Last Week in Mexico City

Hey friends.

I have one more week in the CCM. ONE. MORE. WEEK. What is this? I am in shock.

Anyway, before I rant about that I should probably talk about my week. 

Here are some things that happened that arent big enough to earn their own paragraph but are still notable:

-I filled an entire journal. In 4 weeks. Im going to have a lot of journals by the time this is over.

-BENTLEY IS A MISSIONARY NOW TOO WOOOO GO SISTA

-we got oreos from momma. Thanks mom, youre the coolest!

Okay. Now lets get down to the nitty gritty (Nacho Libre, anyone?).

So once you hit week 4 in the MTC they expect you to speak as much spanish as possible. Which is totally exhausting. And hard. But also fun. But scary because every day is solo español day when youre in Nicaragua. Thats a little overwhelming. Pray that my poor trainer has patience with me. I feel bad for her.

Okay, tender mercy time. So, one of these random filler weekdays (I literally cannot remember which one....groundhog day. Todo día, cada día.) this one maestra came in to coach us. I was having a lovely day and everything was great and theeeeen she came over to our desk. We were planning a lesson and she asked us if we had filled out the paperwork. We were like....umm....what paperwork? And then she proceeded to totally roast us (en solo español, of course) about how we arent teaching correctly and we are being irresponsible and stuff. It made sense why she was upset with us, but it pretty much crushed my soul and I was like ¨what the what¨ by the end. I felt so discouraged and stressed and drained and I was like ¨heck naw, I dont want to work anymore¨. It was rough. I just wanted to cry. But then, after lunch and gym we came back and I saw that I had a letter sitting on my desk. It was from my fabulous mother. She wrote me this really awesome, motivational letter and attached a comment from Brother Williams in my ward, pep talking me about spanish. It turned my entire WEEK around. So thank you both for that, I needed it.

As usual, I have every song ever stuck in my head at once. Current brain playlist:

Whistle by Jason Derulo, Summer by Calvin Harris, Love is an Open Door, that one oldies song that goes ¨WooooooOOOOoooo, for the longest tiiiiimmmeeee¨, and What the Heck by Avril Lavigne. Save me. Sos. Help. Ayuda me.

Okay, so conference was the best thing that has ever happened to me. Conferencia general is 1000000 times mayor as a misionera. We all gathered and watched it in our auditorium, which was really really cool. I loved seeing all of us missionaries stand and sing for the hymns. And, when they announced that they would have those talks in spanish, the entire auditorium cheered! We have mission language pride, thats for sure. I caught little blips of the talk in spanish and I could totally understand. Thats one thing thats gotten easier for me lately, I feel like I can understand way more spanish. I cant really respond.....but hey, this is a step forward. Its all good. Im sure Nicaragua will force me to be a spanish speaker. Woot!

Speaking of Nicaragua, I HAVE MY TICKET. WHAT THE CRAP. By the time you all hear from me next Ill be in Nicaragua. I have a flight to El Salvador next monday morning at 6, and then a flight to Nicaragua at 8. I arrive around 9 am. I have to be on the bus out of the CCM at 2 am which means no sleep, just partying until 2 am!!! Just kidding. Partying is relative. We´ll probably be studing scriptures and talking till 2 am. I am really nervous about leaving my little comfort zone in the CCM for the unknown in Nicaragua, but I know itll be okay because with the help of Heavenly Father I can do anything! Spanish is hard. Being a missionary is hard. But its also so joyful and fun, I cant imagine myself anywhere else. Pray for me. Here we gooooo

Debo compartir mi testimonio. haha Yo sé que Padre Celestial nos ama. Quiere nos regresar vivir con vida eterna, entonces da un plan para nuestro salvacion y felicidad. Padre Celestial da su hijo, Jesucristo, mortir por nuestro pecados y dolores, y expiar para nos. Jesucristo es mi salvador. Yo sé que vida es no facíl, pero Padre Celestial y Jesucristo son aquí para nos. Yo sé que José Smith fue un profeta. El restauraba el evangelio a la tierra. El Libro de Mormon y La Biblia son las palabras de Díos. Yo sé el evangelio es verdadero. Estoy muy agradecido por la oportunidad mirar conferencia general y eschuchar las palabras de el profeta. Yo sé que Thomas S Monson es el profeta en los últimos días. Estoy agradecido para mi llamamiento misíonal y la oportunidad servir en Nicaragua y hablar español. Amo los santos en Nicaragua. Estoy muy nervioso pero muy entusiasmado estar en Nicaragua en una semana. :)

That was some sketchy spanish. But esta bien. Itll get better. It always does :) 

See ya in Nicaragua,

Hermana Haws

Tough Week

Hey posse. 

So this week was rough. I dont know what happened, but I was homesick and my spanish sucked and I kind of wanted to cry for 90 percent of it. But, hey, its a mission, that happens. Thankfully I have 10 percent of goodness to share with you. And like 2 percent not-so-good but esta bien.

Okay, so I did TRC this week. I have no idea what that acronym actually stands for, but it should probably stand for....something painful. And hard. Because TRC is where you wait in a hallway and actual real mexican citizens who are either members of our church or inactive or legit investigadores come in and sit in little rooms and you go in and make up a lesson on the fly. And you say ¨um¨ and ¨lo siento¨ constantly and they just look super perplexed and you say ¨ummmmm Padre Celestial nos ama y Jesucristo es un ejemplo perfecto¨ even though the lesson isnt about either of those things. Its pretty ridiculous. But fun. And weird. Mexicans speak really really fast. So I spent 90 percent of my time trying to sort through what they said and translate enough to respond in a way that is somewhat relevant. oh man. But really...it was great. I was shocked at how much I knew. Our first victim was Alex, a joven (youth) who wants to serve a mission after high school, and he wanted some advice and a pep talk from the querida hermanas. That was actually super fun. He asked us how we decided to go on a mission. And I got really emotional while I was talking about it in my dumb baby spanish. That was definitely cool. He said ¨Miro muchas hermanas de estados unidos aprender español en dos o tres meses... ustedes son ejemplos buenos para me.¨ And then at the end, he told me since I prayed for him at the beginning of the leccíon in spanish, he would pray in english. And he said the sweetest prayer in simple, broken english. The peace in the room was tangible. It was a very cool moment.

We also had a real live devocíonal where real live people spoke in the same room as us, which is weird when youre at the Mexico CCM and not Provo. The leaders of the missionary department came and spoke and it was AMAZING. My parte favorita was when one of the speakers talked about a talk Presidenté Monson gave at a conferencia about how there are times he wishes he could go back and give himself a pep talk and say ¨don´t you give up boy! dont stop walking! there is joy ahead, so much joy!"¨ But the speaker changed it for us and said ¨IF youre having a hard day and you cant seem to understand the spanish and youre homesick, dont you dare give up! You keep walking and you dont stop! There is joy in the future...so much joy! And spanish! Believe it or not, there will be spanish. And lots of it. Just dont you dare give up.¨ I bawled. I needed to hear that from someone. Ill keep crawling if I have to. 

So, one thing I dont enjoy about the CCM is that it is a lovely little place where I have all the things I am worst at spotlighted and highlighted for the world to see. For instance: I am horrible at spanish. I almost failed my one year of it. I have the whitest accent in the world. I can barely remember any vocab. And I get to speak it all. Day. Every. Day. Todo día, cada día, as the elderés say. And, when Im not epically failing at being a spanish speaker, I am playing sports. For fun. Ha. Anyone who knows me knows thats ridiculous. remember weights, meghank? He he he. I feel sorry for everyone who has to tolerate my volleyball. I am so sorry. And, if that wasnt enough, I never ever get to use what im good at. There are no cellos here. And Im pretty sure my distrito forgets I was a music major pre mish. Like....all the time. Oh well. Whatever. I want to play my cello in a symphony so bad its ridiculous. Whatevs, rant over! Esta bien! ESTA BIEN.

So, on a happier volleyball related note, the other day the hermanas and I wanted to play volley ball with the elderés from our distrito and some really crazy competitive elderés that we had never met. But we only had 4 people. Noooo! And then this one elder, Elder Gaspar de Alba, whos as bad at volleyball as we are, was like ¨lets form a team and call it Gaspar and the Ladybugs. We are gentle creatures but we´ll cream you.¨ I just about died. it was great. I had a ton of fun. even if it was volleyball (hmph).

Okay...another great moment in missionary life. The other day we were studying and minding our business and listening to our teachers demonstrate spanish and then, from across the street outside the walls of the CCM, this store started blasting top 40s hits from the US because they had just opened. So, we were trying to focus and ¨Wiggle¨ by Jason Derulo came on and we LOST IT. Like, crying laughing. Hilarious. And we whistled the hook the whole freakin day after that. Thats another thing, songs get stuck so easily in our heads and we cant even listen to normal music or anything because MTC life. So we walk around singing weird stuff. The other day it was the first few lines of ¨Youre the one that I want¨ from Grease. I GOT CHIIIIIIIILLS THEYRE MULTIPLYINGGGGG. Oh man. SOS. We are officially going crazy. 

On Sunday we watched an old devocíonal from Bednar. it was amazing. Matt, you told me about it from when you were in the MTC and its amazing. Its about the character of christ and it changed my life. If you are entering the MTC, I sincerely hope you get to see it because you will never be the same. Speaking of which, I also heard this amazing Holland devocíonal the other day and I want to share a few of my notes from it for my other future missionary friends... enjoy!

¨Missionary work is changing. The work today means greater responsibility, distance, languages, and lands. This is a global mission and a global message. No task has ever been given that is so big and so important. We need bolder, more powerful missionaries. 

When I look back on my life, I realize everything I have can be attributed back to my mission. Literally everything I have, I look back and say ´the turning point is the day I got that call.´ The mission happened, and the blessings came. It feels like yesterday...I blink and I am where you sit. 

Invest yourselves. For your sake, for the church´s sake, for the angels sake...you are young but we are not going to apologize for that. So, allow me to welcome you all. Welcome to the work. 

Pray every night and say ´Help me to know what to say, and how to say it properly.´ Read Mosiah 5:17,18,19. These verses talk about talking with the power of the spirit, with a voice like thunder. People can have earthquakes happen exactly where they stand, and YOU can do that. 

So go out there and astonish somebody! Your charge is to astonish people and thats exactly what youre going to do...in your own personal little missionary way, you will absolutely astound people. 

You will speak so firmly and powerfully about what you believe that you will shock them...you will shake their very foundation, and when you leave, they will turn to each other and say ´Who were those two? And where on earth did they come from?´ 

Work as hard as you can until its time to go home. And I promise you you will be blessed. Your life is about to change forever.¨

That blew my mind. I feel like I cant even follow that up, so I wont even try.

Have a great week, I love you all!

Mucho amor,

Hermana Haws :) 

ps- DOS MÁS SEMANAS AHHHH THEN IM IN NICARAGUA OMG pray for me.

Pictures!

Not many pictures this week.....

1. This is a picture of our investigator while Hermana Haws and I were practicing teaching with better transitions. Her name is Hermana Himno because she was a Hymn book until our teacher, Hermana Velázquez, brought out this wierd little flat Stanley doll! 

2. One of our memorizing techniques is to toss around a paper volleyball while each saying one word of the First Vision with each hit! It keeps the Elders very entertained, and we have learned a lot!

3. This is Ermana Hers and I doing TRC. It is on the spot teaching and it was very nerve racking. Vaca Santo.....it was very hard! We taught two investigators and it was a testimony to me of my lacking of Spanish, but we survived. We will do it again tomorrow. 

More CCM Life

	Sep 23

Hey hey hey.

Just another week in the fantastic life of a sister missionary. I`m totally living the dream. #blessed.

So, now we have not one pretend investigador, but DOS pretend investigadores! Ahh! Crazy! Their "names" are Erika and Davíd. Theyre pretty cool. Basically, we use these fake investigadores to practice teaching skills and spanish. its low pressure and fun, but I doubt that first day where I teach real investigators will be very fun, because I speak baby spanish. This week I was walking down the hall and one hermana was telling me about how her maestros will teach a concept and then get all confused when they struggle and say "¿que? es muy facíl." mi maestros do that too. And let me tell ya, español es NO muy facíl. Es muy dificíl. I feel like ive hit a plateau this week with my spanish and its driving me nuts. Hopefully next week I get another spanish growth spurt. But hey, I did accomplish a few things this week. Like, I can teach lessons without an outline and just wing it. thats pretty sweet. And I can talk in progressive tense. Ooooo. Fancy. Mi nombre es Hermana Haws. Estoy viviendo en Cuidad de México en el CCM. Soy sirviendo un misíon para la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. forget what I said before, Im pretty much fluent.

So everyday we have gym time. And pretty much everyday except Lunes (on Lunes I run the track because we have morning gym) we "jugar some volleyball" as the elderes would say. So we go and make our teams and start playing and this group of probably 10 latinos comes over and wants to join us. It was hilarious because we speak spanish equivalent to a 2 year old and they speak almost no english. And our team is horrendous at volleyball...we kick the ball and throw it and we pretty much just play hot potato but with a net. The latinos were super confused and kept telling us "you....dont kick in volleyball." But it was still way fun and they ended up just laughing at us white kids because they are actually super good at volleyball. Like, one of their hermanas was probably not even five feet tall and she spiked the ball. What the what. Crazy. Hna Powell and I actually ended up befriending them and we chat with each other in spanglish.

So our teachers are way awesome. awesome enough that theyve earned their own paragraph. Hermano Villalobos is our morning teacher, from breakfast time until around lunch. Hes 23 and shy and takes english lessons when hes not teaching us because he wants to get good at english and move to Utah and go to BYU. Hes super chill and has only been back from his mission for about 9 months. The elderes are always trying to get him to go on dates because hes a "slayer" (aka, total babe) and totally available. So the other day he comes into class and is acting weird. The elderes do their typical lets-bug-Hermano-Villalobos-about-girls routine and then he told us hes going to ask a girl on a date for the first time since he got home. We all freaked out and made him show us a picture of her. We are like his kids. Or cool brothers and sisters. We told him he has to bring her to us first so we can approve. 

Our other maestra is Hermana Velazquez. Shes so cool. Shes 28 and has a degree and is teaching here because she is a return missionary and loves working with the missionaries. She claims to only understand english and not speak it, but we have figure out that thats pretty much not true and her english rocks, shes just solamente español for our benefit or something. Lame. She has adopted us as her own querida hijitos and its the best. She calls us her kids and she takes super good care of us. Like, the other day in the cafeteria, she was eating dinner with us and she noticed Elder Olsen was wandering off somewhere. Being the good attentive missionary momma that she is, she looked around and saw him talking to an hermana that he thinks is pretty. Hermana Velazquez watched him with her hands on her hips and a scowl and when he got to the table she said, in sassy latina fashion, "USTED ES UN MISIONERO. NO CHICAS." I just about died. It was hilariously adorable. Shes the coolest. 

We got a new distrito in our zona this week. Theyre way chill, and theyve decided we are their favorite district. Awesome. I dont blame them, we ARE the best. Like, the other day we were on our way to TALL,a  computer program that helps us learn spanish (which is super boring (but beneficial (im not ungrateful I promise))) and we passed the piano room, and Elder Jensen was like "im going to go tocar that piano" and he played "Come Sail Away" and "Dont Stop Believing" and it was one of those chill, rainy, peaceful afternoons where you wish you could take a picture that accurately summed up how chill and peaceful it was. I definitely needed that. Hearing real music felt good. Ive missed it and I still do (TSwifts new song is perpetually stuck in my head and I am pretty sure itll never get out. Save me. SOS.)

In other music news, I really miss my stupid cello. I thought I wouldnt miss it but I wish I could play everyday. Oh well....sacrifices bring blessings....right? RIGHT??!?!?! Pray for me so I dont lose it.

Oh, so guess what? WE LEFT THE CCM AND WENT ON UN FIELD TRIP. YEE HAW. It was great. We drove 45 minutes through crazy Cuidad de Mexico to el temple and got to do a tour of the visitors center and the grounds because the temple itself is closed for construction. I am so grateful I got to go. I also got cases for mi escrituras en español and a sweet authentic mexican embroidered blouse, all for around 60 dollars. Inflation is nice sometimes. haha

So I really am living the dream. I get discouraged, but overall I am so so so so happy. I love you all, and I pray for almost all of you by name every night. 

Heres my testimonio. Its sort of better. I guess. Maybe next week itll be more coherent:

Yo sé que el evangelio es verdadero. El Libro de Mormón es la palabras de Díos, y es un otro testimonio de Jesucristo. La escrituras son muy importante y dan conocimiento, guía, consuelo, y respuestas a preguntas tengo sobre mi vida y mi problemas. Tengo testimonio de la importance de misions. Mi mision cambío mi vida, y estoy muy agradecido por la oportunidad estar aquí en el CCM de México aprender español. Estoy agradecido para el elderes en mi distrito y en el CCM porque ellos son ejemplos buenos a yo a pesar de estan muy joven. Yo sé que el don de Lenguas es réal. No aprendo español sin ayunda de Padre Celestial y Jesucristo. Yo sé que Padre Celestial nos ama y quiere nos estar felíz con nuestro familas con vida eterna. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen. 

Mexico City CCM Week One

​How was your week?!AWESOME. I love it here. I typed up a thing about the CCM life and ill attach it to this email.

TE AMO MUCHO. For real. This has been the weirdest week of mi vida. For real. I cant believe everything thats happened. Im sorry about the lack of punctucation and weird spelling, im on a spanish keyboard and its muy weird. 

. So when I left you guys and walked around the corner I saw a whole crowd of white kids in dress clothes and they were like AYYYYYY PASOOO and theyre my misionero amigos. I found the girl whos going to Nicaragua with me! Her name is Maddi powell. I mean, I call her Hermana Powell but whatevs. Thats one of the CCM rules. No nicknames. No first names.You are elder or sister and thats it. we got picked up from the aeropuerto en cuidad de mexico and took the hour long ride to el CCM. Let me just say Cuidad de Mexico es MUY LOCO. WOAH. So croweded. So run down. Its exactly how i pictured a latin american city looking. Holy crap. I{ll try to attach pictures. The CCM is BEAUTIFUL. Holy crap. And the weather en mexico es perfecto. Breezy and 75 all the time. It rains everyday. I love it here. And the spirit is so amazing on campus. Its so fun. 

So at el CCM youre split into districts o distritos en español and then the distritos are gathered into zones o zonas in español. Mi distrito es muy fantastico. Tenemos cuatro hermanas y sais elderes. La hermanas nombres son Hna Powell, Hna DeBuck, Hna Capps, y yo. Elderes son Elder Bradbeer (my cousin), Jensen, Olsen, Ruiz, Hoffmann, y Bronson. Theyre so funny. The elderes are seriously the only reason I stay sane around here. Theyre all 18 and just graduated.  Hnas Capps y DeBuck are going to Chicago Illinois West and the rest of us are all Nicaragua Managua Sur. Woooo! We have Nica pride, thats for sure.

My spanish teachers are named Hermano Villalobos (who is like 22 and just got home from his misíon in Mexico but is from Cuidad de Mexico) and is like 5 foot 5 but a little cutie pie. Adorbs. Also he speaks very very VERY little english so thats always entertaining. We are always teaching him american slang so he can be down with the kids. Like, we taught him What up? and Word up. We are maestros bueno. My other teacher is Hermana Perez who just got back from her mission to Mexico too. She totally has a thing for Hno Villalobos. Its adorable. 

So a typical day here is muy intense. We get up at 6, shower and get ready, go to study, go to breakfast, study some more, wait for Villalobos o Perez to show up, do 4 hours of intense spanish lessons where el maestros talk in what they like to call Poco ingles y mas español. Its crazy. This is what makes the CCM so different from the provo MTC: Your teachers are actual mexicans. Who spoke spanish as their first language. And so are half of your roommates. And all the workers. Its hard to not pick up un pocito español aquí. Also, so far I have taught three lessons entirely in español. NO INGLES. Thats increíble. El don de lenguas es real. I have felt it here. Im not fluent by any means, but I can definitely keep up. Also, sacrament meeting is in all spanish. My branch president speaks menos ingles. We are teaching him how to orar en ingles. And hes helping us improve our spanish prayers. Which, by the way, I can do all by myself without a paper or cheat sheet. Crazy. How long have I been here again? Also, I bore my testimonio on domingo entirely in spanish. And half of it was ad libbed. I think Elder Holland said that if you have the spirit you can unbind your tongue and watch your words work wonders, and hes so right. I was shocked at how easily the words came to me and itmade me bawl like a baby. Hahaha good times! I love spanish, even if it frustrates me most of the time. And I love the mexican people. Theyre so sweet. Seriously. I cant wait to meet the nicaraguans. Oh, so one of the highlights of my week was sunday night. We have a movie night where they show the whole CCM church videos. And then they do a slide show of all the leaving distritos and we cry and sing God Be With You Till We Meet Again in spanish. Our zone leaders from Distrito 5C are leaving next week and we are so so so sad! Theyre some of my favorite misioneros like Elders Dahl and Johansen who are polar opposites and are a perfect companionship and Hnas Bown and Soliz who are hilarious and Hna Bown is super white but speaks spanish ¨like a latina¨. Its true. She sounds mexican. its way cool what the CCM can do. 

How are your teachers?I love them so much!! Their names are Hermano Villalobos and Hermana Perez. Theyre both RMs who went to mexico and are from mexico. And theyre both super young! Only about 23. and they speak, in their words, un poquito ingles, pero mas español. Its entertaining. Hno Villalobos reall struggles with enlgish so he will say something and were like wait what? And he goes ummmmm.... no sé. and awkwardly moves on. haha we love them!
How are you and your companion doing?  Is it true that she went to byui and is going to your mission??Did you meet Cousin Clint?Yes! hes in  my distrito!!!! Hes so chill. We are pretty much besites. I really wasnt feeling well my third day here, and he and all the elders in my distrito gave their first blessing to me! How sweet! All six of them put their hands on my head. It was really cool. I wish you couldve been there, its really cool to see 18 year old boys be so mature and do stuff like that!

How are you feeling?I am so happy!! Pero ive been a little sick. Im fighting a littl cold, but its getting better! Today is way better, I just knocked myself out with some nyquil last night and that helped!
How is the food?Weird. We have stuff like french bread with refried beans and cheese for breakfast. But a lot of it is traditional mexican food and its delicious!!! 

-ow is the Spanish going?Spanish es.....muy dificil. Pero el don de lenguas es real. I say all my prayers en español by myself now, and I can bear my testimonio independently too! I got up during sacrament, which is all in spanish, and bore my testimony and ad libbed most of it. Elder Holland said something in a talk about unbinding your tongue and watching your words work wonders, and I can totally see that. I spoke spanish so easily when I was up there. It made me cry. haha side note about mi compeñera Hna Powell, she cries all the time! It makes me look like a robot! Shes way more spiritual than me, I want to be like her!
Did you get my package?YES! I was so so so so happy I cried!!! hahah our distrito is Elders bradbeer, olsen, ruis, jensen, hoffmann, and bronson, and theyre like little brothers to me. I love them! We also have two other hermanas, hna debuck and capps, who are going to chicago illinois west! Anyway, last night dduring study the elders went to go get the slips that say if we have packages and elder olsen runs up to the window and puts the paper against the glass and goes You got a package! It must be from your boyfriend!!! Ha. Silly boys. Theyre way fun, im really grateful for them.
So you know how many people love you??? Yes. I can literally feel it here! I am not sad or homesick, I am so peaceful!

I miss you so so so so much. Feel free to send me letter to the address in my mission booklet, i can get letters. And that package service you sent that thing to me from totally works too! We met the lady who runs that at the airpórt and her and her husband arent even members, they just love the missionaries and feel for their families who miss them. So cool!!

Anyway, my life is totally being changed here. I am happy and I am safe!! And heres my testimony in español. Es muy sketchy. Ellyse, feel free to proofreed it.

Yo se que el evangelio de Jesucristo es verdad. El Libro De Mormón es de Díos. Padre celstial nos ama. El quieran estar feliz con nuestro familas. Jose smith restaran la iglesia. El es profeta. Estoy agradecido por mi familia, my amigos, my compañera, mi distrito, y la oportunidad llamadar el mision a el niños de Díos en Nicaragua. Estoy felíz porque el evangelio es en mi vida. El nombre de Jesucristo, ámen. 

xoxoxo, 

Hermana Haws!

Adios Hermana Haws!