Teach All Nations: ¡Feliz Navidad!

Well, I experienced my first Christmas away from home this week! It was interesting - a mixture of hard and fabulous. Hard because I miss everyone and America (duh, that's to be expected), and fabulous because I am in Mexico! Here in Mexico, Christmas is on the 24th, so we ate 3 different meals that day. And, funny thing about Mexicans - they get offended and think you don't like their food if you don't get seconds, or thirds, etc. Holy moly I thought I was going to die. Haha. The food was good (they get fancy for Christmas and actually exchange their tortillas for bread!) and the people were great. I just love the Christmas spirit - the Spirit of Christ. This was definitely the most meaningful Christmas that I've ever had. Wearing the name of the Savior on my chest and testifying of His divinity several times every day made everything more real. Most of all, in the past few months I have felt His healing, redeeming, and enabling power more than ever before in my life, and so Christmas was a time of rejoicing and thanks for me.

Here in Mexico, the 25th actually has no significance - just like the 26th in America. But Hna. Z was so sweet in trying to make things a little more like home. She got up super early in the morning to wrap a present for me and put it under the tree. :) Granted, it was granola bars, but ya know it's the thought that counts! So while she was in the shower, I ran around the house and put some things of mine that I don't use in an old yogurt container and put it under the tree for her. Once again, I am hoping it's the thought that counts. Haha. Then we had a district meeting and the Elders made us a nice little breakfast! It was sweet. Afterwards, as part of our Christmas-day schedule from President Egbert, we did service. We..... (wait for it)..... chopped the grass with machetes! Because, ya know, that's how you mow the lawn in Mexico. So all 11 of us had our machetes chopping the jungle of a lawn of a recent convert. It was a thoroughly Mexican experience. :) And then in the evening, I got to Skype with my family. You don't know how happy I was. It was better than all of my birthdays combined if that gives you an idea. Seeing everyone's faces and hearing their voices was the only gift that I needed this Christmas. I love my family so much!

So, Christmas was good! Other than that, I'm still a missionary doing missionary things! Here in Mexico, showers are heated by gas (we have to turn the boiler on 20 mins before we shower and turn it off afterwards). We ran out of gas this week and didn't take showers for 2.5 days, so that was exciting! Luckily, we're back in action. :)

Update on the Spanish language: I realized this week that I have been completely blessed with the gift of tongues. I am not saying this to brag at all, more to glorify and thank God for His incredible blessings. I can pretty much understand everything and communicate whatever I want back. After a month in the field, this is pretty amazing. We had exchanges this past week and my Sister Training Leader said that I have absolutely received the gift of tongues and it's pretty incredible. So, thank you Heavenly Father. I don't know how or why I have been so blessed.

So that's about it! I have tons of pictures, so hopefully they'll tell you about my life down here better than my words.

Love you all so much! More than you know.

Hna. Snyder

The companionship of the century!