April Fool's

April 1, 2009
Family,

So I just spent a bunch of time working on a fantastic letter and then....it got lost! Again! What is wrong with me? I don't have much time. Gotta go. Love you and sorry, Amy I will send home a hand written letter.


April 1, 2009

Ha ha ha! Mi familia,

April Fools! I had to do something for April fools and since pranks are not allowed here at the MTC the prank had to be pulled on you. Wouldn't that be so horrible if I really lost another email?

I sleep on the bottom bunk, mom. I tried the top the first night and it didn't work so well. We have four hermanas in our room and three bunk beds so I moved to the extra bottom. Hermana Patten was supposed to leave this week for the Spain MTC, but her visa didn't come so she is here until it does come. When she leaves Hermana Weir will be added to our companionship. I love her and we can't wait for her to join us!

Thanks for the flowers Mom and Dad! I took a picture with the arrangement this morning and will send it to you. There are lilies, irises, and roses. No tulips or daffodils...so not sure what happened there. The passport is safely back in my room. Yay I am set to leave the country now.

Last night our speaker at devotional has been in charge of the work on the Spanish Bible. When his wife told us that it would be out before fall conference I was so excited to tell you, figuring that we were the first to know. I guess we were actually the last to know. We are so excited to get to use it in Latin America!

Last week I had a significant and triumphant day! I started to form sentences in Spanish. It was just all of a sudden everything clicked. I had a thought during breakfast and then before saying it out loud I thought, "Can I say this in Spanish?" And I was so excited to find out that I knew all the words and how to conjugate them and order them. I feel like I understand the rules and now I have to focus on memorizing all the conjugations and enlarge my bank of vocab. I have moved on from memorized prayers and testimony. I can now just think of what I want to say in English and then translate it in my head!

Yesterday was our first Speak Your Language Day. That means that we had to speak in Spanish all day. Oh moses smell the roses it takes so much concentration. My head hurt SO bad by the end of the day. Ben told me that his head has hurt every day of the mission because you have to stuff so much information in and it’s totally true. I have learned so much here. I have learned my strengths. I have learned why missionary work is vital. I have been humbled. And I have really learned how to feel and talk through the Spirit.

Yesterday was our teaching appointment and it was the first time teaching the second lesson. The second lesson is the Plan of Salvation. Last Saturday we visited with my friend Brother Parma (Ben's teacher) at the Teaching Evaluation Center and he gave us a really good start. He had both of us bear our testimony of the plan of salvation. I was overwhelmed by the power and strength I felt when I bore my testimony. Then on Monday we taught the second lesson to another teacher and she pretty much struggled to stay awake. We covered all the important principles, but we failed in involving the investigator and really teaching to her needs. We worked on our lesson a lot on Monday and yesterday, trying to find good questions to ask and examples that would make the principles easier to understand. Yesterday afternoon Hermanas Weir and Patten wanted to teach us the second lesson for practice. They started and got frustrated and had to stop. Then they took a break and talked it over a little bit and came back. The second time they were able to make it all the way through, but it was rough. Then they asked us to teach them our lesson. I was nervous about this because we had not tried out the new and improved.

We started with a prayer and then started teaching. It went so smoothly and we really taught with the Spirit. It was really good. I mean really good. We both were patient and just opened our mouths to allow the words to come. It is important to have a plan and to study the lesson, but when it comes to teaching I have learned that you have to trust that the Spirit will help you convey the message in a clear and touching way. I love sharing the gospel!

I love you all so much! I think about you all the time! Mom, you mean so much to me. Every time I get a letter I hug you in my mind.

Love, Amy