Hey Everybody! Back again with another email about my time at the HMTC (CCM)! This week was all around pretty normal, but there were a few interesting things that happened!
To start, on Thursday my family went out of town so I got to go and stay up at my grandparent’s house for a few days and it was really great! I actually got to pack my suitcase and put all my heavy Spanish books in a bag and leave home for a little while. I was well cared for and had a fantastic time doing the MTC in a place other than my own home, haha. It gave me a small glimpse of what the MTC might look like, but obviously I had better food with grandma and grandpa. And it definitely showed the importance of some things I left at home, like every pair of headphones I needed for my zoom calls. And Saturday night when I was about to go back home, my grandma made a delicious dinner and I had an unexpected visit from an awesome cousin who dropped off a wonderful care package, which was super nice. Thanks Spencer and Emily!
Both last Thursday and this Tuesday, we got to video chat with some members from other parts of the world to practice our Spanish. It was really cool meeting with people from Mexico, Peru, and even some missionaries serving in Spain. They were super nice and they talked slow enough for us to understand and kindly corrected us when we completely botched our phrases. But it was still cool to know that after two weeks we already have the ability to get to know someone and share a short message with them entirely in Spanish! It really is the Gift of Tongues at work!
This week for the Spanish portion of classes was really important too because from now on, we are expected to learn A TON more words and phrases over the next few weeks of the CCM than before and it’s a little intimidating to be sure. But it is incredible how far we have come already! In two weeks we have memorized the missionary purpose, Joseph Smith’s First Vision, D&C 4, and the baptismal invitation, all in Spanish! Funny enough, many of the phrases in the things we memorized don’t quite make perfect sense yet, but it still feels INCREDIBLE to not only have something memorized, but to have it memorized in another language. It is truly a blessing.
Spiritual Though.
Tuesday night we got to listen to a missionary devotional and it was absolutely fantastic. There were so many good things taught by Bishop L. Todd Budge, but I think the one I want to share with you all is when he referenced Alma 26:2.
“And now, I ask, what great blessings has be bestowed up on us? Can ye tell?”
This verse is incredible, and it really made me think about how important it is for us to look for and notice the blessings that Heavenly Father has given us. Just noticing all the good things in life can help out even in the hardest times, so taking time out of our day or week to realize all we have is something that will bless our lives now, and bless our lives in the future.
I didn’t have many pictures this week but I snapped two of a workshop we had and one of the desk I used at my grandparents’ house. Enjoy!
