Kumusta Pamilya!!!
Holy cow. There is so much
I want to tell you! Saturdays are my P Days so I finally have time to
write you all. We have an hour to write emails, but I think for this
first one I will just write a general letter. I have absoultely loved
all your letters from Dear Elder and I think everyone in my district is a
little jealous of all my mail :) So to answer some of your questions:
-I absolutely LOVE my companion. Her name is Sister
Wilkes and she is from Kayesville Utah. She is 21 and was going to BYU
before her mission (along with probably 3/4 of the missionaries here in
the MTC...just kidding...but close)
- Tagalog is HARD! But is coming so much faster than I ever
expected. I can bear my testimony and greet people and ask how they are
doing and such, and today Sis. Wilkes and I are going to try to learn
how to pray by ourselves.
- We taught our first lesson in Tagalog last night!!!!!!!!! Ha when
we were getting ready to go into the room to teach, Sis. Wilkes said we
should practice, and I looked at her and my mind when totally blank!
Haha luckily we wrote down our lesson in Tagalog and took that in with
us. I actually remembered most of what I wanted to say, but our
investigator, Emmit Williams, looked pretty confused when I would say
things to him, so I don't know if I really was saying anything right. We
are going to teach him again tonight, so that is why we need to learn
how to pray because he asked last night how to pray and we had to tell
him in English that we would be back tomorrow
night. He actually isn't like a legit investigator, but I think he is a
volunteer or RM that knows Tagalog, so I am not too worried he won't
accept the church because of us, but I am still going to treat him like a
real investigator and just do my best to learn the lessons in Tagalog
so we can help him.
-Our district is our class. There are 9 of us ( 2 Elders and 7
Sisters) one sister was supposed to come from Tasmania but is now just
going straight to the Manila MTC, so her companion has just joined two
other sisters.
-When Sis. Harris dropped me off at my class, my teacher was
already teaching and didn't really acknowledge that I had come in. He
ONLY speaks Tagalog and so sitting in his class on Wednesday,
I am pretty sure I had the deer in the headlights look, because I had
absolutely NO idea what was going on. But I made it through. He will say
some thing in Tagalog, and then he will like write one of the main
words he says in Tagalog and then write the translation for us. So that
method has worked pretty well and notebook is already starting to get
very full of Tagalog.
- A Typical day/ our last few days. 6:30 wake up get ready, eat at 7:30 (cafeteria is actually pretty good) Class at 8-11: this includes language and coaching/help from teacher, Personal study from 11-12:10,
Lunch, more study time and language study, Devotional or TALL (computer
language instruction. Totally love it by the way. You wear headphones
and study the vocab from the different lessons) then class from 6-9 then
planning to 9:30ish then go back to our rooms get ready for bed and
such, personal time/quiet time at 10:15 the lights out at 10:30.
It is packed and there is tons of time to study, which is kinda hard
right now cause I really don't know what to study since we only have 1
investigator and they only want us to study the language during language
study/companionship study. But its getting better. Today I got part of a
lesson ready about the atonement because Sis. Wiles and I have to teach
on Sunday (in English to our district).
-There are 6 Sisters in our room. All are going to the Philippines,
but Sister Wilkes and I are the only ones going to San Pablo. (I forgot
where the other sisters are serving.) But three of those sisters are
from New Zealand and one is from Australia. I absolutely LOVE how they
talk. They are so much fun and every morning and every night we have a
devotional done by one of the companionship's. I did it yesterday morning
and last night Sis. Wilkes gave one. Those sisters have also been here
for about 4 weeks, so they have been very helpful in answering all of
our questions and waking us up and stuff.
-Now my favorite part. SISTER HARRIS LIVES ON THE SAME FLOOR AS
ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get to see her every night and we get to talk and hug
and just say how our days went. I love it so much and I know Heavenly
Father did that on purpose, because it has been SO nice to be able to
talk to someone I knew before my mission. It is wonderful. I have been
able to see her other times around the MTC and it is just so wonderful
to see a face I recognize. Other faces I have recognized: Elder Neely
(he played the piano in our first devotional after our first class on Wednesday
and it made me SO happy to see him right off the bat. We were able to
talk in the cafeteria which was so fun. But his district is going to the
new apartments, so they leave on Tuesday
:( so that is sad, but i am so glad I have been able to see him a few
times),Sister Telisha Pentalakis, Elder Peter Fuller (I have seen him a
bunch), Elder Spencer Call, Sister McCall Smith, Sister Whittwer, and
Sister Meg Gass!!! It is so fun seeing all these great people I know.
-We met our branch presidents, their counselors, and all their wives on Thursday
night, and they are the neatest people. I think that the president and
one of the counselors both served in the Philippines (maybe....I am just
guessing though). During that meeting President Smith said that
learning the language is hard. but then he wrote "Pananampalatya"
(faith) on the board. He said "It will take a lot of faith to learn
Tagalog" and I totally agree with him. I really love that he said that
because it is kind of funny, but it is so true!
I love that I am here and I really don't feel
completely stressed with this language. I know I have TONS to learn, but
I have been praying a lot and Heavenly father has helped me remember a
lot of the things I need to know. Sister Wilkes and I are still trying
to get used to all of this and figure out things and get a schedule both
of us like. I am exhausted, but I think it's just because there is a
lot that got thrown on us, but I know I will get used to it all
eventually. I love the spirit that is here. It is SO cool to see so many
people walking around with nametags on their shirt. I love to look down
and see Sister Mecham on mine. I am so lucky to be here and I am so
glad I have such and amazing companion and such great roommates. They
are all helping me out a ton.
If I can think of anything else, I will try to send a letter to you! Again I love you all so much. Alam ko po na totoo po ang Simbahan ni Jesucrito ng mga Banal sa mga Huling Araw! (I know the church is tru
Love,
Sister Mecham
