This is SO nuts crazy that I'm writing a general email on Pday at a computer surrounded by missionaries. It really is the strangest thing to be here, but literally the best thing EVER. Honestly, I have never done anything so rewarding, so hard, so frustrating, so magical, SO happy and so absolutely filled with the spirit as this. Holy smokes, I can hardly believe it. This week has been the longest week of my life, I feel like i've been here literally 400 years, but also can't believe it's already Pday. We got so much advice from very well meaning Elderes y Hermanas that ya know, make it toSunday, you'll be just fine. (Been there, done that) Make it to your first pday, you've really made it, and if you make it through the day AFTER pday, you're golden. So we'll see if that happens, as i'm crying tears and wigging out as we speak. Ah. Hahah, we could have emailed at any time after 8 today, but things just kept getting in the way and I was about to explode when we entered the computer room.
Okay, enough of the small talk. I'll take you through a play by play of the gloriousness of the whole thang.
So, we arrived, right? That was neat. And got a ton of orientation stuff (that's ALLL la ccm is, I swear. By now I am thoroughly, #oriented.) We then were taken by some sweet Hermanas to our casa. Its cute and purple, haha. Everything here is SO colorful, beautfiul pastels and it makes me soooo happy. We got our room, and GUESS WHO MY ROOMIES ARE. Well, Hermana Potter, she's from LA and super great and wonderful, mi Hermana Flitton, anddddd.. PAIGE MEECHAM. I know that probs means nothing to you, but remember the cute gal from Snow I told you about that's going to Chile? She's my roommate, which basically means she's my third companera. So fun. Us four have a serious BLAST. So many late (around 10:30 hahah) night giggles and jokes and I just love. Speaking of late nights, I am the WORST at getting to bed, obvs. Im trying so hard to be obedient, though. My companeras are equally terrible, so it's just bad news. The mish rules take some adjusting to. But thats what la CCM is for, becoming a missionary. I keep having to remind myself that I have only been here for four days and its all a process!
First real day was crazy cray, I felt like a little baby ghost the whole day. Like honestly, nothing was real. Looking through my journal, I used the word bizarre like 40 times, haha. We met our teacher and jumped right into a tour. His name is Hermano Vargas and he is the mexican version of Adrian Romjue, if you're wondering. Its a titch creepy at times, haha. But I love him. He has only been home from is mission for two months, and he just likes to hear us speak so he can make fun of us. Hahah. His name is Rodrigo and he will ask us to say it over and over again and just laugh, hah. We also had to learn Mexico's national anthem (You'll find out why in a sec..) and he couldn't even handle our attempt at singing briskly en espanol. ***Let me just tell you, as a sort of precursor, I am already getting so Spanglish-y it's ridiculous. I am learning SO MUCH. I know 3 years of Spanish is helping me a ton, but there are times when I can sort of difficulty, and with the help of mi ever faithful diccionario, speak completely en espanol. The gift of tongues is REAL. It's so much fun. I pray often in Spanish and love it. Also the hymns in Spanish, KILL ME. <3*** I have seen SO many Elderes y Hermanas that I know from various walks of life here, but seeing Raleigh was the best thing ev. He totally rules. We had the happiest little reunion! (No koala bear hugs, sorry for the peeps who were counting on me getting kicked out first day)
On our second day, Friday, we got to teach our PRIMERO INVESTEGADOR. Wooo! I got so down on myself as we prepared, not knowing what he needed or what we should teach, but the plan doesn't need to be perfect as long as you put in the work to PLAN. That's huge. The mission is already changing me. I was so nervous, but once we got into the room, the spirit seriously took over. It was SO FUN and I loved getting to know and talking to him. His name is Jorge and I just love him. We had planned to teach about Heavenly Father's love and the happiness we find through praying to him and also the gospel, and our teacher encouraged us to extend a baptismal invitation. When we did this, he said he didn't know because he had muchos pecados.. both Hermana F and I had seen this word in study but COULD NOT REMEMBER what it meant. So we spent years searching, right in our lesson (that's what's so nice about actors as investigators) and eventually remembered it meant sins! At that moment, I knew I should bring up la expiacion (atonement), but I didn't know any of the words cause we hadn't planned so I flipped open our little language book right to the page title Christ Can Cleanse Us From Our Sins. Okay, kill me. Heavenly Father cares SO much. It was just such a wonderful testimony to me that the promise that we will be given the words in the very moment we need them doesn't necessarily mean they will pop into our minds, but Heavenly Father will make a way. I was on cloud nine after teaching the lesson, when we exited the room I ran over to some of the Elderes in our district and punched the one several times on the arm (oops) and just happy danced for days. It was awesome. Surely a blessing to have such a happy first lesson.
We taught Jorge again the next day, and it defffffinitely didn't go as well. I was so stressed in planning and I am just way good at making things more difficult then they need to be (imagine that), haha. SO we literally spent so much time planning what to teach him, and not nearly enough time preparing the lesson. It was just the worst. We had to stop to pray again and again cause we were just getting so frustrated. But I learned that personal revelation is REAL on the mission. I pretty much immediately thought of ways to change, and that was to do things SIMPLY. It's hard for me, but I know I will get better at it. It's just hard to be on the same page, I love Hma but I wasn't totally prepared for how hard it is to work with a companion. Definitely a lesson in humility and charity. The lesson didn't go too bad, though. Heavenly Father really helps things to go well because He cares.
SUNDAYS ARE THE BEST THING EVER IN THE MISSION. Honestly. Ah. Relief Society ruled, Sacrament Meeting (totally en espanol) ruled even more! (Raleigh, or Elder Allen, was actually in my branch so I got to hear him bless the sacrament in Spanish! Tell Heidi and Jay that he is doing SO well. Ah, I just love him. His distict is only Elderes, and they came in and just chatted with us the other night. They rule!) But, I dunno. Sundays are just the happiest. We had a welcome devotional by the single most hilarious mexican man, Presidente Rubalcava, who is the second counselor en la CCM. It was on the temple and worthiness and all that jazz. It totally ruled, and He is SO funny. Afterward, we met with our branch presidente, Pres. Martineau, and it was good. The adversary started working REALLY hard on me, though. Making me feel like I wasn't good enough to be here or because of mistakes id made in the past I would never be a good missionary. I was so super down. But after that, we had our Sunday devotional, and it was EVERYTHING I NEEDED. We talked about Lot's wife, and the importance of not looking back. I just cried and cried, the spirit was SO strong. I had been praying to feel peace and Heavenly Father gave it to me ten fold. On Sundays, we get to watch a movie in the evening as a whole CCM and that is super happy. We watched the testaments, and if youve seen that it defffffinitely has a lovey dovey side story and you could just feel the awkward missionary tension in the room. Hahahah. It was the same video of the life of the Savior that they showed at the baptism I spoke at before I left, the one that changed my pre mission life? So, obvs, it was there to change it again. It just reminded me that the SAVIOR is with me! This is HIS work. If I'm going into a lesson nervous or doubtful, I am not keeping my promise made when taking the sacrament to ALWAYS remember Him. AH. Alssssssssoooo, they played this goodbye video for the distritos leaving this week and guess what song it was set to, the efy medley EN ESPANOL. All four of mis hermanas were straight bawling. After the movie, we had a sort of testimony meeting with our district. It was magical. I got to know and love them so much more, they really are the best. We have 6 elderes and us 4 hermanas. We have really happy times. Not to mention, there were fireworks (not literal) hahah, when I was sharing my testimony because Monday was LA DIA DE INDEPENCIA DE MEXIO!!!!! Mexico 4th of July completely rules, let me tell you.
We've been learning the national anthem so we could fully celebrate the holiday, and let me tell you.. it is joyous!!!!! Look it up on youtube, then imagine me singing it. I could die. But yesterdaywas just like any other, had wonderful times and also many an emotional breakdown (we constantly feel like we're living in that scene from tangled, you know the one where one minute she's frolicking through the happiest of fields and the next moment laying face first on the ground crying? haha, that is a mission for you), but we got to have una FIESTA en la noche! Woot woot! They had this mexican dance group come and it was SO funny. Full of lots of stomping, waving of handkercheifs, and sensual music and dancing.. hahah. Then we all shouted lots of VIVA MEXICO! And sang the anthem with much gusto. Walking back to la casa, there were fireworks and the sounds of happy mexicans shouting and singing all around. It was glorious!
Sorry this email is THE WORST. I do not know how to email well yet, and ahhhh.. it's the most stressful thing. But I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. When I think of you, I get teary, but it's the happiest of tears. This really is the most wonderful work and I am so incredibly grateful to be living my life's BIGGEST dream.. and i'm serious! It's better than Maroon pants or France or anything. Serving the Lord is what we were MADE to do! No matter how the day has gone, I can always go back to my casa content and even full of joy because this really is a message of JOY!
I love love love you all! Te amo MUCHO!
Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro salvador y su expiacion es verdadero. Yo se que el evangelio y El Libro De Mormon es verdadero. Estoy muy muy muy adegracidos por mi Padre Celestial ys su amor!
Love, Hermana Yost <3
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| She loves her district |
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| She says "If I could say I love my roomies en espanol, I would! They are the best" |
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| The infamous green circles. Where they would go if there was an earthquake. :) |
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| Celebrating Mexico's Independence Day |
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| She says she is learning to preach the gospel in paradise. |
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