Hola familia y amigos!!
So this week has gone by pretty quickly! There is so much to learn and to do. I am becoming friend with a lot of the hermanas and it is really great! They are going everywhere all around the world and it is awesome! Being here has definately buily my testimony about how the work is hastening forth as we are being called to so many different places to help so many different people. The sad part is having to say goodbye :( The hardest are the cute Latina sisters, which are only here for two weeks. One of the pictures I am going to send is some of them who left yesterday! The greatest thing happened the other day. So I was talking to them in my terrible Spanish and they were trying to decipher my meaning. Then something happened and I was like "oh my goodness!!" Then they asked me "Que significa en espanol es ohhhmygoodness?" and I could not figure out that they were saying oh my goodness. Mi compenera had to assist me, and then I had no idea how to explain it in espanol. So then I just made an oh my goodness face, and that is the face that we always would give to each other.
Some of the other hermanas we have become really good friend with are leaving in another week. It is sad to see them leave but it is so happy to know they are going forth to do the work!
This week we got to watch a devotional by Elder Holland. Here we have a devotional every week, and it is usually an old broadcast of a devotional that happend at the Provo MTC. Elder Holland gave an AWESOME talk about how we are here to change ourselves, and how we should never look back. This is "real life" and we should not be thinking about our old life, or ever go back to who we were before the mission. That completely changed my perspective, because God has sent me here on my mission to become my best self. What I did before or who I knew before does not matter right now, it only matters what I will become and who I will get to know. My maestra (teacher) also showed us a mormon message clip video thing from Elder Christofferson (I believe?) about how we are cut down so that we can become a beautiful tree (that was the idea...). If we weren´¨t cut down then we would never have that opportunity. So that is how I have decided to see things for the next 18 months.
I am definately am starting to adjust to the work pray work pray work pray eat work pray work pray eat work pray work pray work sleep routine. It is nice knowing that everyone else is doing it with you.
I finished the Book of Mormon this week! I am now reading it in Spanish and I am on 1 Nephi 8. I feel like I am 10 years old again trying to read the Book of Mormon. It is slow going, but when I understand a verse I get super excited. We also had an awesome District testimony night on Sunday. It was so sweet to hear everyone open up about their lives and testimony. One of the Elders is struggling a lot. I feel like I was meant to have such a hard time when I first got here so I could help him. Haha but usually I just feel useless when I try to help him. I suppose that is just how life goes though. The title, here training center, is from one of the Elders testimonies. He said when he was little he also wanted to be one of the "heroes" and so he he has remained this the hero training center because we are so awesome. Haha it made me very happy inside.
So our first ¨investigator", Hermana Sol commited to become baptized! Yay. Then two days later she walked into our classroom, and she is our new teacher! I am so excited, I love her so much. Her real name is Hermana Young and she went to her mission to Chili. Our other two teachers are Hermanos, so it is nice having one girl teacher :) We are now teaching three "investigators," Renato, Lugo, and Maria. It is hard because we teach them completely in Spanish, but it is so good because every lesson I learn so much. Sometimes though it is hard because I will have no idea what is going on, and then I will say something that has nothing to do with the topic. It is pretty funny actually. My class is nice because it is the intermediate class so everyone is pretty smart and we can help each other out. Sometimes though it is terrible because someone will whip out some intense Spanish and it is just like "que?!?!" But it is good. I am learning, slowly yet surely. In my District there are seven hermanasa (ahh!! that is so awesome) and three Elders. In all the other districts it is the complete opposite! I am the only hermana not going back to the States.
So on Sunday we had our first normal Sunday since last week was General Conference. So the zone leader gives you a topic during the week, then you are supposed to write a five minute talk in Spanish about it. Then during Sacrament they call up three people to give a talk. Then we have a rest hymn, and three more people are called up. It is pretty intense.
Well this week I have definately gained a testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost and prayer. Prayer is so real. Before my mission Heavenly Father was lucky if he got two prayers from me morning and night, and he was lucky if they were more than two minutes. Now, it has completely changed. All my prayers are in Spanish, and I find myself kneeling at 10:30 right before bed and getting to bed at 10:45 because I was praying. Yesterday Hermana Young had us go into this little grove of trees by the track and we all got ten minutes to pray, and she said to pray about anything and everything. As I prayed I asked for a re confirmation of everything because hey, I am testifying about it all day everyday, so it is nice to have recent testifications from God. As I was praying I looked up and saw the sun through the tress, and the wind through the grass, and that scripture entered my mind from the Book of Mormon that "even the sun rising and setting each day testifys of me..." And it made me so happy. So even if you know, repray to know, because it will definately strengthen your testimony.
I have also been thinking a lot about the Holy Ghost, because it is so important for us to have him with us at all times, especially when we are teaching. As I was studying about him, I realized some things. First, he is a person and a member of the Godhead that has been promised that he can be with us AT ALL TIMES. We just have to live worthy of him. Why wouldn´¨t we want a member of the Godhead with us helping us? In the Book of Mormon it talks about how that was the people´s greatest desires, to have the Holy Ghost. Second, he teaches, and he testifys of truth. That is why people will commit to be baptized on a first lesson, even though they still know barely anything about the gospel. That is also why it is okay if I am still struggling at Spanish (at least that is what my teacher told me, maybe just to make me feel better :).
I have also been thinking a lot about faith and miracles. I was reading the last chapters of the Book of Mormon and it talks so much about how miracles have not ceased. Miracles still exist, and we need to have faith in them. So that is my goal, to try to increase my faith and learn more about faith and miracles.
Well here is my novel for the week and I love you all so much!! I am sorry that it was so scatter brained. We have this big red clock looking at us while we write counting down the seconds so it keeps me trying to type extra fast!
I am much happier this week and it has been going fast. You are all in my fifteen prayers a day :)
Hugs and kisses!!
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