Well, I've already hit the ground running in San Jose. I'm all set up in my new apartment. It's not a place I would ever rent, but that's the life. ha. It is very clear there used to be Elders living in it. For some reason the walls are black...they should be white. I bleached the heck out of them so now I can sleep at night without fear of the dirt monster coming to get me. We are obviously in the Latino part of town so there is plenty of Spanish coming out of my mouth - most of it's wrong, but it still comes out. My companion is a gringa, but her Spanish is excellent. She's been studying it for years and is basically fluent. I stand out like a sore thumb, but a cute one. Yesterday they called me up to bear my testimony, of course. I heard him say my name, that is the only way I knew he was asking me to come up - I didn't catch much of the other words. So I got up there, gave my childlike testimony and smiled real big. If they had no idea what I said at least they can enjoy my smile. The people in the Spanish ward are so so so nice. They were all hugging and kissing me - not the menfolk of course - and it really made me feel at home. It's a little hard to pay attention in church, I mean, it's already hard enough in English but when you have no idea what they are saying it's even harder. They asked me a question in Sunday School and I just stared and smiled and cried out 'ayudame' which is kind of my fall back. Since this mission has no tracting, we spend a lot of time out in the streets talking to people. I get to use my Spanish a lot doing that, but I still get to give my English a work out as well. San Jose is a beautiful town and I'm excited to get to know it more as well as all the souls I can save. ha. My mind is already racing with things I can do to help the people here. It's gonna be great!
The final days in the MTC were weird. Most of our district left for Costa Rica on Monday morning so it left us 3 San Jose girls all alone and we even lost one of our teachers. Luckily our other teacher came in to babysit us and practice Spanish lessons with us so that wasn't so bad. At 'In Field Orientation', the Friday before missionaries leave, we are all gathered for some last minute training. I forgot my name tag and didn't realize it until we got to the workshop. My companion always brings her extra (something I should probs do) so I asked to wear hers for the morning until we went back to get mine at lunch. All was fine and dandy until lunch when the MTC President sat down at our table. He looked at me and then my name tag and back at me with a really confused look on his face. "I have a confession..." I started. "I forgot my name tag and I made my companion give me her extra.". He had a good laugh and we enjoyed a nice lunch. Well during the final devotional for all the departing missionaries, about 500...he stood up and said there was a Sister that tried to trick me this week and he called us up to the stage. He asked for the real Hermana Hyatt to stand up and she did all beet red and then he turned around and said and now who is the fake Hermana Hyatt and I stood up in shame. He summoned me to the pulpit, put his arm around me, told the story and then said how great I was. My name, or my fake name, will now go down in history forever. Good times. Later in the cafeteria I spilled an entire bowl of red jello saladish thing...everyone stared at me and I got it all over my dress. It was super awkward, but pretty hilarious. All in all there were some great final days for me at the MTC. Disaster.
I'm excited to be here in San Jose doing missionary work. We are already off to a great start. We've had several wonderful lessons, we've heard some super CRAZY stories and I've had normal food at members' homes. My companion is super sweet and a hard worker so we will be a hard working missionary team looking for souls to save and lives to bless. Just in the few days I've been here we've already been blessed by several tender mercies of the Lord and even a few miracles. I can't wait to see more. I've really learned how important it is to wake up every day and recharge yourself with the Lord's power. We need it to survive as missionaries and I can really see how it can bless the rest of our lives. I've been recharging my spiritual battery with the scriptures. Every morning I read and I read and I let the words of God seep into my heart and soul. It's amazing how far those words can get you during the day even if you are just reading about more Lamanite wars. There is truth on every page of the Book of Mormon, it is dripping with juicy bits of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they have become so very precious to me. It's now my full time job to tell everyone I can what this book can do for them and I'm doing just that. What a blessing!
I can't thank everyone enough for all the support you've given me. Blessings are coming your way!
xoxo,
Hermana Hall
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