Week 3 in the MTC

Hey family, another week down and I swear I was just in here emailing talking about last week. The days seem to go on forever but before you know it you're halfway done. This is my fourth which means I've been here for three weeks which means I leave in three more. It's honestly so crazy to think about! If these 6 weeks were my whole mission it would be worth it. I have learned so much about the gospel and about myself and about others.

Here goes another disorganized rambling email trying to get everything in my head onto "paper" in my short amount of time.Today we went to the temple again. We get to go every other week, it is about 30 or 45 minutes away, we just pile on a bus and it is fun to see the city. Today on our way home we bought some bananas from a street vendor, they walk up and down the lanes with bags of them, and honestly, best banana of my life. There will be a picture later :)

Last Friday I started a tally in my planner of prayers. Because the day before I noticed my knees were bruised from kneeling and praying so much, how awesome is that?! I think it's so cool. Anyway I got to wondering how many times a day I pray. So I counted. Last Friday was 30! Thirty prayers in like the 17 hours I was awake! So that was pretty cool.

On Sunday I gave a talk in church! In Spanish! Every week all the missionaries in the CCM have to prepare a 5 minute talk on the topic they give you for that week. Then they announce who will be speaking at the beginning of the meeting. And I was called on. I had a personal goal to not say one word in English. Not one! And I am excited to announce that I succeeded. I was shaking and so nervous because Spanish is still hard for me. When I was done and went to sit down my companion, Hermana Baird said that during my talk President Miller leaned over to my branch president who is directly over me and goes "She's only been here 2 weeks?" President Jewell, my branch president said that President Miller looked really impressed and said "Wow, her Spanish is great" so when Hermana Baird told me that it made me feel pretty good.

Also, this week we've been having some trouble with our hot water. The trouble is there isn't any. So they've come to our casa like five times now and they fix it every time but then it's freezing hours later. So that has been fun. This morning wasn't bad, maybe I'm just getting used to it. But here's hoping we have hot water soon.

Did I tell you guys we're teaching two investigators now? I think I did. Their names are Benjamin and Reinaldo. They're both our teachers acting as investigators. Our Spanish is coming along but we still have a long way to go until we're the kind of teachers we want to be. The other day we were teaching Benjamin, who is our morning teacher Hermano Muñoz. We have a very strict time limit because other companionships have to teach their lessons too. So we were first and we went to the room but he wasn't there. So we spent like 5 or 10 minutes running around between all the rooms in all the surrounding building trying to make our teaching appointment. We decide to go back to the original room and see him walking down the hall really slowly and looking at his hands so we thought we was texting. We were frustrated he cut our lesson short and flustered from running around in the cold so we step outside, calm ourselves down and wait for him to get situated. We knock on the door and imagine our surprise and guilt when he hands us each a nice warm cup of apple cider. He is such a sweet guy. Every day after class he tells us he loves us and hugs the elders and gives us nice heartfelt handshakes.

I'm trying to think of what else happened this week. The other night in class was ridiculous. We usually get pretty rowdy for Hermano Gilisia at night mostly because we're tired and have been in the classroom for 3-6 hours already that day, but the other night was hilarious. We are not disrespectful, just very playful. He was in a really good mood because it was his one month anniversary of being married and he's 26 so he likes to joke around with us too. This is totally a you-had-to-be-there story but whatever, try and picture it. There are two elders in my district who just make me laugh all the time. They are hilarious. Elder Patton and Elder Coates. Elder Patton volunteered to lead our opening hymn and he doesn't know how to lead so he just got up in front and sang really loud while sporadically moving his hand and swaying his hips with it. Elder Coates lost it and couldn't even stand because he was laughing so hard. Then Hermano Gilisea called on him for the opening prayer. We use the "tu" form when praying because God is our Father in Heaven and it's more personal. Well at the end of his prayer he says "amamos a su... usted... le... lo... se... te... tu... en el nombre de jesucristo, amen" and the whole class erupted in laughter. Poor kid. It was perfect until he threw every pronoun in the Spanish language in there. Then later Elder Patton volunteered to help Hermano Gilisea and he was pointing to words on the board but acting like Vanna White and I was dying.We were doing language study and he put us into groups to practice asking each other questions using the grammar we had just gone over. It was Elder Coates' turn and he picked me to ask questions to which was fine. But he wasn't paying attention so he kept snapping his head between his paper and looking at me really intensely and I started laughing so hard I was crying. Then Elder Patton found a stain on Elder Coates' shirt (for the fourth day in a row) and then Elder Patton was crying and we were all just laughing so hard. It felt good to laugh, even if it was at nothing. I feel like we're always so serious, which makes sense because we are representatives of Jesus Christ. But at the same time it is good to be 20 sometimes.

Today at the temple our branch president, Elder Jewell pulled me and Hermana Baird aside and asked us to be Sister Training Leaders. Which is a leadership position that has just recently been made. Sisters didn't used to have any leadership positions on the mission as far as I know but now this calling has been established. And we're the new or actually the first Sister Training leaders in our district.

** IMPORTANT NOTICE: DON'T SEND ANYTHING TO MEXICO PAST NOVEMBER 30TH** emails of course are okay but any dearelders and snail mail won't get to me in time. So until November 30th is great but after that just wait until December 10th and send it to California. Thank you!

Last night it started storming out of nowhere. It was raining so hard Hermana Baird and I ran to our next meeting but were still soaked. The thunder shook the projector and the power flickered. It was pretty exciting but I don't think Buffy and Nikki would have appreciated it.

We had a devotional last night and one girl stood up to comment on something and she was speaking very fast spanish so I had a hard time understanding but I started crying because the Spirit was so so strong. And it was cool for me because the past couple days I have been saying my personal prayers in Spanish to practice but if there's something I don't know how to say I'll think, oh I better say this in English so Heavenly Father understands. But in that moment I realized that it doesn't matter what language I'm speaking or how broken my grammar is, the Spirit makes up the difference and Heavenly Father knows exactly what I mean. He hears the songs I cannot sing. Just a little thought for you guys!

Oh and Elder Lloyd, our district leader, has a nickname for me. Hand Grenade. Partly because it fondly reminds him of Call of Duty that he misses so much and partly because he said that I'm quiet and calm but when I feel the spirit I just explode. 

And our district has a little inside joke, we say Esta bien to EVERYTHING like really everything. And we just say it in this way that I wish I could convey over email. But that's our thing. And Elder Patton and I are paz buddies. Paz means peace so we hold up a peace sign and say paz in our deepest voice possible. It's like aloha, we say it for everything. He kinda reminds me of Austin, He's fun to joke around with.

Okay, time is running short so I will attach some pictures before I have to go. I love you all, I haven't heard much from some of you so I hope everything's okay. I have no other way of knowing anything that's happening with you if you don't tell me so don't be afraid to type a little email. Love and miss you all.

Make sure you look in the background of me doing my muscleman pose :)

Con Amor,

Hermana Granado

Today is a holiday so the streets were packed, I took a picture of that and some houses up on a hill. I tried to get street vendors and stuff but didn't succeed. I love looking out the window on our way to and from the temple. It is a city like none I've ever seen before.

Week 2 in the MTC

It's 41 degrees and raining and this desert air is freezing. It's times like this when I'm actually thankful I'm not in Logan right now. I'm so thankful to be going to California. The Lord knows me well. 

Anyway, this week was pretty much ordinary but still crazy busy. It's weird how usual the days get when still so many things are happening!  I forgot to tell you about our service projects last time. We do service one day a week for a couple hours here on campus. Last week we were in the comedor and did dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Yesterday was our service for this week and we washed and folded sheets for the whole CCM! 

I told you a little about my teacher Hermano Muñoz right? Well I found out this week that he is only 22! He has worked at the CCM for almost a year and he went to school here when it was a high school. Our other teacher is Hermano Gilesia who acted as Marcos, our first investigator. He is 26. It's like kids teaching kids here but it works and it's so awesome. Something funny about Hermano Muñoz is he apparently loves beef jerkey (he pronounces it beef yer-key) but I guess they don't have it here or it's not as good... anyway, one of the hermanas in my district brought some with her so the next day she walked into class holding the bag out to him and his face went from super serious let's get started to a kid on Christmas morning. I wish so badly I could've captured it on camera but it was priceless. He is such a cool guy.

We've finished teaching Marcos, we only got 5 lessons with him. In his last lesson I committed him to baptism and it was really cool because when he accepted he said he liked talking to us because I know how he feels, I was able to empathize with a lot of questions and concerns he had. Now we're teaching Benjamin and Reinaldo. 

We just got done with lunch and there was a camera crew from Salt Lake following the missionaries around for some reason... I'm not really sure if it's just a little documentary on the new Mexico MTC, but I've heard rumors of a "change" happening for missionaries so I'll keep you posted.

My Spanish is getting better but I feel like I've plateued a little bit. Hermana Baird and I need to get back to working at it like we were. Oh! during language study the other day our teacher was studying French and learned "Je suis enfant de Dieu" so I wrote that down to share with Frank and Beth :)

Every Sunday we have to prepare a 5 minute talk in Spanish, then when we get into Sacrament meeting they announce who will be speaking. So you really never know when it'll be you until right before. This past Sunday I could've sworn it was going to be me, but nope! So probably this week. There are only about 25 people in our branch that meet together and 6-8 of them speak so the odds are pretty good I'll get called up, Wish me luck!

Okay, funny story. Remember how I said the food was good? I kinda jinxed it. Because after that it got kinda sketchy. They are super creative though! A couple days ago we had hot dogs for dinner. I'm guessing we didn't eat them all because the next day we had potatoes and hot dogs for breakfast. Then hot dogs showed up in the salad at lunch, and pasta with hot dogs for dinner. At least they don't waste! All day we were playing I spy the hot dogs.

I can't think of much else that happened this week so I will send pictures. I love you all so much and pray for you everyday. And talk about you all the time! 

Con amor,

Hermana Granado

1. Our laundry drying since we have a washer but no dryer

2. My district in front of the CCM sign

3. Me in front of my casa

4. Me and Hermana Baird in front of the map

5. Me in front of our purpose as missionaries (we recite it in Spanish every day in class)

6. My district in front of the CCM sign

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

Hello everybody, estoy en Mexico! 

I have my name tag on and everything, I am officially a missionary! Well, even more officially. My name on my tag is spelled wrong but they said they´d take care of it tomorrow. I don¨t know who my companion is yet but I am sure she is great!

The flight was good, a little bumpy but I am here safe! I got to sit next to a girl from Arizona who is also going on a mission. She will be serving in Tampa Florida. We chatted the whole way and made each other unofficial first companions. 

Some of my ward members surprised me at the airport which was really nice of them. Miss you guys already! But I am so so so excited to be here right now. Not much else to tell except I am already loving it.

Everyone else is still typing their 'hi family, I'm here safe' emails. So I thought I'd share a little story. On the plane today there were 4 elders and 10 sisters! Which would not have happened this time last year (because of the recent age requirement change).So many sisters are serving missions and I think it is so great. But getting on the bus (after walking a mile and a half through the airport). We had to get our luggage on the bus. Mind you, We all had at least 2 suitcases that weighed close to 50lbs each. The guy from the MTC (it's called the CCM here in Mexico) called all the elders up to get on the bus first. Us sisters were kinda peeved until we saw why he did that. Those poor elders had to load all our luggage on the bus while the sisters snapped pictures. I felt really bad for them but am excited to send pictures home when I get a chance!

Also, a man who seemed to have intentions of helping my and my unofficial companion with our bags through the airport kept asking us something in very fast espanol and we looked at him, then at each other, he repeated himself, we stared at him with really confused looks and finally said 'lo siento, penqueno espanol (looking at each other) let's just do it ourselves... how dumb do you feel right now? Really dumb... Me too.'

I will learn soon!

Con amor,

Hermana Granado

Counting down

So if anyone has been keeping track with me, you know I report to the MTC in exactly seven days. Yes, this time next week I will be running around, gathering all the final little things before heading to the airport to go to Mexico. 

On Sunday I will give my farewell to the ward. Then, on Tuesday I will get set apart by my stake president as a missionary in the California Redlands Mission. The next day I will head to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to start my 18 month journey as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Thinking about all of that makes me feel a lot like this...

I can't believe it's so close! These past couple weeks have pretty much flown by, which I'm thankful for because the waiting has been excruciating!

I really hope that you all will keep in contact with me while I'm gone, because I know I'll miss you all! And I'll have lots of stories to share!

One week, gotta get to work!

Aeromexico

Yesterday I got the most exciting email ever! It was from the Missionary Travel Department in Salt Lake City. My flight itinerary is all set! 

I am booked and confirmed to leave from Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl Airport at 2:15pm on Wednesday October 30th and I will be arriving at the Mexico City Juarez Intl Airport at 9:05pm. After I pass through immigration, get my luggage, go through customs, and find the person from the MTC that is supposed to pick up the missionaries, it is about a 30min drive to the MTC. 

Upon arrival at the MTC, from what I understand, I will receive my name tag, Spanish study materials, a companion, and a pillow and sheets for my bed.

Talk about a long day!

I wonder how I'll feel that night. Laying in my new bed, in the Mexico City MTC, having seen my family just hours before, and knowing I won't see them for 18 more months. Thinking of the name tag on the nightstand beside me and what it means when I will put it on in the morning. Hoping I will get along with my first companion for these next six weeks. Wondering if I'll ever be able to learn Spanish. Hoping I'll be a good missionary for those I will teach.

Those are just a few things that might be on my mind that first night...

I just hope I will be able to sleep because at 6:30am the next day I will be on the run! No time for jet lag, no time for relaxing, no time to think about myself. And I can't wait!

"Forget yourself and go to work."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

My mission is getting more and more real every day.

Nineteen days! It's actually in the teens!

Too Excited About Two suitcases

I know I've mentioned that I'm excited for my mission. But today it got a little more real that I am actually LEAVING.
Why? My luggage is finally here!
A huge thanks to my aunt for this much needed early birthday/going away present.
I never thought I'd be so excited about luggage.
Does this mean I'm an adult? No, it's probably just a missionary thing.
Either way, I am borderline giddy at the fact I have these two brand new beauties to carry all of my belongings during my 18 month adventure.

Now I know I don't leave for another 21 days but I couldn't help but start to pack. Just little things, of course. Like my winter coats... and some shoes... and jammies... and, uh, maybe a few pairs of socks, a couple scarves, and tights... and hangers. I just had to! I can't wait to fill these bags with all the other prizes my family has helped me collect for the mish. I'm so stinking excited to be a missionary that I can barely stand it!
These two (not so) little bags are going to accompany me to Mexico, then to Redlands, then wherever the Lord and my mission president see fit. They will be the only constant "home" for all my possessions for the next 18 months.
Boy, if these bags could talk!
Just a few more things left to do and I'm ready to go!