Oy!

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. No messing around. Let's put all our cards on the table. This is the single hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, and it's beautiful. The Lord is humbling and teaching me in so many ways. I have limited time, so things may seem scattered, but I'll do my best.

The language is hard, as expected, but it helps that my Spanish teacher in high school refused to speak English, much like my teacher in the CCM (spanish abbreviation for MTC) I have already learned more than I ever thought possible, and I've only been here one week. Crazy to think that this is only week 1. Time in the CCM is different than anything you have ever experienced. The minutes are long, the hours are eternities, the instruction time is longer than Lucas's legs! But the days and weeks are so short. I honestly feel like I got here yesterday. The Lord blesses His servants in this way. If the time was long, no one would ever make it. He gives us time during the day that seems like eternity, because it feels like that's how long it will take us to learn. And He's right, but at the end of the day, you lay down in your bed and feel you just woke up. It's a beautiful paradox we have been blessed with here.

In other news, I am currently DL, and that's a ridiculously rewarding blessing. I can personally feel the Lord's love for each of the Elderes y Hermanas in my district. They are all fantastic. My companion is Elder C. We have both spent at least the last few years living in our own rooms, so naturally we butt heads a little, but the Lord rewards effort. You try and be nice, and compromise, and He will make it easier for you to do both. My testimony has grown so much, and I feel so priveleged to be able to share it in two languages now. It's still a little disfunctional, but The Spirit helps me out alot. (thankfully)

The last time I bore my testimony was to our first investigator last night. (YES! IT HAPPENS THAT FAST!) Our first time meeting P was on day 2. DAY 2 PEOPLE! Since then we have met with her three times, and are meeting with her again tomorrow. She has been baptized twice in other churches, and right now our biggest struggle is explaining to her why those weren't valid, and why she needs to get baptized in our Church. One of our Zone Leaders, Elder S, told me a story, and it's exactly how I feel all the time with P. He and his companion had a particularly hard investigator a few weeks ago, and he had no idea how to teach him. Between the language barrier and the closed personality of the investigator, it was becoming very frustrating for him. It was scheduled to be one of their last meetings with him, and Elder S was completely out of hope. He and his companion prayed about it, and received help to put together a quick plan, but it didnt seem to fit the entire time, so Elder S stood up in the middle of his living room, held up the Book of Mormon, and bored testament of it. He told me it was one of the strongest testimonies he had ever born. At the end of his testimony, he put the book down in the investigators lap, (less than gently) and simply stated, "ES VERDAD!!!" meaning, "It's True" and walked out with his companion close behind.

I wish that was something I felt confident doing, or something that the Lord inspired me to do. We have been taught to carefully choose words and doctrines, and only to say something if we feel divinely inspired. We teach not with our own knowledge and power, but through the Spirit. We are but vessels in the Lord's work.

I would give you advice to prepare yourself for the CCM, but there honestly is none. Nothing but the Lord's hand can prepare a person. Just make sure you are humble enough to ask for him to prepare you. It works. I pray close to a million times a day, about half of that in Spanish. I have a constant prayer going on all the time. It's literally the only thing I have that I feel confident in, is my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Make sure you develop one of those, because you're going to need it.

Before I sign off, I want to throw out and invitation. This is not a spiritual invitation in any way. MAIL!!!!!!!!!! I want mail. Letters are like mana from heaven. Receiving a package is like winning the lottery! I will try my best to respond personally to anything I receive, but you can know for sure I will be eternally grateful for it! Letters! Packages! As my British roommate says, "I'm dying for some post and parcels!"

Renae, Elisha, Mama Hill, and Dad. I have received letters from you, and will work on replies during the rest of my time. You are blessed people.

The Church is True, your body is a temple, don't do drugs!