I Can Do Hard Things

This week has been pretty good. Last P-day I got to go to Jamba Juice with my district. 

Then on Monday we said goodbye to one of the districts in our zone, the district who taught us everything about the MTC. It was bitter-sweet. 

For gym a couple of times the sisters in my district and I went and played on the playground behind our house, it was fun. 

Last Sunday Mathew Holland came and spoke to us, he is Elder Jeffrey R Holland's son. He talked about Joseph Smith. It just so happened that it was siter Holland's birthday so Elder and Sister Holland were there and that was pretty cool. This last week my companion and I started TRC (training resource center)  that's where you teach a real or fake investigator and you have non clue which one they are. It's pretty nerve racking but super spiritual. I can't believe that I leave for Mexico on the 3rd! I really don't feel prepared Spanish wise. But I can do it, because I can do hard things. It will be an adventure as everything in my life seems to be, it will be a struggle, a process, and a trial, but it will also be a joy, a blessing, and a chance for growth, and I know that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Paul

"It's all right just wait and see your string of lights is still bright to me" Taylor Swift

Fall Face Forward in the Mud

Buenos tardes! This week has been CRAZY!

I and my companion taught the district meeting this week on the Fe en Jesucristo y sus expiacion, or Faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement. It was a really good lesson. My companion Hermana J talked about faith, and I talked about the atonement. At the end I sang one of the songs I wrote call "The Rescue" which I have actually revised since being at the MTC. It was really scary without my guitar, but it was good, and you could feel the spirit. 

Who knew that that song and theme would be the theme for this week. I have been really dropped in the dirt and humbled. But I know Christ is always there for us to pick us back up, and the atonement really can help us conquer anything!

 I have been sick for most of the week with a bad cold, and the medicine I took for it during the day made me a little loopy. It got so bad that I ended up asking the elders in my district for a blessing. I am doing alright now.  

At the beginning of the week my companion and the other sisters in my district went to Boise. It was good because it gave me some time away from my companion. I spent most of the day with the elders. 

At one point I was with some other sisters in my zone and while they were changing after gym I just started singing like I tend to do all the time, and they were all like "woah who is singing?" and "wow if you lived with us we'd make you sing us to sleep every night. If you ever make an album we all want it" Ok so I am not crazy, I do actually sing well. I was beginning to wonder because my district always tells me not to sing, and quite honestly I rarely sing here compared to home.  

I started TRC this week which is were you teach a volunteer investigator. The first time SUCKED! But it got better from there. My investigator ended up telling me and my companion some really cool stuff about Mexican holidays. It was really neat, like Santa Semena ...I think that's how it's spelled. It means holy week. It's the week before Easter and it sounds crazy. He also told us about some really cool things they do during Christmas, and if I had more time I would write about them. 

This week was a total roller coaster. It actually made me cry in front of one of my teachers at one point, which is saying something, because I don't cry like that. Luckily only the elders were there. At the same time I have had a lot of growth and have taught some of my best lessons yet. My companion has also been a bit more chill lately.

PLEASE write!

Hermana Shingleton

LET IT GO!

This has been the week of frozen quotes. All the elders keep singing "Let it Go" it's kinda weird. 

That song is pretty neat, and powerful.  If anyone feels nice and they want to mail me the lyrics, i would love them forever, that way I can get it out of my head. 

This week I went on an adventure to go and get my visa, and I got to ride a train which was pretty awesome. while on the train I got to take a small but much needed nap. YAY! I could use onne now, I hate how tired I am all the time especially when I go to the temple and start falling asleep (like today) and when I'm studying. 

I have been learning a ton about prayer this week, I have always had a strong testimony of prayer but recently I have been learning things about it that have made my prayers more meaningful. I don't know what I would do without prayer. 

I really wish I had more time to write, because a lot goes on here that I could talk about. 

Funny story; yesterday one of the elders in my district came up to me and started singing "Do you want to build a snowman?" and I said uh no then he said "Ok bye" then he went outside and built a snowman. It was funny. 

I have really had to try and let a lot of things go this week, so I can really identify with this song.

Well I'd love to hear from y'all! TTYL

Hermana Shingleton

p.s. I sometimes really miss being called by my first name. :/

I'm Like a Bird

"I'm like a bird , I'll only fly away...I don't know where my home is." Nelly Furtado 

Dear readers of my blog. I don;t have a lot of time this week so this will be brief. The MTC is HARD! I have at least one struggle a day but they are really helping me come unto Christ and rely on him. It's hard to function as a missionary me I feel like my skin has been peeled off and I have to reconstruct who I am. I  am still loving learning though. PLEASE write me! Love y'all!

Whirlwind

It's a dangerous thing heading out your door, you step out onto the road and if you don't keep your feet there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to.~The Fellowship of The Ring

Well the day finally came and I have embarked on my journey and entered the MTC. The first  day was a bit overwhelming and a bit boring, but the second day was great! I am learning so much and just soaking up the language. I had to teach a mock investigator with my Companion Hermana Jensen, the catch was that we had to teach the whole thing in Spanish! In the end I ended up giving the lesson because the "investigator" asked a question about something we hadn't prepared for and my companion knew none of the vocabulary for. So I had to rack my brain for words to explain the subject. It was hard but I know that the Spirit was helping me. I also said the first class prayer that was in Spanish, and also said my prayers in Spanish last night. It's amazing how much you can learn when the Spirit is present. The part of the MTC that I am in only has Spanish speaking missionaries so it's really fun because as you walk to class people call out "hola", "como estas?" and other greetings. We go to gym in a big weird bubble building, I don't like gym it stinks but the building is cool. Today was P day so my district went to the temple, it would have been nice except that I wasn't feeling good. the best part of P day is that I get to write to ya'll and be able to relax a bit. Most of the time we are running, running, running. It's actually kind of annoying. Random fact of the day I love my missionary tag, it makes me happy, and the cool thing is one of my tags is magnetic. I would post some pictures but alas we are having trouble getting the computer to recognize the card reader. hopefully by next week I will have figured it out. Oh and please people send me letters! I would LOVE to get letters! An easy way to write them to me is through www.dearelder.com and it's free. To get my address talk to my parents! Love Y'all! 

Hermana Shingleton