Cudahy: Translado 4: Semana 2 GOOOALLLL!!! June 21, 2010

Hola familia!
 
Its been quite a week. In case you hadn't heard, Mexico won their game in the World cup on Thursday, and the Lakers won the NBA title. How do I know? Because the city went crazy with celebration. I've never seen or heard anything like it. The soccer game was in the afternoon, and luckily it was going on while we were doing weekly planning, because they would not have been happy had we tried to go tracting and interrupt. When Mexico scored we could hear all of our neighbors yelling GOOOOALLLL!!!!, and when they won people went out into the streets and drove around honking their horns and going crazy. Later that night the Lakers won and it started all over again, and the celebrating lasted all night. Good thing I can sleep through anything, but my poor companion had a really rough time getting any rest. Its funny because I feel like sports is kind of a religion in and of itself, and there are some real fanatics out there. I'm growing to really love and appreciate soccer. It is a big part of the Latin American culture- everyone loves it. We've been playing it a lot as a zone lately and I've been trying to learn how.
 
We had a really neat special temple devotional this past Wednesday where the entire mission, about 500 missionaries, came and we all did a session together. It was so powerful seeing all of the missionaries together. I felt kind of overwhelmed though being surrounded by so many people and not knowing hardly any of them. My companion likes to tease me a lot because I can be really awkward sometimes, especially when I'm in big crowds like that, and especially when I'm trying to be careful so the elders don't get the wrong idea when I'm just trying to be friendly. It is funny how weird the elders are sometimes, especially like when we are playing sports. I feel like I have a bubble around me and they are all afraid to actually play, which gets me frustrated because I always want to play like I'm just one of the guys. :)
 
I feel like I have been really blessed this transfer with my companion Sister Garcia, because she has really helped me break out of being another robot, super missionary that has to pretend to be perfect all of the time. She's helped me to be myself more and not be so hard on myself. It is hard to be a missionary, and its ok to admit that. I have had some really rough times, but that is all part of the experience. I think that it is also hard now that its summer and we've been conditioned our whole lives to go into vacation mode for summer, and we can think about all of the fun things that are happening back at home, but as missionaries have to keep working hard and pushing forward. I haven't been super "trunkie," I'm just saying that I let myself admit that its hard but that its ok if i feel like its hard sometimes, as long as I keep pushing forward and working my hardest, which I am.
 
I like how in Alma there is so much good council for missionaries, and I love reading about how it was hard for them too, but they were able to overcome it. There is a part that I just read about how Alma and his sons and the sons Mosiah all went on a mission to the Zoramites, and it says basically that all of their suffering were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. God always reimburses us more than any suffering and sacrifice that we make. I know that is true, because this has been the hardest thing I've ever done, but I've also never felt so much joy. I love the friendships I've made here and the people I've seen come unto Christ, and I love knowing that they will literally be my friends forever, and that I was a very small part of the incredible changes they have made in their lives.
 
I love you!
 
Sister Dansie