Dear Mom and Dad,
Keep me posted on Grandma Beth...your last email was seven days ago...is she alright? Is she still in the hospital? Are you still in UT?
I feel bad just spilling out all that I´m doing here and how great it is when I don´t know how you are doing and if things are exploding at home or not. But here I go anyway:
The Portuguese sisters left Tuesday along with Elder Pyne (Mikayla´s previous companion) and a few others. Those Sisters were amazing and we became good friends. Coming on a mission was a challenge for each of them. Irma de Almeida´s mom had asked her to stay and help work for the family because her family had done so much for her and they didn´t have a lot of money. Something in her patriarcle blessing helped her and she decided to put the Lord first. Their sacrifices taught me to be grateful for how much I have been blessed. For me, coming on a mission was super easy because I had both motivational and financial support from you. Sometimes I feel bad for having it so easy but it is a lot like the Atonement: We have blessings we don´t deserve, we get to repent and be clean so easily which we also don´t deserve. I was born to a family that can afford my mission and education which I don´t deserve - and yet here I am at the beautiful CCM. Here´s the deal: life is not fair and we got lucky in a lot of ways. Here´s what we do about it, the only thing we can do: accept it, be so so grateful, and then give all we can to others - love, support, forgiveness, patience, and material support where possible, etc.
Favorite Scripture of the week: Alma 34:31 -
I used to think I should wait until I got things right to repent for all the times I messed up because I thought the Lord would get tired of hearing me repent for the same things all the time. "Seriously, she did that again! I thought we went over that 421 times already!" I thought that I would repent for missing so many days of scripture study as soon as I was a scripture scholar, or repent for being mean to my sister as soon as we had a perfect relationship. This scripture says if we harden not our hearts and repent, "immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you." That means the moment we think "oh my, why did I do that!" We can get on our knees and repent and ask forgiveness and for help not to do the same thing again and we are forgiven. Pres. Earl pointed out the funny thing about sins: there are some that are so easy to stay away from (ie killing someone or robbing a bank) but the sins we´ve committed are the ones we have to watch out for because we are more prone to doing them. - That´s why they happen 421 times before we get it right ;)I am so grateful for the Atonment. I´m finally starting to figure out how to use it every day and it is such a blessing - that´s the point of being on a mission: to bring this blessing to people now, so they can feel clean and be happy now!
Love you!!! Love, Shayla
Not for Blog:
Mom, Irma de Almeida tried that eyeliner you bought me and liked it, so the night she was packing up to leave I stuck the new pencil in her suitcase. I felt pretty good about it. Thanks.
(Note from the Poster, aka, Mom...... I thought that story was neat so I added it anyway!)
Love you!!!! I will write a letter today!
Can you email me Colleen´s address for next week?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Dear Parents,
Just got back from signing for my visa and have a few more minutes to email.
I talked to 4 or more people in the metros on the way to and from the visa place. It is getting easier to talk to people. I saw one girl looking at my skirt and I started a conversation about how we always wear skirts because we are missionaries. The metro is so quick...sometimes you don´t have time to talk about the church because youu have a three minute conversation about other things. I gave that particular girl a pamphlet as she was getting off and just prayed that she would read it. She is going to Italy for a year with a voluteer program.
On the way back I picked up a skirt...First real purchase! It was at a cheap Chinese shop and I was excited.
Got to go. Love you!!! Shayla
Just got back from signing for my visa and have a few more minutes to email.
I talked to 4 or more people in the metros on the way to and from the visa place. It is getting easier to talk to people. I saw one girl looking at my skirt and I started a conversation about how we always wear skirts because we are missionaries. The metro is so quick...sometimes you don´t have time to talk about the church because youu have a three minute conversation about other things. I gave that particular girl a pamphlet as she was getting off and just prayed that she would read it. She is going to Italy for a year with a voluteer program.
On the way back I picked up a skirt...First real purchase! It was at a cheap Chinese shop and I was excited.
Got to go. Love you!!! Shayla
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wow. I´m so sorry to hear about Grandma. Will you tell her hello for me? I still owe her five letters (per her request :) -I think I can do better though. That is scary.Was the truck driver that crashed into the Gailey´s place drunk? That is really crazy. Fitgeralds sound nice. It is hard for me to put everyone together in the Heber clan. I´m glad you were able to get to Heber right away.
This Saturday we went to the Park again and it was harder for me. No worries though because I got a lot of ideas to do this Saturday. It will be better. I think we´ll try singing. Also i will be less scared to approach people.
Did you see conference! it was really great. We watched most of them a few hours after they were originally broadcast. The last one we watched on Monday morning. Somehow I zoned out for Elder Scott´s talk, but our teacher reminded us that he suggested to study the atonement a little every day. That helped give me more direction in my own studies...we have so much to learn that it is sometimes difficult to know where to start.
Our teachers here are amazing. Many of them are converts and their experience and testimonies are so strong. I am so so grateful to have met and learned from them. We are learning to focus on investigators and what they need and what they need to DO to have the Spirit...rather than how to dump lessons on them with as much info as will fit in 45 minutes. It takes great teachers to show us how to do that. Hermano Arjona leads group classes on specific missionary principles once every week. He is amazing. His testimony is so strong and his experiences are amazing. We can have so many spiritual experiences here on Earth. I would never want to turn my back on this life style that includes miracles and spiritual learning.
I love you. I´m so happy to be here. I´ll be praying for you.
Love Shayla.
This Saturday we went to the Park again and it was harder for me. No worries though because I got a lot of ideas to do this Saturday. It will be better. I think we´ll try singing. Also i will be less scared to approach people.
Did you see conference! it was really great. We watched most of them a few hours after they were originally broadcast. The last one we watched on Monday morning. Somehow I zoned out for Elder Scott´s talk, but our teacher reminded us that he suggested to study the atonement a little every day. That helped give me more direction in my own studies...we have so much to learn that it is sometimes difficult to know where to start.
Our teachers here are amazing. Many of them are converts and their experience and testimonies are so strong. I am so so grateful to have met and learned from them. We are learning to focus on investigators and what they need and what they need to DO to have the Spirit...rather than how to dump lessons on them with as much info as will fit in 45 minutes. It takes great teachers to show us how to do that. Hermano Arjona leads group classes on specific missionary principles once every week. He is amazing. His testimony is so strong and his experiences are amazing. We can have so many spiritual experiences here on Earth. I would never want to turn my back on this life style that includes miracles and spiritual learning.
I love you. I´m so happy to be here. I´ll be praying for you.
Love Shayla.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Hello family!!!!
So Dad, I love Madrid. We just finished a session in the Temple. So beautiful. I guess the computers have problems if we download pics...so I´ll try to figure it out later but we are essentially on Temple Square and the view from the windows of the CCM is the temple in all different times and light of the day.
Every time I think I understand most of the Spanish people say around hear, we get to go out or we have visitors that we practice teaching...then I remember I don´t know much. It is because people speak so fast and mumble and combine words etc. (just like we do in English) but it is like learning a whole third language if that makes sense. With respect, old people and children are the worst.
Prep-days are on Thursday here. Today was different because of Easter. Everything shuts down Thur-Sunday. So I´ll email you again on Thursday.
We spend five hours in class studying¨"Preach My Gospel" and Spanish. We have about 2.5 hours for personal and companionship study.
6:30 wake up/shower
7:30 breakfast (Cereal/toast/ one time we had totillas españoles :)
8:00 personal Study
9:00 meeting or more personal study
10:00 language study in computer lab
11-1: class1-2: Lunch (awesome and huge)
2:00 Class
4:30 Comp study
5:00 Gym
6:30 Dinner (little smaller than lunch)
7:30 Comp study
8:00 Study, on Tues and Thurs we teach members that come to the temple and are staying in the hostel a few floors below us. If it is a M,W,or F, we still have a practice teaching something.
9:30 Plan9:45 snacks :)
10:30 Bed.
Not bad huh! I´m living the easy life. The only difficult thing is staying awake and focused that long every day. We get to teach one of the teachers or a member or both every day...so we get a lot of practice. They really couldn´t accommodate that much practice in the Provo MTC.
I am so glad to be here. Plus, we get to go to a huge park and talk to people every Saturday and then sing near the temple for any that come.
We spend a lot of time laughing here. The Elders like the hymn: Secret prayer a lot. "!Ochenta! !Ochenta!" The sisters´and elders´rooms are separated by a door, so we can hear them singing it a lot. Apparently last night someone locked an mp3 player in someone´s drawer so they couldn´t turn it off. Haha. shhh...don´t tell anyone that the Elders are still 19. (I say that with love...the Elders here are really good) they are singing it right now in the computer lab.
We are friends with three Portuguese Írmas here too. They know a lot of English and Spanish so we are able to talk. They are so wonderful and sweet. I´m am so glad I met them!- They are teaching me a lot. This place Rocks.
Oh, we´re going to the Plaza del Sol today! Fun! (I think every large spanish city must have a Plaza del Sol :)
I love you lots! The church is true! Love Hermana Moulton
So Dad, I love Madrid. We just finished a session in the Temple. So beautiful. I guess the computers have problems if we download pics...so I´ll try to figure it out later but we are essentially on Temple Square and the view from the windows of the CCM is the temple in all different times and light of the day.
Every time I think I understand most of the Spanish people say around hear, we get to go out or we have visitors that we practice teaching...then I remember I don´t know much. It is because people speak so fast and mumble and combine words etc. (just like we do in English) but it is like learning a whole third language if that makes sense. With respect, old people and children are the worst.
Prep-days are on Thursday here. Today was different because of Easter. Everything shuts down Thur-Sunday. So I´ll email you again on Thursday.
We spend five hours in class studying¨"Preach My Gospel" and Spanish. We have about 2.5 hours for personal and companionship study.
6:30 wake up/shower
7:30 breakfast (Cereal/toast/ one time we had totillas españoles :)
8:00 personal Study
9:00 meeting or more personal study
10:00 language study in computer lab
11-1: class1-2: Lunch (awesome and huge)
2:00 Class
4:30 Comp study
5:00 Gym
6:30 Dinner (little smaller than lunch)
7:30 Comp study
8:00 Study, on Tues and Thurs we teach members that come to the temple and are staying in the hostel a few floors below us. If it is a M,W,or F, we still have a practice teaching something.
9:30 Plan9:45 snacks :)
10:30 Bed.
Not bad huh! I´m living the easy life. The only difficult thing is staying awake and focused that long every day. We get to teach one of the teachers or a member or both every day...so we get a lot of practice. They really couldn´t accommodate that much practice in the Provo MTC.
I am so glad to be here. Plus, we get to go to a huge park and talk to people every Saturday and then sing near the temple for any that come.
We spend a lot of time laughing here. The Elders like the hymn: Secret prayer a lot. "!Ochenta! !Ochenta!" The sisters´and elders´rooms are separated by a door, so we can hear them singing it a lot. Apparently last night someone locked an mp3 player in someone´s drawer so they couldn´t turn it off. Haha. shhh...don´t tell anyone that the Elders are still 19. (I say that with love...the Elders here are really good) they are singing it right now in the computer lab.
We are friends with three Portuguese Írmas here too. They know a lot of English and Spanish so we are able to talk. They are so wonderful and sweet. I´m am so glad I met them!- They are teaching me a lot. This place Rocks.
Oh, we´re going to the Plaza del Sol today! Fun! (I think every large spanish city must have a Plaza del Sol :)
I love you lots! The church is true! Love Hermana Moulton
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)