Arlington; Sunnyside Branch - Week 3

YO FAM. What's good?

These past couple of weeks have been rough, but I'm finally getting the hang of this mission thing. Finding has been hard, but I'm learning a lot!!

This past Tuesday, we were trying to visit some interested people in a certain area and I just felt super impressed to go knock on a certain door, so I just started walking and my companion chased after me. Haha. I pounded on the guy's door because he was listening to music super loud, and he opened up after I explained that we were missionaries he said that we were a sign from God and that he had been praying for someone. I know. I KNOW. Freaking dope. I love this gospel. Revelation is lit. I had a couple more experiences like that these past couple days and it has been awesome. God answers prayers.

This week I had to teach the restoration in Spanish at a baptism and I did it!!! So that was awesome. I got a lot of compliments on my Spanish even though I'm pretty sure it was 10/10 not great. I'm starting to really understand the Spanish though and I'm really glad for that. Pray for my Spanish!!! I can feel your prayers and they mean the world.

So far the mission has taught me a lot about things I never thought the mission would teach me about. All in all, I guess I'm just learning about how to deal with crappy situations in adult ways.

There are also great things, too though!!! Like this week I got to help some members with their garage sale/bake sale. We helped them make cupcakes and it was super fun. God is good. Washington is a great place to be. 

Today we went to the beach so that was super fun. Washington is really pretty, so I'm thankful for that.

I love you guys and I'm so thankful for all you guys. I pray for all of you guys siempre. God loves you!!! Because Christ suffered for us, he perfectly understands us. He knows your limits, he knows your trials. Trust in him. Bring all of your trials to his feet and he will lift you up. He will edify you as you humble yourself before him. You can do hard things!!! Keep on keepin' on, fam.

Love you all,
Hermana Jimenez

It's also my 2 month so YAY!!!

And a flashback to week 1... the alpaca farm!!!

And the Tunnel of Trees she talks about...

Arlington; Sunnyside Branch - Week 2

Alright, I promised a good email this week so that's what you're going to get. (;

Okay. So the area I'm in is named Sunnyside, so that's really happy. (; My area is 3 English areas put together and our Zone has big areas because it's a lot of country out here, so there's lots of driving. My branch is great, they're all really nice and extremely patient with my bad Spanish.

You can't see any mountains in my area, but there are lots of trees and hills and the occasional lake. I give it a 9/10 on the pretty scale. It's REALLY green out here like REALLY green. When you drive, both sides of the road have huge trees on either side, people here call them "green tunnels" I'll try and grab a pic today if I can.

Finding is really hard in my area because people actually, literally hide from us in the forest. So there's that. Most of the people in my area speak English so we can't just "tract" and find effectively. I've been coming up with finding ideas, but if anyone has ideas that they used in their missions lmk.

We live in the basement of a member, her name is Augga and the other day we came home and she said, "your guys' fridge just looked so empty so I got you guys some snacks." We were like, "lit!" So we go downstairs to find a whole case of rootbeer, Chinese snacks, pie, cream puffs, ice cream, chips and salsa. It was an Abuela moment. I was shook. Haha.

It's been stake conference and so we've done a lot with the English wards lately and we show up to stake conference on Saturday and they fed us pizza and cookies and all the things, and then they sent us home with a WHOLE Costco pizza and a package of Costco cookies. So don't worry, Momma, I'm being fed.

That same day we went to a friend's house to buy some tamales and she fed us tamales there. Get recked. So much food. SO. MUCH. FOOD.

Other than that THIS WEEK I GOT TO SEE HNA BILLINGS AND HNA NILSSON!!!! We had new missionary training together and let me just say there were many tears to be had between the three of us. Mostly happy. I love those guys. I probably won't see them for 10 weeks now.);

We're only teaching one person. His name is Jose and he's my favorite person in all of Washington. He's so ready. Like so ready. Whenever we ask him to do something he says "Claro que yes" and it's always funny.

In the MTC we would always laugh about the time during service that they drove us to the middle of nowhere and just had us rake grass for an hour. Hna Billings and I were like ¿what? BUT. We got called by a very kind old Abuelita to come help her with her yard and I raked grass for an hour so I guess it's a thing everywhere but Utah. Hahahahaha.

Last week everyone kept telling me to "prepare for the dark months" and I was like "what are you talking about!?!?!?" It's been so temperate lately, like sunny and nice and I decided that everyone that ever told me Washington was rainy was a lightweight.

And then it started to rain.

So yeah. We are entering the dark months and it pours every day. 10/10 will take getting used to. Haha. It's chill. Washington is pretty alright.

I'm learning a lot here and I'm excited for all the new adventures!!! I love you guys and I'm so thankful for all of the prayers!!

Love you all,
Hermana Jimenez

Sofia was happy to do her service this week raking grass 

(much easier on her allergies than packing Alpaca hair).

Arlington; Sunnyside Branch - Week 1

Sofia would LOVE if you would send her emails during the week... she can read them any day, but only respond on Monday. She says they really boost her spirit. Her email address is: sofia.jimenez@missionary.org

YO once again I'm out here with 0 time. That will change very soon. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH.

Washington was nothing I ever expected. Missionary work is not what I thought it was. But I know that this is where I need to be and I'm doing what I need to be doing. Even if that includes alpacas (not fun).

Hahaha. All in all, I'm going to be okay. I love how green it is here and I have a really awesome trainer Hermana Chatfield.

There will be more next week, but I'm out here in Washington and my hair isn't a bush yet so we 10/10 GUCCI.

I love you guys so much, you can do hard things.
Hermana Jimenez

Sofia with Hna Chatfield and a branch member named Dawn. 

Sofia said Dawn is from Puerto Rico and reminds her of Madivette.

We got to chat with Sofia today, and she seems to be doing really well. She has had to adjust to being back in the states. She is assigned to the Arlington, WA area (about an hour north of Seattle). Her Spanish area overlaps 3 English speaking areas. The branch she is assigned to also has a set of Spanish Elders in it. She already had to publicly pray and give a talk in Spanish. The alpaca experience was a service project, and she was just about ready to come home by the time they finished :) She has a car in her area, and probably will for her entire mission. Her trainer has 10 months in the mission and is also a Sister Training Leader, so Sofia will be going on splits with other sisters while Hna Chatfield takes care of her leadership duties.

The group who arrived with Sofia to the Washington Everett Mission. She told us that there were 2 additional Spanish speaking sisters who came from Provo (they were in Hna. Otuafi's district in Provo.)

MTC - Week 6

ALRIGHT PEOPLE. I'VE GOT A LOT TO SAY AND NOT A LOT OF TIME SO LET'S DO THIS.

This week is, in fact, my last week in the CCM. I honestly do not think I can possibly express in words how excited I am to leave. It's been great, but I'm so ready to be in the field. Back in the good ol' USA getting yelled at by all of the crazies in Washington. all jokes, all jokes (I hope). But I am so thankful for the past six weeks of my life. I have never learned so much in such a short period of time. I'm so happy to be here. I'm so thankful for my teachers and my district and all of the companions I've had in these past 6 weeks.

Speaking of companions, Hermana Otuafi had improved A LOT. She's learned more in this past week than I think she's learned her whole MTC stay so far, so that's amazing and definitely a big blessing.

This week has been for the most part status quo. For those of you who are always telling me that you wish I played the cello more, you'll be happy to hear that I performed this Tuesday at a campus-wide devotional. Woohoo. haha. You can thank Hermana Nilsson for dragging me into that experience. All in all. I'm glad it's over. (;

Sofia's MTC Devotional Musical Number - click to download

They also do these awesome workshops for new missionaries that I was able to participate in. The work is for sure moving forward. I have such a stronger testimony of Preach my Gospel and the CCM because the changes that happen in just 3 weeks are amazing. Anyway, because of the workshop, I got to wear my p-day clothes, open-toed shoes, and wait for it... MY HOOPS. I'm not talking about my wimpy inch and a half missionary hoops, I'm talking about MY HOOPS!!! When Macy saw me she said, "It's the real Sofie!!" I've never felt so free out here. Haha.

I am going to miss the church meetings here a lot. I've never felt the spirit so strong in relief society before. The kids out here are insane. I've really enjoyed my time here, but I'm so ready to get to Washington. I fly out on Tuesday!!

I'm out of time!!! I love you all so much. The church is true, God loves you, following Christ makes life GOOD. So do it!!

Love,
Hermana Jimenez

PS: there WILL be hair updates once I get to Washington.

A sweet surprise for me on Monday (remember her MTC pday is Thursday) when Sofia uploaded this pic... well, she posed for it and told her comp, 

"Make sure it shows my face so it will auto-upload." 

I'm loving technology and the fact that google can recognize her face and put her picture in my Sofia Mission Picture Folder for me to see immediately!

MTC - Semana 5

Sofia is in District 3A, and her mission is Washington Everett. 

You only have 8 more days to send her a letter in Mexico... Just be sure to include your email address IN THE ACTUAL LETTER PART, or she won't be able to respond to you.

Free Mexico MTC Letters

A MONTH!!! I have officially been on my mission for a month, y'all. Let me tell you, it's great. I love it. I'm so thankful that I get to be here, but I only have 11 days until I get to eat food that isn't from the comedor and that makes me freaking PUMPED. Haha.(;

My district has all sorts of games that we play together. The BEST of all happens every day, 3 times a day. Every mealtime we have this game where if someone has something you want (a bowl of cereal, a piece of pizza, taco, whatever) you can challenge them for it with rock paper scissors. If you win, they have to hand it over. They can challenge you again as redemption, but you only get one a day. Once a food item moves twice it's SAFE. And if you win 4 challenges in a row the food is yours. It sucks when you have a bad day because you have to get whatever you're trying to eat like 6 times to actually eat it, but sometimes it's dope because you can just challenge people for your entire meal. The whole district plays it and we all STRICTLY follow the rules. If someone challenges YOU HAVE to do it. Haha. On pizza night your first two pieces are safe. It's so fun and super complex and it all just started with the elders rock paper scissoring for cereal. Haha.

I'm not sure who this sister is, but the picture was taken in the comedor... 

rock-paper-scissors!

In Mexico they have these chewy jolly rancher things (think a starburst mixed with a now and later) and they're SO GOOD. The whole district eats them all day. They come in packs of six chews. Anyway, we were getting ready after gym on Wednesday and Hermana Nilsson comes into my room and goes, "I dare you to wear your bonnet to class." I about DIED. I was like NO-WAY-JOSE. Anyway, she put 10 PACKS of Jolly Rancher chews on the line, so long story short I wore my bonnet to class. And a legend was born. Jaja. 

Things are going really good here. My district is great at having A BUNCH of fun when we have free time and then getting to work when we're in class. The whole district is one big family here and it makes the time fly.

Hermana Otuafi is doing a lot better. It's insane how humble and loving she is, I have a lot to learn from her. She's done with basic core and working on the second lesson, so she's made a lot of progress this week. It's hard in lessons because I have to translate for her, but we get by just fine and most of the time we can teach a pretty good lesson. Whether she wants to or not, she's going to have to start understanding Spanish because she goes to the field in 10 days!! Crazy, so we're just trying to get ready for that.

If I could invite the family to do anything, it would be to develop or further develop a Christlike attribute. This past week I've been working on Charity. I love Moroni 7:45-48 

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. 

Do we have the attributes of Charity? I know that I can work a lot harder to develop Charity & it will probably be something that I'll be working on for the rest of my life.

I don't think I've ever grown so much in a single month and the crazy thing is that my first few weeks in the field are probably still going to wreck me. Haha. But we try our hardest and get a little better every day. Right? Haha.

I love you guys! Thank you for all your prayers! I can feel them out here!! I'm praying for everyone, too!!

Hermana Jimenez

Here's an extra note that Sofia sent to our YW President via me because she didn't have Sister Spenst's email... so I thought I'd post it here as well. It's great to read her testimony.

Thank you so much for the email and thank you for the prayers!! I miss you guys so much!! If there's anything I could share with the YW, it would be Mosiah 4:9: 

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

I think a lot of times we get caught up in what we don't know, or our doubts, or our trials and it's hard, but sometimes we just have to believe in him. All of our testimonies have ups and downs and I'm not perfectly sure of anything in this gospel, but that's what it's about. We need to have faith. We need to believe and hope in those things that we can't see.

I can testify that as we believe and we act on those beliefs, we will be given a witness after the trial of our faith. God loves us!! He wants us to follow his son. He gave us everything, and he has a plan for us, and I know if we believe in that plan we will be blessed in ways that are indescribable!

I love all you guys and I know that God is mindful of each and every one of you, so be mindful of him! Be valiant in your testimony and believe.

Love,

Hermana Jimenez (;

MTC - Semana 4

Once again, Sofia asked me to let everyone know how much she appreciated all the letters she received this week. She realized this week that she needs you to include your email address in the letter if you'd like a response because she doesn't get any email info in her letters. 

Finally, it took 19 days for her first snail mail letter to arrive, so don't send any more that way. They just throw them out if the missionary is not in the MTC.

Sofia is in District 3A, and her mission is Washington Everett.

Free Mexico MTC Letters

Hey fam, what's good?

This week was great. I'm finally in the groove of this whole MTC thing. Haha.(; as far as my health goes, I'm doing great. My companions and I have been waiting OUR WHOLE MTC stay to open this mystery package my momma snuck into my bag. It had a note on it to not open it until August 6th, so we've been saying that the 6th is Christmas. Jaja. Well, Christmas came and let me tell you, I do not understand how so much stuff could fit into such a little package. 10/10 would recommend having a wizard momma like me. Let's just say I'mma be swimming in snacks for the rest of my MTC stay jaja.

My Spanish is progressing really well. I can hold a conversation and a 20-minute lesson solely in Spanish, so we're getting there for sure. The gift of tongues is a real thing.

My companions and I had just finished teaching our "interested person" (my instructor) on Tuesday and in the middle of her feedback she nonchalantly tells me "oh Hermana Jimenez you're receiving a new companion tonight. Alright, let's go back to class."

I. WAS. SHOOK. So the amazing trio was broken up.

My new companion is Hermana Otuafi. She is from Oakland CA and is going to Mexico City West. She was in the Provo MTC for 3 weeks waiting on her visa, and now she is here with us for the last 3 weeks. She's super loving and kind, and we get along super well, but she doesn't know any Spanish, and by "she doesn't know any Spanish" I mean Hola and Adios are the 2 words composing her vocabulary. So this is going to be a great last two weeks of my MTC stay. Jaja. She got placed with me because I'm pretty advanced for the rest of the 6 weekers I'm with, so I'm going to try my best to catch her up. Prayers are very much appreciated y'all.

Something I've learned about the mish so far it's that the second you get comfortable, God sends a new challenge your way. I love it though. And we're blessed so much when we accept the things that are asked of us. If I were home working as hard as I'm working, there is no way I wouldn't be absolutely exhausted every day, but there's something about this calling and the love of the people that just keeps me going. Jaja.

That being said, I cannot wait to get back to the states. Hna Billings, Hna Nilsson, and I are all flying together to WA. and we've already strategically planned our 6-hour layover to hit all the food places we've missed. Without fail, every day, our dreams of eating Panda Express are mentioned at least once.♡

I can feel everyone's prayers and I'm so thankful for them. I miss the Fam so much, but as I've been here I've realized just how lucky I am to have my amazing family, ward family, and friends. You guys are all dope and I love and miss you all.

We had an amazing devotional yesterday that my instructor, Hermana Ojeda, gave about patience. It just reminded me of how much crap I do that Heavenly Father has patience for. Jesus Christ suffered for all our mistakes and he was there through all of our trials. If Christ suffered for me in Gethsemane with love and joy. I can deal with a parasite and the gross bugs here with a smile. Right? Jaja. Just something to think about. He loves us and is so patient with us, so the least we can do is try to be patient through the trials we have, and even more, the people we have around us.

I love you guys so much and I hope you have the best week! Thank you so much for the letters! I need return email addresses though!!

Love,

Hermana Jimenez

MTC - Semana 3

Sofia asked me to let everyone know how much she appreciated all the letters she received this week. She said because today was their Temple Pday, she didn't have as much time to write to everyone. But the letters mean a TON!!! Keep writing her :) Here's the link again to the letters that get delivered to her and that she can read any day of the week. (The emails she can only read on Pday.)

Sofia is in District 3A, and her mission is Washington Everett.

Free Mexico MTC Letters

FAMILY!!!!!!

First and foremost - thank you guys for all the prayers this week!! I am totally well and healthy right now! My RAS is gone and so is the parasite. Jaja.(: I'm so thankful that my B12 was high because I never got bad and I got better INSANELY quick. Feeling very thankful about that especially today. This is the P Day that everyone waits for here at the MTC - Temple outing!!!!! I'm riding on a bus through Mexico City as I type this email and it's super colorful!! It reminds me a lot of Peru.

Okay sorry for the abruptness but my email got interrupted - I just came out of the temple!!!! It was amazing!! I missed it SO much. Fam - go to the temple every week. It is where we can find peace, joy, and comfort. Those of my family and friends who are living in Utah are so blessed because we all have temples within' 20 minutes of us (some of us have temples literally 4 minutes away). WHAT a blessing!! Take advantage of it. I know that because of temples I get to be with my family forever and what a blessing that is. I love my fam.

The 4th sister in this picture is one of Sofia's teachers at the MTC. 

She joined them today at the temple. 

Sofia said that she missed the session, but found them outside. 

The other teacher is a temple worker, so he was inside with them.

I'm feeling very blessed because this week has flown by!! My Spanish has improved a lot and the days have gone as fast as they've come. We always have awesome devotionals and teaching experiences that make me so excited to get into the field. My companions and I are literally counting down the days until we get to skirt. 25 DAYS. Lol, let's hope the weeks go more like this one than the past couple. Jaja.

Update on the CO monitor - we've got one now, so that's good. We still don't have a water tank, so we just fill our water bottles up with the tank in the apartment next door - shout out to apt. 105, you guys rock. Also, Mexico is in fact trying to kill me. Jaja. I don't think I mentioned this in my last email, but here in Mexico they put sesame on EVERYTHING (if you don't know, Sofia is allergic to sesame). Like literally think of anything that could possibly have sesame on it and it's there. So that's been real fun. I'm going to be honest I've made some pretty risky moves out here, but we Gucci. And yes, momma, I take my EpiPen everywhere with me. Hehe.

The more time I spend here in Mexico, the more I love the Gospel, but also the more thankful I am for being able to go back to the States. Like enserio, I am so lucky. Mis compañeras and I always joke that the only thing people who don't go stateside get is diarrhea. Jaja.

At the end of the day and after all of the craziness, there is literally NO WHERE I would rather be than right here in Mexico City preparing myself to serve the people of Washington. As much of a sacrifice as serving a mission is, the blessings that I have received here already are exponentially more than I ever thought possible. I want to be a representative of Christ and even more - to be able to bring others to him. I love you guys so much!! Have the best week.

PS: Shoutout to all the people sending me letters. They literally MAKE my day. Also momma coming clutch w the Mountain Dew - I LOVE YOU.

Hermana Jimenez

This pic is a left-over from last week... Sofia didn't get it uploaded to me for me to add it to the blog, but this is her good friend Macy who arrived at the Mexico MTC the same day.

And of course... no surprises that there is another Hermana Jimenez at the Mexico MTC!!!