First Email!

HOLAAAAAAAA MI FAMILIAAAA!!!!

I am so sorry yall never heard from me last week! I went to check to see if I had sent the email and it said I had sent it to mom but anyways I am so soorryyyyy!!! I was literally crying so hard reading everyones emails.  I love that I am loved. I seriously love you all so much!! Thank you for writing me!!!

SO first week at the CCM (that is what we call the MTC in spanish) has been crazy.  I first got off the plane and made a mexican friend and he helped me find my bags and the MTC people and all the other missionaries. I met Hermana Benioni there and found out we are going to the same mission! We instantly bonded and thought it would be way cool if we ended up as MTC companions.  There were about 50 missionaries in our generation. (those who come at the same time we say that they are in our generation)   And when we got here we were kinda bombarded with everything.  But it was great.  I found out that Hermana Benioni and I are companions!!!! It was so fun when we found out.  She is from Hawaii and went to BYU Hawaii for 2 years.  She loves to talk and always has a smile on her face.  

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Saryn Moline <saryn.moline@myldsmail.net>
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2015
Subject: Hola Hermana!!!!!!
To: Lauralea Moline <lauralea.m@gmail.com>

Oops I didnt mean to send that yet haha but anyways, She is great and we get along great!!  She loves to talk and kinda take the spotlight on like basically everything but she is such a peach at the same time hahaha   That night we just unpacked and ate dinner. We live in a casa which is awesome because most missionaries live in dorms which I hear are not as cozy and clean as casas. We didnt meet our Zone untill the next morning in Personal study in our classroom.  Hermana and I got lost that morning trying to find our classroom and it was just awful. haha the whole time we were just laughing at eachother saying that we WOULD be a half an hour late to study the first day. Anyways our District is awesome.  I freakin love us.  We are District 13 A. Or ¨¨Trese Ah¨ in spanish.  Hermana Benioni and I are going to Alabama along with Elder Perrault from Fresno California and  Elder Causey who is originally from Brigham City UT! But lives in Arizona right now.  We also have Elder Affleck (Our DIstrict Leader) and Elder Daly that are going to Georgia then Elder Douglas and Willardson going to South Carolina and Elders Duncan and Yarrington going to New MExico.  They are awesome.  and so fun.  Our district Leader is basically already fluent in spanish from High school and is very dedicated and hard working. We do everything together.

Yes it is alot.  There is so much to take it.  In the morning we have personal study for 45 minutes then breakfast at the Comedor.  The food here is...interesting haha, they do things a bit different here in Mexico.  Like cut up hot dogs for breakfast and the same cantelope and refried beans as sides for every meal.  But we are getting fed and that is all that matters.  we are grateful for everything!!  After breakfast we go back to our class room and have Language study with our teacher Hermano(brother) Trejo.  He is awesome!! We love him.  But that first day when he came in.  He only spoke Spanish.  ONLY SPANISH.  WHYYYY. it was awful I was so overwhelmed and just said to myself, ¨how am I ever going to understand that¨  BUT everyday is progressing.  I have learned SO MUCH.  Yet still feel so inadequate hahaha but the Lord is with us every step of the way! Thursday, our second day here, they had us teach an investigator.  AGAIN WHYYYY.  haha It was so much on our first day let alone having to teach an investigator that is supposed to be a native.  Anywho his name is Yair Nava.  He isnt a real investigator but is a worker here and apparently will later be our teacher.  Hermana Benioni had 4 years of spanish in high school but knows very little.  She is really good with conjucations and verbs and knows alot but has a hard time understanding and responding which is way better than where I am at.  Our first lesson was honestly not that bad though.  We wrote down everything we wanted to say in english and just tried our best to translate over to spanish and basically just read it to him word for word hahaha.  We tried to ask as few questions as possible so that we wouldnt looks like idiots when he answered and we wouldnt have a clue what he was saying.    Every day after that we taught him.  Yesterday we taught him Lesson 5 and it was our last time teaching him.  We had our bad lessons and we had our good lessons but everytime.  and i mean EVERYTIME we decided to put down our notes and try and just speak/testify from the heart the spirit was there.  So evident.  It was amazing.  

Sunday was the best day.  Ahhh it was soooo amazing.  During the week, especially the first few days, our schedule is super scattered and we are just drilling spanish drilling drilling drilling.  But on Sunday, church was in english.  Our Branch President, President Suaste is amazing.  Everytime he speaks  the spirit is so strong.  I love it.  Also to make church on President Suaste calls on a random missionary in each District in our Zone to speak in sacrament.  So each sunday everyone in the zone has to prepare a talk IN SPANISH on a topic he assigns.  IT IS SO SCARY.  Luckily it wasnt me this week but sooner or later it will be.  I feel bad for those who have to hear my spanish.  hahah  But I do find myself writing in my journal each night writing spanish words instead of english.  it is so weird.  

Anyways it is busy here and you really dont have time to think but when I do, I just am so grateful I have this opportunity.  It is very hard.  It is very scary.  But I know my God will not forsake me.  He is with me every step of the way.  I know I am His and he will always be with me.  Here is a short testimony in spanish since i am running out of time. 

Yo se que El Libro De Mormon es verdadero y la palabra de Dios, Yo soy testimonio de Jesu Cristo, el es mi Salvador. Yo agradecido por la opportunidad para servir mi Dios.  en el nombre de Jesu Cristo, Amen.  

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.  I feel the prayers and I feel the love.  I literally just bawled the second I logged into my email.  Thank you all so much

sure love ya molines rock missionaries rule !!!!

Adios!!!

Also, two more things I forgot to talk about!! Yesterday, Wednesday,  Elder D. Todd Chrisstopherson came to the CCM!!!! THE D. Todd Chrisstopherson!! It was amazing.  There are only about 500 missionaries here so there really wasnt a bad place to sit.  He was so amazing.  It was such an awesome experience.  Sadly we werent able to meet him or shake his hand but after the meeting our district went back to our classroom and our classroom is near the entrance of the CCM and so we saw him in his caar leaving so we all waved and he, this actually happened, he rolled his window down and waved to us and blew us a kiss.  My life is made. life made....So cool haha

Also our generation was all able to go to the Open house of the Mexico City Temple this morning.! That is why I am late in emailing.  It was so awesome!! We got a tour and it is seriously the largest temple that I have ever seen.  There are 3 celesital rooms and 6 endowment rooms that can seat over 100 people.  It is the largest temple outside the US.  Also it is one of the 5 temples in the world that has the angel moroni holding the gold plates. SO COOOOOLLLLL a

 

anyways I love yall so much.  be safe.  I know the work I am doing is the most important work. I know my Savior lives.  The gospel is so true.

love,

Hermana Molinaaa!

-This was a sign we saw on the bus ride from the airport to the CCM

-This is from today!! at the TEmple. we were able to go to the Mexico City open  house today! Me, Hermana Benioni, Hermana Jones, and Hermana Escondor ( those sisters we just became friends with, they are in our generation)

-Broderick Dover!! I see him all the time here. He leaves next week for Hondorus! It was so nice to see a familiar face.  His mom sent me a package too!! So sweet!! seriously love her. 

-My good friend Andy McLane from BYU made it yesterday!! It was his first and I was so excited to see him!!

-Hermana Benioni and I on the bus on our way to the temple today

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-This is part of our disctrict! from left to right, Elder Daly(going to GA), Elder Duncan (going to New Mexico), Me, Elder Douglas (going to South Carolina), and Elder Affleck (DL, going to GA)

-OUr whole district being goofy! (that is not Elder Douglas arm around me, he just put his suite coats sleeve around me to be funny haha THey are all awesome!!