Hola Familia!
Has it really only been a week since I have seen you? How is my dog?
Are you taking care of him and being his buddy?? Oh and how are you
too? Haha just kidding. I love it here. I am already so in love with
Peru! I love the morning especially.. I have been getting up at 5:30
instead of 6:30 to study spanish and I love just sitting at the window
in our hall listening to the morning birds. We have to stay with our
Companera 24/7 unless we are on the same floor as our room. The
mornings are misty and it sounds like you are in the tropics! The
birds sound like my dog is destroying a squeaky toy.. No seriously.
Its hilarious! But there are also very beautiful birds as well. The
weather feels like Sandiego or Arizona in the Winter time.. and it
smells like the sea!
The language is coming.. In fact just writing this email I have had a
hard time spelling in enlgish because I have been writing in Spanish
for 8 days straight now.. The struggle is real. The first day we went
on the computers and took a sort of “Spanish” test. At the end the
screen said, “Congrats!” You have successfully reviewed 21 words.. You
have mastered 1! HOLA.
Oh but it gets better.. Then that day a Latino Elder said, “ Hola
Hermanas!” I turned to him all excited and said, “ BIEN!”… Then turned
to mi companera who burst out laughing and told me I just said, “
Good.” That has happened a few times haha.. Sometimes I don´t know how
to react when someone says something to me so I just blurt out
something..
Oh but that was nothing compared to when I was trying to teach about
the restoration in Spanish and I accidentally said, “ God wants us to
eat.” AND “ God Forgives our fish.”
WELL.. guess what.. by the second day I was praying and baring my
testimony in Spanish..Now lets pause for a minute.. This is the girl
the girl who dropped out of spanish not once…not twice.. but THREE
times in high school.. The struggle was real. So Dad, you are either
about to cry saying, “ Its a miracle!” Or you think I am lying.. Well
if you didn't believe in the gift of tongues before.. you do now.
Want to know something else? I COMPLETELY understand spanish now.. It
has to be a Little slow still.. But I understand! The hard part now is
helping the Latino Elders and Sisters understand US! Half the time I
feel like I am playing the game Charades with them.. They look at me
like I am crazy.. but then we all just laugh. We help them learn
english.. And they teach us how to play REAL soccer.. Its a blast.
Anyways, I really love the language. I mean think about it.. A child
understands what “COME” and “Eat” mean before they know how to say it
themselves.. So that is what happened.. With having all Spanish
teachers and Friends who speak spanish.. it comes pretty quick. I even
forgot how to end my prayer in english the other day.. It is day 8 and
I am speaking in Spanish like I actually took those 3 years in high
school.
You feel like a celebrity here haha! Every room we enter all of the
Latino Elders Yell, “HERMANAS! BUENOS DIAS!” Its like they are a bunch
of Golden Retrievers and someone yelled , “SQUIRREL!”Yesterday at
dinner an Elder came up to me and said, “ Uh.. Hermana? You ah very
PRITTEEEY..” They are trying to hard to learn english and it is so
awesome! We even taught them some Cali Slang.. AHAH. So whenever they
pass us in the hall they hold up a peace sign with their hands and
say, “ Sahhh Dude!” It reminds me of my guy Friends back home when
they would pretend to be some Cali surfer dudes.. But I think the
Latino Elders say it even better… haha. The Elders and Sisters here
are incredible.. Some of them have only been a member for a year..Some
left on very bad terms with their families because they didn't want
them to serve a misión.. Some have really bad relationships with them
now.
I love my companera ( Hermana O.) SO MUCH. Basically we were made
to be Companions. We are ALWAYS laughing.. Half the time when we go
out for a run during physical activity we end up on the ground of the
track laughing about who knows what. Ill have a six pack in no time
from laughing so hard.. ( Insert winky face.. Uh I have no idea how to
do that on this computer haha).
We have a lot of fun.. We practice the spanish alphabet while playing
ping pong ( Which by the way I am a BOSS at now.) and also whenever we
hear a siren we have a new phrase for the day where we stop and say
it.. Yesterday it was " Dios nos ama!" We probably said it 100 times..
The sirens are like the ones in Prague.. Basically every second.
Hermana O. and I also know when to focus though..We pretty much
only speak to each other in spanish.. We love our district as well! We
have two more Hermanas. The Elders are like our big brothers. On the
flight from Atlanta to Peru I sat by a Young man who is now my
district leader! We became best buddies on the plane playing scrabble
together and then when we found out that we were in the same district
we freaked out!! He is from some Island I dk where I will have to ask
again. His name is Elder E. Think big samoan rugby player.. and
Thats him. Hes da bomb. We all help each other out.. The other day we
were all playing soccer and I got off the field ( Because everyone
kept getting hurt and I wasnt about to be that person to go home with
an injury) and I sat with my companera and some of our Elders who were
talking about their girls back home..HAHA.. I told them to be MEN and
to get over it.. In the nicest way posible haha.. They got me when
they asked if I missed anyone at home though… Well I miss a lot of
people.. but yeah.. I couldn¨t make fun of them anymore.
We taught our first investigator! Well he is a fake investigator but
still.. The mtc has these cute Little houses where you go and pretend
to knock door to door.. I wasn¨t nervous at all and had no idea if I
said anything right but it was way fun.. We got to the door and he
spoke to us from the window.. I just said, " HOLA! Mi nombre es
Hermana Springer, Ella es mi Companera Hermana O.! Nosotros somos
representate de Jesucristo! etc etc etc" He didnt want to speak to us
and said that his homework was MUY IMPORTANTE... I fought back and
said DIO ES MUY IMPORTANTE! I didnt even think before I said that
hahaha... I kept saying.. Mu Muy importante.. Jesucristo es Muy
importante.." He finally got so annoyed with me ( No seriously I think
my teacher was anooyed with me haha) that he finally let me in.. He
then started to work on his homework and I said in spanish that we
need to put away distractions because this message we are about to
give is very important.. I don't remember what else I said in spanish..
Because most of it was half in spanglish. The Elders really beat
themselves up thinking their lesson went terrible.. So I reminded them
that it was literally only day 4 and we were teaching someone the
gospel.. in SPANISH. I don't try to be one of those “Rainbows and
butterflies” super smiley sister missionaries all the time.. I just
understand that it was day 4… Because I can count. Haha
I LOVE President Moore and his wife.. (The President of the MTC) They
actually know Grandma and Grandpa Chamberlain! They sit by us at
dinner a lot. Hermana Moore is like a second Mom. She gives THE BEST
hugs.. When I hug her I just pretend I am hugging you Mama Springer..
Because I miss you a lot.
So I had volunteered to be the last one on the computers because there
weren´t enough for all of the Hermanas so I don't have as much time..
I am so happy to be here.. Yes, its hard.. 16 hours of spanish and
unlimited ice cream can make your brain feel like mush.. But I wouldn't
change it for the world.. You wanna know something crazy? I keep
having crazy Deja vu everywhere.. Well they say that if you have
Dejavu that means you are in the right place.. And I believe that. I
am so excited to get to Trujillo and teach the gospel.. I have been
out in Lima! It is scary and so awesome all at once.. I saw my life
flash before my eyes a few times just in the car.. Think of it this
way... Lines while driving are uh " suggested.." So basically everyone
is cutting each other off and slamming their breaks to not crash into
other cars... Anyways.. I love being a missionary.. I miss you guys so
so much.. But holy cow.. Just in 7 days I have grown to love my Savior
100 times MORE which I didnt think was even possible! He IS the big
picture.. We fought for Jesus Christ in heaven... and he is fighting
for US now.. And we fought alongside our brothers and sisters and
CHOSE Jesus Christ in Heaven.. When I think about it that way I know
that the people here in Lima are here on Earth because they chose the
same thing I did.. They know it. They are our brothers and sisters! I
have already seen how the spirit prompts and is the real teacher in
the lesson.. For my second lesson with my investigator I didn't know
what to say and I was stressing.. I realized that I wasn't teaching with
the spirit.. I relaxed and all of the sudden realized that I knew
exactly what to say in spanish and said it.. That WAS NOT me.. That
was the spirit helping me know what to say. I absolutely love it
here.. I miss you like crazy. Love Hermana Springer......... I don't
even know if this email makes sense.. I will have more time next week
.LOVE YA. Remember.. The church is Tru..Jillo. XOXO The TRUE CREW. Get
it? Because I am going to Trujillo Peru. Ha. Ha. ...
Oh P.S I have to learn 2 languages……. Oh and I have to give a talk in
Spanish this Sunday.. Wish me luck!
I can call on Mothers day from Peru time 3-5pm. Deal? If ya want... haha.
Note from Carly: She sent these photos, too, but they didn't really fit into the narrative, so here you go!
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