Last week in Mexico City

So today I had 43 emails to read. It is such a great feeling to see people are thinking about me enough to send me an email. Means the world. But then I feel AWFUL when you all send me amazing emails and I send you like one line back. But I hope these emails make up for it.

First order of business, slipped and fell in the comedor this morning. Like BAD. On my hands and knees, toast flew, elders starred, the whole 9 yards. 

I cannot believe I leave tonight! I will call tomorrow morning on my layover in Texas. M and D you should have my flight info and times and not sure about time change but I will be calling you all!!

My blonde streaks are coming out more from running each day and that makes me so happy but also sad to miss lifeguarding.

So we had a GA here last night who is over all of Mexico and I was STOKED at how much Spanish I understood. Granted, it is a talk and not a convo, much easier to understand. 

Mom I am so happy to hear Elder Swensen has 14 committed to baptism!! Cannot wait to get out there.

So a story from the devo by Bednar:

A woman was divorced, and had one daughter. Bednar gets a call super late one night and the mom was calling him, as she had an ER nurse on another phone on another ear. She needed Bednar to go to his local hospital to ID 3 girls in a wreck. One was already dead and as she is talking to Bednar he can hear the nurse on the other phone tell her that it was her daughter who passed. This woman is so Christlike, she immediately says, we must inform the other mothers that their daughters are okay.

So then Bednar IDs all 3, and the mom feels bad because she knew her daughter looked bad so she invited Bednar to go to the funeral home to see her all made up to have a better last image of her.

THEN on her way to her daughter's funeral, she gets a call from an RS member. The mother is the pres. Some member chewed her out because she has a cold and has not received one meal. The mother makes a home cooked meal and delivers it on the way to the funeral. 

HOW CRAZY how she is so Christlike. When others look inward and have self pity, Christ looks outward. I loved this talk so much and that is what I am going to work so hard on. It helps when I get frustrated with others because just looking outward changes my mood.

I love you all so much and I love serving. Each day another fond memory of my childhood and our fam is brought to my mind. I am SO incredibly blessed with you all, and cannot wait to serve the people of Florida.

Thank you all for your emails!! I will miss Mexico dearly...really I love it here so much, but I am excited to get out to the field!

Mucho amor

Hermana McCormick

Hermanas in the MTC

So I just ate lunch and this whole morning we were driving around the lovely Ciudad de Mexico and I fell in love. We got to go to the Visitors Center and see the temple. It was amazing and all I wanted to do was get out and tract and talk to people. I saw so many stray dogs and Jake you are wrong they do look cute!! Till we got too close then I saw how sad and homeless they look and I just wanted to take them back home and get them well but don't worry dad I am not going to ´try and save the world´. I saw people sweeping with literally twigs tied onto a stick. I just wanted to go to Costco and get them some brooms. I am so sheltered!!! I want to visit here post mish. Mom or anyone else with me?

This week has been great.... and rough. I am continuing to learn a lot and I love getting better at Spanish and being able to focus more on becoming a better missionary. We had a fireside by Elder Perry last night... it was live and I got so excited thinking Sister Wells is going in today!!! Yikes. Gives me anxiety just thinking of saying good bye and I am so glad I have that overwith.

So skyping on Mothers' Day was a DREAM so amazing. Sorry I talked the whole time. I felt awful after because I loved seeing you all but wanted to hear more from you. Gosh that was emotional but motivated me to do better that way I have no regrets when I see you because I will be home soon enough. I am so grateful to have this opportunity now and am learning how to live more in the moment. Yes, Al...I am working on my FOMO.

Side note, did my laptop get to KK?

There have been a ton of earthquakes here. People here FREAK OUT and it stresses me out. But there have been so many in such a short span of time that the first presidency sent an email to all of the stakes in Mexico to get a 2 day supply of food ready. Could get interesting. But do not worry m and d because this place is protected I know it. 

My favorite time here is meal time probably because I get to socialize and you guys can probably imagine I miss that. AND the fruit here is so sweet and I love it.

I have quite a few pictures coming your way after I finish checking my email #pop #stressed 

Hearing your voices Sunday meant the world to me. I miss Al and dad cracking jokes and mom sticking up for me.....cough cough puppy joke.....told my district and they want to meet you, dad. I really appreciate your support more than you know. I think of you all CONSTANTLY and cannot wait to call you on May 27. Texas can't come soon enough! I will take full advantage of my layover.

I love you all and mom's cooking more than I can put into words. But I am learning so much and I KNOW this is where I am supposed to be. I am understanding more every day who Christ is and why we are on this Earth. I am so grateful this week for the deeper knowledge of and appreciation for the prophet and his apostles. It is crazy how blessed we are to have direction in our lives. 

MUCHO AMOR

Hermana McCormick

Week 3...

So I got a bad virus this week... and as I slept the entire day away yesterday and the day before, I felt so lazy. Like went a little crazy. I say that I miss relaxing, yet I cannot even handle a sick day. WHY am I already a weird missionary (ps cannot get the question marks to work or the other end of the parentheses so that's cool(

How are you all oh my gosh we get to Skype this Sunday!!! I will log on around 345 my time so 145 your time right. It is 4 to 4{30 but we have a devo so we might head over to Skype early. I literally cannot wait.

This week has been amazing.... thanks to an article that Betsy Livingston sent me. So it is called the Fourth Missionary. Last time I read it, it did not mean much. But this week was HARD being homesick, so I read it and I feel like I am finally motivated to not just be here, but to work hard to be a great missionary. Then, I suggested that we read it as a district, and we are all changed. Like totally changed. I have to be the fourth missionary and forget my homesickness and that I am missing you all and the beach and go to work. Because no matter what, I am here for 18  months and I have to make the absolute best of it. So I am working on truly giving my all. My might and strength along with my heart and my mind. ALSO last night's devo by Elder Holland was history in the making. And I feel so blessed to have gotten it live, as a missionary in the MTC. It is amazingly motivational. He is so amazing and with the talk and his devo and we watched a devo Sunday that was by Elder Holland but a year and a half ago and I feel so uplifted. 

Funny story... I did not know that cita in Spanish was a romantic term, so each time I asked our MARRIED investigator for another appt... I was asking him out. Cool.

So with Mother's Day coming up my friends here have been talking a lot about their moms..... and wow I was blessed. Like seriously, so blessed. Mom you are the best. And dad you are the best too because remember when my poem won a garnet or some stone but when we went to pick it up, the necklace was extra money and you paid and that was so kind of you.

I have like 20 personal emails to respond to, so sorry this is a short one... but I am so glad to be here and have the support that I have. It is so humbling. I am becoming the person that I am supposed to be and learning so much about being Christlike from the hermanas around me. They are amazing to me whenever I miss home... and when I got that virus. That was bad but they got me Gatorade and took my temp. and it was wonderful.

Love you all CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOUR FACES SUNDAY apologizing in advance for most likely crying the whole time. I just cannot wait.

Love you!

Hermana McCormick

Nuestra Dulce Hermana

Wednesday, April 30

My beautiful family and friends! I miss you all so much.

First order of business, I wore KKs bridesmaid dress Sunday and it was LOOSE great day. Great day. 

How was graduation and enjoying p town without me??!! I was a mess thurs and fri just thinking and telling everyone you were all going to the rec center and in provo and eating j dawgs and I was sad. PLEASE send me pictures. 

And Jamie??! How was that? I bet you are all so happy to have Jeff home.

Tim tell me about training!!!! BROTHERS email me already. Rude.

Also all the buildings here are named after prophets etc so sometimes I feel like I am back at BYU and I am sure everyone is sick of my BYU pride. Kimball, Benson, Hinckley, etc. So cool.

Please tell me when Gretchen and Max have their baby!! Send me pictures please.

Also mom, remember how we thought my purse was too big? Well it is perfect and I love it. And how we thought we paid too much for the Nordies shirt... never!! It is by far my best shirt. Never have to adjust it.

So I still do not trust the meat here and the sisters think I am so picky. Maybe I am. I am learning lots about myself. And I am apparently NOT a morning person... interesting stuff.

I LOVE the devos here... and people think I am weird for calling them devos. We heard from Elder Cristofferson and his wife and each time they totally motivate me. I love it.

Jake I look for Hno Lara ALL THE TIME are you sure he even exists?

We have been talking a lot about our families here and I just never understood how truly blessed I was. You are THE best. M and d thank you so much for taking me all the way to the gate. I think that made things easier. Also we did a service project and I loved it and it was like a work out cleaning the comedor and it reminded me of our yard work with dad and I am grateful for the yard work we did because I loved cleaning yesterday and you can tell the others whose first time it was doing lifting and cleaning and I am so happy that cleaning yesterday made me happy and m and d I am grateful that you taught us to work hard because I am not totally dying with the adjustment here of work work work. I miss you guys so much.

I love what I am doing and what I am learning here because my testimony and happiness grows every day. I love teaching my investigators. They are lds but they are imitating their non-member friends with real problems and teaching feels so real and so satisfying and I am loving it here. It has ups and downs that is for sure. 

I love you all so much and am so grateful to be here. Thank you for helping me financially because living here and serving represents your financial sacrifice for me and that is humbling.

I am glad that I am remembering some spanish but still have a long ways to go. 

I love you all so much!!

Hermana McCormick

Have a great week and remember you are all in my prayers and thoughts and you all are my source of strength.