Hello
People of the United States and possibly Germany!!!!
This
is crazy!!! I'm excited but scared. Happy and Sad. Ready to go yet I know I’m
not at all. Seriously what could actually prepare me to teach in the field...
Well
the answer is teaching in the field. It’s been a crazy day we packed and weighed
our luggage. I have to do a little rearranging because I’m bringing back like 5
pounds of new Spanish books. I've decided I’m going to read my Spanish Book of Mormon
in a hushed but audible tone and see if I can get my neighbor on the airplane to
ask what I’m reading and if all else fails I’ll try to introduce myself. :)
These
last couple days have been really cool. We had a mini earthquake while in
the temple Thursday. Um Friday we did In-Field Orientation!! Yay... Longest day
so far here. No we didn't go out and practice proselyting in México City that
would be super scary and possibly dangerous >.< No we were in classrooms and we did workshops
about planning, and ... No it was really just about planning. It was good.
Forever long but good :)
Saturday
we had Mexican night and it was super cool!!! There was dancing and singing it
was really cool to watch. It was so much
fun. At the end of the night we sang all together Army of Helaman and it was
super cool cause half of us were singing in Spanish and half were singing in
English. One of the most powerful and spiritual and awesome experiences I’ve
ever had!!! :)
Sunday we
had church and during our district meeting we had a testimony meeting in Spanish.
It was super cool. The Spirit was so strong in that room. And the love that we
all had for each other and this gospel and for our work was almost tangible. In
Sacrament meeting, Elder Larkin and I sang a duet, him on Melody and I on
Tenor, for the first verse of "Para siempre Dios esté con Vos" (God
Be With You Till We Meet Again). It was super fun. I was a little nervous
but I’ve found that I care less about what people think about me singing. It
probably helps that so many people have complemented me on my voice. But I sing
out and I think part of the reason is because I'm seeing the singing more as
Praising my Heavenly Father and so that’s what’s important about it. Not how I
sound or how other people think I sound. It is Praise. :)
We watched the Joseph Smith video Sunday night and then we participated at 11 pm (by the permission and invitation of President Pratt) in the Mexico’s Grito de Dolores. It’s their independence cry/shout thing and it was pretty cool :) (you can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores - the shout out is near the bottom of the page)
The president of México would say the name of an important person in the revolution and says "Viva _____!!!" and then we would yell¨"Viva!" in reply. It was really cool and I’m glad we got to participate. We had to hurry straight home afterwards because lots of people like to shot their pistols and other firearms in the air and it’s not uncommon for people to have bullets fall out of the sky at them. So we all ran home so we wouldn't be killed or anything.
And
now we are at today!!! It’s so much fun. Not really half the district
left at 2 this morning. It was really sad :( but we know they will be ok
and we are going to try to stay in touch!!! So we'll see how that all
goes.
I'll
send pictures when I get to California if they let me email to tell you I made
it safely!!!!!! I'll let you know what my apartment address is as soon as I
find out!!!
I
know this Church is true. I know that God and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph
Smith and that through Joseph Smith the Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Was Restored. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet on the earth today and
that God leads His church through him. I know that God is My Loving Heavenly
Father and that Jesus Christ is my older brother and my Savior. I know that
only through Him can we return to live with God our Father and with
our families for all time and eternity.
I
say these things and testify that I Know they are True. In the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I
love you all!!!
Until
sometime probably tomorrow or else next Monday!!!
Elder
Gore!! :)