NACHO
LIBRE BIKES. NACHO LIBRE BIKES EVERYWHERE. Seriously, the thing that made me
smile the biggest besides all the awesome spiritual stuff was definitely on my
way to almuerzo when we passed one of the MTC workers on a nacho libre bike
thingy with another person sitting in the cart. I said,
'Nachoooooooooooooooooo!' and the driver said, as he was passing us, 'Hey, I
like yer cow.' JUST like Ignacio would! hahaha I was surprised that Mexico
watched Nacho Libre, but I guess maybe they just get that a lot. Needless to
say, it was a fantastic 'conversation' with a fellow, except my compañera
didn't get the reference and so she started arguing about who the cow was in
our companionship... I just said it would be me because if you don't get Nacho
Libre quotes, you don't get the explanation. I kid I kid. Ah well.
Okay so besides the
fact that I can't quote Nacho Libre endlessly or, quite frankly, at all with my
companion, she is seriously the greatest companion to have. We get along so
well, and we both work so hard. She pushes me and I push her, especially when
we are playing Lightning... ;)
Her name is Hermana
Perron pronounced like Perin, but when the Mexicanos read it with the doble r,
they laugh and try to hide it. Perrón is a Mexican slang word for Bad-A....
Hahaha It fits her well though.
Okay okay okay I AM
FREAKING OUT! There seriously is NO time to write. Especially when I have 27
e-mails to read!! But thank you! I feel very loved. I am definitely DEFINITELY
enjoying every single moment here. Seriously, I don't think I can even explain
the feeling you feel here.
Wednesday was
definitely NOT the typical missionary-arrival experience. First of all I felt
way more frazzled than I anticipated because of the whole all-nighter-packing
ordeal that went on and then saying goodbye so quick and rushed so I could get
to my terminal. That little boogie I did before I went through the metal
detector was my way of holding back tears because everyone in the line was
looking at me... But I guess they all looked at me when I did that boogie
anyway. Oh well. I don't want to say it was difficult to say goodbye. I wasn't
super sad, but I do want you to know that I MISS YOU! I think about you in the
little bit of time I have to think about my own life (seriously, there is
literally no time to even write in my journal at night before lights out. And
Casa 26 is exactly obedient!) I love losing myself in the service of God. There
is no other way to describe this week than that. The days are soooo jam packed
full of studying and teaching investigators and praying and espeaking español
and also eating, that the only time that you can focus on yourself is when you
have to clip your nails or brush your teeth or sleep a little at night.
haha
Okay blah blah blah.
Back to Wednesday, it was a LOOOOONG day filled with lots of sleeeeep. I
basically passed out on the first flight as soon as I sat down. I woke up to
the plane taking off and realized that I had drool pretty much all over my
face. That was the moment that I decided I wasn't going to tell those people
sitting next to me that I was a representative of Christ.... I got to see the
sunrise. I looove aerial views of the world! And BOY OH BOY was it amazing to
see Mexico City from above. When I got to Atlanta, I'd finished all the
thank-you notes and felt more rested. In Atlanta, I tried to find the postal
place to send all the thank-you letters back home before it was mucho money,
but in order to get postage on the envelope I had to go out of the airport. And
just to get to my own terminal, I had to take a TRAIN. So I decided I'd rather
sacrifice on time thank-you notes than missed flight for my mission. Sorry
everyone! When I got to my terminal for the flight to Mexico City, there were
no missionaries. When I got off the plane which landed at 9 I think, I looked
around for other missionaries. Then I just exited the airport and stood out
where I was supposed to find a group of 25 missionaries and the MTC greeters.
....it was an hour until Jorge Mario Paz showed up. Then we waited for another
hour for his uncle, the van driver to show up because Mexico City traffic is
craaaazy. Everyone kept asking me why I missed my flight. And no one believed
me that I just went on the flights that I had tickets for!!!!! It was a little
strange, but ah well. When I saw Mexico City from above (like in the airplane)
my jaw dropped. It is HUGE. I just got so excited. When we were driving around
the city to get to the CCM, I was kind of blown away with how they drive!!!
hahaha it's a mix of seeing your life flash before your eyes and also being
impressed. It's so funny. ...and scary. There are people literally on the
outside of a giant city bus while on this wizzing-car freeway.
The CCM campus is
breath-taking after being out in the city. The little glimpse of the city I got
was so cool, I definitely will want to come visit Mexico City later time
especially because the temple is closed for about a year :(
Wow I am wasting so
much time on the nothing part of the story. I wasn't expecting SO much to happen!!!!
And having SO little time to tell you. I feel like my fingers are typing as
fast a really fast finger typing.
I arrived at the CCM
at 11:30 pm. My compañera came and got me and all the hermanas in my casa
just hit it off with each other right away. It's been so fantastic.
Thursday we all
woke up half an hour early (6 am) to get ready and out of the door just on time
for breakfast at 7:30 because we were all hyped about being
obedient and all. When we walked out of our casa at 7:15 it was nearly
pitch black outside. And absolutely no one was out and about on their way to
breakfast. It felt like the twilight zone. Then we saw some hermanas running
and asked them if they were on their way to breakfast and they just laughed at
us, which confused us even more... Finally we asked some other Latinas outside
'Qué hora es?' and she said it was SEIS DE LA MAÑANA, which meant we all got up
at 5 am. Oh boy. It was very silly. We mostly had orientation all day and
meeting our presidency and districts and things like that.
Elder Klingler is in
my district! (The one we met in the temple, who went through the same day I
did.) He was also called to be the District Leader a few days later. Everything
is just blurring blurring blurring together.
Friday we were
given the task to teach our first investigator. and Hna. Perron and I decided
to begin teaching about the Restoration. We had it all planned out in Spanish,
and then BAM. Five minutes into it, the lesson just took a turn on a focus of
God's love for us and eternal families. The gift of tongues is REAL. I was able
to completely understand everything Monserrat said and what she needed to hear
AND I was able to respond to her with scriptures and feeling in what I had to
say. The Spirit was so strong. I know she felt it too, because when we asked
her how she felt, she cried as she explained that she finally felt some peace
in her troubled life. We asked her to work on developing a relationship with
God and we explained prayer and how it is personal. One silly goof in the
language was when I was telling her how we address God, I turned to my
companion, who kind of looked completely lost, and asked her 'How do you say
address?' and she said, 'Vestido!' So I used that. Then after seeing Monserrat's
confusion, I realized that Vestido is DRESS!!! hahaha it was funny. We all
laughed after I corrected it. Anyway, at the end of the lesson we asked if we
could close with a prayer, and she said she was excited to hear an example of a
prayer, but I hadn't prayed at all in Spanish yet!!! But I had heard some in
the one and a half day that I was here.... so I just put my trust in Heavenly
Father, the Spirit, and the gift of tongues. And I said a prayer! I asked for
Monserrat to feel more peace and to feel the Savior's love in her life. When I
ended, she was crying a lot and gave me a hug and thanked me for the prayer.
Then she asked how soon we were in Mexico City and when we said 2 days, she
shrieked, full on shrieked. hahaha She said she thought that we had been here
at least 5 weeks. And she told me I speak like a Mexicana! EL DON DEL ESPÍRUTU
SANTO IS REAL. We walked out the lesson on CLOUD 9. I have never used that term
before, but seriously, I don't know how to explain the feeling of empowerment
that comes from dedication to the work of the Lord.
It is amazing. The
second day, my companion and I prepared another lesson on how to recognize the
spirit. We taught her about how to recognize it and that the feelings that she
has been feeling while she prays is the Spirit. We explained that the Spirit
works through the Light of Christ and in order to feel that feeling, or the
spirit, she needs to be baptized. Because it is through baptism and the laying
on of hands that you receive the Holy Ghost. We had more to talk about on the
Spirit, but once again the lesson took a turn when she asked why her baptism
(she is Católico) is different than ours. At first I shared the scripture of
Christ´s baptism and explained that it needs to be by full immersion because
Christ was the example. Then she said well why do I need to be baptized again?
And bam! The Spirit whispered to me to explain the second article of faith. I
didn't know how to talk about Adam and Eve and the fall and everything, but
once again, the gift of tongues took care of that. I asked her if she remembers
being baptized. She said no, I was just a baby. So then I asked why she was
baptized. She said to be forgiven of Adam´s transgression. So then I explained
how God gave us all our own agency and shared the 2nd article of faith and went
into the purpose of our agency and own choice to be baptized after we are 8.
She said that it was comforting to know that.
Okay, wow, I can't go
into so much! AGH! It's just so amazing.
During these lessons,
although the Spirit is strong and so much is being learned on both ends, my
companion was getting SOOOO lost and I was trying to translate a little here
and there to allow her to add parts, and she did a fantastic job in bearing her
testimony in the precise and perfect moment that she needed to. However, as we
have talked to the rest of our district, she seems like she is going HARD on
us. Because everyone else has been able to read their lessons to her and she
asks questions that completely go along with their plan!!! So I feel bad for my
companion because she is only understanding a little here and there during the
lessons. So we decided to make a plan A and plan B so that we could keep it
50-50 during the lesson. We taught yesterday on receiving personal revelation
and focused on a few points that applied to her from the Restoration. When we
went in however, the time had been pushed back and the whole time she was
looking at the clock. We had half as much time as possible to get through this
lesson. We were both so excited to teach this lesson because we were going to
challenge her to be baptized because...somehow we didn't extend the invitation
last time!!! When it was so perfect. But she told us in the last lesson that
she wanted to read the part in the Book of Mormon when Christ visited the
Earth, so we showed her 3 Nefi 11, which is the PERFECT chapter to follow-up on
and invite an investigator to be baptized. She also said she would go to church
with her neighbor. So we were so ready for the greatest lesson of all and for
50-50 speaking time, but this lesson took a turn.... Not in the lesson, but in the
Spirit. The spirit was not there for most of the time. This lesson was too
rehearsed... And we teach people, not lessons.
Anyway, our time got
cut short because everything was behind schedule when we started. And we got
cut off RIGHT as we were getting into the baptism part. All of our maestros
were telling us that we absolutely needed to extend that invitation this
time...but there wasn't time. But they also told both of us that we needed to,
because without a goal, she wouldn't progress as much. So after a maestra
knocked on the window signaling to finish up, Hna Perron and I looked at each
other, nodded and then I just turned to Monserrat and said (in Spanish), 'Would
you follow the example of Jesus Christ, and be baptized' Monserrat said yes. I
kind of feel like she just said yes so we would finish up. UGH. Yeah. It wasn't
super great. And what's even worse was that she said she was going to be
baptized. Yeah, I know she's not an actual investigator, but it was a bummer
lesson just because we didn't go by the Spirit.
Okay I am writing WAY
TOO MUCH. I don't blame you if you don't read this... I just really want you to
know that I am loving this mission so much. I only have 17.78 months left! I
gotta make the best of it!
The comida is so yummy
here.
The construction
workers listen to Enya. It is so fantastic.
Yesterday, we all had
to change our sheets, which is SO tedious on the bottom bunk of a teensy bunk
bed. I was telling my companion how much I hate changing sheets. Then when we
showed up for our Monday service project with the district, guess what we
got to do. Put the mattress covers, sheets, top sheets, and two blankets on
about 90 beds. And they had to be tucked in super nice and everything! hahahaha
I laughed out loud when the guy told us what we were doing. The rest of the
district didn't understand why I laughed when I told them what we were doing in
English... hahaha But I actually really
enjoyed doing it. We worked up a sweat going through all the dorm rooms. I
guess they are getting ready for a bigger flood of missionaries or something
here. I kind of finally understand why you enjoyed being a hotel maid,
Mom.
Okay. It is class
time.
Ew, I feel so uneasy
about this e'mail. I don't even know if any of it makes sense. I'm sorry it is
so long... One day I will learn how to summarize...
I love you, and I LOVE
SPANISH. I'm having a hard time speaking in English already and so I was
excited to practice English in this e'mail.
Love,
Hermana Olson
Oh! Hey! I also
decided to chop off my hair with my companion! Long story, but HAH! take that
Ammon!
Believe it or not,
there was SO much more to say, but I gotta go. We can only take pictures on
p'day and so we took a lot today of our district. I'll send them next week.
Seriously, I am sorry about this nonsense letter. I kind of just emptied my
brain..... but not completely. Hasta luego!
