From the week of September 17th:

Caitlin's Mom again.  She is half way through her training in Mexico City.  She is now on independent study which let's her progress more quickly than some of the other missionaries who are struggling with the language. She has also been called to be "Zone Mom" which includes monitoring study time when there isn't a teacher.  Once or twice an hour she makes the rounds of the 4 classrooms and ensures they are actually studying.  She reports she has an effective "Mom look".  Good to know I've taught her something!  Funny quote from one of the district leaders "You have one and a half times the life experience of us, you should go scold them." Elder McLane.

On 9/11 her district held a prayer meeting for military/fire/police/EMS.  They all wore red, white and blue.  For Caitlin and one other who had been in the Air Force this was a very emotional time.  Following 9/11 the Mexico City Temple was rededicated and they had the big cultural celebration. Caitlin really enjoyed the experience:

"It was so cool to watch the Latino's excitement during the broadcast.  It was all about the history of the first missionaries and members in Mexico City and the history behind getting a temple.  The Latino's were beaming with pride during the music and dance....the dancing and dresses were beautiful.  No matter what your nationality or culture, we can ALL celebrate our belief in Christ.  We ALL understand and need the miracles that only He can bring into our lives."

Following the temple dedication was Mexican Independence Day.  The missionaries celebrated with Mexican Dulce (candy) and one of the teachers made them Mexican flags to attach to their nametags.  They had a devotional that night and afterwards were told to go straight to their houses and not to leave.  In prior years there had been celebrations which included shooting guns straight up into the air and they had found bullets in the roofs. Definitely not what a Mom wants to hear! They were also able to spend an afternoon at the Visitor's Center learning about the culture and the Church.

Her emails are full of the excitement she feels in preparing to do the work she feels called to do.  In closing something she shared to think about:

 "Am I closer to the Savior today than I was yesterday? Will I be better tomorrow?

Studying

Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Mexico City Temple

Angle Moroni holding golden plates

At the Visitor's Center

Friends from the Cultural Celebration and food time buddies.

From the Week of September 10^th.

I'm wearing a brown and green argyle sweater with a pink and white polka dot rain coat, and I didn't even care. 

This is Caitlin's mom and this is how she summed up her second week in the missionary training center in Mexico City. She is beginning to discover the difference between being 19 and a more mature 29.  She is learning patience, (she's not sure any of them have ever had to sit still more than 2 hours at a time) but she loves them all. She has also discovered that her years as a paramedic has prepared her for the chaos of a cafeteria full of teenagers.  One of the missionaries choked on a pancake and another performed the Heimlich, it was utter chaos and drama. They asked her how she could be so calm?   I can hear Caitlin thinking, "If he can still talk, he's still breathing". On another note she reported she learned how to say "Me caí la cama en la mañana” which means "I fell out of my bed this morning.  Need I say anything more?

For a service project they helped make rice pudding and cookies in the kitchen.  Caitlin got to talk with the employees and understood almost everything they said.  She said the language is coming back fast and she is very grateful. She is helping one of the worker’s with English.

In closing Caitlin says: “The work is coming slowly but surely. Frustrations happen, but we can learn from them.  The power of prayer and my knowledge of the Atonement is what gets me through each day.” She is loving the opportunity to learn and prepare to teach the gospel. 

Finally, she shared a couple of pictures (they have really big moths in Mexico City).

 

Hi, this is Caitlin’s Mom and she asked me to update her blog.  Wish me luck!

Caitlin made it to Mexico City on August 26^th  and was immediately immersed in the culture and the language as well as surrounded by a lot of 19 year-old missionaries, many of whom are away from home for the first time.  She has become the “madre (mother)” of the district, because anytime someone needs something she pulls it out of her purse, Band-Aids, scissors, sticky notes, you name it she has it. 

Her travel to Mexico City was typical Caitlin, At 4:15 am  the morning she was to leave I found her throwing up.  Ugh, you've got to be kidding!  Trooper that she is, it was determined she didn't have a fever, so with a bottle of water, anti-nausea medication and a "barf" bag off  to the airport we went. She had survived cholera, she wasn't going to let a little nausea stop her. So after delaying the start of her mission twice, she finally made it to Mexico City.  The pictures below are from her first week in Mexico City.

Caitlin at KCI airport at 5:30 am and she's smiling.  If you know Caitlin, she's not a morning person

Missionaries at Mexico City Airport with all their luggage waiting for the bus to the MTC

Caitlin with her companion Hermana Kneip

Caitlin and her "district"

Living quarters for the next six weeks

Yes, she has bottled water.  They must have known she was coming.

The fence around the training center and their living quarters