It feels like month 2, not week 2. Overall I am loving the CCM though. Much learning, much studying, mucho español mixed in with some fun. Speaking of fun, there is a fun little virus going around Mexico City that everyone calls the "fire hydrant bug." Sorry to be indecent, but they aren't kidding. It is hitting the CCM and my poor compañera has it. We went to the doctors to get her some pain pills. Basically the rule here is that if your companion gets sick, you're going to get sick, so I am just waiting for the day for this lovely gift to be bestowed on me. One of my roommates has been coughing all night for the past week so between the lack of sleep and my immune system....you guessed it! I am sick with a cold. It's not bad, but I really don't want to suffer through my mission like I suffered through my Senior year so please pray for my health and strength that I will be able to do the things I need to do. Gracias!
Me and my companera Hermana Bills
I forgot to tell y'all about the 4th of July. Hermana Bills and I wore red, white and blue (so did all the other Americans). In the comedor, where we eat, we all sang the national anthem. That was the first time I teared up here. It was also the first time that I felt so honored and proud to be serving in the USof A. My companion is serving in Pittsburg, PA so we both were so stoked that day. We both can't wait to return to "The Mother Land"! All the missionaries here are going to the USA or Chile. There are a few random Perus, Mexicos and Ecuadors.
Hermana Bills and Me (wearing my red, white & blue)
in front of our CCM Casa
My companion is very different than me. She reminds me a lot of my Mel (my freshman roommate). Super outgoing and hilarious. I just have to practice patience some days. Other than that we are the perfect match. We teach really well together. My district is already like my family. I feel like I have known them forever. We constantly quote Nacho Libre and other greats. The title of this email is from Nacho and we use it whenever we think that an Elder is flirting with a sister!
Mi Distrito
Elder Lundgren, Elder Cates, Elder Jensen, Elder Wells, Rachel, Hermana Bills,
Hermana Meads, Hermana Burnham, Elder Ellis, Elder Thompson,
Elder Shin and Elder Munson
Las Hermanas
So the food- I will have to sent a pic of it because it's similar everyday. It isn't bad though. It's like native Mexican food made cafeteria style. Hermana Bills was so sick the other day and we just had a lesson on specific prayers. That night she prayed for a hamburger and some fries. Lo and behold, we had hamburgers and curly fries the next day for lunch! I think she told every person on campus what happen. We were all secretly grateful for that prayer. The best day of my life was when they brought in pizza and had a spinach salad! Me gusta mucho! They have lots of super good fruits all the time, but it's a challenge finding vegetables sometimes.
Lessons are going so much better! Still challenging, but we can teach the whole thing in Spanish. No our grammar isn't perfect, but that's not the important part. We are becoming much better teachers. Our class room is in the Heber J. Grant building. It makes me feel like there is a little piece of Heber here in Mexico.
In my setting apart blessing, I was told that I would become a leader early on in my mission. Well, it's already been fulfilled. On Sunday, my compañera and I were called as Sister Missionary Training leaders for our zone/branch. We had to teach Sunday school and I had to give a talk- only in Spanish. It wan't as bad as I thought, but it still stressed me out. I am grateful for leadership opportunities. I don't think I am a natural born leader, but I can be an example. It makes me feel like I do have important things to say.
So our teacher only learned English from serving with Elders from Idaho and Utah. So he still says some pretty funny stuff in English. He told Hermana Bills "you are so high" because she is tall, but we all started laughing. He still can't say "Stoddard", but then we told him to say it in a thug accent...he could! haha so so funny! But it's okay because in a lesson I said that we live on the homework, not the world. And I made the classic mistake in asking my teacher if he was pregnant... I was trying to ask what his most embarrassing moment was.
I love all of you and I really appreciate all your emails and words of love. I especially like pics and updates on your lives. I don't have a lot of time here to write back so hopefully all of you can look at my blog. Also, the word is that at dearelder.com you can send an email that prints out here instantly like a fax so you might want to try that. I would love letters! And word on the street is that you can send packages through mydearmissionary.com, but I don't really need anything (yet) so I am not expecting anything.
To be honest, when I first came here I felt like a was making this huge sacrifice in my life to go on a mission. I felt like I needed to be home with my family, especially my sisters to help them. I just felt like I was abandoning everyone and it made me really sad. But after thinking about it I am not sacrificing a lot. I am not going to miss tons of major events like some people out here are. I have come to realize that I am still being an example and helping my friends and family while I am out here. We were talking the other day about how we had friends in heaven. We were all given mission calls to come to earth. I was given a beautiful calling to be born in the covenant, to live in a free country and to know the truth. I have friends, many in Seattle, that are waiting for me to come and find them. God always sends someone to watch us. Whether they be people on the earth or angels in the heavens. We should always be our best. We represent the Savior. We must be lights upon a hill.
Mucho amor,
Hermana Stoddard
Week 1 Challenge:
Week 2 Challenge:
Best quote of the week (from one of the workers here) "English is for business, French is for love, Spanish is for the Gospel."
And for you interested people...here is what the rooms look like here at the CCM.
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