I'm losing track of time guys. But I know today is our four week mark! woo! Time flies. I know I'm doing important things here at the CCM and that I have to be here learning all this, but I can't wait to be in New Jersey! I can't wait to meet everyone and let them laugh at my broken Spanish and tell them to read the Libro de Mormon and all that good stuff. The missionary life is a good one, and I think it fits me nicely. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now, life is just so dang good.
This week I feel like a lot happened! I keep a list throughout the week of things to write home about, which is helpful because I get here and I get panicked for time and I forget everything! But this week really was a good one.
I had a cool experience reading D&C 19:15-20 this week. It's about what Christ suffered for all of us. When I got to verse 20, though, it commands us to repent so we don't have to suffer that same pain. I had always thought of this to be a rather threatening passage, but this week it changed for me. I guess I realized the love and concern in the Lord's eyes when He gives us commandments. It's not to be threatening or mean, it's because He loves us so much. More than anyone could ever comprehend. He knows the path we have to walk in this life to be happy, so He's trying to help us along the way. He doesn't want us to suffer, but rather to have joy and to return to live with Him and our families forever. We're so blessed to have the commandments. They aren't always easy for everyone, but they're wonderful and we need them. We're simply children trying to get home and He's helping us every step of the way. We have our families, we have church meetings to uplift us, we have the words of God in the scriptures to teach us, and we have the Spirit always with us to comfort, guide, and help us. We are so blessed.
Last pday we went to the temple again! It was great! I understood a lot more of the Spanish (although I still used English headphones) and it was awesome. We had time before to go to the visitors center there and that was way awesome.
Funny Spanish mix up of the week: escritorio means desk and escritura means scripture. I've asked investigators twice now if they'll read this desk for us. Haha what a gringa.
Also, last night Hermana Hettinger told me in a lesson that if I keep the Word of Wisdom I can have "pes in su mente", which means "fish in your mind." haha she meant paz (peace). So there you have it! If you want fish in your mind, keep the Word of Wisdom. Actually, just do it anyway. That's good stuff.
Oh my goodness gracious, I love my district. We've had a couple district talent shows, consisting of lifting chairs, juggling apples, showing how to help someone who broke their leg, and telling a story about monkeys and bananas in sign langauge. These always seem to happen after dinner when we're all losing our minds and just need a good laugh. These guys are the best, I'm so happy we're all going to the same mission and I don't have to leave them!
We had a testimony meeting this Sunday that was really nice! I bore my testimony (as did our entire branch) in my Spanish, and I think it made some sense! But I'm bearing my testimony all the time in Spanish, so I'm not too afraid to anymore :)
The longer I'm here the more I realize how crazy we are as missionaries. We literally run from place to place and spend all day smiling and telling people that God loves them. We base our knowledge on feelings and impressions we receive and we believe in a book that came from gold plates that a handful of people have ever seen. We love the Lord more than anything, so we give years of important parts of our lives to serve him every single day. But folks, it's all true. We wouldn't be so in love with our message if it weren't! We're crazy to a lot of people, I think, but it's because our joy and our love is so full that it overflows and we just have to tell everyone! I feel that joy and that love in the gospel and I can't wait to get out there to share it with everyone.
I love my hermanas here so much. I tell them every morning it's going to be a great day, and I tell them every night that I love them and that it was a great day! We're trying to speak only Spanish these days, but it's hard. But we're helping each other learn and grow and it's awesome. We don't look too hot sometimes, but we always tell each other that it's the light in our eyes that matters. As long as they can see and feel our love, it doesn't really matter that our hair is in a messy bun every day or we can't conjugate all the verbs correctly. It's okay! The Spirit is the one teaching them anyway :) And thank goodness for that!!
Oh I forgot to mention in my email to dad this week, lancé means "I threw". So there you have it. Dad threw.
I love you mucho, keep on keepin' on! Read your Book of Mormon, pray all the time en su corazon, and never forget to be kind to the missionaries there. Have them over for dinner and feed them some good potatoes for me. I miss good potatoes.
Les amo!
Hermana Millington
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