Mom, November 11, 2013
I feel so bad for not being able to respond quickly to you!
I love you so much. I can’t even begin to explain it. Thank you for your
thoughts and prayers. I need them all. It’s hard here, but I have faith and
confidence that I can do this. I love my district! 3 Hermanas & 4 Elders.
The Hermanas are Hermana Eye (Hermana Ojo), Hermana Muir, and Hermana Nielsen.
Awesome girls. BYW, I got the package before I got your letter from Seattle and
the one about Parker. Awesome comparison by the way. I’m must sitting here in
my living room, crying from your letters haha. Oh I love you. So much.
I believe my Spanish is coming along well! I’m just trying
to work hard and let the Spirit do the rest. We have been teaching an
“investigator,” Luisa, who only speaks Spanish. Our first meeting was str8 up
TERRIBLE. No idea what we should say, barely understanding her…10 minutes into
it, she said she had work and had to go. They are normally supposed to be a
half-hour long. SO HUMILIATING! But very, very humbling. Our second lesson went
way better. We were prepared and had a better grasp on what we wanted to share
with her. (We are using a lot of Spanglish haha…..it’s hilarious.)
So we taught Luisa again today. Honestly, it was one of the
coolest things that has ever happened to me. We wanted to teach her about
prayer and nuestro Padre Celestial. I prepared what I wanted to say and learned
how to say it. My companion did too but didn’t learn it en espanol. Esta bien.
So I had prayed for the Spirit, that I would remember all that I had learned,
and that I would be able to teach with the Spirit So I’m in there and talking
with Luisa, understanding what she is saying and knowing what I needed to say.
We taught her that we are all hijos de Dios (children of God) and that we are
all hermanos (brothers). I memorized “El Proposito,” which is our purpose (from
PMG: Preach My Gospel). I did that in Spanish and English. So I asked Luisa why
she escuchas (listens) to us. I told her our purpose as missionaries and that
she is very important to us because she is one of God’s children. We care about
her. Then we gave a little background on La Restauracion (the Restoration). We
shared / had her read the story of Lamoni being converted. We asked if it was
similar to her, then bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and the love of
God. THEN we got her to commit to reading the first three verses of the Book of
Mormon in 1 Nephi – to leave her wanting to know more. THEN we got her / taught
her to pray. She said the closing prayer. Although it’s a role-play, it’s still
cool and freakin’ enfermo (sick)! Then when we gave her a Book of Mormon, she
was asking about all the pictures. So we answered as best as we could, made an
appointment por manana, and left. And everything we said to her was in Spanish!
I know my prayers were answered. I was speaking and understanding Spanish and
it was LA BOMBA. There is no way I could’ve taught like that if it wasn’t for
the Spirit. I felt so amazing after the lesson. I was just stoked out of my
mind! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I know I
was blessed for having the desire to teach Luisa and learn Spanish so that I
could do that. This isn’t for me. I am here to serve the Lord and His children.
Everything that happened in that meeting was due to the Spirit. It was so, so
incredible. Also, Luisa committed to praying for an answer if the things we
said were true. So amazing.
It is hard here, but I honestly love it. My district is
awesome, and my zone is the best! I’ve made friends with tons of other Elders
and Hermanas. Our ZLs are some of the coolest guys and helped me to feel
comfortable and welcome. It’s odd that I’m older than them haha! Also, haven’t
been told to cut my hair and everyone loves it! So classic. Pics to come.
I love you all so insanely much. I think about you and pray
for you. Yo se que las familias son eternas. Peace and Blessings.
Elder Sipple
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