Oh my goodness!!!!
CONGRATUALATIONS KATIE HOGGAN!!! Estoy muy feliz para su llamamiento! Mexico es muy suerte! Yo se que estara una Buena missionera! =)
To all of you who didn't know, one of my BESTEST friends en todo el mundo es serviendo un mision en: You are assigned to labor in the México Mérida Mission!! =) FELICITACIONES HERMANA!!! And I just realized one of the neatest things in the world! She will be leaving on my Half way mark! August 6th. =) How incredible is that!?!?! Anyways, congratulations and you will be one of the best missionaries I know! You will change so many lives. .
Now back to the life of this missionary. . . where to begin! haha.
Life as a missionary is wonderful and frustrating all at once! You have so much excitement happening and so much disappointment tambien. It is FRUSTRATING! haha. Well we kind of had a rough encounter yesterday. . it was a direct answer to prayer but oh man. . . he was RUDE!
So during this past weekly planning we had four men that we were definitely unsure about. . we just didn't know what they wanted and just didn't think they really had interest in the gospel but we didn't really have a reason to "drop them" besides the fact that we just didn't think they were ready (which is us just not having enough faith sometimes). . So during weekly planning we prayed that we would know what to do with each of them. . let's just say it was three days after and we had dropped all of them for a specific reason. . not just us feeling weird.
But let me just tell you about the one named Hector. . . UGH!
So we go and visit him and have a lesson outside (because we can't enter, so he is a little bugged to begin with but says it is fine). .
So he hadn't kept his commitment to read the intro so we begin to read the intro with him. So then he is reading the second paragraph and just half way trhough is like there are lots of words I don't recognize so I don't understand. So we were like well we can explain. How about we read something and when you don't understand we will just stop and explain. So we start to explain what is happening and he just BLOWS UP. haha. Oh man. . .
He just goes off about how "we don't know Spanish" and how "since you lived in Mexico for 6 months (yes, we corrected him and said WEEKS and we lived with other americans) haha. you should know perfect Spanish and how it only took him 2 months to learn perfect English living here in America" and how "we can't even understand him and all those people we are teaching that say they understand us don't know what we are saying and are lying to us" and just RUDE things. (and me being imperfect am thinking rude things. . .but I hold it all in because it doesn't help to argue). And then he basically says "my house is your house and when you learn Spanish you can come back". haha. WOW! Oh goodness. . I could care less that he thinks my Spanish is crap. I was just ticked that he would treat ANYONE with that much disrespect and then on top of that someone who is a representative of the Savior. Oh man I was FUMING (in the car and just holding it in for a minute). And I think it was hilarious that he said we don't understand Spanish because this WHOLE conversation was IN SPANISH and if he truly spoke perfect English he would refuse to talk to us in Spanish. (p.s. his English isn't that great. . that is just a throw in to make me feel better). But we received a direct answer to our prayer! haha. =) Bright side it is. And it was neat because Hermana Newman shared with me something President had shared with her. . . the baptismal promise says we need to have a humble heart. And only those who are humble will listen to us. Because yes, our Spanish isn't perfect, but they will know we are special and have a desire to listen. =) I was just glad it wasn't mashed potatoes in my face! I think I would take being told my Spanish sucks over having them throw food at me. haha. =)
But it was even better because right after this we went and visited Eliberta, who is probably in her 60's and is just the sweetest old lady ever. She came to church! She LOVED it and we went by to see how she liked it. Then we had a whole lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about baptism. She didn't commit to a date but she was really intrigued by the idea and just LOVED everything we were talking about. She really loved church though and was excited to have us come by that night. =) She is probably our most progressing investigator. She is just incredible. I will have to get a picture with her. . :)
Another exciting thing. . .I SPOKE IN CHURCH! haha. Oh man. . . it was interesting but I did good apparently. Jesus told me after that my talk was well done. =) But he could just be nice. They are just the sweetest family. But I gave it on Elder Hales talk from conference. I enjoyed it.
All the missionaries also went to Jesus, Miriam, and Natasha's for dinner. They are the greatest little family. They made us this really good meal spaghetti with a pablano sauce and then chicken. And Jesus was cracking jokes the whole time and just being hilarious. And Miriam was all worried we wouldn't like her food. And just to tell you how amazing they are. . so we send a sign up sheet around the branch at the beginning of the month and then people sign up for the whole month. So the family signed up for EACH sunday! And then we went and talked to them and they were like. . .so what times do you come over? We are supposed to feed you all three meals each sunday right? They are the greatest. They wanted us to come for every meal on Sundays! I just love them! =) I was happy the other missionaries had the chance to go to their house and interact with them more! =)
We also were told exciting news!!!! ELDER BEDNAR is coming to visit the mission on MAY 3rd! And then he will also be speaking to the stake here. (if I am not transferred out! :/ ) but how exciting is that!?!?! We are going to hear from an APOSTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy to hear from him! I can't believe it! =) The mission is just so exciting.
This past week we also helped the Mueller family move. We went over and helped them pack their house and load it into the big semi thing they get as military to move. It was nice. I love doing service and wish we could do it more as missionaries. =)
This week was also an exciting moment! Hermana Johnson and Newman reached their Half way Marks! I can't believe it! I tend to make people reach their half way marks! haha. But it was really fun. We went to eat at Red Robin and just celebrated. They are both a little sad that they are half way. . I think. They are excited too but more sad that they are closer to the end then the beginning. =) It is crazy. . .I think only one other Hermana reaches her half way before me. . . That is crazy sauce! But it was a fun day. We just had a grand ole time and made sure to make it special! =)
Last Preparation day we played soccer as a zone. It was really fun! I enjoyed it and had the chance to get in some good exercise. It was a little weird though because you can't get as into it because you aren't supposed to have contact with Elders but it was still really fun. A little long though. And it was a bummer because we didn't have the chance to do everything we wanted to last P-day. But it was nice to get to know our zone a little better.
Today we are having an Easter celebration as Hermanas and sisters. We are going to someone's home in Williamsburg and having an easter egg hunt and some other activities. It will be interesting. We will see how fun it is. . haha.
This week we got new neighbors!! We can tell because their dog runs around upstairs a lot. haha. The first day after they'd moved in we were doing language study and Hermana Johnson was like. . . I am going to kill the dog. . We were laughing so hard. Everytime it moved she was annoyed. It's gotten a LOT better now. It didn't annoy me to begin with but she was dying.
This week we also had a good lesson with a lady name Laura. She was a reference from the other Hermana's and she seems super nice. She is catholic. She has tons of potential though and we read a little from the family proclamation with her (she is married and has two kids). And she was like. . . wow this just makes sense. This is definitely how I am wanting to raise my kids and things. We will see. . we have another appointment with her this Wednesday. =)
We are doing transfers tonight. Hermana Newman is going to the Sister training leaders area and then Sister Caldwell is joining me here. I am excited but bummed too. haha. I was kind of wanting to go to their area for a day just for a change of scenery. But I'll get over it. And I am a little bummed too because Hermana Newman and I made a deal that whoever stayed had to tract Oyster Point apartments. (they are kind of sketch). . . but it will be nice because Sister Caldwell can do all the English apartments and I can do the Spanish apartments. That is the main reason we made the deal. Because we both hate doing English work. It is just harder to think in English sometimes, especially with Gospel related things. It is so difficult for me to pray in English now because I say approximately 95% of my prayers in Spanish. . the only time we say them in English is at a member's home who one of the spouses only speaks English or if they ask us to. haha. So we don't say English prayers a lot. It is nice to know that English is starting to be difficult for me though. At least in Gospel sense it is. . Normal conversation for me in Spanish is hard still. Because you just don't really speak to random people about their lives. . we just focus on the gospel. So it will be interesting. My Spanish has dramatically improved since Hermana Newman became my companion. I feel like Language study is a LOT more effective. She just is my personal tutor! I love it! She just helps me so much! =)
Family. . .I love you all so much! It seems like you are all doing so wonderful and are having such a great time! Don't have too much fun without me! =)
I love you all! Look forward to another email next week! ;)
Tengan una Buena semana.
Love you,
Hermana Gray
p.s. I don't know what happened but this past week FLEW by. I swear I just emailed you two days ago and It was a whole week! And it is so weird I talk to you all in less than a month. . . =)
LOVE YOU!
No comments:
Post a Comment