Hermana Hilary Harper: Brisas

Me and My Comp - Hermana Pitcher (From Alpine, UT)

Happy 2015!!!

I must say, the new year is very well celebrated here in theYucatan!

To start off, all day Wednesday we were seeing these stuffed people sitting on the sides of the road. At lunch we asked what was up with that, and the member told us that people stuff clothes and stick rockets in there to make an old man to represent the old year. Then at midnight they shoot off the rockets inside. Along with that tradition, they have a bunch of other things they do, like eating 12 grapes that represent 12 wishes for the new year. It also matters a lot what kind of underwear you wear that night because if you want love, you have to wear red. If you want money, green...and so on. All the colors mean something. Also, something funny is if you want to travel the next year you have to run around the block with a suitcase!

We got home Wednesday night like normal, and we decided to stay up until midnight. It wasn't too hard, because we laid in our hammocks talking for awhile and then after started cooking potatoes to make a little stir fry. It was just potatoes, peppers, onion, and ketchup, haha. It didn't turn out too bad either! Then a little before midnight we ate and opened a bottle of sparkling cider a member had given us. It had a cork and everything, so I that's what made it really start to feel like the new year! Hahaha.

We went outside at midnight and it was really fun because ALL the neighbors were out and all the stuffed old people were burning and there were fireworks, and more than anything just lots of noise! A couple neighbors came over to wish us a new year and gave us some food from their party, so that was really nice! I'm pretty sure everyone here stayed up the WHOLE night because the next day it was pretty dead. Mexicans are quite the partiers!!!

Besides new years, we've had a pretty average week. We did contact a golden reference though! We had two members with us when we contacted Ricardo, and he's been super prepared! He went the last two sundays to another ward because that's where his uncle goes, and he says he really feels like its true and wants to get baptized. It was really fun to teach him, because he was super interested and excited by it all. It got the members excited too, which makes us really happy!

On Sunday Ricardo came and also a bunch of less actives! With the new schedule (8am), a lot of less actives got more excited to go again. I think we had like 9! One that came, brought her husband who isn't a member, so hopefully we can get him excited about baptism! Also, on Sunday we had a baby blessing and all the family that came to support was from my old ward. That was really fun to see everyone! They told me how the people I'd taught are doing and it was really special :) !

Me and Hermana Pitcher are hoping this new year brings lots of Prospects! Our president has been changing some things to get us working more, so now we have 2 hours of studies instead of 3. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet because it's been really hot lately and the heat really drains your energy! January is weird because it gets reallly hot for a day, but then the next it rains, then gets hot again. Hopefully it works out good having more work time!

Until next week!!
Love, Hermana Harper