Buenas!
We are down to the last week here in the CCM and I couldn't be more excited to finally get to Nicaragua. It seems like I've already been on my mission forever, and yet I can't believe it's been nearly two months. Time flies. It makes me even more anxious to make the most of every minute. Thanks for the emails fam, and for the letter mom. Real mail is by far the coolest thing ever, but I love hearing from you all in any form.
Dad- way to be Santa. That is so funny.
Paige - please send pictures. I miss seeing your art. Thanks for telling me about crazy BYU... it makes me really glad I'm not in school right now! ;)
Mike - happy birthday, sorry it's late... I think you are wonderful.}
Will - Way to cry all through your first bandimony. That's awesome. Now practice your cello! :D
Ali - I still miss you and think about you the most. I hope that doesn't make anyone else feel bad... Way to be such a good girl. I wish I could be there watching you grow in the next year and a half because these are such changing years. You are amazing. Keep studying your scriptures and praying everyday and you will be a winner. One thing I keep wishing is that I had really memorized all my scripture mastery scrips... maybe I should tell that to Will. Don't waste your oppotunities. I love you.
Mom - I miss you a close second. Thanks for the lovely cyber-hug. Hna. Fuka gave me a hand massage today to keep her awake and I thought of you rubbing my fingers in church. Mmmm, I love you so much. Have so much fun in DC with Dad and tell Mike and Kimber and the kids hi.
Okay, so we had a pretty normal week this week except that it keeps raining which is weird for this time of year here. This morning we had Elder Costa of the presidency of the seventy here to speak to us. I got a double trio together and sang El Cristo Es! (This is the Christ) and it turned out really nice. I love listening to the devotionals in Spanish and being able to understand almost everything. It makes me feel so good. Tomorrow we have divisions again so I get to spend the day as a "real missionary" one more time before hitting the streets (dirt roads?) of Nicaragua. Then Thursday we have meetings with Pres. Christensen all day. Friday is our last day of classes. Saturday is info meetings and packing. Sunday is Sunday. And Monday we go to Las Colinas to play the day away again. This week is going to fly. Wow. I can't wait to get out of here. I have loved it but I want to get to work.
As far as a package goes, send it to the mission office I think. Don't send anything else here, because I won't be here by the time they come. Oh, I got the letter you sent on the 29 today mom. Along with the dear elders. I'm not sure of the day that they arrived at the CCM though because they keep everything and wait until P-day to give it to us. A bit different from the MTC in Provo, where the mail was delivered and we checked our boxes twice a day. I'll try to think of things that would be nice during the week. I'm pretty content though. Things are good.
On Sunday we heard from Elder/Pres.? Amado and he spoke just to our little group of North Americans so it was in English which was nice. He gave us a pattern for being good missionaries (good disciples, really) from the story of Nephi the prophet in Helaman 10. It's a short chapter but one I have come to love. I discovered it a few weeks ago and was really excited when he started talking about it. Nephi is left alone by all the people he is trying to teach and as he's walking home a bit dejected, the Lord speaks to him. I love the words of the Lord to Nephi and you can just feel how much the Lord trusts him. He knows that Nephi will do exactly what the Lord would have him do, so he gives Nephi immense power. Then the Lord commands him to go back and preach to the people again, and Nephi stops right where he is at and goes back. He obeys immediately. What a great example. I want to be the kind of missionary the Lord can trust like that. It seems easy to do if the Lord spoke right to you and asked you to do something. Who wouldn't do obey? The hard part is recognizing that the missionary handbook and the silly Guat CCM rules and little impressions are the same as the Lord speaking. I am recommited to being more obedient in every way I can be.
Being a missionary is the best thing in the world - I'm learning to recognize the Lord's voice.
I love you all so much and The next letter I write you will be from Nicaragua which is SO COOL! (P.S. we had a little culture night where our teachers who went to our different missions came in and told us about our missions and it was so cool. Also one of the teachers named Hna. Vasquez said she talked to Pres. Fraatz last week and told him about me. The first question he asked was "How's her Spanish" and I got a thumbs up from Hna. Vasquez.)
Love, Hna. Crosland
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