Sunday, December 6, 2015

Feliz día de acción de gracias!! :) Nov 30, 2015

"Hello all!!

Aw man, ok so this week has been super crazy busy but amazing at the same time!! The new video put out by the church just came out yesterday for this Christmas Season, and it's called A Savior is Born. If you haven't watched it, watch it, as well as the "Why We Need a Savior" video. I love being a missionary at this time of year!! Testifying of my Savior and being able to feel of his love for me and for others is something indescribable. 

So awesome news!! Last week we received an email that the sisters in our mission have been selected to help with the Washington DC North Mission at the Temple Visitor's center during the Festival of Lights due to the influx of crowds that come in during this time of year to provide extra support. (It's kinda like temple square in Salt Lake for those of you who have been.) This Saturday my companion and I get to travel to the Visitor's Center in Maryland along with some other sisters in our mission, and split with missionaries from the DC North mission to help out with the work over there!! We are so excited for this opportunity!! #blessed

This past being the week of Thanksgiving was amazing. Just being able to reflect on everything I have been given and how blessed I truly am. How blessed I truly am to be here as a missionary at this point in time and how God couldn't have picked a more perfect time and place for me to be on earth than He did. The things I have learned in my life that have molded me into the person I am couldn't have happened without the circumstances I have been given in every situation in my life. His plan is truly MARVELOUS. 

We have some awesome plans and things happening this week, unfortunately there is just not enough time to tell it all!! BUT. I love and miss you and am so grateful for the friends and family I have been given in my life!  THANK YOU ALL. You have each made an impact on my life forever.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Riddle :)

Pic: My and my comp with our investigator Carina's kids and some other kids from the ward after sacrament... #babysittingduringchoirpractice #butnot..."



Here are a few other pics that we received this week! 

Pic 1-Riah and her cute companion
Pic 2-Cookies from Grandma Odell
Pic 3-Divisions with Hermana Mugleston


Riah and her district all went to eat at a members house for Thanksgiving.  They sent a video and it was interesting to hear them all speaking to each other in English.  Check out the video below.  Notice that Mariah just can't help but dance.  It's in her bones!  So cute!  Love seeing videos like these with the missionaries in their mission environment:)






I mentioned in one of the past blogs that Mariah was completing a bunch of stuff for an opportunity that she has to teach English in Mexico. It started with my other daughter McKayla continually looking at service/humanitarian type experiences as she just loves doing stuff like that. McKayla is going into Early Childhood Education up at USU and her adviser forwards opportunities that will help them grow in their education. 

Well, an opportunity came up for McKayla to teach English in Tehuacan, Puebla- which is where I spent 11 months as a foreign exchange student when I was a Junior in High School. Of course this was something that we did not want her to pass up.  So Kayla went through the application process and interview and was accepted.

We told Mariah about it and she was so excited for Kayla to have that opportunity but was a little jealous (haha) that Kayla was going to live in a foreign country for several months, especially a Spanish speaking one!  So..the next week we asked Mariah if she wanted to go with her.  Of course she did! But, we asked her to pray about it to see if it was something that she was really supposed to be doing as she was planning on going back to school summer semester.  

A few months ago, (before this opportunity ever came up) Mariah told me that she wanted to change her major to Linguistics.  She said that there have been some things on her mission- feelings, impressions, and experiences (along with her patriarchal blessing) that have led her to change what she wants to do. So, when this teaching experience came available she too felt like it was something that she should do for her education.  She said that she prayed about it and doesn't feel like it was just happenstance that this opportunity came available while she was on her mission.  She feels like it is the next step in doing what the Lord wants her to be doing in life.

Mariah sent this clip of an email she received last week..

Dear Sister Riddle - 

Thank you very much for sending me your application for the May - August semester.  I have received a lovely letter from President Huntsman and we are thrilled about your participation in the upcoming May - August 2016 semester...

Have a wonderful Christmas season and enjoy spreading the gospel light with the people in the D.C. Mission!!!!!! Thank you so much for your service !!!!!!! 

Saludos y gracias -  

So..Riah has been accepted too and will be going to Mexico with McKayla. She will be leaving 2 and 1/2 weeks after she gets home from her mission..but, with the new MTC changes she may be staying an extra week on her mission and that would put her leaving 10 days after she gets home! That makes me a little sad but I am so excited for them to share this once in a lifetime experience together. They will grow to love the people in Mexico just like I do.

McKayla will be doing a volunteer/study program where she will teach English for half of the day and then she will have Spanish learning classes for half of the day. 5 days/week.  Riah will be earning a TESOL certification where she will be able to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages. That certification will allow her to teach English at language schools in any country throughout the world. Many people who get degrees in Linguistics also get TESOL certified.  Riah will teach English for half of her day and then will do web-learning, seminars and book work for the other part of her day. 

It's interesting at how this all fell into place. The fact that I was an exchange student there so many years ago makes it easy for me to allow them both this opportunity. We all can't help but think that this was all in the plan from the beginning. For some reason Tehuacan is supposed to be a part of our lives:) 

We just recently found out that the owner of the English school is the Stake President there in Tehuacan! His wife is the one who does all the recruiting and interviewing for the school. So glad to know that they will be in a good environment. 




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