DEET>Oxygen

Happy one month anniversary everyone!!!

Ok to be honest that is pretty freaky bc my whole life I was going to have 18 months in the mission.  now I have 17 months. how in the world...???

But onward. Because I have little time and I am going to be moving at the speed of light to finish this baby in time.

This week. It began with a new calling for me and Hma S. Our previous sister training leaders left the ccm for their missions, and so Hma S and I were called!! I am psyched. I love serving and I can’t wait to help these girls out and to serve them. Sunday Hma S and I interviewed them all and for the first time I empathized with bishops. ahahahah. Oh man, we only have 12 girls under our care and it took foreverrrrrr to talk to them all and make sure they were doing ok and to give council when we found out they were struggling with stuff. But yeah. Go Bishops. It's exhausting and a huge service.

Ok, so maybe some of you are a pinch curious about the title of this email. Here is a great discovery I made this week. Deet is a gift. A gift to mankind. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, mosquitos love me. Literally they love me and my blood. My roommate has exactly 0 bug bites. I have at least 40. ???? ok that seems really fair mosquito population!!! NOT. So I stopped wearing any sweet smelling lotions and perfumes. And STILL. Mosquitos are drawn to me. AWESOMEE. One  morning I was just trying to enjoy my breakfast and some little nasty mos. is feasting on my little knot on wrist and my comp points it out and I freak and beat it to death with my other hand and I think I screamed a little accidentally...like a battle cry type scream and this whole table of Latino elders turns around and just look at me. Like I have gone nuts. Maybe I have gone a little nuts. Actually that is certifiable so someone send me a psychiatrist.

 Then I decided I was done with the mosquitos. So the next day, before we left our apt, I sprayed it with deet.The windows, the doors, and lights. Everything. I would not be made a fool in the fight of man vs.
mosquito. and a miracle has happened. Yes, I can no longer breath when I am in my apt, and yes, the door handle is sticky and yes, people think I am weird. BUT MY ROOM IS 100% MOSTQUITO FREE. In faccct, at night, when I come home, I find roughly 20 dead mosquitos in front of my door. They have suffered death at my hands and I am perfectly alright with this. I am super happy about my decision to embrace deet and to relinquish my devotion to oxygen.

 Que mas. Ok CRAZY stuff going down in Mexico. so one day I am just studying some Spanish, bc I eat drink breath live play sleep and consume Spanish. and the elders run into the room. Hma Hirschi!!! come look! Mistakenly, I followed them and found to find that they were playing with  a GIANt MOTH. You might be having a hard time determining how giant a giant moth is, so I will help you create a visual. if you a full grown man, take your hands, spread them wide out, and conjoin them at the wrists. THAT IS THE SIZE OF THIS VILE CREATURE. ahhh Man it was so sick. haahhaa. And it was going crazy. It was literally a small bird and I was super frightened and I didn't want to touch it so I didn't.
The elders did. 

Ok another quick story. Sometimes the elders are a liiiitle rambunctious. and sometimes they run down the hallway and trip and smash their face into their Samoan companions sharp and extremely large elbow and cut their head open and receive 9 stitches. hahahah oh eldersssss. But the good news is that after this I bought the elder a sprite---which by the way tastes like America?? I don't know if you are acquainted with this fun fact but the flavor of sprite is America. It's a strange phenomenon---but anyway, I bought him one and with the Hma's we wrote a new label which read "we hope this spritens your day". I mean, can I get some credit for that!! What a pun. One of my greatest works. Also, this week Hma P and I are going to have a rap battle with the elders about our teachers. The elders are writing a rap for our male teacher and we are writing a rap for our female teacher...and then we will go to war. hahah we are getting pretty excited for the whole show down.

As usual, I am short on time and long in stories. Hma P and I have begun running in the morning. I thought this would be a breeze but turns out if you don't run for 2 months and then you run again you are going to feel a little pain. Too bad so sad!

 My Spanish is improving. I love learning Spanish! Probably too much but it’s fine. I think I have read the entire grammar book though. The problem is that while I know the rules I can't speak them. A minor issue seeing as I will be leaving among the people of San Salvador in one and a half weeks.

So I don't know how this has happened, but I am an entirely different person. It has been such an incredible transformation for me. I mean, I am still the same, but my understanding and my view of the world have broadened and deepened a hundred fold. (scriptures speak; you better believe it). Seriously though. I love this gospel. So much. And I love the Savior and I am pretty sure my thoughts are always on Him. But as you come to know Him--really know him and what he wants for you---your joy becomes more fully developed and it becomes enriched. we studied the doctrine of Christ yesterday...and yes Christ taught that His doctrine was faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. But it is also so much more than that!! His are the words of life! Our teachers asked us to really think about what the doctrine of Christ means to us in our lives. And I had to really ponder and think hard. I started to think more about Christ and what he teaches.  I believe that ultimately, and the very heart of His doctrine is love. A love with the power to redeem. How amazing. I love my family a lot, but I have no power to save them or to make more of them than they are. Christ's doctrine of love can. It's a real miracle! Ask of God. We can always always ask of God. He loves us. I love the story of Alma and Amulek. Way too much probably. But they talk about all the afflictions they endured...and it didn't matter bc their afflictions were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Everyone needs the doctrine of Christ, and everyone needs the gospel--restored to the earth. I love the Savior and I am striving so hard to know Him and to become like Him. I am so excited to share my witness of Him and His divine authority and power. HE IS OUR LORD AND HEAVENLY FATHER IS OUR GOD. They are far more than we are at this time...and it is absolutely right for us to worship them. But....let the enabling power of Christ's atonement work in your life. IT. IS. REAL.  That is what I have been trying to do bc I am not enough without Christ. Never has this fact been more real to me than now on my mission.

Ok, well that's all I've got time for. I love you all...and I miss you all...and the next time we have an exchange I will have 3 days left in the ccm. Unreal. I can’t wait to be a real missionary.

All my love,

Hma Hirschi