Many greetings from Neza!

Many greetings from Neza! Lots happened this last week. We continue to meet new members, all of whom seem determined to fatten up mi compa and me. They say that we look medio delgaditas and need to eat more. My bubble face just keeps getting bubblier. I have a master plan to get a membership at the gym down the street here pretty soon and go early in the mornings if possible. My futile attempts to decline food are just not working. I pulled a Nacho Libre this past week and swallowed a raw egg yolk. We were teaching a man named G at his natural juices stand and I made the mistake of pointing out what looked to be quail eggs he had sitting out. He cracked one into a glass, squeezed some lime juice on it, and handed it over to me. I downed the thing and it was actually pretty tasty. Still waiting for my eagle powers and nutrients to come so I can call upon them in time of need....or possibly land in the hospital with salmonila. Whichever comes first :) My comp and I navigated the ever exciting Metro Train when I took her to Cami Hospital to check her wrist. This time it was not my fault! She sprained it playing volleyball in the CCM long before she became my companion. There are always Church members who say hi to us in the Metro or who help us find our way. I love the Metro! Everybody makes fun of me for it but I think it is just the coolest thing ever -- takes me back to train rides into Chicago as a little kid. So guess what? We have a baptism this Saturday! J C, the brother of a recent convert, has finally made the decision to be baptized after months of going to the Church and receiving las platicas. He has been working on quitting smoking, too. Finally I decided to just invite him to be baptized as we were getting ready to walk out the door and, after a pause, he firmly said yes. I was delightedly surprised. We were able to visit him yesterday after Church with the Bishop and the second counselor. The Ward here is great and so willing to help. So we will be planning that this coming week. Also, I received word from my old compa Hermana Martinez that a cute 9 year old boy named J who we taught together will be baptized this Saturday as well! I sure did love that casa de oracion. Tomorrow, we will be having a little class with the recent converts, and soon to be baptized investigadores, about la historia familiar (family history). Two hermanas from the Ward who work in the family history center will be helping them set up their own accounts. I am excited to show them the family tree and pedigree chart I packed with me and will be fondly thinking of my grandparents from both sides of my family who have put so much time into this.  Que mas les puedo decir? I am having a hard time remembering much of what happened this last week. All I know is that it was a good one. Oh, we had interviews and some great capacitactiones from the asistentes and los lideres de zona. Hermana Gonzalez and I were able to help out as well. We trained about the three compromisos we always extend -- praying, reading the Book of Mormon, and coming to Church. One of the examples we used was giving two missionaries each an apple. One of them was allowed to eat it, the other one no. They each shared their "experience" with us concerning the apple. Obviously they were very different; one was able to truly enjoy the goodness of the apple and the other one was not. We then read in 1 Nefi 8:10-12 about when Lehi partook of the fruit of the arbol de la vida (Tree of Life) and knew that it was most desirable above any other thing. The fruit represents the love of God and our Savior. El Libro de Mormon es otro testamento de Él (The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ). It is something tangible that the people we teach, and each one of us, can read and experimentar and come to know. I do love that book. That's all I have for now. Saludos!

Hermana Jones

Gelatinas are a very popular dessert here. These have flowers inside. They were gifts from a guy who contacted us on the street. We didn't eat them. The Church members have told us to not eat anything that strangers give us. They have even gone so far as to give us a can of pepper-spray I keep stowed in my bag for protection. I feel that this area is safer than my first one in Oriental but we still need to keep alert.

My eagle egg haha :) 

Always fun to see my hermana friends, especially the crippled ones ;) haha everyone is giving me a hard time for this!

A very popular thing here is the moto-taxis. You sit in a little metal and plastic cart pulled by a guy on a motorcycle and pay 15 pesos to go from one place to another if you are in a rush.

My little study space :)

These are the stairs outside our front door that I run up and down in the mornings.

Part of our bedroom. I will try to send pics of my last apartment next week. Speaking of which, I am getting permission to go with Hermana Martinez and our companions to Chapultepec next week so I may write another day...not really sure yet. This is her last cycle and this is something that we have been talking about since last cycle :) Talk to you next week! Love you!