Saturday, March 7, 2015 -- Week #3, Day #19 Guatemala MTC

10:06 pm
So that was THE COLDEST shower in the history of mankind, felt even worse than early morning swim practice in the winter. I have an elevated heart rate and am feeling very awake...but at least I'm clean! But today was a very good day, there were lots of happenings that I was happy about.  I've also taken to translating hymns for part of my language study, it's so fun! I think it's a good way for me to learn grammar and some church vocab, and it's so interesting because in Spanish, they don't worry about rhyming like we do in English, they focus on the meanings of the words, and I just think that is so neat. Today we sang "Silent Night," and I worked on a translation. Take it with a grain of salt, since I'm not the best authority, but I thought I'd share it with you because I was so struck by the words they used: 

"Night of light, night of peace; The reign of great solace has come
The child sleeping heralds God's messenger of peace.
Sleep, child, in peace; Sleep, child, in peace.

Night of light, night of peace; The Shepherd will show Celestial light in great fullness,
Holy choirs that sing well-being.
Today, the Lord was born; Today, the Lord was born.

Night of light, night of peace; See the light of His face.
This is the dawn of the Redemption; God, through Him, will give us salvation.
Oh, blessed Jesus! Oh, blessed Jesus!"

Anyway, I just thought that was kinda neat to think about the slightly different take on the hymns...there's similar differences in meaning in the scriptures, but they're a little more strictly close to meaning as the English version.  But I suppose there can be more freedom in the hymn translations.

Also, I was reading in Alma 2 for personal study, and Alma is so awesome! I especially liked verses 30-33 where he prays to the Lord for strength to overcome that challenge so he could help his people continue in righteousness, and gah! He's just such an amazing person! He was a chief judge and leader of the army, and an amazing missionary, and can fight with a sword and stuff, and incredibly smart, and just so strong in his faith and righteousness. So cool. I challenge you to go read the book of Alma as well. Very good stuff there! 

We taught an investigator today whose name was Milton Zelaya, he was nice and patient, and the lesson went fairly well. I love hearing the Spanish versions of names, so cool! He pronounced his name "MEEL-toh-nn", and another guy, Alan: "AL-ah" with just the tiniest bit of an "n" at the end, for about 5 min I thought he said his name was Anna! Whoops.

So the Spanish language is definitely fun. But we learn 1 or 2 new grammar concepts each day, so that is really helpful in improving our speech, so I am grateful for that. We actually taught the new nortes the other day, and it was so exciting to see how far we've progressed! We're amazing! Also, since it's our 3rd week, our teachers have declared that we can't speak any English at all when we're out of our bedrooms, and we've actually been able to adjust to that quite well. So I'm pretty proud of our district for being able to switch over.

Thursday, March 5, 2015 -- Week #3, Day #17 Guatemala MTC

9:44 pm
Today was good, our lessons went better, so I'm happy about that. Hna Brady is still experiencing difficulties with her allergies, so I'm not too happy about that. She's now on like 5 medications to help her breathe and not die, so that's a good thing.

I feel bad I don't really feel like writing much, I'm so exhausted. But today was a good day, and we got to meet the new latinas, they are wonderful. We will meet the new nortes tomorrow when we practice teaching el Plan de Salvacion (The Plan of Salvation). Good stuff, ya know. 

These days and weeks seem to go by so fast and yet so slow, we've only been here 2 weeks but it feels like an eternity. It's gonna be interesting when I'm actually in the field.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015 -- Week #3, Day #16 Guatemala MTC

9:56 pm
Fun random fact, one of the new guys we got today looks exactly like a Latino version of Austin Rammell back in San Antonio. We played volleyball this morning and I was surprised to see him, thought that was kinda neat that he had a twin.

New transfers in!

Today was kind of a useless, bleh day...our schedules got all changed because we're switching to the 3-4 weeker's horarios (schedules), and the new people are everywhere and can't figure out what they're doing, and the latina hermanas from the other rooms were using our room's showers, and the computers weren't working very well, and our lesson with Frederman went poorly, and Hna Brady had an allergic reaction to something she ate, we think, so we kept going back and forth from the nurse because she had hives all over her body and her face all swelled up (she finally got a steroid shot and she's doing ok now), and we were coming off from a mentally taxing P-day, and we're just so exhausted and drained that I was totally unmotivated to do anything, really, and sweet Hna Kleinman had a bad breakdown, so we spent our time comforting her, so we didn't have time to teach Daniela, and no one could focus and be like we're normally supposed to be...so it's just been a really interesting day. It wasn't a bad day, necessarily, it was just kinda all over the place and unengaging. So hopefully we can get back on track tomorrow and be good little missionaries.

But a bright spot is that lunch was really yummy, we had chicken Alfredo and little coconut pastries, so I definitely enjoyed that part of the day. Thank goodness for the wonderful Chef Carlos!

Tuesday, March 3, 2015 -- Week #3, Day #15 Guatemala MTC

4:02 pm
We just got back to the CCM after traveling around Guatemala City, took off the sheets and remade our beds, and are painting toes and writing! Yay for P-day!  It was so quiet this morning without our latinas, and I miss them.  But we get a whole bunch of new people tomorrow!


10:12 pm
So today, we went to the temple, which was wonderful as always, and then we hopped on a bus and went downtown to the Central Market and Plaza, which was an interesting experience. For one thing, I think I mentioned before, is that the streets are crazy. I'm so grateful I'm not driving a car, because there is no way I would be comfortable driving here. The lines here basically don't exist, and little motorcycle taxis are zooming all over the place, and people just walking across the street in front of you, and you just pull out into traffic and hope you don't die. So I'm really glad our bus driver knew what he was doing, because I would be a smooshed stress case if I were driving a huge bus of people. But it was good.

                              

Guatemala City Cathedral

We also had the opportunity to walk through the cathedral on the side of the Central Plaza, which was interesting. I've never been in a Catholic cathedral before, and it felt different than the churches I usually attend. It did feel strange, and I can't say I felt very comfortable. It was gorgeously decorated and I loved the architecture and the scroll-work and the marble floors and everything, and I was excited to recognize things from when I took APAH (Advanced Placement Art History - sophomore year of High School), but it just felt strange.  And there were statues of the saints and Christ, and prayers for them, and they were well made, but I didn't really like the way they looked as they were all dying horrible deaths. And it just felt kinda dark and scary, like something was off.

Contrasting that to the temples that we visit and worship in, and how simply constructed they are, and still of the highest quality materials and are so beautiful, but they have so much more focus on the most important ordinances and spiritual revelation. And how clean and simple and full of light they are. There's really a difference and I'm glad I could experience that, because we went to the LDS temple that morning, and then the cathedral in the afternoon, and just how different they were.

Celestial Room - San Antonio Temple

So much happened today and I feel bad because I am so tired and I don't feel like writing much. But I will try to cover as much as possible. First off, Elder Renk from Distrito Matteo is from Alaska, and he hasn't had any Spanish experience before, so he was trying to say the quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson where "Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles" but instead he accidentally said "Exact obedience brings miercoles" (Wednesdays). So we have a running joke in our 2 districts to remind each other that "Exact obedience brings Wednesdays!" Good times.

Also, down here it's common to use scented toilet paper, so the bathrooms kinda smell like flowery baby powder, which is totally a good thing, just another change from the States that I've noticed.

The Central Market is this massive, underground rabbit warren of shops all selling kinda the same things, and an eating area and butchery and candles and flowers and fruit, and it's all quite overstimulating, actually, but there were some really cool things and it was just a neat experience to walk around and be totally lost in this other world and way of life. Weird but cool.

Presidential Palace - Guatemala City

Also, I saw the little crocheted minions that Elder Oldham got for his backpack, so I got pretty excited about that. The Plaza is this huge public square between the Presidential Palace and the Cathedral (go Google Image them, the palace is gorgeous!) and we were given the assignment to go around and contact people and give them copies of the Book of Mormon, which was kinda scary and good at the same time. Mis companeras and I placed 4 copies of the Book of Mormon, our district together placed 11. So I think we did pretty well with that.
Then we had lunch at Wendy's, and we ordered in Spanish and paid in quets (short for quetzales, Guatemala's currency named after the bird) so that was pretty fun. They have a slightly different menu than in the States, but it was fun to shake up our food items from just the CCM food (which is amazing, by the way). I had a BBQ chicken salad, Jr Bacon cheeseburger, chocolate frosty, coca-cola, apple empanda, and some fries. It was delicious! I ate it all and I was so proud of myself! But it really was very yummy and fun to have soda again, I've missed having a little processed corn syrupy sugar source. So I enjoyed that.

Guatemala Metropolitan Cathedral

Later in District Meeting we were discussing our day and we finally recognized that we just had the Spirit with us, and when we stepped over that threshold it left. I didn't like how I felt when I was there. There was so much focus of the "outward beauty" and making it look nice with expensive materials and stuff, but it felt devoid of light and spirituality.  


Anyway, I enjoyed the day of wandering around in Guatemala City. I also painted my toes a lovely coral color, and took a freezing cold shower. Count your blessings for water heaters!  I also figured that I should probably memorize the Articles of Faith in Spanish, I think they might come in handy sometime while I'm teaching, so I'll probably start on that sometime soon. So much to learn!

Monday, March 2, 2015 -- Week #2, Day #14 Guatemala MTC

3:43 pm
So today's been a fun day so far, so I'm glad for that. We just got back from deportes, and we played a very entertaining game of volleyball! There was a 20 bump rally involving 3 head shots, 2 slides, and an amazing amount of yelling. When it was over, everyone doubled up in laughter, it was so awesome. Nortes got game! 

Also, we taught Frederman (another role play investigator, played by the wonderful Hna Garcia) this morning, and that went well, I feel like he's more similar to the kind of people we'll meet when we're actually teaching. I like teaching him better than Daniela in the evening because I feel so much more towards Frederman because he is hurting so much in his life, Daniel just seems to accept everything and then gets all shaky later on in the discussions, which is a little frustrating. But both of them are good practice and it's good to get our feet wet here than trying to figure out everything in the field, which is kinda the whole point of the CCM.

We continue to learn how to better teach as a companionship, and it's the coolest thing when words come to you when you are trying to speak to the investigator, even when it's not a real situation. But the fact that they come is very real, and I know that I will be able to have that happen in the field.


Lunch was really good today, we had beans and corn tortillas and sausage and beef and little plantain pastries--so yummy. We get to eat ice cream during lunch, and I had a chocolate-covered vanilla cone, and it was so good, tasted like Dairy Queen.

Guatemala Mission Training Center (MTC)

They take very good care of us here, and I'm thankful to be here in the smaller Guatemala CCM. I'm so sad our latinas are leaving tomorrow morning! I'm gonna miss them, but I'm so excited for them to head out and get to work! I'm also way excited to meet our new missionary crew!

Sunday, March 1, 2015 -- Week #2, Day #13 Guatemala MTC

10:02 pm

Today was Fast Sunday, so we fasted from Saturday dinner to Sunday dinner (24 hours), and all of our missionaries bore our testimonies. And I bore mine in Spanish, and it was small and simple, but I knew the things I said.

We've noticed that we tend to experience the Nephite pride cycle every day, sometimes even multiple times... and how we need to have humility to bring forth blessings. But we still have an upward progression, we just get taken down a notch when we get a bit prideful. But it does take a degree of patience and faith for us to go through that over and over, until we learn our lessons, then the Lord can teach us another lesson.

We watched a message from Elder Bednar where he was talking about 3 Nephi 11, and he mentioned that the phrase "one by one" is mentioned in the Book of Mormon 6 times. I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon and search for those instances and understand the context in which it happened. I know great things will happen as you study and ponder this and you will come to know the Savior better.

Also, Jacob 5:71-72 "And the Lord of the Vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come. And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their might; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things."

The Lord works and labors with us! It is His "work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). He is with us as we work and go about our lives, and He is conscious of our needs and the things that will help us be the happiest and fulfill our measures in life. So cool!

Saturday, February 28, 2015 -- Week #2, Day #12 Guatemala MTC

4:43 pm

We got back from deportes and I have a little bit of time to write before we go to dinner! We normally don't have sports time so late in the day, but I got to do some yoga stretching with Hna Vargas, so that was very enjoyable for both of us. She is so friendly and pretty and helps me out with Spanish, I'm gonna miss her when we have transfers on Tuesday.

I took the nail polish off my toes last night so I can give them a rest before I paint them again on Tuesday, and it always surprises me when I see my little naked toes! But they're doing well and I think I'm developing a tan-line on the tops of my feet, the sun is very intense here. But the air is in the cool 70's and is constantly moving, so overall it's a very nice effect. I wish we could spend more time outside, but once I get out in the field I'm gonna be wishing I could spend more time inside. The grass is always greener!

We were blessed to fall asleep quickly last night, so I'm glad about that. I'm always sleepy in the morning and my poor little obicularis oculii are just so tired (thanks anatomy!) but once I get finished praying and start moving around I wake up more. So my body is still resetting itself to the schedule in some ways, but we help each other out. Hna Kleinman has the responsibility of turning the lights on and off, so that's extremely helpful to have bright lights flicked on in the early morning. I'm grateful for that to help wake me up.

9:51 pm

WE DID ANOTHER WEEK! Yahoo! Well, technically it's our 11th day here (+1 day traveling to get to Guatemala = Day #12), but it's a Saturday and I wanted to celebrate. We're just about 1/3 of our way through being at the CCM! Crazy!

Last night one of the songs playing outside was "Pura Vida" by Don Omar and I understood most of the lyrics this time around and it's actually a pretty happy little song. 

I just wanted to also say that our district sounds really good when we sing hymns everyday, we do all the parts and it is so awesome! Elder Cox has the best bass voice, and Hna Brady has the loudest soprano, and the rest of us fill in between them and it is so good to listen to. Ah, I love singing hymns in Spanish!

As a funny story from today, an hermano came to our classroom and said that he needed some of the missionaries, myself included, to follow him so we could get blessings. We were all so excited and everyone got up and followed him out and downstairs close to where the clinic was. He then announced that the sisters got to go first, so I went into the clinic hallway and was blessed with a tetanus shot in my arm. Turns out some people here still needed some vaccinations, and apparently my tetanus wasn't up to standard. But it really is a blessing to have vaccines so we lower our risk of contracting diseases out here. So in the end we were grateful for that opportunity, even though we were expecting a different kind of blessing!

We talked about stress management in part of our classes today, and I'm glad that we can know that literally every missionary in every MTC has the same feelings and frustrations that we do now. Hna Giron gave the encouragement that lots of missionaries serve missions, and they are all still alive! Because if they couldn't do it and murmured like Laman and Lemuel, "they die!" She is wonderful. "You know what happened to Laman and Lemuel because they didn't believe that God would help them? They died!"

There is a good quote from Elder Cecil O. Samuelson about missionary work: "Just as we should not lower the standards that the Lord has established for the conduct of His servants, we are also not authorized to raise them...Be sure that you do not have higher standards for yourself or others than that Lord has established." Good counsel in all areas of life, too.

Also, the scripture in John 5:17 "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."

Even God has to work! It's not an easy thing to become perfect, it takes constant effort and choosing the right choice every day, which is hard to do in this life. But we can certainly practice and become perfect in our obedience to God and what He asks us to do so we can be like Him. And we can have perfect obedience in Him when we have faith that He can help us with all things. He knows us and knows how much work it takes because He has done it, too. He has felt our frustration and disappointment with our shortcomings and He still has perfect love and hope in us. He so wants for us to follow Him and do the things He does, so we can have the happiness He has. I think that's pretty encouraging to think about.

Lastly, on a totally not spiritual note, we all decided that something that helps us through this time of transition is having humor, and mis companeras and I are very good at that! Hna Brady started joking about how Russell Crowe sings the "Stars" song in Les Miserables (still a good actor and all, of course), but it sounds even funnier when we imitate the way he sang, so we just walk around going "Staaahz! Inyumultitoooodz!" and we just crack up. Oh, we're so great together!