Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Wed, Sep 9, 2020, 4:40 PM Hey everyone! Hope things are good even for the Jazz fans out there... The second week of the MTC has been way different than the first. In the beginning, everybody sat quietly behind their zoom camera, we still spoke English, and our Spanish practice was limited to the comforts of practicing with other learners. Everything changed when we started speaking with native Spanish speakers and quickly realized how far we have to go. We had the opportunity several times this week to speak with volunteers from South and Central America, and more than once they looked at me like I was an alien after I asked a question. Hopefully I didn't mess anything up too bad, because most of the time I was able to backtrack and help them figure out what I meant, however it is becoming obvious the Spanish of the CCM is just a little taste of what it will be like living in a different country. Aside from that, I've gotten to know my district a lot better this week. We've gotten together a few times virtually and have had some good times on zoom which I hadn't known was even possible. I was also taught what a Chiaroscurist is by an elder in my district while we were playing pictionary. You should be reeeally proud of yourself if you have any clue what that is without looking it up. This week I'm really starting to feel like a missionary as I get settled into the routine and aspects of my changing lifestyle, and everyday I grow to feel more blessed to have this opportunity to serve for the next two years! Everyday I have so many opportunities to see God's hand in my life and to grow closer to the Savior, I'm already beginning to see so many personal blessings, but more than anything I am motivated to work hard with the knowledge that others can benefit from what I have to share. More than once I have left my day with so many questions answered. As I was reading in 2nd Nephi 28 I really liked verse 32, which describes the Lord's love for us and his desire to help us back to him. His hand is always reached out to guide us along, we simply need to reach out and take it, by having faith in Christ and desiring to be better. He has a plan for each of us, and we can be blessed if we show a desire to follow in his steps. Some more exciting news, I finally found some more good mission pants this week! I have a bunch of pairs of the exact same grey ones so I've been wearing the same thing everyday for 2 weeks, but now I have navy AND black. We somehow got two of them for 91 cents. So now I have all sorts of options to match my short sleeve white shirt. Things are really lookin up! Hope everyone is doing well! Elder Easton