Four Thousand Words

I've finally got pictures for you! Proof that I'm actually a missionary!

Look at my beautiful sisters, 30 seconds before we said goodbye. Aren't they super cute! (Rochelle, we know you were 900 miles away at the time, but you're there in spirit!)

This is me with my wonderful companion Hermana Silva. In light of our inability to sing more than a line or two in Spanish, we set a goal this week to memorize one hymn a day. It's going quite well.

This is our fantastic district in front of the Provo Temple. I'd like to point out the really happy photobomber on the left.

Also, our district is so great! I don't know anyone as dedicated to a joke as them. They wanted to scare Hermana Silva and I so they all waited in the dark for ten minutes waiting for us to come in and flip on the light. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Look we're missionaries! Like Samuel Smith!

I learned the greatest phrase in Spanish, "a la accion." It means, "unto action" or "that drives you to act." I'm learning that belief or faith is just a wish if it isn't faith "a la accion." It's like putting your money where your mouth is. On Sunday, I was reading in Daniel about Shadrac, Meshach and Abednego (who's names, oddly enough, are spelled differently in Spanish). Now those guys had some pretty serious faith "a la accion, "by trusting God and sticking to their beliefs even when the king threw them into the fiery furnace. (If you haven't read the story, don't worry. It turns out alright. But I won't spoil the ending for you -- read it!) It's amazing the miracles that can come when we have that faith and trust "a la accion."

Until next week!

Mi cena es blown!

Life in the Missionary Training Center is the most fantastic blend of the ridiculous and the sublime. One minute, everyone in our district is sharing their favoirte scriptures and pouring their hearts out to each other and the next minute, the elders are racing Hershey's kisses down a desk. That's right. Our desks are slanted a bit and they found that if you shake the desk, everything will slide off. So on Valentine's Day, when my companion Sister Silva came in with a big bag of Hershey's hugs and kisses to share, the slanted desk became the perfect vehicle for a horse race. It was absolutely hilarious!

 

Our district is so much fun that Sister Silva and I started a list of favorite quotes. My personal favorite is, "Mi cena es blown!" (He mixed up the words for "mind" and "dinner.")

 

Sister Silva and I love singing the hymns together but we don't know all the words in Spanish yet. Our current favorite is "Jesus es mi Luz" ("The Lord is my Light"). Unfortunately the title line is pretty much the only line we know, so we end up singing, "Jesus es mi luz, Jesus es mis luz, Jesus es mi luz...." It's pretty fantastic! One of these days, we'll learn the rest of the words.

 

Have a fantastic week!

Hello everyone!

It's been a fantastic first 3 days in the Missionary Training Center. The MTC is a fantastic place - everyone is so happy and excited to be here. For the next six weeks, I will be learning and practicing how to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, in Spanish no less! It's going to be tough, but I've already seen miracles and I know that, even though our time here is short, we'll be ready in a month and a half.

I'm in a class (called a district) of missionaries who've had some previous Spanish experience and so class moves pretty quickly. Yesterday we got to teach our first lesson to a man who volunteered to be taught by the missionaries-in-training. We're pretty sure he's already a member of the church and is just acting but regardless, it feels real. For half an hour, we met and got to know him, then shared a message with him about the gospel. My companion and I prepared a lesson on the love of God and the atonement of Christ. We even made contingency plans for the lesson (i.e. If he brings up ___ then we'll talk about __ instead.) But when we got into the lesson and started talking with him, the lesson just naturally flowed in a completely different direction. My companion and I miraculously knew what to say --even though it wasn't what we prepared-- and how to say it in Spanish. We talked about the Book of Mormon with him instead of our original plan. We were able to find verses to share with him (in our Spanish scriptures) that we weren't even intending to share. All in all, the whole experience was just a testament to me that Heavenly Father is watching out for me, and with His help, all things are possible.

Until next week!

One Day More!

Well folks, it's finally happening! I'm going on a mission! Last night I was set apart as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I fly out tomorrow. I can't even tell you how excited I am to go and study and teach the gospel of Christ. First I just need to pack up the oh-so-organized piles of stuff in the living room, have a wonderful last supper with my family, and throw the finishing touches on the skirt I sewed. Oh did I mention I sewed a skirt all by myself? With pockets. Every skirt ought to have pockets.

Unfortunately I have no entertaining mission stories to tell you yet, but by this time next week I will have plenty of them. So stay tuned!