Hola! Come le va?
It has been so crazy, I have
nowhere to begin. At the beginning, I guess. Forgive me if my grammar is
a little messed up. It's weird typing this on a phone. Today I have a
mini P-day, but normally it will be Wednesday. Also, I'll be using some
Spanish terms in my emails, but I'll try to put them in places everyone
will be able to understand.
Anyhow, after I
left my familia at the Airport (I was a mess), I remember going down the escalator, trying to pull myself together. I was thinking "alright
Elder. You're on your way. It is going to be fine. You got this. Oh,
wait. What was my gate number again? Oh no. I don't got this. But then, after some rummaging in my bags and tickets, I found it, so I got it.
My
flight to Dallas went smoothly, although thanks to being wedged between
two overweight gentlemen, I didn't get much sleep. After I arrived in
Dallas, I realized my next ticket didn't have the gate number printed on
it. I just asked a airport worker, though, and they walked me to the
next gate. When I got there, there were two Hermana (Sisters) who were
going with me to the MTC! And then an Elder joined us. And then another
Elder. And just before we took off, a third Sister joined the flight.
Two of the sisters, Hermana Walker and Hermana Christensen (not related
to the Christensens in our ward, I already checked) actually are in my
district. They're both really fun.
Anyhow, we
all got through customs alright, and we then drove in a small van
through Mexico city. That was pretty fun. We tried speaking in our
limited Espanol, and the driver told us that we sound like we were in Kindergarten. It was really funny.
We arrived
at the MTC, and there was so much to do. We were hustled left and right,
had to complete surveys, watch videos, etc, etc. It was crazy. I didn't
meet my companion, Elder Berry, till that night. He is really cool and
is very fun to learn with. He actually knows a beginner's amount of
Spanish, and he has been a BLESSING in my life. I thought I knew a
little before coming, but I realize how little I knew.
The
amount of Spanish they are asking us to memorize is Crazy! Over 50
words/phrases a day, including the First Vision Account, the Baptismal
Invitation, the Missionary purpose, and Moroni 10:4-5 all in the first
ten days. And they only give you less than an hour and a half a day to
memorize it all. I have been really struggling with all that. Most of
the members in my district know some Spanish (there are two who seem
new, but even they are getting the hang of it), and so I began to feel
like I was the most ignorant and incompetent. I know intellectually that
everyone needs to learn at their own pace, but we literally had 15
minutes to learn numbers before we had to move on. And we don't really
have the choice to wait for everyone to get it, because there is just so
much to do. So its minutely frustrating.
However,
I have been blessed and received some personal revelation about the
stress. In the evening of dia tres, I felt like crying. We attended a
class about the Gift of Tongues, and I felt an impression that I needed
to stop calling my work impossible. I kind of convinced myself that
there was no way I was going to do it all. I was determined to work as
hard as I can, but I believed that it was not possible. But the Spirit
told me that that was wrong. If it was God's will, I WOULD learn all
that Spanish in ten days. God could make me memorize it all in 1 day. I
know that that is not how God typically works, and that probably won't
happen to me, but i need to stop putting limits on God's power. Have a
little faith that miracles can happen. And actually, I'm impressed with
myself that I've been able to memorize what I've done so far.
The
meals here have either been a hit or miss. I decided to keep score, and
so far (of the meals I've recorded), its been a 6-3 score. To make it
simple, I am excited to eat each meal. Also, I've really, REALLY been
enjoying our GYM time. They have an actual gym, and so Elder Berry and I
have been cranking out some weights and stuff. That is actually super
fun. The other Elders in our room, Elder Lythgoe and Elder Barlow (who
is our district leader), played frisbee with us, and then we played
ping-pong, where after every hit you rotate around the table. It's been
so much fun. Definitely the best part of the day. Elder Lythgoe and
Elder Barlow are both super cool, and they're basically identical twins
(in personality). They're kind of quite, but they make some of the best
conversations when you engage them. All of us enjoy the same type of
stuff too. Elder Berry is from Oregon, and will be serving in Alabama.
Sister Christensen (en mi district) is going to San Diego with me!
That's cool.
Anyhow, overall, I've been enjoying my experience here. I appreciate all your prayers, and I am praying for you.
How are things back home? I'd love to hear from all of you!
Write
to you all in one week! Well, next Wednesday. Which I guess isn't
technically 7 days away. But I'll be writing soon! I love you all.
Adios!
P.S.
if you want pictures, you can look at my and Sister Goss's blog. I
actually forget the address, but I'll include the address in my next
email.
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| Driving from the airport to the CCM |
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| First companion - Elder Berry from Oregon |
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