Week One in the MTC

Part 1

Okay I really only have five minutes, then we are going to the temple. I will get more time later but I am very limited. Thank you for all your sweet emails I appreciate them so much. Excuse the grammar, Mexican keyboards don’t seem to have apostrophes and stuff like that.

I will email more when I can, and I will always email on Wednesdays. Then when I get to California it will probably be Mondays, but I’ll let you know. I met my companion, her name is Amanda Baird from Massachusetts. I seem to have forgotten how to spell in English. Lo siento. She is awesome and so patient with me. I learned that I have been placed in the intermediate Spanish class. The only one above our class is the native speakers that stay for two weeks then go into the field. So all our teachers and what not speak solamente Española. Which is awesome. We taught our first investigator on Friday. Yep, that means my second day here I was teaching! in Spanish! Its crazy how much the spirit helps us here. We have now had three lessons with Marcos and tonight is our fourth. Got to go! To be continued. Love you all. Expect another email today. Love love love love love Hermana

Part 2

Hey family, back from the temple. It was awesome but I definitely see why they only let us email once a week, I was so distracted thinking of everything I wanted to tell you guys. I love and miss you all and think of you and talk about you every day. I am sorry if this email is scattered, I just want to get as much out as I can! So in my casa there are 4 girls to a room, 4 rooms in a casa. Every room has its own bathroom so I only have to share with three other girls, which is nice. I wake up at 6 every day. It was 5:45 today. And I am in bed by 10:30. I can find the colon on this Mexican keyboard. I forgot to tell you that my companion, Hermana Baird is going to the California San Jose mission. So we will be together for the next 5 weeks then I wont see her again for the rest of my mission! I’ve only found one other girl going to the Redlands mission.

Remember how I said we are teaching Marcos? Well we only have two more lessons then he becomes our new teacher! He is a teacher acting as an investigator. So that will be super helpful. Also, there is kind of a motto or saying in the MTC, everyone says just make it until Sunday. I never really understood it but I definitely do now. Saturday night was our 2^nd lesson with Marcos and he asked some questions we really didn’t anticipate. The problem wasn’t the answer, it was trying to figure out how to answer in Spanish. It was so frustrating and humbling to have something so important and powerful to say but not being able to because of the language barrier. Needless to say that when Hermana Baird and I got back to our casa, I shed the first CCM tears. I was so discouraged and felt useless because I couldn’t help Marcos understand. And I just missed you all so much, it felt impossible. Then Sunday came. I have never felt so spiritually uplifted at church ever. My whole outlook changed, on my mission and on my life! And I want you all to be reassured that I am so so so so happy. I just wish you all could be here with me!

The food here is good. It took my tummy a day or two to adjust but it is yummy! Arroz y frijoles are my favorite. And they have pineapple almost everyday, which I just jump all over. Also, they make this green sauce that I put on pretty much everything.

Oh and my district- they are the ones I do everything with. Its not a sight and sound rule like mi compañera but they are in class with me and we have study time together and our schedules are all the same. They are awesome! And we are the first districts in the history of the MTC-CCM with more sisters than elders! Go Hermanas! There are 7 sisters and 4 elders. I just love them. We've had a lot of bonding experiences the past couple days.

I found the apostrophe, did you notice? :) and the colon! Dang I'm getting the hang of this. Now if only the enter would work so this wasn't one huge paragraph... Anyway, next story. We have an hour of gym time five days a week and they usually want to play sports when I'd rather be on the elliptical. But my companion compromises with me a lot so I let her have this one. Yesterday we were playing soccer with some sisters and elders in our district (this was the second time I've ever played soccer. The first was the day before this) and so you know me and my lack of hand-eye-coordination... but guess what? I scored two goals! Only one other goal was scored and it was by a very enthusiastic elder. I was the top scorer and the VIP. Just kidding, it wasn't that serious but I was pretty excited.

Oh! back to Marcos. We had a lesson with him on Monday and our first two lessons were awful so we studied and studied and prepared as much as possible. When we went in there we only got through a third of our lesson plan before his questions took us in another direction but the spirit was so strong and I was able to answer his questions. There was one point where he asked a really good important question and I had an answer right ready for him and while I was explaining he tried to stifle a smile and started nodding his head like that was what I was supposed to say! It was the first time Hermana Baird and I felt like we were actually doing something RIGHT! It felt amazing.

I am going to try and send some pictures of us at the temple and some other things. The group is my district the little girl with curly dark hair is my companion. I'll send some of my casa, it's number 15. We can only take pictures on our P-day so there's not a lot. I took some of the city but it takes forever to upload so I'm only sending my pretty face. They say the weeks go by like days and the days go by like weeks here. It feels like I've been here forever but I've seen people leave to go into the field and they say don't take a second for granted because before you know it you're leaving.

I love you all more than you know. Please send me pictures in themail! I want to see all of you. Con amor, Hermana Granado

Part 3

Did I mention I love you all? :) The water is safe for drinking here, they have their own well. But they also provided us with filtered water bottles and we have bottled water in our casas. And my teacher's name is Hermano Muñoz. He's the coolest. And he gives all the guys really awesome hugs at the end of class every day. It makes me so jealous. (he can't hug us sisters).

Oh and I have heard really great things about the chocolate in la tienda but haven't had time to check it out yet. I barely have time to breathe these days. But I just love it! And

I love all of you :)

Part 4

I'm probably annoying you all with all these emails but Hermana Baird isn't done yet so I can't leave and I just keep thinking of more things to say! Plus you won't hear from me until next Wednesday so I'm just gonna hit you with my best shot! This MTC is on 90 acres, it's the largest MTC in the world, but it doesn't have the most people. And the cool thing is that everyone here is learning Spanish so we can all help each other, as opposed to the more populated Provo MTC that teaches like a zillion languages.

Oh and one pair of my shoes is already coming apart. We do a ton of walking around these 90 acres from class to class. But no worries, they can be spared and I'm still just fine on shoes. It's starting to get cooler in the mornings and evenings here but a cardigan will do the trick so it's not too bad.

Hope everyone is enjoying school and work and all that good stuff, keep me updated on things! I got my first dear elder letter today. Don't be afraid to use that website! dearelder.com then go to the write a letter tab, choose the Mexico MTC and type your little heart out. They print it out and give it to me so I can read them during the day, any day of the week. Emails I am very limited on the time I get to read and respond on Wednesdays. Thank you so much for all your love and support. I am so thankful that I am able to be here and know you are all behind me cheering me on. I love you all so much.

Con amor,

Hermana Granado