Q&A

For this week, I thought I'd share some of the answers to questions I got from emails to my family. Enjoy!

So we need help being better missionaries.  What's the best way you've found to start up a conversation about the gospel?

There's no one way. Really, we're still trying to get a handle on the language so we can say anything. But I'd go with addressing people's needs and challenges through the gospel. If people know that the gospel can help them with the things they need, they will be interested and take initiative. As people talk about what their challenges are and what they're doing, you can just talk about how the church/gospel has helped you in your life. There's also a lot to be said for just talking about the church in daily conversation since the gospel is a huge part of our lives. Really, it is our lives. Also, please go with the missionaries to lessons every once in a while. Lessons are that much stronger when both missionaries and members are testifying of the same thing. It's also good so investigators actually recognize and are familiar with some people in the ward when they go to church.

Where have you learned more spanish - MTC or Texas - members or companion?

Depends. I've learned a lot grammar wise in the MTC and got a good foundation in learning how to learn a language. Here in Texas, I've progressed a lot just in listening comprehension (they talk way too fast and everyone has their own dialect since they're from everywhere) and using the vocabulary I know in a more fluid, flexible way. As for my companion, she knows about as much spanish as I do but is more comfortable talking and knowing what to say and "faking it" when she doesn't understand what they're saying. But one thing I really like about serving stateside is that most of the people we talk to know at least some english or their kids do and we can ask "what does this mean?" or "how do you say this?". And about half the members in the ward are fluent in English.

Tell us about the people you're teaching and any interesting experiences you've had teaching.

Well, I definitely wish I learned more about Catholicism before I left for the mission. It's definitely important to know who "la virgen Guadalupe" is. About 3/4 of the spanish speaking people we meet are catholic to some degree. Though that means anything from they are active and go to church all the time or it's a part of their culture but not their devotion. It's a different culture down here. You know people like you when they give you food. One family we're teaching, la familia Benites, has given us food literally every time we visit, whether it's a mango or a can of soda, all the way up to pupusas (you should find a recipe and try them out. They're amazing!) and empanadas. And when we were tracting yesterday afternoon, we were trying one more house before going to our dinner appointment. A couple people were having a sunday barbecue and they offered us a couple large pieces of chicken. It was a little awkward showing up to our dinner appointment with our own food but they understood since both parents in the family served spanish speaking missions.

Also, people are interesting. We've heard about all sorts of miracles in people's lives. Everything from mystical spirit stuff that I'd rather avoid talking about to miraculous healings from cancer to turning people's lives around. I sometimes forget how interesting people are. It's also interesting seeing what other people believe. We came across a man that was a little confrontational and had a lot of questions, like "do you think gays are going to burn in hell?" and "Why in the world are we responsible for Adam's transgression?" and "do you believe in hell?". We answered his questions and informed him that we love gay people (just not their actions), that we are only responsible for our own sins and that we don't believe in different degrees of glory instead of just heaven and hell. Hopefully a seed was planted though he kept insisting that Jesus didn't establish a church therefore we couldn't be the restored church...

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I finally went to Texas!

I'm glad to be here in Texas! Now I just need to understand what people are saying. It really depends on the person. Sometimes I can understand 80% sometimes I can't understand a word. Maybe it depends on what country they're from... It's been a little surreal actually being on a mission (sometimes it feels like I'm just following the missionaries around but then I realize there's only one other missionary...) but it also feels so right. I'm excited!

 

There's also a critical question to answer: Is everything really bigger in Texas?

 

Yes and no. I guess it really depends. In the hispanic culture, I haven't seen that as much, but with the white people yes. A lot of the houses are large, the trucks are large, the roads are large... It's already gotten to the point where I like roaming trailer parks and "ghetto" apartments where the hispanic people live. I get the feeling all the white people have already heard about us "mormons" in their churches (one of which we call the "great and spacious building because it's literally as big as a department store) but the hispanic people are almost always open to listening.
 

For all of you that want to write me, my address is

 

Hermana Jarvis

3232 N Locust #1521

Denton TX, 76207

 

For packages, please use the mission office address.

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Who art thou?

This week brought a promise from one of the MTC teachers during "coaching missionary study" (basically personal coaching on a companionship basis). He brought up the story in Moses chapter 1. Moses is transfigured and sees a vision of the earth and everything on/in it. God then leaves Moses for a while and Satan comes and tempts him. Moses casts out Satan, and then sees an even fuller vision of the earth and of God's purposes. I highly recommend reading, whoever you are.

He said something like "God never wants you to not talk to someone, especially as a missionary. It's Satan who is tempting you to not open your mouth. Satan always pokes at our weaknesses, and this happens to be yours. Perhaps Satan can't get at you in other areas of your life. This chapter is for you. Like Moses, you can discern that it's Satan who doesn't want you to talk to people to keep them away from the Gospel. Like Moses, you can tell Satan "Who art thou? Where is thy glory that I should worship thee?". You can say "get thee hence Satan" and call upon God to unloose your tongue. Call upon God every day to unloose your tongue."

I find it interesting that Moses was slow of speech as well. I don't know if that means that he had a stuttering problem, was afraid to talk to people, or if he wasn't eloquent or a man of many words. But regardless, God definitely made up for what he lacked and made him a powerful instrument in God's hands. I know the same can and will happen for me if I work my hardest and call upon God. I thought I'd share this because the same goes for you. I know that Satan's main "work and glory" is to hold you back and make you miserable. God's work and glory is to make you more than you can possibly imagine (like Him) and to help you soar. When times are hard and fear is holding you back, tell Satan/that fear, "Who art thou? Where is thy glory that I should worship thee?" There is none. God's way isn't easy, but it's definitely the best.

Now I've got The Who stuck in my head. "Whoooo are you? ooh ooh, ooh ooh"

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"Use the Atonement!"

One of my investigators brought up a universal question:
"When all these terrible things happened to me, they said that Jesus would help me, that I should use His Atonement. Sure, Christ suffered everything for us, but he has the strength of a God. Of course he could do all that. But I have the strength of a man. How is Christ supposed to help me?"

That got me thinking about me and how I figured that all out. In my childhood, whenever I heard about the Atonement, it reminded me of middle aged women crying in fast and testimony meeting and talking about how they "used the Atonement". To me and my literal mind, I was imagining some miracle product or a physical tool. I didn't get it. I didn't make the connection between Atonement and redemption/empowerment. I just saw all the women crying. I was doing my best to be good. I've never done anything really bad and thought that repentance was for those people that did obvious bad things. And thanks to my family, there were a lot of temptations that just didn't come up.  But on the other hand, I never really gave Christ my burdens. I kept most of my teenage angst, loneliness, and frustration for no good reason. As a result, I made things more difficult for myself than I had to. I didn't relate to people as I could or should have. I had a habit of drowning out my pain (as well as the Spirit) with really heavy music, all the time. It's not a terrible thing to do, but it's not a good idea either.

Now I don't feel the need to drown out my pain anymore, and it's not because I have less pain to work with. I don't know if there's a specific turning point, but at some point after I moved to Montana, things turned around. There were times when I could have been angry but was able to pray for strength to have an open mind (to the fact that I might not know the entire story) and for the strength to choose to be happy and give my anger/loneliness/pain/you name it to Christ. I learned that part of the Atonement means to give your burdens to Him so you're free to act, not be acted upon (2 Nephi 2:26). From there, I've relied on the Lord more and more, through everything that's happened in the last few years. Good times are ahead, no matter what.

Now my motto is "It's not about me". Thank Heavenly Father it's not all up to me and my will and efforts when He can do so much more with me.

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Seeing people as Christ does

I don't have much time, but I definitely need to share this.

I had an awesome experience a couple days ago. After my second meeting with Carlos, a new "investigator", I was seriously frustrated. After my companion and I left, I was very close to coming back and telling him if he didn't want to listen to us, we're not coming back. Carlos is the quintessential apathetic teenager. He told us that he was only listening to us because his family (all recent converts except for Dad) was pressuring him to. It was hard to get past that. I hardly ever get angry at people unless they decide to be be stupid or ignorant, or decide not to listen before even hearing the message. After stewing on that for a while, I started praying to know how to help him, and to help me get past that first impression of him. The next day in class, we were reading from the Book of Mormon as a district. It was the first couple chapters of 1 Nephi. I came across 1 Nephi 2:12. It was about Laman and Lemuel who murmured because they "knew not the dealings of the Lord". Something clicked in my mind. In the study time after that, I kept finding one scripture after another and a few questions came to my mind to ask Carlos at the next lesson. Thanks to the Holy Ghost, Carlos is a beloved son of God to help and serve, not an annoying kid I don't want anything to do with. I'm really amazed that Heavenly Father can work through me that way. I'm excited for when I can serve people that way in Texas!

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12 down, 30 to go!

Time flies so fast in the MTC, hence the title of this post. It's crazy how the days feel so long (because they are, I'm in class or studying from 9AM-9:30 PM) but the weeks are short. I'm suddenly not a noob anymore. And I somehow can understand and speak basic conversational spanish and simply teach the gospel. ...whoa.

So... I got an anonymous care package. I got a bunch of cookies, candy, and trail mix and an encouraging note. Now I've been wracking my brain to know who it could be. All I know is that it was shipped from a Provo post office (no address except for my name and mailbox number) and it's probably from one of my facebook friends or family, someone who would have access to my address. In case you're reading this blog, whoever you are, thank you for making my day!

Also, I thought I'd talk a bit about the Holy Ghost. I've been amazed by how much the Holy Ghost has helped me, both with the language, and with teaching the gospel and seeing the needs of the investigators I teach. I kid you not when I say that has made up for all that I lack. I understand some of this comes with my calling as a missionary, but I hope I can keep the spirit with me throughout my life so I can see the needs of those I come in contact with and be more able to help them with whatever it is. Every time my companion and I are able to teach with the Spirit, it's a holy, almost temple experience. We are all enveloped in a warm peace and calm, and with clear minds, able to teach what we need to. I hope I can keep that with me, even when I get comfortable and fluent in Spanish.

Also, a lot of the fear I had about teaching investigators is leaving. It really is true that perfect love casteth out fear (1 John 4:18). Yes, the "investigators" I'm teaching are just teachers role playing but the personas they take on are of people that they met and taught on their missions. The love and the Spirit is real nonetheless.

Another interesting thing is that one of the hermanas in my district, along with the others to a lesser degree have taken to joking that I'm "perfect". I know I need to let it go, but I'm still hyper-aware that I'm really good at some things and terrible at others. And the things I'm terrible at are all beneath the surface. Yes, I'm picking up Spanish quickly and I easily remember where scriptures are, but I'm also standing in awe at the strengths of the other people in my district. I guess I'm hypersensitive about being called perfect because of all the scriptures that say "if ye have not charity ye are nothing". I wouldn't say I'm devoid of charity. I'm pretty nice and I help people out when I know what I can do to help. But I have a hard time seeing people's needs (at least without the help of the Spirit) and I think I almost have a phobia of people in distress... I still don't know how to "mourn with those that mourn". But perhaps my mission is the time to learn. At least in both my setting apart and a father's blessing right before I left, I was blessed with compassion. I'm interested to see what will happen, as I do my part and let Christ do His.

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First week in the MTC

Whatever you think the MTC is like, it probably isn't. A lot of that is based on the fact that it changes according to your attitude. As for me, it's getting better. The first couple days, I felt like my head was in a vice, being squeezed harder and harder. It wasn't so much because of learning Spanish or scripture study "todos los dias" as much as it was the sheer quantity of people, most of which seemed pretty outgoing. It was a major sensory overload. But it's not so bad anymore. I'm not spending the whole day wishing I could go back to my room and get some Tylenol. I was also wondering how in the world I would deal with having a companion, regardless or who she is. It's getting better in that department too. I'm lucky to have a companion who is understanding and supportive. We had an opportunity to talk about our strengths and weaknesses and I was able to make sure that she knew that the occasional lack of conversation does NOT equal dislike. I'm working on talking more, but I need to take baby steps.

My district is awesome too. We all get along really well and work together well. The elders are hilarious. And it just so happens that one of the elders likes Dream Theater and Rush and plays the drums and bass guitar. :D Of course none of that matters as a missionary, but that's still awesome. I'm definitely glad because we missionaries spend the vast majority of our time together in one classroom every day to study the language or the scriptures.

Learning Spanish has been going really well for me. All the Spanish I learned several years ago is coming back to me and I'm remembering a lot of what I learned in class such as how to pray, bear my testimony, and how to teach the gospel in Spanish. It's been seriously unnerving teaching a Spanish speaking "investigator". I can usually only pick up every other word or so. But he agreed to be baptized! :) But I think our district might have it easy.

The only problem with Spanish is that I get to help out the people in my district with their Spanish. It's not bad in and of itself, but I hope no one resents me for that fact. I get the feeling that I come off as "too talented" and it's hard for people to see that I have just as many weaknesses as anyone else. No se... All I can do is keep saying "Thanks, no problem, anytime, feel free to ask for help". No one is going to see right away that I have a hard time keeping afloat in a conversation, in Spanish or English. I just don't know what to ask people or how to see people's needs.

But there's been an interesting coincidence that I'm pretty sure isn't a coincidence. Everyone's on to me...
My Dad, stake president, MTC branch president, and my spanish teacher all gave me the same counsel though only one of them knows me well and none of them know each other. They all blessed me that I would have empathy and compassion, or told me that I have that potential in me. I find that interesting since that isn't one of my strong suits though I want it to be. It will be interesting to see how that pans out as I do my best to be obedient and serve the Lord.

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