Week 31 - " I feel like laughing, smiling, crying, sobbing, screaming, jumping out of my mind for joy, frustration, irritation, anger, love, trying to understand, charity and the desire to be fluent in Spanish."

March 3, 2014

Hermana Cook and Castleton's last day together!

Training is quite an experience. Quite an experience. I can't say I have never felt every emotion all at once, because I have. But I feel everything. I feel like laughing, smiling, crying, sobbing, screaming, jumping out of my mind for joy, frustration, irritation, anger, love, trying to understand, charity and the desire to be fluent in Spanish. It is incredible, the training of a brand new, right from the house, green misionera. The miracles and hardships we've seen in the last week have been truly inspired by God. He watches out for us. He is very very mindful of our progression and the help we need in ourselves.

Hermana Cabero and I started on a rough note. Sitting together in the capilla of the oficina [chapel of the office] of the mision, the trainers and greenies, we waited in suspense and agony for Presidente to put us together. We were the second companerismo to be called. We sat together in the middle bank after we hugged one another, and she leans in. She asks me how my Spanish is. I told her mas o menos [more or less] and sometimes I can, as a joke. Apparently my accent is terrible or something because she rolled her eyes and hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. I smiled, gritting my teeth and praying for strength. Our first day was a bit rough. In reality, all this week was a bit hard. We are very different. I thought in the beginning we were too different to be compatible. But God showed me. He puts us into companerismos with the people we've already met. In the other life, Hermana Cabero and I, we were already friends. We were elected to be comps in this time, in this mision to help one another, to strengthen one another, and most importantly to help these people.

Hermana Cook and Castleton's last day together!

Our first day was quite the adventure. Right after the meeting of trainers and greenies, we were to return to our sector and start proselitismo [proselyting]. Well, I didn't have a member to bring us, didn't know where my sector was or where we live, and I have never participated in a whitewash. I was freaking out a bit and close to tears, when my lider de zona [zone leader] offered help. He helped me calm down, resolve everything. Presidente y Hermana Cook dropped us off at our apartment, but we couldn't open the front door. We fiddled with it for 15+ minutes, then finally entered. We put our moletas inside, then Hermana Cabero went to the bathroom. I had a minute to myself. I prayed. My nerves were very close to snapping. I felt tense, irritated with myself and my comp, and I was stressing because I literally didn't know what to do. And my comp keeps complaining about things I remember complaining about in the beginning. God comforted me, then I remember the videos of The District and I immediately called the bishop. I set up a meeting with him, feeling it best to conocerlo to know where to start. I called a number on one of our registros, sorry, I never actually learned the name for some of these things in English, of an investigator. A lady picked up and invited us to a reunion of the Soc Soc [Relief Society]. We went and met 6 o 7 of the hermanas. They are dolls. I loved them from the moment I walked into the sala [room]. I hope they see that we are willing to work hard. We got lost a few several times trying to find the house of the obispo [bishop], but when we did, two men were standing outside the gate. They asked who we were looking for, we told them the obispo [bishop]. They asked of which church and what his apellido [surname] is. We couldn't remember and started to look the list. I looked up at one of the men and he started to smile. He greeted us and told us he is Obispo Gutierrez. We had a good meeting with him, where he told us this ward has a lot of potential, but the members don't do their part at times. That they love the church and the evangelio [gospel], but aren't filled with the 'misionary spirit'. We walked away determined to help the members so that the members will support the new people we bring into the church.

Zone Activity

This ward, La Blanca, is incredible. We gave our testimonies in the meeting sacramental, Elders Bermeo y Prada de Columbia, and Hermana Cabero y yo, because we're the new misionaries of the barrio.

Zone Activity

While listening to the testimonies of the people in our sector, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love. The obispo Gutierrez, when we met with him Martes [Tuesday], told us this barrio doesn't have a misionary spirit. Well, I think he's equibocado [mixed up]. He hasn't had the right misionaries to get the members motivated. We'll see about how he feels in 3 months. I am hoping to realize miracles in this sector. I can feel the success at our fingertips, the Lord is just waiting for the effort and sincere desire to put it forth.

David the Door man

I hope your day and week is about as wonderfully stressful and fully of joy and emotion as mine has been. I hope my words have touched somebody in some place in some time. I love you, pray for you, and wish all the best. Blessings and miracles!

Hermana Castleton

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COURTNEY ANNE!!! I LOVE YOU, SWEET THING!