Sometimes it pays off to have terrible Español
Hola Familia,
Well, I would like to begin by announcing that I am 65% fluent in Spanish! And by that I mean I can score a 65% on a grammar test. So I don't really know how fluent I am... Secondly, I can whistle! Elder Craven taught me on Sunday and I'm really bad, but that doesn't lessen the fact that I can do it now! Oh, and I'm officially in Tuxtla now so I guess that's kind of cool. ;)
Even though I just emailed you guys a few days ago a lot has happened! So I'll take you from the beginning through. I felt ready to leave all last week. Our bags were packed and so I felt like we were supposed to leave every day. I really hate living out of a suitcase! We took lots of pictures Saturday and had to say goodbye to our awesome teachers Hermanos Valencia and Hurtado. We also got a really awesome Hasta Ver goodbye. It's a tradition in our building at the CCM (the Brigham Young Building) for all of the not leaving districts to line up against the walls of the hallway and sing "Hasta Ver" to all districts who are leaving for their missions while they walk through the line and say goodbye. It's a super awesome tradition, and I had someone take a video. (See below)
On Sunday we had an 8C Christmas! We put Hermana Burton's Christmas tree in the middle of the classroom, sang every Christmas song you can imagine, and did a Secret Santa. It was the best! As missionaries in the CCM we didn't really have any access to wrapping paper of any kind, so the Elders got creative. The wrapping ranges from toilet paper to Krispy Kreme boxes to even a pillow case (and not a very clean one at that...)! Hahahah! Then we had some very sad goodbyes (mostly on Hermana Burton's part, you guys know I don't cry).
Today has been a really long day! It felt like 5pm when it was 11am. I was ready for lunch when normal people were ready for breakfast! I guess that's what happens when you get up at 1am and are going on two hours of sleep... But I was so excited to get into the real world!
Something I've really been wanting to test is the promise we read numerous times in Doctrine and Covenants: open your mouth and it will be filled. I've been wanting to feel that my entire CCM experience, but hadn't. And you don't really get as much of an opportunity when you're surrounded by Mormons, even in a role play. So as my first day in the mission field I prayed to specifically see that happen as I fulfilled my end of the commandment.
I also had the goal to give out a Book of Mormon at the airport. We were at the airport for a long time this morning, and I probably spent an hour trying to work up the courage and figure out how I could open my mouth and talk to someone. Hermana Behymer, the other American sister going to Tuxtla, reminded me of the power of prayer and how it would help me. So I said a prayer asking the Lord to tell me who I should talk to.
There were three men sitting behind us and I felt like I should go back and talk to them. So, after taking a deep breath, I got up out of my seat to go and talk to them. I think I've found a great way to casually start talking to people. I went up and asked if I could practice my Spanish with them. Sometimes it pays off to have terrible Español! They were super nice and basically said of course!
It was really cool, I talked to them for a long time just about where they were from, why they were in Mexico City, their work, their families. I tried to bring up the Church by asking if they had heard anything about the church on my name tag before. It fell flat because the answer was no. Then the conversation moved on, which I was sad about.
But religion came back up again, they saw the other young missionaries with name tags and started asking about them. I told them a little about what we did as missionaries, and then we talked about their religion a little bit. They were all Catholic, but like most people here in Mexico only went [to church] on holidays. I asked them if they believed in the Bible, which they did, and then talked about how we believe in the Bible too, and a book like the Bible called the Book of Mormon. I explained a little more about what it was and then invited them to read it. I had to hunt two more copies down from other missionaries, but I gave them each a copy of the Book along with my email and a mormon.org card. It was awesome! I don't know for sure that anything will come of it, but I'm praying something does!
If nothing else it really testified to me that if you open your mouth to proclaim the word, the Lord will fill it. He will let you know what you need to say. I didn't realize in the moment that that's what was happening, but it was and it did! I knew exactly how to phrase things, and there's no way it was through my own Spanish skill.
I was planning on telling you guys more about my day as that was only a small part of it, but I'm afraid due to time I'm going to have to leave you guys hanging! This much I will tell you: you can slice through the humidity, Walmart is the same, and I don't know who my companion is or where I'm going to be serving- I won't know until tomorrow. :)
Hope you guys have an incredible week!
Les amo mucho mucho!
Hermana Larsen
Well, I would like to begin by announcing that I am 65% fluent in Spanish! And by that I mean I can score a 65% on a grammar test. So I don't really know how fluent I am... Secondly, I can whistle! Elder Craven taught me on Sunday and I'm really bad, but that doesn't lessen the fact that I can do it now! Oh, and I'm officially in Tuxtla now so I guess that's kind of cool. ;)
Even though I just emailed you guys a few days ago a lot has happened! So I'll take you from the beginning through. I felt ready to leave all last week. Our bags were packed and so I felt like we were supposed to leave every day. I really hate living out of a suitcase! We took lots of pictures Saturday and had to say goodbye to our awesome teachers Hermanos Valencia and Hurtado. We also got a really awesome Hasta Ver goodbye. It's a tradition in our building at the CCM (the Brigham Young Building) for all of the not leaving districts to line up against the walls of the hallway and sing "Hasta Ver" to all districts who are leaving for their missions while they walk through the line and say goodbye. It's a super awesome tradition, and I had someone take a video. (See below)
On Sunday we had an 8C Christmas! We put Hermana Burton's Christmas tree in the middle of the classroom, sang every Christmas song you can imagine, and did a Secret Santa. It was the best! As missionaries in the CCM we didn't really have any access to wrapping paper of any kind, so the Elders got creative. The wrapping ranges from toilet paper to Krispy Kreme boxes to even a pillow case (and not a very clean one at that...)! Hahahah! Then we had some very sad goodbyes (mostly on Hermana Burton's part, you guys know I don't cry).
Today has been a really long day! It felt like 5pm when it was 11am. I was ready for lunch when normal people were ready for breakfast! I guess that's what happens when you get up at 1am and are going on two hours of sleep... But I was so excited to get into the real world!
Something I've really been wanting to test is the promise we read numerous times in Doctrine and Covenants: open your mouth and it will be filled. I've been wanting to feel that my entire CCM experience, but hadn't. And you don't really get as much of an opportunity when you're surrounded by Mormons, even in a role play. So as my first day in the mission field I prayed to specifically see that happen as I fulfilled my end of the commandment.
I also had the goal to give out a Book of Mormon at the airport. We were at the airport for a long time this morning, and I probably spent an hour trying to work up the courage and figure out how I could open my mouth and talk to someone. Hermana Behymer, the other American sister going to Tuxtla, reminded me of the power of prayer and how it would help me. So I said a prayer asking the Lord to tell me who I should talk to.
There were three men sitting behind us and I felt like I should go back and talk to them. So, after taking a deep breath, I got up out of my seat to go and talk to them. I think I've found a great way to casually start talking to people. I went up and asked if I could practice my Spanish with them. Sometimes it pays off to have terrible Español! They were super nice and basically said of course!
It was really cool, I talked to them for a long time just about where they were from, why they were in Mexico City, their work, their families. I tried to bring up the Church by asking if they had heard anything about the church on my name tag before. It fell flat because the answer was no. Then the conversation moved on, which I was sad about.
But religion came back up again, they saw the other young missionaries with name tags and started asking about them. I told them a little about what we did as missionaries, and then we talked about their religion a little bit. They were all Catholic, but like most people here in Mexico only went [to church] on holidays. I asked them if they believed in the Bible, which they did, and then talked about how we believe in the Bible too, and a book like the Bible called the Book of Mormon. I explained a little more about what it was and then invited them to read it. I had to hunt two more copies down from other missionaries, but I gave them each a copy of the Book along with my email and a mormon.org card. It was awesome! I don't know for sure that anything will come of it, but I'm praying something does!
If nothing else it really testified to me that if you open your mouth to proclaim the word, the Lord will fill it. He will let you know what you need to say. I didn't realize in the moment that that's what was happening, but it was and it did! I knew exactly how to phrase things, and there's no way it was through my own Spanish skill.
I was planning on telling you guys more about my day as that was only a small part of it, but I'm afraid due to time I'm going to have to leave you guys hanging! This much I will tell you: you can slice through the humidity, Walmart is the same, and I don't know who my companion is or where I'm going to be serving- I won't know until tomorrow. :)
Hope you guys have an incredible week!
Les amo mucho mucho!
Hermana Larsen
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| There must be a story here... |
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| Companeras |
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| MTC District |
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| Stand together and lift where you stand |
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| Ready to go to the Field! |
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| The MTC Classroom |
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| 8C Secret Santa Gifts |
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| Farewell to the CCM District |
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| Who is funnier? Hermanas or Elders? |
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| Missionaries at CCM |
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| At the Mexico City Airport |
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| Hermana Larsen is in Tuxtla! |
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| Hermanas with Hermana George |
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| Tuxtla Gutierrez Temple with the George's |
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| Templo de Tuxtla Gutierrez |
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| Hermana Larsen and her new mission presidents |
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