My "contacts" are Elders. We have a goal to teach 8 lessons a week to different pairs of Elders. Each of them pretend to be investigators and we keep a teaching record of them, what there life is like, where they work. Just as if they were real investigators. We gear the lessons to their needs, and then teach them. Once they have the baptismal interview with our district leader they are considered "baptized" and we teach more. We have 12 investigators. We also go to this thing called the TRC. Basically people outside, come in and volunteer. For us, they have to know spanish fluently. We then go around to the doors and practice tracting and trying to get a lesson. (the rooms are set up like a home would be). On wed. the guy we taught was Leonardo. He was from Oaxaca, Mexico! He spoke spanish very fluently and I could tell he tried to go slow for us hahaha. Luckily we taught a very excellent lesson in spanish. At first we thought the investigator he was playing was made up, but as the lesson went on we found out that it was his actual life. He has been away from his family for 7 years, they still live in Oaxaca, and he was sent here to get an education and work. His parents are divorced, remarried, and catholic. When Elder Burton and myself had figured out that this was his actual life, we really got into our teaching and it was powerful! Not because of our teaching, all the spirit. Both testifying and helping us speak the language.
Speaking of language. I have to teach myself everything, but I think I mentioned that earlier. I have made some funny mistakes now and then. I can only think of one right now off the top of my head. i said "no estoy hombre" after dinner. what I meant to say was "no tengo hambre" I'll let you figure out the difference hahaha.
In response to your question about my study time. I only get about 2 hours a day for studying Spanish. and that is me teaching me. We then have about 6-8 hours of classroom time, where there is a teacher that supervises. He teaches us from preach my gospel, and we also have our companionship study during that time. The teacher will occasionally help us with Spanish questions, but will not directly teach us lessons or anything. We mostly learn how to teach during our class periods (that is also when we have TRC depending on the day).
We did sing this amazing version of called to serve!! I loved it, we start out singing quiet all 2000 of us missionaries, then the second verse is medium loud and then the second chorus is loud and then we stand up on the last note (King) and we sing the chorus louder and ended it really cool !! The missionary spirit was WAY WAY strong :) I loved it.
Saturday was full of class, and study, and gym. OH! I will tell you about gym. so we have gym every day except p-day and Sunday. I usually go running for 15 min, and then either play 4 square or basketball. 4 square is the in thing here at the MTC. It is bigger than anything in the world! Bigger than the NBA or the NFL. I have good news! because of my healthy eating habits and exercising I have lost 6 pounds instead of gain 6 pounds!!! WOO HOO!!
Sunday was good. We had a special sacrament meeting and priesthood meeting, where the whole MTC came together instead of having it with our zone, biggest sacrament meeting I have ever been to. In the evening we had a devotional with a Brother Allen!! It was wonderful, I have definitely changed somethings about my life because of his talk. Monday was another full day, with eating, study, eat more, study, exercise, give service, eat more, and study more. Tuesday we had another devotional. Wednesday was the day I had the TRC. It also was another regular day, nothing too exciting.
OH! We were teaching one of our "investigators" and i can now witness of the power of the gift of tongues. I know it is real! I prayed long and hard before the lesson to help me teach with the spirit and to even teach. During the lesson we (as a companionship) taught very good, we traded of excellent, and I knew how to say exactly what i wanted to say. The word would just come and i would say it. I knew i had learned the word sometime in the past but i had no clue where it came from, well i did. The gift of tongues. I now know how essential having the spirit is when we are teaching. Without the spirit, I cannot teach. That scripture is true. one because i cant speak the language and two the spirit will not testify for you. I have continued to try and humble myself, work as hard as i can, talk as much as i can in spanish and for the most part my lessons have gone very well. I can speak the language, With the help of the Holy Ghost. Saturday was just as wonderful!! I always feel so happy and full of the spirit after teaching, I LOVE IT!!
On tuesday i had a neat experience in the TRC. We were teaching muliple members about revelation that can be received during church. This one mother and daughter, we sat down, talked a little. and then both felt prompted to share Mosiah 14:3-5. So we started with a prayer and went straight to the scripture. The spirit instantly entered the room when the daughter read. And i'm not sure how to explain it, but we all were tears or beginning to feel that way. We had a wonderful lesson on our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I learned a lesson, let the scriptures teach, and just testify after.
So now to go over the week. Um. pretty much the same as the other week, actually identical hahah just with different experiences. Spanish is coming. I can teach the lessons in a basic language. I might have one or two words that i have to say in ingles.. english hahah but then i go look up the word after and learn it. One fun experience is there are a couple of missionaries (one from Argentina!!) that started to sit on our zone's table and me and my companion talk to them during meal times in spanish. It is nice to hear someone speak natively. They are nice and do talk a little slower and we talk slow in english for them too. It has been a good learning experience. I know i could not have made it this far without your prayers or without the blessing of the Spirit. I believe in the gift of tounges, i think i said that last time, but I BELIEVE IT :)
Some fun quotes from my class teachers (just a little side note, i have two teachers that teach our class, and they are awesome. we spend about 4-5 hours a day with each of them). One of them said "You are the most punniest group of missionaries i have ever taught" I dont know where he would get that idea.. hahaha My district is awesome, i love all of the missionaries. We get along very well, and i guess we can be punny at times. We mostly just say funny phrases in spanish that make sense in english but not in spanish. :)
I know each of you have a testimony and i am very grateful for your support and prayers. The times when i think "I can do this, i'm a missionary, how can i do this?" I remember my family. Dad did it, David did it, Phillip did it, Keith did it, Tyler did it, Andy did it, James did it, And we all will do it in the spirit world. This truly is a marvelous work and a wonder! I am excited to fulfill the promise that Nephi made in the book of mormon that the gospel in its fullness will be taken to his people. I am going to teach decendants of nephites that left before they all died.
We had a great devotional on tuesday about being cheerful missionaries. You all know I am a very cheerful person, but for the past couple weeks I have been sober (duh hahaha) but sober in a i'm trying to be like Jesus and not tell many jokes and focus only on my mission, i would occasionally joke or laught but mostly i walked around with a straight face and very serious. The devotional on cheerfulness was needed! The past couple of days have been grate, I am smiling again, enjoying what i am doing even more, laughing (still with quiet dignity), singing hymns as i walk. I am learning that one can still be mature and have quiet dignity or be a representative of Jesus Christ and still be able to smile and laugh. i encourage all of you to smile :) (had experience with that hahah)
No comments:
Post a Comment