Ay Carumba! Cochabamba!: The Last Fruit Snack!‏

11 Febrero 2015

Coming out here to Peru was an insane adventure, especially behind the scenes! Wooo, packing with my mom (thank you so much by the way mom!) and then unpacking and repacking and checking the packing list and the things that I would need and then packing again and then weighing for the plane. I realized that I needed to live without some things that I wanted but didn't need out here; hopefully I won’t need them. But let’s just say that I’m glad that I brought some snacks for the plane (that I didn't eat on the plane cause I was so nervous) because they have no fruit snacks here! Ah! I am crossing my fingers for Bolivia. I just looked in the store for P-day and to my dismay, they have nothing that even resembles a fruit snack! So I had my last little packet of fruit snacks the other day and looked over at my companion, making the most pitiful face that I could and held up the last packet saying ´the last fruit snack!´ We ended up laughing and quoting this for the whole week ;D

I am learning so much here! Oh my goodness! Here at the CCM [Centro de Capacitacion Misional; Missionary Training Center, MTC], we have 15 hour days full of learning in classes. My brain feels so full of Spanish as well as gospel topics that I just hope that they won't spill out! Del don del lenguas (the gift of tongues) is a real thing though! I have here for 2 weeks (even though it feels like a month or two) and I know how to pray, testify, meet someone and try to carry on a conversation in Spanish! WOOO!

Another challenge that they gave us when we got here was to read 6 chapters per day in the Book of Mormon to be able to finish the Book of Mormon by the time that we finish our 6 weeks of training. ANYONE who can do this, commit to it now! It is SOOOOO great! And whether you have never read the book or you have read it too many times to count, you will grow and learn so much from it!

My compi (companion) got hurt playing futbol (soccer) this week! :( I feel so bad for her, we have been praying like mad in our district (group for classes) and in all of our personal prayers. We don’t know what it is yet just because there is a lot of swelling in her knee, but I’m just hoping for her to be able to feel better and recover! Its super hard getting hurt or sick while your all the way out here without family and having responsibilities and classes. There is one Elder who broke his hand before getting to the CCM, and it was fine then, but he broke it even more while he was here, so he has to go home and get surgery on it... Let’s just say that I’m being VERY careful so that I don’t have to go home early for being injured!

We eat really well here at the CCM! It’s delicious but very repetitive. The saying that we have had for our time here has been Sempre Arroz (Always Rice). They have lots of rice and then meat (eggs for breakfast) and GREAT veggies and fruit! They have the best mangos here! They are sooooooo delicious! They also have this crazy weird fruit that you crack open and drink out the inside... it looks grayish blue and weird... but they grow on you and I actually like them now! They are called granadillas.

I love my teachers here, the classes are long but super fun and challenging and playing futbol with the Latinos is SUPER BIEN! (Super fun) to play with them, especially since we have a soccer field on the grounds of the MTC! It’s not full sized but man is it fun!

This week, we saw a video that a lot of people know about in the church, it is about the Currant Bush. :) It’s all about how Heavenly Father has a plan for us and at times there are points where we overgrow ourselves and God has a different plan for us. At times it can be hard to go on a path that you think is right and be corrected by Heavenly Father saying, "I have made such wonderful progress, and you cut me down", but then there is the reply you receive from Heavenly Father, "I am the gardener here." I know that change can be hard, but that when we find what Heavenly Father’s will is for us and align our will with His (not aligning His will with ours) we can come to see the real potential that Heavenly Father has given us!

Tender mercies this week: My companion and I got some bonding time and are figuring out how best to work with each other! We started teaching investigators (who our teachers are posing as investigators) in the little ´houses´ that they have just for role playing. I haven’t gotten very badly sun burnt yet! Woo! My teachers are SO amazing! They are loving and sweet and truly care about all of us! Love them!

That is all I have time for this week, sorry it is so long... you don’t have to read all of it ;) Just wanted to keep you updated on what I was doing and what was happening!

Love you all!

HERMANA (still getting used to that) Mather