I am so happy to have received this email from you again! I sent a letter about a week ago, I hope you all get it! Also, if you would like to send a packages or letters the quickest and safest way possible, just send it through mydearmissionary.com or dearelder.com. You can write a letter on the site and type in the address of the MTC, and they will print it off and send it in a matter of 3-7 days! That goes the same for packages. My roommate got a bunch of sweets and even floral arrangements from my dear missionary, I was amazed how fast it got to her, and that nothing went bad!
My companion is named Hermana Hieleson, she is from Iowa and she is going to the Boston Massachusetts mission. She likes music just like me and she loves Harry Potter and Dr. Who. She also wants to become a writer. She also attended BYU Provo for a time before she went on her mission. We are very much alike, which is kind of funny, because I prayed that I would have a companion just like me! She is very amiable and easy going, and since the spirit prompts her differently, it helps me to think about things a little differently.
The majority of the missionaries here are going back to the States, only a select few are actually going to South America. I love my roommates Sister Buno and Sister Clement. Sister Buno is from Seattle and Sister Clement is from San Diego. They are both in a different zone, but we love them. The two sisters from our District are named Hermana Ball and Hermana Spencer. They really extroverted and hilarious. They make us all laugh. Both of those sisters are in our casa, so they are friends with sister Clement and Sister Buno. We are already so close and we laugh at just about everything. Heavenly Father has blessed us to be together, to relate with each other and comfort each other in our time together. There have been lots of tears and lots of consoling. I have only cried a little because everyone from my casa was showing their pictures from home and I don't have any. So could you take a good picture with everyone together so I can show everyone? Also all the sisters in my casa have TONS of clothes...I feel like the apostle Paul, I am pretty sure he didn't have any shoes.
I also have been having a lot of anxiety dreams, a lot about home, and one of them I had a dream that bad people were invading the school, I heard sirens and then I woke up attempting to hide in my own closet! Then I had a dream that my roommates were only responding to me if I spoke to them in Spanish, and so I actually said in my sleep," que?" and they told me about it the next morning. I though that was pretty funny and embarrassing at the same time.
The CCM is the most amazing place ever, the people who work here do an amazing job of making everything special for all the missionaries. The food is very good. In Mexico, the biggest and best meal is lunch, so they try extra hard to make it delicious for everyone. I have grown to love their pan dulces and have had tacos almost every day, they have the BEST corn tortillas!
Entonces, (this is a Spanish transition) My schedule consists of getting up at 6:00 AM, having personal study and then starting class with our teachers. We recite the purpose in Spanish with our district in the classroom, sing a hymn, and say a prayer in Spanish. Then we learn a certain verb like Neccessitar out of these workbooks that they give us, and we kind of practice conjugating them with gospel related words or phrases. It helps a lot applicar (to apply) them when we are teaching our investigators. We have classes at night and during the day. What is funny is that our first investigator and is now our teacher! He is so cool because he helps us have eyes to see and ears to hear when we are applying the Idioma (Spanish) and the gospel together.
Sundays are the best. Every week we have to prepare a talk for Sunday in Spanish and I was able to
give one last Sunday. I felt really good about it because I tried to put myself into it even with the little Spanish I did know. It was enduring to the end. and I used preach my gospel and couple scriptures that a lot of people used in their talks. I talked a lot about keeping covenants and commandments, and always having faith in Christ. I also talked about keeping <ones> integrity and character during pruebras (trials). I used a scripture in Job. I talked about how he kept his integrity even when he lost everything. At times he did question the Lord of why he was ever born and why he ever lived. But then he realized that everything was going to be okay. I read the scripture Job 23:10. I only have it written in Spanish and I don't have my English scriptures on me, but basically he said He knows that the Lord knows the way he is taking him, He will be made as gold. I said I know that are trials are meant to strengthen us and the Lord knows the reason we are in that trial. He will truly make us Gold.
The last thing is that, We now have two investigators who are both our teachers. We have 1 in the morning and 1 at night, about twice a week. We are getting a lot better at planning lessons because they taught us about how to start a lesson. They told us to first offer a prayer (a very simple and not very long one); Then to ask them questions about their life, what there expectations are for this visit, and what kind of role does religion play in their life. And sometimes with those questions our lesson will go in a completely different direction. Our last lesson with our morning investigator Julia, had a question about Joseph Smith, and I in the past( with another lesson) tried to memorize the first vision in Spanish , but it didn´t work out so well. But this time, I was able to explain it and later on through the lesson when we explained our expectations for her and our purpose...I recited the entire purpose in Spanish without reading it. It amazed me, because when we say it in class, I can barely remember it! So, The gift of tongues is real and it is amazing!
Yesterday, we had a devotional ( we have a devotional every Tuesday) and it was a live one from Provo and Elder Bednar spoke. Apparently he speaks A LOT at devotionals, but that is okay, I love it! He is an amazing speaker. But, he talked a lot about gifts and specifically about the Gift of Tongues. He said the reason why The Lord gives us these gifts is to bless someone else's life. The reason why we are given the gift of tongues is to testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I thought that that was a really cool way to put it. He said that only way we are able to receive the fullness of it is to strip ourselves of pride and turn ourselves outward, just as Christ did. It truly is amazing, that obedience applies to EVERYTHING in the gospel. If we are obedient we will receive all of his blessings!
Me amor este obra y el evangelio de JesuCristo. Este Evangelio esta me cambio. Este obra es mucha para mi como es por todos las personas! I love this work and the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel is changing me. This work is as much for me as anyone else. I was good to hear from hear you! I hope this suffices! Make sure you include, the blog about my mishaps and funny stories! I am not a robot! I love you!
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