I’m going to be like Nefi someday. I’ll just do stuff. I won’t doubt or murmur or wonder how it will work out. I’ll just say YES!

About Sept 26, 2011

First snail mail letter from Nicaragua

My dear family,

I’m sitting at my desk—with 4 piles o books- scriptures, PMG, PME, journals, miracle books, Grammar books, manuals, information guides.  I haven’t sweated through my shirt yet today, and I have a fan going, so it actually feels pretty good.  I’ve had personal study, comp. study and lang. study and now I get to write you!  I’ve been dying to write a letter for a long, long time.  And this is it.  I’m emailing later today, so I’ll probably write more later – after email time.

Let me tell you about the people we live with.  They were baptized last year.  I think they’re married, but I don’t see the men…hardly ever, so I’m not sure.  Hna Carme is the Mom/gramma.  Her daughter is Sobeyda.  Sobeyda has 2 kids:  Abel 11 y/o and Axel 3 y/o.  They are fun.  It’s fun to be able to talk to kids.  They feed us lunch and dinner – and it’s delicious.  We eat omelettes, noodles, potatoes, rice, beans, tortillas, ketchup, crema, geletina, queso, and we’ve had platanos once.  Platanos + cheese, and fried = deliciousness.

Yesterday we woke up early to do splits and invite people to come to church.  We have 21 recent converts.  We left before 7:00 with Hna Gladis and went to pick up Hna Belkin, who visited people with Hna Castro.  Hna Gladis goes on splits every domingo, and so she knows where everyone lives.  We visited lots & lots of people, recent converts, menos activos, and Blanca y Cruz – investigadores.  Only one person said he would come. And he didn’t.  Oh well!  At church I just wanted to cry because the morning had been a little rough.  But we sang “How Firm a Foundation” & “Secreta Oracion“ which made me feel a little better.  After church we ate lunch and I played with Abel y Axel a little. We visited a reference with Hna Gladis and then visited with Flor y Narcisa, who are R.C.  Flor agreed to make divisions with us.  So Hna. Castro gave Gladis a lots of R.C.’s and their addresses… told us to contact a lot!   And we did more splits from about 3:00 – 6:45.  I was scared because I can’t really understand Hna Gladis, but I stopped and talked with 3 people who were chatting and was able to talk about who they were, who I and Hna Gladis were, and I shared some of the 1^st lesson with them.  I have their addresses, and one of them asked a lot of questions.  Hna Gladis had to help me out because I didn’t understand his questions very well – some of them.  But I told him I couldn’t understand Spanish very well, but I could say that I had a testimony and that I wanted to answer his questions – it was good to have questions and they can be answered.    

The next person I contacted was drunk.  That was kind of fun, but it was a waste of time because he kept on talking y talking y talking.  I couldn’t really cut him off, but I did eventually.  Ha ha.  After that, we visited RC y one investigator.  We sing a hymn, pray, and share a scripture and make an invitation or a compromise.  The first lady, I asked her to bear her testimony.  Gladis told her about Gen. Conf. plans.  I usually don’t talk much when I’m with Hna Castro in a lesson because she’s way friendlier and she actually speaks & understands Espanol.  But, this Sunday there was no Hna. Castro so I had to talk and ask questions and listen and be friendly and all that jazz.  It was great.  Really great.  Especially after the morning.  I understood a joke and I even made a joke!  I was funny in Spanish!  We visited 6 houses and invited them to come to Gen. Conf.  I need to be more persistent about getting people to pray.  My miracle on Sat. was that I didn’t feel scared out of my mind for splits the next day.  But tomorrow I’m going to have to rely on the Lord as my companion.  That’s how the sons of Mosiah did it! . . . I’m going to be like Nefi someday.  I’ll just do stuff.  I won’t doubt or murmur or wonder how it will work out.  I’ll just say YES! and follow through…..miracle time!  Time for fe!  Time to read and go to bed!   A word they use a lot here is “animo” and yesterday I had animo.  That was the miracle.  I was able to be someone better and do the things the Lord wanted me to do.  And that felt good.  Usually being friendly wears me out.  But yesterday I wasn’t tired.  God loves us and he can change us.  I love you all and I think about you and pray for you everyday. 

In Nagarote we don’t have street names.  I’m going to learn a lot.  Our area is very large and very flat.  It’s beautiful.  Green, green, green.  The people live in houses.  A lot – the majority- perhaps, have dirt floors.  They have old broken chairs.  Hna Carme y Sobeyda have a nice, big house with a big refrigerator, stove and oven.  A lot of people cook on a fire on the floor.  I smell like smoke every night.  During the morning, we study.  All new missionaries have an extra hour of companion study.  We get to watch videos from the district and practice.  We eat lunch and work.  We eat cena and leave again.  At night, it feels great.  There are frogs that make noises like---I don’t know.  But the evenings are lovely.  Our area is part of a branch. There is a companionship of Elders too that attend the branch.  We eat with them everyday for dinner.  This area is pretty safe.  My first day here, Hna Castro y yo practiced contacting.  She got Hna Carme y Sobeyda, so I contacted both of them.  Then she said, OK There’s a man working here (a gardener) and he’s not a member.  You’re going to contact him.  So, with a few complaints, I contacted him and bore my testimony.  I told him that I love flowers (he was working with the roses in front of our house.)  I didn’t understand but I guess he said, I want to sit down and study with you sometime.  Hna Sobeyda said, yeah, the Hnas can help you to stop drinking.  So that was exciting!  Miracle!  My first contact in Nicaragua asks to be taught.  The next day we taught him about faith and repentance and he said he wants to change.  I hope he keeps his commitments.  He told us later that he had a dream of him and his kids playing at a templo – which means church, I’m pretty sure – that‘s still pretty cool.  And that’s why he wanted to study with us because of his dream.  Okay, love to all!  Congrats to Chris Allen!  -- Hna. Tew

My first Nicaraguan meal? McDonalds!!!!

I`m in Nagarote with Hna Castro...My first night here 

I killed a huge spider.

Before I came on my mission, in one of my Special Ed classes, I had this impression that 

SpEd had prepared me for my mission.  And I don`t mean that in a condescending way. 

I mean that I learned a lot of really valuable communication skills, teaching skills,

and life skills in my classes and experiences.  I know I was supposed to study SpED 

and also that I`m supposed to be here in Nicaragua.

September 26, 2011

 

Dear Family,
I finally get to write you!!!!   I sent a letter today.  Well, I`m in Zona San Dino, not sure if that`s one word or two, and I`m in Nagarote with Hna Castro.  Hna. Castro is from Guatemala City and she has lived in the United States for two years, learning English.  She`s very friendly and kind and smart.  We don`t really talk a ton, but we get along fine.  I`m really grateful that she is my companion.  Well, in my letter I wrote about divisiones that we had yesterday and also a new  investigator that we have.  His name is Chico. 
It was very sad to say goodbye to the CCM and my district.  I love love loved the time that I had there and I loved my district too.  I honestly have felt homesick for them and the CCM.  But I am grateful to be here.  Sometimes I think about that dream you had of me before I was born, Mom, and it makes me wonder how I was ever ready to leave a place and try something new.  But part of me must like to do it!  Really, I am glad to be here and I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to go to the Provo MTC and especially the Guatemala CCM.  I love the Guatemala Temple.  But....
Nicaragua is fun.  It`s very different.  I left the CCM with a lot of other missionaries and we hung out in the airport for about 4 hours.  We flew to San Salvador and then to Managua.  The first flight took about 15 or 20 minutes.  And the second flight wasn`t much more.  President Monestel, Hna. Monestel and their three kids were waiting for us.  Hna Monestel and their two daughters had a flower for each of us.  It was really sweet.  President Monestel asked me how my Spanish was and I told him that it was okay.  The assistants took our luggage and we went with the Monestel family in a mini van.  President Monestel is humble.  I like him.  I thought that he drove a little crazy at first, but then I realized that that`s how everyone drives.  haha.  We (there were only three new hermanas this transfer) stayed at a hotel.  My first Nicaraguan meal?  McDonalds!!!!  hahaha   In the morning we had Gallo pinto which is rice and beans and everybody loves it.  We had trainings at the President`s home since there were only 3 of us plus an hermana who was getting training in order to be a trainer.  In the afternoon, we went out and worked with some sister missionaries in Managua.  I went with Hna. Torres who is from Guatemala and Espanol is her second language.  I was able to understand her pretty well.  We walked a lot.  We walked up a big hill.  Walking around where people lived reminded me of Samoa just because it was hot and humid and smelled like smoke from a campfire.  We talked to some people. 
The next day, Wed, we had our intercambios meeting and I met my trainer.  Hna Castro is way cool.  She`s so kind and friendly to everyone.  She can make friends with people instantly.  Hopefully I can develop some of the talent, although I do realize that the Lord called ME on a mission (somewhat shy me)
Our house is really nice.  My first night here I killed a huge spider.  It was funny.  Hna Castro came out and said, ¨Solomente, Hna. Tew tiene miedo de arañas?  Solo, hay una gran araña en el cuarto.'  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  That thing was scary.  There is one big room and three smaller rooms ' our bedroom, a room for luggage, clothes, small refrigerator, and changing, and the bathroom.  We have a shower, and the water works 80 percent of the time.  When it doesn`t work we take water out of a barrel and shower that way.  It feels sooooooooo good.  I actually like the bucket showers better, I think.  It reminds me of jumping into a lake and feeling the cold water on my sweaty face. mmmmm...
      We are working with lots and lots of people, but they are not progressing.  It`s kind of depressing.  I think they just try to please us, maybe?  But it`s sad when they don`t come to church.  We visited tons of people yesterday morning ' in splits ' and invited them to come to church, but they didn`t come.  None of our investigators came.  But miracles exist! And I have seen some miracles and I`ll see many many many many more.  I am sure of that. We visited Blanca and Cruz, and gave them a Book of Mormon.  Cruz got out a notebook and jotted down the pages of what we asked him to read.  He had notes of previous lessons in that notebook.  We suggested that he write down his questions in the notebook too.   A lot of people don`t know how to read. and it`s difficult for them to understand the Libro de Mormon if they do read.   This morning I was reading in 2 Ne 31 and it talks about how the Lord speaks to us in our language according to our understanding.  He illuminates our understanding.  I guess that`s through the Spirit and through prayer.  Before I came on my mission, in one of my Special Ed classes, I had this impression that SpEd had prepared me for my mission.  And I don`t mean that in a condescending way.  I mean that I learned a lot of really valuable communication skills, teaching skills, and life skills in my classes and experiences.  I know I was supposed to study SpED and also that I`m supposed to be here in Nicaragua. 
Kyle - thanks for the letter!  The day we left the CCM, on Monday, we had an earthquake too!  But it sounds like yours was pretty bad.  I`m glad the website is going well.  I pray for you everyday!
Kevin, I got your Dear elder last Tuesday
Mom and Dad  It sounds like Stake Conference was really awesome.  I`m excited to get the letters and hear about how it went.  Please write me a lot.  I miss you too.  It made me laugh-cry to hear about the piece of grass on the fence around the little tree.  I`m glad you knew it was me! Thanks for attaching those two photos. 
Mom can you post my new address on facebook -- thanks!  also monitor my bank accounts.  I took out some money today. 
Nagarote is pretty safe.  Don`t worry about me, but please do pray for me. 


DAD!!! I almost forgot...the last friday night in the CCM President Steimle came into our classroom with his finger over his lips and motioned us to come into his apartment.  There were three men sitting on the couches around the TV which was not working because of a storm.  They had leftover pizza for us.  They were watching the BYU UTAH game!!!! And I may have seen a few frames too.  It made me laugh.  I hope you got to see more than I did.  But I did get to see something.
Okay, I got to go.  I just got your letter Dad.  I LOVE YOU all and I pray for you everyday ALL of you by name!!!  I hope Dani and baby are doing well.  Write me or something!
Here is the letter I wrote to the President today.  See what you can correct.
Presidente Monestel,
Yo vivo!  Y estoy agradecida de estar aqui en Nagarote con Hna. Castro.  Esta semana, visitamos muchos recent conversos.  Estoy aprendiendo que yo necesito confiar en El Señor mucho mas.  Si esta carta es sobre como yo siento, yo siento cada sentimiento que es posible. Estoy triste porque nuestros investigadores no asistaran a la iglesia este domingo.  Pero estoy animada porque tenemos contactos que vamos a enseñar.  Hna. Castro es tuanis.  Este domingo tuvimos divisiones y eso fue muy bien.  Podiamos visitar y contactar. No pude entender mucho de lo que las personas dijeron, pero mi compañera, Hna. Gladis, me ayudo.  Dios nos bendice!  Mas que todo, yo quiero ser mejor.  Yo quiero ser una misionera que sigue El Espiritu and tiene esperanza y fe en Jesucristo.  Yo se que El Libro de Mormon me ayudara a tener El Espiritu.

I was feeling terrible because I had been speaking way too much English, so I decided to repent...I honestly felt and FEEL that speaking English is a sin for me right now

September 14, 2011

Dear Family

I didn’t write nearly what I wanted to in my email.  Here are a few more points.  I got Becky’s card and a letter from Grandma.  Mom—can you update my address on Facebook please?  You can put it on my wall.  Send me a picture of the family if you can, at some point.  You can send one in a letter if you send it to Nicaragua and not by pouch, I think. 

I’ve been trying to speak Spanish a lot more.  And yesterday I spoke a lot of English, which was no bueno!  But, my Spanish has improved a lot, and it still has a looooooooooooooooong way to go.  But, it will get there.  I really want to be able to understand what other people are saying to me.  That’s super difficult.  During a lesson or church it’s not quite so bad—I understand a lot.  After our lesson with Hna Ayala, she told Hna Wilkinson and I that we have the gift of tongues and she said that happened because of things like when I said I didn’t want to speak English anymore or when we pretended not to understand when someone spoke English to us.  I wish I had spoken more Spanish!  It’s hard to have self-control.  But, I’ve had good days and bad days and that will continue to be true, I’m sure.  Contacting yesterday in the street was really fun, but it was also really heard.  I don’t feel like I have nearly enough faith to do it the way God wants me to do it.  But I know the only way to be a missionary is to be like Christ and He definitely had faith.  In PMG it says he was perfectly obedient and without sin.  He was so willing to do whatever God asked him to do. 

I have to do the music stuff for the CCM – with Hna Wilkinson, and this Sunday, District Ammon sang for sacrament meeting and I accompanied them.  They sang “My Redeemer Lives” by Pres. Hinckley.  I practiced with them at lunch during the week – which was fun since they’re all Latinos and I was speaking Spanish.  I told them to sing loud and smile and to bear their testimony – since the song is a testimony.  It was great.

I have really learned a lot about repentance.  Hna Wilkinson is a good example.  Last week I was in the lab – working on TALL – the language program - and I was feeling terrible because I had been speaking way too much English, so I decided to repent.  Conveniently, there’s a section on repentance in the TALL program – so I opened that and went to the section on phrases and clicked through until I got to one that explained how we repent (so we can explain repentance to others.)  So, I repented during TALL time, and it was definitely my best use of time in TALL to date.  I honestly felt and FEEL that speaking English is a sin for me right now, and I honestly felt forgiven after praying and trying/desiring to change.

I love my district.  There’s an Elder Jackson who is so hilarious.  He just gets up sometimes and starts being funny.  He acted like a math professor once and explained why Elder + Jackson = Elder Jackson.  It was hilarious.  He always chooses the same hymn to sing – 146 “Tengo Gozo en mi Alma Hoy”.  It has become a district joke.  Our district really likes to sing  - most do & Elder Reeder always complains when someone suggests that we sing 146.  We have a theme of the day everyday.  Something short and sweet and Spanish.  Elder Reeder called dibs on creating the theme of the day for fast Sunday and wrote on the whiteboard:  Tengo hambre en mi Alma hoy.  We all thought that was fairly hilarious.  Sometimes we have trouble starting to sing, so I’ve been designated the official starter-offer.  Even though Elder Ward always has a more accurate starting pitch than I do.  Everyone insists that I start.  And when they do, I always just say porque! And then say uno, dos, tres really fast and start singing.  It’s fun.  Also, fun is when people are suggesting starting pitches.  Elder Jackson takes off his name tag and blows on the bottom – where the two sides come together and it makes a pitch.  That’s actually worked out pretty well a few times.  Elder Ward always wants to sing tenor, so he tries to start us off accurately or maybe a little higher.   And then Elder Reeder will let out a really low note.  He ALWAYS sings a full octave lower than everyone else.  And Elder Urmston pretends like he doesn’t like to sing, but he really does.   Our elders have a lot of faith.  And so does Hna Wilkinson.  They all know that the Lord will help them teach, speak, and become someone better.  Last night we had a testimony meeting based on the devotional we heard last night.  It was way awesome.  Elder Jackson talked about having faith in Christ – he has an awesome testimony.  He struggles a lot with Spanish, but he was able to contact people yesterday.  Elder Liljenquist talked about how much he has changed and how he knows he can change more – and he likes that he can change - and how he has changed.  Elder Urmston talked about repentance and how  good it feels to be clean and forgiven and how he is excited to repent more because it feels so good.  Elder Ward & Elder Parmer talked about how the Spirit is the real teacher, and we have to get out of the way.  Christ must increase and we must decrease.  Elder Reeder bore his testimony of how Christ can help us and comfort us.  Hna. Wlkinson bore her testimony that we have to rely on God in order to do this work.  I bore my testimony that I know we can change, and we can become better.  I will be sad to say goodbye.  I never like saying good-bye .  Let me know how/what you are all doing.  I love you all.  I’m so grateful for this time I’ve had in Guatemala.  It’s definitely been a gift.   I love Guatemala.  I love the temple here!  I love the CCM.  And I love you all too!  

Love, Hermana Tew

After teaching an real investigator at the CRE : "It was good...I just felt so happy. Because that´s what I am going to be doing for the next 16 months."

Email  Sept 14

Hola Familia. 

It has been a miracle week!  Really good.  

We had a lesson with an investigator this week at CRE.  Hna. Ayala´s sister, Madeleine gave us a reference and the reference came to CRE!  She got taught by the missionaries three times in one day.  Hopefully it was a good experience for her.  Madeline was with her (Maria)  The elders who taught her first came out of their lesson and talked to us about what they had taught.  They had taught her about the restoration.  We decided to talk about prayer and how the gospel blesses families, because Madeliene had told us that it would be good for Maria to hear about how the Gospel could bless her family.  She was kind of shy, but she did talk to us, and she prayed at the end of the lesson.  I think that she hadn´t really prayed in order to ask for things before, so we asked her to pray in order to ask for things that her family needed.  It was good. After CRE, we walked home, by the gas station, and I just felt so happy.  Because that´s what I am going to be doing for the next 16 months.  I can´t believe almost two months have gone by already.  Wow, I need to type faster....

We also had a lesson this week with Hna. Ayala.  She is "an investigator"  named Jennifer, and Hna. Ayala taught Jennifer on her mission, so she´s playing a person  that she taught and knows very well.  We actually got to see a picture of the real Jennifer.  Our first lesson with her was a little strange.  Jennifer showed us her house and how she was fixing it up and how she made crosses out of glass and then sold them on the street.  We told her about God, families, prophets, and the restoration.  We gave her a Book of Mormon and told her about it and asked her to pray about it too.  She said she would, and we asked her to pray for us just to close our visit.  She was confused because she only prays the Lord´s Prayer.  And she told us she was sad for us because we weren´t following the example of the Lord.  She told us to go read the Bible and change our ways.  So we told her that we would talk more about prayer this time.  We had a lesson plan and were going to read the intercessory prayer and some other good scriptures.  We taught her in the comedor and started by praying and then asking her how her reading went.  She was supposed to read 2 Ne 31 I think.... I don´t remember, but she had decided it was better to start at the beginning. So she had read the introduction and the testimony of the three witnesses.  She had some questions about who the Lamanites and Nephites were, so we talked about that.  And she had other questions about how it was translated and what language it was in, and if the people who wrote the book were the people who killed Jesus.  So, we pointed out some things in the first page like 600 BC and the language of the Egyptians, and we asked her why it was important to read the Book of Mormon, what we need to do to receive a witness of the truth, what it means to meditate in your heart... stuff it talks about in the introduction.  She told us that she was starting a journal so she could write about what she was reading in her own words.  (And I´m pretty sure my mouth dropped)  and she said she wanted to read the whole book.  I asked her if she understood why prayer was important, and I don´t really remember where the lesson went from there, but it was awesome.  We asked her a lot of questions and she responded, and there were a lot of pauses, but they were good pauses and at some point we asked how she felt.  She told us that she wanted to change her life and be able to return to Heavenly Father (She told us later that everything she said to us, her investigator had said to her)  The spirit was so strong.  It was awesome.  I knew that I should invite her to be baptized, but I first thanked her for her testimony. I just thought about it for about thirty seconds, and there was just silence.  And then I asked her Seguira el ejemplo de Jesucristo....and she got this smile on her face and said yes.  After the lesson she told us that it was a good lesson because we followed the Spirit and we answered her questions using the BoM,  In Preach my Gospel it says that those are the two greatest tools that we have.  She also said that she thought for a second that I wasn´t going to ask her to be baptized.   And she thought if Hna Tew doesn´t ask me to be baptized, I´m not going to talk to her for a very long time.  Anyway, it was good.  And I want to have the Spirit like that in every lesson, because that was crazy. 

    Yesterday we went contacting, and I want to tell you more about it but here´s one story.  There was a little boy in the street about 6 years old and he was crying. He only had one shoe.  We talked to him and some niños had taken his other shoe.  His mom wasn´t home, and he was soooooooooo sad.  It was hard to understand him because he was crying.  I didn´t really know what to do, but Hna. Wilkinson talked to him a little and tried to make him feel better.  We started walking up the street and there were two policemen that were there.  The little boy started to talk to them, and I think they took him to his uncle’s house.  There was a group of women across the street and they saw.  We went over and talked to them, and they were the most promising contact of the day.  Contacting is hard, and I´m not very good at it because it´s hard to have faith to talk to every single person you see.  Or knock on every door.  The abuelas, the security guards, the people who are walking fast.  But I´m going to get better at it.  Okay have fun with Stake Conference.  I have a lot more to say but no more time!  Love to all of you.   I´m leaving for Nicaragua on Monday, I think, on a plane BYE!

Marybeth at the Billings, Montana temple, June 2011

Marybeth has been called to the Nicaragua, Managua South mission.  She entered the Provo MTC on July 20th, studied there for three weeks until Aug. 9th.  She arrived at the Guatemala CCM on August 10th.

we all shared about the thing that was most precious to us

"I talked about my miracle book.
Everyone really liked it and I read one of my days to them. 

I love to reread all the miracles that have happened to me."

email

September 7, 2011

Dear Family,

   I have some notes about what I want to write.  Here are a few bullet points:

Grandma: Thank you for your letters I love to read them.  Don´t send anymore to Guatemala though because I probably won´t receive them. I love to hear about what you are doing and also a little bit about the world because I have no idea what is going on out there :)

Dad:  I read Alma 7:17 and thought about how you taught us to bear testimony in that mission prep class in Sheridan.    Also thanks for being a faithful writer.  I´m glad that you are preparing for Elder Nelson and hopefully that is a really fun thing for you.  Please please please tell him that I say hi.  I just think that would be cool. 

Mom: thank you for the dear elders from missionaries.  I like to receive them.  You don´t have to send all of them all the time, but I would like to get a few from Ellis and Hannah and Robert and Rachelle. 

Also, the garden looks fabulous.  thanks for the picutres of the squash and my sweet pea :)  I loved the picture of the backyard with the Wyoming sky. 

Kevin and Cheryl, can you send me a picture of the family at some point?  I especially want a picture of Tanner and Nani, but I would like to have one of all of you.  I have Scotty and Adam and I want to show off all of my cute neices and nephews. 

Paul I wrote you last week. I hope you get  the letter.

          I´m super excited that Lucia is going to make Pozole for Elder Nelson.  That was a great idea, Dad.  Don´t send me any more mail here because I won´t get it.  Mom can you post my new address on facebook and tell people to address the DE to Nicaragua Managua Sur?  Gracias. 

Speaking of Gracias,  my Espanol has definitely improved a lot.  It´s hard for me to realize it sometimes, but it definitely has helped to have to speak to my teachers and companions in Spanish.  I learn a lot and I get to implement what I learn.  I need to work on my vocabulary more.  It´s fun.  My poor Latina companion probably thinks that I´m really slow because I don´t speak well, but whatever.  I didn´t speak much Spanish at all on Monday, and a little more on Tuesday and Today has not started off well, but I am going  to improve!!!!!!!

            From Tuesday night until Monday morning I felt sick.  I was just really stressed out for some reason.  I made myself physically sick.  I felt like I was going to throw up.  But I didn´t.  Finally, I asked an Elder in my district for a blessing and that was really good.  He blessed me that the stress and the feelings of sickness would leave. That I would be able to teach with my companions, and that I would be able to love and communicate my love for my investigators.  He told me three times that Heavenly Father was pleased with my decision to serve a mission. That was nice to hear as well. 

         Happiness!!!  We taught in CRE last Saturday.  We taught Hna. Ayala´s sister and I´m still not sure what her name is.  I think that it´s Madeline.  She is a member and she is going to go on a mission in March, hopefully.  We talked to her about preparing and gave her a compromiso commitment.  She gave us three referencias.  Two of them are her best friends and one is her brother- in-law.  Hna Ayala told us that Madeline called up Mariana, one of the referencias, and invited her to come to CRE this Saturday.  So we are praying that she will come so that we can teach her.  I am so excited to teach a real live investigator.  It´s fun to teach teachers and members and less active members too.  Way fun.  Except I feel like I´m going to throw up every time.  Kind of like Speech and Debate.

           Hna Ayala is one of our teachers and she is pretty much the coolest person on the face of the earth.  A gift from God.  haha but really.  She´s super intimidating.  But every time she opens her mouth I feel the spirit.  She had us read about Lehi´s dream and find the different types of people that were in the dream.  Then ask ourselves:  how can this help me fulfill my purpose as a missionary?  I really liked how she applied it to us.  As missionaries, we can partake of the fruit and then call out in a loud voice to others to partake of the fruit as well.  Or we can partake of the fruit and be ashamed to share it.  We can be ashamed of our Spanish, and how we can´t really communicate very well.  I need to be more like the people who heard the people in the great and spacious building and heeded them not.  It´s cool to hear from Hna. Ayala becuase she served her mission in Ohio, and she had to learn English.  She was at the visitor´s center and also proselyted. or as Doug might say Proselytizerationalized.  She talked about how a group of young people came to the visitors center and they laughed at her English.  It made her feel bad, but she just kept on talking and bore her testimony. 

           Last night we had a devotional from Elder Martino.  He´s in the area presidency.  He told us about his mission and I guess he served with you, Dad.  I asked him afterwards, and he said, yes I remember there was an Elder Tew in my mission.  We never really were in the same area, but I remember there was one.  He talked about many things and here are a few that stick out.  Your companionship and personal study will determine the success of the rest of your day.

If you work with all your might, mind, heart, & strength your families are going to be blessed.  He said there are some of you that are worried about your families, but they are going to be blessed by your service.  He told us to unpack all our bags.  Don´t leave part of your heart or mind in Wyoming.  BTW I talked with three Latinas yesterday, and all three of them live closer to a temple than we do.  I thought that was interesting.  In fact, the three of them combined probably live as far from a temple as we do.

         Well, Familia.  I love you all.  and by love, I mean love.  I hope life is good in Utah, Wyoming, and Albany and DC?  Where is Kyle nowadays?  I think about you and pray for you.  Paul, you got a new job, right?  How is it going?  I love to hear from you.

Dani thanks again for my miracle book.  Yesterday we all shared about the thing that was most precious to us (an actual object that we had to show)  and I talked about my miracle book.  Everyone really liked it and I read one of my days to them.  I love to reread all the miracles that have happened to me.  I love you all!!!!! Thanks for your prayers.

         Love, love, love Hermana II