Clothes Clothes Clothes!!!

As many people know Sister Missionaries don't exactly get to dress in everyday clothes. So instead of boxing up all of my clothes for a year and a half of storage, I decided to give them away. There is a girl in my ward who, after many unfortunate experiences, found herself taken away from her home and in need of extra clothes. personally, I think she looks way cuter in them than I ever did :)

Turning Toward the Temple!

Seaside, Oregon
September 24, 2010

"For the first time"
I did it...after years and years of waiting on September 22nd I was able to enter the Holy Temple of the Lord for the first time.

I couldn't tell you if it was raining or sunny. I couldn't tell you how long it took or who it was that came to support me.

I couldn't tell you what it looked like inside or even what I felt while I was inside. I guess I can only say how I feel about it now... peace.

Don't ask me to repeat anything I learned because even if I could tell you, I wouldn't remember anything!

But I have felt more peace in the last few weeks than I have in the last two months.

I am so excited to go again and again.

I had the opportunity to go through the Portland Temple again with my sister and then the Salt Lake Temple on during General Conference weekend!

It was so exciting!!!!

The Spirit of Missionary Work

Seaside Ward is pretty much the coolest ward right now. not only do we have two missionaries out in the field right now, but like I said in an earlier post three more are headed out in the next three months! (myself included :) Last sunday was fast sunday and the ward was told that we also have three baptisms this month!

One of the girls, Angelique, is a friend of the Morgan, a young woman in the ward, she knew a couple of mormon boys in her class and when she joined the Cheerleaders at the begining of August she met Morgan! she started asking questions and VOILA! here she is getting baptized this month!

Stephanie started the discussions around the same time as Angelique. I actually knew her from before, she is one of the tellers at Wells Fargo bank, I always thought she was nice and was really excited to see her at church a few weeks ago. She started dating a guy in the ward and now five weeks later...VOILA!

then there is Brother Bourne (technically not 'brother' yet but I forget his first name ). His wife has been coming to the seaside ward dilligently for a while. She prepared herself to go to the temple and I guess that showed him something because he since started taking missionary discussions and now he's decided to take the plunge. :)

...

Rewind to last month! Cool story!!!
Brother Hoekstre has been taking the missionary discussions for years! his family moved here from Ranier a few years ago. His kids are awesome! Gretchen gets up every fast sunday and bears her testimony, and it is not a regular kids testimony, she always make people cry and just states simple truths with the power of the spirit! Karen is an AMAZING woman that I have looked up to for the longest time. I didn't know much about her husband.

But when he got baptized 250 people showed up for his baptism from all over. and the guy who baptized him flew from Hawaii to do so. this wasn't just about the decision of one guy. It was the about the power of faith, the faith of a family and the faith of an entire community.

The Gospel is true! it takes some people moments to gain a testimony of that and it takes some people years. But when somebody finally does accept the gospel, the feeling is incredible for that person and everyone around them. I can't wait to be a missionary!!!

Spanish 101

the language is coming...slowly :) I'm understanding a lot better than I can speak and I have a whole host of teachers willing and ready to help.

Memo, a kid I work with is speaking to me in Spanish more and more asking me all sorts of questions and trying to get me to reply in Spanish. although, i'm pretty sure sometimes he tells me to say cuss words cause I'll repeat what he says and he will start laughing uncontrollably. Its also really funny when we start having a conversation in his broken english and my broken spanish and we'll get to a point when neither of us knows what the other is saying...then we just have to start all over :P

After the first week of lessons with Mari we had to stop because her daughter was getting married (Congratulations Joel and Monica!) but we are resuming again this week, which will help a lot!

Hernan has taken it upon himself to teach me Spanish and has even given me homework. which is surprisingly nice to have. with everybody going back to school and me staying at home, I definitely need something to focus on that uses brain power! Also I am being given a sentence every few days to memorize. that is way fun! especially for my family who gets to hear me repeat 'should we do something fun today?' five hundred gazillion times a day!!!! they should just be thankful they don't have to hear me ramble when I'm driving

Santiago, another guy I work with, also is really helpful. He is trying to learn English fluently so does not like speaking Spanish in the workplace, however upon finding out what I am doing is more than willing to teach me a few things... :)

Finally, Aunt Debi is just as bad/good as Hernan. in fact her first lesson for me was EXACTLY like his, almost word for word! 'learn the vowels a e i o u. repeat them again. keep them crisp and clear. open your mouth wide when you say them....etc.' as difficult and perfectionistic as they are, i'm sure i'll be thankful for it.

I know I'm not the first nor will I be the last to learn another language...and just like anything else, its really hard! but it will be worth it! of that I have no doubt.

The Waiting Game...85 days

So here I am, ochenta y cinco dias until I report to the MTC. I can't believe I still have three months until I leave. Two other people in my homeward got their calls after me in August, Austin is leaving for Kentucky on October 6th and Dalton is going to Guam, leaving November 3rd!

...not that I'm jealous or anything because they're leaving before me...but I kind of am...even though I would take El Salvador over either one of those (even Guam!) and waiting an extra month or two is worth it...right?

About a week after getting my call I got a thick envelope from LDS travel services giving me a list of all the paperwork I needed before I went. it outlined what immunizations to get, and how to get my passport. I also need to send in a copy of my birth certificate and an official police letter stating my good standing as a citizen in the community. not only do i have to get those I have to send them into the Secretary of States office to get an apostille (if anybody knows exactly what an apostille is or what its good for please feel free to explain it to me!).

after getting that letter I thought time was going to be eaten up as I busied myself with these preparations...however, going to Kenya was the best preparation for that. All my immunizations are done as well as my passport. my birth certificate only took a week and a half to get instead of the five they said it would take...and I'm not supposed to get the police letter until two weeks before I enter the MTC. So I am finished for now, and all I can do is wait.