Hola mi familia!
¿Como le va? I love you all so much! I wish I could give you all a big hug right now...Thank you for the sweet emails this week! I loved opening up my email and seeing lots of love from my family and some friends! It makes me corazon (heart) so felizidad (happy)!
I have been so excited to write you my very first letter in my mission! I have so much to say and I hope I dont leave anything out. This week has been the longest, happiest, hardest, and most spiritual week I have ever had. The CCM is amazing! I have never felt the spirit so strong as I have here. It is such a special feeling knowing that I am called full time missionary serving my Heavenly Father. I feel like I am such a different person than I was last week. I can feel my Padre Celestial (Heavenly Father) molding me into the missionary he wants me to be. I am working hard. This is the hardest thing I have ever done, but this is the best decision I have ever made to serve a mission.
I have learned a lot this week about the Argentine culture, which is very unique! haha. The flight here to Argentina was so long. I loved looking out the window as we were flying over South America and seeing all the lights. I had to keep pinching myself asking if this was really real!! The members here are very friendly. As soon as we got off the plane on Thursday, we were greeted by this sweet sister missionary who was returning home from her mission in Spain. She is from Argentina. She ran up to Hermana Benson and I, and I thought she was going in for a hug, but no! Instead she hugged me, but kissed me on both cheeks! It was so funny! The sister told us that she knew we were sister missionaries because of our shoes. haha. I have not been kissed on the cheek this much for a long time! Latinos are so funny. The weather here in Argentina is hace frio! very cold! I woke up this morning to pouring rain. It is humid outside too, way different from what Im use too!
I have two companions, Hermana Goering and Hermana Gines. Hma Gearing is from Iowa and goes to school at BYU studying to be a recreation management and Hma Gines just graduated from Utah State in history. Both are very smart and already knew a lot of spanish, so they are helping me out immensely! We have fun together. I really enjoy the district that I am in, too! Its the Moroni, pronounced Moronee, district. 3 companionships of elders and 2 companionships of hermanas. We laugh a lot.
Everything about the CCM that I was told before I came out is so true! Right when we arrived here, we were just thrown into spanish. There are about 80 missionaries here at the CCM, half latino, half Norte Americano. I could not understand for the life of me what anyone was saying! The first official day here, we were thrown into teaching a lesson to an investigator in Spanish! Talk about scary! Our investigators name is Fransico. We teach Fransico almost everyday and it can only be in spanish. (Fransico is actually our teacher, Hermano Baiz. Hes actually a really good actor and makes it feel like hes a real investigator who doesnt know anything about the church.) Right now, we are teaching him how to pray and about the restoration. I really love gospel...and spanish! The food here is very interesante....I miss your healthy, yummy food, Mom! We have a few cooks here at the CCM. They are so sweet and nice. The main course of every meal is meat. On Wednesday night, we were served blood sausage, and some other cow meat. (I think they served us a cow tongue and spine??) haha. We are served a lot of carbs here...pasta, bread, and also a lot of dulce de leche. They love that here! Good thing they have somewhat of a salad bar! Every meal I dish myself up some salad and tomatoes. We sit all day here, so during free time, my companions and some other sisters from our district exercise. It is so fun! I love these hermanas!
We study all day long here at the CCM. My companeras and I were laughing yesterday because all we do here is study, eat, and pray. We wake up at 6 30, get ready, eat breakfast at 7, and then from8am to 9 30pm is language study, personal study, companion study, more meals, devotionals, and teaching! It is exhausting and by the end of the day, my brain hurts. Life here is so amazing. Every night, as I climb into my bunk bed, I lay there at think all about my day. I feel so blessed. I realize how much I am learning each day and can see Heavenly Fathers hand in my life. I could not do anything without him. Already, I am able to understand a lot spoken in Spanish, and its only the first week! When our teachers speak in spanish, which is most of the time, I understand what they are saying. Communicating is a different story though, thats a little more challenging. I know that my Heavenly Father knows me. He knows what Im struggling with, he knows my weaknesses, and I can feel the Spirit with me constantly.
I have been in constant communication with my Father in Heaven this week. Its been so good for me because usually, I would go talk to you mom and dad asking you for advice, but now I have turned to my Padre Celestial. I have had quite a few personal experiences of how I know that he hears my prayers and knows my concerns. I have been acting on a lot of faith this week. Earlier this week, I had been studying and learning how to pray in Spanish. I was asked to give the prayer at one of the devotionals we had with a couple districts...in Spanish! I had studied it and I could only act in faith that He would help me...and he did!
Ive also been thinking a lot about the kind of missionary that I want to be. I want to be a missionary who obeys with EXACTNESS! Obedience brings blessings, but EXACT obedience brings MIRACLES. Thats what I need. I need miracles to happen. I know that if I ask Father, in faith, to help me learn the language, believing that I will receive, it shall be given unto me! My purpose here is to bring others unto Christ. It is by faith, miracles will happen....and I have faith!
Thursdays are Pdays here at the CCM...and today we get to walk across the street to go to the temple! I am so excited! Also, they said that they dont want any packages mailed here to the CCM, but instead to send them to the mission home in Uruguay. Also, to keep the packages safe, they said its best to put pictures of Jesus or Mary on the package!
Thank you for your sweet emails. I loved the pictures! Good luck with acutane, James. It will be so worth it in the end! Annie and Hannah...I love that you are sleeping in my room and its so fun you at Thriftys icecream! Mom and Dad, you are the best! I love you all so much. You are all my best friends and I am so thankful that we will be a family for eternity. Have a fantastico semana! xoxo
Con amor,
Hermana Coon!
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