The Beginning

September 3, 2020

Hola mi familia y amigos! 


(Sorry in advance for this being a tidge long, I just have a lot to say about this week haha. It won't always be this wordy, but I promise it's worth the read)

Wow. It is finally here and I am happy to say that I'm finally a missionary! It has been a long time coming and it feels SO good to finally dive into the work.

Because of lovely COVID, I am not in Mexico for my training, but rather my bedroom <3 Honestly I can't complain, being surrounded by family and friends constantly and getting home cooked meals every night is not too bad ;) I'll tell you all a bit about my schedule so you can understand what I've been up to at the "online Lima, Peru MTC"!

First, I drag my sister out of bed at about 6 am to go running (she really is a trooper y'all haha)

Then I do a couple hours of planning/personal study/companion study. Honestly the highlight of my morning is getting to read The Book of Mormon and reflect :)

Class starts right at 8 and goes until 11, I take a quick lunch, then we're back for TRCs (teaching opportunities basically).

I stuff some language study into the afternoon, then hop back onto class from 3-7 pm.

Then I study some more, prep for the next day, and head to bed around 10.

Needless to say, they keep you BUSY.

From day 1, there was SO much spanish. For anyone who doesn't know, I did 4 years of ASL throughout school and know 0 spanish hahah. I was so nervous and they literally talk to you in full espanol and expect you to teach with as much spanish as you can by like day 2. I spent my first few nights feeling incredibly worried that I wasn't going to be able to understand and very inadequate.

BUT this is the first miracle of my mission.

I can say with absolute certainty that the gift of tongues is real. We began teaching a sister named Andreina and another named Pamela to practice. Both have spoken to my companion and I in complete spanish in each of the lessons from earlier this week and it has been hard. SOMEHOW I could understand a bit of what they said (definitely couldn't respond well yet), and it's crazy how fast my brain has started picking up even just a few words.

The real testimony builder happened just today. Our teacher, Hermano Bacilio, got a bunch of his friends to do 15 minute zoom calls with us to practice our spanish. These wonderful friends of his used absolutely ZERO english and spoke muy rapido!! #100%latinasylatinos

The first few calls I mostly listened, and shot in a few simple questions here and there when I could understand what was going on. My go to phrase when I started these sentences was: "Lo siento, mi espanol es muy malo" AKA I'm sorry, my spanish is BAD. But by the end of the last few calls I found myself catching like 70% of what they were saying and responding with questions I didn't even know I could form! I had to remind myself that they were literally speaking another language that I STARTED LEARNING 6 DAYS AGO.

YOU GUYS GOD IS GOOD AND THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS REAL. I could not have done that without Him and I can't wipe the smile off of my face.

Now don't get me wrong, I have already been humbled by many mistakes and my vocab of like 200 words. I know that I have an incredibly long journey ahead, but I already love this beautiful language MUCHO!!!!

Other than the obvious crazy spanish immersion, I have been blessed with an angel companion, the best district ever, and patient loving teachers.

My companion, Hermana Selman, is from northern Utah and I swear she's me, but in cowgirl form. She grew up on a ranch and we share an immense love for animals, talking(;, and being the "cool" hermanas 😎. She is a ball of fun and a spiritual GIANT whom I learn from every day. I could not have been paired with a more perfect first companion <3

Our district has made full days of zoom more than bearable... in fact I actually look forward to sitting and staring at a screen for 8 hours because all of them are just bursting with spiritual knowledge and a desire to learn! I'm lucky enough to have 8 elders in my district and my companion and I are the only sisters! We love teasing them and volunteering them for things they don't want to do (shoutout to Elder Peacock and Elder Mitchell for agreeing to sing the hymn solo ;) For real though they are all amazing and I can't wait to see the good they do out in the field! 

Also,, super awesome side note I've been reassigned to the SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA MISSION !! (Shoutout to Elder Mitchell again who is reassigned there with me :)

Okay, here is miracle number 2.

The second I opened that reassignment I knew in my soul that that is EXACTLY where I need to be for the next little while. My heart still beats with Antofagasta, Chile, but there's definitely enough room for Cali in there ;)

As I was settling in with the news, my Dad told me that my new mission President was born and raised in Antofagasta. OH MY GOODNESS! I felt such a surge of confirmation in my mind that I needed to be in San Diego to learn from him and hopefully continue my work in his hometown in Chile!

The takeaway from this is that God's plan is perfect. I don't believe it was a coincidence that I was originally called to Chile and got reassigned to San Diego. I am so excited to understand why soon.

I have felt the spirit so much this week and I know without a shadow of a doubt that my Savior died for me, for you, and for all of us. All He asks is that we have faith in Him and strive to be more like Him.

1 Nephi 7:12
12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all athings according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise bfaith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

I love you all! 

Feel free to send me emails! I would love to hear from you and your thoughts <3

ps. I promise the future ones won't be so lengthy ;)

Con Amor,

Hermana Smith

Pictures:

1. My district !!!
2. Little book of words
3. Quick visit from my friends (shoutout to Hermana Brunson who is also doing MTC right now)
4. Got to go to lunch for p day with Andrea hehe
5. Mi companera <3
6. My little setup ;)
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