What a week! I think I say that every week! Things have just been SO exciting lately though!
Since we are language missionaries we now get to study for an EXTRA hour every day! I LOVE IT! and I get to study Preach My Gospel chapter 7, "learn the language". I love love love my study time. It's sacred. HA I can't go without it. so from 8-11 every morning, we study.
This week started out pretty normal. Pday on Monday. Tuesday was district meeting and we had a few appointments with our investigators.
Wednesday we went to our new area, Racine, and went to an appointment with the Racine Spanish ELders! MAN... I have SO much to learn still! IT was so frusterating because I could understand everything they were saying, but I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say... I know that I need to be patient... but I never have had much patience! I am working on it! I did say a prayer at the end... but it was shaky. I love the elders, they are very patient with us and they are SO excited to have us.. did I mention that we are the FIRST SPANISH SISTERS EVER in the mission. woo-hoo! That night we taught Janice, who has a baptismal date and we Justin. He made us crab alfredo [i removed the crab... but the alfredo was great!] It was our first time teaching Justin, he is engaged to a member and we committed him to BAPTISM... July 4th! That means we have 5 investigators with a date! AmAzing! The Lord is really blessing this area.
Thursday we went back to Racine and taught Vicki and her children again with the elders. This time she was making fun of how QUIET sister behrends and I were! It is SO ironic because neither one of us are QUIET people! We are just limited by our vocabulary! HAHA Especially when it comes to the gospel, I don't know those words! I am learning quite fast though. Plus, I was way stressed because it's been 15 months now since I have been in school and practicing my spanish everyday! BUT it is coming back fast, luckily. The Lord really does bless His missionaries. After our appointment we checked out the beach in Racine, it is right on the lake and it was BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE how much water there is in Wisconsin! The rest of thursday we did weekly planning and went to institute.
Friday the two sets of spanish elders in Milwaukee met us at their branch building and taught us HOW to learn spanish. Elder Trane was switched to be a spanish missionary after he had been out six months. HE SPEAKS LIKE A NATIVE NOW! We picked their brains about little tricks to help us learn faster. My two favorites, both from Elder Oakes: 1. Pray Alot. 2. Every word you see in english, pronounce it like you would in spanish. ... It was so nice of them to teach us. Elder Trane gave me lots of hope that it's possible. He had no background in spanish at ALL... just 2 yrs of german in high school so if he can do it and be fluent... it's SO going to happen for me!That afternoon we went to lunch with sister kozlowsky, her grandma and becky at Applebees. mmm it was yummy. That night we got to go to the CHICAGO TEMPLE!!! It was AMAZING. Just the rejuvenation that I needed! Sister Behrends went and did baptisms with one of the girls she taught, Janet, who got baptized in January and it was her first time. I went with two of the girls in the YSA ward and did an endowment session. I learn so much each time I go! I felt so ready to go and conquer this language after I left because I realized how much the Lord will really bless us as we do all we can. I LOVE THE TEMPLE.
Saturday we played stake volleyball at the church. I sure love that game. Then we came home, showered and had lunch. [I LOVE living at the Kozlowsky's. It feels like home. and Becky and Brittany are like sisters to me. They remind me of Taylor and Tatum.] Then we went to Milwaukee to the LAKE FRONT. IT was SOO beautiful. We hung up some flyers for a fireside we're having tonight [MORMON MYTHBUSTERS again] at UWM. It brought back all the good memories of serving on the UWGB campus. [ps... i talked to sister warner the other day and we were talking about the fruits of our work on campus. SO many people have been baptized and brought to the fold. Namely: amy, jeremiah, dan, & alex. CRAZY. now, jeremiah's friend is being taught too. Who would have thought!We've been so blessed] Anyways, we went down to the beach and figured out how to reserve a sand volleyball court to play Vball with the YSA's saturday afternoons, welp it's just first come! I can't wait... it's a little tender mercy since I can't go to CA this summer! I love milwaukee... such a fun place. I am excited to get to work on campus too.
Sunday was by far the highlight of the week. We went down to racine for the formation of the Spanish Branch. President and Sister Barrett were there [mission president] and so was the whole stake presidency. It was indeed a "momentous occasion" as many said! The spirit was SO strong! Those people worked so hard to get their own branch! They grew from a group of 12 to now 38 members in 3 years ... that is quite a bit of growth. President Barrett spoke and said that they are such a blessed people, he said they were so blessed because now they get SISTERS!!! haha he had us stand for all to see. I need be fluent NOW is all i was thinking. I looked around and thought I don't know any of these people but I already love them! and by the time I leave this place I know I will love them EVEN more... and I will be able to speak to them too!!!!
I feel like I have been tossed to and fro this transfer. I keep telling sister behrends that I just feel like I am on a tour of the mission!!! haha But sitting in that chapel yesterday I felt so AT HOME! It was the best feeling ever. President Colderwood said the formation of the branch was an answer to "many prayers". I feel like it is definitely an answer to my prayers. I was so overcome yesterday! President and sister Barrett kept looking at me from the stand and smiling at me... I don't think they have ever seen me like that. HA I have ALWAYS wanted to serve spanish speaking... and now I get too... I am so excited...president is so excited... EVERYONE is excited!!!
We also met the Racine Ward we will be serving in as english sisters. They are so excited to get sisters. The elders in that ward are being doubled out... so we are it! Luckily in the spanish branch there are elders there too so we can rely on them heavily this next transfer since we now have 4 UNITS to serve in... 2 here in milwaukee and two in racine. I told sister behrends I am not sure if we are going to be seeing much of eachother this transfer: we'll be doing LOTS of SPLITS! What a blessing this next 6 weeks will be! Such an opportunity to learn and to grow and to stretch like we've never stretched before!!!
I was so overcome yesterday about how much the church is GROWING here in wisconsin! It's shocking to me! The work is accelerating SO much... even since I got to wisconsin 7.5 months ago. The members here are so dilligent!
OTHER TID-BITS OF INFO:
* it's snowing again in wisconsin... at least that's what it looks like... the cottonwood trees are seeding and the air is FULL of them!!!! Grandma- I started taking those allergy meds again! When I take one a day I am just fine, otherwise all i do is SNEEZE and my eyes water.
*The kozlowsky's have a cute little garden in their backyard and right now the strawberries are so RIPE! Becky and I picked a whole big bowl full this week and made a whole bunch of chocolate covered strawberries! YUM! they were AmAzing!!!
*Sister Behrends is 1/2 Chilean 1/2 German. She grew up in Germany. She never learned Spanish even though her mom was from Santiago de Chile and spoke it fluently. She understands it... but doesn't speak it. She, however, looks like she's from south america. People always speak spanish to her... it's really funny when she has to turn to me to reply for her. we laugh about it... she is picking it up fast. Her prayers in spanish get better everyday. If she learns something new she won't tell me... ha.. she doesn't want me to learn anything more til she catches up!!! She was a taxi driver for her dads taxi business in germany before her mission and she drives like a CRAZY EUROPEAN DRIVER. Strangely, she doesn't scare me. She'd kill my mom for sure.
*Dan and Alex spoke at JEremiAh's baptism in Winnebego on Saturday! HOw cool is that? They were both baptized this month too! Amy Brown told me that.
*other words I say too much: CAN IT... geg me... shut the state down... sick... wow ...
*I really fell in love with poached eggs or "cup eggs" at the Fosters because of their grandaughter Ashley and I crave them now.
* I miss hearing Brother Foster and Sister Roth fight about why when he refers to sister missionaries as "Stout Mormon Women" that is NOT ok because stout is what you'd call a barrell!!! haha love sister roth.
*grandpa: bart star is VERY popular here! lots of people know him!!! I tell everyone you played on the All American team with him... is that right?
*the weather here is AMAZING. it was 47* and rainy last week! I love it. this week it's more humid, but not unbearable. it's beautiful. I hear AZ has been pretty mild too.
That's it for the random thoughts.
I love you all. thanks for all you do for me. I am SO blessed. I know this work I am engaged in is truly the work of God. I know that His goal really is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". I am so grateful for the plan that allows me to return and live with my family FOREVER in the presence of God. I am so happy I have this time in my life to spend 24/7 concentrated on teaching people about the Path and the Iron Rod that leads people to the FRUIT that brings JOY that Lehi sees in his vision in 1 Nephi 8. I love my life. I love my mission. I love all of you.
Love, sister pamella jo black
No comments:
Post a Comment