Saturday, March 28, 2015

Two earthquakes and a tornado

Hey friends/ fam!
What a week! The weather here is nuts. There were two earthquakes, one a 5.6 and not sure the other. Confession time. The first night we got here there was a tornado, hahaha. terrifying. It did not reach the CCM and it was small luckily. When the earthquake alarms sound we all run to the nearest green circle, seen in my pictures. Everyday is blazing hot until about 4 o clock and then every night there are crazy thunderstorms. The other night the streets were so flooded some places were up to our knees, some elders went swimming haha.
So much time is spent in the classroom. 16 hours a day. But the teachers here are so great. Their names are Sanchez, Salvador, Santiago, and Suaste. Mouthful haha. 
My four hermanas and I sang at the Tuesday night devotional for the whole CCM. We sang a child's prayer. Devotionals are kind of rough because the speakers have translator haha. And not always good ones. I thought the one tuesay was going to have a heart attack up there, and he was like 80. 
I remember a talk by Spencer W Kimball where he promised that as long as we continued to pray in our inquired language throughout our lives, we would never forget it. Challenge accepted. I love learning the language, I am so glad I am Spanish speaking, even though I feel like my head is going to explode sometimes. It can be so discouraging at times, and sometimes I catch myself thinking about how much easier it would be, how much better a missionary I could be if I were teaching in English. But speaking in a foreign language has a way of bringing out the spirit everytime you open your mouth. I will keep working hard, and I will get there. 
I am actually so stoked to be serving in the states. I cannot wait to get to Pittsburgh, so start my REAL mission. I check the weather everyday, usually a sunny 20 degrees and rainy haha. I am ready to freeze my butt off. By the way I only have one waterproof raincoat mom, so thats kind of a problem. And I left my umbrella at home.
The worst thing ever happened this week. One day after going to the bathroom, I flushed the toilet and out popped a spider that had been hiding in there. Naturally I panicked. The spider not only resisted being flushed, but JUMPED out of the toilet and ran away. Mexico has super spiders I guess. When in Mexico- ALWAYS flush before you go. 
The Elders in my district nicknamed me the "íman (magnet) or Elders. Haha they pretend to be territorial over their hermanas. Theyre the best, they keep us laughing during those long days in the classroom. A bunch of dorks, its awesome. 
Hermana Terry is my girl. She keeps a tide to go stick with her at all times for me, because I am notorious for spilling on myself at every meal. On weekends we have sleepovers in our casa. Weekends all you hear is party party party. In particular, the house on the other side of the wall from our house has Mexican raves Im pretty sure. Should I check one out next week?
It will be so cool being here fro general conference. I love the CCM. The food, the people, the spirit here, everything. 
It is hard, sometimes impossibly hard. But you push through it, make it to another Pday, and keep going. I have taught myself to push myself. My memorization skills have always been my greatest weakness. And now we have to memorize hundreds of vocabulary words, phrases, scriptures, and lessons in english first AND spanish. And somehow I manage. 
I didnt leave the most prepared missionary, the scriptorian, the doctrinal master. But I left with a purpose. I will never be the perfect missionary, but I will do my best to try perfectly. Alma 29:9 is my new missionary goal.
"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me: yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."
I am nothing without the Lord. 
Hasta ver. Til we meet
Hermana Sears



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