1 mesa! 1 Month

1 mesa!

When I email home I feel like I am taking the ACT, because I have 1 hour to read everything, and write what is essentially an essay. It is stressful! And I always feel homesick after. But I LOVE hearing about what everyone is doing. And about current events in Ohio, like a McDonald´s being murdered!

3 of the North American missionaries that I LOVE left yesterday for their missions in Santa Cruz. It is really crazy how attached I got to them in just a month. But at the same time, I am super excited for them. The Latin Americans Missionaries mostly left early this morning, and there are a few of them I will really miss, too. But they will be really awesome missionaries. They had a meeting last night, and P. Dyer left us to just say our goodbyes, and the missionaries brought him back and sang whatever Hymn 10 is in the Spanish hymn book. Something about being thankful. It was a really tender moment.

Another tender moment, we went to the temple last Wednesday, and I felt inspired to put Elder D's name on the prayer role. Alexis emailed me and said that he was sick on Wednesday. I don´t know if he had a cold or what, but it was important enough for the Spirit to inspire me to send a few extra prayers his way. Which is really cool.

Today we went on a little tour of Bogota, to a gold museum, and this church on the top of a mountain. The museum was okay, but the church and the view from the top of the mountain was BEAUTIFUL! I have some really sweet pictures, but my pictures won´t load on this dumb computer, and our time is being docked because we came back from the tour late. Soo... I´m pretty salty. One day I will send pictures.

I will write again in 10 days, on Friday, and then the next will be from BOLIVIA! I am so excited.

I love and miss everyone!

The church is true!

Read the Book of Mormon!

 A note. Sydney didn't get the email from Alexis until this  Friday when she blogged.  Wednesday was the Spirit!  I also am including a picture of her in California on the beach since no pictures from Columbia!

Week 3, mas or menos

March 21, 2014

This week President Dyer gave us a talk about proper missionary conduct, and locking your heart. There is a talk about locking your heart, and leaving the key at home while you´re on your mission. Essentially, we´re not on missions to find dates. But he added that the first thing we should do when we get home is find that key and unlock our hearts. So, basically, he supporting my decision to get wifed up as soon as I get home. Tell all your single, LDS nephews, cousins, brothers, friends. Haha.

I got a new companion this week! Hermena Santeco is still my companion, but we have a third companion, Hermana Alves. She is from BRAZIL! But she knows English really well. It is seriously the coolest to see how world wide the gospel is, and how universal the truth is.

Everyone is obsessed with my cat apparel. I didn´t really bring that much. Only a blanket, a scarf, a sweatshirt, and earrings. Calm down, everyone. 

One of the sisters here has seen Old Gregg, which I just found out last night, and we were quoting it for like a half hour before bed. It was clearly inspiration that we were called here at the same time!

Also, we got two new North American missionaries. One is from Salt Lake, like my dude Seth Coast. And most of the Latin Americans this time are from Venezuela, and they are REALLY hard to understand. My teacher, Hermano Herrera, said their Spanish is like "the browns" in the US... I think he was trying to maybe say they use slang? He says a lot of really weird things, but they´re usually pretty funny. One NA Elder asked what Hermano Herra thought his parents were like and he said "super gringos".

I only have 2 weeks left in Colombia! It is so crazy. Time is really weird here. It seems like I just got here, but also like I have been here for eternity. This last week has been a little stressful, because of the language, and being busy all the time. We went street contacting, and I couldn´t understand anyone. I don´t think they speak Spanish in Colombia... So I would just smile and nod, and then bear my testimony.

 I get a Latin companion on Wednesday! I don´t have a lot of good jokes in Spanish, so I´ve been working on my physical humor. You know, slipping on banana peels and what not.

 

  Last week a group of primary kids came on a tour on the MTC. They sang I hope they call me on a mission to us, and it was SUPER cute!

I REALLY appreciate everyone who has been emailing me. They always make me smile, and usually make me laugh.

I love you all!

Week 2 Columbia MTC. Next post Approx March 21.

Week 2

I feel like it hasn´t been that long since I´ve written home! 4 days is a SO much shorter than 10. I have a running list to remind myself what to write home about. Last week´s was a page and a half long, today it is literally 5 things. Again, I am very grateful to everyone who has e-mailed me! It really makes me happy.

The Bogota temple was closed for cleaning when we first got here, but we have been able to go twice since it re-opened. It is sooo beautiful. And HUGE! Especially compared to the poor little Columbus Temple. We got a tour today of all the sealing rooms. It is seriously so beautiful. I had the option to listen to a translation the first time, but for some reason I thought I needed to listen in Spanish. I knew what was going on, only because I had been before. Not because I understood a single word.

All of the North Americans think I am the funniest person alive. Seriously. Like, they laugh at everything I say. Even when I´m not trying to be funny... And I am really good at making things really awkard. Like, we teach "investigators" which is usually just a teacher role playing someone they taught on their mission. But yesterday Elder G. was playing our investigator Cody. We were opening with a prayer, and he motioned for us to hold hands, because that´s how Cody is used to praying. I wanted him to feel comfortable, so I just started reaching for his hand. Except we have this really cool rule in the CCM that Elders and Hermanas have to stay an arm´s length away from each other... So we just kind of sat in awkward silence for a little bit, trying to pretend that I didn´t just kind of put the moves on him!

Three of the missionaries from my district are getting Latin companions tomorrow, so they won't be in our district anymore, which is a bummer. Hermana E.and Elder G. are some of my favorite people here, and I am really going to miss being with them all the time. And in two weeks I will get a Latin companion! 

There was a missionary serving in Bogota North, I think, that came to talk to  and encourage us. He said when he left the CCM his Spanish was terrible, and not he is completely fluent. He´s been out for almost a year, and when he was talking to us he had trouble remembering how to say things in English. That´s the dream.

So, I am a terrible singer. Always have been. I sing really flat. BUT, so do ALL of the Latin Americans. These are my people. They´ll probably ask me to sing at stake conference and stuff. 

OH! On Friday we actually went outside and talked to people. I was SO NERVOUS! I really thought I was going to have a panic attack, and my companion was trying to calm me down. But once we got out there, I basically talked to everyone, and SHE got nervous. It was really cool though. Out on the town in Bogota! This guy gave me flowers! There is a stack of books in our class because I am trying to press them.

I am having a good time here! But it can be really hard. And I know it will be harder when I´m actually in the field. But it will be SO worth it. And I know the Lord will bless me and my family for my efforts.

I love and miss everyone at home!

Week 1, Kind Of.....

I am SO grateful to everyone who wrote to me! Your words of encouragement, experiences, and things to make me laugh have seriously made me so happy. I only have an hour total to read and reply, so I will try to respond to some of you, and answer some of your questions on this post! (Also, I forgot to return 2 DVDs to Family Video before I left... They are probably in the basement... And they probably have late fees...)

So, p-days alternate here, Tuesdays and Fridays. So I will be able to write again on Tuesday, and then not again until Friday of

the next week. It´s because the Latin Americans only stay for 2 weeks, and their transfers are every other Tuesday.

I LOVE the Lani Americans! They are seriously all so sweet. Last night I gave a spiritual thought and they all told me how well I did and how good my Spanish was. They were lying, obviously. But it was so nice!

The weather here is pretty nice. Especially compared to Ohio, from what I´ve heard! It´s usually around 65 or 70, pretty cloudy, and rains for a little bit everyday. The food is always delicious. We eat a lot of rice. And I'm trying to be more missionary appropriate in my language, so I will not tell you all how weird my poops have been.

I LOVE my district. There are 6 sisters total, and 3 elders. It´s a little unusual to have that many sisters, but it is so much fun. I love all of the North American missionaries here. We have so much fun. And our teachers are really great. My Spanish is coming along, slowly but surely, and they help a great deal.

My companion is Hermana Santeco. She is from Hawaii, and she is a super sweetheart. She is a little more reserved than I am, but she is coming out of her shell now. I think she feels more comfortable around me now. I tell her like everyday that I'm going to marry her brother, so we can be together for eternity. She does not like that. I´m not sure if she just doesn´t want me to marry her brother, or if she doesn´t want to be with me for eternity...

So, being away from home is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. I was able to keep myself together pretty well until the first Saturday. I just randomly thought about home and started bawling. Saturday morning and Saturday night... and Sunday morning. I was a serious mess. But the sisters were all SO sweet to me.  One sister suggested a priesthood blessing, which was exactly what I needed. Our district leader, Elder G. gave me a priesthood blessing on Sunday after sacrament, and it brought me so much peace. And then, on Monday night, President Dyer called me into his office. It was probably a combination of the blessing, and president Dyer being super in-tune with The Spirit, but he could sense that I had been having a hard time. He let me call my mom, just to talk. I felt kind of silly and weak for needing that, but Heavenly Father knew it was EXACTLY what I needed.

I am so grateful to be here. I KNOW this church is true, and that God knows each and every one of us, and knows just what we need and when we need it.

I am excited to get out of the MTC and into Bolivia! I want to teach and love the people! But I should probably get a little bit better grasp on Spanish first...

I can´t wait to hear from everyone on Tuesday! I really do appreciate the e-mails from everyone. I love you all!

Sydney In Bogota, Columbia in the MTC (Missionary Training Center)

I am in the MTC now! It was not too bad getting to Colombia. The Lord sent  some tender mercies my way. One of them was Elder Calderon, who flew out of Atlanta with us. He already can speak Spanish, so he was able to help us out a lot!

It´s kind of weird here. It´s like being at a camp or something. We had scripture study this morning, then breakfast, then we were given all of our Spanish study materials.

Oh! We didn´t get here until like midnight, and still had to wake up at 6:30. Pretty cool. I don't feel as tired as I thought I would though. There are 3 other sisters in my district and only 2 elders. All except for one elder flew into Colombia together. I guess a ton of missionaries left yesterday for their missions, so there are only a few people here. 2 other sisters who have been here for 2 weeks, and like 6 elders, I think. From North America. There is one sister from Brazil who has been here for 4 weeks, but she is the only person I have seen from her district. I spoke to her a little in Spanish. I was surprised how much just conversational Spanish I remember.

There are a TON of missionaries coming today who are actually from Latin America.

They took all of our candy and electronics, so I do not have a camera right now. I am not sure why.

We are having a meeting later to get our missionary tags and be assigned companions. I will have an English-speaking companion for 4 weeks, and the last 2 weeks here I will have a native Spanish-speaking companion! Two of the sisters and I have pretty similar personalities.   They are all nice girls, and we´ll probably all be together most of the time anyway. 

The MTC president and my mission president have the same name, President Dyer. And he said they were actually companions on their missions in Argentine 46 years ago! I´m trying to think of more to tell you... I was not expecting to have this long to write. Haha. They said the water in Colombia is safe to drink, but we don´t drink it. Not even when we brush our teeth. There are water-coolers in the halls, and we just got these water bottles that have filters in them. They said we can use them for our whole mission! So, that´s pretty sweet.

I miss you guys already! But I´m like the only one. Everyone else claims not to be homesick already,,, I don´t buy it.

The Dairy Queen

Tonight was my last night working at Dairy Queen, after almost two years. (I started February 25, 2012, and I leave for my mission the exact same day, two years later.) It is a pretty bitter-sweet moment. I've had my ups and downs with the DQ, but I couldn't have asked for a better first job experience.

I love my co-workers. I love the rush in the summers. I love the slow winters. And I LOVE ICE CREAM.

I'm not going to miss the ice cream machines not working, lines out the door, people telling me we need a bigger parking lot, 3 little league teams coming in at the same time with free cone coupons, people demanding the whip cream be removed from their shakes, blizzard sales, coming home covered in ice cream/chocolate/caramel/Lord knows what, or scrubbing the chili bucket.

But, I am going to miss the calm after the storm of closing on a summer night, people who offer a kind smile and patience when they can see how busy we are, medium chocolate cone guy, the Friday night bowling team (who happen to be my pal Becky's parents!), recognizing my mom in the drive thru because she orders "blizzarts", everyone together on half-off days, Christmas parties, and all of the great friends I have made while working at Dairy Queen.

I am so grateful for my co-workers who are as excited for my mission as I am, but are sad to see me leave. I love them all so much. Working at Dairy Queen was not just a job, it was a family.

And my last night was one for the books.

Someone randomly set off a few fireworks in my honor.

No one from Dairy Queen though.

That would be reckless.

And illegal.

Return to Sender

So, I am expecting a letter from my mission president, who is currently in Bolivia. I have reason to believe it was mailed on December 1, 2013. And today, January 25, 2014, I still have not received it. This gives me reason to believe that correspondence through mailing letters while on my mission will be a little inconvenient. Luckily, I will be able to e-mail once a week! Now, the point I am trying to make here is that, yes, I would greatly appreciate the occasional random letter in the mail. But I want to hear from people weekly, too! So here are some tips on what could be sent in e-mails, and what might be worthy of a letter in the mail

Holidays

• Please send me Christmas cards! Birthday cards! Valentine's Day cards! Leif Ericson Day cards! 

Make me cry

• If you feel so inclined, write me a thoughtful letter. About how much you miss me, or fond memories we share, or plans you have for us when I come home! Old-fashioned letters are a great way to express some feels!

Make me laugh

• Fill your weekly e-mails with all of the embarrassing moments you've had that I missed out on! I will be painfully awkward in another country, where I can barely speak the language, and nobody gets my jokes. I don't want to feel alone!

Keep me updated

• Tell me about your classes, your new boyfriend, the new boy you've been stalking on social networks, the new sandwich you tried at Panera, the new movies you're going to re-watch with me when I come home! Mention it to me in a weekly e-mail, or write a detailed movie critique and mail that sucker!

Pictures!

• E-mail me every prom picture you can get your hands on! And any other goofy pictures you can find. Mail me pictures of weddings, or awkward family photos, or anything I can hang up that reminds me of home!

Do whatever the flip you want!

Honestly, anything and everything you send me will make me unbelievably happy. I know a lot of great people, and I will miss everyone so much while I am away. I know you all have your own lives to attend to, and writing to me will not always be at the top of your list. But anything you can scratch down, or just a quick "I miss you. Hope you're safe." Or I'll just see you in 18 months! Do what you want, what you want with my address.

(*Bonus HP reference: owl post, anyone?)