Hola mi familia
Okay so a few housekeeping items before i jump into my email. First, mom could you get on Facebook and let my friends know that i cannot email them while in the CCM. The rule is only immediate family. Grandparents is a gray area that I have not asked about. Alos could you let everyone know that I am really aching for some mail. You can write letters through dearelder.com for free and it would be nice to get some mail some time. Also, mom tell Jordan that they turn every thing into juce (but they do not add sugar and stuff like they do in America, its just the fruit juice and water) my favorite is the watermelon juice! Its so yummy!
So the first week at the CCM has been up and down. First some highlights. People have been telling me constantly that I have a good accent. Hermana N. (the MTC Presidents wife) told me that i have a good accent when she heard me reciting the First Vision to mi companera. Then today i was talking with one of the teachers about how I studied Hebre (we were talking in Spanish) She told me I understand a lot and I just said maybe but I am not able to speak a lot. It has been very encouraging to hear from other people that it sounds like the language is going well. Some times I get frustrated because I feel like I do not get enough practice with the language but I am enjoying the work and the scheduled days.
Okay, a not so good thing. Sunday I was really struggling. Like I would cry randomly for no reason. I asked if I could speak with the MTC President to see if he could offer me some kind of counsel and advice. I do not know what prompted him to do it but he started talking to me about the different kinds of pride (after we talked about some Hebrew stuff, he loves that stuff and whenver I see him he always asks me to tell him some thing new). Anyway, he talked with me about pride. He said it seemed like I had this image of the missionary I thought I was or would be when I got here and I have come to realize that I am not quiet there yet. He suggested I work really hard on being humble and relying on the Lord. It was a very eye opening conversation and I am really grateful for it. He then gave me the fathers blessing I was not able to recieve before I left. He said a lot of wondeful things in it and I have been at peace every since.
Alright, now about our investigator. Here at the CCM en Guatemala we teach real investigators from the beginning. In Provo that I have fake investigators but here we are blessed with real investigators that are genuinely interested in hearing about the Gospel. Our investigators name is Brian Ramirez. He is a college student studying engineering and works at the CCM for community service. He has never really heard about the Church and became interested in it because of his friend Danny who is supervisor and member of the Church here at the CCM. Brian wanted to know why Danny was so happy all the time. Why he did not drink coffee or do things on Sunday. So Danny suggested he talk with the missionaries and the eight companionships in our district have been teaching him ever since. Its hard to share Brian with six other companionships but we are pulling it off. The last time we taught him we mostly answered questioned about the homework we had commited him to read (3 Nephi 11) which talks about Christs visit to the Americas. It also talks about how we should baptize and so Brian had a lot of questions about baptism. He also asked why its always Jesus Christ that shows himself and never God the Father. That questions made Hermana Worth and I sweat for a minute because we were not sure how to answer it. We basically said if Heavenly Father were to show himself to people all the time there would be no reason to have faith that Christ was the Son of God because we would all know. Entonces, we shared that and I was able to bring it back to when Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the First Visions which we had taught him during our last lesson. The thought of commiting him to be baptized crossed my mind but it did not feel like the right time so I decided to hold off. We are teaching Brian tonight for the last time. Hermana Worth and I are going to teach him about eternal families because he lost his dad six years ago and we both think it will really touch him. Only time and the Spirit will tell if we will commit him to baptism. We will get two more investigadores over the next few days. I will talk to you about them later I am sure!
Last awesome thing that happened this week. Yesterday we were on the temple grounds and our teachers was telling us what he wanted to read from the Book of Mormon. This woman and her two children were walking around the temple and her little three year old boy saw us and came running over. I thought he was going to give me a high five so I put my hand out but instead he threw his arms around my legs and hugged me saying, Missionaros! Missionaros! He then went around and hugged all the Hermanas and shook all the Elders hands. His sister, I think she was like five, did the same thing. It was so cute and along with going to the temple to do a sesssion, was definitely the highlight of my week.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. To be a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ. Every morning I wake up and put His name on my chest. I stand as a representative for Him, doing what he would do if He were on the earth. I can feel God holding me up as I try so hard to learn Spanish and to come to know Him better. The week here has already changted me in ways that I cannot quiet describe. There is a joy in the Gospel that cannot be found anywerhere else. I know that if we want peace in our lives, lasting peace that it can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Chrsit, the message that myself and the other missionaries are preparing to take to our respective areas of labor. The field is white. There are so many people looking for the truth, do not be afraid to open your mouth because God will put into it what you should say. I love this work, My Savior, and the people I am teachin gand will yet teach with all my heart. I am praying every day to come to understand and have the pure love of Christ. This work is a work of love. I am coming to learn what that means. I love you all so very much. Time is short and I did want to read the emails that you guys sent me so I will go ahead and wrap it up. I know the God lives, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That this work is His work. I am learning how to teach and share this message with the people of Panama and there is no where else I would rather be at this time in my life. I love you all so much. Please give everyone a hug for me. Mom I love the little emails. Keep sending them. Please send letters too! I have more time to do that than to email.
All My Love,
Hermana Haley Wilson
Last awesome thing that happened this week. Yesterday we were on the temple grounds and our teachers was telling us what he wanted to read from the Book of Mormon. This woman and her two children were walking around the temple and her little three year old boy saw us and came running over. I thought he was going to give me a high five so I put my hand out but instead he threw his arms around my legs and hugged me saying, Missionaros! Missionaros! He then went around and hugged all the Hermanas and shook all the Elders hands. His sister, I think she was like five, did the same thing. It was so cute and along with going to the temple to do a sesssion, was definitely the highlight of my week.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. To be a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ. Every morning I wake up and put His name on my chest. I stand as a representative for Him, doing what he would do if He were on the earth. I can feel God holding me up as I try so hard to learn Spanish and to come to know Him better. The week here has already changted me in ways that I cannot quiet describe. There is a joy in the Gospel that cannot be found anywerhere else. I know that if we want peace in our lives, lasting peace that it can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Chrsit, the message that myself and the other missionaries are preparing to take to our respective areas of labor. The field is white. There are so many people looking for the truth, do not be afraid to open your mouth because God will put into it what you should say. I love this work, My Savior, and the people I am teachin gand will yet teach with all my heart. I am praying every day to come to understand and have the pure love of Christ. This work is a work of love. I am coming to learn what that means. I love you all so very much. Time is short and I did want to read the emails that you guys sent me so I will go ahead and wrap it up. I know the God lives, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That this work is His work. I am learning how to teach and share this message with the people of Panama and there is no where else I would rather be at this time in my life. I love you all so much. Please give everyone a hug for me. Mom I love the little emails. Keep sending them. Please send letters too! I have more time to do that than to email.
All My Love,
Hermana Haley Wilson
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