Obedience Works!
Oh
my goodness, life is so great. Just to start, I have to say just how
wonderfully fun my district is. I´m convinced that we have more fun than anyone
else in the MTC. During gym time we´ve started playing volleyball together on
one of the sand courts, so we like to say that we´re playing beach volleyball
in Mexico to make it sound cooler than it really is. But after my first few
days of playing I developed a gigantic bruise on my hand that basically turned
my thumb purple and it was like my battle wound, but it´s gone down now so
don´t worry, haha. But, I have so much fun and I don´t know if it´s MTC
magic or something but I sucked at volleyball all my life until I got here. I
also sucked at Spanish all my life until I got here. I still suck at
soccer/fútbol, as I found out today when we played soccer with our district.
But I mended some of their shirts with my newfound sewing skills so I sent some
pictures of that. I felt a little cool, but I would be lying if I didn´t pray a
little bit that I wouldn´t ruin their clothes. They are obsessed with my tide
to go, so you may have to send me some more of that. And Dad, I actually did
reply to your email with all the questions on it. But only half of my emails go
through here so I´m praying that this one will send. I´ll send it a billion
times so maybe it´ll go through once. For anyone who hasn´t received a reply
from me, I have been replying, and everyone else has been having problems too,
so that is really lame.
Anyways,
my Spanish is improving substantially every day. Last night I was able to say
my entire personal prayer in Spanish. It is blowing my mind how much I am
learning down here, the MTC really is magic. And it isn´t called magic, it´s
called the Holy Ghost. Hahahahahaha. But Dad, I sort of did that obedience
challenge thing, and I just prayed that the more obedient I was, the better my
Spanish has improved, and it is really working. The biggest thing Hermana S... and
I were struggling with here was being on time. We were literally late to
everything, we never got to bed on time, we only have been able to get up on
time, somehow. See, I told you, you didn´t have to worry about that. It´s fácil.
Anyways, I was inspired by 1 Nephi 3:7 and I knew the Lord would provide a way
for us to be exactly obedient that so far this week we´ve been on time to
everything, and I have noticed my Spanish abilities just taking off. It´s
incredible. But thank you for the obedience email Dad. I prayed and prayed and
prayed that it would come and so I´m going to give the challenge to my district
this week hopefully. Oh I forgot to mention last time, I´m the Sister Training
Coordinator for my district, whatever that means. I think it´s like the Sister
equivalent of a Zone Leader but I´m not entirely sure. I don´t do anything
except go to Leadership meetings and my poor companion doesn´t seem to enjoy
them very much.
Anyways,
I have some really embarrassing Spanish experiences. We were teaching our
investigator, Armando, and I was trying to tell him he needed to get married
before he got baptized. But I said that he needed to ´secarse´ and not
´casarse´ so I basically told him that he needed to get dry before he got
baptized, and that was the day I was very grateful that my dear comp knows her
vocabulary. Then the next day, my teacher asked what the theme of our Book of
Mormon reading should be, and I said "nuestra cama?" meaning to say
something like "our theme?" but apparently I said "our
bed?" and he looked at me in a very shocked and confused way and I wanted
to sink into the floor and die. But everyone thinks it´s really funny and
hopefully he forgot.
So,
Hermana S... and I were finally able to commit Armando to a baptismal date. I
think he said yes to everyone, but I can´t even describe the joy I felt when he
said he would be baptized this month. He told us how he always feels the Spirit
and God´s love for him when we are there, I wanted to cry and hug him but that
would have been not okay, I think. Also he is our teacher now, his real name is
Hermano Flores, and he is the nicest guy. He bought us candy from outside the
compound, I mean the MTC. All my teachers are great. But now my morning and
evening teachers are our investigators and I´m not sure how I feel about it
because I feel like I´m not actually teaching a progressing investigator, I´m
just practicing teaching on my teachers. With Armando, it was like he was my
purpose, and I could focus on my purpose. But I don´t know, it´s all good. I
love missionary work and I can´t wait to get to Ecuador. One of the elders in
my district is like Alma in the flesh. He wasn´t supposed to be in the
intermediate class, and doesn´t know a word of Spanish, and hardly knows a
thing about the gospel, but he has a ton of faith and he´s learned Spanish
faster than all of us combined. It makes me want to have more faith and work
harder, but my obedience challenge has helped me with that a lot.
Okay
so here is the deal with letters. One elder in our district got one package
letter type thing, and it took about two weeks. Maybe his parents expedited it
or something. ´Just send letters, and try to send them the fastest way since
I´m only here for 4 more weeks. This is the address:
Carr.
Tenayuca-Chalmita No. 828
Col.
Zona Escolar, Deleg. G.A. Madero,
C.P.
07230, Mexico, D.F.ñ Mexico
If
I don´t answer any of your questions, you have every right to call me out on
it. I know how annoying that is.
Okay
one last thing. Sundays here are the absolute best. We have like 50
devotionals, there was one on Specific Prayer and it blew my mind. Then we had
another one that was a video of Elder Scott and I saw Chase Weight in the choir
and it made my day. We also watched the Testaments and watching that with 100
missionaries is the greatest experience. At all the romantic parts we were
going crazy laughing because romance is like this foreign thing to us, and then
at the end when Christ came every single one of us were bawling our eyes out.
That movie takes on such a different meaning when you truly have a testimony
that Christ is your Savior and the Book of Mormon is true.
Anyways,
being a missionary is the greatest thing ever. I always have so many things to
tell you but never enough time. I can´t wait until I get 2 hours in Ecuador.
Also,
it turns out my branch president, Presidente Jewell, may be like our 4th cousin
or something. He said he knew some Cluff´s, and wants to know who Beth´s
parents are or how further back stuff. He said Moses Cluff would be our common
ancestor. Also President Cates says hi. I told him to tell you I say hi too.
Hahaha
Well
I love you all a million million times. Monday I got so homesick when I looked
in the word of wisdom pamphlet and saw the family eating grilled chicken with
salad and squash. That´s what we have like every day. I´m sending you what I
eat every day. I miss America so much. I used to always think about the first
thing I would do when I got home, and now I know without a shadow of a doubt
that when that plane touches down in Salt Lake I am going to kiss the sweet
American soil and drink crisp, clean water from the nearest drinking fountain.
And hug my beautiful family.
So
glad I emailed you guys first this time. Enjoy my novel!!! I pray for you
all!!!
Love,
Hermana Kaela Carter
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