HOLA EVERYONE! 01/13/14

I HAVE BEEN IN MEXICO FOR ALMOST A MONTH! OH MY GOSH. (It will be a month on Thrusday. Which also, incidentally, is Hna. Maldonado's birthday.)

Hmm... What can I tell you? 

On Monday we had a zone activity where we played volleyball and went to eat giant tacos again. 

On Tuesday, nothing of import happened.

Wednesday, however, we had... INTERVIEWS WITH THE MISSION PRESIDENT! BUM BUM BUUUUUM! JK It was actually really cool. And even more impresive: It was totally in Spanish. AND I UNDERSTOOD IT. :O He told me that my accent is "Muy bueno" and not like a gringo (lol Thanks Mom!) and that he expects that if I work hard, in two more months (when my training is finished) I will speak Spanish really well. We talked about my fear of speaking and of making mistakes, and afterward, when he asked me if there was something he could help me with, I asked him to give me a blessing to help with my Spanish and with my fear. It also was in Spanish AND I UNDERSTOOD EVERY WORD. I have been working on speaking a lot more now and I think I'm improving. (Hna. Maldonado would tell you that I am.) After the interviews, we had an appointment, so we went. It was with the investigator that pulled out the beer. We taught the Word of Wisdom. (This time his wife was there.) He committed to stop drinking coffee and alcohol and I think when we visit next time to follow up, we're going to ask him to stop smoking. (One step at a time.) Unfortunately, he and his wife aren't progressing investigators because they never come to church. :( But we're going to continue visiting them and hopefully they'll attend soon. :P After the lesson, we had to go back to the church to lock up. When we got there, they were still having entrevistas (interviews) with the Hermanas from Porticos. When they were done, Presidente Carreón gave us a ride, but on our way, he decided to stop at the beach! So we got out, and just so you know, It is a MISSION RULE: We are NOT allowed to walk on the sand! We have to stay on the sidewalk away from the beach or on a puente over the water. PERO, one of the other sisters asked if we could possibly walk on the sand, and Presidente dijo, "...CLARO QUE SI!" AND WE WALKED ON THE SAND. I WAS SO EXCITED. AND WE TOOK PICTURES! (Which I will be sending you guys.) It was the first and last time that I will be setting foot on the sand during the course of my mission. So I took a picture of my feet too. :P

Thursday and Friday were boring in comparison. :P We had lessons and visited people, you know, missionary stuff.

Saturday, we had Capacitación Misional, where we met as a zone and talked about our goals and stuff. Afterward, we took a huge zone picture. (which I will send as well)

Sunday was Stake Conference, where we watched a broadcast from Salt Lake. It was ONLY broadcast to the Northern part of Mexico and D. Todd Christofferson and Robert D. Hales spoke. Something I didn't know: D. Todd Christofferson SPEAKS SPANISH. FLUENTLY. And his accent is decent too. :P Fun fact of the day. (As does Craig C. Christiansen(sp?) who was conducting. His accent was not so good.

Another fun fact: THEY HAVE KINDER EGGS HERE! :D So every once in a while, I buy one. (I've done so twice.) This time, it was Spongebob themed. :) (O, en Español, Bob Esponja.) (I have pictures of the egg and of my prize. Hna. Maldonado gave me her prize because she doesn't like Spongebob. Hers is the Squidward.)

Not sure what else to tell you, but I think I'm going to spend the rest of the time sending pictures, so... HASTA LUEGO! LES AMO MUCHO!

♥ Hermana Beaumont

HOLA EVERYONE! 01/06/14

And here is the overview of week 3:

Okay! So, I started off the week rather well with my first contact, right? Well, Monday, mi compañera and I went for tacos which were DA BOMB. (And had good reviews from the other Hermanas in our district!) Unfortunately, the next day I was seriously ill with what we think was food poisoning. -_- So, we were stuck in the house all day instead of going out and working. Thankfully, it subsided (for the most part) around 5:30PM and we were able to do some companionship study.

Wednesday, we had a lovely district activity where we went to un puente at the beach near Rosarito Beach Hotel and took pictures. Afterward, we went and ate GIANT BURRITOS! (Which was hard because my stomach was still weak.) It was fun. :) Two of the elders, Elder Giles (de Utah) and Elder Tinoco (de Honduras) each ate an ENTIRE burrito! It is still in question as to whether or not they're human.

The rest of this past week was same old same old. I'm talking a bit more in lessons (still hardly at all) and I'm able to have somewhat of conversations with the members. I'm improving, but still have a long way to go. In my opinion. According to my companion I speak very well. People always ask me how my Spanish is (in Spanish of course, but I can't remember how to say it) and I always answer, "Puede ser mejor." And then Hna Maldonado always says, "Ella habla muy bien!" And it always goes back and forth like that. My biggest problem is a lack of confidence, apparently. I am so scared of making a mistake that I elect not to speak at all, and while I know that it's a detriment to my learning, I CAN'T HELP IT! Not only that, but the members that speak English KEEP SPEAKING ENGLISH TO ME! Pero, está bien. I will learn. I just need more time. (And your prayers wouldn't hurt either.)

Funny story: We went to teach an investigator with a less-active member named Fernando (who is 16 and reminds me vaguely of Spencer, personality wise) and as we sat at his table, he pulled out a can of ---- BEER. BAHAHAHAAHAHAA! Fernando and I looked at each other and I had to work to keep from laughing. The investigator left to do something for a minute, and I whispered to Hna. Maldonado, "Vamos a enseñar la Palabra de Sabiduria..." We taught lesson 3 (The Gospel of Jesus Christ), but we have an appointment with him on Wednesday, where we will be teaching the Word of Wisdom. XD

I LEFT MY CAMERA IN THE APARTMENT! So, pictures will have to wait until next week. D: SORRY GUYS! I have some really good ones too. :P It's okay. I'll probably just spend most of my time sending you guys pictures.

Well, I need to go now, because I've already gone over time. (Oops.) I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!! I'll write again next week!

♥ Hermana Beaumont

P.S. We have a couple of (promising) investigators with baptismal dates! (One is Jan. 23rd) WOOHOO!

HOLA! 12/30/13

WEEK THREE HAS COMMENCED!

So, this week we had "intercambios" (exchanges) for a day and I was sent to PORTICOS. Let me just say that I absolutely DESPISE exchanges, but because they are necessary, I will tolerate them for the duration of my mission. I didn't hate Porticos, but I still don't like exchanges.

ANYWAYS, Christmas was interesting. We had a zone activity which consisted of playing soccer with Presidente Carreón, eating cheeseburgers, and watching the Polar Express with Spanish subtitles. And I discovered why my feet are so big: FUTBOL! I played a decent defense. ;P

I am a GIANT here! Christmas Eve, I spent with a member family and we took a picture together (attached) and WOW. I am tall! Like, SERIOUSLY. I am taller than about 80% of the men in the ward. And compared to my companion, MY HANDS AND FEET ARE HUUUUUUUGE!!!!!!

We went to the beach one of the days this week. (They days are all mushed together in my head, or I would tell you what day.) We're not allowed to walk on the sand (mission rule) but there was a spot where we sat and took pictures, so a picture of me at the beach is attached. While we were there, I made my first contact... IN ENGLISH. BAH. He wasn't serious about it though, so it went nowhere. But YESTERDAY, I made my first REAL contact in a taxi! I was very proud of myself and I'm sure my companion's sentiments were something along the lines of, "FINALLY!" Now, I just need to be able to start a lesson and all will be well. :)

Spanish is coming slowly but surely, so if you guys could, just keep me in your prayers, 'kay?

Ummmmm..... I should probably go soon, but I'm trying to think of what more I want to say...umm... The food here is AWESOME! Love it! Everything is served with tortillas. EVERYTHING. (Well, except pupusas*, but they're from El Salvador.)

Alright. I've already gone over time. I LOVE YOU ALL SUPER A LOT!

 

♥ Hermana Beaumont

*Pupusas are awesome. They look like pancakes, but filled with beans, cheese and pork. I would send a picture, but there isn't room.

SEMANA 1: ESTOY EN ROSARITO!!!!!!!!! 12/23/2013

HOLA EVERYONE!

So, I don't have a WHOLE lot of time, and there's a lot I would like to tell you, so I am going to tell you as much as I can in a few minutes.

I absolutely LOVE it here! I do! My companion is great and is helping me a lot. Her name is Hna. Maldonado. We have a few progressing investigators already that have baptismal dates. I thought it would be weird to extend the baptismal invitation in the first lesson, but it's actually pretty simple. :)

Spanish is... bleh. It's really hard to understand a lot of people because they don't enunciate and they talk MUY RAPIDO. I actually have a goal right now of speaking ONLY Spanish for three days straight. (My companion understands English and speaks better than she gives herself credit for) The only time I'm allowed to say anything in English is when I say, "Cómo se dice ____ ?" and when I skype with mi familia mañana. :)

Um.... Let's see... Here, I am often greeted by the hermanas in the ward with a kiss on the right cheek. At first I was like, "What the heck!?" but now I'm getting used to it. I AM ASSIMILATING. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. lol

Um... we're planning on going to the beach one of these P-days. :) I CAN SEE THE OCEAN FROM THE CHAPEL. And one of the members lives on a huge hill and I got to watch a sunset over the ocean. It was really fast! (Picture attached.)

Also, we went to a ward "Posada". It's something to do with Christmas and I don't really have time to explain it, but I'm sure you can figure it out if you look it up. Also, people danced and we were extremely sad, so Hna. Maldonado and I drowned our sorrows in delicious donuts. (Picture attached)

I have so much more to say, but there isn't time! So I will have to do it next time! And share more pictures! I'm sorry I can't say more! LES AMO MUCHO!!!!!

♥ Hermana Beaumont

TWO DAYS LEFT! :O 12/14/2013

GUYS. IN TWO DAYS I'M GOING TO BE IN MEXICO. OH MY GOSH.

(interesting) Events this week:

Tuesday was my last Tuesday devotional where I saw Erika for (probably) the last time for over a year. Oh, and Elder Quentin L. Cook spoke. It was really cool. :)

Thursday I went to Las Vegas! I had to go to the Mexican Consulate to get it done, but everything went smoothly, and I am officially Mexican legal! I don't have my passport in my hand yet, but I will. :)

Yesterday we had In-Field Training and that was really cool. We learned about making goals and including members in our teaching. It was pretty nifty. :)

Today is our last P-day here at the MTC, so I get some extra time to e-mail people. I can't usually reply to all the e-mails I get, but if you reply soon, I should be able to reply back again today. :)

I have been sick (bad cold) lately, so if you could all pray for me and my hacking cough, that would be great. :)

Ummmmmmm..... Not sure what else to say, other than:

I AM SO EXCITED TO GO TO MEXICO. LIKE, SERIOUSLY. I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET MY MISSION PRESIDENT AND MY COMPANION AND FIND OUT WHAT AREA I'M IN AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I JUST WANT TO GO! But I'm really going to miss my zone! They're so great and I love the Elders in the zone! They're seriously the best! BUT OH MY GOSH MEXICO. IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT.

I can't think of anything else to say, so I'm going to attach some pictures for you. :)

First pic: Some of our zone inside one of the bubbles at gym time. (The dude in the red shorts with the basketball is not in our zone. We don't even know who he is.)

Second pic: Me and the girls in my district posing in the snow after gym time. XD

If I think of anything more, I'll write again. :)

♥ Hermana Beaumont

HELLO EVERYONE!!!!!

ONE WEEK LEFT! (Okay, it's actually 9 days, but who's counting?) Sadly, none of the girls in my district have their visas yet, but we're hoping for this week. (If we don't get them soon, we'll probably be temporarily reassigned. No bueno.) So PRETTY PLEASE PRAY that we will get our visa stuff soon!

This week was as the usual. I've been exercising a lot more than I did at home and have officially graduated from granny push-ups to regular ones. I can only do ten, but it's a step in the right direction. :) lol

The Spanish is coming along pretty well! I can hold a decent conversation with some of the teachers and I held almost an entire conversation with my "nerd best friend" from the other district yesterday. This coming week, my compañera and I have pledged to speak as much Spanish as possible so that we're a little more ready when it comes time to actually go to México. We only have a little bit of grammar left to learn and then we're DONE. There's a computer program called "T.A.L.L." (Technology Assisted Language Learning) that we all hate, but it's pretty useful for getting an idea of what's going on before class. I tried to do one of the lessons for what we'll be learning later today, but TALL does a really bad job of explaining stuff, so I have to save it for after the teacher explains. :P Oh well.

Since Erika told you guys about her "investigators", I thought I could probably do the same. I told you their names before in a previous e-mail, but they (again) are Pedro and Jesica. (Separate investigators.) And they also bear an extreme resemblance to my teachers. lol They have both agreed to be baptized and we already have dates set. :) Haha One day that will be real. (I hope.)

So, M. Russell Ballard was supposed to come and speak this last Tuesday, but because of the snow, 'twas not meant to be. Bruce C. Hafen spoke instead and it was actually REALLY good! I really enjoyed his talk. :) Hopefully, though, we'll get Elder Ballard this week instead, but if not, I will survive.

So something really cool: We had a "floating" teacher come in and help us during class. (Floating as in, doesn't yet have a district to teach.) We were learning about the importance of the Spirit in conversion and she was acting as our investigator. We had to lead up to and ask the baptismal question. At first it was really bland and boring, but then she said something, and the entire spirit changed. The Spirit told me what to say and the Spirit was SUPER strong! It was really cool! So we decided to use what we learned in our next lessons with Jesica and Pedro and IT WORKED. Jesica agreed to be baptized and Pedro was able to learn more about the gospel and commandments. (He had already agreed to be baptized.) Then in the next lesson with Jesica, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I'm so grateful for the Gospel and for the Spirit! THE CHURCH IS TRUE. We have another lesson with Pedro tonight, so wish us luck! lol

Anyways, I'm pretty much out of time. So, I will write again next week! (I will get two whole hours since it's my last p-day at the MTC.)

I LOVE YOU ALL!

♥ Hermana Beaumont

P.S. One of the sisters that I'm rooming with (Hermana Lance) came up with a list of "You Know You're On West Campus When..."
1) "Hola, Hermanas!" Sounds like a cat call. [True story]

2) People insult each other with "Cómo se dice, _____?" (Ex. Pride, attitude, etc.)
3) You hear "Está bien" every five seconds.
4) The most ordinary Spanish words are used as slang. (Sucio, dulce, etc.)

5) You play four-square in giant bubbles.

6) You're greeted with, "Qué pasa, calabaza?"

7) You look forward to getting a tapeworm to lose weight.

8) You wonder why someone won't laugh at your joke... awkwardly realize that they're praying.

9) Every time you hear, "Vamonos" someone starts singing Dora the Explorer songs.

10) You don't rush to the bathroom after eating cafeteria food.

11) Everyone wears red on Friday

and then an extra: You know you're not on West Campus when people say, "Hello" and you don't understand what they're saying. [Even though it's in English]

:D

PICTURES:

My "nerd best friend" has the tendency to steal my camera and take selfies. So there's one of them. He's a ginger.

There's also an awesome picture that I took of my HLJ ring and my scriptures. It's pretty epic.

HOLA A TODOS! (For the third P-day!)

HELLO EVERYONE!

Things are going well here at the MTC and I apologize to those of you whose e-mails I haven't had. I have them now. :)

Lets see... what do I have for you this week?

I've officially been here for over two weeks... I'm learning a lot. And I'm learning a lot more Spanish every week. The trouble is getting myself to use it on a daily basis. lol

INTERESTING: I forgot to tell you before! So there's a place called Brigham's Landing where missionaries are allowed to go on their P-day to hang out and get food. The first week I was here, I didn't go, but a few of the other missionaries did. They saw Jeremy from Studio C there, and since we're ALL Spanish speaking here at the West MTC, they decided to SYL (STL, really. Speak Their Language.) and said, "Hola, Cómo estas?". Do you know how Jeremy reacted?
 "I don't speak Spanish, you racist missionaries!" Yeah. Rude. haha I laughed so hard when I heard it. lol

Anyways... What else this week, while I've still got about 21 minutes left to write?

I didn't tell you! Last week's Tuesday Devotional (Not the 19th, the 12th) L. Tom Perry spoke! It was really cool. He talked about the importance and power of companionships.

Ummmmmmm.... Yo no sé que más a decir...

Is it weird that I'm, like, totally in love with my Spanish set of scriptures? I just like holding them. They make me happy. (Although, sadly, they don't fit in the case that Suzie put my name on for me. :P) (I will attach a pic of them that I took that I think looks really cool.)

My companion and I are still getting along well. :) Her family keeps sending her food, so she's been sharing with the whole apartment (4 sisters). There's plenty of snacks. lol

I absolutely LOVE the Elders here! They are awesome and keep me laughing. XD Elders are the best.

I'm still trying to think of things to tell you, but my mind is drawing a blank... 10 minutes left. :P

Since I know how to bear my testimony in Spanish now, I think I will do that. :)

Yo sé que la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimas Días es verdadera. Yo sé que las escrituras son muy importantes y que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador. Yo sé que Thomas S. Monson es un profeta de Dios. Yo sé que Dios es amoroso y quiere todos a Sus hijos a venir a Cristo. Yo sé que Dios nos ama. Yo sé que estoy aquí a la CCM a aprender cómo enseñar los hijos de Dios en México. Le amo Dios. Yo digo estas cosas en en nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

I love you guys! You're awesome! :) (And I love receiving letters.)

♥ Hermana Beaumont