First baptism of the mission!

Hi all! I hope you have all had a great week and life is going well! This week was pretty much the same as every other MTC week, but I'm starting to realize I actually leave in 2 weeks. That's not a lot of weeks. Send help. So we're going full out, trying to learn more about the gospel, about how to teach an effective lesson, made specific to each person and situation, and of course learn a whole language and how to do those first two things using words I don't know. I know the Lord is behind all this because there are so so many people who have actually pulled this off, and without the Lord, not even one of those categories is possible to learn effectively in 6 weeks, let alone all three. Anyway, let's get into it. This week was full of a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of the Holy Ghost being present.

Things that made me laugh: 

• Me and Hermana Utley are becoming better and better friends, lowkey scared my best companion of the mission is gonna be the one I'll never meet. But we've kept each other entertained. We bonded this week over our love for caramel M&Ms (the best kind of M&Ms and if you don't like them, then I am so sorry for you), and we've argued over our differing opinions on cheese, and on left handed people. According to Hermana Utley, left handed people are an abomination to this world. Good thing she's stuck with an abomination for the next two weeks.  

• Lechuga. There has become an inside joke in my district with the word lechuga (spanish for lettuce) and it has kept all of us laughing, with our photoshopped lechuga backgrounds with our teacher's face on it. Stunning work. 

• Remember the district we were put with last week and it was awful? Yeah, well, Mexico seems to be the heart of every hurricane, earthquake, and power outage you can find, so this week was full of a lot of teachers disappearing or not showing up at all, although they are trying so hard to make it work, it's amazing and I'm so grateful for them. But two different times we got sent with this other district, and man it was yet again an experience to remember. I'm hoping the natural disasters go away in Mexico for many reasons. 

Milagritos (mini miracles):

• First and foremost, my sister GRACE GOT BAPTIZED!! I am so incredibly proud of her, and the spirit that was at the baptism was amazing. She is incredible, and I know she is going to do some miraculous things in life. So cool to be there to be able to watch her in person, take the next step to live with Heavenly Father forever. Now everyone in my family is a baptized member of this church! What a cool opportunity that I could be a full time missionary, and be able to attend her baptism, Heavenly Father sure is kind to me. It was an incredible reminder to see that the reason I'm serving Him, is to give others the same opportunity for true joy and a sure pathway for eternal life, that Grace got to have on Saturday.

• In addition to me being able to be there, so many family members were able to come, which was so fun and so kind. Also, Hermana Utley joined on zoom from Arizona, which was so sweet that she would want to witness it, considering she only knows Grace from her coming in to interrupt my zoom meetings. Katherine also came, which was so very kind, and it was incredible to see the love these two missionaries and friends have for Grace. Love you two!

• I was able to take a tour of the Mormon Battalion site in San Diego, from the one and only, Sister Elle Anderson! I seriously loved it, and I recommend every one of you go sign up for a virtual tour (and request Sister Anderson, she's amazing). I actually didn't even know who the Mormon Battalion was or what they did, so it made me a million times more grateful for their sacrifice to give us what we have today. (Elle has the actual link to sign up, but just google Mormon Battalion virtual tours, and it should pop up)

• Alexa and Emily (egg) came to visit me and hang out this week, which was such a highlight in my pretty monotonous week. Love both of them a ton.

• I have been reminded over and over this week of the purpose of missionary work. To me, missionary work is really all about spreading joy. Whether that is through service or a smile or a compliment. Or, because I know that in my life, the gospel brings me the most joy, I can teach that first and foremost. Missionary work is not the number of baptisms (although my first mission baptism was a pretty cool experience, thanks Grace), or the number of Book of Mormon's placed, or the number of lessons taught. In fact, the impact missionaries make isn't even possible to be measured in a number. Pretty cool that I get to be a part of a work where I literally get to try my best to share joy. That's all I am asked to do. Pretty amazing.

• BYU won!! I didn't get to watch the game, since I had to be asleep for most of it, but I wore a BYU shirt to bed and called it good. If them winning isn't a milagro, I don't know what it is. 

• I have found such an appreciation for the stripling warriors this week. Even though it states it pretty clearly (like six times), I never realized they were so young. A bunch of young men leaving their families and their mothers to fight for their freedom, and their religion, and their God, and their peace, and their families. Sounds a whole lot like going on a mission. Except I don't have a spear in my hand, which is way less cool looking. 

Anyway, that's about it for the week! One favor to ask, if you could pray that the borders to Uruguay and Argentina will open up according to plan, and that the missionaries can get in as soon as possible, since they are having to turn interested people down because they have so few missionaries serving in those areas. While I am genuinely so excited for Washington DC, and would be more than happy to spend my whole mission there, there are so many missionaries who have been waiting months and years to get into Argentina and Uruguay, and it would be amazing to give them that opportunity, in addition to flooding those countries with missionaries, so all the people who are ready for the Lord's message of hope, can receive one. Thank you all so much! Your prayers are being felt!

-Hermana Allen