Written by: Hermana Smith
(Shayla's Companion)
16 de Junio, Week #27
Woo hoo! I get to stay in this area with Hna. Moulton for at least one more transfer! Such great news! This area rocks! These past weeks have been wonderful. Great ward, great people, great companion, great leaders. I love it!
Sandra´s baptism is coming up this Saturday. We see her almost every day and she becomes more and more excited for her baptism all the time. I am so excited for her! I just hope we can get all of the baptism plans figured out and that we don´t end up having any surprise problems. It should go well though (at least that´s what I pray for anyway). We continue to teach Alexandra and her 3-year-old hija, Marilyn. We see them almost every day as well. She loves our visits and loves talking with us about the gospel (I love it too). We finally had the opportunity to teach her marido, Geoffrey Patricio, on Sunday morning about the restoration of the church. The lesson went well and the entire family came to church with us. Alexandra enjoyed church once again and Geoffrey seemed to enjoy it as well. We are hoping to teach the entire family again soon, but Geoffrey works out of the city during the week as part of the Spanish military. However, he will soon be stationed to work in Madrid within the coming month of July. That means that he will be home at nights and that we will be able to teach them as a family. This family is incredible and I am excited for the day when they will be sealed together as a family in the temple.
We have recently found a family of four to teach - Isabel (mom), Laura (17-year-old sister), Steven (16-year-old brother) and Jimmy (11-year-old brother). We found this family through contacting Steven. We asked Steven if he was interested in our message and he told us "no." However, we asked him if he knew anyone who might be interested in listening to us and he said it was possible that his mom would. We have taught them twice now and have a follow-up lesson on Thursday. I am super excited about teaching this family because they have so much to learn about how we can have true happiness in this life. They seem lost and a bit worn-down by the sanding of life´s experiences, and all I want to do is help them see some light. We have such a great responsibility to help them and it is a blessing and privilege to do so.
The weather has cooled down a lot here. I didn´t think I was going to need my boots again until fall. I am learning to enjoy this cool weather though because I keep hearing about how "horrible" the heat is during the months of July and August. I´ll admit that I´m not looking forward to being drenched in sweat. Oh well. I don´t have to worry about it yet. Well, that´s the exciting news of the week.
Hope things are going well! Hna. Smith
Monday, June 21, 2010
Transfer 2, week Jun 16
Dad,
Thanks for the updates on the camping world. Scouts = funny. I am really jealous of the dutch oven dinner! Right now I eat pears, cereal, pears, yogurt, cereal, yogurt, pears, and yesterday I cooked hamberger because my body was begging for grease and protien.
I´m sorry to hear about how Grandma is doing. I sent a letter to her on Monday. I can´t imagine BYU without weekend Heber trips to Grandma. You are right.
This life would be a lot harder without know the plan of salvation. This week we went to a viewing for the daughter of a member family we are teaching. She was the one who had leukemia.
I was thinking...can you send me a list of why people touch the stove from that book abou the Atonement? I just remember it was funny.
Dear Mom,
So so sad to here about Rex. I´m praying for his family. He is such a good kid. Please tell Mikayla hi for me.
I got a blessing on Saturday and now I am not feeling so homesick. We are teaching some great people and we get time to study the gospel everyday, so all in all not bad.
We are going to party with our zone today so that should be fun.
Thanks for the money and your email
Dear Shalese
I´ve got your back....prayer time! You are really helping me with your letters. Thanks for saying hi to the grandmas and my friends for me...now I don´t worry so much.
Thanks for everything...you are the best. You´re going to ROCK YOUR future...say it, say it now. Thanks.
I love you so much!!! Love Shayla
Dad,
Thanks for the updates on the camping world. Scouts = funny. I am really jealous of the dutch oven dinner! Right now I eat pears, cereal, pears, yogurt, cereal, yogurt, pears, and yesterday I cooked hamberger because my body was begging for grease and protien.
I´m sorry to hear about how Grandma is doing. I sent a letter to her on Monday. I can´t imagine BYU without weekend Heber trips to Grandma. You are right.
This life would be a lot harder without know the plan of salvation. This week we went to a viewing for the daughter of a member family we are teaching. She was the one who had leukemia.
I was thinking...can you send me a list of why people touch the stove from that book abou the Atonement? I just remember it was funny.
Dear Mom,
So so sad to here about Rex. I´m praying for his family. He is such a good kid. Please tell Mikayla hi for me.
I got a blessing on Saturday and now I am not feeling so homesick. We are teaching some great people and we get time to study the gospel everyday, so all in all not bad.
We are going to party with our zone today so that should be fun.
Thanks for the money and your email
Dear Shalese
I´ve got your back....prayer time! You are really helping me with your letters. Thanks for saying hi to the grandmas and my friends for me...now I don´t worry so much.
Thanks for everything...you are the best. You´re going to ROCK YOUR future...say it, say it now. Thanks.
I love you so much!!! Love Shayla
Transfer 1, week 6
Jun 9
Dear Familia, We went to the Temple today! One of the sisters that lives with us is going home on Monday so we had a lunch for her. Yes, my first transfer is at an end. I wasn´t sure that would happen, but now that it has I have a little clearer perspective.
Cool news: One of our investigators was baptized on Saturday!! She is from Peru and I guess lots of missionaries had lived in her house and she had been to church a lot. She said she wasn´t sure why she wasn´t already baptized. (That is why it is important to invite people to do things...they don´t think about it until they have and invitation)
More cool news: Sandra is 35 and married. She wanted to be baptized from the very first or second week we started teaching her!Her date is June 19. She is funny and she takes notes during the whole lesson. She is encouraging her husband too. I think he would be baptized too but he works every sunday....everyone who can find a job here works ALL THE TIME. They hardly see each other because she works nights and he works days.
Even more cool news: Alexandra is 23 and has a three year old daughter. Her marido, Patricio is in the Spanish Military but they are both from Ecuador. They have been together for 7 years but the last year has been the happiest because they started reading the Bible, she changed a lot, and she even gave up smoking. She and her daughter came to the baptism and she burst into tears as four of us sister missionaries sang the primary song about baptism and looking for rainbows after rain...I can´t remember what it is called. She loved church on sunday too! We hadn´t taught her that we don´t drink alcohol, tea, coffee, or smoke and we had a lesson about the Word of Wisdom. I was a little nervous how she would take it because we had only taught her once. She turned to me and asked if I drink coffee and then said she doesn´t either because it makes her stomach hurt. She was just nodding in agreement through the whole class. She cried again when she introduced herself in Relief Society. She says that nothing we are teaching her is hard for her to understand, it just makes everything she had read from the Bible make more sense. She feels like we are the closest thing to family she has here in Spain. My homesickness went away the moment I realized how much she needed us. We are trying to bring members to lesson so she won´t feel lonely or abandoned when we get assigned to work somewhere else. There are so many people here that have left their families to find work...so many lonely people. I am grateful that we get to share the message of the atonement and be with them. It makes me eager to search out the lonely people for the rest of my life.
Alexandra wants to be baptized but they have to work on their marriage papers first and we haven´t taught Patricio yet. We met him once and he seems pretty cool. Hopefully he will be as open as she is.
Parents, I know you have had a lot of blessings because of tithing, but I can´t remember the stories very well. Will you send me something about that? I am afraid tithing might be a hard thing for Patricio to accept.
Life is good. The future is as bright as our faith (Pres. Monson).
Love you!Love, Shayla
P.S. Sometimes we get tired and start to drag...my theme song this week has been "Pump up the Jam, pump it up, pump it up again!" And then Space Jam the movie pops into my mind. Hmmmm....I think I am supposed to be thinking of hymns when that happens...
Jun 9
Dear Familia, We went to the Temple today! One of the sisters that lives with us is going home on Monday so we had a lunch for her. Yes, my first transfer is at an end. I wasn´t sure that would happen, but now that it has I have a little clearer perspective.
Cool news: One of our investigators was baptized on Saturday!! She is from Peru and I guess lots of missionaries had lived in her house and she had been to church a lot. She said she wasn´t sure why she wasn´t already baptized. (That is why it is important to invite people to do things...they don´t think about it until they have and invitation)
More cool news: Sandra is 35 and married. She wanted to be baptized from the very first or second week we started teaching her!Her date is June 19. She is funny and she takes notes during the whole lesson. She is encouraging her husband too. I think he would be baptized too but he works every sunday....everyone who can find a job here works ALL THE TIME. They hardly see each other because she works nights and he works days.
Even more cool news: Alexandra is 23 and has a three year old daughter. Her marido, Patricio is in the Spanish Military but they are both from Ecuador. They have been together for 7 years but the last year has been the happiest because they started reading the Bible, she changed a lot, and she even gave up smoking. She and her daughter came to the baptism and she burst into tears as four of us sister missionaries sang the primary song about baptism and looking for rainbows after rain...I can´t remember what it is called. She loved church on sunday too! We hadn´t taught her that we don´t drink alcohol, tea, coffee, or smoke and we had a lesson about the Word of Wisdom. I was a little nervous how she would take it because we had only taught her once. She turned to me and asked if I drink coffee and then said she doesn´t either because it makes her stomach hurt. She was just nodding in agreement through the whole class. She cried again when she introduced herself in Relief Society. She says that nothing we are teaching her is hard for her to understand, it just makes everything she had read from the Bible make more sense. She feels like we are the closest thing to family she has here in Spain. My homesickness went away the moment I realized how much she needed us. We are trying to bring members to lesson so she won´t feel lonely or abandoned when we get assigned to work somewhere else. There are so many people here that have left their families to find work...so many lonely people. I am grateful that we get to share the message of the atonement and be with them. It makes me eager to search out the lonely people for the rest of my life.
Alexandra wants to be baptized but they have to work on their marriage papers first and we haven´t taught Patricio yet. We met him once and he seems pretty cool. Hopefully he will be as open as she is.
Parents, I know you have had a lot of blessings because of tithing, but I can´t remember the stories very well. Will you send me something about that? I am afraid tithing might be a hard thing for Patricio to accept.
Life is good. The future is as bright as our faith (Pres. Monson).
Love you!Love, Shayla
P.S. Sometimes we get tired and start to drag...my theme song this week has been "Pump up the Jam, pump it up, pump it up again!" And then Space Jam the movie pops into my mind. Hmmmm....I think I am supposed to be thinking of hymns when that happens...
Transfer 1, week 5 Jun 2, 2010
Last night we visited a less active family. One of their daughters (about 25-30 years old) has luckemia and the doctors dont know that she´ll get better. We were all crying and we taught them about the plan of salvation. We are going back on Friday to finish. She had questions about where we go after this life. This makes me stop to think about my testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I am going to spend the next few days studying it. There are a lot of ways that my mission is teaching me about the Plan of Salvation.
Pre mortal life = Life before mission
Earth life = Mission (Both very tough)
Spirit world and Resurrection = Life after mission
(This part is all pretty unkown to me right now) I think I have said this before....I would never have come on a mission if I didn´t know there was a way back and that I would learn a ton. I also wouldn´t have come to this life if I didn´t know there was a way back (Christ).
The first transfer is rough, but the people we are teaching and the lessons we are learning are so worth it. Hermana Smith is great. We are good friends. We are learning a lot together. It is kinda cool/hard to have us both be so new in such a new area. We have to meet members. There is a lot to do and yet neither of us have much experience...this lets us grow super fast.
Love you all, Shayla
P.S. The mission Office is changing:
Spain Madrid Mission
Calle Fuerteventura 4, 2º, Oficina 8-B
San Sebastian de los Reyes
28703 Madrid
Last night we visited a less active family. One of their daughters (about 25-30 years old) has luckemia and the doctors dont know that she´ll get better. We were all crying and we taught them about the plan of salvation. We are going back on Friday to finish. She had questions about where we go after this life. This makes me stop to think about my testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I am going to spend the next few days studying it. There are a lot of ways that my mission is teaching me about the Plan of Salvation.
Pre mortal life = Life before mission
Earth life = Mission (Both very tough)
Spirit world and Resurrection = Life after mission
(This part is all pretty unkown to me right now) I think I have said this before....I would never have come on a mission if I didn´t know there was a way back and that I would learn a ton. I also wouldn´t have come to this life if I didn´t know there was a way back (Christ).
The first transfer is rough, but the people we are teaching and the lessons we are learning are so worth it. Hermana Smith is great. We are good friends. We are learning a lot together. It is kinda cool/hard to have us both be so new in such a new area. We have to meet members. There is a lot to do and yet neither of us have much experience...this lets us grow super fast.
Love you all, Shayla
P.S. The mission Office is changing:
Spain Madrid Mission
Calle Fuerteventura 4, 2º, Oficina 8-B
San Sebastian de los Reyes
28703 Madrid
This post is written by: Hermana Smith
(Shayla's Companion)
It's fun to read another perspective and discription of Shayla's mission experience. (Don't worry, I have permission)
June 2, 2010
Another great week here en España except that the heat is really turning up. It is so hot already, and a little old Spanish lady told us that this summer should be hotter than normal. Yikes. I am not sure how excited I am about that, but at least it isn´t humid here.
Well, Sandra still has her baptismal date. She is so excited to get baptized which makes it so easy for us to teach her. She came to church wanting to meet all of the members, the bishopric, everyone. We meet with her almost every day. She still takes notes on everything we teach her. She is giving us references of people she wants the missionaries to visit. She is just incredible. A GOLDEN investigator who will soon be a golden member firm in the faith and ready to share with the rest of the world.
We finally met Sandra´s husband on Saturday. He had a rare day-off from work so we were able to teach the two of them together. He is so great. He´s from Mexico (Sandra is from Colombia), and they are a perfect fit for each other. I just wish we could teach him too but he works every day from 7:00am to 11:00pm...not exactly within our proselyting time-frame.
We met a couple of great families this week that we think have a lot of potential. One family consists of 2 sisters and a brother from Bolivia living together. They have had some past experience with the church which has helped them be more willing and open to listening to us.
The second family consists of a young couple from Ecuador and their little girl. They are darling! They let us go home with them to share a few scriptures with them when we first contacted them in the street. We are hoping to have some good things happen with this family.
We visited a less-active and part-member family this week. The family consists of Martín and Maria who are parents of Susana and Marta. Susana has three children and they live there with her marido. Marta is their daughter who is about 20 years old and is currently suffering from leukemia. Unfortunately Marta is really sick right now and probably won´t recover. The family is struggling to find to peace with the current situation and it breaks my heart to see them suffer. However, it is situations like these make me so much more appreciative of the knowledge we have about the Plan of Salvation. It is such a comfort to know that this life isn´t the end and that their is so much to look forward to after this life.
I have been thinking a lot about Romans 8 where it talks about how what we experience in this life is nothing compared to the glory we will receive in the next. Thinking about this always gives me a little extra boost when things seem to be a bit harder than I can handle. I remember that I just need to tough things out and turn the Lord and everything will turn out just fine. They always do.
We had Zone Conference this past week. I learned a lot of great things that I am excited to apply to the work we are doing in our area.
I really love our area. I love the people that are here. It is a great blessing to be here teaching and learning and helping. Missionary work is wonderful.
Anyway, tengan una buena semana!
con amor,
Hermanita Smith
Oh yeah, our investigator Juliana is getting baptized in Barrio 3 this Saturday! YAY!!!!!!
(Shayla's Companion)
It's fun to read another perspective and discription of Shayla's mission experience. (Don't worry, I have permission)
June 2, 2010
Another great week here en España except that the heat is really turning up. It is so hot already, and a little old Spanish lady told us that this summer should be hotter than normal. Yikes. I am not sure how excited I am about that, but at least it isn´t humid here.
Well, Sandra still has her baptismal date. She is so excited to get baptized which makes it so easy for us to teach her. She came to church wanting to meet all of the members, the bishopric, everyone. We meet with her almost every day. She still takes notes on everything we teach her. She is giving us references of people she wants the missionaries to visit. She is just incredible. A GOLDEN investigator who will soon be a golden member firm in the faith and ready to share with the rest of the world.
We finally met Sandra´s husband on Saturday. He had a rare day-off from work so we were able to teach the two of them together. He is so great. He´s from Mexico (Sandra is from Colombia), and they are a perfect fit for each other. I just wish we could teach him too but he works every day from 7:00am to 11:00pm...not exactly within our proselyting time-frame.
We met a couple of great families this week that we think have a lot of potential. One family consists of 2 sisters and a brother from Bolivia living together. They have had some past experience with the church which has helped them be more willing and open to listening to us.
The second family consists of a young couple from Ecuador and their little girl. They are darling! They let us go home with them to share a few scriptures with them when we first contacted them in the street. We are hoping to have some good things happen with this family.
We visited a less-active and part-member family this week. The family consists of Martín and Maria who are parents of Susana and Marta. Susana has three children and they live there with her marido. Marta is their daughter who is about 20 years old and is currently suffering from leukemia. Unfortunately Marta is really sick right now and probably won´t recover. The family is struggling to find to peace with the current situation and it breaks my heart to see them suffer. However, it is situations like these make me so much more appreciative of the knowledge we have about the Plan of Salvation. It is such a comfort to know that this life isn´t the end and that their is so much to look forward to after this life.
I have been thinking a lot about Romans 8 where it talks about how what we experience in this life is nothing compared to the glory we will receive in the next. Thinking about this always gives me a little extra boost when things seem to be a bit harder than I can handle. I remember that I just need to tough things out and turn the Lord and everything will turn out just fine. They always do.
We had Zone Conference this past week. I learned a lot of great things that I am excited to apply to the work we are doing in our area.
I really love our area. I love the people that are here. It is a great blessing to be here teaching and learning and helping. Missionary work is wonderful.
Anyway, tengan una buena semana!
con amor,
Hermanita Smith
Oh yeah, our investigator Juliana is getting baptized in Barrio 3 this Saturday! YAY!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Transfer 1, week 3, 26 may2010
May 26, 2010 Wednesday
Dear Family!!
You are the best! Mom I am glad you are taking care of college kids and Swedish bikers. I want to be just like you! You really are the "Laurel" Mom! Josh is lucky you got to go with him to Six Flags!! That sounds like so much fun! Dad/Sharah: Birding sounds fun. It sounds like you two have been real pals this week.
Thanks for the emails from Grandma Donna and Grandma Jean! Mikayla and I also got emails from Karin--hilarious. I hope McKenzie adjusts to the idea of another sister. I also got a letter from Mikayla and Katie Horne. So good to hear from them. I love that Mikayla is so determined to laugh...at least an hour every day.
Yesterday we had interviews with the President. I didnt really have a reason to cry except that I have only been here three weeks and it is hard to adjust, never the less I cried all through the 15 minutes...runny nose and everything, so he went out to get some toilet paper for me. When I came out of the interview, I went into the bathroom for 5 minutes to wait for my face to look normal again. Finally, I came out. I joked with the elders that were also waiting that I had allergies all of a sudden in the interviewing room...weird huh? Of course, Hermana Waters thought I was serious and told me how she had had an allergic reaction to a tree the day before. I think I need to work on my jokes so that everyone knows Iḿ kidding. I blame Dad and Uncle Roy.
President Watkins just said Poco a poco. To study Spanish he reads a chapter of the Libro de Mormon every day, studies Preach my Gospel in Spanish for a few minutes and then reads half of a page to a page of the grammer book we have. Im going to do the same thing.
Dad, I gave up on the zeta for now, partly because the majority of the people we speak with are from South America. The important thing is that people understand. I dont know how it was when you were here, but I think there has been a huge migration from South America to Spain within the last ten years. Almost everyone we talk to from South America has been here less than ten years. I know this may be a skewed sample of Spain because I only talk to people in my area (in the city) and that are willing to talk with missionaries.
I have to go, just know that I am so grateful for all the blessings our family has received from knowing the gospel and obeying the commandments. I know the Lord supports us in our trials. I am so grateful for trials because we learn how to take care of others who suffer. That is what the Lord did for us. The other day I prayed and then looked in Preach My Gospel for instructions on how to be happy...I was sure there had to be a section labeled: How to be happy. What I turned to was the Atonement. I realized that Christ has suffered beyond comprehension to save souls. What a little sacrifice is it for us to give up our time and our own interests to help those same souls? Ironically, learning that a big part of life is sacrifice made me a lot happier.
I love you!
Love Hermana Moulton
Dear Family!!
You are the best! Mom I am glad you are taking care of college kids and Swedish bikers. I want to be just like you! You really are the "Laurel" Mom! Josh is lucky you got to go with him to Six Flags!! That sounds like so much fun! Dad/Sharah: Birding sounds fun. It sounds like you two have been real pals this week.
Thanks for the emails from Grandma Donna and Grandma Jean! Mikayla and I also got emails from Karin--hilarious. I hope McKenzie adjusts to the idea of another sister. I also got a letter from Mikayla and Katie Horne. So good to hear from them. I love that Mikayla is so determined to laugh...at least an hour every day.
Yesterday we had interviews with the President. I didnt really have a reason to cry except that I have only been here three weeks and it is hard to adjust, never the less I cried all through the 15 minutes...runny nose and everything, so he went out to get some toilet paper for me. When I came out of the interview, I went into the bathroom for 5 minutes to wait for my face to look normal again. Finally, I came out. I joked with the elders that were also waiting that I had allergies all of a sudden in the interviewing room...weird huh? Of course, Hermana Waters thought I was serious and told me how she had had an allergic reaction to a tree the day before. I think I need to work on my jokes so that everyone knows Iḿ kidding. I blame Dad and Uncle Roy.
President Watkins just said Poco a poco. To study Spanish he reads a chapter of the Libro de Mormon every day, studies Preach my Gospel in Spanish for a few minutes and then reads half of a page to a page of the grammer book we have. Im going to do the same thing.
Dad, I gave up on the zeta for now, partly because the majority of the people we speak with are from South America. The important thing is that people understand. I dont know how it was when you were here, but I think there has been a huge migration from South America to Spain within the last ten years. Almost everyone we talk to from South America has been here less than ten years. I know this may be a skewed sample of Spain because I only talk to people in my area (in the city) and that are willing to talk with missionaries.
I have to go, just know that I am so grateful for all the blessings our family has received from knowing the gospel and obeying the commandments. I know the Lord supports us in our trials. I am so grateful for trials because we learn how to take care of others who suffer. That is what the Lord did for us. The other day I prayed and then looked in Preach My Gospel for instructions on how to be happy...I was sure there had to be a section labeled: How to be happy. What I turned to was the Atonement. I realized that Christ has suffered beyond comprehension to save souls. What a little sacrifice is it for us to give up our time and our own interests to help those same souls? Ironically, learning that a big part of life is sacrifice made me a lot happier.
I love you!
Love Hermana Moulton
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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
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
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