July 25, 2013
Quierdo Familia,
Hola mi familia! Today is P-Day! I wanted to write you all a letter to tell you that I LOVE and MISS you all! I don't even know where to begin... I have so much to tell you.
First, my heart is just bursting with love for this gospel and for my family! My familia eterno! It's so fun for me to show my photo album filled with pictures of our family to all of the missionaries here. I especially love showing our photos to the Latino missionaries. I tell them about each one of you in spanish. A funny story: I was showing pictures to my roommate, Hermana Sanders who is from Chile. She saw the picture of James and I and she pointed to James and said, "muy guapo!" (WHICH MEANS VERY HANDSOME). It was really funny-James, the Latino women are fawning over your good looks! We have a beautiful family.
Speaking of fanny stories with Latinos...they love Norte Americanos, blonde hair, and blue/green eyes. I 've never been complimented so much in y entire life as I have here! It's actually really entertaining. The Latino elders ask if they can take pictures with my companions and I. The elders in my district said one night they were walking past a room full of Latino Elders and they were saying, "Hermana Cooooon." So now that's my nickname here, "Hermana Cooooon," in a spanish accent. Quite funny!
I know in one of your emails you asked me if I was noticing the types of different people - and I have! Dressing Your Truth has benefited e so much! First of all, let me tell you about my companions. I'm in a trio companionship - which is more difficult than I thought it would be. Hermana Gines is almost 22 years old. She's likes to talk a lot! I feel like she is a Type 1 with a strong secondary Type 4. Hermana Gearing is from Iowa and goes to BYU. She is the youngest of 13 children! I feel like she is a type 1 as well, with a secondary Type 4. Both have taken spanish for multiple years and know way more about spanish that I do. I am definitely learning a lot from them. My CCM President, President & Hermana Openshaw, I think are both Type 4's. President is so smart in the scriptures. I am amazed every time he speaks to us. I want to be like that! My district is full of Type 1's. My favorite is Hermana Woods! I love her. She is a typical Type 1 and makes me laugh so hard because she's so funny and silly.
You are probably wondering what the schedule is like here. Dad, you were right! We study, sit, eat, teach, and pray all day long! By the end of the day, being in the same classroom with the same people, I tend to lose my mind! I am exhausted at night. My companions and I laugh because the one thing that we look forward to every day is MEALTIME! haha! I have gotten use to the food here - kind of. For breakfast, we are served cereal ( I eat granola). They also serve pastries and all their sweets in the morning, which is a bit strange! My favorite are the alfajores pastry...mmm! They love dulce de leche here, too! This morning, I actually had dulce de leche for the first time on my banana. For lunch and dinner, we are served meat and then a little side. I usually give my eat to the elders and eat from the salad bar. Mom! They have beets! It reminds me of home. Boy, I could really go for a good home cooked meal from you right now, Mom. The food here doesn't compare to your home cooked meals! Besides meal time, we are in class, studying - personal studying/companion study/grammer study/T.A.L.L.(computer program for spanish)/learning how to teach/role playing/and teaching our "investigators". My teachers Hermano Abad and Hermano Baiz are wonderful! They are the kind of missionaries I want to be, it just comes so natural to them.
This week, we taught our investigator, Pablo, and at the end of the lesson we committed him to baptism, and he accepted! Our first baptism! His family was baptized a year ago, so he knows about the gospel! It was great! Teaching all in spanish is very dificil, but each day I am learning more and more.
Being here at the CCM has strengthened my testimony even more. Heavenly Father loves and helps his missionaries. I feel his loving hand in my life every second of the day. Whenever I am having a difficult time learning the language or trying to express my thoughts or feelings in spanish, I pray to Father in Heaven and I always receive comfort. I always receive an answer to my prayers. Most of the time, these answers come while reading the scriptures. For example, yesterday I was frustrated with myself, so I prayed that night for guidance and to know that Heavenly Father was hearing me. This morning, during personal study, I randomly opened up to a verse: D & C 138:53-55. This verse 53, it talks about "other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times...etc." It touched me so much because that is exactly a phrase that is in the first paragraph of my patriarchal blessing! I could feel right then and there that Heavenly Father heard my prayers of comfort and peace - and he knows me better than I know myself! He knew me from the beginning. He love you Dad, Mom, James, Annie, and Hannah! - and so do I!
The way I have learned to study the scripture these past 3 weeks - it's amazing! My eyes have been opened to the wonderful blessing of the scriptures! They really focus here at the CCM on losing yourself and focusing on your investigators. Everything we do is for our investigators, our studies, language study, everything! It's been interesting to try to have all your focus be on someone else, but I can feel the spirit working in me and changing me, humbling me. We are here to teach people - not lessons!
La inglesia es verdadero! Yo lo se! Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador. Se que por medio arrepentirse, nosotros podemos venir a El. Se sin ninguna duda eni corazón que Dios vive. Agradezco mucho a mi Padre Celestrial por la oportunidad que tengo de estar y de preparame para servilo a El y a mis herramos y hermanas. Por medio de su Expiacion podemos regresar a vivir con nuestro Padre Celestial.
Mom and Dad: thank you for everything! You are the best parents and I am so thankful for your loving example to me. I am so thankful for all that you have taught me.
James :I love you, bro! Keep up the great work in everything you do. Keep continuing to prepare for you own mission. Study Preach my Gospel! I look at all the elders here and they remind me of you. Stay strong and know that I LOVE YOU!
Annie: You are beautiful and I bet you look even more beautiful with your new braces! Always hold tight to that iron rod. It is so important to have good friends because they will help you stay on that strait and narrow path. I love you! You are such a great example to all!
Hannah: You are growing up so fast! You are so beautiful with that blonde hair. Like I said to Annie, always hold close to that iron rod and have good friends. You are so strong and know that I love yu!
If there's one thing I want to emphasize to my siblings it is that this gospel is TRUE! If you keep that commandments and obey with exactness you will be (truly) blessed! Good firends are the key! Stay strong and be a "LIGHT".
I love you all! I pray for you every night! Thank you for your prayers! I can feel them every day.
xoxo,
con amor,
Hermana Coon
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