Hola Hola Hola! WELL HERE IS THE BEST NEWS!
I LEAVE FOR ARGENTINA IN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!! We got our travel plans on Friday and it was the best. There is going to be over 40 missionaries on a flight from SLC to Atlanta and then after that 25 of us are headed to Argentina! I am traveling with two elders that are also going to my mission. Elder Powlus and Elder Mitchell. They will hopefully take good care of me! They talked with me when I was having a hard day on Friday and they have the perfect attitude. We talked about how although none of us are fluent, we are all working so hard, and this will be the best 2 years of our lives. They are so positive. I am so glad they are my travel partners!
This week has been a week to remember and a week of growth. Before this, I have not had any breakdowns or tears (considering who I am this is a HUGE accomplishment) but this week was a little different. After we received our travel plans, it hit me that I was going to soon be in a foreign country where they do NOT speak English and I was supposed to help people and communicate in a language that I felt like I didn't know. I just started crying and prayed and asked Heavenly Father why he thought I could do this? I had the warmest feeling come over me. I opened my scriptures to Genesis 28 (idk what verse) but it said how I will be safe and how God will not leave me until my work is done and I realized that I am going to be JUST fine. It is amazing just how well God takes care of his missionaries.
We taught a lot of lessons this week. We had some of the greatest and some of the worst. On Friday when I was feeling down, I went into a lesson and I could not say ANYTHING right. I didn't have the spirit, my Spanish was AWFUL, and I just didn't feel it. I prayed and prayed for strength and we went to teach our next investigator Jorge. (hor-hay, not George, I called him the wrong name! haha) Well, Jorge is around 50. He has had 2 children and his wife died to cancer. He is angry with God. I was super intimidated to teach him. But we went in and we prayed and studies for him but didn't feel a strong topic that he needed to be taught. We got into the lesson and I had the strongest feeling to teach him about temple work and how his son is okay. I didn't do anything yet and I let him talk. He told us how his pastor told him that because his son was not baptized he was Damned. This man fought depression, anger management, and others because of this statement. I got tears in my eyes and looked at him and was able to tell him that I knew that his son was not damned. I shared with him the scripture in Moroni 8 that states that children are innocent and I told him that he was just fine. This light filled him. He had tears in his eyes and we then taught him how to pray and talk to his heavenly father. A 50 year old man who had never prayed to Heavenly Father in his entire life prayed. It was just what myself and my companions needed. We felt such a love for him. During that moment, I realized why I love being a missionary. I was able to share a simple truth that I knew my entire life with someone who knew not where to find truth. I helped him come closer to Heavenly Father and there is NOTHING that brings more joy than that feeling.
On Monday, we got to do an AWESOME Family Home evening via Skype with a sister in Mexico! She was a returned missionary and SOO awesome. We all understood her Spanish and were able to joke with her and share a beautiful message. She gave us great advice for our missions. She said how we need to never forget that missionary work is fun. And it is so true. Everyday my companions and I say, "Missions are SO fun!" And it is true, I am exhausted all the time, never think about myself, and I have NEVER been so happy in my entire life. And I am not even in the field yet. It is a weird kind of happy though. This week while I was struggling, I never really felt sad. I felt a little down but I knew that this is exactly where I am supposed to be and if I am never sad, I will never truly be happy! Missionary work changes your attitude on a lot of things!
Mom and Dad, you really should have thought through not coming to live in Utah for 6 weeks. My companions are both from Utah and Hermana Paulson's mom works in the Barber shop. We eat lunch with her mom often and we run into her siblings all the time. Hermana Tidwell saw her older sister and nieces today while we were walking from the bus stop. Then her Mom happened to be where we went for lunch. I die a little bit every time we see their families. I wish more than anything I could have a mom or dad hug! But it is okay, its all progress! Hermana Paulsons mom taught me to say that. Every time I get sad about missing my family, say how wonderful it is that I am progressing and that much closer to seeing them again! When I saw H. Tidwell's nieces today they were all around Bryce, Brandon, and Masons age and I missed those crazy boys. Who would have ever thought!
We made it to one month! We threw a little party on the 7th. I cant believe its already one month. I think about coming home and honestly I don't want to end my mission. I am growing so much!
So this week has a special name. It is called Consecration week. We only speak Spanish. THE ENTIRE WEEK. So I am three days in and still alive. P-day is different because we are on main campus a lot where we aren't around Spanish speakers but when we are together we only speak Spanish. I am astonished on how much I know. I don't know it all but I know enough to get around what I needed to say. My brain at the end of the day is pudding. We call it postre ceribrum which means pudding brain haha. Yesterday our choir director told us that in the paper, Public Radio did an article on the MTC and how we learn languages so fast. The author was not LDS and shared that the only organization that is similar in the US Army programs but the take 50-60 weeks. We do it in 6 and get the same results. That right there shows the power of the spirit and the gift of tongues. It is real. I spent TWO years of high school studying this language and I never got it. But now I can SOMEWHAT speak. The cool part is to read my scriptures in Spanish and UNDERSTAND what it is saying. When I get to Argentina it will be like an ENTIRELY different language because of the accent but I know God will take care of me.
Funny things of the week! My grammatical errors were not that bad this week! WHOOO! But I still had a LOT of funny experiences. Everyone tells us that we are the funniest companionship in the CCM. My companions and I are hilarious jaja (that's Spanish for haha)
- We were studying outside, and I happened to sit in the ONLY broken chair in the ENTIRE campus. While reading the scriptures with my district, the bolt came out of my chair and in my dress, I fell right onto the SOAKING wet grass. Elder Betzsold laughed at me for a good 10 minutes.
- There is a companionship with Elder Travis, Elder Tofua, and Elder Grey. Imagine a Tongan man, a huge 6'2 white guy, and a maybe 5 foot little band boy. They are the CUTEST companionship and they love each other. Well, a few days ago, Elder Travis was telling a story staying that his aunt got a tick in her ear and it ATE her ear drum. Elder Travis said yeah, she is deaf in one ear. Elder Grey thought he said Dead, in one year. For about 20 minutes these elders fought about how they were not able to save her life. They did not understand that one heard one sentence and the other heard another. It was hilarious!
-There was this Asian Elder going to Hong Kong and after devotional said Ni-hou and I was like Ni-hou and then said " I have two sisters from China!" but, without realizing, I happened to say it in spanish and the elder looked at me SOO confused and said Ni-hou and walked away. He did not speak English or Spanish. Haha it was embarrassing.
- There is this dip in the side walk and Elder Betzsold and I have BOTH tripped in it. We always warn everyone and say WATCH OUT FOR THE SIDEWALK it is KNOWN to take missionaries down!!
- There is an Elder in our Zone that the elders in my district are CONVINCED I need to marry and I happened to be walking in the grass right behind him and tripped. Landed on all fours and the the elders in my district lost it. They yelled, WOW Hermana Root is having QUITE the stay in the MTC!
This week I translated the song, "Saturday is a special day" into spanish. Now my WHOLE zone sings my lyrics haha. It is hilarious in spanish! I will sing it to you when I get to call THE DAY AFTER FATHERS DAY in the airport!
Last night we got to hear from Elder Cook. WOW it was amazing! It was just what I needed to hear. He gave us a blessing that we would all feel capable for our calling. That is just what I needed. I worry to much about being PERFECT but it is not expected of me to have perfect Spanish and to be perfect. I have made it the goal though that the moment I get to my area in Argentina, I am going to make sure I get to know my ward and let them trust me. I am going to leave each area better than I found it. It is so intimidating thinking about talking to actual members but I just have to do it.
This week I say goodbye to correct pronunciation of my name! It now will be Hermana Rrruuuuuutt. Kinda sounds like Rot. Its not cute at all!
Today in Jamba I saw a lady who had a baby Stella. I naturally asked her if I could hold her. She let me and I almost cried. I miss my pup! But thanks mom for sending my pillow pet!! You're such a gem!
God has blessed me so much. My companions and I are so far ahead of many people in our district and we were trying to figure out why and it is because we are being obedient and working as hard as we can. I am so glad that we are companions. We all have the same personality and we all work SO hard. These girls will be some of my best friends forever.
Mom thanks for the cookies this week and the letters and emails from everyone. Next email will be IN ARGENTINA!!!! AHHHH. I love you all!
El evangelio es verdado!
Chau chau!
Mucho amor por ustedes!!
Con amor,
Hermana Root
Pictures:
My district and I at our last temple time
On service morning, we wear our matching argentina shirts!!
Saying goodbye to Hannie! Shes in Ogden!
Pup Pup in Jamba Juice!
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