August 12, 2014

Excerpts from our emails from Emily from AUGUST 12th:

Thanks for the email!  I was really missing you guys this week.  It was good to hear what you guys are up to!  I wish I could be there to help with Juliana but I know everything will be fine.  I can’t imagine getting thrown into another culture, and it would be super hard for me to move into someone’s actual house.  It will be fine though.  You guys are awesome so she will love it and be sad to leave.  I promise.

Me taking a picture to celebrate getting to use our shower again.

I was thinking about it this week. I call it the “Garden of Eden” principle.  You are perfectly happy but then you get thrust out into the dreary wilderness and it is really hard.  You have to work the land and get to know new people and new ways, to make a place for yourself and do your best. Then that becomes your new Garden of Eden.  It is hard but you make it better, and then you love that new place.  And when you have to leave that place it is really hard.  That is definitely going to happen to me here.  The more you put into it the more you learn and grow and love it.  It is a process that happens YOUR WHOLE LIFE.  And that’s what makes us awesome.   I am learning a lot and am happy.  I HOPE  THAT MADE A LITTLE BIT OF SENSE.  

#AWESOME

I am doing good!  This week has been hard-ish but right now I have the perfect recipe for a good day.  Knowing Spanish plus feeling the spirit plus helping people by touching their hearts #hermanasheffer!!! I will get there eventually. 

Me and Hermana Fly hanging out in our bunks

I told myself this wasn’t going to happen but it totally did.  I just had that cry in my chest feeling and it goes off if any person asks me if I am ok.  One of those.   I am working my behind off ....(mish appropriate)... jk, but it is just hard to have no progress I feel like.  Which is not true.  

It was because my teacher in class picked me and a couple other people to do some extra work with grammar that we were learning.  I was confused why she had picked me.   I was super upset that she had chosen me that I almost started crying right there.  I still think it is because I am more quiet she thought maybe I just don’t know the language, and I don’t talk as much in lessons because sometimes I panic.  I don’t know.  But it really upset me.  I threw a little “I suck at life” party in my head.  She just told the other people they could have free time to study.  

Right after that we had to teach a lesson to her.  We totally went off the lesson plan, and it wasn’t bad but my companion was sharing scriptures that I didn’t even know about, and couldn’t understand so I couldn’t really contribute and I was just frustrated.

So we said the closing prayer and my teacher asked me to sit back down in the little fake living room and then I did it (the cry thing).  It was awful.  But she said that she could tell that I loved the people I taught, tried hard, and that I talked with the spirit.  It made me feel a lot better but I don’t know… it was really rough.  She shared 2 Nephi 32:3 with me and said it will come.  She said as missionaries we speak by the spirit so the people we will teach really think we are angels because we  speak by the power of Christ.  I don’t know … it’s hard, and the Spanish I have learned is a miracle.  But ya I just don’t know.  Hard moment.  I really liked that quote you shared at the end of your last email.  Because really it applied to this week.

My awesome distrito and some others from our Zone playing volleyball before they leave for Chile.

I love these guys!

Okay, two more things I HAVE TO HURRY AND TALK ABOUT.

FIRST:

 I have survived the horrors of a virus in the CCM.  

Sing with me…”Sun-day is a special day, especially when everyone is DY-ING!!“

 I am not even kidding, they were hauling people to the infirmary in their golf carts all night.  Of the thousand people here there have been over 100 in the hospital.  They look like death, too.  Their faces go all white and they are too weak to move.  Pretty much the scariest thing of my life. 

Our classroom hallway was empty and it was kinda freaky.  I was soo scared I was going to get it.  They have guards in the cafeteria to make sure we wash our hands and etc.  I survived though! It was scary.  Spiritual analogy can be drawn from this….KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN PEOPLE!!!  It was in the span of 3 days too.  Not to be happy about it or anything but I got 2 hours of free relax time sitting with a companion.  I read 20 chapters in Alma and (get ready for it) .... took a nap.  But ya it was bad. I am glad everyone is ok.  

My distrito using the self-timer in our place of learning

SECOND:.  This is a p.s. section that should not be shared with the outside world.  I think, I am not quite sure what the rules are.  But my district was determined to be the most worthy and we were initiated.  After planning time at 9:30 they rushed us into a classroom so we wouldn’t get caught.  They had hung up flashlights on the ceiling so that there was one light that fell onto the table with a book on it.  One Elder was standing over it.  When we walked into the classroom they were humming like monks. They were all wearing their raincoats. Then they sang a song set to the music from the Hobbit dinner song and it was SOOO funny!! It was about President Pratte and the food and the CCM.  I wish I could remember all the words because it was classic!!! I was laughing so hard.  Then they handed our district leader the “Book of Records” and told him to “keep it secret and keep it safe”.

Then they said “BRING FORTH THE SWEATER!”.   Some Elders were hiding in closets and came out of them with the sweater. They put it on our distrito leader and handed him the book. Our leader had to wear the sweater the next day, including during gym time!!! And he could not wash it!!!

I can’t even explain but it was the FUNNIEST thing of my entire CCM experience.

This is my new bag. I love the crazy colors.

We ran back to our casas and the next day we read “The Book of Records” (at least parts of it, because it is 200 pages long). 

There have been over 50 missionaries writing their experiences in it.  It is a big book!!  It is hilarious.  It is written in the style of the Book of Mormon and it is classic!  Some of the experiences in there are soo funny.  OH and Hermano Ortiz and Hermana Vidrio did date because it is written in the book from like 3 months ago!! I have a romantic sixth sense!  

It was an initiation process that started when President Pratte started being President!!! The first person to write in the book is already back from his mission!!! You know how many elders have worn that sweater!!!

It was soo great.  

Our distrito has an inside joke about pirates, so we are going to make up our song to that. I am pretty excited.  

Hermano Ortiz also told us les amo.  It was a happy day.  

So that is all.  Tell everyone that I said hi.  I have sent a lot of letters so hopefully you are getting them.

SAY HI TO DAD AND GRANDPARENTS AND EVERYONE.

I miss you guys!

EMILY

What are these? They confuse me. They look like Lego Hands.

My package! Donuts! Yay! DONA means GIFT and FELICIDAD means Happy so it means a GIFT OF HAPPINESS!! And it was!!  ( A note from Sonja.... this world is messed up as I cannot send my kid a package from the US but I can have a dozen Krispy Kremes delivered? QUE???)