So....
This week has been crazy/interesting to say the least haha :) Last week I was
in the small town of Belvidere teaching in English, now I'm in the city suburbs
of south side Chicago teaching (well...kind of teaching) in
Spanish/English/Portuguese (I lovingly call it Sportuglish). I left the best
english sister for the two best hermanas. Hermana Toney has been out as long as
me- we flew out together, and Hermana Milliron has been here for 13 months I
think. Hermana Toney and I are still learning, and Hermana Milliron is just the
best at everything haha :) I try the best I can to pick up some spanish, but to
say the least, it's tricky. I want to speak to these people in their own
language, but I don't want to loose the little portuguese I do have! Luckily,
Hermana Milliron will introduce me by saying "she doesn't speak
spanish..." haha yes, but then she'll say I'm trying, and I'm way better
at portuguese. The people here are nice and interested enough to be cool with
me bearing testimony or praying in portuguese so that's nice :) I'll try to
speak a little bit during lessons in my Sportuglish (with emphasis on the
Spanish), and Hermana Milliron will jump in and re-translate my gibberish when
I tell someone that they can find a wife in the Book of Mormon (yes,
that did happen).
We
have an investigator named Gustavo who is getting baptized this Friday! whooo!
He has struggled just a little bit with thinking that he doesn't know enough to
be baptized (he knows more than a lot of members know, so he's fine ha). So in
trying to figure out how to incorporate me into that lesson on my second day
here, Hermana Milliron taught me how to say "You know enough!" (it's
"sabe sufficiente" for those of you who were curious). So during the
lesson, I was like a little parrot. When I could tell he was doubting himself,
I would perk up and say "gustavo, Sabe sufficiente!" I said it like 5
times (minimum) in that lesson, so now it's a joke. :)
The
nice thing is that while the language has changed, and the people have changed,
and the area has changed, and the mission president has changed (President
Woodbury is apparently from Denver! I get to meet him Wednesday), and the
companions have changed, the gospel remains the same. The Atonement still
works. Christ is still our Savior. Joseph Smith is still a prophet. The Book of
Mormon is still true. Thomas S Monson is still the prophet. And God is still
our Loving Heavenly Father. And the Spirit (the ultimate teacher) has no
boundaries and knows no limits, even when I fall short. Which is awesome!
A
lot of the people I come in contact with have had a background with things in
it that are hard. To say the least. But the beautiful thing is (thanks for what
you said today Mom) that those people are not their sins, temptations,
trials or difficulties. They are more than that, and those things do not define
who or what we are. We are children of a loving Father in Heaven, and when we
come unto Him and use the Atonement more fully in our lives, we will find
peace, joy and happiness. I've seen it.
Gotta
go now, Love you all so much!! Have a great week :)
Love
Always
Hermana Hayley Walton
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