Baby Blessings

So these past few days have been really good! Today we went to hike Chapinque with our Zone Mitras! It was so much fun but we couldnt see much becuase the top was covered in a cloud! But after we all went to a huge mall here and I felt crazy weird to be in normal clothes in a mall. It was really fun to just leave the city and see something green for the first time in too long! At the top there are a bunch of slides and the slides in Monterrey are just smooth cement so you cant really move too well but we had fun anyways! 

This Sunday was really cool to start the day off we watched 8 baby blessings! Like only two people could give their testimony! One of our investigators Angelica came and we have been working with her forever but she and her husband finally quit smoking and drinking.

Her husband is a member and she wants him to baptize her so we have to wait to hear what the bishop says to be able to baptize her but she has already gone to church a ton of times so it could be way soon! 

Well I dont have much time bvut I hope you all have a great week! 

Elder Ahlmer

Slug Bug and Cloudia

Hey everyone!

So this week has been pretty eventful! We got a call the other day telling us that we have to search for a new house for another two missionaries that are going to split our area. So now there is going to be 6 missionaries in our ward I still dont know how I feel about that, i guess well see how it goes!

So this week my comp put Vaseline in his hair thinking he could use it for gel or something... I dont think Ill ever let him forget that! I wish I would have got a picture! We started playing the slug bug game here and that wasnt the smartest idea. They used to use bugs for taxis here so just about every 10 seconds we are punching each other! So when I first met him he told me he was afraid of the dark and I thought it was a joke but no he was pretty serious. Like not just the dark but afraid of anything that isnt well lit.. Like every house we go into he has to turn the lights on even when its daytime. Its not too bad until he puts on this light for his alarm clock that changes colors. But it doesn't change colors slowly and calmly no it changes colors like were in a party ha ha. Its like a little strobe light and makes things a little difficult to sleep! 

We have meet some really cool families this week that are progressing well. We met a girl named Cloudia last Tuesday and shes been really interested but had a commitment with her sister this sunday so she couldnt come. She had been living with her husband for 16 years without being married so another family we have to try and help get married. Its so weird that people here live together for a good 30 years before making the decision to get married! 

I hope all is going well in the states! This are getting pretty cold down here!

Elder Ahlmer

Savannah's Smiles and Red Cheeks

Hey everyone!

So this week has been pretty eventful! It felt crazy long waiting to know how Savannah's surgery went! I'm so glad to hear she's safe!

My new companion is Elder Estrada from Nicaragua. He's so much fun and a really hard worker! Basically we are laughing 24/7. He does really like to listen to Christian Rock though.... Everyone thinks he's crazy young like 18 but he's 24 years old and its pretty funny watching him react! 

Sunday was pretty interesting we had stake conference and listened to president Hales and Christensen! Christensen speaks Spanish! 

With the days changing from hot to cold so quickly everyone is always asking me if I am hot or cold because of my red cheeks. Thats always an interesting conversation trying to convince them that I am okay! 

We met someone named Carlos who is crazy cool and accepting to the gospel! We have a meeting with him tomorrow and I'm excited to see what happens! As well we are teaching someone named Miriam she is the daughter in law to a member family. She really wants to be baptized, but we just have to wait until she comes to church 5 times! She works a lot so were working with her on that! 

I hope things are going well up there! 

Elder Ahlmer

Eating Cereal

Hey everyone! 

So this week has been pretty awesome! Today is the last day of the mission of Elder Diaz. So we get to travel around to his old areas and visit people! Its pretty fun but seeing him leave the people probably for the last time is pretty weird. Its made me realize that the mission really does end. Thats like one of the weirdest feelings for me. I really love being here  I don't think leaving sounds too fun! I guess I better enjoy the next 19 months! Theres only one downside. Everything Elder Diaz does is his last time he will do it. So he tries to give me a good 30 minute lecture on everything like how to eat cereal correcty... It drives me a little cazy but hey what can ya do! Im pretty excited and nervous to see who my new companion will be! 

So I was sick again this week and I've noticed that when your sick everybody and their dog tries to give you all these pills! One hermana in our ward tried to give me a good 20 pills! New years was way fun The fireworks here are just crazy crazy crazy loud! Its pretty cool but theres all these stupid little kids that run around with little m80s and throw them at people as they walk by! Thatll test you paticence! 

Happy new years!

Elder Ahlmer

Rambling Spanish Speaking Santa

Hey everyone and Merry Christmas! 

So these past three days have been awesome! We had our christmas party on the 21st and I had so much fun seeing everyone in the mission of course it went by way to fast! The party is the only meeting we will ever have that really has nothing to do with missionary work! So from 10 to 4 we could relax! We also had our ward Christmas party so another party is always nice except they had a dance at the end of the night so that was awkward not being able to dance we ended up leaving a little early... 

Of course during the parties Santa came and who knew he knew spanish as well! Its a god thing to or else he would have quite a few angry little kids! The Santa that they picked out was a little bit of a rambler and I think he took 30 minutes to give a 5 minute speech and watching the little kids get antsy was pretty funny! 

Today we went to the Huasteca again but this time with the whole zone! That was crazy fun! Let me tell ya hanging out with 28 missionaries is pretty dang fun! 

Well thats about it! Thanks so much for the Christmas wishes! 

Elder Ahlmer

Alan's Baptism

Hey Everyone!

So another week in Mexico! Things are great! I really am enjoying my time that I'm spending here!

This Friday was the baptism of Alan it was such an amazing experience! We have visited him and his family a few times this week and there is such a big difference between when I first met them and now! They re so much happier! Also we have been meeting with this couple names Junior and Monserat. They have been living together for 4 years and have 3 kids and one on the way. We have been working with them trying to get them to be married. I don't get why its so hard for people to do it here but people have been living together for a good 15 years but don't want to get married it drives me nuts! But anyways they told us they set a date for the 27th of December to be married! Im so happy for them! Were meeting with them today and are planning on asking them to be baptized the same day because they cant be baptized without being married. Well junior is already a member but Monserat no. Im so excited! 

This Monday night Elder Diaz and I had a pretty deep talk and things have been so much better between us! We talked about what we need help with and I told him how its been hard for me to put my personality into Spanish because Im always focusing on the words. He ended up giving me a blessing and it was an experience that I dont think I will ever forget. Since then I have noticed such a difference about how I feel during lesions and how much easier it is to speak! 

So we were in the house of a member the other day and we honestly met Michael Jackson's biggest fan! He is 6 years old and he spends the majority of the day searching YouTube for just dance videos he can follow to dance like him! Not only that but he dresses up like him in each song with a black shirt tie hat and all! Hes dang good too! I wish I would have recorded it! 

Thats about all I hope all is well!

Elder Ahlmer

Alan's Baptism

Sleep Walking Again

Hey everyone! 

This week has been pretty great I really like my new area! My companion and I are getting along good and working hard. He has this crazy obsession with dogs it's a little freaky to be honest. Like he actually bits them and sniffs them like he's a dog... its funny because Elder Camagra our Zone Leader is terrified of dogs, like he won't even let them get near him! The weather has been really crazy like from Thursday it was honesty 32 Celsius and Friday it was 8 Celsius, We went to bed with the AC on and woke up as blocks of ice. 

Also, this week I started sleepwalking again. This Tuesday I woke up at midnight and woke up Elder Diaz (because I always have to wake him up) but this time I did it in my sleep and we didn't notice that it was actually 1 in the morning until after both of us had exercised, showered, shaved and gotten dressed... I don't know how he didn't kill me for that but luckily we spent a good half hour laughing after we got back into bed. We were pretty tired that next day!

They also have a crazy tradition here that if you add up the numbers on your bus tickets and they equal 21, you can turn to any girl and they will give you a kiss. So whenever we get onto a bus we all look at our tickets to see if anyone got lucky. I don't know why we do it because it's not like we can actually turn them in! 

Today we had a District activity. We climbed the Huasteca. It was crazy cool and so much fun! It was crazy to be outside of the big city for the first time in 3 months! I'll try and send some pictures! 

The baptism with Alan fell through because he got cold feet but we met with him and set a new date for this Friday.  I'll make sure and let ya know what happens!

Elder Ahlmer

The District

Monterrey 

District On a Hike to Huasteca

Elder Gonzalez

Hiked Huasteca 

Holding up the Mountain

Look Savannah, I have a frog!