October 14, 2013

Hello PEOPLE!

It is I, from the Dominican Republic. This week went by way too fast, and I feel like I don't remember diddly squat.

I have become besties with a group of seven-year-olds at church. They are always hugging me and playing with my hair. I have a strong scalp now... I must say. I have had to fight off some tears. I'm strong. Sacrament was pretty loud yesterday because they wouldn´t stop talking. They are a bunch of little spazzy mcgee´s, but I do enjoy them. Hermana Schmit and I have also been trading weeks off playing the piano. Some songs I can only play one handed...makes me wish that I took lessons longer :)



Transfers are coming up in a week. I'm nerrrvous. Interviews with the President are this week. I'm NOT nervous. I'm perfect....I'm a perfect missionary, never sinned. (hahaha) The President is a really good guy. Whenever I talk to him I seem to forget how busy his life is. He is very attentive and genuine...good guy.

Our investigators are progressing really slowly. This area is really difficult, I must say. This transfer and area has really kicked my butt. I find myself missing the capital sometimes...like my converts, and joking with them and actually teaching lessons to people who somewhat have a desire to progress. And at the beginning of this transfer I had the mindset that my Spanish was going to be nearly perfect. Oh how young I was five weeks ago. Heavenly Father has just been like, ¨You have to be patient....¨ 

¨But I don't want to...¨

 ¨...You have to..¨ 

¨...Nooo...¨ 

¨Yes..¨ 

¨Nooo.¨ I hate being patient with myself. I HATE IT. I have absolute no patience...it's great, haha. But I'm learning.

This week I had a moment that I like to call ¨The Allred Moment¨. We were teaching a thirteen-year-old girl and we both agreed that she would say the closing prayer, and when it got to be her turn she ¨forgot¨ or she didn't want to or her voice hurt. So I was like, ¨No. You can pray. I know you can. God is waiting.¨ 

¨No, but I can't.¨

 ¨Nah, you're going to. We are going to sit here until you pray.¨ So we waited patiently for like 15 minutes. But she did it. I won...haha.

Another reason why DR Spanish kills me...they say ¨ou!¨ or ¨sa!¨ Instead of ¨out!¨ or ¨safe!¨ while they are playing baseball. I swear they never finish their words. Good people. Not good Spanish, but good people.

Yesterday we were talking with a member and she was talking about little hints that the apostles and prophets give about what they know. It's kind of..sneaky. I shared with her one that I found a week ago given by Henry B Eyring six months ago during General Conference. ¨I know that Christ lives as surely as did Joseph Smith when he saw the Father and the Son in the light of a brilliant morning in a grove of trees in Palmyra¨. Yeahh I feel like he´s hiding something, haha. I know the prophets and apostles know a lot more than they explain or we give them credit for. 

Then one of the Hermanas and I joked about how we would be THE WORST prophets´ wives. ¨Look, Muchacho, you're going to tell me everything, alright? No secrets, ya hear? You're not going to tell me?...That means you hate me.¨ Haha ay.

That Lord says in DC 33:8 ¨open your mouths and they shall be filled¨. I have learned that praying to have ¨my mouth filled¨ then acting, doesn´t work. Haha. That defeats agency. I must act, then there is power, and the Lord will help me have things to say. I'm really grateful to be here. It's rough, but it brings me happiness. I wrote in my journal while I was in the MTC I'm going to work my butt off until someone tells me to go home. I've needed to remind myself of that a few times, haha, especially in a dead area. Sometimes I second guess my actions..Maybe I think too much, I don't know. But I DO know that I am grateful for the atonement. I know that through it, it gives us strength to move forward. And we begin to see ourselves, the world, the future and the gospel differently. The church is awesome. Thank you for the prayers and support.

Con amor,
Hermana Buhrley