Cayenne really works..just saying

Hola Familia. Como estan?!

Every new area has unique blessings and challenges. I am really happy here I think I would give this area two descriptions exciting and drama. You'd need a U-haul and a team of horses to drag me into a mess of drama. Yo odio drama. hehe.

My new companions name is Sis. Peñalosa from Cornavaca Mexico! She is a fireball but super super cool. She gets laugh attacks that are super funny. I continue on in the work and have gotten to know all the investigadores and members.

We had pocos lecciones this week but we've been searching for new investigadores and we found some and feel hopeful. My other area was a reference machine and this week we've received 6 references and sister Peñalosa said that they'd never had 1 reference in the 2 cycles that have past the truth is that she forgets to ask everyone, so I am helping her get better. She is a powerful teacher and we love to work. She has a lot of initiative which I love no one needs to tell her to get moving and I am the same so we've walked a lot!!!!! this week! I am loving the ward but the jovenes youth all want to be super buddies with me and iam like hold on no fist bumps please. Hehe.

Ahhh this cyber is playing 90's pop No!!!! Anyway our house is freezing cold I got sick when I got here but I snorted Cayenne pepper up my nose and now I am better within 3 days. It works people, thanks dad :) so yeah I feel super happy working lots here!

They give us so much food here I am eating a bowl of special K and a banana every morning and not buying any snacks in the street but they give you soo much to eat every house and appointment its sweets and bread and deserts and pancakes and fruit and no se que mas. Don't judge me if I get a little fat here its rude to refuse food here as much as I would like to for the sake of time and my figure. But oh well.

Thank you for all your prayers and loving notes. I hope you all share with your friends and family about the He is the Gift video and page "christmas.mormon.org" that the church is sharing with the world. There is even a page that you can put photos on your Facebook. I highly recommend that you share with anyone and everyone about this beautiful message the first and lasting gift of Christmas His son Jesus Christ. I love Him and I love sharing His gospel. These are the best times for my life. I cant say enough about how grateful I am for my mission.

Stay safe and beautiful inside and out. Hasta ver. Les amo mucho!
atentamente,
Hermana Mleynek

The Miracle of the Mission

Dearest people

I don't want to pack. I don't consider myself lazy or whinny or even very dramatic. But I really this transfer I might die carrying all my crap to Pachuca and then my new area. Noo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Okay enough of that. I had a very spiritually satisfying week. I was able to see a lot of improvements as less actives after years are in the chapel and they are listening and learning to strengthen their families. A lot of our investigadores still don't listen to us but I feel love and desire for them to come to church. 

I know this church is true. I know God has not left my companion and I alone. We have felt more energy and motivation and had a lot more harmony. I will never forget all that I have learned with sister Gonzalez. I am sad to say goodbye to Tlahue for now. In our zone training with Presidente I was called on to give my talk that I had prepared,...which I totally did not know what they were talking about and so I just got up there and did my best and yeah that was a fail but I think there must have been a reason because Nobody told me and another Elder also had to talk and he didn't know what to say either. I hope it was good. If anything I learned that I should pay more attention and study more diligently. 

Lots of funny stuff happened this week. We also had exchanges with the sister training leaders another surprise. We got blanched or burned by a less active totally rude. We had a crazy day Saturday and everything went late but despite all he fiasco I feel calm only one panic attack Sunday but my companion helps me when I feel super bad shes super chillax but also a powerful and animated teacher. I love sister Gonzalez! I love all of the beautiful and frustrating things about the mission. You all need to read the miracle of a mission by E.Holland. I promise you that you will see and feel differently about life and missionary work. I will treasure this talk forever.

I don't have much more time but I am thankful for you all in my life, for this time in my mission, for my heavenly father and savior Jesus Christ. I love you all stay safe and listen to the spirit. D&C 50

-Hermana MLeynek

Reading is Important

Dear Seres Queridos,
Monday-Thursday: I am not exactly sure what all happened sorry. My agenda I lost in a taxi returned! I was super happy because the agenda is your life in the mission! We have some awesome investigadores but hardly anyone progression. We are feeling optomistic about Silvestre and Sofia.
Friday: Weekly planning went crazy because the sister training leaders came to our house to do an intervention I don't feel like telling the details of that fun experience but we learned a lot about communication. I love them so much.

Saturday: Went by super duper quick we had very few hours but managed to cram in a bunch of work we had our stake conference. I think normally missionaries don't go to the Saturday session but our leaders told us to go and wow was it weird having all our zone their un buen de misioneros. The theme was members kick off those slippers and accompany the missionaries. It was pretty cool! Whoo! Darn those Elders robbing our food. My companion got a package from her mom and in it were these special beans and meat that are from Culiacan and E.Ponce or District Leader DL told us to bring him some and then another Elder from Culican se llama E.Smith hehe hes Mexican and he wanted some too so Sunday we brought him some too and now there aren't any. :( We tried super hard to bring people to the conference but people have so many excuses.

Sunday: I felt super bad no offense Catholics. So we went to our food appointment we only eat once at 2 pm I don't know if that's different from other missions. So the sister was with her husband who just got out of surgery and her mom gave us dinner and her mom isn't a member and all their family aren't members it was super awkward because they treated us like we were not apart of the club. We asked if we could pray on the food and they wanted us to read their recited prayer. So I read it but I ended it like a normal prayer with my own thoughts. And then they didn't pay any attention to us after when we wanted to share a scripture and when we invited them to listen they said no we are good. Grrr...and then the sister called us and said that we needed to drop by a bar to pick up our shoes that had been fixed the bar is owned by one of her friends but lets just say I felt very awkward this Sabbath. I love the Stake Conference. E.Anderson y Sis Reeves spoke about sacrifice and I loved the first speaker who compared the story in the bible of the golden serpent of how easy it was to be healed to how easy it is to heal ourselves by reading the scriptures everyday but its so easy we don't do it and perish. I especially liked when he said there is no excuse why you cant read the scriptures as a family every day. Wow! I think that must of stung a bit but in a good way.

I'm sorry I don't have more time to write. I am grateful for you all and love reading your letters every week! Its my favorite!
Paz y Amor,
Hermana Mleynek

Just Passed the Year Mark

Don’t go towards the light!!! Just kidding. How are you all doing?!

I feel healthy, happy, energetic and positive about life. I am learning to deal with and confront problems and stress. As our manual for adapting to missionary life says, I’m in the green zone. I am working hard and just trying to do the will of the Lord in every moment. I know He has a plan. The mission is hard stuff but I feel really good about what I am doing. The spirit confirms to us when we do our best and when we don’t. If you are having troubles dealing with a problem try visualizing success and telling yourself you are willing and happy to try because if you don’t try true you won’t fail but you also are guaranteed not to win either. Thanks dad for teaching me to respond "I’d be happy to" whenever you wanted me to do something, at first it was against my will but afterwards I felt happy about it :) that’s sort of like the mission. Of course I am here because I want to be but sometimes there are things that one doesn't feel like doing but we got to do it, and it’s much better if we are happy about it.  I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween. Wow I can believe how fast the time passes. I miss you all tons but not in a home sick way just in a glowing happy way because I know I’ll see you soon. My greatest desire is to see our area progress and to have people begin to change their lives and be converted to the gospel. I don’t know how I can explain it better to people that The Gospel is True, I am not even trying to change their religion I just want them to understand the basics.
"No I won’t go to your church or read your bible. I’m part of another religion"

"That’s great that you’re from that religion, God wants us to have faith in Him and live a righteous life, so will you pray, read your bible and go to your church?"

"No I don’t have time for that!"

This week my companion and I visited Dennisse 5 times practically every day and we really tried to help her family get activated but they are super stubborn and so we believe for now there isn't a date for her baptism; because she didn't come to church again :( were super sad, but we did our part and if it’s not time, it’s not time. We were very close of completing the standard for the mission but our zone leaders told us we received the most references and contacted the most and had the most new investigators than anyone else in our zone which I felt good about. We are trying super hard and things are happening. This week we brought a new niña girl to church her name is Keyla but her family is also inactive so well see. Be good and stay safe eat lots of pie for me.

Love,
Hermana Mleynek

Full of Thanksgiving

I know it isn’t the week of thanksgiving yet but I feel like I just want to thank God this week. I am thankful that He answers my prayers, that He has never abandoned me, that I can live in this beautiful world, that my family is so dang fantastic, that I have a wonderful and genuine companion, that He is soo patient, that He helps us All learn and we can learn from each other, For Food! I am thankful that I have feeling in my feet even when they just hurt, but hey I’m not in the hospital or anything. I am thankful for the Internet that makes speaking with Yall soo easy and that I can see with eyes your beautiful faces and funny Halloween costumes. I am thankful for the change in the seasons as uncomfortable as they seem. I am thankful for this past year and this time in my life to just serve. I am forever changed. I am thankful for my virtues and vices and the feelings of Joy, Hope that are very real and that build my faith. I am thankful for repentance and the atonement of Jesus Christ that strengthens me and help me do and be a little better every day. I am grateful that 4 new people came to church this Sunday. I am thankful that I can serve my brothers and sisters and understand through pain and joy a little of what the Lord feels for us and the importance of His gospel. I am thankful for the words of latter day prophets they are inspired and speak with and for God.

This week was awesome because we worked a lot we, talked with lots of people and we loved our neighbors. People understand me now, Por Fin! When I make jokes and stuff like today I got to be sarcastic it was awesome. We had a bit of a fiasco Sunday bringing Dennisse to church and NO She was drinking coffee! Hay Chihuahua this chickadee is taking lots of time. I felt like losing my mind when for the third time this week we just sat and listened to people rant for 45 minutes without starting a lesson! My comp is super patient and I am super stressed. It’s not a very good combo but don’t worry I am learning to take control of the situation and we are teaching more. I was called to teach not to listen to ghost stories or every little thing. It is important to listen. We can’t know what to say if we don’t listen but this is my greatest weakness right now finding a balance but I feel better and better every day as the Lord is helping me soo much to fulfill my calling. I know this time is so important. I know that if we feel we should do something and it is good it’s the spirit and if the words of scripture, hymns or words of the prophets come into mind that this is also an impression we should follow and immediately. The longer we wait to change the harder it is. I love you and hope you are well. Stay safe and enjoy life. Dia de muertes aqui en Mexico is creepy. The kids don’t dress up like ninja turtles or princesses or anything it’s like Chuckie and witches and horror masks but for the KIDS no!! If I was paying more attention I think I would have been scared but I am such a focused person that I didn’t really have time to feel scared. It’s funny the email program is in Spanish and it says that everything I type is spelled wrong. I am sure that there are a lot of spelling errors pero no tantos!

Hermana Mleynek

I Get It

Hola I hope your all doing fantastic and dealing with the everyday stresses of your mortal probation. I am pleased to inform you that me and my companion are getting along very well and I am learning to expand my heart and see things in other ways. I am so full of love and pride to be a member of my family and think about you all when I dedicate 5 minutes before prayers to do so or when something happens and I am reminded of you. I know we are all part of Our Heavenly Fathers family and we are His work and His Glory His everything and He wants us to learn and grow from this short time away from Him. I have found a lot more understanding this week from the Preach My Gospel chapter 4 about following the spirit I recommend studying it and trying to mediate on How the Holy Ghost is a part of your life. I am trying super hard to combat the trials that come but the Lord never gives us responsibilities without also giving us divine aid. 1 Nephi 3:7. I am very comforted to know and meditate in the many ways and instances that my HF has helped me understand things through the Holy Ghost. I know that He is essential in this work and the more we try to get out of the way and let him do the work the more I feel I am on clouds rather than thorns and needles walking 10 hours a day. There are a lot of hard things about the mission but it is the most rewarding experience to feel closer to and understand more about the Savior's mission. I hope we can all aspire to do as our prophet Thomas S. Monson has said and do and be a little better. I know the Lords atonement and through His enabling power this is possible. I love Him and the impact he has in the lives of others, whether I see it or not. The most exciting part of this week is that we reached the standard of lessons 41! and it’s a first for me I feel very happy and so optimistic that we can keep it up and do the will of the Lord in as much as we can do. I can’t do everything but with the Lord I know I can do enough. I know this church is true I know that my Savior lives and loves me and that the Holy Ghost guides us and our leaders they are truly inspired. Hard times are coming but I will always trust in my loving Heavenly Father that He knows what’s best for each us. Stay safe all, Note. thank you so much everyone for your letters of encouragement and the updates of life and pictures etc. they mean a lot to this missionary.
Love,
Hermana Mleynek

Hasta Ver (To See)

Hola mis seres queridos,
I hope with all my heart that you are all doing fantastical! So here was my week we finished up pday strong and went off to work had 3 appointments set up they went super good and we felt the spirit and feeling optimistic we had a day full! But...we hardly had any work Tuesday :( and we felt a bit sad but we talked to lots of people and made appointments with them Wednesday went worse as far a work we were so sad and pretty much for 3 days it was like that. We visited Dennisse and she has been keeping all her commitments but her mom is super stressed about work because they don’t have money and hasn't helped at all and so she has been missing some Sundays. She does have a testimony but it’s very week. We are praying so much for this family to help them. So Saturday went bomb awesome with only 6 lessons but at least we found people. We do have one investigator that actually seems to want to listen. Her name is Mariel she accepted a baptism date but that we found out she really has a good reason why she can’t come to church and I was like urrr Ratas. We found a bunch of old investigators and got to know them a little more. Yesterday there was only 1 investigator at church and her name is Monserat she has a lot good qualities but she also has a disease mentally that she can’t stop talking. In Relief Society she raised her hand to comment on something and she wove it into about 8 or 9 completely unrelated stories with no sign of stopping the teacher tried her best to cut in nicely but Monserat jumped in again and it was super awkward the two of them talking at the same time. The same thing happens when we come to teach her, I about lose my mind every time. Yaneli was at church and we had a very full class for Gospel Principles and well guess what the topic for the week was? yep...law of chastity soo fun. I tried to be super mature but yeah a little awkward especially since about 3 of the 6 people in class are not living it. Don’t worry I didn't beat around the bush I know what’s what and I told em but in a super nice way. We started off the week good with a record 8 lessons whoo!! It’s nice having church in the morning because we can work the rest of the day and at the same time not nice because all the investigators are sleeping ah phooey. I pray a lot for God to help us know what to do. Our area is a bit stale. Everyone has a reason why no but it reminds me in the history of Joseph Smith how people deny the power of God and it’s so true the ones who acknowledge the existence and power of God would listen to us but a lot of people are just comfortable one of the most dangerous states to be in. This is making me more bold.  I am so desperate for people to just ask God. I don’t care if they ignore me but don’t ignore God please! I know He lives and loves us, I know that this is His Church the one and only church of the face of this planet we call home. I know Thomas Spencer Monson is the Lord’s prophet Thank you for your prayers.  I feel them I feel your love. I know an important part about life and especially in the mission is realizing a developing our spiritual gifts.
-Hermana Mleynek