Jamie...El Sur de Chile, un pais hermoso!!!: Spanish 24-7

Look very closely at this picture. Jamie at the Vending Machine!!! She does eat junk after all!!!

8/5/2006

i Hyla! c Como estan?

Tis another coveted letter of the week! So glad to hear you enjoyed my present. Didn't get much feedback but I'm sure I will on the tape that you send me. So yeah, my calling was a surprising. I think I told you I am pretty much the "zone leader" for the Sisters. I have leadership meetings with the Pres's tomorrow. I check the Hermana's out on Monday when they leave. I have to make sure they have cleaned up appropriately and all that good stuff. I didn't get my naps last week because of all the training meetings I had to go to. We met with the MTC Pres's wife, the RS pres of the MTC. It was good. I haven't had to do too much yet. There are a couple sisters who don't always get along with the Elders. Last night I pretty much spent all night letting the Elders vent to me. They are so immature at times. I talked with the Sisters too. We just need to focus on building them up and gaining their confidence. It is good they trust me because there is such a stereotypical between Elders and Sisters. It seemed to go well though.

So, I was thinking about it the other day...I realized that I have never helped anybody come into the church. I thought it was really interesting. So, this whole mission thing and getting to Chile will be pretty different for me. Interesting. That is way awesome about Steve! I was way shocked but way pumped for you all. You are doing more missionary work than I am and I am on a mission--ironic! :) You will have to let me know how it all plays out. Read Preach my Gospel it will help you to know what to do with investigators and what to teach. I finished reading the would thing minus one chapter. I also finished reading Our Heritage last week and started another. Crazy how much I am reading! I never stop doing things! It is awesome! Keep up the good work with Steve-just remember to convert him and not just baptize him. Converts need you guy's. I want to hear your conversion stories and why you are all active in the church today. :) Why? Like Mom, what was it about those missionaries when they came or you could have Nana and Papa answer also. And Dad why did you go on a mission? What led you to doing that? You can tell me missionary stories too. You can have any of the family share these with me, it would be fun. We had a speaker last week talk about planting seeds and we never know what will happen. Like did those missionaries that came to Nana and Papa know that so many people down the line and friends would become members of Christ church because they were baptized on small family. It is interesting to think about.

It is so funny because we have all been here too long. This next week will be the end of week 6. Things that are TOTALLY NOT funny and should never be funny are funny! It is terrible. We all have MTC cabin fever. We are starting to get antsy. The time is really flying by now. This week went incredibly fast! It was soo fast I couldn't believe it. I can't believe it is already Temple day. It is so awesome to get to go and be with our district. It was way crowded last week because it was the first Saturday it has been open in 3 weeks. It was funny- I saw my dance teacher there from last semester. It was awkward and he is weird. It was all good.

So, I only have like 100 pages left in the Book of Mormon! I will finish it in no time. I read like 10-11 pages a day. I am getting so much out of it. It is awesome.

It is really interesting with their calling thing. The second I got called I have felt like I have had an extra need to be obedient. I need to make sure that I am the best example that I can be. If the other sisters see me doing something wrong then they think they can too. Our whole district has been trying to work on obedience with exactness. It is so hard though for everyone. The Lord helps us through when we try and that is what it is all about I have for sure tried to do even better this week at thing not that I was bad before we all need to work on things that is for sure.

We were talking about baptism the other day and our own baptisms. I don't really remember much about my baptism. What do you remember about mine? What was I like, what did I do, was I excited, etc? Do you remember your baptisms? Tell me what you do.

Nana and Papa write me alot which is awesome. They sent me a package this week with pictures and mango's- yum. That is way nice nice of them to do that. It is great hearing from everyone. Erica sent me a long letter this week. I don't care if they are on Dear Elder, it is all the same. I'm sure she told you how Ali thinks I am going to be like Dora now and she was devastated I won't be able to talk to her again. She is so cute. She sent tons of pictures I don't know what I am going to do with them all. But I love them! They are perfect. My desk is covered with pictures now and it is awesome! It is so fun! I love it!

How is LeAnne and Justin? How is the house coming?

So last week or more we learned about the House of Israel, the 12 tribes and the scriptures in the Bible that talks about joining the stick Joseph and stick of Judah. I never really understood any of it before. One of our teachers explained it all to us and we went through the scriptures. It was awesome! It was cool to see how the Book of Mormon people trace back to the line of Judah and how the Bible prophesies that hey will be spread and then brought back together again, and that was fulfilled in the Book of Mormon. It was awesome to learn about that. We learn so much here it is crazy. I can't believe how quickly I am learning things. It astonishes me I have memorized D&C 4 1-5 in Spanish. I need to get 1-7 though. It amazes me how the Lord is helping me do all this. Here is one verse just for fun! (There is no way I am typing Spanish). Usually I can't understand what is going on and I pick up a few words here and there. One day this week it really hit me and all of a sudden I started understanding soooo much more. I got the just of what was going on and not just a few words. Granted there is still a lot I don't know and can't read but it was cool just to see how much better I have gotten. I am tying not to read Spanish and translate it in my head but to just read the Spanish and understand. It take a long time but that is OK. It was way cool though. The Elders don't think they know very much and we know so much more, but it is because they aren't putting themselves on the limb. I took away one Elders notes so he wouldn't just read his lesson and it was way good. He totally found out and gained the confidence that he could do it. It was awesome! So, last night I took away his English Book of Mormon and made him start working on Spanish again. These boys need whipped in shape for sure and somebody has got to do it!

So, out teacher Hermana Lee. She is awesome. I way like her. She took us to the TRC(not sure what that is) yesterday like every Friday. We go and teach "volunteer investigators". The spirit prompted her to like take away all of our notes so that we could rely on the Spirit. All the Elders were bummed but we were ready we practiced a lot. We taught a Mexican family, well half of them- the Mom and 3 daughters. They were so cute! The Spirit was so strong as taught them. The family was so sweat. We just fed off the Spirit. It was awesome! We didn't worry that much about our terrible Spanish we just went with it. One of us would say a few things and then the next one, we listened to each other and for the most part I understood everything. It is exhausting to listen and understand Spanish. The girls could speak Spanish but couldn't really read it. They helped us a little with our Spanish. Hermana Lee always compliments us on how good we are doing. She thinks we are doing awesome. I know our Spanish needs a lot of work to say the least! It was so cool. I was so calm and peaceful and really didn't' worry that much about my Spanish. It was awesome!

By far it was the best experience we have had in teaching. We did it with out our notes. We just went for it. It was hard but really good. Thinks really are coming along. I need to just remember to have faith when I get out there. I am not going to understand anything when I get there. I have to have faith that the Lord will bless me and is blessing me with the gift of tongues. That will be able to get my message across and have the Spirit with me and speaking through me so they can feel and understand our message and the importance of our message in their life.

We are getting so close to leaving! It is insane! We are pumped though but not really prepared enough. I don't think we even will be.

Thanks a bunch for the package, flashlight and all. That was fun! I was surprised because you said you hadn't' sent one yet. It was fun though. So next week when I write I will be able to tell you my travel plans. :) Tracie wrote me this week! Thanks for getting her the letter. It was way nice of her to write back. It was fun to hear from her. She even sent me pictures which was way fun.

So, you'll have to fill me in on anything new going on. How was working at the temple? How were the Finlay's? The works!

I can't think of much else. We get to of the temple today. I love letters they help so much. I don't get homesick, the Lord keeps me focused on the work. It is amazing to see how perfect God's plan is and how every single piece fits perfectly together. It is amazing how is all makes perfect sense, it couldn't be more perfect how everything is and is set up. It is amazing to feel his Spirit so strongly everyday. I have grown a lot in the sense that I can recognize the Spirit so much better and I am so much better at acting on it instead of ignoring it. Every time I act on it it brings me peace and then the next time I am better at recognizing and acting again. It is awesome! The spirit is teaching me. I know he is. I got a little frustrated with the language this week because I felt my brain couldn't take anymore but the Lord is humbling me and strengthening me. Hermana Morphis and I doing better we work well together. We don't mesh perfectly. I know I need to break my walls of pride and whatever else. I need to learn how to love people who are different than me. No complaints really, just little things. We work hard though.

Well that is all for now I think. We are going to do laundry, write letters and go to the temple then class again tonight. Yet another full and busy day at the MTC. I love P-Day though. It is great!

Thanks for everything!

Love Hermana Jamie

Remember how good life is and how blessed we all really are! I know that I am blessed!