Half Way Done with the CCM

A picture of the bus ride to town. 

So this week we got our new batch of North Americans and Latinos. There are SOOOO many north Americans now, and most of them are sisters. Its awesome. The downside is that there are less Latinos to practice Spanish with. These latest group is a lot more shy and our new roommate doesn't slow down when she talks even after we ask her to (I think she thinks shes slowing down, but its still too fast for us to understand).

The thing I´ve been struggling the most with this week is how to really act\become a missionary. Our district kinda got scolded for never being reverent enough and it was a kinda hard pill to swallow. We were told to read 1 Cor 13:11 and think about it. They told us that God loves all his children, but doesn't necessarily trust all of them. So I'm trying to figure out how to act, who to be, and what is really appropriate. Its finally kinda starting to sink in that I am a representative of Jesus Christ and his message for his people here in Peru and its kinda daunting.

The language is.... well... still coming along. After a day of trying to learn and teach in Spanish my brain feels like a square block trying to be pushed through a circle hole. We´re halfway through our time here at the CCM and I feel like soil that is been watered for too long. I don´t have time to soak it all in, and the new stuff is just kinda sliding off. And I know that I´ve got it really nice here in the CCM with cold water and air conditioning. The locals call it the celestial kingdom part of your mission. So need to be more grateful. I´m striving very hard to learn as much as I can, be more reverent and appreciate the small things.

Heather favorite place to study at the CCM

I bought some peanut butter today and am as giddy as a school girl to eat it on some bread tomorrow for breakfast. That alone is enough to get me up in the morning at 6:30. Also I got some chocolate today. Like some real deal we aint playing around chocolate. I ate it probably in 30 seconds and I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.

Heather loving her chocolate!

We watched this great talk about the atonement from Elder Eyring and Elder Holland. Elder Holland made an awesome point on how and why this work is not easy. Salvation is not some cheap experience. It wasn't easy for Christ to suffer in Gethsemane and on the cross, so why should we expect to gain a testimony or have missionary work be a piece of cake? he was spit upon, lied to, betrayed etc. so when those things happen to us, we can know that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Christ and know a little bit more of his pain, and love for us.

There is not much new to write about here at the CCM. It is just classes, practicing teaching and more classes. We go out again to proselyte this Saturday so I´m excited to see how much I can help this time around with 2 more weeks of Spanish under my belt.

OH! I was able to teach some Latinos how to play ultimate football!!! (it is like ultimate Frisbee but we play with a football). It was really fun and they were awesome sports. It was interesting to try and explain the rules to them though in my broken Spanish. A lot of it was charades and my yelling bien!!! (good) or MALO!! (bad). But by the end of the hour we had gotten it and we were playing away so it made me feel good.

Having fun on P-Day

Also a tender mercy from the Lord this week. I finally got my hot little hands on a pair of basketball shorts. I couldn't find any anywhere in the stores were allowed to go to on p-day so I thought I was outta luck . HOWEVER, an elder in my district (Elder Pond) really REALLY REALLY liked my silly genie pants that I got last week so we made a trade. (don't worry we washed them before switching). But I am so grateful for them and Elder Pond's generosity really has made my week. (Shorts are just really awesome and quite frankly a necessity here in good ol' Lima Peru). He turned 20 here in the CCM so I drew him a picture and the whole rest of the district signed it. Elder Pond is such a hipster and wears suspenders, glasses, a fanny pack and carries a tooth brush around in his pocket so he can brush them after meals. interesting fellow-- but he is awesome. 

Picture Heather Drew for Elder Ponds B-day

Random fact-- did ya know that Lima is actually a name for a sweet lime here in Peru? so Lima City is really the City of the small sweet lime. Kinda cute huh? Oh yea! I'm also sending a pic of another elder in my district. His name is Elder Jones (his nick name is Elder Hone-es {that is how the Latinos say is here}) he is just one of the not funniest-- but hilarious people I've ever met.

Know I love you all very much and appreciate the prayers and thoughts. I heard the Sea-Hawks won the Superbowl, hurrah hurrah. Know that I'm still a plugging on and am in good spirits. I get homesick sometimes, but I know that everyone is out there rooting for me to stay out here and do my best and it seriously helps. Thank you all for your interest in my blogs and thanks to my mother for putting them up. If you're seeing this then that means that she figured it out again, shes really awesome!!! I haven't gotten mail yet, but am anxiously waiting for it when it comes! I'm grateful for the Lords love and patience with me. I'm grateful for the tender mercies such as peanut butter, chocolate, and basketball shorts in my life. I'm grateful for Spanish and words such as poder, estar, hacer, and so on.

I love you lots!!!!!

Hermana Bowers