Wowww! So today was unexpected. Not our p-day but we get to email today
because our p-day got switched to tomorrow because a wave of missionaries is
leaving tomorrow, so we get to go to downtown Guatemala tomorrow and won’t have
time for email.. so yea! That means it’ll be a week and a half before I get to
email again \; But before I forget, I make a list throughout the week of what I
forgot to say, so these things I need to take care of first.
-1st day all of us got a buzz cut so
that’s why in the pics you saw that.
-Also 1st day we got our cameras
taken away because you can’t take pics of the CCM but don’t worry we get them
back tomorrow for the market.
-idk if you've sent a package but I wouldn't send one until like 2 weeks in case I forgot stuff.. I forgot to
mention I need black dockers, 2 more ties, an SD card full of family pics so I
can look at on the cameras, my other consecrated oil on my key-chain, LOTS OF
CANDY, and a bungee for working out! Gracias!
-Forget to say that I saw Bro Wiseman
at church at my farewell and was way pumped about that
-Forget to say that our first Sunday
hymn was how great thou art so you can bet I was crying
-Will you send Pres Cottle’s blessing notes to me por favor?
And that’s it for last week!
Ok so explanation of my title.. it’s
exactly what it sounds like. Every day is the same 16 hour day of learning and
forgetting but then remembering Spanish, but then all of a sudden I've been
here two weeks! Honestly, I have no idea how it works, but I'm trying to work as
hard as I can with my Espanol. I forget that I've only been here like 12 days
and just get so mad and down because I don’t know as much Spanish as other
people do.. but there’s a cool story with that that happened yesterday.. and
Saturday night.
So yesterday was fast Sunday and
Saturday was the hardest day since the first 2 days. Just got thinking and we
talked to the Latinos en la noche and honestly I had no idea how to say any
Spanish and I couldn't remember anything. I got so mad and down on myself. It
was a pretty low day. But then Elder Miles (read about him later in the letter)
showed me this scrip and its Matthew 14:29-33. I would write it all but I have
no time. EVERYONE READ IT. Literally think that changed my life. Sunday morn I
was okay but still kinda in the dumps even after the night before and then
testimony meeting happened.. I can’t describe the spirit and sacredness of that
meeting. There’s just no way. But a lot of Latinos went up and did theirs and I couldn't really understand at all but the spirit was getting strong and then
this kid that is 23 went up and literally is the most gringo one here. Like, he
barely knows any Spanish. But he works his bum off. And so he started off with
a simple testimony in Spanish that all the nortos know and then he ended in
English and it just made me realize that, ya know what? It doesn't matter. The
spirit is the spirit. He is the teacher. Not us. And mom it made me realize, I
can do hard things. And then right after him, this Latino went up that you can
tell is poorer than poor. His suit tie and countenance just told the story of
how humble he is. And I cried and I cried. Because he baring his testimony made
me go back to why I came out here in the first place. Because these people and
people all over the world need to know that GOD LOVES THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE AND
HE IS PROUD OF THEM. Then I got up and bore a simple testimony in Spanish which
was really cool. And from then on, sure I sometimes joke about not learning
Spanish with the elders but im not worried. I’m stopping comparing myself with
others, and with my faith and hard work, I’ll eventually get it. The Lord
promises me that. Oh and with that I also keep getting these people saying to
read the BOM in Spanish and you’ll know the language and so that’s what im
doing! 25 pages a day and all out loud! Don’t know most of the stuff but me and
Elder Bergstrom in my district have decided to do that! It takes like an hour
to read 15 pages so its tough goal but this one I want more than anything.
Sunday night we had a devotional
replay from Elder Christofferson and I received a lot of inspiration! YIELD
YOUR HEART TO GOD. Different for everyone, but same message.
Um, just a basic day here we wake up
at 6:30 shower and get ready have breakfast at 7:30, go have personal study and
language study from 8-10, which is the greatest part of the day, and then we
study the language with our teachers and do grammar until lunch at like 12:45.
Then more language stuff and we teach a lesson either in the morn or night to
our investigator which is very hard but then deportes is amazing and its from
4-6 and then we teach and learn and go to bed at 10:30 Kinda sums it up, but I got
to go!
Quote from one of our roommates that’s
so hilarious and so weird his name is Elder Miles and he’s my fav. He literally
is a ghost hunter and he has these freaky stories that are way weird but that’s
how you get through each day here I guess. Gotta be kinda weird and laugh a lot
or you get thinking too much and nobody likes that. That’s why I love our district
so much. We all help each other soooooo much. They really are like my family. But anyway, here it is
"Don’t short sell yourself, you’re
pretty valuable. Like I would pay you 35 bucks to have a conversation with you
for 2 hours"
haha!
This week I'm thankful for email, my
body, the Temple, Spanish, Elder McNeil, Sis Savage, Joseph Smith, fans, p-days,
letters, love, my mission, lights, Eerkes gifts of journals, internet, English,
candy, the District, THE MOST AMAZING GUATEMALIAN TEACHER/FRIEND IN THE WORLD,
sleep, basketball, shoes, watches, water, laughter, riddles, Cart-man, good
friends, testimonies, ties, Peter, movies, hearts, and the book ‘Our Search For
Happiness’.
"Daily decisions determine
destiny"
-Thomas S Monson
Con Amor,
Elder Johnson
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