8.12.14 The FIRST Letter!! "Mexican Mormon Disneyland"

The classic MTC photo!

A classroom assignment...

My friend from BYUI... Makenzie!

These "bubbles" are where we go for gym!

Me and my companion in class

The District

The sisters in our District

Thumbs up! We are all very happy and love to have fun!

So I am doing great! I honestly love it here! There are so many things that I never would have expected that have happened here! Well first off, I am not on main campus; I'm on west campus. Everyone that is on west campus is going somewhere Spanish speaking, so basically they shoved the Mexicans on the west side...racist? I think so! haha just kidding! It is super cool here because everyone you see here you know speaks Spanish. So everyone here always starts talking to you in Spanish and I think it’s really an advantage for us!
So the first day we were here we had a group lesson with 3 investigators and it was the most intimidating thing ever. We had to answer their questions about the church and just tell them anything we felt they needed to hear. Only one of them was a real investigator; the other two were actors, but they were really good! Another funny story! The first day I was here we had a big meeting with all of the new missionaries on west campus. I turned around and saw the girl behind me and her name on her tag was Hermana Vasquez and I told her "Hey our names are almost alike!" And she just looked at me straight-faced and looked at my name tag and just said "yeah, but you're white." I just didn't say anything and just laughed at it! haha but she looked more white than me and was from Utah so really she's more white by being associated with Utah! I just thought that was funny! I saw her the next day in the book store and she had fallen asleep standing up against the wall hanging onto scarves that were hanging up! hahah I tried to take a picture, but her Companion woke her up! haha it was so funny!
So I'll tell you what I do every day real quick. We wake up at 6:15 and get to class at 7, then breakfast 45 minutes later. Then we have class for three hours and then we go to lunch then gym, then after that we come back to class for three more hours and then get home at 9:30 then to bed an hour later. Out of the whole day we only have 3 hours with a teacher, but that is going to change this week because we are getting another teacher, so it will be 6 hours.
So our teacher only talks to us in Spanish and never English. The first day was really hard, but then after the next few days it got better. I still can't understand every word he says, but I can usually form together what I do know and understand what he says...sometimes. haha but I really do love it here! Dad you were very right! It is fun and we have time to have fun and get to know each other, but we still get a lot done! My district is sooooo great they are so funny and fun to be around. Today was really hard on everyone though, because an elder in our district decided to go home. He was really, really home sick and just couldn't do it. There was no changing his mind about it at all. It's really sad. But seeing him leave just made me want to stay that much more. The fear I had that I would come home early has completely gone! I know this is what I am supposed to be doing, and where I am supposed to be.
So back to the language, it is coming along well. I probably didn't learn this much in the semester of Spanish I took in high school! It’s amazing how the Lord can bless you. I know that I could never learn as much as I did these past 6 days, outside of the MTC this fast! The spirit is so strong here. It's hard not to be happy because everyone around you is so happy. And the weird thing is everything is funny here, and that's probably because everyone is just so happy.
So I already know one reason why I was supposed to be the Relief Society president at school. So we had a meeting the second day we were here with our branch president. We went as a district and he interviewed us one by one. My companion and I got called back in to talk to him and he made us the Hermana Zone training leaders! So we basically watch over all of the sisters in our Zone and train them. It’s pretty much just like what I did in my ward in Rexburg. So that was pretty cool we were both excited. On Sunday we had 5 meetings to go to, but they were all really good and helpful!
So we are teaching an investigator. His name is Mario and each companion takes a turn to teach him the discussions. I'm pretty sure he is going to turn out and be our second teacher, because he isn't a real investigator, but just pretends so we do too! It’s really hard because my companion is really good and can speak really well because she has taken lots of classes. We have taught him three times and yesterday it kinda went downhill. In the beginning of our lesson with him, He and I were having so much fun we were talking and laughing and it was good, then my companion kinda took it in the opposite direction. We started the lesson we had planned and it was hard for me to really understand what they were talking about. So at the end of the lesson they were talking and she started talking and I started realizing what she was saying and she asked him to be baptized and all I was thinking was crap. He wasn't ready at all and we hadn't even taught him about baptism or the Holy Ghost or anything. So I'm sitting there trying to say something, but I didn't know how to say it in Spanish. So basically he just laughed and said no. She felt bad she said it, but I just told her that we will just fix it when we teach him tomorrow. I know it will be fine and we can fix it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
So to let you know Tuesday is my P-DAY. And I leave for Mexico on September 15th and I get home February 1st, 2016. I was kinda bummed that I'm not getting my whole year and  a half, but that's just the way it’s going to work out. So real quick we went to the temple and we got to do sealings and it was great! I love you so much and hope you are doing great! Thank you for being the best parents anyone could ever have! Yo se que jesucristo creo la terria padre clestil e jesucristo creo nosotros. yo se que el elvangelio de cristo es verdader e que dios es muy amoroso e compresico. Este conocimiento me ayuda vivr feliz en el nombre de jesucristo, Amen. I hope that made sense! I love you and write me on dear elder! It is soooo nice getting little notes every day!
Oh I left my little socks so I need some and they don't sell them here. I also don't need my temple clothes sent!
-Love Hermana Velasquez.