Letter From Hermana DeLong May 31, 2012

Hola como esta ustedes? Yo quiero ustedes mucho!

Entonces...

 

This week has been quite the week. Crazy, stressfull, full of tears, and a lot of fun too. I think that will sum up every week on my mission. But I don't know why but this week just seemed more hectic. It was probably because we said goodbye to our favorite group of elders this week. They all left for the mission field! No one told me that it would be this crazy and sad. I miss them entirely too much! Things are just so quiet without those loud crazy elders. Now we just have to get the newbies to break out of their shells. We played volleyball with them last night and it was really fun. Volley ball is always really fun. Out on the sand courts. My companera and I made a deal with eachother that we have to get an 8 on our HSI (Which is how much we speak spanish in a day) and If we don't then we have to run 2 laps around the field. It is no small field either! Entonces... hablamos mucho en espanol. Porque nosotros no queremos correr.

 

So some funny things that happened this week....We have an Elder in our District named Elder razelton. He is pretty cool. There is another elder at the MTC that looks just like him. Everytime we see him. We say "twin" because he looks just like raze. It's crazy how alike they look. Well, I guess they don't think they look alike because the other night we were walking out of the mailroom and we saw his twin and I yelled.. "TWIN!" then the Elder stopped while he was walking and screamed... "NO! WE LOOK NOTHING ALIKE!!!!!!!" It was the funniest thing ever. Because he hadn't said anything up until that moment... then he freaked out. It was great! :) We also decided one night instead of playing volleyball to just sit on the grass and watch everyone else play. So while we were sitting there we gave everyone animals! It was awesome. We have a big group of animals here at the MTC based on what their faces and personalities look like. We have a giraffe, flamingo, gecgo, bobcat, kangaroo, hippo, golden retriever, and someone that looks like timone from lion king! It was really awesome. And being Elders they all took on their roles as animals and call eachother that now. It's great!

 

Well, this week we found out our investigator oemi is an alcoholic. So we had a fast on Saturday for her to be able to stop drinking. We don't get to meet with her again until tomorrow night, so we aren't sure how she is doing right now. But I really hope she can stop drinking, because if not she can't get baptized. She has been meeting with the missionaries for 30 years and this is really the only thing that is holding her back from getting baptized. We also got a new investigator this week. Which makes 5 investigators! It has made me so stressed. I know I will have more than that in the feild, but it's just difficult. I need to learn and understand more spanish. I only have 2 weeks left in the MTC and it's making me really nervous.

 

Yesterday I had a huge lack of faith. Mainly because I just don't know how to have faith really. I try so hard, but it is really difficult. Sometimes I think I've got what it takes to be out here on a mission, and other times I don't. I guess I just don't think I can do it. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and that makes it even more difficult. I couldn't stay focused enough to pass college I don't know how I'm going to do this!

 

But all hope is not lost! We had an amazing devotional on Tuesday night by Elder zwick of the 70. He talked all about how important the Book of Mormon is, and how we have to love the Book of Mormon to be able to preach about it. So I decided to give myself a challenge, because I need more love for the Book of Mormon. I have 2 weeks left in the MTC and I am going to read the Book of Mormon cover to cover before I get to New York. It's a big task, considering the fact that I have so much else to study about. But I am going to be doing this and I know it will help me so much! I have already started reading, and I love it. It's so different reading it as a missionary.

 

Something I found a couple of weeks ago that I haven't had the opportunity to share is a scripture from the Book of Mormon in 2nd Nephi. It has helped me through the hard times at the MTC and I think it could help others. It's right after Nephi's father Lehi passes away and he is just kind of sad. He says this, 2 Nephi 4: 19-24 .... nevertheless I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime. And by day I have waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me"

 

It has helped me a lot in my trails. I think that I could really just throw my trust into the Lord, that I would be so better off. We all would be.

 

Well, I love you all I don't have much time to write anything else! Please write me. It's the worst feeling in the world when your companion gets 9 letters in a day, and you get zero. Thank you for writing me when you do though, it's so great. mail is just a huge pick-me-up in the middle of the day. I now feel completely horrible for not writing alll of my friends every week while they were gone. It would be the pits if no one wrote me. Seriously though.

 

Love you!