Sister Herrera's Adventures in Mexico : Ch Ch Ch Ch-anges and Dia de los Muertos

This week was full of changes. In Mexico, the people celebrate Dia de los Muertos. It's a tradition where people go to the graves of their ancestors and put meals like MOLE, flowers, candy, you name it because they believe their family comes back for a day. It's really interesting. Also kids have been asking for candy this whole week. I asked my companion why and she said ¨It's Mexico¨... cierto (true) Mexico's got it right, celebrate all week.

Also meet my new companion Hermana Cervantes! She is from Mexico and has about 7 months on the mission. She also has the coolest Disney play list on the planet. That's right, this Pocahontas is bilingual. I kill Colors of the Wind in Spanish. We for sure have about 6 more weeks here in Independencia. I am so super excited for this opportunity to further the work with our investigators.

As you probably know the mission has its up and downs. This week was hard. One day during personal study I was reading in Luke, where Christ was suffering in the Garden. The Spirit was so strong and I had a humbling moment. I think Elder Renlund describes it the best, ¨ When we strive to be closer to Christ, we determine that life would be the most unfair for Jesus Christ. Though absolutely innocent, the Saviour would suffer the most. The closer we are to Jesus Christ in the thoughts and intents of our hearts, the more we appreciate his innocent suffering, the more grateful we are for his grace and forgiveness and the more we want to repent and become like him. Drawing nearer to him causes us to change and we develop an intense desire to stop causing God further grief.¨

This opened my eyes a little wider and I had a lot more gratitude. When we maintain an eternal perspective through our trials we can gain a better appreciation for the Atonement. I also think it's a privilege to have these trial because we are growing and developing Christ like attributes. It's an honor to have Him as our example and have the opportunity to become more like Him in this life. This has helped me a lot and I have really reflected about what I am doing that I know I can change. First of all I need to change my mind set, not asking the Lord why is this happening to me but what is this happening for or what can I learn from this? I need to be willing to receive correction and be prepared for whatever else the Lord has in store for me. I hope this gives a little comfort to the people that need it. I know this is true and I know Jesus Christ is my Savior.

Hermana Herrera