Re: sun is shinning!  Mar 7

 

HOLA MI MADRE Y FAMILIA!

So Saturdays are my Pdays now. it's been a crazy couple of days and this key board is awful. pero, esta bien. Gracias for checking out my bank statement. 

So the first day was good, but then it got rough. my companion never showed up, so I was just with my "elder brothers" all day and was a SOLO sister without a tag that said solo. i felt really lost and alone, but I also knew that whatever that i had to experience that for was for a reason and for my good, so that brought me some peace. i was passed around from companionship to companionship and didn't have a solid base to call 'home'. i did have a room, but I didn't get to meet the sisters until later in the night. the first night we had "teaching experiences" where we were all in a big room and were teaching an investigator (we did 3 of these things) and they passed around a microphone if you wanted to comment. there were a bunch of people, so not everyone had a chance to comment. but the spirit was there and you really felt the love of Heavenly Father for them. 

But the first time I made a comment, I slaughtered it. It was pretty hard. The man brought up the Trinity and I got stumped. So stumped. And it stung. Because he had a really hard story and needed the atonement, but didn't believe in Christ, who I wanted to testify about. And when I finally met mi hermanas they were nice, but not very open or accepting. They were really great at Speaking their language. I understood a lot, but I couldn't reply yet. so i even felt more lonely and on top of the feelings of disappointments in myself for the first investigator appointment, that made the first night a little rough. But there were definitely really great moments too. I felt the spirit and that gave me comfort. 

The next morning I looked back and the day before, or thought back to it and saw how I could have done things differently. Instead of wanting to press on with the thought that i had, i should have stepped back and admitted that I didn't have all the knowledge to answer his questions at that time. So having that opportunity to look back and see what I could do differently, on a new fresh morning, was very helpful/therapeutic.  The sisters walked me to my classes, and I just hung out with my Elder brothers again for the morning. They were really great. One is going to San Diego too! But 1/2 way through study period, they finally called me (I thought they'd forgotten!!) and had me go to scheduling. They switched me Districts and Zones and found me a new companion and a new room! (I had unpacked most things already... esta bien...) My elder brothers were sad to see me go, and I still see them around campus and they all say "Hermana!! We MISS YOU!!" It's so funny. They were great guys. Solid. I will see Elder N. in SD. 

Entonces, mi companera es Hermana Emily Mccarty de Kansas City Missouri :) I love her so much already! And my district is great. Hermana Mccarty's companion as well as mine never showed up. She got put in a 3-some but I only had elders in my old district, so I had to be alone. I learned the importance of a companion the first day, and I am so grateful for her! She is a gem! We get along great! I speak/understand the language the best out of my district, so sometimes they give me more credit than is due. They all had spanish classes, aside from the two other Hermanas, S. y P., who took years of French and Chinese. They are great girls too, but sort of keep to themselves sometimes, probably because they have more focus then we do. The Elders are fun. Elder M. is sadly, Samoan, not Tongan, but he got made out district leader and he is the bomb! so much respect for that kid. His companero Elder R. is solid too. I actually thought he'd be district leader, but Elder M. handles it humble and like a champ. Next are Elders T. and D. They are great kids too but struggling with the language a bit, but hey, it's only the 4th day. D. had ADHD so a bit of a hard time focusing. He chucks candy at me, so that needs to be stopped... Tanner is super humble and has an arm that is shorter than the other. He relys on his companions for help, which they take opportunities to serve him so great and I adore them for it. He is humble because he accepts it humbly. 

The second day was sooo much better because of my Companion. The days all blend together though!! Classroom time is long, and mostly without a teacher so we have to learn to govern ourselves. Good lesson to learn. Yesterday as a companionship, we taught our first investigator. His name is Javier and only speaks spanish. He is from Spain. It was actually really fun. I understood a lot and could talk to him as best as I could. At the end of the lesson though, he's like, "I thought I was just here to speak spanish with you, but not be taught the gospel." AWKWARD.... haha, oh well Javi. You will be taught the gospel anyways... That night, me and Hermana McCarty studied how to teach him again. A spanish teacher came in to help us, but by the end of his "lesson" we were almost sobbing because we were so overwhelmed!!! It was funny because he was talking so fast and we couldn't answer back, or understand. for one, we were super tired!! and then they other, It was a lot to take in. He felt super bad because I started to laugh/cry/be hysterical and Mccarty felt the same way! He finally said good bye and we told him it really wasn't his fault! But funny crazy story though! 

My and Mccarty are a little sick today, opposite stomach problems. We said we should switch gutz or something! No worries, hopefully we both get better!! I am not a fan of the food here. But definitely I go for the Salad and wraps. Elder M. hates it here too. (He's from Arizona though. Not born in the islands.) still a growing Samoa boy though! Haha. 

 

Well,

I love you all. El don de languas es verdadera! It so cool how well I understand (haha, aside from last nights' fiasco!! too fast! couldn't process!!) I am going too like it here. There really is an extra spirit of peace. The mission president said this is the only place, aside from the temple, that you have to have temple recommend to be here, so it truly is holy ground. The blessing that the stake president gave me the night before I came definitely gave me that sense of peace that I needed. I also had an interview here with the 2nd counselor in my branch presidency and he said that he had a lot of confidence, even after I told him about my depression and things like that--confidence that I would do well on my mission, and be spiritually feed here, and be one who would spiritually feed. ( He didn't say that last part, but it is how It made me feel.

Lo siento for the spelling mistakes! My grammar ghost really hates this computer keyboard! pero, esta bien! I am also going to send you a hand written letter soon, probably today. 

Con Amor, Hermanita Holly Howell

PS the elders were judging me for not putting paragraphs, so I fixed it. hahah