Home MTC Week 1
Hey Everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you've enjoyed your day with loved ones. I am very grateful for every one of you!
"I get to wake up every morning at 6am and read my scriptures. It's the best! I love it! I get to be on a zoom call, all the day, for the next 2 weeks! It's fantastic!"
Well, referencing Nacho Libre, that about sums up my life and feelings right now! but if you have time and interest to read the rest, then go ahead!
I feel like I've waited my whole life to be a missionary and send my first weekly email, but now I'm not sure what to say. I have so much to say but how much of it do people actually want to hear? haha so I will focus on things that are my favorite or what I feel is important. Priorities people, priorities (something i'm working on in life)
So a recap of my week so far...
Sunday I got set apart as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And let me tell you, immediately I just felt like soooo......much like the same person ahah I didn't suddenly feel different lol. Becoming a missionary takes time. It was a wonderful experience, and I am so happy and grateful for this opportunity to be set apart as a full time representative of Jesus Christ.
Monday! After exercising and getting ready and all that jazz, I facetimed my mission companion for companion study. We started discussing what we learned in our personal study when I realized... I forgot to do my personal study. ha. Turns out you aren't just perfect once you're a missionary. Turns out I'm human. Turns out the bad habits you have don't just go away. I am so bad at studying. I'll change that though.
If you can't tell, a huge thing I have learned so far is that you aren't just suddenly a missionary. You put in the effort and the work and choose to live a certain way, and with the help of the Lord, and divine assistance because you are set apart, you BECOME a missionary!!
Then I sat at a computer for like 10 hours in class
Tuesday I did the same thing
and Wednesday
But every day I learned something new!! It's amazing! I love it so much!! I love my district and my companion and my teachers and literally everyone and everything. My companion is Hermana Hatch and she is the coolest ever and we have so much in common! We have been studying about the gift of Tongues a lot this week. The biggest thing that I have seen change in myself in regards to the language though is that I just LOVE it more. My love for the people I will teach and for the language has grown so much it's crazy! I genuinely enjoy speaking in Spanish now and already I have started saying common phrases and words in Spanish in my head instead of English!
Anyways, I am so happy to be a missionary. I have gained confidence as I see the fruits of my efforts and studying come to pass as I share the gospel in Spanish with my district. Yet I am so humbled as I remember it is only with Christ that I am able to accomplish the things I do. He is my rock. He is my Redeemer. He is my Hope and my Salvation, and I owe it all to Him. It is through Jesus Christ, I can be clean again. It is through Jesus Christ, I can find comfort in afflictions, and strength in my trials. It is with Him, and because of Him, I will one day return to my Heavenly Father, and it is He who I hope to emulate forever.
ok well, now you know that when I said "short and to the point", what I really meant was... "I am bad at telling stories and sharing my experiences concisely so good luck"
haha, only some of my emails will be like this. I promise you some concise and meaningful ones once I get to Uruguay!
Mostly today I am just very grateful for God's unconditional love and for the opportunity to be a missionary right now. TRUST IN GOD'S TIMING. IT IS WORTH IT.
Tender Mercy: Saturday night, before I got set apart, we went to the BYU basketball game and 2 students sat right in front of us at the very top. They both served in Montevideo, Uruguay! They spent the entire game talking to me and helped me get even more excited and feel less worried and nervous. Call it a coincidence that of all the thousands of seats, they sat right in front of me, but I know for sure that it was God's hand in my life!
Spider/bug sightings this week: 0 (let's see how many weeks we can keep it that way)
pictures:
my companion and my district
thanksgiving and poker
Hope you all have a good week and if you are in Idaho this Sunday, I'll be speaking in the Iona 3rd ward!
Love you all,
Hermana Bailey
