So we kept teaching our "investigator" Miguel until Friday. Then he became our night teacher Hermano Villegas. I really enjoyed practicing with him. He was great at playing an investigator! Teaching is still so hard though. You feel so inadequate at times and get frustrated when you can't express yourself fully in Spanish. You just feel the spirit so strongly and feel so much love for your investigator and you want to share it with them!! But you can't really get the full effect because you are speaking Spanish like a Kindergartner!! Oh well. That is where the spirit is able to step in and help the investigator feel those things from you :).
Also, our District has gotten closer and closer, if that is even possible. It's hard to believe that we were all strangers when we arrived! I have seriously been blessed with the BEST district ever! We are so comfortable with each other that we share strange things that normal people wouldn't share. For example, we were sitting at a table waiting to teach. Someone commented to Elder Jenkins that they have been watching him eat platefuls of beans at every meal!! (That cannot be healthy or at least smell good). He said "Yah they are really good. However, they do make every bathroom break a real emergency"!!! We were laughing so hard! We are ALWAYS laughing so hard with this group!! I'm so grateful for that though because it keeps us from thinking too much about everything we miss. The language is coming along. I think I am getting better every day. At one point, my teacher threatened to send me to the Latino Class because I was too advanced for this class! Ah! NO thank you!! I would be like a little lost puppy in that class!! And then everyone would call me a 'gringa.' We have been learning so much in the scriptures and about teaching. We study and learn basically all day and only pause for food really. Sometimes we go outside to study which is also nice. It is so much prettier here than I expected it to be. Sometimes we even run around for class, to wake us up a little ;). One class we actually had a relay race!! 2 Hermanas and 3 Elderes on each team. Then we ran back and forth. We ended up tying (of course). But it was fun! It was kind of a bad idea to run in a skirt though. Let's just say that skirts were flying places they aren't supposed to fly and my legs are way too white right now to be doing that ;). But I enjoyed the thrill of the competition and the Elders were quite hilarious to watch them compete against each other.
Luckily on Sunday I didn't have to give a talk again. However, we had some absolutely amazing lessons!! Sunday is always the best!!! In Relief Society we talked about becoming like the Savior and looking through heaven's eyes. (They actually played that song from Prince of Egypt which I love!). It was a great lesson that just inspired me to be better. Also, Hermana Robertson likes to sing! So we went to choir together which I thoroughly enjoyed! We might even do a special musical number soon. We will see. Monday was the same old same old with class and studying. Tuesday was again the same. But, we did get to eat pizza!!! I have never enjoyed eating pizza so much in my life until I came here!! The food is okay but they have some really weird stuff. And they tend to serve meat and sandwiches for breakfast which I find odd? Sadly this food might be better than what we eat out in the mission so I better stock up now!!
Today, we went to the Mexico City Temple!! It was so beautiful!!! It is so unique and different from all the other temples I have been in!! I loved it! It had that whole Mayan design and theme!! It took about an hour to get there with Mexico traffic. The drivers here are literally insane and there are no rules!!! We got there and luckily were able to listen to the session in English. However it was weird being the minority for once. I'm so used to everything being English. However the part where we have to speak, we had to do it in Spanish. In my mind I'm thinking.....I totally got this!! However I completely crashed and burned!! The lady helping me spoke too much too fast!! I literally could not understand what she said to repeat it! And for some reason she couldn't figure out that I didn't speak Spanish that well and was so lost!! Oh my gosh it took me forever!! But eventually I made it through blabbering words that sounded similar to what she said. I just figured, "Hey, it's good enough, the Lord will know I really tried!!! We spent time in the Celestial room and it was beautiful!! I loved it! If you can ever go to this temple, do it. After we came out of the temple we went to the little store next to it and we bought some cool stuff. I got two scripture cases and a CTR ring. Then we drove through the craziness back to the Bubble of the CCM. It was nice being able to go to the temple.
Our bubble is a little bit like the temple too. However, at night, we can hear all the Latino Music floating in the air!! It just makes me want to dance!!! Then while we are sleeping all we can here is gun shots, fireworks, dogs barking, and police sirens.......yep......we are in Mexico. But it's all good!
Something I have been thinking a lot about this week is why am I in this Spanish class? I tested into Intermediate and this is definitely not intermediate. At first I was frustrated because I didn't feel like I was improving at all. But then I came to the realization that I am not in this class for me, I am in this class to help everyone else with their Spanish. To explain it to them in a way that makes sense to them and to praise them and boost their confidence. I'm here to be a teacher not just a learner.
Something I loved from our Tuesday Devotional this week from Elder Nielson was "Become." He said that when he was set apart and went to his office in Salt Lake he was ready to begin training!! He was pumped that his office was between Elder Holland and Elder Scott. So this had to be good. His first day, he sat in his office and did nothing. They didn't give him anything to do. Second day, the exact same. Third day after he had called and called about what to do he was told by a senior member to "Go and Become." He went to his office realizing that his training was to study and become like the Savior. Then in Book of Mormon study we were also talking about something similar in Alma 29 verses 1-9. At first Alma is wanting to be this all-powerful missionary who can teach with power and thunder. However he says that this is a sin. At first we were all confused as to why that would be bad. That sounds pretty freaking awesome to me! However, as you continue to read, his point of view changes. In verse 8 he is talking about how the gospel will come to everyone through their own language and would be simple and easy to understand. Then in verse 9 he realizes that he was glorying in himself and not glorying in God's work like he was supposed too be. At the end of the verse he talks about how he would find great joy in bringing just one soul unto repentance!! He realized that we are here for the one. We are here to do what God sent us here to be. He does not need me to be some great prophet or angel. He needs me to be me. To be a simple Missionary from Utah who doesn't really know much Spanish but LOVES the Gospel. Mosiah 4:27. We do everything that is in our power and then it will all work out from there and will all come in time. It is more important to be a kind, loving, faithful missionary than a "Perfect" teacher of the Gospel. I love that I am starting to "become." I am growing every day. I know that no one can "become" for me. It is a personal journey that I must make for myself, if I really want to be what Heavenly Father wants me to be. And I can't sit idly by just hoping I magically "become" something. Like our quote in the kitchen "Without work nothing grows but weeds" - President Hinckley. And we ALL KNOW how much Mom hates weeds ;). So be active don't put off "becoming" and realizing your great destiny and purpose in life!! Your journey is now!! Don't waste it. Make it a grand journey that you can always look back on with pride!!
Love you all!! Stay safe!! Email me!!
Love,
Hermana Lutze
One of five Angel Moroni's in the world holding the gold plates
One of the largest temples in the world
Watch your children play while you work out!!! Pretty smart!
What else should you take a picture of while you're studying outside?
