Another Week at the MTC

7/29/2006

Yet another week at the MTC. This week went by so incredibly fast. I can't believe it! Did you get the tape I made for you? Did you listen to the tape? I hope you liked it. I bought a temple recommend holder today at the bookstore and it has the Oakland Temple on it. I was excited about that. We finally get to go to the temple today for the first time. I am way pumped but a little nervous because I've only been once and don't really know what to do. I told my Hermana's they have to help me out. It makes me feel better that a lot of the Elders have only been once too!

So, we have to have D&C memorized in Spanish. It is 7 verses. I have one memorized the 1st 3 in English and Espanol. As I was trying to memorize it I realized how EASY it is to memorize things in Spanish! ( Holy Cow!) I appreciate English so much and when I have felt like I couldn't learn things in the past - now all those things are so easy because I am trying to memorize. Slowly but surely, the Lord is helping me learn it quicker then other wise though.

Okay, so this may sound rude but it isn't. The Elders make the Hermana's feel so good about ourselves because we learn and pick up on things so much faster. They hate teaching us Spanish because they think we are so much better. It makes you feel good. The fact of the matter is we are more mature and study more. So really it is just the extra effort we put in. The Elders want us to help them but I don't really know how to help them. It was awesome the other day. The Elders who sits next to me in class, Elder DeMille is 20 and a real cool kid. He has only been sober for 6 months. He is awesome. He was having a bad day and another Elder told him his Spanish was horrible and he should know more. I didn't know that any of that had happened. I had asked him if he wanted to study with us and work on his Spanish. We worked on conjugations and then taught each other the 1st lesson by each person saying 1-2 sentences at a time. Afterwards him and his companion said that it had helped him so much. They felt so much more confidant about their Spanish. Then later he told us all that had happened and then we helped him so much. It was the best thing ever! It was so fun to be able to help them and feel needed. The closest we can get to serving other people now. It was one of the highlights of my week for sure!

So, I realized this week that I really need to pick it up on the Spanish. I am hesitant to speak it because I don't know how and I don't want to do it wrong. I'm only going to be able to do it if I keep practicing and make those error's. I've always done it with ____(cant read the work she wrote it looks like "spoits") too. If you don't try hard you won't fail but if you never fail you will never get better. So, that is what I need to work on this week.

This week our district did our 1st SYL, speak your language day. We could only speak Spanish until 6 pm. It was so good. You totally just started thinking in Spanish and get in the mode. It is awesome. You realize you can say more than you think but you also realize you don't know hardly anything. You could really tell how much it helped. You can speak more than you think for sure. I also didn't talk too terribly much. We have a district goal to SYL M_F until 6 pm, dinner everyday. It is hard but we have to learn it and Hermana Morphis and I only have three weeks from Monday left to learn everything we need to know!

Half way mark was the beginning of the week!

I'm also really wanting to learn to have charity. I was reading in Alma this week and came across the scripture about mourning with those that morn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort. I am so bad at that, we all know! I really want to learn to do that. I want the love of Christ and I want people to see it in me. I always think of Lyndi because she is so much that way. I saw her again last night and she just makes me so happy because you can see the love of Christ in her. She is great!

I also saw a friend from school yesterday, Kristine. She was one of the girls in my PETE program. Her husband works here. It was so awesome to see her. I totally ran over to her and gave her the biggest hug. She is awesome. It totally pumped me up so much to see her. I haven't seen her like in three months it feels like forever! It was awesome!

You sent those pictures of Nara- I kinda totally forgot about her! :) (She is our new Kitty) I loved the pictures you sent. They are all hung up in my room on my desk. They are fun, I love getting pictures. You can send them all the time and of what is happening to the house. I hope you are taking care of my bike. So, since I can't excerise like I used to, you and Dad have to do it for me. You have to go for a 20-30 minute walk 2 times a week for me. Get out of the house and enjoy nature for me. I don't see much nature since I can't go too many places! :) Do it! You will love it! It is not even that much it will help you relieve stress and clear your mind!

So we taught the 1st lesson in Spanish a lot this week. It seemed like Hermana Lee was always listening to us. Unfortunately Hermana Morphis got back into the not let Jamie talk mode so I don't feel like I taught that much but I pointed it out and we did better the next time. Hermana Lee thinks we are doing really well with the Spanish. She liked how we taught the Restoration. She made us do it in front of the class! I was so nervous because I hate when everybody is watching me and paying attention to me. She could tell we were nervous. Even though I don't full know what I am saying when I repeat the 1st vision it is still so powerful to talk about what Joseph Smith saw and what was revealed to him. It is awesome to be able to recite it and then have a testimony of it in Spanish. It is awesome. I know the Lord is already blessing me with the gist of tongues because sometimes I say things, I don't know if it is correct but afterwards I've forgotten what I said. I love to bear my testimony in Spanish because it is so simple. I can only say the basics but that is all you need. As long as I have the Spirit with me. I am working on having the Spirit with me. I'm getting better at it but still need more work.

Hermana Morhpis and I were also asked to give a lesson to the district on companionship. The DL said we were the model companionship in the district and we need to tell everyone what works for us and why we work so hard! I laughed. I told the district she drives me crazy but the things that drive me crazy, I pray for myself because I am the only one with problems and she is just being happy. Like everytime we walk down the stairs I feel like she thinks she is in "singing in the rain" play- singing and dancing like as if in a theatrical number. Anyway it was flattering but we are far from and example companionship. She doesn't like that I am not myself around her but am around others. She thinks I am too normal and fit into the crowd too much. Oh well!:) I like it that way. I just don't feel like myself around her but I am working on it and doing better. We spend more time together than if I was married!

Our district played the other district with our Hermana neighbors in softball. We kicked their trash! 25-10! It was so fun! It was some of the most fun I've had since we've been here! The sprinklers were in the middle of our game too but is was awesome! We also had sister soccer day that was fun! 5-5. Most of the girls aren't athletic but oh well! Tuesday soccer day! :)

I got a letter from Monica in Ohio yesterday. She is awesome. She says the work is not what she anticipated. They teach all the time but most Spanish speaker are illegal immigrants so they always skip town. Crazy! It was great to hear from her. Allie wrote me too! I thought that was way nice of her! I can't believe she is married. I'm way happy for them. That was way nice of her to write me. It made me way happy!

I can't believe Nelson and Di bought a house. They better not leave Atherton forever because I love it there too much. I need someone I can go visit down there. It is the best place! That's cool though. I'm glad they finally made a decision. Nana and Papa have written me a lot and updated me on what is going on with them. It is fun to hear from them. I really like hearing from everyone Even if they think they are boring I like to hear. It just reminds me why I am here and why the Gospel is such a blessing, because I have a family at home who loves me and is proud of what I am doing. I love long letters but I love the short ones too! It doesn't matter, just to know they're there. Ya know! It is hard to explain. I'm glad to have the blog because I don't have enough time to write everyone all the time.

So, I'm sorry LeAnne is down again. She held off better this time than with Paige. That would be awesome if she name the baby after Gran. Gran is great and that would like make her life. She has done a lot for us all. I hope LeAnne makes it full term and the baby is OK. I'm sure she will be. I'm not too worried. I can't believe she is almost due. Time goes by so fast. I can't wait to hear when she is born and to get pics of the new baby. Crazy!

Fill me in on everything- the Temple, Ace's BD party, Nelson and Di the works! Let me know!

This week has been really well. I am almost done with my journal already. I have never written so much in my life. I will send it to you when I am done. You can read it and post whatever you want. We are all really bonding and getting excited for the work. We are getting so anxious to get out of there. I know so many of my faults already. I know it is going to be hard for me to open my mouth and straight up just tell about the Gospel. I have to though! It is their salvation and I could be the only one that they will have the chance to hear it in Spanish. This week in the referral center I sent the missionaries to a couple of people. One lady I just layed it on the line. She has read like 20 pages in the Book of Mormon. She is golden. We talked for 15 minutes. She lives by herself in Florida and wanted something to comfort and guide her. I was so into it! I was pumped! She wanted the missionaries and she committed t reading and praying. I promised her blessings if she will do it and I bore by testimony a ton. She was so happy to talk to me and she hoped to talk to me again. She was awesome. I told her I would be praying for her. It was one of the best things ever to share that with someone and then be able to promise them blessing because I know it will happen and the Lord will speak to them and bless them if they do it sincerely and take that leap of faith! I had a similar experience with a man from Arizona. It was so much fun! I loved it! I felt so good afterwards. I was pumped and wanted to keep talking to people. I'd had like 3 people hang up on me that same day but it didn't matter. None of it mattered after I'd talked to those other 2 people and that I'd hopefully been able to help them in their life. We knows what will happen but I know we both felt the Spirit while we were oh the phone and the Spirit was what was getting us both excited. It was awesome!

Thanks for the snacks and Thanks for everything. Thanks for letting me be able to come. Thanks for begin supportive and doing everything I ask. Thanks for all your help and everything you've done. My prayers are with you every day. Don't forget Dad to tell me stories from your mission. I've appreciated all the notes so far. It is so fun to get letters all the time!

Out time is almost up here and then the real struggles begin. That is when the real blessings will come.

Life is great! Hard and tiring! I've never worked so hard and learned so much! No better of a cause! I can't believe it has been a month since I have talked to you all. It has gone by so fast and will continue to go by fast! The Lord is blessing us all. Are you reading Preach my Gospel? You should!

Happy Birthday Mom:) I hope you enjoyed your present! (She sent me a tape of all the girls singing in Spanish Happy birthday and then she talked for a bit. Yes I did cry and loved the tape) Ok I'm out my hand hurts! I have nothing more to say!

We get to go to the Temple today!!!!

Love Hermana Jamie:)

So being out here has really helped me realize the importance of family. I really want to hear from everyone all the time. I want to write to the whole family and let everyone know I am thinking about them. You all are really what matters in life. We are eternal. Too bad I am such a jerk to everyone and you all have to deal with me for eternity! Everytime I teach about how families are a gift from God my testimony is strengthend in families. I know they are! Good thing we all love each other so much!!! It is fun to be gone and be able to see what the family really thinks of me! We are a lot closer then we all think and want to let on! Tell Kyle and Jen hi and to send me a pic of Henry. Nana could send on too!

I've only had one nylon run! Everyone else has thrown a ton away already! How about that!