So on Wednesday I got here received a name tag "HERMANA HAFEN" dropped off my luggage and went straight to class. they throw us right into the mix of things. Everyone was already speaking Spanish to us. SCARY! I got my companion right there in the class room. Hermana Meldau. She is a sweet girl. much different than me though, I realized that a few days into this and it became very hard. It was hard to want to study with her, to teach with her and do anything with her because everything was bugging me. I felt like I was the only one with this problem, as soon as I realized a lot more people felt this way than me it made it easier. We have also had so many talks and devotionals about not letting the small stuff get in the way of the unity of your teaching so that has helped a ton. when we apply it. Today has been one of our best days as a companionship, it's p-day though so we haven't had to do any teaching or studying together. ;) She ALWAYS speaks Spanish. I ONLY know how to speak English, so we rarely converse. That also prohibits our relationship from strengthening
Everyone who is in my class is called our district. there are 12 of us. 4 hermanas and 8 elders. We are all so different. but we're here for the same purpose so that unites us. Then we have a zone, which consists of 3 districts two of them have been here longer than us. In the Zone we are all Spanish speaking but going to different places. all the the hermanas are going to Tampa Florida and a lot of the elders are going to mexico but different missions in mexico. and one or two are going to argentina and guatamala.
We wake up and and get ready and in the classroom by 7 every morning. that's personal study and we have a classroom that's just ours. at 8:10 we have breakfast then 40 mins later go back to class. have companino study and a lesson study and other study or teaching stuff as a class or alone until lunch around 1 we eat for 40 mins then go back to class. GYM comes either right before lunch or right after. Its literally the BEST part of the day. we get to move around be active and not worry about things that matter or that are stressful. I ALWAYS play 4 square. I was much better at it in elementary school. I swear!! and then we have Class again until dinner which is between 5 and 6. We really eat and sit eat and sit eat and sit.
The language is HARD! i know that it will come not all of it in six weeks but it is hard work. not going to lie, for two seconds I wanted to trade it for an English mission. course you can't do that and I know I was called to this one for a reason but the thought did cross my mind. Maybe more than once. We have already taught 4 lessons in Spanish, if you can call it a lesson and if you can call it spanish ;) but we are trying and the more we do the better we'll be.
I miss everyone and wish I could tell them all my self but the time does not allow it. So pass on the work okay mamasita :)
Tell my brothers to suck it up and write me a dear elder. It's as easy as facebook. I can't wait to tell them all of the do's and don'ts of the MTC. EVERYTHING I wish I brought or did and all of the rules that you need to know and do not. I also frequently wish I were an Elder. Pants sound so good. ALL the time. Actually just sweats. Which I got to wear for a few hours this morning because it was p-day. that was awesome. I went to the temple today right before this. It was perfect but St. George is still my favorite.
I'm running out of time so just know I love you! xoxo
Love,
Hermana Rosalee Angel Hafen
MTC Week 3
Hi family and friends.
I'm excited to say that I have reached my half way mark at the MTC. I've been here exactly THREE weeks. Some days it felt like an eternity but the longer I'm here the more I realize how quickly my mission is going to pass me by.
My District is awesome! I've seriously come to know and love each one of them. We all bring so much personality and something different to the classroom as we learn. Some days I'm the one picking them up and sometimes they are picking me up. We take care of each other and enjoy it. We're like a family!
Sorry to say to everyone at home, BUT the firesides here are super amazing and I'm not sure if the ones at home compare. We have a Sunday evening fireside and a Tuesday night devotional. Those little boosts of the spirit help me get through the week. This week, just last night Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer of the second quorm of the seventy came. His talk was about conversion. He gave us his 5 C's of conversion. Commandments, commitments, conversion, covenant making and concecration. It hit me how crucial our own conversion is to being able to be missionaries. We must truly believe, have a testimony and live this gospel in order to teach others how to and to be able to teach with the spirit. The spirit is truly what teaches people, through us. I must be obedient, and do all that I can to Invite the spirit to be at my lessons and in everything that I do. I must follow it's promptings and heed to it's warnings. There is NO substitution for the spirit.
Since like day three we have been teaching "progressing investigators" luckily they really are members and have a testimony or I'd be seriously concerned that I could ruin their eternal salvation. actually I'm just certain that they wouldn't understand a thing I was saying. At first they literally terrified me but as time goes on I'm more confident each time I go into a lesson. Especially when I have specifically prepared for it. I believe in the gift of tongues, I know it will come with time diligence and patience, faith, practice, mucho practice and by the spirit. Knowing that It is so important each day to make sure that I am doing things that will invite the spirit, In my lessons, in my studies and in the classroom. Even in the cafeteria.
I am fluent in Spanglish. it's great! not the most beautiful language but we're all speaking it. .
I've learned that the cafeteria food makes my stomach upset when I consume too much.
I've learned that I can indeed get ready in an hour and fifteen minutes, shower and all.
I'm proud to say that I'm up by six every morning and in be by ten thirty or close to every night. At the beginning I was tired but my body is adjusting.
And for all of you that I told before I left that what I was most worried about about the MTC was feeling confined. I don't feel that way at all. I seriously LOVE this place. There is just something about being here with people my age all striving for the same thing, sharing the same trials, missing the same things, that strengthens me. It really is going to be hard to leave them all.
One of the Elders here Elder Whiteman is moy comico just like me. We get along super well and laugh about everything. Our third amigo is Elder Palmer but he left to the "real" part of his mission Tuesday morning. It was moy triste (very sad) It's loco how rapido you can become so close to these other missionaries. I guess we are spending every waking hour together so it's expected. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. They are friendships that'll last a life time. I know that because they are friendships that are built on the fundamentals of the gospel and NEVER have a seen a stronger relationship that one that is centered around Jesus Christ.
Us Tres Amigos have been working out with Elder Davison, my district leader every gym time. He seriously kicks our butt but i'm so glad because it gives me energy and helps me eat better.
an update on my companionship. Don't fret, we're friends. we have learned how to work together, study together and teach together. and each day we're improving. Some times I just have to burp or hauk a loogie (I'm such a lady, I know) the other day we were walking to get lunch and an elder spit, mi companera said "hey there's your friend." :) that's how I know we're friends now. she's starting to tease me. :)
Until next week, Love always
Hermana Hafen!
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