~Highlight of the Week: The rain. I love rain. :) ~

 

Well, week 3 is almost over, believe it or not! I apologize for how long last week´s post was - I had a lot of words to get out. I don´t think this week will be so bad, because our schedule´s been pretty much the same, but who knows :)

 

So I keep a small notebook with me, and during the week when something happens that I want to write home about, I quickly jot it down so I don´t forget come Thursday. Last week I fleshed out all my notes into small stories, but I think I´m just going to quote from my notebook for some things this week. . . :

 

(Friday or Saturday)

´An elder asked if I knew what Studio C was, because he thought I looked like Mallory.

[*pull fist in triumphally* yes!]´

 

(Monday)

Ate 3 guavas for dinner - probably gonna regret it.

 

(Monday)

´Is ´Ned´ short for anything?´

 

(Monday, because I forgot to write it down on Sunday)

 ´Elder Holland called up the ´Brown kids´´ . . . This one needs some explanation. We were watching a recorded MTC devotional from about a year ago given by Elder Holland. It was great, we were glad it wasn´t live (he was calling on missionaries for answers, and it would have been terrifying, I assure you), and we were really enjoying ourselves. Half way through the devotional he says, ´Can I have the brown kids come up here?´, and then waits for whoever the ´brown kids´ are to come up on stage. Now we can´t see the audience. It´s a recorded broadcast. So all we can see is Elder Holland. And my first thought is, ´Did he really just say that? I mean, I know he´s an apostle, and has been all over the world, and he´s at the MTC, so I´m sure 90% of the audience is white as wonderbread, and he is Elder Holland. . . but, really?!´ And then the ´brown kids´ made it up on stage, and I know that the whole CCM was thinking the exact same thing I was because the auditorium was immediately filled with relieved laughter when we saw that they were as white as white could be, and were actually the grandsons of the MTC president, President Brown :) So funny.

 

(Tuesday)

 Our cupboards smell FANTASTIC - just like a new house. (the ones in our classroom that we keep our books in)

 

(Tuesday)

 -Rebekah- look on Pg. 107 of Preach My Gospel. That guy almost looks like Cumberbach. . . (or however you spell Sherlock´s name. . . )

 

(Tuesday)

 Bathroom sinks. weird stuff. This one needs explaining too. I´ve noticed that things relating to plumbing sort of vary from country to country. (for example, Israel has more sophisticated toilets than the United States, who has more sophisticated toilets than Turkish rest stops . . . in most places. Unless, of course, you´re in the new BYU Broadcasting building, where they´ve somehow adopted Israeli toiletry technology :) And so I felt prepared for Mexico. But I must admit the first time I tried to wash my hands I was stumped. These sinks have no knobs to turn or handles to push or lift. They are not fancy motion-sensored. They´re not touch sensitive. They just have this funny looking thing sticking out of where the water is supposed to come out. It looks like . . . what is it called. . . an uvula? Is that right? (if that´s the name of some other embarrassing body part I´m going to laugh :) That one thing we have at the back of our throats that triggers our gag reflex. Yep. And after some trial and error I figured out that you have to push this . . . protrusion to one side or the other to get the water to come out. 3 weeks in and I´m still working on my hand washing technique. Doing it without getting the front of you wet is somewhat of an art :) Maybe I´ll take a picture so you guys can stop trying to come up with what this bizarre Mexican plumbing looks like on your own. I´ll work on that.
Here's a link to the picture she sent later

 

(Tuesday)

 Something caught up to me. . . not sure it was the guavas though. . . tmi. . .

 

(Tuesday Night)

 Faces seen while watching MOTAB before devotional:

- Bill Nye the Science Guy

- Steve Martin´s eyebrows

- Gus (from Psych)

 

(Wednesday Morning)

 Dreamed my teeth fell out. Not funny. & so relieved when I woke up. . .

 

(Wednesday)

 I need to know the name of a flower. . . one I´ve forgotten. . . I´m going to go crazy if I can´t figure it out for 18 months. . .

 

And that brings us up to date! So about this flower. . . If I had google I could figure it out. But I don´t. It´s an annual ground cover, mostly dark blue, sometimes white, they sell it at Home Depot, and all the cute little old ladies ask about the trailing varieties for their hanging baskets. I´m almost 90% sure it starts with an ´l´, but I could be wrong. . . If I can figure out how to send pictures today I´ll post a picture of it. This is my mental health at stake guys. I need to know what it is! :)

 

And this is a long post too. Sorry. So many words. . . :)

 

*Spiritual Thought of the Week: Prayer is essential. And I would know. We happen to do it a lot as missionaries :)

The Missionary Training Center (CCM In Spanish)

~ Highlight of the Past Ten Days: Getting my first letter (Annie you´re fantastic) ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will begin by saying I get so much more sleep here than I have in the past 8 years of my life. Going to bed at 10:30 and getting up at 6:30 is glorious. And you´re not missing out on anything because everybody has the same schedule. And never before have I looked forward to studying so much. Guess that´s just one of the many miracles/blessings of serving a mission!

 

In General:

Mexico City looks like some one took a box of crayons and colored in all the buildings in East Jerusalem. Honestly. And they drive about the same speed and distance from other

moving objects too :)

 

Driving from the airport to the MTC (or the CCM, as they call it here) all the 18 year old Elders and 19 year old Hermanas (´Sisters´ in Español) had their faces glued to the windows, freaking out about no marked lanes and houses built on top of other houses, and everything being in Español, and guys in the middle of the street selling who knows what. . . and I´m in my seat like, ´Did you see the flowers on that vine back there?!´ I suppose traveling does things to you :)

 

 

 

I know talking about the weather is super cliché and all, but it´s one of my favorite topics, so expect to be updated regularly :) The weather in Mexico City is beautiful. I was so worried it was going to be miserably hot and humid and nasty, but it´s cool and sunny, and it rains about once a day for just a few minutes. I get to wear my cardigans (yes!) and I´ve even busted out my super cool rain jacket, the necessity for which makes me so happy. Hermana Gleed (my wonderful companion) and I even ran through a thunderstorm the other day - best gym time ever!

 

 

 

 

Ah! This is super important. They have the same grass here as they do at the Jerusalem Center. I´m still freaking out over it. Ask Hermana Gleed how many times a day I mention it, multiply that by two and that´s how often I think about it. And the next time Google is available to me

 I will figure out how to ID it.

 

The Cafeteria food is. . . something to look forward to , simply because you never know what to expect. It could be very American, or very Mexican, or Mexicanized American, or vise versa. . . I cried with joy the first time they had veggies. Broccoli has never been so beautiful.

 

So to help us learn Español we spend about an hour every day using a program called TALL (Technology Assisted Language Learning). The desktop backgrounds of the computers in the TALL lab are set to change every 20 minutes or so, and they´re usually photos of nature and mountains and such. But a few of the computers have a Seattle theme, and so if I´m lucky I get to look at moss and rhododendrons and the Space Needle and the EMP building while I learn Español - it´s a tender mercy of the Lord, really. (though I´m sure my companion is quite sick of me exclaiming, ´I´ve been here Hermana! This is the [insert Washington State location here]!´) Also our favorite part of TALL is switching the weather gadget to our mission - we´ve been keeping and eye on the weather in Paraguay, and according to the gadget it goes from 98 to 58 on a semi-regular basis.

 Don´t know how to take that.

 

As for the earthquake, the CCM has an alarm system hooked up to the city´s main sensor system, and if anything so much as moves a hair we get to drop what we´re doing and make our way outside to stand in these big ol´ green circles on the ground. (not that the green circles keep us safe. . . they just keep us all in the same place so they can find us) We´ve done this twice now, and I didn´t feel anything either time. (I think one might have been a drill. I don´t know.)

 

The mosquitos here have meat on their bones they´re so big, but I haven´t been bitten yet. Whenever we´re teaching our investigator (which is an interesting experience, since neither Hermana Gleed and I can speak enough Español to say anything we haven´t studied) we have to fend them off. I accidentally squished one yesterday with my Spanish Phrase Book. I´ll have to avoid that page now. . .

Also, I want to watch the Truman Show when I get back. Not because it´s amazing, but because I´ve never seen it and I´ve always wanted to and gosh darn it I´m going to see it eventually!

 

(Note from Mom:  There was a 6.2 earthquake ~200 miles south of Mexico City August 21st.  The news reported that Mexico City felt it (because it is built on a dry lakebed), some buildings were cracked, schools sent children home for fear of aftershocks, and somewhere an arch crumbled.)

 

 

 

Made It To Mexico

Here's Rachel's first email to us.  She flew out Tuesday morning August 13th and we got this Tuesday afternoon the same day.

 

 

 

Well, I made it to Mexico, and managed to keep all my luggage with me :) The hardest part of the whole day has been trying to type on this keyboard with all the symbols in different places. . . And now that I have my ´´Hermana Houldridge¨ nametag the whole thing feels a little more official :) Mexico is so green! And there are so many hills, and the city is so big. From the air you just couldn´t see the end of it. And there are mountains/hills. . . didn´t know that. K, I gotta go unpack and figure out dinner - they say the food is spicy :) Love you all!

 

~Hermana Houldridge



Rachel Is A Missionary!

Rachel is an official missionary now, set apart.  So if you want to contact her here's how you do it.

rachel.houldridge@myldsmail.net

 

We are waiting for her Mexico MTC (Mission Training Center) address.
I'll let you know when I have it.

 

~Rachel's mom  :)

ONE!!!

~ Highlight of the Day: Texting Annie one of the *most embarrassing pictures of my childhood, and getting the best response ever :) ~

 

(But if I were composing this post after getting set apart as a missionary, I'm sure it would be that :)

 

 

Well, this is not the last post, only the last post directly from me.

This is only the beginning :)

 

My lovely mother will now be posting in my stead.

 

It should be once a week (ish),

since I'll email home once a week (ish)

 

And it may or may not include pictures,

I'm not sure how the internet will be in Mexico and Paraguay.

But we're gonna find out :)

 

 

Also, on a completely unrelated note, my sister just showed me the best My Little Pony scene:

 

(just the first part - you'll know what I'm talking about :)

 

 

(And if this looks familiar, it's because of this post)

 

And all the many ways to contact me, by letter or email, on my mission will be up shortly,

via my mother :)

 

*No, I am not going to post it. This picture was embarrassing enough to last at least a year or two)

Two!?

~ Highlight of the Day: Getting one last Sunday family meal in before I'm off :) ~

 

Temples are beautiful buildings. I've always been partial to the Seattle Temple, mostly because I'm most familiar with it, and (as a landscaper who sometimes gets a little snobby about plants {I guarantee one of these days I'll post while on my annuals vs. perennials soapbox}) it has the best grounds. But today we visited the Gilbert Temple, and when it's finished it is going to be breathtakingly gorgeous.

 

 

Course, there's a lot more to temples than just how they look. . .

but we'll save that for another post :)

 

 

Quick Side Note: Packing 18 months' ( and 4 distinct seasons) worth of stuff into suitcases is a lot harder than it sounds. And I never thought it sounded easy. . . :)

 

 



Three. . .

~ Highlight of the Day: printing off so many pictures of some of my favorite people

 (so I don't forget what they look like in the next 18 months :) ~

 

Before I left Provo my roommate Katie somehow got me and my fancy camera up in the mountains which resulted in some lovely mission pictures of her (She's going to Honduras in a month or so :)

 

And since I was in a surprisingly good mood at the end of her photo shoot (photo shoots are prone to wreck havoc on my demeanor, much like prolonged shopping and the thought of wearing makeup) we took a few of me too:



 

On a more current note, I'm coming along in my packing! I now have everything, I just need to compile it all and pack it. . . but that's what Monday night is for, right? :)

 

Also, I discovered the stuff of nightmares.

 

 

I wish I could say I stayed calm and composed upon seeing this little (but not little, actually quite large and ferocious) guy, but alas I cannot.

In fact it may have gone something like this:

 

Me: Aah!. . . aaaaahhhh. AhhhHHHHHH!!!!

 

And now I can perfectly empathize with all those who feel the need to jump up on the closest chair upon seeing a mouse. Never before has my desire to obtain higher ground and put as much furniture as humanly possible between me and something else been so intense.

 

Did you know they move twice as fast when they're scared?!

 I suppose that makes sense, I do too :)

 

Also they glow.

 

 

And I'm so happy my camera caught it - it's not perfectly focused , but just look at that glow he's got! According to the seasoned scorpion hunters in my family you turn out all the lights and
go over everything with a black light before going to bed, and then again in the morning if you've got a scorpion issue.

 

Yes. So I'll be dreaming/having a feverish nightmare of huge scorpions tonight.

 Lovely stuff :)

 

 

 



Actually Yesterday was Five. . . Today is Four

 ~ Highlight of the Day: Looking through Jerusalem pictures. . . best. time-sink. ever. ~

The number of mission stories I hear has increased dramatically in the past half a year or so, couldn't tell ya why, and I thoroughly enjoy it.

 

And I don't want anyone to feel left out, and I don't have any of my own yet, so I'm going to share this lovely story I happened across on a friend's mission blog today:

 

{it's a little long, but believe me, you'll like it}

 

Wednesday: We get home from splits and go on splits again right after with the UCLA sisters. So, I stay in my area and am with Sister Son (a sister from Korea, who also was Sister Atkinson's baby). [meaning Sister A trained Sister Son]
Anyway, I knew the split was going great when within the first hour, she said to me, "Sister Jones, I can't take anything you say seriously."

"What? Why?" I respond.

"You talk like a black person." #obviously,thatisthebestcomplimentIhaveeverreceived
Anyway, we had way too many adventures to write down, but at the end of the night, we went and had a lesson with Earnest at the library.

*okay, Mom--don't freak out at this story, okay?*

[this is what Sister Jones says to HER mom!]

So, we have a lesson. Super spiritual. Whatever. #well,notwhatever,but...whatever

Earnest leaves first, and we follow out behind him (we're about 30 seconds behind).

As we're leaving the library, we see Earnest on the side of the road, talking frantically on his phone, and there is a man DOWN on the ground!
So, naturally, Sister Son and I pull over, jump out of the car, and go see what is the matter. We run up and see that Earnest is on the phone with the police trying to tell them where we're at and there is a man, covered from head to toe in blood. He is just laying there, with his phone in his hand.
OH MY GOSH. Was he stabbed? Shot? Is he going to die?!
So, my pure Korean companion just starts praying out loud, right there and then.
Earnest is freaking on the phone, Sister Son is praying, and then all of a sudden, bloody man starts talking!

"Where am I?"

"Oh my gosh, you're at the Downey Public Library. What is your name?!" I frantically ask (#youknowhowIdoinpanicsituations...)

"I can't remember."

"Yes you can," I say.

Then, he starts passing in and out of consciousness. So, I'm kneeling on the ground, next to this bloody man, and E$ and Sister Son are in their own little worlds.

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!"

"Charlie," he mutters out.

"Charlie, what's your last name?! What's your last name?!"

"Kinnap." And then bloody man passes out.
Then he's back.

"Call my wife," he pleads.
So, I grab his bloody phone from his bloody hand and get blood ALL over me (#gag #mymissionstorytotallybeatsyourmissionstory) and ask, "What's your wife's name, Charlie?"

He starts to tell me, but he can't because he starts COUGHING UP BLOOD. What is going on?!

"Charlie! Stay with me! What's your wife's name?!"

"Priscilla," he says and then he's out.
So, I take his bloody phone to my ear (he has the cutest picture of his baby as his screen saver) and call Priscilla. I call once. Nothing. I call twice. Nothing.

PRISCILLA! YOUR HUSBAND IS DYING!

At this point, Earnest has gone to Charlie. Charlie starts saying, "I"m going to die. Tell my wife I love her." Earnest responds, "You're not going to die. You're going to be fine. You say with me. You a Christian?"

"Yes," says Charlie.

"The Mormon missionaries are here. Everything's going to be fine, alright?" says Earnest. #Ilovethisman

"Pray for me," says Charlie.
So, Earnest is just holding this bloody, dying man and is praying for him.

I am trying to get a hold of ANYONE! Priscilla doesn't pick up so I go through his recent calls and see someone named Chuck with the same last name.

"Call President Weidman right now!" I yell at Sister Son #sheisNOThandlingthissituationverywell
So, she runs off and starts calling.

I call Chuck.
Chuck picks up!

"Hello?" he says.

"Chuck! My name is Sister Jones. I am a missionary and I'm here with Charlie. He's down and bleeding. How do you know Charlie?!"

So nonchalant, he says, "He's a friend." OKAY, can you show a little concern here Chuck?!
All of a sudden, three people from Embassy Suites (the hotel across the street) run up. "We found him!" they say on their radio.

One of the security guys walks up to me and says, "Who are you calling?!"

"Chuck!" I respond (Chuck is still on the line).

"Who is Chuck," he asks.

"I don't know," I say.

"Hang up," he orders.

"Hang up on Chuck?!"

"Hang up."

"But...it's Chuck!"

"Hang up!"

"Sorry Chuck, I gotta go," I say into the phone.

*hang up*
I would totally hate me if I was Chuck.
Anyway, the three hotel people leave (I have no idea where they went) and then it's just the four of us again: Earnest, me, Sister Son, and bloody man Charlie.

The police call Earnest again and ask, "Is this the man from Embassy Suites?"

"I don't know," he says.

"Then ask!"

"Are you from Embassy Suites?!" Earnest asks the dying Charlie.

He just grunts.

"Are you from Embassy Suites?!"

"Yeah," Charlie responds.

"Alright, we'll have people there as soon as we can."

Then, Sister Son (who is FREAKING OUT #butwithgoodreason) hands me the phone. I have no idea who is on the other line.

"Hello?!"

"Sister Jones, this is Elder Davidson (our A.P.). What's going on?!"

"Um...there is a bloody man and he's dying and the police aren't coming..." at which point Earnest interrupts and says, "Sister Jones! Call 911 again! They're not getting here fast enough. We're going to lose Charlie!"
So, then I say, "...and I have to go. I'm so sorry, I'll call you when I can!"
Once again. I would hate me if I was Elder Davidson.

So, then I call 911.

"Hello, this is 911 Emergency Services. What's the situation?"

I bark back, "The situation is that there is a bloody man down on the corner of Brookshire and Firestone. He is losing blood fast and he is in and out of consciousness. You need to get her FAST!"

"Is he the man from Embassy Suites?"

I check with Earnest, and get an affirmative.

"Yes!"

"Personal are on their way. Please calm down ma'am." #DONOTTELLMETOCALMDOWN

So, we're waiting and FINALLY start hearing the sirens.

Then, the hotel people come back and they start talking to Earnest. Sister Son is who knows where (#yayexchanges) and then Charlie gets this sudden burst of energy and tries to stand up.
Yeah...that didn't go so well.
He stands up and then just collapses right on his face! He is just on the ground in the most awful position (okay?! Can the police get here already?!).

"Charlie," I plead, "STAY DOWN!"

"I see a light, Sister."

"CHARLIE! STAY AWAY FROM THE LIGHT! Don't you dare go toward that light! Help is coming, okay?!"

Then, they arrive. But, they are just taking their sweet ole time. Then, Charlie freaks out and tries to get up again and get away (#whoisthisguy?!)
So, this bloody man starts stumbling (he looks like a zombie) toward Sister Son. She literally starts screaming.

"Sister Son! Come over by me!"

*scream, scream, and more screams*

She was a little paralyzed by her fear.

"Sister SON! GET OVER HERE!"

I go over and get her out of the way.

And then Charlie just goes down!

The police and paramedics run around him. As they approach him they yell, "Does he have a gun?"

DOES CHARLIE HAVE A GUN?! OH MY GOSH, WE'RE GONNA DIE!

Then, Charlie loses is and starts going OFF on all of these officers. "'F' this" and "'F' that." Honestly, I couldn't have been more thrilled because I thought homeboy was going to die 10 minutes earlier.
They get him down and then start asking us all these questions.

"Did you see him jump out of the window of Embassy Suites?"

"HE JUMPED OUT OF THE WINDOW OF EMBASSY SUITES?!"

"Or did you see him jumping from balcony to balcony?"

"HE WAS JUMPING FROM BALCONY TO BALCONY?!"

Needless to say, they were a little frustrated with our lack of information.
They asked what happen. Earnest explained: "I was driving and stopped at the stop sign. I look to my right, see this man all covered in blood standing up. Then, Charlie looked at me, and said, 'Help.' And then he just collapsed to the floor."

"What were you doing here?" they interrogated.

I tried to explain to them that we were trying to teach Earnest about Jesus, but they were NOT believing me. #offended

Finally, a police officer comes up and says, "They really were," and then looks at me and says, "I'm LDS." #thankyouHeavenlyFather
So, after all of the questioning, I guess here's what happened:

Our friend Charlie suffers from PTSD. He had an episode and freaked out on his wife and baby. So, he broke a window, realized he was in trouble, and tried to hop from balcony to balcony. He only got about a block in a half before he collapsed due to blood loss (introduce Earnest).
So, mostly, God loves Charlie because had we not have found him, he would have died.
NUTS.
So, they finally tell us we can go home (it's about 9:35pm or so). We get in the car and respond to the millions of missed calls from the A.P.s. We respond, tell them we're all right.
But, fun fact is that we weren't alright. Sister Son legitimately went into shock. We get into the car. OBVIOUSLY, I'm like, "OH MY GOSH CAN YOU BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" and she just looks at me and then BURSTS into tears. Like uncontrollable sobs and she can't control herself and she's having a hard time breathing.
We're driving home and I have NO idea what to do.

"Do you need ice cream? (#yes--thiswasthefirstthingIasked #probablybecausethat'swahtIneeded) Do you need to lie down?"

She's not responding, but just sobbing, sobbing, sobbing. Homegirl is hysterical. Finally she chokes out, "I need help Sister Jones!"

So, I call our Zone Leader and say, "Elder--we need a blessing. NOW."
They drive straight to our home and give her a blessing. And, Sister Son, who was completely hysterical, was just at peace.
Holy moly is the Priesthood power of God real.

Then, it was nearly 11pm and we went to bed. I talked to President and had to make a bunch of more calls (poor Sister Son).

Anyway, it was nuts. And I realized that the Preisthood power is the most amazing blessing. Earnest was in the army and knows his stuff, but honestly, he couldn't have done anything for Charlie. But, on the other hand, this little 19-year-old kid could have called him back from the dead.
Thank you Heavenly Father.
NUTS.
So, the next morning, we switch back and I barf this story to my companion. #sheisSOmadshemisseditbytheway

I love my life."

 

So there you have it. In just FOUR days I will be on my way, and who

knows what wonderful stories will come of it!

 

And for all your patience, here's a picture:

 

 

Random, I know, but I was looking through family photos, compiling some to print and take with me, when I stumbled across this gem and just couldn't not share it with the world.

 

Arizona may be hot, but not hot enough in December to make a dip in the pool comfortable. . . :)

 

 

Four

~ Highlight of the Day: reading all about what awaits me in Paraguay, written as only Neil can :) ~

( Grosella, something I may be trying at some point in the next 18 months :)

 



Accomplishments of Yesterday:

 

1. Successfully played a version of Tetris involving boxes, luggage,

a bike, a guitar, a shofar, and my car :)

 

2. Acquired two tickets (not the fun kind) in two different states. . .

 

3. Survived solely off of baby carrots, hot dogs,

and nutty bars for 10 hours

 

4. Navigated my way from Provo to Gilbert without one

of those silly smart phones or GPS thingies :)

yay for maps!

(and step by step directions :)

 

 

~ And now for the best part of this post ~

 

 Flashback: Beginning of Winter Semester, 2013

 

Marina: We should make a music video.

Me: Oooo I have the perfect song! Anything for You by Ludo!  

Marina: (doubtingly) I've never heard of it. . .

 

Fast forward 8 months. . .

 

and we have a masterpiece