23 February 2015

Hola!! Okay, this week has been crazy!!! I am still a little overwhelmed with Spanish, but I know that will just come with time.

So we taught 32 lessons this week and the average is 15. Crazy! plus we went around and found new investigators, less actives, man, it was super busy! but that is good because it gives me less time to dwell on how different it is here than anywhere else, but I am definitely loving it. 

Okay miracles! because there are a billion and twenty!

Okay, so here's what happened. Well some of the things that happened.

The most amazing one is we decided to go find all the less actives who hadn't been contacted in like 10 years--okay that might be an exaggeration, but anyways--we were deciding to go either to a different investigator or keep finding the less actives and I just decided that we needed to go find the less active on the list. So we did. It took like 20 minutes to find it, but we finally made it. We knocked on the door and asked for the guy on the list. The guy who opened the door came out and said he didn't know him, but he started to talk to us anyway. Then, we figured out it was him. and he started telling us all about his life and everything that had been happening. He said he was thinking about doing something--that he definitely should not do--but we stopped him. He said that he had been seriously just about to head out and do something, but three angels (my companion, a member, and I) stopped it. Man, we saved 2 souls that day! Whoa. But really, we were there exactly at the right time. 

Then another miracle. That's kind of funny. So we were trying to go to our lessons yesterday, but every person was gone. Literally everyone. Meh. and then while we were driving to our last one, we looked and we were almost out of gas. So we stopped and we decided it would just be easier to walk an hour to this man's house. (we couldn't buy gas because well, it is Sunday! el Dia de Reposo! Anyway, we walked there and when we got to the man's house, he was gone too! but his son answered the door. He said he wasn't there, but he would tell him that we stopped by.  As we were leaving, he heard us mention that it was time to walk back, so he stopped us and said, I can give you a ride. So he did. We started talking to him, and then he accepted the offer to come back and teach him about the gospel. Everything lead up to finding him. He barely got home when we arrived--so we needed to walk for an hour and try to find people--and he needed to hear us say we were walking. pretty cool.

I can't remember really what happened the other days...My brain doesn't retain anything. But I am having a wonderful time. Sometimes I wish I could take away the agency of people because they would be SO happy following the standards of the Gospel, but that would never work and it is against God's plan, but we keep working with all of them and keep praying for them too!

Oh, one cool thing, we had an awesome experience with prayer. We have been praying for this one guy because he has been going through a lot and has a lot of temptations, but he told us the other day that he is super willing to change and he has been doing a lot better at overcoming his temptations. Awesome! 

Life is super good. I am going to start eating a lot though...little worried about that because I am in a driving mission, but it is worth it! The food is so good!! It is authentic Mexican food and I love it.  Yum! I hope I can learn some good cooking skills and be able to cook for you guys when I get back!! 

Hmmm, I can't think of anything else to say!! Adios mi familia!! Les amo muchisimo!! :)


Okay, one more cool thing. I forget to mention this, but we met a family who's cousin--or maybe friend--that is living with them who speaks French, and he is a less active, so I will be able to go over and talk to him, and try to bring up the gospel in French!! and also, I got a French book of Mormon, and a lady who works in the office got my name down because she said there are quite a few people who speak French, so I might be able to use my French! HOW AWESOME!!! I LOVE LANGUAGES!!! they can be crazy and super difficult, but I do love them! me encanta :)

LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL AGAIN!!!!

16 February 2015--First Week in the Field

Hola mi familia! I hope you all are having a lovely week and even if things are a little crazy, you know that it will all work out! 

I am now officially in the field. I am a little overwhelmed not going to lie. Spanish is kind of difficult to get, but I have to cut myself some slack because I have only been learning Spanish for like 6 weeks. I just feel like I should be perfect now, but I am able to participate in the lessons and understand quite a bit. But it is weird. I understand the words, but they in sentence form they don't make sense to me. I don't get it, but I am sure it will get better. I just need patience which is something I don't really have.  

I have already taught tons of lessons. I love the people here, but their culture is a little different than what I am used to. I have never been hugged so much in my life, and you know me. I don't hug, but that will be good, but of course I don't hug guys or anything. That is no bueno! It is different being a missionary out in the field. Sometimes people can be really creepy or really weird, but so far most of the people I have met have been extremely nice. I really like them. I know I will come to love them as I continue to teach them.

My trainer is Hermana Huntsman. She is from Utah too, and she is amazing. She is gorgeous and super nice, and she is very energetic too! We are always moving. We hurry and eat and go teach and then we run around everywhere and find people. Well, not run because I am in a driving part of the mission, dang it! But it is super handy. but anyways Hermana Huntsman is so good at what she does. Everyone just adores her here. She is super fun and I am very lucky to have her as my trainer. I hope I can be a good companion and be nice. I am trying to be the best that I can.

I really like it here, but I definitely need to work on my confidence, so I can be a better missionary.  It is kind of hard though. I get super nervous going up and talking to random people especially because my Spanish is nowhere near perfect, but as I keep working, it will get better.

Sorry my brain isn't really working right now. I don't know why, well I guess it could be because I am slightly overwhelmed, but don't mistake that for thinking I don't want to be here. I do. and I love it. and now I am going to talk about the spiritual parts of my mission! yay!

I have been teaching a lot of lessons and it is really cool how much I can understand. I know that God is helping me because my Spanish is nowhere near good enough to understand everyone. Seriously nowhere near good enough! but I have been able to help out and say things that brought the Spirit.

My biggest accomplishment this week was I got to invite someone to be baptized. Let me tell you about it. Earlier in that lessons, a guy told him about baptism and my investigator said he would never get baptized. I didn't think I was going to invite him because after that I didn't think it was the right time plus there was this one guy there that made it interesting. Anyway, I asked my companion if I could still invite him and so I did. and he said yes! He said he needed time to learn everything, but he wanted to. Awesome! I don't think he totally understands it all, so we will teach him everything, but he has a date. I can't wait to see my first baptism and see how happy they are.

One quote I found that I absolutely love is God doesn't move the mountains, but he always helps you climb over them. Or at least something like that. I know right now it can be hard, but as I keep working it will get better and I will become happier and more and more prepared. 

Thanks for everything guys! I love you all!!! Have a lovely day and week! ADIOS MI FAMILIA!! LOVE AND MISS YOU :)

9 February 2015

Well, I am heading out. I am super excited. I can not wait to go out and spread the gospel to everyone! it will be awesome. I am kind of nervous about getting a new companion, but it should work out. Even if we are totally different people, I will work to get along, and just do my best. Plus I have to think, if we have challenges, it will help me become better. Bueno! I definitely need to work on a lot of things, so that will be super helpful. but I would like working on them with a companion I get along really well with :) haha

This week has been pretty awesome. We got to watch Meet the Mormons, listen to some great talks, practice teaching, I got to give a talk on Sunday, which I did without reading off my paper at all. 

I really don`t have much to say. I am just ready to head out. I will send you some pictures of my teachers and my district. 

8 February 2015

Robert and Sue Jones:

My husband and I are Senior Missionaries at the Mexico MTC.  We enjoyed getting to know and love your wonderful missionaries.  We are going to miss them! I thought you would enjoy seeing their district picture and Departure Power Point tribute.  The Power Point was created on a MAC.  Sometimes the music and timing is a little off with a PC.

3 February 2015

FAMILY! I LOVE YOU :) just saying. 

This week has been pretty phenomenal!! So it was kind of like the basic thing: wake up and study, eat, study, eat, study, practice teaching, study, but I love it. and this week was especially wonderful!! Of course there are some hard times, but I am seriously so happy!!

So I am gonna tell you about some amazing experiences!

First of all Sunday was amazing!!! I loved it so much. It was like the best Sunday I have ever had!! We learned about not comparing ourselves to others and knowing that others have been given different talents--some more than others. We just need to recognize our own and do all we can with them. I love that. and as it says in Mosiah 4:27 don`t run faster than you have strength! Sometimes you  may not have the talent that someone else does, but you can`t kill yourself trying to get it.  that is just dumb. and I know it is dumb because that is definitely my personality.  I want to do everything and do it well, but sometimes it is just too much.  I just have to be happy with what I am doing now, and trying my best :) Then we had an awesome speaker who is the director here. He was one of the funniest speakers I have heard! I loved his talk! He explained that we can`t be like Lot`s wife and look back.  Don`t have the desire in your heart to stop living the gospel and going forward in life.  He also talked about how times may be hard and we don`t see what is happening next, but we have to trust in God. He told us this awesome part from a poem (it went something like this)--he called us to the edge, but we didnt want to go for we knew that we would fall. He called us again and this time we approached.  As we stood near the edge, he pushed us, and we flew!! God will sometimes bring us to a place that we feel that we will fall, but he will help us fly instead :)

Another awesome experience. I was teaching my investigator, Hermana Arnaud, and I got to bear my testimony about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My whole body felt like it was on fire. The Atonement and the Spirit has never felt more real in my life. What I said probably wasn`t the best Spanish, or the most eloquent of words, but I spoke from my heart and the Spirit spoke through me. I want that feeling all the time.  The feeling and warmth I got was something I have never experienced before. It was amazing, and my testimony grew a billion times that day! YAY :)

My compañera is awesome. Let me just tell you! She is so funny! We laugh all the time, and she works so hard! She is getting so good at Spanish!!! and teaching!! I just wish she would believe me when I tell her how good and just all around amazing she is :) She is seriously the best!! I really really want to be compañeras with her in the field and leave on the same flight together to get back!

I can`t believe this is my last week here at the CCM. What the flip! I am so excited though to head out and bring real changes into peoples lives. It will be awesome!! A lot of my friends here left dang it! But I am so excited for them!!! (I will send you pictures in a separate email) If you meet a Hermana Glass, Bertolucci, or Kava let me know!! They were in the class right next to me!! and Lori or Brent (if you guys see this) if you meet an Elder Kern or White, I know them too!! They are pretty awesome! They will be speaking Spanish, so I don`t know if you will but just in case I told you :)

Thanks so much for always sending me emails and being such great examples to me. I love you all a billion times more than ever!!!!!! you are my favorite people in this planet :):) I love that families can be together forever because I can`t imagine not being able to be with you all :) I truly love you with all of my heart!! and I know God loves you too :) Muchas Gracias!!! MISS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! :):):)