July 1, 2013
Well, I love DC South. This week has been super crazy!!
We have had a lot of meetings this past week due to the mission split as well as "return and report" for us babies haha. It was great though.
Experience that taught me a lot this week:
We had decided to do
a whole day of only Spanish (yeah I was thrilled ;) ) and we had stopped at the
post office on our lunch. We were speaking as much Spanish as we could just
doing our regular business. I noticed a lady had kind of paused when we were
speaking Spanish but I figured she just didn't expect three very white,
American girls to speak just Spanish. She came up to us before we left and
started asking if we were Mormons. She expressed how she had never seen girl
missionaries. She had lived next to the mission home (from what we could gather from her description) and had missionaries living there in between transfers
and such. She was from Spain and the fact that we could speak Spanish, she was
impressed. She talked about how she was Catholic but never had really
investigated the Church. She went on her way and so did we. Afterwards I could
not get it out of my mind, I had let a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel go.
I had ignored promptings to ask more questions because I was scared of how it
would come across. I was embarrassed and sad that I gave up that opportunity.
Because of this experience, I had a change. We are making a mission
constitution (how we want to serve our missions basically) and I am going to
include in it that I won't give up an opportunity like that ever again.
Especially if I have the Spirit prompting me to say something. It was a great
learning experience that I needed to learn, thankfully early on.
I had another awakening this week. I have been in the field
almost five weeks. FIVE WEEKS! Where has the time gone? I have almost served 3
months of my mission, 1/6 of my mission will have been completed and thought,
"How do I think I am doing?" It's not that I have been disobedient
and being an awful missionary, I just am not putting forth my best effort. So I
made some more changes to be bold and become the "best" missionary I
can be. My studies are improving and I am feeling the Spirit more. If a thought
comes to my head, I say it (generally) without even thinking too much about it.
It is usually slaughtered in Spanish but they understand. Or.... my companions
translate :) haha. But it's improving, I tell stories (the best that I can) of
personal experiences of what I have had in my life and ya know... I finally
feel like a missionary. I have a long ways to go, when I get to Peru (no word
on visa yet) the culture is going to be different but I'll still be a
missionary. Here there are missionaries training after they have just finished
being trained. I don't want President Riggs or Douglas to have to doubt my
capability of teaching or speaking. I am here to serve them and the people of
my mission.
That's always been the thought, but now I am trying to act :)
It's been a great week, I have a desire to change and a
desire to help my investigators. Our recent convert Fabiola hasn't been to
church since before I got here and during a visit she said she was coming.
No trying or "if I can make it". She was coming and the Spirit was so
strong, I just started crying. I held it in pretty well but man, I just love
her. We had a rough week with our investigators progressing and not seeing all
of them that we want, so we are praying. It's crazy how much I love our
investigators, even our new ones from Hermana Ward's area. Manuel!
Haha he's great :) He could be baptized tomorrow but he is waiting until 20 de
Julio and it's not going to change he claims. But crazy thing, he's moving to
Utah. He told us that yesterday! So... look out for him and a picture soon
:)
I love it here. The 4th of July is here, I hoped I would be
here for the 4th and I got my wish :) I want to live here, can you say 'Murika?
:) Flags have been up for two weeks and I found out we can watch fireworks...
YAY! :) :) :) I'll miss home but it will be there when I get back :) I got a
lifetime to go to the Plymouth rodeo, swimming, etc. but only the time now to serve.
Love you :)
Hermana Jos
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