Tuesday, September 30, 2014

My New Companion- September 29, 2014

Hola Erryone!

so this week has gone by sooooo fast i cant even tell you! its been good, but its been tough! but mostly good! haha so after i emailed you all last monday, WE WENT TO THE ZOO!!!!!! I LOVE THE ZOO!!!!! haha it was great and i saw so many animals (imagine that) untill it started DOWN PORING! for realz it looked like i just jumped into a pool! haha but it was fun! 

so you are all probably wondering why i have a new companion... well this friday hermana Jaeger went home (because she was done with her mish not because she did anything wrong) and so now we have her old companion! haha so now we are a TRIO!!! ITS SO FUN!!!! i love it! her name is hermana Beltran! she is so tiny and really good at spanish! we get to be with her for the rest of this transfer but then she will have to go:( but its so awesome! oh and a few months ago she got hit by a car on her bike (see it really does happen so keep praying for me) and so we get a car! but i really miss my bike!!!! haha 

well this week has been really good! it has helped me realized how blessed i am and how compared to other people my struggles are NOTHING!  but i know that this gospel can help any problem and im seeing it first hand! the teachings of this gospel are helping people who have had the worst trials thrown at them, i know with all my heart that this church is true and is the source of true happiness and everlasting joy! im so happy to be able to share this message of love and hope with the people here in houston and im so greatful for all of your love and support at home! love you all so much! have a great week! les quiero mucho! bye!

- Love Hermana Ihrke 


So lucky I get to see this view everyday! I should be an advertising photographer! 


Its not called hair cut, its called hair changes!


Hna Beltron, Me, Hna Allen


The Zoo crew!



Raining buckets on us!


No caption needed 


he said he would get baptized sunday !!! so excited for him!!!!


I will have a pet monkey someday!


We mustache you a question? 


#artsy 


hanging with the homies! 



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The People You Meet on the Mission- September 22, 2014

HOLA!!!! 

OH MY GOSH THIS WEEK HAS BEEN CRAY!!! haha in a good way:) i have meet so many people this week its crazy, some old and new faces! and some were great experiences and some were not so great but thats ok! haha 

This week i got to go on exchanges and the ward that i was in happened to be the same ward as my girl Kelly Nichols sister Kerrin! (sorry if im spelling names wrong, yall know spelling aint my strong suit) haha anyway kerrin heard that i was going to be in her area and so she came out to teach with us!!! HOW COOL IS THAT! we had such a great time! Then the next day i was sitting on the steps at the church and a young mom comes up to me and asked me if i knew Summer Willis! haha and i guess she is neds (summers boys) sister in law! so funny connections in the church is crazy! love it! and then i met TRAVIS.... 

ok so travis, i dont even know where to start with him... so me and hermana allen were walking to the store and this guy was just walking toward us and threw up a peace sign. He was wearing a tie dye headband and a bro tank and looked like he was in his early 20s. anyway he comes up to us and starts telling us about this "walk" hes been on to find his life, find god, and help others find god. I dont even know... and then he starts talking about how he lied in court with his hand on the bible, and how people are after him... ok so after about 40 min of talking about this guys crazy life he says " i dont know if you guys can tell but i have done a lot of drugs." (we were thinking "NO DUH") haha but we didnt say anything and then he said something about the drugs making him have a sick set of abs and he almost showed us.. but i handed him a book of mormon just as he was about to life up his shirt, he looked at it and started to cry. He looked at me and said "you are an angel, god sent you here for me, and i will never forget you" I was trying so hard not to laugh, i probably looked constipated because i was literally peeing my pants... then he asked for our numbers and facebook names and stuff and we asked why he needed it, and he said "i need to be able to find you guys when i start my own church, i only invite people i trust, and i trust you" oh my gosh! he said so much more stuff but i cant even remember... it was like an hour and a half long convo! i was dying!!!!!!! then we took some pics with him and he got really paranoid that someone was after him so he took off!!! best conversation of my life!!!! 

Ive had some really good food this week too, i had the BEST CHURRO OF MY LIFE!!!  and the best pasoli ive ever tasted! haha i love mexican food!!!! 

oh and i had to talk at a baptism yesterday... IN SPANISH! but it went well:) haha 

but this week has been GREAT!!! i cant tell you guys in detail some of the other things that happened, but lets just say that God really has our backs, and is working had to protect us! haha 

love you all sooooo much and i hope you guys have a great week!! you are in my prayers! 


-love Hermana Bri Ihrke


best churros EVER!!!!!


 Pasoli for lunch!!! me, hna Allen, Kiko


all us girls and kiko.... i'm a giant!!!!!!


Selfie Sunday


we are sooo artsy! 


Love you all, BYEEE!!!!!

PS!!!! I FORGOT TO TELL YOU I FOUND K.C.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Weekly Update- September 16, 2014

Hola Everyone!!!

This week has been a good one! It's gone by a little slower but that's all good cause I can feel it starting to pick up! A lot has happened this week and I don't even know where to start! A lot of you have been wondering about my companion so here it is!

My Companions name is Hermana Allen, she is from Ogden Utah and is the sweetest girl you will ever meet! She is 20 years old and has been on her mission for about 9 months now and has been in this area for 5 months!! She has a boyfriend who is also on his mission (I forgot where) but yeah she's super cute and I love her to death!

This week has been really good! I almost got hit by a car twice.. but I was able to make it out alive. I need more practice on my bike, and people need more practice driving their cars. This week something really cool happened, this 17 year old boy we've been teaching his name is Daniel and he is the coolest kid ever!!! We had a lesson with him this week and we told him about the Book of Mormon and we gave him his own copy. When he held it in his hands he started crying and said this is what i've been looking for my whole life. He said the could feel the spirit and truth of our words. He is probably a better member of the church than I am already! But that one moment has seriously made my whole life! If that is what being on a mission is all about I don't ever wanna go home!!! (just kidding mom) haha but really it is so cool the way that this gospel can change peoples lives!

I have a lot more to say but sadly i'm out of time...so I just want to end with my testimony (cause I realized I don't really talk about the church much on these emails. I want you all to know that I have such a strong testimony of this church and I know that it is true! I know that heavenly father can help you out with whatever you need, all you have to do is turn to him. you should all read 3 Nephi 13:31-33!

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof. 

Its so great!!!! I hope you all have a great week and I cant wait to hear all about your lives too. Love you all so much and I pray for you everyday! I love you all, bye!

P.S. I am okay at Spanish, but I still have a lot to work on. But more importantly I can ride my bike with both my hands off the handle bars. And i stand up on my bike a lot. 


-Hermana Ihrke


Here's me and my comp eating pig skin... kinda nasty if you ask me. But them Mexicans love it!


a dragonfly and me with all the cute kids we taught!



oh half of our mission is like mexico and the other half is like Beverly hills... you could say im living the best of both worlds!


This is me and my boy marcos! He loves taking long walks on the beach and catching pidgins who cant fly. He takes them home and takes care of them! Love this guy!

Monday, September 8, 2014

I Saved a Life- September 8, 2014

HOLA!!!!!

oh my gosh you guys! this week has been sooo crazy!!!! but its been so fun! I honestly am loving it here in Texas, the humidity and everything! life here is great!

So this week has been really crazy and I don't have enough time to tell ya everything that happened but ill try to tell the best things:) So there is this man named Alfonso who is a recent convert to the church, he has one leg and has really bed diabetes. he is the sweetest man ive ever met!  So on Saturday we were supposed to visit him and see if he needed us to help him out with anything, when we went he never come to the door so we just figured he forgot. so we went to a bunch of other peoples houses and no one was home, which is weird cause it was Saturday! but then I got this feeling that we should go back to Cancun (the apartment complex where Alfonso lives). About a min after we got there we got a phone call from Alfonso saying that he needed help that he couldn't get up. it was so scary cause he was slurring his words and he was repeating things like his mind was not right. So we ran to his apartment but his door was locked. He called again saying that he really needed help, so we called 911! IVE NEVER CALLED 911 BEFORE!!!! it was crazy! so then when the ambulance got there they tried to break down the door but it wouldn't break down! then this little Mexican guy passed by opened up the window and left! ( It was pretty funny) When the paramedic people got inside they could only speak English and alfonso only speaks Spanish so we had to translate! it was pretty cray! haha but yeah he is good now and we just need to make sure he is getting enough to eat and stuff! GOOD THING WE WERE THERE  cause the paramedic guy said if we weren't here when we were, Alfonso wouldn't be alive right now!

One of the paramedic guys was talking to me and my comp, and he said "I hope you guys aren't around here at night" and we both looked at eachother and said that we are out here until about 9:30. Then all 20 of the parimetic guys in the room looked at us in shock! "You do know that this is Wirt road right! yall shouldn't be out here!" so I guess the area that we are in has a really bad rep, even with the police people... it kinda freaked me out, but I got over it! haha

The last thing that ill tell you guys about was this family that we met! oh my gosh! this family is the sweetest family ever! its a weird story about how we met them, lets just say that there was a lot of alcohol involved and some really drunk people... haha (which is how we meet a lot of people out here) haha anyway... we have been teaching these kids, Daniel who is 17, Maria 14, Jesse 14, Adrian 12, Sarah 9, Cindy 7, there grandma passed away a few weeks ago so they wasnted to know where she was so we taught them about the plan of salvation and they were soo excited!!!!  we visit them almost everyday and they all came to church this week!! there are 6 of them but they brought 2 friends too!!! they are the cutest sweetest kids ever!!!! im so excited for them! they love church and they are excited to go back next week! they are all planning on getting baptized soon! its so exciting! I cant wait to tell you more next week! I love you all so much! and Hope you are all having the best week ever! love you! bye


-Hermana Ihrke

 Sorry this is sideways! But this is my companion and I! 

Holding a baby lizard. 

Selfies in the mirrors. 

 Its a bus truck... I will own one someday!

This ride though...

 More sideways selfies! 

<3

With the girls at walmart... she couldnt see over the wall!

Dont know what this meat is, but it was good! 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Hola from Texas- September 2, 2014

Hey guys!!!!
 
Thanks for all the love this week guys!! ive been reading emails for the past like 30min so hopefully I have time to respond to all yall!!! haha
 
OH MY GOSH IM IN TEXAS!!! you guys.... it is awesome here!!! honestly I had a little bit of a hard time adjusting to the schedule at first but I think im good now!! alright well a lot of you probably knew that I had never really known how to ride a bike.... but guess what!! my area is a bike only area!!! so im learning how to ride one really fast! and I LOVE IT!!! biking is the best and I never want to go to a car area EVER!!! haha so my area that im in is called Houston 1, North West! its so great!!! its in the city and its awesome!!! ive been told by some people that this is the sketchiest area... but I think ill be ok!! haha
 
My companion is THE BEST!!! she is the sweetest most beautiful girl ive ever met!!! I couldn't have asked for a better companion! her name is Hermana Allen and I swear she could be a model! haha we have a lot of fun together but we also get a lot done! haha
 
so yeah! life here is awesome! the first day I got to my area we went out and taught some investigators! it was great!! they are so sweet! there is this apartment complex that is called Cancun, its a little bit sketchier than the rest... its pretty much like mexico! haha but while we were there we ran into an investigator who had a little to much to drink I think cause he came up behind me and grabbed my waist... my companion started yelling at him in Spanish while I just stood there in shock! there are a lot of drunk people here actually! haha this passed weekend was labor day weekend! so there were parties everywhere!!! ive been proposed to and yelled at and plenty other things! haha but it was all good! I really feel like I have heavenly fathers protection out here!
 
there is this guy in our ward who got baptized about a year ago and he is the GREATEST GUY EVER!!! his name is kiko! he is an older man who live in the same apartment complex as us and he is just the best!! he brings us food every day and when he doesn't have work he comes with us to appointments! I feel a lot safer riding around when he is there with us!! he acts like our dad!! its the best!!
 
I have soooo much more to say but Ill save it for next week!!! I love all of you guys soooo much!!! this is going to be the best 18 months of my life!! cant wait to talk to you all next week!! have such a great week and have fun at school!! haha bye!!!

p.s. My computer is being dumb and it won't let me send pictures, so you all will have to wait till next week to see me, but i know you can do it. Haha. Love you guys! 
 
-Hermana Ihrke

Picture Overload- August 25, 2014

Here are some pictures from that last few days of the MTC! 
 Selfies for days!
 Oh heyy! 
 These guys came up to me and asked if they could take a pic with me.... then asked for my email... i pretended like i couldnt understand then walked away.... is that rude? my bad
 ​these guys are da best!!! they are in the intermediate spanish class... i try to speak spanish to them then they just laugh at me... haha 
 had to say good bye to my worker freinds;( they are the best!!!!!!!!! one of them called me over and had me try all of this authentic mexican food that his wife made for him... it was unreal... then they though it would be funny to have me try the salsa that she made... lets just say that i sat under the the drinking fountan for like 15 min!!!! my mouth was on fire!!! they couldnt stop laughing!!im gonna miss them alot!!!
Peace out mexico! gonna miss you alot!!! but im excited for TEXAS!!!!!! bye guys!!!!

Last Email in Mexico- August 20, 2014

Hello Friends and Family, 
Im heading out to Texas on the 26th!!! thats in like 6 days!!! so crazy!!! anyway not much has happened sense i emailed you last time... so this will be short with lots of pictures. I am loving it here, but i am really excited to leave for Texas! Enjoy the pictures!  

Saying goodbye to my native friends 
More Friends! 
Pretty much my whole ward from BYU is here! So fun! 
​These girls are my fave and i had to say bye to them this week!!! they have helped me with my spanish sooo much!!! love them like crazy!!
Just hanging out! 
​LIVE TWEET ERRYONE... this is me right now! haha love you all and ill talk to you next week! BYEE