SEPTEMBER 22 - I MADE TORTILLAS!

I got all your emails today so that is awesome!  Your trip sounded amazing!   I love the pictures.  So that is super funny about the homeless guy giving you tickets haha.  Holy lifetime memories right there! Aaaannndd you got to take dad somewhere he has never been!  HAHA the day has COME!  Sounds amazing! I am definitely wanting to go there.  Especially after I heard that you saw HUNDREDS of my favorite animal!!

I am fed by members probably 3 times a week!  It is one of my favorite parts of the week.  It is just really fun to get to know them, and they make really good authentic food and it is just fun.  Like I MADE MY FIRST TORTILLA. An Authentic Real Tortilla.  Soo good.  I am writing the recipe down so it can be my new rice and soup when I am older!

We are watching general conference in our chapel! I am super excited I made a paper count down chain haha.

My Spanish is getting better!  I am still reading in the LDM and I made another life bucket list item to read the Santa Biblia! In Spanish that would be soo cool!!  I get general gists of what people are saying and I can say a lot but I freeze up a lot - shy symptoms and different language and not knowing what to say battling in my brain.  #shyprobs #nose #loqueasay #lookslikeispelledabodypart #funny. 

People like that I am learning Spanish.  They always tell me that is really cool.  I am really lucky to be able to speak Spanish all the time though, there is Spanish everywhere which is amazing!

So we are still doing a lot of tracting because we are still trying to find interested people.  I really am glad mom you sent me that advice.  Because I feel like we almost haven't been trying hard enough!  So I will totally share that! Study that!  But ya I am having a good time still.  We are realizing that contacting is MUCH better than tracting so we are riding our bikes more and talking to every person we see.  Seriously every person.  I have probably met over 500 new people.  So many.  And it is interesting to learn about them. 

We met this Hindu man.  He invited us right into his house and told us about his life!  He works for Toyota now.  He started washing cars when he got here and now he is their top quality specialist mechanic.  He went and got an award he had received and showed us.  I loved he was able to go so high up.  He was also in an arranged marriage and he showed us his prayer room!  The idols were beautiful and it just felt ancient. I thought it was super cool.  And then we got to share a little what we believed.  Loved it. 

We also met this guy walking around, and we talked to him.  He was like, "I went to your church once!  Now I have food storage!!" hahahaha.  Go us!  #survivors.  

We also met a native American!  So cool to learn about religions and then share ours and ask questions.

One time we asked a guy if he had neighbors that spoke Spanish and he was like no I am a hermit I don't really talk to my neighbors.  Hermana Skidmore was like "Hey want a card for our website? Hermits love the internet!" hahahaa I thought it was so funny but he still didn't want it.

Lots of people here speak Spanish.  The people are really nice, and so happy with like any situation.  Super chill.  We were talking to this one lady at her door and we asked her if she had faith in Jesus Christ and she was like ya come see.  In her house was a wax figure of Jesus on the cross.  hahaha. Yep.

But this week was amazing because we found 3 different families to teach in 2 days!!!!! wowowowowowow.  I am so excited!

We don't really teach a lot of sit down lessons it is always outside and random.  So I am learning to improvise!  Its Friday Preach the Gospel day, let’s get up and roll!  On the fly BOM BOM BOM (haha Book of Mormon)

Anyways it is going good!

Thanks for the emails and tell dad thanks too.

TELL EVERYONE HI for me.

Emily

MORE PICTURES FROM SISTER SHEFFER

#SELFIESUNDAY

 

THANKS AUNT ASHLEE!!

WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE BACK US OUT OF DRIVEWAYS. HA!!

September 15, 2014 TEMPLE TRIP!!

Tell dad I loved his Proverbs scripture.  That is hilarious.

I don't know if I have told you this already but I LOVE SACRAMENTO.  Did you know that the short name for Sacramento is the City of Trees?  Seriously there is everything.  Palm + Pine + random  + fat palms + giant redwoods.  I love the redwoods.  We have to go there when you pick me up!  Anyways I am where I am supposed to be!  And I love Spanish. It is definitely coming along.  Frustrating sometimes, but I am getting better at least!!

THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!!!

I am pleased to announce I am the proud mother of about 40 little tiny pocito baby Sea Monkeys!!!! I love them!  It says not to have pets of any kind, but I am pretty sure our shower is probably growing just as much stuff so I think I am good!!  I loved it though thank you so much!

My Bishop’s wife said her daughter saw a picture of me on Facebook, because you had been posting stuff on some missionary moms page???  Quuueeee???  Hahaha mom.  You are funny.  And Facebook is weird.  My Bishop’s wife saw it haha.  Small world!

I need help.  My companion, this is her last transfer after training me!!  So it is tradition to make them a trunky planner.  We cover our planners with pictures from the ensign and etc but this one needs to have like men (appropriate of course) and stuff like that.  Will you help me, or do you have any good ideas?  I want to make it good!

Want to hear something funny? My miracle Michelle has 2 kids named Genesis and Matteo.  When she joins the church (hoping hoping hoping) she could name her next kid NEPHI!!!  It’s brilliant!  Now she has to join the church!

This week has been good.  We have been showing we mean business at least!  We are calling and visiting and leaving notes like crazy.  The problem is no one respects our appointments ever.  So all the teaching I have basically done has been on the street or on people’s porches.  Crazy.  Not what I pictured when I thought of missionary work haha.  There is so much spent time chasing people.  haha.  But it makes it so awesome when we do have miracle people like Michelle and Jose.   Good times. 

EXAMPLE:  We went to talk to Jose and we asked him if he had read what we left him in the Book of Mormon.  When he said he had, we both like CHEERED!!  He loved us cheering…  he thought it was so funny. I love moments like that.  

I haven't been liking it a ton though (like I definitely love it out here, but I have a long way to go still!)  because we do a lot of doorstep stuff.  I can’t find the perfect balance of “yes I am on your porch + what I share will change your life for you and your children for ETERNITY + hi how are you? + you have a nice lawn, + no I am not selling anything”.  I don't know it is just really hard for me!

It is crazy too because people really don't care.  You tell them that there is a prophet of God on the earth again same as the Bible, God is the same then, now and forever... and they are like..... whatever. … doesn't mean anything to me basically.  I have to work on applying it to them.  Which is just hard when you don't know them.  Hahaha.  I will figure it out soon I hope.  Any suggestions anyone?

Anyways I have resolved to just do my best and keep the faith and I will be guided to people and we will find people that are willing to listen to us!!!!  RENEWED MOTIVATION!!! Ya go day 20 hahaha!

I love learning Spanish though.  I speak it all the time, I was worried about that but I speak it sooo much.  So I will definitely be able to speak hopefully good Spanish soon!!

Hey mom this will make you happy.  I am now the Relief Society pianist.  hahaha.  Be proud.

I ALSO WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!  It was Angeles first time doing baptisms for the dead!  It was a great day.  Angeles is the one sending you all the pictures!  She doesn't know very much English just in case you have responded haha.  It was a beautiful experience.

Well folks, the church is true.  I could not write a 100th part of my week.  But this is what I deem most important!!  Be glad I saved you from about 1,059 door encounters haha. Feel lucky.

TELL EVERYONE HELLO FROM ME!!!

I want to hear about your trip! (TELL ME MORE TELL ME MORE)

I am excited to hear about it next week!!

Have a super good week!  Good luck with your new job!  Good luck dad with his jobs!  Tell everyone good luck with school!  

ADVICE TO ANYONE GOING TO THE CCM IN MEXICO CITY

NOTE FROM SONJA:
I had asked Emily to write down her advice to anyone assigned to the CCM (the MTC in Mexico). 
She had sent a few funny things but then sent this email a few weeks later:

CCM ADVICE:

Take notes at every devotional, Relief Society, and Video Night.

Call your text books RED/ RED MAMA/ RED DRAGON/ BULBASOAR (brought to you by hermano Ortiz)

Take notes from TALL in your big dragon book.

Hit up the nutella bar - 12 grain is where it's at.

Go to bed on time.

Make friends with a worker.  Its good to practice Spanish and it is good to have a friend!

Respect and listen to your teachers!  They can teach you SO much if you will let them.  My teachers are life changers.

Buy Chokis and Bueno Bars.

Buy a picture book.

PRAY OFTEN, and for specific things.

Pray for your investigators, even though they are fake.  They are playing real people that are really close to them.  Treat them with respect if that makes sense.

Play sand volleyball as a distrito.

When you go to the temple buy a shirt and a bag and scripture cases, you will wish you had and they are awesome.

Study all of Preach My Gospel before you come.  Like the whole book.  Study what the simple doctrines are for each lesson.

Review scriptures stories.  Main tool to apply to investigators lives. 

Live what you teach.  Have experience.  If you don't have faith YOU can do it, how will you tell them they need to have faith to overcome and change their lives?

Talk to all the latinos you can.

Memorize scriptures before you come in espanol.

Have faith that you can do it.

Keep a journal no matter what.

Bring hand sanitizer.

Every p-day is a celebration.  Go to the tienda and try all the icecream!

Wash your hands frequently.  There are viruses about.

CCM does not provide tide/detergent.  And always put they setting on the coldest or you run the risk of melting/shrinking your clothes.  True story.

Don't be late for anything.

Bring water protective shoes/coat/umbrella.  Carry at all times. 

Bring basketball shorts for gym time and p-days.

If shower doesn't work use your water bottle. 

Don't keep any kind of food in room.  It will be found by a million ants.

Get close to the girls in your zone.

Be friends with your teachers.

Do demonstration teachings all the time.

Don't freak out if you have bad lessons. 

You don't have to be a perfect teacher.  There will be things that you really don't know.  Its ok.  You are a representative of Jesus Christ.  He WAS a perfect teacher.  Its ok to say that.

Every bad deprecating feeling can be combated by JESUS CHRIST.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT

Thank you

You will love the CCM.

My favorite parts

Singing Called to Serve at all the devotionals.

The Nutella Bar with 12 grain bread.

The movie nights

The Elder Holland devotionals

Pizza night on Tuesdays

The palm Trees

Seeing parrots

MY TEACHERS TEACHING.  WOW.  Ask your teachers a million questions.  Get to be friends with them.  They can teach you SOOO MUCH.  And just work really hard, you will get through it and love it.