So we got to Posadas. We met President LaPierre and the assistants. It was awesome. I love him you guys. He's awesome. His wife is great too. They are the best.
We stayed in Posadas for 2 nights and got to know President and did a lot of paperwork for our visas and stuff like that.
Anyways.. MY AREA.. I am in this tiny city called La Paloma. It is the farthest north you can go in our mission, and the farthest area from Posadas. We took a 12 HOUR BUS RIDE HERE. You guys.. it was so rough. Goodness. I was dying. And it only broke down ONCE. Miracle. But we finally got here.Oh my gosh. Google map it. It is really close to the boarder of Brazil.
So here.. they speak Spanish.. and Portuegese and Gaurani.. oh my heavens. I am dying here you guys. IT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND. When they are speaking Spanish they speak so fast.. and I can get about 50 or 60 % of what they are saying. sometimes they switch in the middle of what they are saying though.. and that is so tough as well. goodness. Gaurani sounds like some crazy African language or something. So yeah.. understanding is really hard for me. but even these last few days being here.. I have learned a lot, and am slowly understanding more and more. It's MUCH harder to talk. but anyways. yeah. woah.
Somehow here they all understand eachother when they are speaking. It's kind of a miracle. Everyone just speaks and understands 3 languages I guess.. haha it's funny.
The first day here was SUPER hard. We got to work right when we got here, and we were walking around and I was meeting investigators in this area and meeting members, and I could hardly understand anything.. and it was just really discouraging. I cried myself to sleep that night. In my interview with president he told me that it was okay to cry myself to sleep.. and the feelings I would be feeling when I got there was normal. So yeah.. it was a rough day. BUT.. the next day I realized that Satan was just working so hard on me and I wasn't going to let him have influence over me... and I just prayed that I would have faith.. and even though I couldn't understand, the second day WAS AWESOME. I loved it. Teaching real people is so amazing.
Okay.. my companion. Her name is Hermana Olvera.. Hannah Olvera if you want to stalk her on FB.. but yeah. SHE IS AWESOME. She is from Idaho.. she did a year at BYU before she came here. She is almost at 10 months on the mission and this is her first time training. We get along well.. and work hard together. She speaks really really well and I'm learning so much from her.
**I hope this email is making sense because I'm typing so fast**
LA PALOMA: *here is two hours ahead of utah*
it rocks here. the culture is so funny. If they aren't working.. they are at home and sitting in the front yard and drinking mate. HAHA. THEY LOVE MATE. it's hilarious. The houses here are very humble. wow. There are some nicer houses, but most of them are one or two rooms. They cook and eat and basically do everything outside.. and sleep inside. We teach outside. We either squat down and teach or they pull up a chair. Most of the time they have extra chairs. They are all very nice.
There are cars here but most people drive around on motorcycles or mopeds? I don't know how to spell that.. oops. AND THEY ARE SO LOUD. In this town they have one main road that we call the avenue. It's paved with asphault and everything.. and at night they sit around the avenue with their cars parked on the side and hang out and blast SUPER loud music and ride their bikes and motorcylces up and down the avenue. it's so funny. they drive up.. and turn around and then ride back down. it's awesome.
Okay.. so teaching real people.. rather than investigators in the MTC IS SO AWESOME. I LOVE IT. Teaching is awesome.. even though I can hardly speak.
One story from this week:
We were trying to find a girl that we met at a busstop a few days ago.. and we were walking around and asking people if they knew her.. and no one did.. and we asked these people who were sitting in there front yard drinking mate *shocker* and we ended up starting a lesson with them. It was two really young couples. One had a daughter. THEY ARE SPOKE SPANISH. MIRACLE. So I basically understood everything that was being said, but I couldn't jump in anywhere. It was hard. Hermana Olvera is really good at teaching, and kept looking at me to start talking, but I just couldn't find words. It was hard. But we were teaching the restoration.. and I started teaching about joseph smith.. It was choppy but I was just praying SO HARD for the spirit to touch them.. and the spirit was so strong. or atleast I was feeling it. It was awesome. and anyways.. after we got done teaching and set a time to teach them again this week.. one of them turned to me and said even though I didn't speak very well, it didn't matter, because she felt something and that is all that matters. YOU GUYS.. I WAS DYING. THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE. As we walked away from that lesson.. I just was thinking and thinking about that. HOW AMAZING.
How in the world could two 19 year old girls.. no matter hor well they spoke or didn't speak.. how in the world could we convert people if this church wasn't true?? WE COULDNT. Missionaries all around the world convert people though.. because of the spirit. The spirit does the heavy lifting. It's so amazing. Does that make sense? If I had more time I would be able to explain it better.
Anyways.. until I came on a mission.. I don't think I ever realized how much I love you all and my family and how important you all are to me. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.
I THINK AND PRAY ABOUT YOU OFTEN. Thank you for your prayers. I need them. I love you you all. I can't say it enough.
Until next week..
Hermana Ehlert
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| the roads here. I love them. walking them and clapping doors is THE BOMB. I love being a missionary. |
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| Our little house |
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