Let the good times roll!

Hello everyone!

 

First and foremost, I’m sorry if I did not respond to your email this week! I will get to you. I promise. I just need time...just give me more time!

 

So El Sal is movin and groovin. I am in a city that is a city in every sense of the word. There are buses. There are chain restaurants. There are many people. There are venders. There are stop lights. Everything that there wasn’t in Belize, there is here. 

 

So it’s fun to have a totally new experience, but I’m not quite sure how to be a missionary in a city! I feel like a cockroach on its back. It’s a bad place to be.

 

But being back in El Sal, I’ve been forced to speak Spanish again. And my worst fears have been confirmed. My new companion, the darling Sister W, coming at you from Wyoming, USA, has noted that I do indeed change my voice when I speak Spanish. I like...cannot control it.  I lower my voice a few registers when I’m speaking Spanish. hahahaha. According to her, it’s really soothing and trance inducing. Alright alright. So I’m looking forward to converting people by mesmerizing them with my voice intonations. Mom I don’t know if that is the right word. 

 

But yeah. Actually Spanish is hard. It’s hard to form relationships with people. It’s hard to understand people. And it’s hard to say what I want to say. It’s coming. I’m probably a little awkward, but that is half the joy of the mission. 

 

In addition, I went to Walmart. 

 

WHAT. 

 

Yes, the one and only. And maybe you all think that Walmart is kinda low class in the United States, but guess what. Here, it doesn’t get even ounce more elegant. Walmart is where it is at. Its super fancy pants and more expensive, but is has been such a joy to shop there. They have everything there!! It’s just so....AMERICA.

 

So I guess they decided that I am no longer at the bottom of the barrel, and now I’m  a sister training leader!! Wooooow. Ok ok. So I’m here to corrupt the minds of the younger sister missionaries. In reality, I’m excited to try and help them out and to learn from them. Basically I just tell them that they’re beautiful and perfect and smart and then I buy them some chocolate or ice cream and write them a nice note. Just kidding. Partly. But really, I’m a little nervous about messing them up. I’m praying a lot. For a lot of help. That I really need a lot. 

 

So the area is pretty barren right now. I arrived and we had like...one half of an investigator (an investigator is someone they are teaching) . Nice! So we are doing some pumping up! Sister W just finished her training too so she is young in the mission. People say I’m old now. Which is just plain creepy. Tooooo creepy.

 

Guys. In the words of a one Gertrude Stein, America is my country, and San Ignacio my hometown. I hope there isn’t a copyright on that. Honestly the transition at times has been trying, but it’s all about the F word. Faith.

 

Faith is doing what’s right even when we don’t see the results. Its persevering in being obedient and diligent even when what you expected doesn’t come through. Its keeping the commandments when you don’t realllly understand them...consistently when you may not see the blessings immediately. 

 

So for reals, that is what I am trying to do. I’m trying to be faithful. I’m trying to put everything I have learned in the past 11 months together and blow up the mission. But I know the results might take time. Sometimes Heavenly Father needs to test our faith and our patience. That’s fine by me. If I’ve learned anything, it’s to trust in Him. He has got it all figured out. 

 

As per usual, I’m short on time. Just know that there are many more adventures that maybe one day I’ll put in a book. But. I love you all, I miss you all. I pray for you. This is Christ’s church. Jesus Christ is our Savior. With Him, we can do anything He asks! 

 

At you from San Salvador, 

 

Hermana Hirschi