Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Hermana Olivia Baeza's First Letter from MTC !!!!!!!!!!

Hola!!!
Okay...first things first...it is sooo true when people say the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days! I haven't been here for a full week quite yet but my goodness...you really do forget what day it is haha! I even thought today was Monday :) Well, I'm officially a missionary now - YAY! It is so wonderful! Definitely a lot of hard work but worth it because we are preparing to fulfil our duty in saving souls! Hermana Marroquin is mi companion. She is from Colorado Springs, CO (no em, she said she doesn't know you lol already asked!!) and she has 21 SIBLINGS!!!...It might even be 22 haha I can't remember. She is adopted and the other children in the family are also adopted into it...so it's like a bunch of different families in one! Crazy right!? She is super sweet! I'll talk more about her later on in the email...
 
My district is awesome! The Elders are goofs haha go figure. They are all going to California but I am the only one going to LA. We got...3 Elders going to Sacramento y 2 going to...Carlsbag? Hahahahaha don't know how to spell it, whatevs. Then the two other sisters in my district that I live with are the best! Literallly, Heavenly Father blessed me with the most sweetest girls to live with! So lucky. One is going to Houston Texas and the other is also going to Carlsbag (sp?). My zone is also AMAZING!!!! Again....so lucky. Us four hermanas are the only ones in the zone and the elders look after us. Especially when we play four-square!!! If we just get into the game and one of the elders get us out, they all chew him out (in a positive way) and team up to get them out because they got a hermana out on her first time. Haha! They say I'm a dirty player...which doesn't surprise me since we all know I can get competitive. Sometimes they think I can't hit and then all of a sudden I'll hit the ball with my fist in the very corner of their square and get them out. They love it when I do that haha they go crazy! There is one guy who isn't in our zone who plays with us and they call him "Wisconsin" cause that's where he is going to serve and the elders don't really like him because he gets way intense in the game and isn't nice to the hermanas during the game. Well...this little girl got him out TWICE!!!!! HAHA! All the elders in my zone gave me high fives (when Wisconsin wasn't looking) and were proud of me.
 
One thing I love about the elders in my zone is how respectful they are of us. Our branch president tells them that they must take our trays for us after we eat every meal, hold the doors open for us, and within our district, whenever we get up to leave the classroom, all the elders have to stand up. The same goes for when we walk in. So sweet! And they WANT to do it! They never give attitude when they do it. They really are the sweetest bunch of boys and I'm not just saying that just to say it. Us hermanas have seen the way other elders treat their sister missionaries in their zone and they aren't as nice or respectful! So, again, soooo lucky.
 
P.S. - District is my group of elders/sisters that I will ALWAYS be with til I leave. We do everything together and go to all the same classes together. A zone is a group of elders/sisters that are all together. So, to make more sense, there are 4-5 districts in our zone. I hope that makes sense...lol.
 
On my first day here at the MTC, we went to a bunch of workshops and orientations and what not. In one of our workshops we met three "investigators" and we all got to ask them questions and try to teach them. The first guy was one whose wife passed away and whose 3 month old child also passed away. He felt guilty because his 3 month old didn't get baptized before he died and he felt like his baby was damned. He couldn't get any source of peace for it. I KNEW there was a scripture that perfectly described that situation and so my companion helped me find it. Once I found it, I raised my hand and asked him if he would like to read a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants. I explained to him that they are revelations given through the Prophet, Joseph Smith, that we use in our day and that the scriptures hold truth. He read D&C137:10. I don't have my scriptures with me so I can't type it up but look it up and you'll understand why it helped ;) He read the verse 3 times because he was in awe. He asked me if his son was saved and I told him he was because Heavenly Father loves us so much that there is always a way to return back to him. The spirit was SO STRONG! I was the only sister that spoke in that one lesson but the next two investigators we met (they were members pretending to be investigators), the other sisters in the room started to open up. It was such a great way to start my first day.
 
Now...the Spanish. Haha it's okay. The very first day we got there we already had class and our teacher spoke 100% spanish - NO ENGLISH! Surpringly I was able to understand a chunk of what he said! He would say a word and ask us what it means and I would almost always reply. I felt way good! But...I knew that it was only going to get harder so I couldn't let myself think I know it all cause haha lets be honest, I don't. My spanish has progressed a lot though. A lot of words come to my mind quickly and it's nice to know that I DO remember SOME stuff from middle school and high school haha. It's going to take a LOT of practice and studying but I know that I can do it. If the Lord wanted me to learn the language in two days then I would learn it in two days. I was called to preach the gospel in the Spanish language because he KNEW I can do it. I haven't even been here for a week and I just need to keep reminding myself that. For where I am...the Lord is pleased and is proud of what I have been able to do.
 
So, we have this "investigator" that we teach in spanish...yes, all spanish. She doesn't know english haha. So the SECOND day we're here...we have to teach her!! uhhhhh SCARY! So we decide to get to know her first during our first lesson...which turned into pretty much a silence room for 20 minutes haha! I was able to say some things but my companion struggled a lot. We have taught her 3 times now and Hermana Marroquin is doing so much better each time! I still talk the most because I know more words and things to say and she looks at me to say things but she is still progressing which is the important part. It's funny, I came into this thining how I WANT to do the best in Spanish, how I WANT to teach the best and making my mission about me when...it's not. I'm given a companion for a reason. We are both, together, suppose to help each other and grow as a companionship. I was kind of struggling on Saturday because she asks me for help a lot and I like to think I have good patience lol so I help her a ton but I felt like I was helping her more then I was helping myself and it stressed me out because well...I do want to learn! But, when I see her succeed, it makes me so happy. I'm at a point where I want her to do better then me. I'd rather see her succeed before me. I really do love her. During comapnionship inventory, which is where we ask a bunch of questions to each other, she made the comment that, "I feel like we are suppose to be companions. If we had the choice to choose who our companion would be...I feel like we would still choose each other" and I couldn't agree more!
 
Okay, my time is running out so sorry this isn't like, "super spiritual" or anything haha but, just trying to get used to everything. Plus, I'm using a horrible keyboard lol.
 
MCKAY CLARK!! My favorite little boy ever! How was your first talk in primary!? :) Write me about it ;)
 
AUBREY! I saw your brother Elder Decker hahahahaha it was great! He was in shock when I called him Elder Decker adn told him I knew you. Like, legit shock hahahaha so funny
 
Thank you Abby and Spencer and family for my letters! I loved them! Expect letters back soon! :)
 
 
OH YEAH! I was called as a coordinating sister for my district! I'm pretty much a zone leader to the sisters in our zone - what my branch president told me. I have meetings to attend that interrupt with study time but we are promised to be blessed even MORE for the service we do in our callings, that we will be better missionarys because of these callings then if we were to not have them. It's a fun calling and I work with the other elders so its great.
 
Mom, I'll email you next week on your questions and the stuff I need. But everythuing I have works and everythign is great!
 
 
Oh yeah, one last thing cause i have 30 secs, woke up with m y tongue back (don't worry, i took peptobismal and my acne med and caused it to turn black, i'm okay), my right arm keeps tqwitching haha soo funny and yeah, got to go bye!
 
 
lvoe,
hermana baeza


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