week three.

Week 3- December 8, 2010

Who feels like I just emailed? This week went by SOO quickly to me. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me or DearEldered me, PLEASE keep on doing so, I absolutely love it. It it so fun to read about how everyone is doing and it makes me so happy. Remember this--homework can always come later ;-)

I am glad to hear NTN went well, I love that race. And I wish I could watch those girls play basketball! I have actually come to really like basketball now, but my companion is rockin at it. She is better than almost all the Elders here. Mom-the clothes are working out fantastically. Surprisingly the sisters here dress very contemporary and cute and I think I could've brought more but I am very happy with my waredrobe. And I LOVE my shoes. They work great. Some girls have the cutest brown boots I have ever seen but I tell my companion they are just a temptation because I dont need them and I would not have enough room in my bag and my black boots already make people super jealous. And for my Adress...Ill mail that to you later. I forget how to ask where to get it. And yes send taylor my weekly emails, if he would like them. I want to be in on bloggle! Count me in. Good luck to Carson with his games and tell Dane and him to write me. And Sam? I haven't heard from sam yet. Sad face.

So my spanish is getting better...I can understand when people are talking to me but I have a hard time saying what I want to say. Yesterday Her. Loftus and I taught a pretend investigator in spanish, and it was super scary. He would give us these tips and we were like "We are awesome at doing that in English, it's just spanish that makes it harder!" And quick thing, not to brag (because i never boast of myself, only of my God--Alma 26:12) but we are AWESOME at teaching. We go to the optional lab all the time and it is just so fun. I love teaching. I just love connecting with people and trying to find through the spirit what they need to hear. Once I tackle the language barrier, I cannot wait to teach. Contacting...scares me. Think about it, I am walking up to strangers and saying "Hola! Cree en Dios?" a little werid right? ANYWAYS, we taught this guy and it was good but then I asked him if he would like to go to church with us on that Sunday. He said something back about time or something, and Her. Loftus and I just stared at him. I finally said in english "uh, was that a yes or no?" and he said it was a yes and then I proceeded to say "Si! Ese es Maravilloso!" It was pretty funny. I also tried to bear my testimony on sacrament meeting in spanish (our whole meeting is in spanish) and I got super nervous and ended up saying "Quiero hablar mas, pero yo no se muchas palabras en espanol" people understood, but I was glad I pushed myself to the limits. Claro que si!!!--by far my favorite and most used phrase.

This week has been the first time I have had to say some sad goodbyes. First of all Hermana Perez and her companions left, and I love them soo much. I looked up to them so much when I got here and I really just think the world of them. Some people reading this know Hermana Perez and can whole-heartedly agree. Another was Sister Bita, the HILARIOUS Polynesian girl who lives in my hall. Side note mom, those foreign girls are not learning spanish, they came here to learn English and then go to Temple square. Our hall has the temple square girls, our spanish zone going all over, and then a bunch of girls going to Russia, and they have the cutest coats I have ever seen. Anyways, I have told you a million Sister Bita stories because she just makes me laugh so hard. I will say "Sista Bita I love you!" And she will say "Shuttup! I hate chu all!" Before she left she gave me a referral card and then said "Sister Collins, I can testify, that you have a friend. Amen" hahah! Oh and I asked her to look out for Sister Wilson. When I told her that she said "Ok, I will try not to give her a blue-sunglass" Oh man she cracks me up. It was sad to say bye to her. We were going to sing "God be with you till we meet again" as a hall, but instead sang "Leaving on a Jet-plane", which was less spiritual but pretty funny. One time I saw her and she had this huge super nice blanket and I was joking around and tried to take it telling her I loved it more than she did. This morning when I got up to leave, I noticed the blanket folded outside my door with a note from her. I was about to cry, it was so sweet of her. I will cherish that blanket. Other sad goodbyes are the Elders in my district going to the DR. We really have some incredible Elders with us, it's a bummer they only got to be here for 3 weeks. One said how he has the worlds largest puzzle in his basement that he didn't get to finish before his mission, so I told him that when I get home, even though he isn't home yet, I am going to his familes house and I am going to work on it. It si 24,000 pieces. I accidently let out a little bit of my puzzle nerdiness there...but what is cooler than finishing the WORLDS largest puzzle? Maybe going on a mission, but other than that nothing.

I ate ice cream so good this week I thought I was going to pass out. But the rest of the food here is meh...I end up eating fruit and cereal a lot. Or cookies that peoples family sends them. So this week I sang in the choir again and at that Devotional I got to hear from Elder Zwick from the 70, and he talked about coming to Christ. It was pretty amazing. Something I'm not sure a ton of you know but whenever we have someone speak here, we always hear from their spouse first. I think that it pretty cool. This week during one of our class times we listened to an INCREDIBLE talk Elder Bednar gave about a year ago here. He was so funny and now I want more than anything for Bednar to come and speak while I am here. His talk was about whether or not the spirit it telling us or if it is just a thought. His answer--quit worrying about it. If you are keeping the commandments, then it doesn;t matter if it is inspiration or just a thought. He then told a few stories (one about the 20 franks which some have heard) and another about when he was a stake president. He was at a presidency meeting and it was the same night as his sons basketball championship game. In the meeting was a bishop whose son was on the other team. Elder Bednar sat there in thought and then before it started turned to his counselor and asked him to take over, then pulled aside that bishop and they left to go to the game. He felt like he wanted to do that because he wanted to, but then a month later, the other bishops son died in a terrible accident. The bishop came up to him and told Elder Bednar how that was the only game he ever got to watch his son play in. At the time, he had no idea it was inspiration. But it he just assumed it was a thought, then he really would've ignored the spirit. I'm not saying to leave meetings to go to games, I just love that story so much and took so much out of it. It made me realize if I just strive to be the best I can be and keep God's commandments, then I will just put my trust in him and not have to sit and worry all day whether or not I am thinking things myself or they are of the spirit.

I love you all so much. This place is incredible. I truely love it and I hope someday my Buzz-Lightyear switch comes on and I will just be fluent. My time is a ticking. Write me, love it. oh and did people get my pictures? I'll send more, but I like picutres too! No one believes I have a family because I don't have pictures of anyone. And when I say family, I mean Louie and Lewis too. And everyone. Thank you so much for the love and support! Oh and I got to watch the Christmas Devotional, that was cool. I was pretty tired that day because it was fast sunday and we just had dinner and then that, but I really liked it. LES AMO!!!!!!

Hermana Collins