Mid week post- She made it!!

It was a long day. Waking up at 4:30 am and not arriving in Mexico till after midnight makes for some tired Sisters. =) So grateful for the prayers on their behalf and that they were able to arrive safely.

 Alexys and her companion Sister Chrystal

 She always has to do a goofy face for me. ♥

The Hermanas waiting for the delayed flight out of Houston so they could get to the Mission already!! Besides being delayed there was an alarm going off for over and hour because a little girl opened an emergency exit door. haha They were ready to get out of there. =)

The Hermanas with their new Mission President. They got to the airport and then they had to wait another hour because of a Sister that had some problems with her visa. Poor girls...

So excited for this new adventure they are on!!

 I hope Mexico is ready for these girls!! 

Week #5

Hello You Lovely People!

First of all, I love all of you. Thank you for being a part of my life. Everything is great. I couldn't hope for things to be going any better. I love everything about serving my Heavenly Father. I have so many stories to tell but I'll just have to save them for after the mission. I'm sure my mom can think of something to tell you from my letters if you ask. 

So, I have now, officially, heard from 6 apostles here at the MTC. That's pretty good. I came at the best time. I love my little family here on West and I love the spirit that is always here. So many missionaries, so many people standing up for what they know is right. It's inspiring, every day. Serving a mission is the best decision I have ever made. I know that the experiences I have here will help me be a better person throughout the rest of my life. 

I leave for Mexico on Monday. I head to the travel office at 5:30in the morning and I should get to Oaxaca by about 8:30 that night. I get to fly with all of my sisters. I am beyond excited. It's going to be a crazy adventure. Lately we've all been thinking a lot about who our trainers will be. I had a dream last night that it was a short asian that didn't speak a word of English or Spanish and had no desire to work.... That was a nightmare. Pray that doesn't happen! Good grief!

I just got done playing 2 hours of volleyball. The last 10 minutes we were all so deliriously tired that we were just laughing and playing the worst that we ever have. It was a party had by all, let me tell ya! 

Tonight we have class again, and we still have some work to do for tomorrow as well. We are going to be very busy tonight. We have our investigator Gerardo again tonight. Last time I asked him if he would be baptized if Heavenly Father told him the things we were teaching him were true. He said, yes, absolutely. I will pray. One of the best things an investigator could say. Because you don't want somebody to get baptized for you. You want them to get baptized because they know the truth for themselves. And it is the truth. Everything about this gospel is true. I know that it is. Just have faith. Please. Have faith, and ask God for His help. He IS ALWAYS there. Entonces, I'm pretty sure Gerardo will be setting a baptismal date tonight! BOOM BABY.

Something I have really been learning for myself these last couple of weeks is the importance of faith. The validity and the amazing power that faith can bring our lives. When you really have faith in the Lord and turn to Him and put all of your trust in Him, things work out. Faith is the first step of everything... You have to work really hard and you have to put all that you've got into making the best of everything, but behind all of that, there is hope, there is a belief, there is faith.

I had a really rough day on Monday. It felt like everything was just happening at once and I was stressing out and not putting my faith in the Lord. By the end of the day I finally figured out that something was wrong. Took me long enough. I started to cry and I went out to the Elders and asked for a priesthood blessing. the priesthood is there for our benefit. Don't write it off, use it. I promise it will make everything work out. Entonces, I was in one of the rooms with my companion and our three elders and they wouldn't just give me the blessing, they said, " I think you need to talk about it first." Ugh. (JUST BLESS ME) haha. But after a while, I realized that I didn't know what was even bothering me really. So I thought about it and finally figured out why. I talked to the elders and they gave me some of the best advice I've ever received. They are such a blessing to me. They know me well enough to see that I had to figure something out. My district is such a blessing in my life. I don't know how I could have grown the way I have with anybody else.

I will really be sad when I have to leave them. We're already planning a Lake Powell trip for when we get back though! We have so many things that we want to do when we get home! Like punch each other in the face. haha long story. (stories.) I am having fun out here :) I'm making some memories that I will cherish forever.

There are so many things to say, it feels like there is nothing left to say.

BUT I will say this. In choir Yesterday, we sang, Where Can I Turn for Peace. It was beautiful. but we were talking about the time when Jesus was walking out water and Peter just decided, whoa, I wanna try and Christ said, "come" When Peter's faith faultered, He cried for help and Jesus reached down, pulled him up and said, oh ye of little faith. We then talked about Aladdin. Love it. The part in Aladdin when he's sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Genie pops out, mad, but then realizes the situation. He says, you have to say something, you have to want it Al! When Aladdin's head bobs, by accident, Genie says, "That's good enough" and he helps him, and saves his life. We then talked about D&C where it says that Jesus Christ descended below everything so that He would have the ability to help us out. Christ is so ready and willing to help us. He has already paid the price. When somebody buys you a really expensive dinner, you don't get it put in front of you just to say, "ya know I'm really not hungry." Why would we hold on to our mistakes, the things that we're most ashamed of when we could get out of it with a little bit of humility and faith.

I hope you all have a good week. I love you to the end of the earth and back again.

Amor siempre, Hermana Womack

 Sisters Alexys Womack and Kimberly Bowman

These two became almost instant friends and are planning to live together while they finish school after their missions.

Alexys' District on the West MTC Campus.

Week #4

Well folks. This week was really difficult. Not for me. I've never loved what I'm doing more than I have this week. I've learned a lot from things you wouldn't think that you would learn from... And that's strange. Usually I walk into something knowing that I will learn from it. But I've found a lot of opportunities that I wasn't searching for this week. They have been both spiritually and mentally enlightening. One thing I learned is that I don't know as much as I think I do. But fake it til you make it right? It's worked so far for me... I'm really learning how to better plan for what's coming. I didn't used to do that. It's such an easy concept but it's been a hard thing to learn. Entonces, mi Espanol es muy mejor. La gramatica is dificil. yo no entiendo todas cosas pero cuando you escucho es casi bueno. jaja. I'm almost positive that all of my grammar and sentence structure in that was wrong. But OH WELL. That's how we learn here, do as much as you can, try it even if you don't know, then look it up in the dictionary. It's fantastic. My lessons lately have been very satisfying. I have been able to do a lot in my lessons and really understand and get across what I'm trying to say. It's nice to be able to say what you want to say in a different language. It's almost peculiarly satisfying.

So I get my travel plans this Friday!! WOO HOO!!

Love, Hermana Womack

(She ran out of time so the letter this week just kind of stops. haha She really loves the letters she gets from you all. She has one more full week in the MTC and then she is off to Mexico on Memorial Day. Thanks for loving my girl almost as much as I do. Debi)

Week #3

Hola!! Que tal?!

I hope everybody's week has been as inspiring as mine has. I have changed, I have learned, and I have grown in my testimony so much this week. To give you an idea of how amazing it really actually was, Elder Holland spoke at devotional yesterday. Can you say, HOLY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE? Because I can. It was incredible. Really it was. I wish that you all could have been there to experience it. it was so intense and just exactly what I needed. Yesterday morning, I had a little bit of a reality check. It just hit me that, you know what, it's hard to teach people with intense problems when you don't know how to communicate with them. It's going to take time for me to learn Spanish and for the time being, I have to be okay with that and I have to make mistakes in order to learn from them and that's the whole point. It's hard to tell what's good when you don't know what's bad, right? Trust me, I've had some pretty low times here. It's been hard, this is the hardest thing that I have ever done. But it is the most right thing that I have ever done in my entire life. I mean that. My teachers are incredible. They know, most of the time, exactly what I need. Sometimes they just let me be because they know how seriously angry I am or how exhausted or emotional I am. But most of the time. They know just the right thing to say to make me laugh and realize that I'm not the only one who's ever felt that way. Elder Holland put it just right last night and it made me think, even though every missionary has felt everything that I am feeling, and will inevitably feel... Christ has suffered all. He was ridiculed, He was betrayed, He bled from every pore, He was whipped, He had a crown of thorns on His head as he carried His own cross on the way to His crucifixion, He had nails in His hands, wrists, and feet, and a spear in His side. So. When we feel like nobody could possibly feel the sorrow and the pain that we feel. Look to Christ. Christ suffered everything for us. And He did that for us because He loves us. I feel my Savior's love everyday. I hope that you all can feel that same love too. Get on your knees and pray. Pray for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the most amazing, yet unused, gift that God has ever given us. Use it! that's all that I'll say about that. 

My district is so incredible. It's crazy how close we've all gotten over such a short amount of time... I'm going to miss them so much! Luckily all of the Hermanas in my district are going to the same mission as me so we'll see each other often enough! :) I love them all so much!!! AH! It's ridiculous. I can't imagine all of the people that I'll end up loving..... and then I'll just have to leave them, too!!! I don't like leaving people!! It's my least favorite.

I hope that everything is going well. I love every last one of you! Sorry my email is so short! My mom was taking up all of my email time ;) which I do not mind in the least. Love you momma! 

Dad, I love you. write me twice a day. work out. grow that fro. I miss you, I love you, I miss you! Every day, Elder Toleafoa does something that reminds me of you, and I laugh and laugh because you are the funniest person in the whole entire world. 

Mom, stay classy, stay beautiful. Don't kill anybody/thing. Keep calm and pray :) I love you. 

Katie, my sweet Bubba Bean. I love your guts!!!!!!!!!!! Everything about you makes me so happy and I miss our party parties.... I'm so glad that you smile all the time :) I'm so glad that you are a happy girl :) You have always been my best friend. I miss you more than anything in the entire world. I need one of your hugs at least a million times a day. I love you, ya little turd!! :) you're beautiful. Be good! keep that plant of your's alive for me, and get a fish and name it Alexys so that you have to keep it alive. If you killed it I'd be super offended. I love you, I miss you, stay happy, and classy, and jazzy.

All of you, that I love. Remember who you are. Read your scriptures. Pray. Love everybody. Know that I really do love and think about every last one of you back home. 

Talk at you later!! I love you, I love you, stay classy, I love you

Hermana Womack

Week #2 Letter and Pictures

This week has been an adventure. I don't know why I said that because it's just class and food and a spiritual thought and class, but I love it! I've really grown to love it here. West campus is where it's at. The only thing slightly negative about West is the food. Oh, the food... let me tell you. Some meals I only eat cereal.... They try to feed us exotic, delicious food, but then they fail and everybody tears up just a little bit... The Spanish is coming along. I didn't expect to be fluent by any means but I didn't think that I would feel so much like a little kid! It's hard to learn another language, especially when you're around people who learn at different speeds and in different ways. I just tell myself that I'm doing the best that I can, and I get through each day :) So far I've heard from three apostles while I've been here. It's been incredible. Last night I got to hear from President Christofferson, and sit about 5 feet away from him! He said things that I really needed to hear. Things that really got into my head and wiggled their way down into my heart. I loved every single thing that he said. One thing, though, that I especially loved was this: "God will love you. Always. But remember that you have to EARN His trust." That hit me. It struck me right to my core. Does God trust me? He must. But He doesn't have to if I don't deserve it. My faith grew right then and there and I know that we can all be worthy of God's trust. What would be more great than to know when your life is done that you are trustworthy of all of the blessings of heaven. There is so much in store for all of us. We just have to work hard and do everything in our power to keep the covenants we have made with God. We are never out of debt to Him. We do something good, and He SHOWERS us with blessings. He doesn't just give us one or two good things in return. He pours blessings upon us until we stop recognizing. Showing gratitude and serving our Father in Heaven continually, even until the end of our days= continual blessing shower.
I'm excited to just get to Mexico already! I can't wait for the culture! It will be SO COOL.
Besides having Laryngitis since Friday. Life has been good. I feel like a champion, that loses a lot. But it's the losses, not the wins that you learn from. I'm so blessed to be here. Is a mission right for you? Yes. But are you willing to do it? That's the big question. I'm more willing than ever and I rejoice in this restored gospel. I just want to do my best.
I have so much fun with the people here. I love everybody. My teachers are the best that have ever been, my district is like my family here. We're such great friends and we all just love each other. We have our good and our bad days but mostly they're just great. and I just love the environment. It's hard, it's definitely not easy. But it's worth it. It's all going to be worth it. <3
Thank you to everybody who wrote to me this week!! getting mail is one of my favorite parts of each day. I look forward to hearing from all of you!! I finally got Todd's letters! Thank you! Nathan, you're faithful. and I love you. To my wonderful grandparents, I love the love. and I love you. You're the best family a girl could ever have! I love and miss you!

Dad, your letters made me cry. I love you so much and you are too funny for me... I can't handle it. Thank you for being the best dad. You really are. I can't think of a way that you could be any better. I've always known that I will be loved and supported no matter what and that is such a blessing. I never have had to wonder about my security because you have always been there. You're my hero! :) ((p.s. I cried when I typed that. so I mean it.))
Katie, I love seeing all of your cute pictures!! and thank you for writing me! I love you more than anything in this entire world. You've taught me more than I will ever be able to explain. You're the best thing that has ever happened to our family. You made us whole again. I love you, you're my best friend. bug mom and dad for me since I can't. Love ya sis.
Mom, I love you. You take such good care of me. Thanks for chatting today. Love you, love you, love you. -you're angel ;)
Peace and love everybody. Stay classy.
Hermana Womack

First full week in the Provo MTC

First email:

Come le va?! Puedo compartir mi testimonio? <- this sentence though. It's a key into people's hearts even when you know very little Spanish. 

I love the work. There is no greater feeling than complete exhaustion at the end of each day. Everything is scheduled, planned, prepped, ready.... every word that doesn't mean "spur of the moment." which is so not me.. love. it. haha. Hermana Crystal is my companion and she rocks. She's great in every way. I learn so much everyday!! It's so crazy..... Sunday we heard from President Uchtdorf. (Best day ever!) Tuesday we heard from Elder Oaks. (Way neat.) I'm in the MTC choir and I'm usually on camera so... look me up. I'm sure all of you people with access to technology can figure it out. Right now I'm sitting next to Elder Howard. It's been so fun to see him around! My district is the funniest district that has ever been. It consists of me, Hermana Crystal, Hermana Bowman, Hermana Janfaza, Elder Toleafoa, Elder DeLion, and Elder Jones. The elders and I are having a competition to see who can get the most mail everyday..... I'm the champion. Send me so many dear Elders you think you will break the MTC printer. I absolutely love it!!! Shout out to Nathan who has been so faithful in his writing to me. Cameron, your letter was just what I needed to hear. I've learned so much from both of you. Please. Please continue giving me un-petitioned advice, Nathan. The letters I get make my days so much easier to bear. Thanks for all of the love and support from home!! Greg, it was good for me to hear about your experience as a missionary. The first few days were rough but with the help of the Lord, my companion, and y'all back home I've started to love the MTC. To my loving grandparents, thank you so much for writing me. I really, really, really love hearing from people..... dear elder is a miracle. hand written letters are priceless. Just know that I love and appreciate all of you!! We are teaching an investigator right now named Lucilo... Let me tell you about Lucilo. He's been a trial. it all comes down to the fact that He won't believe in a church that doesn't worship the Virgin Mary and the Argentinian Saint...... It kills me. I teach, I testify, I sing, I pray in spanish and nothing I've ever communicated with him has made a dent. It is just downright frustrating. To put it in the words of Nathan, It makes me want to burn the MTC to the ground. kidding, but seriously. It's ridiculous. we were going to meet with him yesterday and he was "at the hospital." so we didn't get to tell him just how wrong he is ;) It will all work out. I just hope we don't lose faith in him. Can I just tell you how AMAZING my teacher is?? Hermano Weist. What an awesome guy!! He has helped me do so much more than I thought I could in just one week.

WOAH!! I just hit escape on accident and I thought I lost my letter and I had a mini heart attack........ Holy frijole.... I was flipping and my Hermana helped me. I'm so blessed to have her. *whistle* close call, folks... close call. (that probably didn't make any sense whatsoever but oh well. 

I hope that Clayton is safe in New York!!! I'm so glad I'm here. I don't want to get mugged today. entonces.... I just love you. All of you. I love everybody. even Lucilo. Sorry I didn't capitalize everything that I was supposed to. I would fix it because it's driving me loco but I don't have time for such things..... 

I love you! I love you! Write me!!!!! Send me things! Thanks so much for the Doughnuts! That's the gift that's still giving.... Thank you for sending me my favorite snacks! Mint Mentos, Andes Mints. How do you know me so well... You're the best.

I hope everything is just dandy at home. I miss you, but I love it here. I couldn't be in a better place. Become friends with that lady who text you the picture today, just kidding, but she is legitimately a great person. I'm so glad for people like her. 

I just keep thinking of random things to say. most of them are I love you.... Don't have too many tickle fights without me ;) 

TE AMO!!!!

Hermana Womack

Picture I (Debi) received via text from a random Utah # 

I was beyond thrilled!
I'm sure she will be mad her eyes were closed. haha
All the Sisters in the picture got to the MTC on the same day and will be going to Oaxaca together. 

She is in the combined choir in the MTC and they got to sing on Easter Sunday when President Uchtdorf spoke to them. I found this picture on the Deseret News web site. She is in the top right corner. There are over 400 people in the choir so it was pretty amazing to have a picture with her in it.