Week 63: Have Yourself a ‘Mary’ Little Christmas

Happy Boxing Day!

Zona El Bosque truly killing it after our outstanding performance.

Technically, it was yesterday, but since it fell on a Sunday, it was not officially recognized until today.

More next week, but we had a photo shoot with some members who own a photography studio, and this was us pre-fashion moment.

I also hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas! I certainly did. Fun fact: In Latin American culture, there are two of them (more on that later)! But there was also basically a third, because on the 23rd, we had zone conference! It was an absolute blast. Each zone prepared its own special performances. There were a carol medley, a popsicle-stick puppet theater of the nativity, a live-action nativity with cardboard-box sheep, and, last but not least, the BOSQUE ZONE Christmas performance of Dr. Seuss’ seminal classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” directed by yours truly, complete with face paint for our Grinch (portrayed wonderfully by Elder Mecham), a Christmas tree (played by Elder Danielson) with functioning Christmas lights, noise makers, Hermana Noyola as the most cheerful chimney ever, my district leader Elder Soto as Cindy-Lou Who (complete with an Elmo toy), Elder Bosh giving the performance of a lifetime as Max the dog, and me as a rat! It was stressful and chaotic to put together, but the end result was a highlight of my mission. Never did I think I would make a Guatemalan directorial debut, but here we are.

On Christmas Eve, we stopped by with Menas (so basically we were just staying home jaja), and Luna was pooped at the end of the day.

We had a feast of paches this year, both for Christmas Eve (aka Noche Buena) and then again on Christmas Day! The bishop’s family also stopped by to give us a turkey dinner, complete with gravy! That’s right, Christmas celebrations are two days in a row of nonstop partying here. This tradition includes staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve. When I’ve pointed out to families how they’ll literally have to do the same thing a week later, without the promise of presents, the adults all nodded solemnly while the children seemed very content.

We needed to buy stuff at the distribution center, which is closed on P-Day, so we eased on down on Wednesday. I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE!

There is a lot to learn about and gain from the Christmas season, even if it doesn’t feel nearly cold enough for it to be Christmastime. I've been going back to a verse in Luke 2:

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

The sky never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve always been drawn to the character of Mary in the scriptures for what I think are obvious reasons. But I think that within these few words, there’s a lesson to be learned for all of us. There’s a lot happening in this world, all of the time. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by it. But if we simply acknowledge the good and the bad, and consciously take time to understand them, there are more than arbitrary lessons to be learned. There’s growth to be experienced.

—Feliz Navidad,

Hermana Newton

Week 62: Deck the Hall

Season’s greetings!

We got milkshakes at Xelapan that had little candy canes and were very festive!

My companion is very beautiful, and it needed to be appreciated.

Christmas is in five days, and I’m extremely excited! My highly anticipated box came to the office, which I was absolutely stoked for, and am still so happy about. Hermana Noyola has done the service of hiding it for me so that it’s out of sight, out of mind. Although there aren’t really that many places where a package can be hidden in this apartment. What I’m saying is that if I really wanted to know where the package was, I could. But gifts are meant to be opened the day they were intended to be, so we wait.

“When I rule the world, I’ll plant flowers!” So strange to see so many things in bloom when it’s *supposed to be Christmas*! But it’s all good, even though time doesn’t feel like it’s passing at all.

I am astonished at the pace at which time is moving. In a lesson the other day, someone asked me how long I’ve been out on my mission, and I almost told her eleven months? Which was the time I was at when I started serving in Baul. I have no clue what was going on in my brain.

I just think the sky is very pretty

This week, we’ve been visiting all the members we possibly can. It turns out there’s a ward mission budget, and we used it to buy nativity sets to give everybody. Along with that, we’ve been telling the nativity story, over and over again, and I am shocked by how much there is to learn and apply in every single lesson. Every time, we share something different, that feels specially made for the people we’re talking to. I love it.

John 8 says:

12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Again, the sky is very pretty

There’s very clear symbolism in the star indicating Christ’s birth. And while it seems silly to point it out, I think it’s a very important element to recognize. As we’ve been able to give this week, both by sharing a message and providing a physical object, I have seen that light in the homes, faces and words of others. So decorate your homes, and decorate your hearts, with light! Not only does it make things obviously brighter. It makes it happier too.

—Feeling jolly,

Hermana Newton

Week 61: We Rise and We Fall

Well, hello there!

Ready to meet the public.

Welcome to another week in the life of Hermana Mary Newton. As per usual, it was very busy, and I had a grand old time with it. We had zone council, went on exchanges, visited the temple grounds with an investigator, did a service project in the middle of nowhere, and had interviews with President Roden! All in all, a pretty good time.

The view was absolutely gorgeous from up on the mountain!

We saw some amazing miracles this week! On Tuesday, we got home after a long day of being in the offices and going to meetings, and had a dinner appointment with the Relief Society president, Hermana Vilma. Only when we got to her house, we saw the Biggest Pot in the World on her stove. We were like, “Whom else did she invite?” But it turned out the contents of the pot were punch for a neighborhood party that Hermana Vilma invited us to so we could contact her neighbors!!! We got to watch kids absolutely destroy a piñata, received a take-home basket of goodies (and tamales!), and contacted 18 people in like half an hour! It was so cool!!! 

A cool geographical feature up in Zunil.

But this week was really hard, too. When I was on exchanges, everyone we contacted seemed to already have a church they regularly attended or were a member (which also means they already have a particular church jaja). Our teaching appointments kept on falling through, and I took a spill walking in front of the mission home. My knees are scraped up in classic child-on-playground fashion. However. Things being hard or stressful does not mean that there is not joy, or laughter, or good experiences that are just as meaningful (if not more so).

The farming techniques are so cool!

Isaiah 54:7 reads:

7 For a small moment have I foresaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

Shakespeare says it best in “Henry IV, Part 1”:

If all the year were playing holidays,

To sport would be as tedious as to work;

But when they seldom come, they wished-for come,

And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.

If you don’t speak Shakespeare, the long and short of these lines is that variety is the spice of life! We endure the bad because we know it gets better, and we treasure the good because we know it’s not forever. And through all of it, the good times and the bad ones, we can still find joy, and we can still value the things that we have. We just have to be willing to see it.

—Wait for it,

Hermana Newton

Week 60: Huey Lewis and the News' "The Power of Love" (1985)

Ho, ho, ho!

This field was literally living Doctrine and Covenants 4!

Welcome to December, everybody! Now that we’ve entered the final month of the year and the Light the World Calendar is out, I can be comfortable with celebrating the holidays. No matter how many businesses were pulling out Christmas carols as early as October here.

December also means that I’ve made it to fourteen months on my mission (tomorrow)! And now everyone and their uncle is letting me know that there isn’t a lot of time left, which is terrifying. After a little bit, you sort of get used to being a missionary. Luckily, I still have four more months to keep on doing what I’m doing!

Throw it in the comments when you see it.

Hermana Noyola and I have been to the office almost every single day this week. We only didn’t make an appearance during the weekend. It’s funny, because I think most missionaries assume that I spend most of my time working there, but the APs always seem so surprised to walk in and see us at a computer. What can I say? We’re unpredictable. 

But during our time having to go to the offices, we had the orientation for the new missionaries! Orientation is probably one of the most stressful and rewarding parts about being the nurse. I just love those kids so much, and I hope they’re all doing amazing this week. In one of the trainings during orientation, a scripture was shared from D&C 121, and I loved it so much that right when I heard it, I said, “That’s going in my weekly.”

41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

I love the priesthood, and I love talking about it! It is the power of God, and it is not manifested by its sheer existence, but by these virtues listed in the previous verses. This whole section reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ:

“When a woman is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she acts under priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. Anyone with a calling received from someone holding priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.”

I know this isn’t something talked about a ton, and it’s especially not a common weekly email subject, but I am very proud and humbled to have the power and authority of God with my calling. I hold sacred keys that I won’t be able to hold for the rest of my life. It’s a precious gift, as is any service opportunity we have. I am grateful that we have the knowledge and understanding that influence and money are not the things you can use to possess the priesthood. It’s through the gentle kindness of living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and being His disciple.

There are so many cool views, from anywhere you can see!

We all have more potential than we give ourselves credit for, but I really do hope that all of you can see the effect that you make with all of your actions. At the very least, it will mean something to someone. 

— Thanks for changing my life,

Hermana Newton