Before you get too alarmed by the subject of
this email, just remember that our Heavenly Father does everyone lovingly, even
if it does mean "drop kicking" his children in the face.
This week I have learned that I can do NOTHING without the help of my Savior,
Jesus Christ. This last week I started to notice my prideful tendencies, how
easy it is for me to become self-absorbed and think that I am better than
others! As a LITERAL representative of Jesus Christ, I knew that walking around
expecting people to treat me like a Rainbow Unicorn was not going to cut it. So
I did what any knowledgeable person doesn't do, I prayed to God to be humbled. If
you don't want to be humbled, then I recommend not following the path that I
chose.
The next day was rough.
It just seemed that everything was so hard, and no matter how much I tried, I
couldn't force the Spirit to be with me. The lessons we taught were shaky, the
Spanish wouldn't flow like it has in the past. We were teaching this one lady
and there was a point in the lesson where I completely lost it. For anyone who
doesn't know me, to "lose it" is to breakdown in ugly sobs. It is not
aesthetically pleasing in any way, shape, or form. We had just read D&C 19:16-19, which
describes the suffering that Christ went through so that we could repent of our
sins and become like him. The pain and agony He chose to go through, every
single sadness in this world, every single moment of weakness, of anger, of
heartbreak. He felt it all. And he felt it for YOU. And that is so true. I felt
His love during that lesson that was falling apart at the seams. This work is
impossible to do without the assistance of my Savior. And I want everyone at
home to know that I am not doing this to go see Peru. I am on a mission because
I know that my Savior and Redeemer lives. He has a plan for us and there is no
reason to feel lost or alone in this life, because He suffered through those
pains in our behalf. Pride may be something that I struggle with, but it will
be conquered as long as I remember what it feels like to be truly humbled.
What a way to start off an update, am I
right?!
Here are some more highlights!
~Hermana Coffey getting severely injured T-Rex
running. She has had this foul yellow pus oozing out of her leg for days. But
do not relax so soon, unsuspecting residents of 17M, we will be back....with a
vengeance.
~ My party dress (vestida fiesta) is getting
some mileage. I will send some pictures of it next week. Whenever I enter a
room a disco ball appears out of nowhere and I have no choice but to
chant, "party dress, party dress, party dress"...
~The Prophet and all of the Apostles are going to be here this week! They are doing a Worldwide Training Broadcast from the MTC, so things are going on lock down over here in East Provo. The Hermanas and I decided to join the choir. Which is a new experience for me. Anyways, we walk in and they were dividing everyone up into "Sopranos" or "Altos". I was swiveling my head around looking for the "Tone Deaf" section but since I couldn't find it, I now mouth all the words in whichever section requires less walking. So look for me on TV!
~Hermano Bartolomei brought us some Hershey's
kisses in class yesterday. It tasted like nasty rat poo that had been sitting
on some more rat poo for 10 years. Gross gross gross. I put it in my mouth and
it crumbled into a whirlwind of chalky poison. I looked over at Hermana Coffey
and she was gagging. And let me tell you now, I went nuts. The laughing just
would not stop. I was choking and crying and convulsing. I HAD TO LEAVE THE
ROOM. Poor Hermano Bartolomei was so confused, and offended as well. But man,
it just made me go a little crazy.
~If I could be anyone in the world, I would
want to be Hermana Beckstead. True story. No explanation needed.
~During service this week Hermana Hansen and I
had to clean the elevators. I was cleaning the outside of the doors and they
closed in on me, resulting in screams of distress from me and mocking laughter
from the classroom that was watching me.
~ELISE IS HERE. Every time I spot her on
campus, I run around in tiny circles, as does she. Pure friendship right there.
~P-days are the best days. That is a fact. We
are going to celebrate by napping for hours.
~The biggest highlight of my week was just
having the opportunity to feast on the scriptures every day for hours. That is
honest-to-goodness better than any galleta (cookie) I get from Shannon in the
mail. (Thanks!) Some people here complain about how long we study the
scriptures but I am that nerd in the corner just shoveling it in. The Book of
Mormon and Bible are the easiest way to feel closer to your Heavenly Father.
That, and prayer, of course. When I read I can feel my soul become unburdened,
I feel more love for everyone in this entire world. To everyone within reading
distance of this email, The Book of Mormon is true. I may be stupid in many
other regions of my life, but in this I am firm, I am correct. The Book of
Mormon is the word of God. Read it. Feast on the words of Christ. Ponder and
meditate on whether it is true. And then ask your Heavenly Father if it is
correct. Do this with the real intention of finding out the truth, do it with
an open heart, and you will be answered. Grace, Karrie-Baby, read that book. I
gave it to you because I love the two of you more than life. Read it. Or don't,
and send me a galleta and then read it.
~During one of my lessons (in Spanish, of
course) I told the lady that I had a lot of fear. Fear is "miedo" in
Spanish. But there is also a word (miedro), which does not mean fear. It means
something a lot worse. So yes, I cussed in my lesson and told the lady I had a
lot of miedro. I am sure she was thinking "too much information!"
Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and
lots of galletas,
Hermana Alex
