*insert something creative here*

Hola Familia!

Well this week’s been good. Last Monday Hna. Chaparro and I went to the Laredo market (this place is dirty) but we were walking around and my companions shoe broke. so while we hunted for a shoe repair shop she just walked around without her shoe. gross.

Things are going good in the lessons with investigators. we went hunting for old investigators and in the process of finding one we went into part of my area id never been before. It was awesome! why? I finally found some green! We found this field and I was so happy that I had my companion take a picture of me next to the field. I even climbed over a junk pile for the picture. But man do I miss green. I can see mountains from my area, but they are dirt brown. (yes I know they are covered in dirt) 

Ok so everybody here keeps telling me because I can’t eat or drink dairy that mosquitos are gonna eat me alive. I haven’t really had a problem until this last week. I forgot to wear bug spray for 4 hours and I have more than 30 bites on my legs. What is in milk that mosquitos don’t like? how can I get it without drinking milk?  I will take any options.

Ok funny thing this week.  Saturday night my stomach hurt so bad. I could not sit up and walking was even worse! and we had two really awesome lessons planned! so I decided to suffer through the pain. Man was the suffering worth it! they were great lessons! Why is it funny you may ask? well its funny because it seems whenever I am at my worst God always seems to make everything go right.  But the picture of me laying on the floor is me during planning after the lessons. it hurt so bad to sit up so I laid out on the floor and still did my planning. 

So one of the members in my ward here named his son after Jeffery R. Holland. I thought that was pretty cool.

Apparently missionaries don’t have agency here. because I now have to participate in wards talent show...... and my companion is making me sing. I’m really glad these people can’t tell if I’m in tune or not.

Anyways that’s all from down here!

Love you all!!! Have a great week! 

Love Hna. McNamara

Beautiful Dress!!

Cassie got me this cute elephant necklace for Christmas. She also got her one so we could wear them while she was gone and think about and pray for each other. (AWE) She was telling me today that her chain broke, and she hasn't been able to fine a new chain or the little loops needed to fix it. So she went and got her this beautiful dress, that I found out later is covered with elephants. It made her feel better. (AWE!) What a sweet girl I have. Now I just want to know one thing......Where's MY elephant dress!?! LoL. JK....kinda...

I Spy GREEN!!

SO happy to see GREEN!

I am sure it was difficult for her to NOT run through this field!  LOL

I think this is her favorite meal!  lomo saltado

Not gonna lie......this frightens me....

Here we go!!!!! 8-23-16

Hola Familia!

Ok so this last week has been better. I can finally say I’m good because I really got a good spirit booster. This last week I had my first *intercambio with the Hermana lideres de la capacitacion de hermanas. I was with Hermana Garcia for 24 hours and she really helped me to feel better about myself and my Spanish. Also I’m super jealous of the view in their apartment. At night with all the lights. I tried to take a picture but it really doesn’t do it justice. Anyways it was a much needed intercambio. I can’t decide however if it was a good thing for my companionship. For the 2 days after my companion was very rude and strict with me and would only talk to me if I started the conversation. It was really rough, but it started to get better then she got mad at me for something really little. She didn’t talk to me for 2 hours.... That was rough. But I’m good. I’m just gonna love and not feed her mood swings. I’m an adult and she can’t treat me like a child. I’ve really begun to stand up for myself and so we are figuring out a system. I can see the improvement of my Spanish in lessons it’s pretty rad. But I will say I could not have done it without my Savior! One day this week I could feel an anxiety attack coming on and I didn’t really know how to prevent it in the moment. I tried talking with my companion, I tried singing a hymn and I just felt worse. then I realized I hadn’t prayed yet. so I quickly said a prayer and just asked for help. Immediately I felt peace. I was relaxed and able to continue on with the work. Please Please Pray People!!!!  Seriously it’s a life saver! 

Ok a few fun details. while I was on the *intercambio with Hermana Garcia part of the walking path had flooded with bathroom water so we had to jump over it. Talk about gross. *insert barf emoji*  Also we went to the temple and walked around it. Now it was a ward day so there were a lot of people there and we got stopped by all of them just to shake our hands. it was kinda cool. It was fun to get out of my area and honestly I didn’t want to come back to mine. But I did. I found out today Hna. Clark is going to be in my district now, so I’ll get to see her more often. It’s been great having her so close! we both have been struggling with our companions so it’s nice to confide in her every now in then because she knows exactly what I’m going through. Also so we went to an investigators house and you have to go through a locked gate to get to his front door and he couldn’t hear us knocking on the gate and my companion was getting really frustrated and so I turned around picked up a rock and chucked at his front door. what do you know he answered. So if you’re getting impatient with something or someone. throw a rock at it, it might actually work.

Anyways!

Love you Have a great week!!!!

Love Hna. McNamara

*intercambio with the Hermana lideres de la capacitacion de hermanas =With the exchange of training leaders sister sisters

*intercambio = exchange

Hermana she went on exchanges with.

This is the Bishop's wife I think.  She is also their cook & laundry lady. (There is a Spanish word for it I can't spell )

The New Glasses!!

Have to see from all angles!

Cassie's "Whatcha think?" face...

Assuming this is where they do emails every week.