The Adventures of the Strawberry Blonde Hermana: Week 5 Official Latina

Received March 31, 2015

This week has been quite the adventure! I got my Latina companion!!! Her name is Hermana Alaña and she's from Venezuela! She and I get along fantastically!

Hrma Duff and Hrma Alaña

Wednesday

Today was my first day with my Latina companion. She is hilarious. We get along great even though most of the time I don't understand her because she speaks so fast. Tuesday night we watched 17 Miracles. It is an amazing movie and I suggest you all watch it! Today was my one mark from when my mission officially started! Hard to believe I've only been go for one month but I can feel that I have learned so much in this short month. 17 more to go!

Thursday

After lunch, Pres. DuVall had me checked out by a doctor again for my knee. He ended up rewrapping it and telling me I had to get an MRI and use crutches for another two weeks. Getting the MRI was not so bad. I got to lay down and take a twenty minute nap, even though the MRI machine is really loud. Hermana DuVall went with me to get the MRI . I'm so over the crutches. Everyone calls me "Crutchy". It's funny. I love my new teachers. They're exactly like my last ones except for the fact that they don't speak English. Class is always interesting. Even though I don't speak Spanish fluently, thankfully I'm able to understand a good portion of what they say.

Friday

My companion and I taught our first investigator together and it was a little rocky. Unfortunately we have trouble communicating but it's getting better. I've been showing her how to plan lessons the way I was taught from the other teachers.

Saturday

Since Sunday was Fast Sunday, we start our fast after lunch the day before. My district decided to do a group fast which I actually really like. It gives a lot more meaning to your fast when you write it out physically. They even fasted for me. I love my district! I have El. Copa, Alcalá, Davila, and Guerber. For hermanas, I have myself, Hrma. Alaña, Diaz, and Guaparumo. We're so close already! They're a blast even though I don't understand them 90% of the time.

The New Distrito Nefi

Sunday

Sunday at the CCM are seriously the best! In sacrament meeting, I bore my testimony in Spanish which was really cool. Afterwards we had a district lesson about Job. Relief Society we talked about what kind of teachers we want to be in our life and in our mission. In the afternoons, we have devotionals in English which is a really nice break from the Spanish. I'm going to miss them a ton. We talked about the priesthood and grace today. And in the evening we watched the new Restauration movie. I think it conveys the life and work of Joseph Smith perfectly.

Monday

I have 7 days til I head to Ecuador!!! Can you believe it's already here?! I can't! It feels like I've only been here for a week or two but it also feels like I've been here forever. My Spanish and English are mixing really bad. I'll be speaking in English and then switch to Spanish and vice versa. It's pretty funny when my teacher corrects my assignments and finds random words in English. Please excuse my emails. In the evenings of Mondays, we have devotionals and district meetings. Tonight's theme was power in the temples. The Church has produced a video about the temple garments and it explains our garmets. It was a cool perspective they put on it.

Hrma Alaña, Duff, Diaz, and Guaparumo

Knee update: In an hour, a doctor is coming to give me a brace. I will have to wear the brace for who knows how long. And unfortunately, I still have to use crutches. I still get to go to my mission in Quito but they will station me as close to Quito as possible to keep an eye on my knee.

As you can see, all is well and I'm doing fantastic! It's going to be hard to leave! I love this group of Latinas just as much as the other two! We all become so close but this is just the first leg of the mission. I keep pressing forward, leg or no leg!

Have a fantastic week all of you! Enjoy Easter Sunday! Oh and General Conference is this weekend!! I highly suggest you watch it!! You know I will (and in English too thank goodness). Next time I'll email you, I'll be in Ecuador!!!

Les quiero!

Until next time,

The Strawberry Blonde Hermana