03.31.11

hola again!!

I cant believe that I am already here on the computer again writing another email home. The weeks really do just fly by. I have already been here for a month. which means I am about half way through. crazyness. I dont feel in any way ready to leave here. Yesterday my class fully immersed in spanish, meaning if we need to say or ask something it has to be in spanish. so pretty much i just dont talk. I am realizing that I really need to focus hard on my spanish because I have so much to learn. We taught our first lesson in spanish last saturday and man can I just say that it was a total bust. It is such a struggle when we are teaching an investigator and there is something i want to tell them so bad but I just can figure out how to say it in spanish. Pray for me because I need all the help I can get with this spanish.

                    My district was the new people in the zone for 3 weeks and finally last week we got a new district and then yesterday we got another one. So we are officially not the new missionarys anymore. It is awesome!!! I feel so much older than them. its kind of weird here because ages doesnt exist. like the fact that I am 21 and the elders are 19 doesnt even matter, its all about who has been at the mtc longer. All of the district that have been here longer than me just seem so much older. The two new districts we got are ALL elders meaning NO sisters. it is kind of sad. Although the elders are great I love having other sisters and once the district above us leaves the four of us sisters in my district will be the only sisters in the zone. We are now the 2nd oldest district in the zone. man its hard to believe.Have I talked about how every devotional we all sing called to serve together and it is incredible to hear 2000 missionaries sing it. The spirit it always so strong when we all sing it but last sunday at the fireside we stood up and sang it with all our might and it was amazing. Everyone was just so excited because that is what we are doing, we are called to serve. Every sunday night we have a fireside and every tuesday night we have a devotional and it is always exciting to see who is going to come. It is usually someone in the quorum of the seventy which is great!! Last sunday my companion and I were asked to give a lesson for our district meeting and we were asked to teach on charity. It was such a great opportunity to read more on charity and to realize what an important characteristic it is to have. Charity is something we all need to strive to have more of. but anyways our girlie/relief society came out of us and we decided to give a handout with our lesson and my companion just happened to have some little containers of play-doh and we named it "chari-doh" and wrote on it "sculpt yourself to be more like christ" i think our district was pretty excited its always fun to have a little handout.

                 Dad sent more brownies this week! haha when I got the package and saw that it was brownies i couldnt wait to show my district. They were all excited and I was able to share them with brother brown this time and we all quite enjoyed the brownies. I even shared some with Evan and Dylan. its such a treat to be able to see them everyday and practice our spanish with each other. Yesterday at lunch the mtc president President Brown randomly came and sat by us at lunch. He was quizing us at sciptures we knew and asking where scriptures were about the atonement. It was super intimidating and I realized how much a still need to learn. Today for study im planning on finding scriptures. He threatened to call me up during a devotional to test me. ahhh scaryy!!!!!

well the time is blinking and i have 2 minutes. my heart is racing. i love you all and miss you lots. have a wonderful day!!!

love,

hermana vanwagenen

ps i still havent seen sister martin. i am looking for her everywhere. christa should try to figure out her schedule for me. like when are her meal times, where is her class. i have to see her!!!

pss keep the letters coming!!! i absolutely love reading your letters and hear what is going on in the outside world. we really are in our own little world here.