TAMALES!!!!!!!!

To all of the people that I love so much,

So it rains here... A lot. it starts at around 2 and then it doesn't stop until we´re sleeping like babies because we´re so exhausted. I´m just damp like all of the time though. So that´s a party. I´m getting pretty fit... I just walk around preachin the word like a guera (white girl) and barely eat anything. But I´m never hungry. The only thing I've really grown to love here is the fruit. and the cheese, the cheese is divine. hijole...(wow) They also make fresh juice which I absolutely adore. I can´t wait until I can learn how to make it. I´m in love with all of the plants, flowers, and trees here. it makes this place look beautiful when there´s a beautiful plant in the front of a rusty house...I met a Mexican Mr. Blower the other day.... that really wigged me out...

The people love it when I sing... So I´m getting better at just singing on the spot now. They even want me to do it in English so that´s nice since I still am not very good with spanish. But I´ll get there... Especially if all of you spanish speaking RMs help me out like you said you would! You know who you are.... yes. I´m talking to you. 

There´s this old guy here named Franklin that wrote our names on a felt frame of a mirror... so he wouldn't forget. My name is Hermana Ildoma.... (language or speech?) hahaha I love him. We also have a menos activo (less active) named Abundio that looks like the ¨dead¨ guy on Nacho Libre. I've seen some of the spots from Nacho here. I can´t wait till I get to go to the ruins which should be soon. 

So We have an investigator family that is having a hard time right now. they can´t find a job. and they need a job to get money so that they can get married so that they can finally get baptized. they are so faithful. They've been such a strength to me Their names are Natalia and Aristeo, and their boys names are Marcos and Julio. I love little Marcos. He´s 9 and just thinks that I´m the best. He´s just cute. He´ll give me hugs and draw me pictures and he always tries to help me with my Español. He´s a cutie.

This is still the hardest work, But I´m going to do this. I´m going to study my guts out and do the best I can for these people so that when it comes to be my time to be judged before God I won´t be ashamed. And I´ll have brought souls with me. In order for that to happen though I need my Savior. And that is because I will never be perfect. But I can strive to become more like Christ more and more each day, hour, minute, and second. Stay focused on the goal of Eternity: not tomorrow, not 10 years or 25. Eternity. And grin and bare it until you get there. you can do it with the lord on your side. Love others, serve them, and make it a priority to bring as many souls as you can with you to the truth. <-- that´s my goal.

I love you all, I´m out of time. But just know that I miss you. 

Quidense, (Cuidense?) (take care of yourselves)

Hermana Womack

 The streets of downtown Oaxaca

 Apartment on Pdays

OAXACA!

Holy cow.... I´M HERE!! This is he absolute hardest thing I have ever done... haha Seriously. I absolutely hate that I can´t communicate with these people that I already love so much, but I adore beyond belief everything else!! I wrote everything I want to say in my journal but I left my journal at the house to go to Centro. I live in a colony called Atoyac. It´s a hill. there are a bunch of colonies around that make up our area. But I live in Xoxo cotlan (ho ho clan) The people here are so incredible. They´re just so humble and gracious. I appreciate more what I have back home now than I ever have in my entire life, and I´m sorry for that. I used a white toilet for the first time since the airport today. Most of them are maroon or blue... haha. bet you really wanted to know that. But our toilet doesn't flush without a bucket... and that really bugs me for some odd reason.... I just really like flushing toilets apparently. Entonces.... I met my Mexican family last night... They´re amazing. Marianna and Jacob. I love them. Marianna can speak just a little English and Jacob gave me a well needed blessing. They´re so understanding and willing to help me. It´s the most annoying thing to not be able to say some of the things that I really would like to. I think I´ll learn fast just because I´m stubborn and I´m really specific with my wording... haha. pero si.... they´re incredible. It has rained... my oh my has it rained.... My area is como a hill casi. but anyways... the streets turn into a river when it rains..... it´s craziness. and above our house it get´s really steep so when we go up there for investigators and tracting we get a really good workout. haha I have some good pictures but i can´t figure out how to work it... because everything is in Spanish. haha someday, America, someday Oaxaca will teach me their language. Watchout. I have had some disgusting food. But I've also had some really amazing food. I know just who to ask to become a culinary genius when I learn how to speak. I´ll be cooking so much amazing food next lake powell trip. You´re all gonna freak out. I got a dearelder from last month from L.T. I got it while I was at the MTC but you wouldn't believe how much better my day went after I got that!! He talked about Caroll Honas and the other guy´s secret love affair from local news eight. Eastern Idaho scandall.... I laughed my guts out. It was a good letter. It boosted my spirits! I will cherish it for the rest of my life.... (intense stare...) haha. 

Yesterday at church, I met 3 people that think they can speak English. I love them. The people here are really reaching out and accepting me as one of their own and I am so grateful for that. One of the 3 calls me Sister Potatoes. hahaha He´s a hoot.. Here, when you say Hola or walk into a room, you individually go to everybody shake their hand give a hug and a kiss on the cheek and have a long lengthy conversation. so the men, I just shake hands with but I have kissed more cheeks here than I ever have.... haha cheeks... 

Entonces, I´ve had to take the head in lessons. Wow my spanish is rough. but people are so nice. they just do their best not to laugh I think. but ya know it´s okay. One of our investigators, Natalia finally learned that I really don´t understand her when she talks. Yesterday we had a good-simple- talk about it and she just looked sad for me and told me that she would try to help me. Love it. The people talk seriously fast here. it's so crazy!! I get dizzy just trying to catch phrases to write down.

Today was so fun though. We went to centro and I bought a few cultural awesome things. I love everything here. It's just cool. Even though there is garbage EVERYWHERE!! That really grosses me out. I just want to go around for the rest of my misión with garbage bags and clean up this place. it would smell better and honestly the wáter would probably be better and then i would be famous and wouldn't have to speak Spanish at all ;) haha in my dreams. Even though people here think I'm like super exotic.... I'm apparently pretty attractive here in Oaxaca. It's a Little embarrassing. Haha. GUERA, GUERA!! (WHITE GIRL, WHITE GIRL!!) That is what I hear most every day. haha I should just say, Mande? haha They would be so confused... oh, she speaks.

I am going to have to send a letter soon so that I can really tell you all that's going on round these parts. But for now, my compa's name is Christine Galvan. She's great.

I hope with all of my heart that everybody has a great time at lake Powell! cry now and get it over with since I know you miss me ;)

Hug, hug. Kiss, kiss.

Hna. Womack

p.s. I saw so many awesome things today.... the pictures are incredíble.

I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!

Love this girl ♥