it was a good experience nonetheless.  Hermana Brown waved at someone, and the Mosiah, the Hermano with us told us not to do that because they will think that we want to hook up. O.O No thank you! Haha :) The dentist was a member and she turned on some primary songs for us while we were there, and it has been so nice to hear music! We are not aloud to listen to music here, and it is very sad!

Oh! And I finally saw Preston! :) I see him every once in a while, and it is weird seeing someone I use to see almost every day! haha :) But he seems to be doing good, and he seems happy! So yeah! :) I call him by Preston and he calls me by Rachel, and our companions always correct us, haha. SILLY COMPEÑEROS! :D

Oh! And these pictures are all pictures of us sleeping through devotionals, classes, and even in the great outdoors.  it is kind of hard not falling asleep when you are so dang busy and tuckered out by the end of the day! :) Im guilty too!

Spanish of the Week:

¡Hijoles! - (Ee-hole-ez) Oh my goodness! Elder Kummerman says it all the time haha :)

Love you all! Have a great Thanksgiving! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you all!  Save me a slice of pie for me! ;) 

Con Amore,

Hermana Rachel Duncan :)

Satan Really Doesn't Like US..... Week 3

Hola!! :)

Well.  This week has been jam packed with a lot of things, and at the same time, not so much!

First off, our investigators are progressing!!!.... Kind of? I do not know! It is kind of hard to tell! But they are both opening up to us! if i have failed to tell you their names, I apologize haha, We are teaching Alejandro and Miguel. (They are really our teachers, teehee! Hno.Vargus is Alejandro and Hno. Polo, "Pollo"/Chicken as we call him because he loves chicken and stealing our food, is Miguel) Alejandro's wife, Wendy is a member, and they have a little baby girl named Renee who is one.  He is Catholic and wants to know more about eternal families and about where we go after we die, but we are currently teaching him about the love of God, because he struggles to know that God is there for him and knows of his struggles.  Apparently Renee is in the hospital for something, I don't know why (I was not there, I will explain more after this..) and so we are praying for her and his family. :) Miguel is really hard to teach.  He has been a member of FOUR different churches (currently the 7th day Adventist) and we have only taught him twice in the past two weeks.  The first lesson was really funny, because I was teaching him how to pray and how we need to be reverent. This is how the prayer went:

Me: Nuestras Padre Celestial...

Miguel: HALLELUJAH! 

Me: ......(Trying really hard not to laugh) Estamos muy agradecido por todo bendiciones en nuestras vivas....

Miguel: (Repeats every word I just said in a whisper)

Me: (I'm now laughing)..... Gracias por Miguel...

Miguel: Gracias por MEEEE!!!

(My companion and I are now in tears)

Reminder: This is all roleplaying, I would totally not act like this is I did not know that this was my teacher.  Polo is the Beez Kneez.

Oh it was so great. But the next lesson I totally caught him be surprise with a scripture (Matt 5: 1-11 I think?) about how we should pray without repetition and with loud voices, and it was just great.  I felt like a champion. :) But anyways, Miguel is opening up to us.  He has a son who is a member, and his other son is the exact opposite! He is really rebellious and Miguel said he will join the church when his son does... Soooooo..... PLEASE PRAY FOR US! :)

Well.. I got sick.... AGAIN. But this time it was REALLY bad. On Sunday night during a devotional it was getting really hot and when we went outside I thought I would be better... NOPE. I ended up going home earlier, and got super duper sick. I had horrible nausea, and then one of my roommates came home because she was throwing up too... then her companion came home the next day... and now MY companion is sick today! So I have been stuck in our casa for three days.  AND IT STINKS. But all is well! I feel so much better! :) I just have to play mommy for my companion. :) Please pray for my district! We have been very unsuccessful with English fasts every time we try to do one. We usually do it every Monday and Wednesday, and every time someone gets sick! So please pray for us! We are all convinced that it is...SATAN. So please keep us in your prayers! We are going to "casually" begin our English fast and surprise that little stinker like never before! The little devil wont know what hit him! ;)

So on Friday, I spent a good hour or so drawing pictures of our whole district (after I was done studying.. OF COURSE) and I was so proud of my work! Everyone loved it, and it was just great!....

Then on Sunday, all of us sisters went to Relief Society and when we came back one fo the elders in our district RUINED IT!!! But it was really funny. :)

We went to the temple today!!!! It is so beautiful! Unfortunately we did not get to walk around the grounds, we just went to the visitor center.  But you could still feel the spirit! I want to go back one day! it amazes me how much there is a difference between the CCM and the city itself.  We are literally not of the world here! Other than this past Sunday and Monday there was a lot of fiestas because it was the Mexican Revolution Holiday, and literally all night long there was music, cars honking their horns, cannons going off (We literally will hear random cannons going off every single day.  Its really big here I guess because it supposedly shows respent to Saints of the Catholic church) And my lovely companion looks at me every single time and says, "Well, there goes another tribute." (Like the Hunger Games, She is so silly!) But I love the spirit here, it is so strong, and I simply don't want to leave! OKAY. I do. But my district is literally the best ever! We get along soooooo well!!!!!

I miss you all oobers! I cant believe NEXT WEEK I will be out for a month! :) Time is already slipping by and I haven't even really begun! Before you know it it will be as if I return home tomorrow! 

Spanish of the Week (I'm copying you Zachy, hope you don't mind! :))

¡Adios, carita de arroz! (Car-eeta de arrr-ohhz)

Its like Americans saying, "See you later Alligator!"

But it literally means, " Goodbye, rice face!

.......Since when did I ever look like rice? XD Silly Latinos! :) I LOVE THEM!

Love, Hermana Duncan

WEEK 2 The Beds are Hard... But the Work is Harder!

Hola Everyone!!! How are you guys doing?  I hope all is well!  This  week has been great!  A lot of things happened, and I do not even know  where to begin!  I have to tell you, our district is the Bees Knees!  We get along so well and we have such wonderful experiences together!  A bunch of us got sick this week!  My poor Compeñera got sick, then I  got sick, Hermana Nelson, now Hermana Brown is really sick today!  But  the elders in our district are super amazing, and each gave us priesthood blessings!  We all felt better within hours!  It was great!   At the end of the day we have an additional study time for a half  hour, and we as a district take that time to read the scriptures or to discuss what went on that day, and it has been SOOOOO awesome!  I love  it! :) 

Anyways, last Wednesday we had an English fast, and yesterday  we had one too, and it has made a HUUUUUGE difference for me!  I am  still struggling, but it has been much better! :)  Tomorrow we are  doing it again, so if you could pray for us, that would be great!  So,  our investigator, Jorge, committed to baptism!  Yay!  But the next  day, he walked into our class, and now is our teacher! (We totally saw it coming) And he is an amazing teacher!  My compeñera and I were  talking with him yesterday and telling him about our frustrations with  the language, and he said it does not matter if you can speak or  understand, as long as the spirit does the teaching.  So it has made a  great difference for both of us!  We now have two new investigators!  Miguel and Alejandro!  (They are really our teachers)  We had one  lesson with Miguel (Hno. Polo, AKA Jorge) yesterday, and it was really  tough.  Hermana Brown asked me to offer the opening prayer, and I told  him how we pray, and so we were praying, and we started repeating  everything that I was saying!  I couldn{t stop laughing!  Oh goodness, he is so funny.  Polo always takes peoples food if they leaving it  out, haha it is great! haha :) 

Hmmm... Oh yes!  In the subject, you  will see my lovely quote, "The beds are hard, but the work is harder!"  and yours truly made it up! ;)  The beds are really like smooth  rocks.. But I am getting use to it!  Haha, by the end of the day, it  feels like you are sleeping on a cloud! :)  Please keep my compeñera  in your prayers, she lost her camera only an hour after arriving to  the CCM (Sad, I know) and we have looked EVERYWHERE for it!  We  learned about specific prayer, and so we decided to try it out, and  today we spent all day running around the campus trying to find it.  So please keep her in your prayers to find her camera!  Ironically, it  is the same one as mine!  So please and thank you!  I would also ask  that you keep myself and my district in your prayers to be able to
develop the language and to be able to speak.  Tomorrow we are doing another English fast, so I would appreciate it! :)  I now understand  why it is so hard to remember all that goes on in a week, because it  seems like we do SO MUCH STUFF!  So forgive me if this is short! 

Oh!  Thanks to Sister B for the letter, to my family for the package and  letters!  I love them!  I appreciate all your prayers and support!  I  love being a missionary!  It has changed my life completely!  I now  have a very strong testimony of relying on the Lord.  As a missionary  preaching in a different language, I have to rely on the Lord day and  night that I will be able to speak and to understand the language, and  it is hard, but it is POSSIBLE! :)

                                              Love you guys! :)
                                              Con Amore, Her. Duncan :)

The girls had a sleep over party

 

Surprise package from home

Looks like they are having fun!

I LOVE BEIGN A MISSIONARY!!!

Hola everyone!!!  How is everyone? Im doing so good! I LOVE BEIGN A  MISSIONARY!!!! :D  By the way, this keyboard is totally messed up, so  I apologize for any errors!  Anyways!  Mi compañera is Hermana Brown,  she is from California/Utah and she is going to San Diego!  SHE IS SO  AMAZING!  SHE MAKES ME LAUGH ALL THE TIME! My other roommates are Hermana Redford and Hermana Nelson.  We are like all one cute happy family!  Our district is all four of us including another set of sisters and two sets of elders.  We get along so well!  Its so nice! :)

Hermana Brown and Hermana Duncan

So!  On to the good stuff!  The day after we got were we were just thrown into the language, nothing was in English, and we had A LOT of work to do!  But I have loved it so much!  We had to "teach" an investigator named Jorge, who supposedly is a REAL investigator that just volunteers for the lessons, but we are pretty sure he is a member!  But anyways!  The first lesson went good, it is all is
Spanish, but we are aloud to cheat a bit because we dont know what the heck we are doing.  I have been able to understand very well, but speaking is a whole other thing for me!  And it makes me so sad!  But it will take time!  I have faith in the Lord that all will go well! But! a funny story!  Mi compeñera was reciting the first vision to Jorge, and at the end where it says, "This is my beloved son, hear him!"  she pronounced hijo (son) ojo, which is really eye, so it came out, "This is my beloved eye, HEAR HIM!"  And Jorge just was really confused and pointed to his eye, and was like, "Eye?"  and we all just died of laughter!! Haha :)  It was so great!  We have so many stories about things that have happened, but I will have to tell you about them later!

Yesterday was really hard for me though, we were teaching Jorge, and I wanted to have an actual conversation with him without cheating, and I just couldn't do it.  We were talking about faith and
we had him read 1 Nephi 3:7, and he asked me, "How can I have more faith?  How can I have faith like Nephi?"  And I was so excited, I was like, yes! THIS IS AWESOME! and I had so much I wanted to say, but there is so little that I know!  And it took me a good 5 minutes just to say one sentence.  I just broke down in the middle of the lesson and started crying!  I was so frustrated with myself!  But mi compañera was so supportive and so helpful, and Jorge was very understanding, other than that, everything is going well!  I just need to be able to speak the language! I am glad I at least know that they are saying! :)

The spirit is so strong here.  I love it so much!  And the people here are so amazing!  Our teachers and the workers here are so patient with us, and I just love the people here!  I have never met such patient people in my whole life! :)  I am so excited to serve!  I know that we can do hard things! :)

Since it was fast and testimony meeting this past Sunday, I bore my testimony during sacrament
meeting, and everyone told me it was very inspiring and they told me I have an unique spirit, which was very awesome!  I don't know what I have done to deserve it, but I will take the compliment! ;)  I am sorry this is so short, but I do not have much time left!  I am going to write everyone letters after this with more stuff!  I LOOOOOOOOOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Thanks for everying!  I miss you all so much! :)

Con amore, Hermana Duncan

P.S: THE FOOD HERE IS AMAAAAAAAZING!!!! I could eat it all day! (Oh wait! I do!!!!) ;D

She looks so HAPPY!

Classroom

Her District