Christmas Dinner Mission Style!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

I hope ya'll are enjoying the holidays! 

For me, Noche Buena(christmas eve) was pretty chill but SUPER cold, and it rained ALL day! We worked and then ate dinner at a members house. Christmas day was good cuz I got to talk to my family! WOW! Everyone has really changed/grown! Also we ate Christmas dinner at home, it was Christmas dinner mission style! Ham, potatoes and gravy, stuffing, jello salad, and chocolate pie! YUM! American food! It was fun too to open gifts from some of my friends here in the mission. 

Can I just say I really miss real heaters in houses? We have a tiny little space heater and there are nights that it just isn't  enough. I also miss vacuums. I haven't used one of those in almost a year, and a house with carpet and no vacuum is a sin. 

So there is a Christmas song here in Mexico that goes like this "mira como beben los peses en el rio, les beben, y beben, y velven a beber por ver Dios nacido,..."

Basically, it says that the fish are drinking cuz Jesus is born. WEIRD! So I asked my comp about the song and she told me the fish are drunk...nice... hahaha

Anyway, something I missed this Christmas was watching Norah's Christmas Gift. It's a movie by the Church and I love it! It always makes me think of my lil sis, Marie. "MOM! I want to watch Hallelujah!" haha! Good times! 

Funny story- So one of the sisters from the other companionship in the branch fell or something and bruised her hips really badly, so my last comp remembered that she had a bottle of oregano essential oil that another sister had given to her, and told her that it was for "warming" tired muscles. Uh, I don't think so! Oregano for those of you who don't know is a VERY strong oil, that can actually burn your skin. Well, my old comp used it on her comp and it did just that... it burned her comps skin. So I get a call from Valdivia saying, "Hna. Shingleton HELP! I don't know what to do!" I could hear her comp crying in the background. I couldn't help but laugh because I had told Valdivia to NEVER use oregano like that. Well, I ended up playing doctor. DOCTOR SHINGLETON TO THE RESCUE. Nice. lol. Poor Hna. Del Barrio.

Well love yall! Hna.Shingletonxoxox

Be of good cheer...

I’m Tired I’m worn

My heart is heavy

From the work it takes

To keep on breathing

I’ve made mistakes

I’ve let my hope fail

My soul feels crushed

By the weight of this world

And I know that you can give me rest

So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win

Let me know the struggle ends

That you can mend a heart

That’s frail and torn

I wanna know a song can rise

From the ashes of a broken life

And all that’s dead inside can be reborn

Cause I’m worn

I know I need to lift my eyes up

But I'm too weak

Life just won’t let up

And I know that you can give me rest

So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win

Let me know the struggle ends

That you can mend a heart

That’s frail and torn

I wanna know a song can rise

From the ashes of a broken life

And all that’s dead inside can be reborn

Cause I’m worn

My prayers are wearing thin

Yeah, I’m worn

Even before the day begins

Yeah, I’m worn

I’ve lost my will to fight

I’m worn

So, heaven come and flood my eyes

Let me see redemption win

Let me know the struggle ends

That you can mend a heart

That’s frail and torn

I wanna know a song can rise

From the ashes of a broken life

And all that’s dead inside can be reborn

Cause all that’s dead inside will be reborn

Though I’m worn

Yeah I’m worn~Tenth avenue north

This week...ugh! We had combios yuck. President called my name I stood up he anounced who my new companion was going to be I was in shock, then he named me senior companion NOOOOO! I am not happy Bob, not happy! To make matters worse, I feel like a mother who is constantly like, "Where is my baby? Where did she go?" Sometimes my companion just takes off without a word to me and it's really stressful and annoying to me. It's a bit like herding cats. JOY!(sarcastic smile added)

My new comp is interesting, I am still trying to decide how I feel about her, I WANT MY OLD COMPANION BACK!!! To bad life is slightly cruel and that won't happen. At least I am pretty sure Hna. Bravo(my current comp) will only be my companion for six weeks more. HALLELUJAH! The only downside to that is I have the yucky feeling I may end up training...that scares me spitless. 

This week we had our branch Christmas party, I ended up accompanying the RS choir with my guitar and then singing two solos a cappella. Scary, but fun.

Here in Mexico piñatas are for Christmas parties, so of course there were piñatas at this party. It was cool because they were full of candy, clementines, sugarcane, and who knows what other weird fruits. FUN! Sadly, as missionaries we only got to watch. teehee

Right now the church has a video out called "El es la dádiva" I think in English it's "He is the Gift"...not 100% sure. Anyway, the stake president decided to cancel all other activities from Friday to Sunday so that we could have an el es la dádiva missionary activity. Basically the missionaries go to the stake center, give tours to show the video, the members bring food and friends, and the primary sings, etc etc etc. Awesome idea, right? Well it was REALLY, and I mean really, poorly planed and no one showed up, so we missionaries stood out in the cold scary dark street contacting people, asking if they would like to pass and watch the video, and see inside a mormon church. Well, needless to say the people manda nos a la goma...they blew us off. FUN! Then the elders started to sing...it was so funny. They were all over the place lol, at least that was fun. haha. I have to say though, this activity was an EPIC FAIL! lol. 

Oh hey I got super awesome earings in the tiangies(street market) this week, they are unicorns! Yup, ya heard me, unicorns. They are so spiffy. Teehee!

I got super sick this week and super depressed, I still don't feel so hot. When my ex ex companion, Hna. Monarrez, the sister training leader called the other day, I just had a meltdown. She was all like, "On a scale from 1 to 10, how are you?" I was like, "4.5" Yup, that good. I don't like feeling like crap. I want to be happy again!

Two months ago Hna. Monarrez and I contacted a chick and she kinda blew us off. The other day we went to eat at a restaurant thing that a member owns and the girl was there, and she was like, "Hey, what do you have to do to serve a mission? I want to be a missionary and get baptized." I about died. I was all like, "Say what?!" Anyway we are now teaching her, and she has a baptism date, it's cool cuz she really gets things, just pray that she will come to church this week. 

Pues...Feliz Navidad prospero año y felicidad! Les quiero mucho! hna. Shingleton xoxoxox

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

Random thought: I really miss snow at Christmas time. :( It's a bummer really.

Well this week has been interesting. Monday, I went shopping with my mission aunt ,Hna. Abril, but there was a TON of traffic and so we only had time to buy earings, the nice thing is that they are real silver and were cheap. They also have the ball back so I can sleep in them YAY!

Later we had the mission Christmas party. It was all right. My zone made a choir and we sang 'The First Noel'. I sang the first part alone, and then everyone together, and then at the end I had to hit some HIGH opera like notes alone. Everyones jaws dropped at that. ROCK ON! Then later I sang Mi ancla or Anchor by Mindy Gledhil in Spanish and English while an elder played the piano for me, but he kinda messed up lol. It worked out nice, though. Yeah, I'm famous in the mission now. lol. But I know without God I could never sing like I do. 

Then on the 11th it was like a scene from the book Fablehaven, when it's midsummer night and no one can leave the house because the fairies are have a riotous party outside, yeah that's pretty much the 11th and 12th of Dec here. It's el dia de la virgincita de Guadelupe. So yeah HUGE PARTY for two days super dangeours for missionaries. We didn't work all day the 12th, so we cleaned the house and chilled out. 

Sunday was weird. When sacrament meeting started there where only 18 people present. Not cool. 

Also we got the call that my comp has combios! WHAT?!?! NO! We only had five weeks together! WEIRD! Pray for me my options for new comp are not very promising. 

Now all my plans for Christmas are messed up. At least I get to talk to the fam in 10 days! YAY! 

Well love yall! 

Hna.Shingleton xoxox

Christmas!

Welll this week was not really anything special. Yeah it was my birthday, that was good. Probably the strangest B-day I have ever had. Almost no one knew it was my birthday. Hna. Turcios called at six in the morning to sing the Spanish birthday song, but I was still half asleep haha. 

It was kinda fun because in the afternoon I received a text from Hna.Cristina, then a phone call, she was all like, "Hey I was just thinking about you, and I had this feeling I needed to get a hold of you." Then I was like, "What a miracle, cuz it's my birthday. She was like, "Oh, yeah, it is!" So that was a fun little birthday miracle.

We also ate cheesecake! Thanks, Mom! It was a TON of candles to light. lol!

Then our neighbor who is a member gave me a cute pillow she had made. FUN! It feels rather strange to be twenty. Idk if I like it. :P

Also THANK YOU to all y'all who sent B-day and Christmas money! I really apreciate it. 

The rest of the week was kinda, eh, but what ev. 

Things are really starting to look like Christmas here, lights, trees, music. It's cool.

I also got to watch the church Christmas devotional, it was good. I would have liked it better in English. It was funny in the end cuz all the Americans were singing 'Silent Night' and nobody else was singing, well apart from Vally(my companion) she kinda knows the song. 

This week my voice is going to be VERY tired I will be singing in choirs and alone a gazillion times. Wish me luck. I have "performances" Weds and Sat and then nex week too. Fun stuff! I just wish I was singing in English it's a ton easier. 

Sorry this post is short there isn't much else to talk about. 

Well love yall! Hermana Shingletonxoxox

Me, Myself, and I

Well I'm 20! So, I thought I'd write about some of my fave things...

I like puppies, the color light tan, I like serving the lord, hiking and volleyball...hahaha! JK

Movie: Lord of the Rings, Emma, etc

Song: 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' and 'Radio' (clean) 

Singer: Katy Pery, Lana Del Rey, and Maroon 5

Food: sloppy Joes and chicken pot pie

Dessert: molten lava chocolate cake and chocolate shakes

Color combos: wine and storm blue or gray and french pink

Weather: RAIN

Place: Missouri (forests and dirt roads)

Thing: rubber bands, iPhones, and swords

Video Game: Just Dance

Pastimes: SLEEPING, Writing, singing, reading...

Musical: Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis

Book:(apart from the scriptures) Princess Academy

Sports: Fencing

Animal: Unicorn(haha jk) Alpacas

TV series: The Office and Parks and Rec

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Season: Fall

Drink: peppermint hot cocoa

Numbers: 18 and 22

Time period: the 40's

Flower: carnations and blood red roses

Disney princess: Aurora and Elsa

Time of day: Dusk

Instrument: cello and bagpipes

Anything else? lol Well thats me!

Happy Thanksgiving?

Everyday feels the same 

She walks alone with her music loud 

She's given up on fittin in 

No need to impress the cool crowd 

Wishing that time would move faster 

looking forward to what come after 

right now, but right now 

This is your time 

This is your place 

Its no accident You're here 

So don't wish it away 

Look around 

and you will see 

there is somebody who needs you 

You are where you are meant to be 

Yes, there are better days to come 

But don't let that keep you from 

living today, this is your time 

this is your place - Lyndy Butler

HOLA!!! Lol!

Well this week was Thanksgiving! YAY! Our mission prez and his wife invited us sisters over to their house for Thanksgiving dinner! FUN! It was different than home, but it was still good, and it was amazing to hang out with friends for the day...mainly Hna.Turcios lol. 

Everything was good, we were eating laughing, singing, and then disaster struck. Prez. announced we were going to all get flu shots after dinner. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I HATE SHOTS! They freak me out. Well one by one we all got pulled over into a chair to get vaccinated, one of the sisters screamed, it sounded like she was giving birth or something. Then it was my turn, I tried hard to be brave, but uh yeah no, I broke into tears. Then I was so embaressed to have EVERYONE watching that I couldn't get into my happy place and calm down. So, uh yeah, Prez looked up at his wife and said, "Hun, you gotta get her to breathe or she's gonna be on the floor." Nice... I tried to breathe but yeah I'm a baby and couldn't.  FUN stuff now all the sisters know that shots are one of my worst nightmares. Que vergüenza!

I don't know why but Thanksgiving the last few years for me always ends on some weird bitterish note. C'est la vie. 

I also got a package from my mom. YAY! I just gotta say my mom and sis sure know me! Oh, it also had stuff for TG dinner sooo we are saving it for Christmas. FUN!

I also got new glasses. Too bad they don't work and I have to go check he prescription again. 

So like on Weds we had divisions, and I ended up with the "problem" sisters of the mission. Let's just say that was interesting...not bad, just different. Then when I went home my companion had bought me an american style chocolatecake donut! I love my comp!

We also did a service project on Sat as a zone- cleaning garbage in the park street thing. Uh yeah, right. This place has no end to garbage. But we cleaned as best we could. It was funish I guess lol.

Random. I miss eggnog. I also have to wonder if traditionally eggnog has alcohol to kill the bacteria in the raw egg. Just a thought...

Last night the other sisters from my branch came over and we took a "family" christmas picture. FUN! It was wild and afterwards our house was a WRECK! So Vally and I had to clean. Then I got a migraine. FETCH! I took migraine meds that Prez' wife gave me but they didn't help much. bummer. 

Well Friday I will be twenty...crazy! Next week I am going shopping with my mission aunt for my bday. FUN FUN FUN!

Well love y'all! Hermana Shingleton