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| Sister Missionaries! We love to share clothes :D Yes Mom, that's my orange floral print dress on the right! |
I've officially been at the CCM for 3 weeks! Crazy how fast time has flown by. I can't even remember what I did before I left, It feels like it was so long ago.
I know this weekend is Dads Birthday, I wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys. Please make sure to eat all his favorites and don't forget dad doesn't like black licorice. I miss him so much but I can feel his spirit around me. I did today when I was in the temple. Jessica if you can go with mom this Saturday to the temple and send me photos of the birthday party for him.
Remember he also likes German Chocolate Cake or Chocolate Cake with Peanut butter and Chocolate frosting. You should watch the movie too that I made. I have photos up of him around my bed with the kids and a picture of us when we got sealed in the temple. I cant wait to give him a hug again some day. He was such a good example to all of us and taught us not to judge other people. Remember to love on another and to hug randomly on that day. I love you all and love and miss Dad.
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| Studying hard! |
Spiritual Movies
So I thought I would start this weeks email with the Sunday Night Movie, it is called Presious Treasures and was all about the Book of Mormon. It told the story of a man named Di Vinchinzo, he was a priest in Italy, and when he moved to New York back during World War I he found a book slightly burned with no cover or title page. He read it and started to give sermons from this amazing book he knew was true. He eventually got shut out of the church he was preaching in because they didnt like the book he was using. So after 10 years of knowing this book was true, but never knowing whose book it was, he found out that it was the Book of Mormon. He wanted so badly to get baptized, but he had moved back to Europe and because of the war, the church had pulled missionaries out of the area. So he waited, and waited, and from the time he was 23 until he was 60, he waited to get baptized. He was finally baptized after he waited for over 40 years! He was so faithful!!
We also watched another movie on Sunday night, I am not sure what it was called, but it was about Capitan Moroni from the Book of Mormon. It talked about after he wrote Moroni chapter 10 in the Book of Mormon he wondered for 40 years as the only Nephite left and wondered to save his life because the Lamanites wanted to kill him. He buried the plates in the ground and then retired to his death. What the strength of a man to be the only one left who believed and he safely guarded the plates which were later translated into the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith. I loved both movies so much!! Also, I invite you to read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon, it is pretty amazing what it says. God restored the fullness of the Gospel when he restored the Book of Mormon!! Read it and tell me what you think. Oh and read Moroni 10;3-5 and ponder, pray, and ask if it is true.
Spiritual Moment
One of the most Spiritual moments here at the MTC was yesterday the 14th of Oct. Every Monday we have an hour of dedicated time where we go to the TRC (Training Resource Center). While we are there we practice teaching people based on their needs, which is obviously what we will be doing out in the field (on our actual mission). People volunteer in the TRC, so sometimes we teach other missionaries, recent converts, investigators, or teachers.
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| Our Classroom |
This week we had the opportunity to teach a young college girl named E. She is a recent convert to the church and was baptized 2 months ago. She absolutely loves the church, institute and everything we have to offer. She is the only one in her family who is LDS and her parents have not been supporting her so she has felt a bit at odds with them. We got to visit with her for 45 minutes, as a whole district (which is 10 missionaries including me and my companion).
We really got the chance to get to know her and found out she had been struggling. We were able to share our own experiences with her. One of our Elders is a covert and his family does not support him either and he is on a mission. The whole experience was amazing. It made me realize how hard of a decision it must have been for mom to go against what her parents told her when she decided to join the church. I told E that my mom had been in a similar situation and that her decision had made a positive effect on her family as an example to them. Without her decision to join the church I wouldn't be sitting here at an MTC on a mission writing this letter. Moms decision along with E's will not only be an example to their own families but also the families that they have. So MOM thank you for your decision, I wont want to have my life any other way. You are an example to me and to others around you.
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Missionaries! |
We also watched a Mormon.org video about a Bishop named Chris, who one Friday night, out with his family, got hit by a drunk teenage driver and his wife and 3 of his kids were killed. Our teachers, stopped the video and then became our investigator for the day. (They are trying to teach us what the real mission will be like). So Chris, our investigator said he wanted to find out why this happened to his family, and why God would do this to him and he didn't feel like existing anymore. We talked to him for a while and taught him about the Plan of Salvation.
The entire time, I was crying with Chris because all of the questions he was asking were the same ones I asked myself after Dad passed away. So I cried in front of everyone in my distric for a good 30 minutes. I was sad about Dad and knew what Chris was going through. I finally pulled myself together and was able to tell him that I have had those same questions before and that God knows what he is going through. The Plan of Salvation is a plan of HOPE and that he can live with his family again, but the first step to do that is be baptized. So, I asked him if he would follow Jesus Christ's example and be baptized, he said YES! It was such a spiritual experience and I loved being able to share my testimony.
My companion Hermana C and I have also been teaching two new investigators twice a week since last Monday. One is named F, he is friends with on of our teachers and he is interested in learning more about this gospel. He has a strained relationship with his family and wants a stronger relationship with God. Hermana C and I have been teaching him about the restoration of the Gospel. During our last lesson he said he had not gotten a chance to pray yet. He said he was embarrassed. We asked him if I could give a simple pray, I did. Then we taught him how to pray again, and after that he prayed with us! It was so amazing to see his willingness and faithfullness. I cant wait to teach him tomorrow about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon!
Our other investigator is S. He wants to find peace in his life. He is not really sure from what so we are trying our hardest to help him. Hermana C and I put together a lesson about the Plan of Salvation and then memorized for two days what we wanted to say and how we were going to say it. Then, 2 hours before we were supposed to teach it, we decided it wasn't the right message. So with 2 hours until the lesson we prayed and decided to teach him about the Book of Mormon instead. We read the introduction with him. He said he wants to read it and more! I cant wait to see him again on Friday and see if he read it and what he got out of it. Teaching can be so hard and knowing what to teach even harder. This week we have really tried hard to teach with the SPIRIT and let the SPIRIT guide us in what we are teaching. It is so much harder than it sounds that is for sure.
On to other things....
Last Wednesday I bruised a tendon in my wrist and couldnt play volleyball for a week because my wrist swelled up which has never happened to me before. Dont worry though. I went to the doctor and he said everything would be fine. I am going to see him tomorrow for a followup. My wrist swelled in a few hours and I didn't play volleyball all week, which was pretty sad because me and Hermana C love playing volleyball together. But we played Basketball, ping pong and went running. We even walked around the entire CCM and got to see the pretty mountains that surround us.
We found out this week from one of our American teachers that we are in the southern most part of what is considered Mexico City. 3 blocks south of us, is the suburb area of Mexico City. So the hills around us are actually other cities. Crazy huh! Oh and this week at the CCM we have had American food pretty much every day. We had corn dogs, pizza, hamburgers, pasta, and today we had some amazing donuts. So good but I love the Mexican food too. We had green chilli tamales and posole this week and it was amaz!
The weather is amazing here, not trying to rub it in though. I know it has been rainy there and for sure fall. Here is is 75 all day and is around 65 at night. Still hot and muggy. It has not rained much since we have been here. We had thunder and lighting a few nights ago and it sounds so cool.
Funnies of the Week;
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| Unexplainable |
Two of our Elders were teaching a lesson about Jesus Christ and his Example to us, so they taught the investigator about how Jesus died for us. Then they asked;
Elders; How can you follow in Jesus Christ footsteps?
Investigator; I would die.
Elders; Oh no, that not what we meant, Jesus Christ is an example to us. God does not expect us to die. So they asked a better question instead.
The same elders were teaching a different lesson and were trying to ask What goals the investigator had with meeting with the missionaries but they couldnt remember the word for GOALS. So, instead they asked;
Elders; Que es su Goals (in english) en su vida? (what are your goals in life?)
Investigator; Que? (What)
Elders; Goals (in english)?
Investigator; No entindo... (I don't understand)
Elders; Goals (in english) as he throws his arms up like a football goal post.
Neadless the say the Investigator still didnt understand what they were trying to ask so they skipped the question.
Love AnnaAlicia
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