5 days! Cinco Dias!!

Hello ALL!

Well here we are, we have 5 days people! I'm so excited to be able to serve my fellow brothers & sisters in Salt Lake City, Utah! Sorry for not really having a ton to post but I wanted to just post at least one more blog before I leave.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and sweet cards/more. I am so lucky to have such an amazing ward family and friends of my family to help me during this time. It was hard to be home, and will be just as hard the second time to leave again, but oh so exciting to be in a wonderful place teaching & loving the people of Salt Lake!

I leave for the field November 3rd and I'm in the central SLC mission. I will continue to speak in spanish, so I'll continue to keep the language :)

Well thats pretty much all I have to say, thats all I was told. Tons of new experiences and blessings are on their way! Thanks again for everything and for supporting me!

Con Amor,

(Soon to be) Hermana Blankmeyer

{My mom & I took new mission pictures yesterday for the new blog, check them all out of Facebook}

When it RAINS it POURS!

Creo en Cristo y lo acepto como mi Salvador.- 2 Nefi 25:29

¡Hola todos! ¿Como estan? Pues yo estoy bien ahora, pero espero estar un poquito mejor. 

This week we were going to have divisions and I would go with one girl from the ward that wants to go on a mission, and speaks a little English, and my companion was going with a sister that just got back from her mission. Unfortunately one was sick, so as 3 we left.   I wanted to learn how to basically do everything by myself so my companion and I set a goal and were off.   I'm glad she was there to catch me when I fell, but she told me that at the end of the day I did really well. The spirit was always present and I was able to do the things that I didn't believe I could do. I know that The Lord helped me during all of my lessons, finding, and remembering streets/directions. 

My companion was a little sick in the beginning of the week, and turns out after many doctors visits and test, she needs glasses. Like daughter like mother, haha no se crea. Pero si, ella tiene lentes ahora y es un poco raro, para los dos. (Sophia is saying that they both wear glasses now.)  Everything was better and then I got sick, I went to the hospital and they thought it was my kidneys because it felt like someone was stabbing me as I walked.   We figured out it was when I walked, and always after I ate that I had the pain. They gave me medicine and we thought all would be well. 

Meanwhile when we went to pick up my companions glasses, we stopped and talked with an Hermana in the ward. (Literally our mom she is wonderful) She drove us to the market to grab something and we looked outside just as we are about to leave and BAM! water EVERYWHERE. It started to pour rain... We ran to the car, and were soaked, but that was just the beginning of it. We started to drive, and the roads here don't have gutters, and if they do they are spouting with water. Streets turned into rivers, if you didn't know where you were driving you would get stuck. Luckily this hermana knew where to go, and which roads to take.  It was like the car turned into a submarine at times.  We came home and since the doctor said to rest, we did. 

Saturday morning was terrible. We had the job of cleaning the building and it was still raining so bad.  We had water up to our knees, while walking the streets with our umbrellas at 7 am.  We cleaned and the rain still continued to downpour , we finally heard that there was somewhat of a cyclone in Oaxaca, and then realized for that reason it had been raining nonstop for days. Dark skies continued.  It was nice to get somewhat of a break from the blistering sun, but be careful what you wish for ;) 

Sunday morning we went to the hospital again and I had practically every test done to see what the problem was because the pain wasn't going away. They came to the conclusion that it is Colitis and I should just take it easy.  We were in the hospital for hours and none of the medicine was helping take the pain away. I couldn't sleep due to the pain either, it was the worst. Blessings and prayers were happening but everything was staying the same. 

Today my companion and I decided its best for our investigators to hear the message we have rather than us staying inside a lonely home. I want to work! I literally cried when the doctors said to rest for 2 days because I knew that meant no time to get our investigators to come to church. We luckily saw Diego and his family on Sunday afternoon and talked with them and apologized that we didn't teach English class or invite them to church because we had been sick. This week we will do the same with the rest of them, apologize for not being there for them this week when we had appointments and all that. I really learned a lesson about trusting in our Savior and allowing Him to bear our burdens. I KNOW without a doubt in my heart that He was there with me at every step in my sickness and especially when I felt like I was unable to bear it. If we pray and trust in Him we can feel His love and remember that "from the Garden to the Cross, He walked a mile in my shoes." He might not take away our pain but He will comfort us and give us strength to endure it.

May we all try this week to be better at serving and trusting Him in all we do. I pray that everyone stays healthy and happy. I'll get better so no need to worry. 

Happy Birthday to Elder Anderson & My daddy & my companion! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Blankmeyer 

Be Ye Doers

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." -James 1:22

I have never been so excited to write you all about my week here!  I don’t even know where to begin and I pray I don’t leave anything out – so please bear with me. 

We are teaching a girl named Ana.  She doesn’t know how to read and write in Spanish.  After she said a prayer one visit she told us that she wants to learn how to read and write so that she can serve a mission like us.  Literally, the feeling I had was indescribable when she told me that, because less than a month later she was baptized which only confirmed my feeling. 

Also, in our English class, after expecting no one to show up we had a lady with four boys attend.  She asked where the English classes were held and we ended up teaching them. Their ages are 12, 6, 4, 3 and I am in love with this family!  The boys are so sweet and polite and their sweet mom said that she wants to go back to the U.S. and live there again.  She said that she had gone to church before, but since they are from Predios (poor area) they don’t own clothes appropriate for church.  We told her that it doesn’t matter what she wears, and I offered my clothes so that she would feel a little more comfortable.  She said she could find something.  We continued talking with her after her two boys started playing soccer with other guys from the church.  We went to her house and taught them some more about the gospel. She ended up not being able to make it to church, but three of her boys came and it was so great.  I even gave them pass along cards to entertain the younger two during the meeting – my companion thought that was brilliant. 

We had three contacts that I have to tell you all about. One was found when we were walking.  We passed by a lady that said, "wait, you’re the missionaries, right?"   We were shocked and at the same time said "yes!"  She told us that she knew a little about the church and she asked if we would pray for her son-in-law who is in bed dying and doesn’t believe in God. We absolutely prayed with her in a little alley where we met, and then she left.  After our prayer, there were two large dogs messing around and finally came running after us.  The owner got them and put them away and the neighbor came out and started to tell us how pretty we were and how nice we looked in our skirts, etc. She is a sweet grandma who had cookies – now whoever said don’t take candy from a stranger, I’m sorry but this rule didn’t apply for like five minutes when we ate her chocolate chip cookies!  The first I’ve had in months.  It was her birthday, too, that day so we gave her a mango that Hermana Catalina gave us, and left.  

The other was a friend of Diana Laura, but she asked if she could practice English with me; she speaks well!  Then my companion asked me to contact her in English and that was literally the weirdest thing. I don’t speak English anymore, haha but it was good and we will follow up on those. 

Another miracle happened; we were able to get into a less active member’s home. The husband actually served a mission here in Veracruz!  He has a little girl and she is really sick and they don’t know what it is.  In Mexico you go to the doctor, get your test done, and wait a week until they know what you have, then another week until they know what medicine will work best, etc.  It’s a long process.  We went into their home and sang, Count Your Many Blessings, and we shared D&C 121:7-8.  "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes." He then asked if the elders would come give her a priesthood blessing.   It was amazing that he had the faith to ask for one! 

I’m working this week on my faith.  I’m identifying an attribute of Christ and applying it more in my daily works. I know that this will help me represent Him and help me find more opportunities and work as He would. Hopefully I am successful in this pursuit. 

I love and miss you all soooo much!  It’s crazy that we are already in JUNE! June will be an awesome month; we are excited for it. 

Con Amor,

Hermana Blankmeyer 

Elder Schrieners birthday! Chocolate cake with strawberries and just a fork to cut it. Yumm

my district 

Elder Hourigan, Elder Schriener, Hermana Guerra, Hermana Blankmeyer, Hermana DeFriez, Hermana Aretega