OOOOH My goodness, what a joy it has been so far! On the plane from Atlanta to Mexico, there were ten other missionaries headed for the MTC. Three of them are in my district, Hermana Karren, Elder Bohn, and Elder Slaugh. Hermana Karren is like the "mom" of our district now- She´s definitely a future Relief Society President or Primary President.
On my first day, I basically smiled like an idiot all day. When we were driving through the city, we saw so much wall art - I think graffiti is encouraged in Mexico city. On the bus, we all cheered when we saw the MTC. Here, it's actually called the CCM, El Centro de Capacitación Misional. The grounds are gorgeous- there´s huge palm trees and flocks of wild parrots.
Guess who I ran into? Alex Lopez! I knew him from high school when we lived in Firestone! My first day was his last day. How crazy!
The first night I got here, there was a devotional broadcast with Elder and Sister Christofferson. It helped strengthen my testimony. I know of a surety that This is my calling. I Know that I am supposed to be here. I Will serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.
I've successfully woken up on time every day so far. Huzzah! On our second day, we got to witness two missionaries teaching an 'investigator.' I'm excited to teach in the same way that they did!
My companion! I absolutely love her, sincerely. My companion's name is Hermana Loescher, pronounced lotion with an er instead of an un. She's from Cedar City, Utah and before coming here, she studied opera singing at SUU. She also worked at an orthodontist's office. She's an amazing singer and her testimony of the gospel is so strong. She lived at home while attending SUU, so this is literally the first time she's ever lived away from home. She was pretty homesick the first two days, and the Mexico MTC food hurt her stomach on top of that, but she pushed through and she's doing a lot better now.
When we went to the enfermeria for Hermana Loescher, I met Hermana Packard and her husband. They said they knew you, Gma and Gpa Smurthwaite, in Israel. They recognized my name and send their love!
On our third day, we taught our first investigator. It was very nerve-racking, because it had to be completely in Spanish, and we tried to manuscript our lesson. It flopped, and we learned to make an outline, not a manuscript. We learned to ask questions about the investigator and how he's feeling, share scriptures, and invite without reading it out of PMG. The second lesson, Our investigator, who turned out to be our teacher, asked about what happens after death. I have a solid testimony of the gift of tongues now, because I was able to explain so that he could understand, about the three kingdoms of glory. I said something to the extent of, 'Despues de morir, hay tres lugares que puedes entrar. Uno de estos lugares es muy brillo y alto...y otro lugar es mas brillo y alto...y el final lugar es la mejor brillo y alto que todo.' English translation- 'after the to die, there is three places that you can to enter. One of these places is very shiny and tall... and other place is more shiny and tall...and the last place is the best shiny and tall that all.' My Spanish is really really broken, but my teacher said he felt the spirit. and H. Loescher said she was impressed, so I guess I did okay.
On our fourth day, we had gym time for the first time. We decided to play volleyball as a district. We have, in my opinion, the best district ever! There are six Elders and six Hermanas. There's me and H. Loescher, who share a room with H. Karren and H. Leavitt. Then there's H. Andersen and H. Peterson, and Elders Ficklin and Shaefer, Slaugh and Neilsen, and Carrizales and Bohn. Elder Bohn is really tall and skinny, and Elder Carrizales' Grandparents are from Mexico, so they kind of look like Pedro and Napoleon. Hermana Karren can do a killer impression of Miranda Sings, if you know who that is. Elder Slaugh can beatbox, and he is our district leader, and he's awesome. Everyone in our district, although they can get rowdy, are so committed and so strong in their desire to share the gospel and their testimonies. It's wonderful.
Our first Sunday, was amazing. Everything- the hymns, the prayers, the talks, and the Sacrament were all in Spanish. I actually understood a lot more than I thought I would, and Hermana Loescher felt the same way. We had time to read scriptures and ponder, and play a few hymns on the piano. Hermana is so talented, she can make a prelude out of any hymn with all the fancy bottom hand notes. We then had a women's meeting about the Family, a Proclamation to the world. It was spiritual, and I truly know that that document was inspired of God. I know that God reveals His secrets to His Prophets today.
Monday was Ryah's Birthday. Happy 7th Birthday, Ryah! It's gonna be a great year, plus, your just a year away from getting baptized!
I love you all, and I miss you all so much. Tell me how you're doing!
Love, Love, Love, Marie.
P.S. Please forward this to Sister Laney, I want to make sure she gets it. I might have her email spelled wrong!
PPS. Sorry, We only have an hour to write these emails, and I didn't have time to figure out how to put pictures in.
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