B9er

Well I just got back from a thrilling game of BINGO with my friends, the San Jose seniors. They were really on something today - must be some new meds but they were repeating EVERYTHING I was saying in beeps and squawks. It sounded like the Muppet Show takes over the Salvation Army. It was hilarious. I wish I could record it for all to enjoy. I was dying. I mean, I guess sometimes I sound like a Muppet, but you never really know how others hear you until they all sing it back to you in chorus. Glorious.

 

Speaking of chorus, I am going to be singing this Sunday in church...in Spanish. It was the only way I could get out of giving a talk in Spanish. It's going to be something for sure. I hope I don't start mumbling or crying. Sometimes in lessons when people stop paying attention to my terrible Spanish I just start mumbling and fading off into nothingness. They never notice. Maybe I can do that in song too.

 

I love Latinos. They are so nice. They say yes to everything! Other missionaries complain about getting 'no' to appointments, commitments or even to take pass along cards. We always get a "yes", would you like this picture of Christ, yes, would you like to have us come over and teach you more, yes. Would you like to get baptized, yes. It's so great! I mean, they don't really do it, but I love not getting no's, it makes me feel like da bomb missionary. The Elders told me that if I wanted to be even better and be fluent in Spanish in no time I should eat some hot sauce. Desperate as I am, I did it. I immediately regretted that decision as my mouth burst into flames. I cried for the next 15 min while they all laughed at me. I don't speak any better. You know what else makes me cry. Mormon Messages. I never paid any attention to those things before, but they are my most favorite things ever. We have a disk of a dozen or so and I just watch them over and over and since I'm already filled to the gills with spiritual goodness anytime I watch one I burst into tears. It's spirit overload and it's awesome! Everyone needs a good spirit cry.

 

My current Mormon Message favorite is from Elder Neslon. He is telling a story about a near airplane crash he experienced. The lady next to him was hysterical and he was totally calm. At first I was like pffft, yeah of course he's calm, he's Elder Nelson, but he goes on to explain the comfort that comes when we understand things in terms of forever. He said that today peoples' hearts are failing, failing because of fear and failure as a result of lack of perspective. He reminds us that perfection does not come in this life and we would do good to not be so hard on ourselves and remember who we are and what we really are doing here. I can remember many times in my life when I could feel my heart failing - fear, disappointment, failure, and pain can bring a cloud of darkness and remove all peace and comfort. Every time it took a pause, a refocus to lift the cloud over my heart and head. That refocus is so much more simple and so much more effective when it is on our Savior. As we look to Him, leave our burdens at His feet and move forward, trying again, we will find that we truly have nothing to fear in this world...well except a plane crash, I'm still afraid of those. ha. j/k. Yay Jesus!

 

xoxo,

Hermana Hall