May 19, 2012

Transfer 1, Week 2

Ha,ha Family...just read your emails...so funny...I´ll write a letter today!

Yesterday I had a breakdown...so my comp and I sat on a bench so I could cry for a few minutes...but then a nice old lady sat down and talked our ears off. I don´t understand old people or Spainards so I just smiled for most of it...but I don´t think she could hear us anyway so it all worked out. Most of the people we talk to are from South America. They are easier to understand. I can hardly understand the native Madridians at all.

This is a really crazy Spanish speaking mission because we have all the different Spanish accents you can think of...Dominican, Peruvian, Bolivian, Equadorian, and then all the different places in Spain. The only Spanish I haven´t heard is from Mexico. I speak half my words with the zeta and half without...but it doesn´t really matter...the most important thing is understanding what they say. (Still working on that). I honestly think I will be able to understand the majority by the end of this transfer. My comp and I need to work on speaking Spanish to each other more consistently, we are just both so new. She is great.

So here is the reason for the breakdown: at church we had 3 or 4 people that we were trying to make feel comfortable...but I still don´t feel comfortable...I don´t catch the side comments and some of the humor so it is hard to be aware of how they are feeling. It is at moments like these, when I don´t know what to say but I feel responsible. Then that's when it hits me that I am going to be here for a year and a half....But, just so you know, that feeling doesn´t happen too much. I felt worlds better after I had a little breakdown. It was good n healthy. I am learning so much.

We are working with great people. Great days are when we teach a lot and feel that we are actually helping people.

Oh yeah, here is the schedule:
7:30am wake up/exercise
8:00 shower/breakfast
9:00 Personal study10:00 Companion study - plan lesson, share insights...lots of fun
11:00 Spanish study/get ready to leave
11:30 Proselyting time then we have two hours for "medio dia" to eat and study.
10:00pm (or 10:30 if we are teaching) home...start planning for 30 mins
11:30pm Bed

So, cool story: on Saturday we were literally running from cita to cita and didn´t have time for a medio dia. It was great, but when our very last cita canceled it was very tempting to go home half an hour early...of course we didn´t though and in that last half hour we found a menos activa who is really excited to meet with us and an investigator who invited us over to her house on the spot. Not bad. Moral of the story: Be obedient, preseverar hasta el fin.

Many of the people that are here from South America are here for work and couldn´t afford to bring their families. Everyone works so much here.

I have to go...I will right you and Mikayla this week....I´ll send my address with the letter...I can´t remember it right now.

I love you!!!! Super lots
Hermana Moulton