"the sky is falling!" ⛰️🫨

 Week 60

... is the thought that came to my mind on Saturday at about 12pm. Here's the play by play:

My companion and I are sitting in our apartment about to leave after making some calls when the ground begins to shake. Earthquakes are decently common here but they're usually pretty small and pass quickly. We don't think much at the beginning, but the shaking continues and gets way stronger. The dialouge was something like:

"Dang it's shaking right?"

"It's shaking really hard??" (Windows rattling)

"It's still going??" (Things falling off the shelfs)

"Dude we gotta get outta here" (we were on the second floor and proceed to leave running)

But don't worry, in the end no one was harmed, just a few spooked old ladies that live next door and some chunks that fell off the side of our house. Also made for a good testimony meeting on Sunday the next day. 5.9 grade earthquakes ain't got nothing on Oaxaca 🤑

Earthquakes aside, we got BIG news this week. The streak has finally been broken—my native companion streak. Becauseeeeee my new companion is HERMANA REMUND WHATTTTT. She is from Colorado and I was actually her STL  2 transfers back. It's honestly been super wacky. I haven't spoken  much English in the last 14 months. This will be good preparation as I am near the end of my mission. My mom tells me my English is really bad these days (it's true, my companion tells me the same thing)

Other things of note:

- I miss Hermana Gutierrez. She was an angel companion. 

- found another place where they filmed Nacho Libre and you know we had to get a reenactment in:

- had LCM which was lit as always. President is #inspiredbygod

- Our good buddy Luis that we met about a month ago is getting baptized on Sunday woooooo (for real this time). We are stoked about it and so is he.

- I love this ward. The members are so attentive and involved in missionary work and make our lives so much easier.

- even though my companion is American I still speak to her in Spanish the majority of time because its easier lol

This week I ended up studying the talk by Emily Belle Freeman called "Live up to your Privileges”. It is from last year's general conference and subsequently studying through section 25 of Doctrine and Covenants. Our mission president has recently been talking a lot about this to the sister missionaries emphasizing the importance of our role as missionaries and as women in general. It's been interesting to hear him talk about it so much, but it has lead me to ponder my own purpose and potential as a daughter of God and the good we can really do. There are a few verses that stood out to me this time around reading section 25:

"3 Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.

10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.

13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made. 

14 Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride."

I challenge all of you, male or female, to ponder these scriptures and the blessings/admonitions that they give us all. We are all called and forgiven of our sins thanks to covenant power. I am grateful for the fortifying effect the scriptures and the words of my mission president have given me lately. 

That's all 🫶🏼

DIOS TE AMA Y YO TAMBIEN 

- Hermana Stephenson