I don't know why they would cry for me. That's where I'm going. Except I just heard that apparently south of neuquen just started having a war with Chile. Looks like I'm not going to the Tierra Del Fuego during the Winter after all!! There is a God and He loves me!
But that's just how I feel. You know, whatever. I'd go in the winter if God really wanted me to. The thing is, I'll know in what? 3 days? Whether or not I actually am? Woah. Craaazy. So, I leave on Monday. My flight leaves at 1:50, so mom and dad I'll be calling home around then.....because that's the only number I remember. Well, I'll try to call around 12:30. How about that? That way if dad could come home for lunch or something? Or mom, you can give me dad's number when I talk to you. Hope you're going to be home at that time. Seriously, my memory? Muchos errores ahora.
So, it's been a while since I wrote. And it's because they switched our schedules for the last week of my MTC experience. Namely, everything is a lot more structured, they no longer have pretend investigators that we have to make appointments with and teach. Instead we teach our teachers a lot more (so glad I only "get" to do that for one week). Oh, and we lost both of our teachers. Hermano Goodman we at least knew about. With the new schedule he was switched to a new zone, new district, the class he teaches is leaving the same day we are....I don't try to understand everything, but I don't really understand why we couldn't have kept him. The good news is, when we saw him last night, he told us how he still thinks of us as "his district" and when he comes to work he's teaching "the other district." He also mentioned how he's not as happy to go to work anymore like he used to be. We're so loved. :) And then, we lost Hermano Harper. That was a fun day. It was an accident. We got told Monday when our teacher didn't show up that there had been a mess up in scheduling. All the teachers in our zone had been given the schedules for a different zone. And because they signed up for classes at BYU based on that schedule, they weren't going to be our teachers anymore. We didn't even get to say goodbye. Let me tell you how much of an emotional day that was. Actually, let's not. I still want everyone to have some sort of respect for me. No one cried, let's just say....we may not have been as happy and as open with our teachers as we would have been if we had been told. It was a lot like our first week in the MTC when we were scared, closed off and didn't know what was going on. Except we had the added emotion of missing our old teachers, and not being happy with our new one. We ended up teaching one of our teachers Monday as a district and for the most part I didn't talk. Which I'm prone to do anyways, but then I also didn't know him, blah de blah. I didn't want to participate and everyone else had it handled. So, I'm just sitting there, and the new unliked teacher turns to me and jokes, "what's up with you Hermana? Cat got your tongue?" In spanish, por su puesto. Well, I'm never one to let a good situation run away. So I responded back in relatively fluent spanish and was the only one to get him to calm down, stop joking, and "as an investigator" get him to want the missionaries to come back. And then I stopped talking again. I'm not 5, I know spanish, and I'm a good missionary. And now he knows that.
I still don't talk much in class.
BUT!! The better news is that we were able to hear from TWO apostles these past two weeks. (Side note: please don't judge me for getting emotional and not being nice, I'm still working on repenting and I do feel bad about it but I was not happy with the changes. And now I know I never want to respond like that again, it was totally beneath me and not worth it, and I know he's a child of God too. It's all going to be okay. Now I know to be prepared for those emotions next time or whenever I get transferred suddenly. The other teacher that we met the second day is really nice. I like him in a decent enough way. He's just not Hermano Goodman or Hermano Harper...)
Apostles: The Tuesday Devotional before Easter Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke with us. And it was so powerful. That apostle just loves everyone, and he was talking to us and he was just making so many promises. He gave an apostolic blessing on everyone that we would receive the gift of tongues. We still have to work hard and study the language but he said it would be easier. And then he continued talking and he promised everyone that no matter what struggles we are faced with and gave examples, and he specifically stated if any of you have problems talking to people, or warming up to them (in essence, I don't have my notes with me) you WILL be fine. And, that was for me. It was actually probably for a lot of other people too, but I knew that that was something that I needed to hear. So, of course. I started bawling. Typical. Sometimes I'm such a girl. But it was great, and I loved it. And ever since, being a missionary hasn't been so hard. I still have a minor panic attack and blank when I'm preparing to go contact people, but for some reason, it always ends up going okay. I haven't offended anyone yet. And I can speak the language. I was talking with an employee during lunch (he was making my wrap for me, yum!) and he told me that I had a really good accent. I don't know if that means, good accent for a white gringo, or in general, but it made me happy. I also then got really nervous that he was critiquing my spanish skills so I said "gracias" pretty much like the whitest person you can think of. Yup, that's me. I can speak it....if no ones listening. Oh well.
And then, this past tuesday Elder Dallin H. Oaks came. So cool. And Two weeks in a row! Mind bomb. He gave a lot of statistics about missionaries and how much we are supported and then gave 7 specific counsels for us as missionaries. The main one (aka. the one I remember) was to allow ourselves to be instruments in the hands of the Lord. We are not our own. Our bodies are gifts from God so we can gain experiences and make choices that will allow ourselves to return to live with Him again, and eventually to become Gods ourselves. We need to allow the Lord to work through us, and trust in His divine power that we have a plan. It doesn't matter anyways, because God is in Argentina right now preparing the people I'm going to be teaching anyways. I'm kind of just a conduit. I'll do my part, and I'll make sure to be worthy of the spirit and God's diving guidance, but I don't really know what's best for myself or the people of Argentina. The good news is, God does. So, I'll leave it up to Him and just practice my teaching and learning how to listen to His spirit. I'd probably make bad choices anyways. I'm pretty emotional sometimes (see first story with my new teacher.)
And today we're in an epic day of classes. No normal classes, all the missionaries that are leaving next week get to go to an In-field Orientation. Which essentially means like 4-5 one hour classes on finding, our purpose, vision, and working with members. It's funner then I thought it was going to be. It also means that We don't get our p-day (supposed to be today. I'm e-mailing you during lunch. I have permission don't worry). We're going to try to go to the temple for the last time as a district tomorrow, but we're going to have to fit it around our classes which we still have. Tomorrow is supposed to be our p-day. As in, that's when we'll be packing up and what not. Oh packing. I'm glad I'm a minimilist. that's not spelled right. But, It's not going to take me a long time to pack. Woohoo!! Hehe, I can be such a jerk sometimes. It's not important. I'm ready to go. I'm not nervous. Kind of like I never really was nervous to enter the MTC. Just ready. It's the next step. I'll do what I can, fail where I can't. Move on to the next day. I have made some good friends here though. We have a riot of a district. Just wait till I get home. I've got so many stories to tell you. Like our teachers have always told us (real ones not the new teachers). There's something different about our district. We are going to do great things. (Being different might also mean we're all really weird. Which we are. But we embrace it. And it doesn't matter because our teachers love us anyways. They know we're cool).
Okay, gotta jet. Then I'm leavin' on jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. I'll talk to you on Monday. 12:30. Someone better have their phone on them. Or mom's cell. Turn that on. It's the only other number I ever bothered to memorize. whoops.
I love you all. The church is true. Always, even when the trials come and you just want to sit in a corner and not talk to anyone. The church is always true. Because God loves you. You're His child.
Hermana Reed
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