The language is getting better.....I think?
Alrighty, so this past week was really good!! I loved every minute of it!! I don't think anything really big happened but it was a fun week. I am loving it down here in the CCM and I just cant get enough of the studying!! So last week was the last week that I was able to serve as our District Leader. It was fun while it lasted and I absolutely loved getting to know all the Elders and Hermanas in our district on a one on one basis. I will miss it, but it is time for Elder Bush to take the lead and work on his leadership for when he is out in the field. One of the best stories was from last week on the 11th. At dinner we were singing the song "I whip my hair back and forth" written by Will Smiths daughter. But instead of saying HAIR we said TIE. So I had the crazy idea of when we got into class that night, Elder Tolbert would say, "Me gusta helado", meaning, "I like ice cream" and the whole district would jump out into a flash mob and start singing the song, and whipping our ties back and forth. So as class began our teacher told us that we would be studying the word "gustar". which means, "to like or to please". and the very first example she started with was, of course, "me gusta helado". We began to snicker a little bit, but when she asked one of us to read it aloud, yep you guessed it, she asked Elder Tolbert to read it aloud. So.... He did.... and we all jumped up and started singing, "I whip my tie back and forth, I whip my tie back and forth" Half of us were on the ground laughing and our teacher just stared at us in amazement. She has never heard that song before, and only speaks a little english so she was a little freaked out. We later explained to her what we had done and then she started to laugh really hard. It was a good time. The language is very difficult and it is nice to every once and a while cut loose and really have a tummy hurtin laugh. The next thing that happened was last Friday night. We were trying to decide how to teach our "investigator" aka our teach acting as a non member. Me and Elder Holmes jokingly said to each other, "hey we should start with a hymn". But as we got closer to the lesson we really felt like that was a good idea. So we decided to sing the first verse of the hymn, "did you think to pray?" What an amazing song this is, even in Spanish. When we got to our lesson we told her we were going to sing to her. She was a little confused, i think mainly because of our broken Spanish, but anyway... As we began to sing, our voices actually sounded really good, our "investigator" began to cry... Real tears... and when we finish both me and Elder Holmes looked up to a face full of tears and happiness. The rest of the lesson we proceed to find our that she and her dad have really struggled with one another and that she really needed that gentle reminder to always pray. Pray for the people you love, pray for the people you are angry with, pray for those who do not understand you or the purpose of why you do what you do. This was by far one of the best moments of my life here in the CCM. Being able to help our teacher with a REAL LIFE problem, is something I can not wait to do out in the mission field. I knew before hand that our teacher had been struggling with her family in her personal life, but this hymn really went straight to her heart. It was an amazing expierence to help her. The next day we fasted for her as a district and then yesterday, we asked her how she was doing and she told us that she was able to stay up with her dad really late and talk to him and get things figured out and things were a lot better at home. I am so grateful to be able to help people!!! Sunday night and Tuesday night we were able to watch a Devotional from Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and a live devotional from Elder Richard G. Scott. Two things I got from these devotionals. 1) The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. EVERY soul means more than anything to God. It is a great reminder to know that everyone has a purpose and is important. 2) Elder Scott said, "to reach a goal never before attained, one will have to do things never before done." I know I had heard that quote before but it really meant a lot yesterday. Because learning a new language is not easy, sometimes I feel really stupid and want to give up. But I know that, if i do give up. I will never learn the language. But I HAVE to learn this language. So I have to continue pushing through and really remember why I am here. to help the people of Peru. I already love them so much. They are so kind and caring. There are people who work here at the CCM who get here at 4:30 in the morning just to start making breakfast for us. i am so glad I get to get up every morning and have a decent meal, ALWAYS eggs, and then two more meals throughout the day, ALWAYS with rice. But it is a hot meal, and always given to me by someone with a smiling face. I am so grateful for all those who have helped me become the person I am today! My family especially! I hope you all have a wonderful week and keep on keeping on. I pray for you all every night and I am grateful to have all of you in my life, even from afar!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Bell
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