Hey everyone!
I don't know about you guys but I had the most patriotic Presidents day of my entire life this past Monday haha. My flight from Mexico to New York on Monday went very smoothly. Well aside from the fact there there was a earthquake around 1 am that morning which I apparently slept through? Oops. About an hour later, all of the missionaries leaving that day loaded onto a CCM bus and we had our last ride through Mexico City to the airport. It was completely different than the first time riding throgh though the city to the CCM that very first day. Surprise, not many people are awake at 2am so the streets of Mexico City were essentially empty. So instead of watching all of the crazy traffic and hoping that we would somehow survive the chaos, we just sang hymns in Spanish with each other for the last time. Even though I was just in the CCM, I am really going to miss Mexico, all of the super awesome missionaries that were in My district, and my wonderful teachers and CCM mission presidency. (Side note: we all really needed to get out of there, though. My CCM companion, Hermana Lykins, may or may not have totally chucked her white bible/ missionary handbook at our morning teacher on the last day hahaha)
Speaking of earthquakes and hymns, there was a huge Earthquake this past week in southern Mexico. If what I have been told is correct, at the epicenter it was 7.8. Because we are about 6 hours away we didn't feel it as strongly but there was still some scary side effects in the surrounding city. Some houses caught on fire from some burst gas lines and there were some fires up on the hill around the city. Other than that, there was no damage to the Mexico CCM and all of the missionaries were accounted for and were 100% okay physically. Mentally was a different story. There were quite a few missionaries who had families that lived where the epicenter was. Instead of criying or freaking out, some asked for priesthood blessings, others started singing hymns, and some knelt down to pray. I don't know whoes idea it was, but, we all ended up kneeling down in one of the largest prayer circles I have ever seen on that hard asfault road that goes around the entire CCM. Because there was just so much noise and chaos, I couldn't really hear what the person praying said exactly. For me, it didn't really matter that I couldn't hear. I just had this small thought run through my head that it was all going to be okay. Somehow, someway, HF would watch out for his missionaries and keep His promise to us that he will protect our families while we are away.
Okay and now for the New York News. Currently I am in the Harlem area. Harlem. It's crazy but also so exciting at the same time. I already love it in its own way here. My trainer/ companion is Hermana Leon. We live in a cute little appartment with another set of Hermanas- Hermana Egbert and Hermana Castillo. They are all so sweet and I love them so much already! So Monday I flew to New York, Tuesday morning I was assigned my new companion/ area, had district meeting, and then that night I got to teach my first lesson with Hermana Leon. It. Was. Amazing. Any doubt I had about coming out here to help spread the gospel... I am most defiently supposed to be here.
Yikes this is getting really long. Um sorry not sorry;) One more quick story! So. I don't remember who told me about this but someone I talked to had a super tramatic experience out in the field. While they were trying to get off a bus once their companion had already gotten off but they were not able to get off in time before the bus doors closed and they just sat in the bus and watched as their companion disapeared down the street. Terrible, right? So whoever told me that story told me that as long as I avoided that, everything would be prime. Um. Literally 2 hours after being in the field that's pretty much what happened to me. I got stuck on the bus and all 3 of the other hermanas had already gotten off... um. I was so freaked out. Luckily my city instincts (which I didn't even know that i had) took over and I was able to reopen the bus doors and I got off the bus before it drove away. Other than being scared out of my mind, I was just fine and we all laughed about it after!
I know that I have definitely had some heavenly help this past week. Thank you all for your prayers. I can feel them and I am so appreciative of them. I hope you guys know that I am praying for you, too. Have a amazing week, stay safe, and watch those Olympics for me!!!
Con Amor,
Hermana Taylor
Ps
My P-Days are Wednesdays now. :)
- Me and my cute roomies. They went to McAllen, Texas
- The district Hermanas and our favorite teacher- Hermana Solis
- Hermana Solis always told us that if we misbehaved she would hit us with her chancla (flipflop) hahaha. As a parting gift she made us chancla bookmarks
- My new Mission President, David Smith, and his wife, Rebecca, and I at the Mission Home.
[Editor's Note] Check out my mission's blog for pictures and videos of Ariana's arrival in New York.
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