Thank you for the emails. I am definitely
feeling loved right now. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write
today, because I have a LOT to say and not a ton of time, but I'll do my
best. Also, I wrote you guys a letter, but I don't know if it's arrived
yet (or maybe you just keep forgetting to check the mail :) ).
Today has been SUCH a good day. This morning we went to the TEMPLE.
I love that place, and it's even better when you go with a ton of
missionaries! I don't know everything, but I know that the temple is the
house of the Lord and I can feel soo much of His love there.
So about my district, we have six hermanas and zero elders. It's
kinda crazy, but I LOVE it. These sisters are some of my favorite people
in the world, and I've known them for less than a week. Crazy. But we
are together all day every day. We all live in the same apartment as
well, which is fun, though at times a little difficult because there is
only one bathroom for all six of us. :) But it works out. My companion,
Hermana U. and I the only ones going to Tijuana, and the other four
are going to Cuernavaca. It is going to be incredibly hard to say
goodbye to them next week. I love them all SO much.
Speaking of which, we fly out next Tuesday. I think our flight is
around 11 AM. We fly into San Diego and drive from there. I think we
have our visas, but I think we have to go to a consulate sometime to
sign stuff or show ids or something, I'm hoping the travel office lets
us know what's going on. If all else fails, maybe we'll be stuck in San
Diego for a little bit. Worst things have happened. haha.
So the MTC is HARD, but good. Everyone says that but you never
really know exactly how it feels until you get there. One of the sisters
in my district kept saying last Wednesday, "This is the weirdest day of
my life." It's a pretty accurate statement. It was a weird day. But
this is a cool place. Nowhere else could we be able to handle this much
stress, change, growth, adjustment, disappointment, homesickness,
everything, and still feel GREAT about it! I am learning lots every day.
It's hard and I'm learning to be more patient with myself, yesterday a
teacher said, "Don't set standards for yourself higher than God sets for
you." I like that. I am very excited to share this gospel, but I'm
still trying to learn how to do that, but I believe it will come with
time and I just have to keep trying and improving.
The language is going well. Being in an advanced class isn't as
intimidating as I thought it would be, a lot of them grew up speaking
Spanish some in their homes or with relatives and know a lot more than
me, but they know more "street Spanish" and not as much the gospel
terms, so they are still learning as well. It is great because we all
work together and help each other out. If I don't know how to say
something (which is often), usually someone else in our district knows. I
learn the most Spanish when we are trying our best to speak it all day.
I use the phrase "Cómo se dice...?" (How do you say...?) about a
thousand times a day, but I'm improving. On Sunday I had an interview
with our Branch President, President Call. In it he said something to
the effect of, "No one will be converted because Hermana Loveland can
conjugate verbs so well...The spirit is the most important part."
Last night one of our regular teachers, Hermana deLeon, couldn't
come to class, so we had a substitute. His name is Hermano Rock. He was
amazing. He taught a great lesson and I learned a lot. But it was other
things he said, stories he shared, scriptures he read and counsel he
gave that were incredibly helpful to me. In a way, they answered some of
my prayers. Yesterday was an especially rollercoaster-y day. Lots of
ups and downs. Before class I was feeling a little down, but afterwards I
felt amazing. He served his mission in Alabama and at first was English
speaking. Later his mission president changed him to Spanish speaking.
He didn't have the MTC to learn Spanish, but he somehow figured it out.
His first Spanish speaking companion was from Chile and didn't speak
much English, which helped. He said for him, the best way to learn the
language was to not worry about learning Spanish. He would do his best
to listen to the people and love them. For a while almost all he could
say was, "Está bien." which ended up meaning a lot to him. It's all
right. :) Things are okay. :) I like that message. Another thing he said
was, "If you worry too much about speaking Spanish, you're gonna miss
the point of why you're called to speak Spanish." After his lesson I
felt much better. He reminded us to be happy and not stress too much. We
also read 2 Nephi 2:24. It's a good one. I'm so grateful for that
class. It helped me better understand my purpose and how to be patient
with myself and be happy.
Oh! Another weird thing here is our meal schedule. We have
breakfast at 6:30, lunch at 11 and dinner at 4. It took some getting
used to, but it's all right. Está bien. :)
Well, I have to go pretty soon, maybe I'll even take a nap today. Maybe.
I love this place. I love this gospel. I love the people of Mexico,
and I haven't even gotten there yet. I love you all! Have a beautiful
week.
Mom- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I
hope you have a great day. You deserve it! And yes, you should
celebrate all week. I love you. Thanks for everything.
Dad- Thanks for the email. I want to see pictures of the new door! Thanks for everything, Dad. I love you lots.
Jake- Do you have a post office box yet? I want to send you letters! I love you.
Autumn- That's cool you get to play in the Young Women program. Good luck! I love you!
Wesley- I'm glad you're being fed well. I am too. The food is all
right. Not quite like home food, but it's still okay. :) Thanks for the
advice. I love you!
I hope I can write more next time, whenever that is, from Mexico!
Love,Hermana Loveland
