Hola Familia!!
I have a ton to write this week and its going to be all over the place as
far as topics and stories go. I've started keeping a small notebook of things
thoughout the week that I want to share with you all so all my stories will be
chronological not by event. If that makes any sense at all. Also, sorry for my
spelling. It is the worst now that I am half way into Spanish. And especially
this week where I've had a Latin comp the whole time!
So I guess thats where I can start. Last Wed I got a Latin Comp!!!! Elder
Arcaya is from La Paz Bolivia and is the coolest. The first couple days he was
super shy but we couldn't be better friends now. He tells me all about Santa
Cruz, that everything is green, its crazy hot, there are bugs everywhere and it
rains one month of the year. Hes 22 years old and is a super awesome missionary.
Everything is different with a Latin District (I'm the only English speaker) and
a Latin comp. I can now understand most everything and I'm getting way better,
after just a week of only Spanish, of coming up with things to say. I leave Tuesday for the field and I owe Elder Arcaya my life for helping me get ready to
be out in the real world.
Okay tons of cool stuff this week. Number one. Hard Boiled Eggs. I have
learned a brilliant way to take the shell off an hard boiled egg with out
getting a ton of tiny pieces. I'll have to remember to take pictures of how to do
it. But basically you make two holes on either end of the egg and blow into one
end and the egg flys out. I have no idea how, but it is awesome. Okay,
Venezuelans. There are 6 Venezuelans in my District and they have the hardest Spanish to understand. they don't say any of their ´s´´ so mas o menos sounds
like ma o meno which makes trying to understand them really really hard. Also
everyone here wants to learn English. Everyone. Well the Latins. The funniest
thing is when they try to say the word ´Objective´ because they can't do it. I
have no idea why. They just can't! Also another funny thing about the Latins is
they love the series Twilight. I've had several of them ask me if I like it and
then they explain to me that its the most beautiful Love story they've ever
heard, seen, or read. I laughed pretty hard at that one. The Elders in my
district are me, Arcaya, La Torre, Castillo, Bellorin, Henriquez and the
Hermanas are Ramos, Mamani, and Morales. They are all great. We all have become
super close.
Oh! I gave a talk on Sunday which was quite the experience. All in Spanish
of course and it was on the Earthly ministry of Christ. I feel like I did an
alright job, and I've learned that even when I'm speaking in another language, its
hard for me to only give a 4 minute talk which is what it was supposed to be.
We also had the amazing opportunity to have a group of Primary kids come to the
CCM on Saturday. I got to be the pianist for the entire program. They came and
sang for us and then they had a whole devotional by president Dyer which was so
amazing. There was this one little boy who came and sat by me at the piano and
asked why I had a pencil behind my ear. I told him it was so I could always be
ready to take notes and he thought that it was weird. Then he asked me if he
could have it so he could have it on his ear. He was 8 years old and probably
the cutest kid I've ever seen. Except for Melanie, Ethan, and Carly of
course.
We also got to go to the temple twice since I last wrote. And I had the
amazing opportunity to go with Elder Bellorin as he went to the Temple for the
first time. An opportunity I may not get again until I have a son. The temple is
such a wonderful place and it kills me to know that today was the last time I'll
get to go for 2 years. But I'll be doing the work of the Lord still so its okay!
We also went street contacting again which was a much better experience this
time in that I didn't get lost in the middle of the city. We met so many awesome
people! One guy named Jose got super mad at me because he honestly believed that
the US is invading Colombia, taking away the spanish culture and forcing the
English language on everyone. I laughed a little seeing that I'm here learning
Spanish.. not teaching English. We met a lot of really religious people who
thanked us over and over again for the work we are doing. It was such a neat
experience.
OH! So I heard a joke this week. Did you hear about the man with the Book of Mormon in
his front pocket when he got robbed? He was shot, but the bullet hit the Book of Mormon and
stopped at the Isaiah chapters. Also this week we had a health class about what
to avoid in the field. Not very exciting except I got a kick out of one of their
`suggestions` The slide show said `Avoid eating raw meat` I mean really? You
don't say? haha. Oh, and they have a candy here that tastes like those Cherry
Halls. It was weird. I ate it and felt like I was eating a cough drop. I guess
thats good to them. The latins also ask me to translate some pretty weird stuff
for them. Like the other day my comp asked me to translate `I want to crawl`
which was super strange to me. I have no idea where he came up with that. And
they also asked me what it means when you make air quotes with your fingers.
That was super hard to explain in Spanish!
This week I came to realize how important `El papel del Espìritu Santo en
la conversiòn` is. We spent a long time the other day focusing only on having
the spirit in lessons. This is so cool to me because of the language barrier I
run into every time I teach. It doesn't matter how well I teach a lesson. If the
Spirit is there, the person can learn and still come closer to the Savior. Which
in the end is our main purpose as missionaries. I have learned that the only way
to have that spirit in my lessons is having effective study sessions with my
comp and by myself. If I'm prepared I know I'll be able to teach with the power
and authority of God. I know this can apply to my teaching but also to any
aspect of anyones life. In a job, in school, in families, in making decisions,
in everything. If you do your part to study and pray and have a desire to have
the Holy Ghost, the Lord will do the rest.
I love and miss you all! Hurrah For Israel!
Love,
Èlder Gehring
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| These are the North Americans. |
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