LAST WEEK IN THE MTC!

A picture with the hermanas from another district in our zone.

Left to right (Hermana Schultz, Hermana Swan, Hermana Dennis,

Hermana Perry, and Hermana Westmen).

Last time at the temple.

So this might be my last email sent from America for two years. I leave for Mexico on Monday morning and I am so excited. We got our travel plans on Friday and that was the best thing ever, they changed our plans though, so I got new travel plans, but all they did was give us another flight to skip over an 11 hour bus ride so that's a blessing to not have to ride in a hot bus in a suit in the middle of Mexico for 11 hours. 

So my travel plans go like this: 

Wake up at 4:00 am to be at the bus by 4:30 then we leave at 5:00 to the Salt Lake Airport where my flight leaves at 8:09 to the Houston Intercontinental airport. I should get there at like 12:00 and then I leave at 2:00 to go to the Monterrey Mexico airport. I get to Monterrey at like 3:00 and then I fly to Ciudad Juarez at 5:00 and should get there at like 6:00 or something like that...  so if I call you it will be between the arrival and departure times. 

Trying to make sure I fit in when I get to Mexico.

Anyway this past week has been so amazing. SO much has happened. 

Wednesday: We skyped members and taught them which was cool. I got a new teacher to replace Hermano Arnold who was moved on Monday, and me and Elder Fillmore had a street contact with two BYU students and told them to pray every day in Spanish even though they only spoke English so they were very impressed. 

Thursday: we had service in the morning and that was fine, we cleaned the apartments. Then I had class and it was a pretty normal day.

Friday: I had my last lesson with my first investigator Mercedes and it was incredible. We taught her about prophets and answered any question she had for us and the lesson went all around pretty well. After the lesson though, was amazing. Mercedes told us how she had two other companionships teach her before and after us and she said that we were the only ones who could answer her questions, and that when she went home after their lessons she was tired and only wanted to watch TV and stuff like that, but after her lesson with me and Elder Engberson, she said that she was happy and peaceful and that the rest of her day was better. She also said that she has been asking God a lot of questions lately and that every single question had been answered through her lessons with us. We told her it was our last lesson with her, but she wanted another one so we scheduled one with her for yesterday, we couldn't find her where we had planned to meet so I hope we find her some other time this week. But anyway I thought this was amazing, and after I walked away from that last lesson I looked at Elder Engberson and said "That's why we are here". It really is, and it only made me more excited to go and have experiences like that in Mexico. 

Saturday: We went exploring around the campus and found an apartment that had a room that was stacked to the ceiling with pillows and I had never been so happy, I had only heard rumors of this place but now I know its real. And it's incredible, probably the 8th wonder of the world if you ask me. At night we had a testimony meeting and it was really spiritual and I loved it. 

Sunday: Fast Sunday was hard, I was starving and had lots of meetings, but we had Mission Conference and that was awesome and I took tons of good notes. We had a good Sunday Night devotional and that was all for Sunday.

Monday: Monday started off pretty rough but ended really well. Classes where fine, we didnt see Mercedes and that was a bummer, but I was able to read like 30 pages in the Book Of Mormon (the first day I got to the MTC my branch presidency challenged us to read the whole Book of Mormon cover to cover before we leave the MTC and I'm on like page 502 or something so I'm almost done) but that was pretty good. But the coolest part of my entire week had happened once we got back to our apartment to go to bed. Elder Engberson was having a rough week and so he asked for a blessing, and he asked me for the blessing. This was scary because it was the first blessing I've ever given, but I read through how to give bessings in the Missionary Handbook, put my hands on his head and opened my mouth (D&C 33:8) and it was filled. I don't really remember what I said, but it wasn't too long, but right when it was over Elder Engberson hugged me and said that when I gave him the blessing it sounded just like his Patriarchal Blessing. So that was crazy, but I it was really cool to give my first blessing and have that as a result.

Its been a long and crazy week but only one more till I'm out on a new adventure. 

Love you all and I'll talk to you soon!

<3 Elder San Juan