Week 4: La Semana de Navidad

¡Hola amigos!

I feel like all my letters have been pretty just silly, so I'll try to make this one a little more serious/spiritual. The truth is: the spirit is so strong when you are a missionary, it's hard to describe. It's almost like everything becomes more clear, feelings, promptings, everything even my brain is more focused in class! It's also very true what everyone says about obedience. You really can't have the spirit with you if you aren't trying your very hardest to be obedient.

It's just crazy how blessed you are as a missionary. Some days I will just be sitting in a devotional that I hardly understand because it's in Spanish and I will get answers to prayers that I have been looking for for years. I also feel like it's so much easier to love everyone, too. It's weird but it's almost like my heart has grown, and I just love everyone here. We have the best Elders in our district. They are hilarious and the biggest dorks sometimes, but they have the biggest hearts and the strongest testimonies. Don't even get me started on the Hermanas... I just love them and I could write novels on how great they are and how I wouldn't be here anymore without them; especially Hermana Reed. She is the most patient, loving, strong, forgiving, all-around amazing person. I know for a fact that companionships are inspired.

Our teachers are super great, too. Hermana Arnaud is super cute and an amazing teacher! I really just hope I can teach like her by the time I get home! She just got off her mission 5 months ago, and she's getting married in March!! Our other teacher is Hermano Hernandez. He's a super great teacher, too! He's hilarious. In class he seems waaay older than us, but then he says silly things and suddenly it's very obvious that he's only 22. The other day we were all walking to our classroom and we saw Hermano Hernandez walking from the other end of the hall. So Hermana Earl and I started to walk fast so that we could beat him. He saw what we were doing, so he started full-on running. So, of course, we had to, too. So, there we are, all in church clothes running down the hall! We won:) It was hilarious. I wish you all could have seen it!

Oh, and I can't forget the workers here. There are the best people ever, especially the kitchen workers. They are the absolute sweetest! They all know me now, so I don't have to say, "¿Tienes sin gluten?" anymore. And, they even give me extra desserts and things that they definitely had to go out of their way to make. I just love everyone. That's all:)

So anyway, on to news from this week:

The beginning of this week was a little rough, especially teaching-wise. Hermana Reed and I were struggling, and then Hermano Hernandez talked to us during coaching and told us that we just needed to go in and speak from our hearts. So we did, and it was one of the best lessons we have ever taught. We didn't get through very many doctrinal points, but the spirit was so strong that it didn't even matter. It's so cool. When you are in tune with the spirit, you can do anything. There are some days that Spanish is just not working in my head and then other days that I just talk and don't even have to think too hard about it, because it's all the spirit guiding me in what to say.

So, anyone remember how mourning doves used to follow me everywhere? Being in Mexico didn't change that. Every morning there is a dove outside my casa or classroom, or the comedor. It drives me crazy and Hermana Reed just thinks I'm crazy, which I most definitely am...

This Sunday was super great. First, we had an amazing Christmas readers theater relief society lesson that was just incredible. And then, I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting... in Spanish... that wasn't so incredible. Okay, it wasn't that bad really. But when you are speaking in public in a different language, you suddenly know the real meaning of nervous. After that, we had an amazing devotional by Shawn Cates, who is the Director of Instruction for the CCM. He is actually from Orem, so that's cool. It was a really, really good talk. Something that stuck with me was a quote he gave from Elder Holland, "Give me your heart, I'll give you my strength, and together we will change the world." (speaking on behalf of God, of course). I have, like, four pages of notes from that talk that I wish I could share but I haven't the time... Later Sunday night, we watched the new Christmas video, "He is the Gift." If you haven't seen that video: Stop reading right now and look it up. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjFEMmM0Xs] Next, we watched a nativity video with David Archuleta and the Piano Guys and a bunch of other people and if you haven't seen that video ( I don't remember what it's called, sorry) look it up right this second. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrLoWt2tfqg] Afterwards, we watched the Joseph Smith/Restoration movie and I cried the rest of the night. It was marvelous. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xVw6PsSinI]

Well, because everyone keeps asking about Christmas: to be honest I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing. All I know is that we don't have class, and we are having a bunch of devotionals that are going to be amazing I'm sure:) And, we get to call home!!!!

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Remember that you are really celebrating Christ's birth and please always remember what He did for you!

¡¡¡Feliz Navidad!!!

Love you all!

Hermana Fields