We were not sure when Emily's p-day (preparation day) was-so every day we checked our email wondering if it was the day we would hear from our missionary. Tuesday I was stopped at a stop sign and thought I would check my email--and there it was! I had to pull over so I could read it without causing a car accident.
Well, here us the email!
Hola Mom!
There are eight of us in my district – *8A*. Seis hermanas y dos élderes. Its really odd for us to have such weird numbers, but we all are starting to love each other a lot. None of us are going to the same place, one reason why I think they put us in the district together. My companion, hermana sorenson, is going to Twin Falls Idaho so we are in neighboringish missions which is cool. She went to BYU before coming on the mission too, she is a mechanical engineer and loves crayons, we get along pretty well. She is from Ohio.
I have spanish scriptures! Pretty nice ones, like the ones we saw in the Temple Bookstore, the triple and then la biblia.
OH okay, I have been so excited to tell you this! Friday[day two keep in mind] we taught our first investigator. In español. It was TERRIFYING. but so rewarding. We taught about Heavenly Father and how He loves us as His children, but also us as individuals. Our investigator's name is Jorge {Horhay} y él es más listo por el evangelio! The second time we visited with him we taught about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and he was so excited about it. We gave him a Book of Mormon yesterday in our third lesson and read part of 3 Nephi 11 with him, when Christ came to America and invited all to come and touch His hands and side – – (en español) and the espiritu santo was there, and it was the most amazing thing to see the light in his eyes, he kept saying "ese experiencia es muy bonita" over and over. We challenged him to read the whole chapter. There is a power in El Libro de Mormón y soy muchas agradecemos por el revelación que podemos tener.
I'm learning that even though I am so excited to study hard and work hard and love our investigator I have to love my compañera first. She is really wonderful and we have had some amazing experiences with prayer together and with the other hermanas in our casa.
The thing about "make it to Sunday" was really true. The days are LONG here, but soo good. And also very hard. I am now understanding why people say missionary work is work, and how importante it is to have the spirit with us siempre. Pero Sunday was really good. Every day here has a lot of the spirit, but we also expend a lot of our :oil: sort of as we teach and work, but then Sunday was definitly a day to fill up our lamps again. Our branch president showed us a clip from the man from snowy river when the guy was chasing this horse with a bunch of other guys and the horses they were chasing went over a STEEP cliff. All of the other guys stopped and wished there was another way to go down the cliff face, but the main guy didn't hesitate, he just jumped and ran down the cliff after the horses. It was a little abstract at first, but that image of the guy leaping off the cliff (on a horse) has really stuck in my mind as I try to do hard things here at the CCM. This is Heavenly Father's work and because of the Atonement and the love of Jesus Christ I know I can put all of my effort in and trust Them with all my energy and time and effort, and that it will be enough. The language is hard, but it's definitely coming. What I need to work on is dilligence in studying the tarea mi miestra gives us and keeping to the schedule. Tenemos MUCHAS metas, y cada día tiene SO MUCH español, but I can understand it all pretty well. Speaking is a lot harder though. Which is why I know the gift of tongues is real and Jorge is a very patient spirit because somehow we are able to communicate the truth of the gospel with him.
Uhm another quick experience because I don't have a whole lot of time is on Sunday Hermana Call, the relief society president showed a clip of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Through Heaven's eyes"from the Prince of Egypt and the words and the performance was great, but I just felt in the moment that Heavenly Father knows me so well, it was what I needed, of all things, to hear a song from The Prince of Egypt specifically, i don't really know why, but it was what I needed to hear to know that Heavenly Father knows me - and all of His children. That's the most amazing and difficult and frustrating part. I want to know what Jorge needs to hear, but I can't know it without the Holy Ghost and sincere dilligent prayer.
The days are really really long and hard, but I do love being a missionary. All of the Élderes y Hermanas are so kind and everyone says Hola all the time. We have a really awesome senior district. They are leaving next week for Arizona which is sad but they have done a lot for us. Last night on P-day eve (haha) we played signs and that was a lot of fun.
Today for p-day we played sand volleyball with the Élderes (the only sport we can play together) and it was so fun! I did get kind of sunburned though. Oops. And then I went with Hermana Limb (district leader okay'd it haha) to sing hymns together with Hermana Smith y Hermana Prince (Hermana Limb is in the picture to my right in the picture in the classroom y Hermana Sorenson y Hermana Smith y Hermana Prince in order). Hermana Hilton took the picture and we have yet to take a full district photo.
Anyways, I love you! Hope everything is good at home with the snow and stuff haha. You're the best!
mle
(Hermana Ogden)
Oh, today I was talking with a native and he was asking us where we were going on our missions and when I said Utah, he rolled his eyes a little and was like "no, que misión va??"like, no I was asking where you are *going* and it was funny to tell him that 'm acctually from Maryland and serving in Utah. Little things like that are fun :)
Well--there you go! Email #2!
Well, here us the email!
Hola Mom!
There are eight of us in my district – *8A*. Seis hermanas y dos élderes. Its really odd for us to have such weird numbers, but we all are starting to love each other a lot. None of us are going to the same place, one reason why I think they put us in the district together. My companion, hermana sorenson, is going to Twin Falls Idaho so we are in neighboringish missions which is cool. She went to BYU before coming on the mission too, she is a mechanical engineer and loves crayons, we get along pretty well. She is from Ohio.
I have spanish scriptures! Pretty nice ones, like the ones we saw in the Temple Bookstore, the triple and then la biblia.
OH okay, I have been so excited to tell you this! Friday[day two keep in mind] we taught our first investigator. In español. It was TERRIFYING. but so rewarding. We taught about Heavenly Father and how He loves us as His children, but also us as individuals. Our investigator's name is Jorge {Horhay} y él es más listo por el evangelio! The second time we visited with him we taught about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and he was so excited about it. We gave him a Book of Mormon yesterday in our third lesson and read part of 3 Nephi 11 with him, when Christ came to America and invited all to come and touch His hands and side – – (en español) and the espiritu santo was there, and it was the most amazing thing to see the light in his eyes, he kept saying "ese experiencia es muy bonita" over and over. We challenged him to read the whole chapter. There is a power in El Libro de Mormón y soy muchas agradecemos por el revelación que podemos tener.
I'm learning that even though I am so excited to study hard and work hard and love our investigator I have to love my compañera first. She is really wonderful and we have had some amazing experiences with prayer together and with the other hermanas in our casa.
The thing about "make it to Sunday" was really true. The days are LONG here, but soo good. And also very hard. I am now understanding why people say missionary work is work, and how importante it is to have the spirit with us siempre. Pero Sunday was really good. Every day here has a lot of the spirit, but we also expend a lot of our :oil: sort of as we teach and work, but then Sunday was definitly a day to fill up our lamps again. Our branch president showed us a clip from the man from snowy river when the guy was chasing this horse with a bunch of other guys and the horses they were chasing went over a STEEP cliff. All of the other guys stopped and wished there was another way to go down the cliff face, but the main guy didn't hesitate, he just jumped and ran down the cliff after the horses. It was a little abstract at first, but that image of the guy leaping off the cliff (on a horse) has really stuck in my mind as I try to do hard things here at the CCM. This is Heavenly Father's work and because of the Atonement and the love of Jesus Christ I know I can put all of my effort in and trust Them with all my energy and time and effort, and that it will be enough. The language is hard, but it's definitely coming. What I need to work on is dilligence in studying the tarea mi miestra gives us and keeping to the schedule. Tenemos MUCHAS metas, y cada día tiene SO MUCH español, but I can understand it all pretty well. Speaking is a lot harder though. Which is why I know the gift of tongues is real and Jorge is a very patient spirit because somehow we are able to communicate the truth of the gospel with him.
Uhm another quick experience because I don't have a whole lot of time is on Sunday Hermana Call, the relief society president showed a clip of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Through Heaven's eyes"from the Prince of Egypt and the words and the performance was great, but I just felt in the moment that Heavenly Father knows me so well, it was what I needed, of all things, to hear a song from The Prince of Egypt specifically, i don't really know why, but it was what I needed to hear to know that Heavenly Father knows me - and all of His children. That's the most amazing and difficult and frustrating part. I want to know what Jorge needs to hear, but I can't know it without the Holy Ghost and sincere dilligent prayer.
The days are really really long and hard, but I do love being a missionary. All of the Élderes y Hermanas are so kind and everyone says Hola all the time. We have a really awesome senior district. They are leaving next week for Arizona which is sad but they have done a lot for us. Last night on P-day eve (haha) we played signs and that was a lot of fun.
Today for p-day we played sand volleyball with the Élderes (the only sport we can play together) and it was so fun! I did get kind of sunburned though. Oops. And then I went with Hermana Limb (district leader okay'd it haha) to sing hymns together with Hermana Smith y Hermana Prince (Hermana Limb is in the picture to my right in the picture in the classroom y Hermana Sorenson y Hermana Smith y Hermana Prince in order). Hermana Hilton took the picture and we have yet to take a full district photo.
Anyways, I love you! Hope everything is good at home with the snow and stuff haha. You're the best!
mle
(Hermana Ogden)
Oh, today I was talking with a native and he was asking us where we were going on our missions and when I said Utah, he rolled his eyes a little and was like "no, que misión va??"like, no I was asking where you are *going* and it was funny to tell him that 'm acctually from Maryland and serving in Utah. Little things like that are fun :)
Well--there you go! Email #2!