Hey Family!!
With all of the pressing questions, I
might as well just start out with all the good stuff. First, my companion is Latin!
She is from Columbia!! Sister Pardo is 23 years old, green and as greenie as it
can get. She is amazing already and this is her third week in the mission; first week in Puerto Rico. She comes from a family of five, her dad works for the
church and she is fluent in Spanish and English!! We get along so great! I am so
excited to see what the next 11 weeks of training brings!
With training, it is a 12
week program of District videos (which is videos of missionaries for examples), reading
the scriptures, and role play. My companion is game for all! I really feel like
that she came pretrained and that she is teaching me, not the other way
around!! It has been amazing this week helping her get the ropes. Even just the
basics like our daily schedule, our area, and life as a real missionary. It is
a little strange to be in the position of the teacher. I'm not gonna lie, its
tough. The first day, I really had to evaluate myself as a missionary. I had to
go through all the qualities I needed. I needed to evaluate all the things that
I do each day so that I can get better at them. I needed to reassess anything
that has caused a problem before and then think about how I can prevent it in
the future. It was actually a great experience, I really feel like this gives
me the opportunity to make me the best missionary yet!
My companion is hilarious! We are always
making jokes and having a blast in the streets. She is incredible in lessons, and
she has so much gospel knowledge that I sometimes just like listening to her
teach. That is one thing that I was very blessed to have a companion that
speaks the language. I am grateful to be able to focus on what is best in the
lessons and more of the structure then the language. It is definitely different
than my training.
My Spanish is coming along great! I understand
basically everyone, the only people I don't are the people speaking
Puertoricano. So that is the one thing where the language of the mission isn’t
Spanish. The islands national language is basically Spanglish. Then there are Puertoricano
words, and in Ponce, there is another set of words. I never realized how
accustomed I had become to it until I needed to translate Spanish here to real
Spanish for my companion!! Hahahaha! It was a good feeling! I always am working
each day to learn the grammar and more words but that is a never-ending
process. In the streets, I feel comfortable enough to talk to everyone!
:)
Well, I am so excited to have the chance
to spend 3 more months here in Ponce. I feel like the investigators we have
right now, really have the potential to make it to the waters of baptism and I
am so excited at the chance to help them get there!!
I love you all so, so much and pray for
each of you daily!! I hope you all are praying and reading the scriptures
because I know that is where we will receive peace, guidance, and a great
knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s amazing plan for us!
Con Amor Siempre
Hermana Harris
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