Dear family!
This week was so fun. Okay so missionary work is a lot different than I expected it to be, but in a good way. We get to teach a lot of lessons and talk to a lot of people, but we work a lot with the members. My days are pretty great I have more time to get ready and studies are focused on actual people and it really is a lot of fun.
My companions name is Hermana Magnusson, she is super fun and really nice. We have a lot of fun together and we haven't had any problems as a companionship. She is my trainer so obviously she will help me and correct me in things but I don't mind because I need to learn how to do things. She really is nice though I love her to death. We live in a nice little apartment with 2 other sisters and both of them are super fun as well. Because we have to do training we don't actually leave the apartment till 1:00 pm. But that includes meals, studies, and training and getting ready. Then we go out and get to work with teaching appointments and talking to EVERYONE. It is a lot of fun. Really, it comes down to planning. We plan every minute of our day and then make a backup plan for every minute of our day. It really makes all of the difference.
My companion is one of the Sister Training Leaders so my 2nd day in the field she had a meeting and I had to go on splits... so I got to spend a day in English land which was wonderful and I got to teach an 8yr old named Ana who is getting baptized next week. She is adorable. I have taught a wide variety of people all ages, each one special and unique.
I don't actually think I am learning more Spanish. Everyone here is fluent so they seriously talk English all of the time except during lessons... it is ridiculous. I was so excited to be forced to learn.. but no. They talk just like me except for when it really matters. It is whatever. I just have started trying to think in Spanish so hopefully that helps me learn a little too.
I had my first encounter with opposition yesterday. We knocked on a door of a potential investigator and this man answered and he was so interested in what we had to say, until he learned that we had a Book of Mormon than he started talking about how it was the devils work and written by man and things got a little heated, but we bore our testimony and told him the only way to know for himself was to read it and ask God. He took our challenge so we will see how it goes. I have learned as a missionary we have that power to do and say things in the name of Jesus Christ. So we make promises all the time like you will know, God will tell you, you will feel peace.. just a ton of promises. Then when we get home we kneel down and pray to God that he will honor our words. That really motivates everything you do--being worthy to ask for God's help-- because without it we couldn't be doing this on our own.
I know God is with us in this work. I can see it how the spirit will touch so many different people.
I miss ya'll so much! How is everyone doing? Are my grandfathers staying out of the hospital? You need to tell them to start getting younger rather than older.. How is everyone else doing? I got to talk to Sue and the boys before I headed out. Grandma didn't answer her phone... that was disappointing. I hope everyone else is doing good!
I sent a ton of pictures and put captions on them so I hope you get them all. Sorry there were so many but I told you the computers at the MTC were really bad at loading pictures so I just couldn't send them.. but now you should be getting regular pictures sent which is great because then you won't forget what I look like...
I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week. I promise I am doing good out here and I love it more and more everyday! Tell everyone that I love them and that I hope to hear from them soon!
With all my love,
Hermana Eardley