Week 6 Letter

Hey guys! I’m finally in Mexico!!! Yay! Just so you know, excuse all the grammatical errors bc the keyboards are a little different down here.

Entonces, since I missed my first P-day, I am allowed to email you today and let you I got here to my área safe and well.

So I’m in love with my entrenadora (trainer). Her name is Hermana Smith and she has been here a total of 8 mesas (months) and she’s a gringo como mi! So now I don’t feel all left out. Pero, today this morning we got up and did study until 11 and then we did some contacting all around our little casa. Hermana Smith y yo are both new to the área, so we don’t know anything about it at all! It’s so exciting bc we both get to explore new places and meet new people all day!

I’m in a little pueblo called Izamal (iss-ah-maul). It’s such a beautiful, humble little town full of humble people. These people literally have nothing as their house, it’s crazy. Pero, the whole town is painted yellow! It’s so awesome and beautiful looking! Almost every house is painted yellow and almost everyone is Católico. (Catholic) in the plaza (down town about a 40 min walk) there right in the middle is a giant yellow Católico church! Its super old and this town in full of history and pyramids. Its soo awesome to be walking around and you turn a corner and BAM! THERE'S A FREAKING PYRAMID IN YOUR FACE! I can’t wait to learn more about this town and its history.

So some exciting news, MI CASA CONTIENE AIR CONDITOINING!!!! It is such a blessing to come home and be able to turn on air AND fans and be cooled off within half an hour. Its so hot here bc of the humidity. The área where I’m in is sorta like a jungle. So it gets really humid and there are lots of mosquitos, but you don’t think they are bothering you and then like a couple of hours later, you realize that your whole leg is covered in bites. Yup. And the second you walk outside you start sweating and by the time you are finished walking down the calle, you are drenched in your own sweat. Think of it like this: take your shirt and put it in wáter, ring it out just a bit, put it on and wear that shirt all day without it being able to dry, and that’s what it is like to wear clothes down here. It’s kinda gross, but honestly I just don’t even notice it. I thought it was going to bother me how hot it is and how sweaty I’m getting, but nope, not really. If you think about it too much, you realize how gross you are, but if you don’t think about it, you won’t have any worries. And make up is completely out of the picture. I don’t have time, nor the energy, and frankly just don’t care. Plus if I were to wear it, I would just sweat it off in 2 mins.

We don’t have any food as of right now, but we are going to the super market tonight to get some and I’m excited for that!

Let’s see, I really can’t think of much other than sleeping in a hammock is freaking awesome!! I don’t think I can ever switch to a regular bed after my hammock. I love sleeping in it so much and the coolest part of it is, you can totally rock yourself to sleep. Yup. Pretty much the coolest thing every. I’m pretty legit. 

Anyways, I don’t know if I will be able to send pics right now but I’ll try and figure out a way on Monday when I actually have more time to do so.

Just know that I miss you guys and just pray for me bc this work is really hard, but I’m loving it at the same time! Spanish is coming a long really slow for me, even though today has been my first full day. I feel like I should at least be able to understand people,, but I can't. I feel like its been months since I've gotten here, but I’m having patience and studying hard when we walk, which is all the time!

Anyways, I love you all so much and wish me luck down here :)

Hermana Perryman

Hannah Made It!!!!

Hannah made it to Merida Mexico. We talked to her a couple times today. Once while she had a layover at the Atlanta airport but then again from the mission home. She sounded tired but very excited to finally be there. I'll post her mailing address once we receive it.

Week 5 Letter

Hola todas personas! Como le va? Coma esta Indiana?? Can you believe that it's already week 5??!! I've been here over a month already! How crazy is that? No manche! Yup, only 4 more days to go. Less than a week. Physically I'm ready, but mentally...not so much... I just feel like I hardly know anything but at the same time, 5 weeks ago I couldn't say anything, much less give the restoration lesson in Espanol. All I can do is just exercise my fe (faith) in Jesucristo and know that he will help me through the Spirit. 

So I have some really exciting news!!! So last Friday I got my flight info for when I leave next Monday morning!!! 

So yeah, that just really made it official!! I'm so excited to get to Merida. I have to be packed by Sat evening (bleh, packing is the devil's work) and Sunday night (right after the devotional gets over at 8) we have to catch a bus straight back to west campus and be at the travel office by 9 w/ all of our luggage. Then I meet up with my travel leader (which is just another sister traveling in my same group. There are 7 of us total in the same travel group) In total I will be on the same plane with mi companera Frost, Her. Kite, Her. Pitcher (mi amiga de FB), Her. Price (I actually met her on my first day at the CCM and we've seen each other around some and we are good friends) and some other people I can't think of. 

Also, this past Thurs. we had another elder from our district, Elder Travis, go home. It was really bitter sweet. He had some things that needed to be worked out that just weren't getting done and when he explained to all of us, very briefly, why he was going home, and the work he's going to be doing to prepare to leave again in 6 months serve in Merida, he just seemed so happy and excited for this new stepping stone in his life. So in total, we've lost 2 elders in just 5.5 weeks of being here. It was really sad and its been way hard to adjust to him being gone bc he was such a huge part of our district, but I hope to see him again sometime around Christmas. And then we had another elder leave for his mission in Argentina a week early, so it's been a weird couple of days. 

Oh and then Sunday night, almost our whole branch left for their missions in Argentina. so there was in total 2 branches that left (13 missionaries) and its been really hard not seeing them at meals or at volleyball in gym bc ever since my district has been here, they were our support and first friends and we all just connected with each other so well. That's why our other elder, Elder Grey, left a week before us bc everyone else leaving for Argentina was leaving this past Sunday. 

Thanks so much for your surprise package mom!! I loved it so much and I loved your little note along with Sam's as well. You guys are the absolute best!!! OH! and thank Linda and Dee Ann for their wonderful care package!!! I loved it all and all my sisters in my district loved the nutter butters as well :) They fed us late at night when they all want to snack. And the braclet is gorgeous!! I absolutely love it and i wear it all the time. Thanks for both of your letters to me. Sorry i haven't written back yet. I will today though bc i'll actually have time to do so. 

I hope you had a wonderful fathers day and know that I was thinking of you a lot on Sunday:) I'm grateful for my branch presidency here bc they have sort of become a father figure to all of us so being away from you dad wasn't too hard on Sunday. But I am glad you liked the card. 

I'm happy to hear that you (mom) and dad were able to go to the temple on Saturday! There is nothing like getting up early and knowing you get to spend the next 2 hours in the temple. I've come to really appreciate it. I can't wait until the temple is built in Indy and we can just go every week.

yes, i do get Richard's emails and I love them! I love hearing about the work up in Oregan. And that's way cool that he met someone who is friends with Elder Day! it really is a small world. 

I love your necklace mom! I'm glad you bought yourself one :) 

So that's it for me today. Just think, next time I email you guys, it'll be on a Monday AND I'LL BE IN FREAKING MEXICO!! Love you all and pictures are on there way. 

mucho amor!

Hermana Perryman

We found this Brazilian soda called Guarana and it is actually really good. I can't describe what it tastes like bc it doesn't even taste like any kind of soda. It honestly just tastes like Guarana. it really is the best though.

That is all of our branch sisters. 3 of them already left on Sunday. The one who is right next to me (I adore her), the one in the orange zigzag skirt and black shirt, and the one on the very end to the right in the striped skirt and yellow shirt are the ones who left and its really sad bc I miss them :(

Terrible pic of me, but that's Hermana Root (I love her so much, she's hilarious!)

That's Hermana Tidwell who also left for Argentina this past Sunday. She's amazing and I will miss her a ton.

Selfie (taken by yours truly) of Hermana Kite and I just this morning as we were leaving the temple. It was our last temple visit there :(

Another real pic of Hermana Kite and I in front of the temple this morning (Wednesday).

That's all the sisters in my district. From left to right: Her. Siufanua, Her. Frost (mi companera), me, then Her Kite.

Us with all of our munchies late one night.

Another pic of Kite and I messing around with her timer on her camera on Sunday.

Kite and I again on Sunday. what an awful pic...

Week 4 Letter (week 3 according to Hannah's email)

Well, as you can obviously see from my aspiring subject, I can't even remember what week I am in and my Hermanas aren't a help either bc they can't remember either. So yeah, if it hasn't been obvious in my previous emails, all the days here seem to blend together. I feel like I have been here for 7 months already. Everyday feels like a week and every week seems to feel like 2 months. Seriously though, it’s really bad.

Anyways, so this week I guess was good. Nothing really special happened at all. ‘Cause you know, I'm living it up dangerously and on the edge out here in Utah in the CCM. Not. But really though, I loved the packages I got from you Mom this past weekend!!! And I love all the surprises of the bracelet, earrings, and the gel shoe inserts. I don't know how you knew that I needed those shoe thingys but I did and I opened the package and there they were! You rock mom! And I wear the jewelry every day bc it's all so pretty. I haven't gotten the change though to go to the alterations department, but I will this afternoon since its P day and I MIGHT for once, have some extra free time.

So I'm just going to go through my week and tell you some of the highlights:

1. When I got your packages mom. Seriously I was bragging about how great of a mom you are and how lucky I am to have you to everyone in my district and they all love you by now, I'm sure of it :) Oh and I sent you (Mom) the package back with the skirt I'm not keeping. I did that this Monday so you should be getting the package here within the end of this week.

2. When I was in class taking notes in my big notebook, I turned the page and I see a hidden letter from Paisley! It was the coolest thing every to get in the middle of class and it made my day! And then I was flipping through the rest of the notebook and I found one from Brooke Hovermale as well! They really are the best of friends and I love them a lot :)

3. My companion’s boyfriend just got here to the main campus MTC last Wed so Sunday and yesterday at the devotionals (since we go over there to the main campus) we got to see him. It was really kinda weird to see them interact in a "professional" way. Yeah, I'm kinda glad I'm single, not gonna lie. To have to worry about everything you have to do as a missionary AND a relationship... yeah, no. I'd rather not. So advice to all of you missionaries headed out: DON'T BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WHEN YOU REPORT (comment from Dad: Hannah's warning does not apply to potential senior missionaries).

4. So Monday during our study cycle, our District Leader, Elder Travis (he’s a cutie. I'll send a pic of him [pictures are below]) calls a random district mtg and says that we need to talk as a district and have everyone talk about at least one thing that is bothering them about anything. So it was very quiet for a long minute so I decided to start and I shared how the past few days I was feeling a bit discouraged bc I felt like I was really inexperienced with "life" if that makes any sense. I felt like I was inadequate to really connect with people and help them out and give advice. But they gave me some really good words of encouragement that helped lift me up. So after me, we all just went around in a circle and by the time Hermana Kite started to tell her story and then Elder Travis went last it was all just one big cry session. To hear some of the trials and hardships my friends here have had to go through (and they are only 19 or 20) is really heart breaking. But afterwards I felt like our district has become so close to one another and that we are now more than ever committed to supporting one another. So yeah, Monday night was pretty emotional for me.

5. Last night, was really good with the devotional we went to. Elder Cook talked to us and it was really good, but I feel like the most spiritual part about the devotional was the choir performance. As you know, I sing in the choir and the song we sang was Joseph Smith's First Prayer. And it was just so amazing and I felt the spirit so strongly.

So yeah, that was my week.

You guys said that you wanted to know what my day was like on Saturdays. So here goes. Absolutely nothing. It's just the same as every other day. We get up early, eat breakfast, go to class for 3 hrs (maybe teach our investigator) go to gym, eat lunch, then class for another 3 hrs (maybe teach another investigator) dinner, then study cycle where you plan for the next day and study for your investigators and lessons. And that's it. Really nothing super special.

So I sent a letter to mom and dad for father’s day in the mail last week so I'm hoping you either got it yesterday or today.

So yeah, pics are coming soon since I didn't send any last week.

Love you all and can't wait to hear from you soon!

Love,

Hermana Hannah Perryman

This is pretty much how our study cycle goes every day. We are trying to improve on not falling asleep during it, but man is it really hard after a long day...

Elder Travis is the one sitting in the desk (blonde hair) and his comp Elder Grey were messing around and had us laughing at whatever they were doing. E. Travis is our district leader. He's pretty amazing

Then Hermana Kite is the one who is in the pics with me. She's not my companion but she's in my district and we have gotten pretty close.

Oh and someone sent one of our elders a box of Krispy Cream donuts and they were soo good...

Me and Hermana Kite

That's obviously me trying on my companions glasses. Don't I just look so wonderful...

Hermana Kite and me again

My comp (Hermana Frost) and I Sunday when we looked actually for once, really decent.

Week 3 Letter

​Hola todas persones! 

It's been just another normal week. To be honest nothing really cool happened this week. I know, totally lame. We did get a new "investigator" so that makes 4 people we teach every day. My first week here, I thought teaching ONE was stressful enough. Haha yeah right. But like always I'm adjusting well every time they throw something new at us. 

So last Saturday, when the Elders checked the mail after lunch, that's when i got the slip notices that i finally got my packages. Class was just starting so i couldn't go to the package pick up, but that was okay bc all i could think was i got my packages early! So after class I went to go pick them up and the place was closed!! I had completely forgot that it was Saturday (all the days sort of just blend into each other) and that they closed early. So i had to patiently wait all day Saturday, all day Sunday and all of Monday morning, but i finally picked them up! Thank you, thank you, thank you soooo much for all of the hand written letter ya'll sent me. The packages were very nice and awesome to get but out of everything, the letters were the best part of it all. Seeing everyone's handwriting makes it all the more real. 

The food is not as good as everyone says it is. It's just cafeteria food. blah. I've now switched to eating salads at least for 2 meals out of the day bc i just can't stand how heavy the food makes me. 

Dad, in your last Dear Elder that i read you started off with mentioning how in Matt. 4 is where Christ is tempted by Satan with the "if" statements. So cool thing, I read that literally right before lasts night's devotional started and what did the speakers wife talk about?? Yeah, that's right, Matt. 4. It was just crazy how you had just mentioned that and then she gave a 10 min talk on the subject. 

The temple was really great this week. So my first P day we did initatories, last week we did sealings (bc my companion and i had never participated in them before), and this morning we did a session. The Provo Temple is really pretty and I love the 70s look of it all. 

I really cannot think of anything else to write. Thanks for all the prayers and support i get from all you guys. Love ya'll!

Hermana Perryman