Hermana Martineau's Grand Adventure: WEEK ONE!!!

Meagan Martineau

Dec 3 (7 days ago)

to me

MOM!!!!!

I love you SO much!! Thank you for sharing all that with me, that is exactly what I was hoping to hear from you!!

I am doing well, and I do like it here :) We got here at the CCM at around 6:30 Mexico time. We had dinner, then some brief orientation stuff. My companion is Hermana Wilde and she is absolutely FABULOUS!!! She is such a sweetheart and we have A LOT in common!! She is from Idaho Falls, Idaho and she is going to the California Arcadia mission. I also have the BEST district EVER!!! They are all so nice and very funny and friendly. I am so blessed to be where I am and with the people that I'm with. In my district there is a trio of Hermanas, Hma. Field (yes that's the Hma. Field that you asked about, and yes we are good friends), Hma Farnes, and Hma Boss, then there is a trio of Elders, Elder Peterson, Pace, and Snell (who is also going to California Bakersfield Spanish speaking), and a companionship of Elders, Elder Ludlow and Larson. So there are 10 of us in our district and they are all such a blast!! We have become good friends really quickly. They all have such strong testimonies and are confident in sharing them. They are great people!!

My teachers are also very wonderful!! Hma. Alverado, Hma. Perez, and Hmo. Palma. They are all Mexican, born and raised. They know English (not very well though) but they speak to us mostly in Spanish or Spanglish. We are in a new ''pilot program'' (the first ones in it) where it is ''solo español'' from day 1.

The first week was pretty crazy and stressful because we had so many orientations and classes and everything that it was really hard for us to have time to do anything. It was pretty stressful and really really hard, especially since half the time I had no idea what was going on!! Since Sunday though we have gotten into a regular schedule where we have breakfast at 715, personal study from 745-845, language learning till 10, some sort of gospel learning class (all taught by our 3 amazing teachers and in Spanish (yes we learn Spanish in Spanish)) until 1045, then person study until 1115, lunch, daily companionship planning, additional study time, a Spanish learning class on the computer with a program called TALL (technology assisted language learning), then personal language study, gym time, dinner, and then we prepare and teach our investigator for the rest of the night. It is really hard being in this pilot program and a lot more work than the regular programs, but it has been very worth it. I have learned so much!!! I can confidently say prayers in Spanish and bare a simple testimony in Spanish. It is really really difficult, but being taught in Spanish, responding in Spanish and teaching in Spanish is helping a lot!! Teaching. Yes, teaching!! We had to teach our first lesson IN SPANISH on our 2nd day here!!!! We had to teach our first ''investigator'' on Nov. 27. They aren't real investigators, they are teachers here that act like an investigator. Our investigator Fabian is really nice, but he is difficult first investigator to teach!! He ''cheated on his wife and can't control his feelings when he is home alone.'' It is very difficult deciding what to teach him to help him, and the first 3 lessons were pretty rough. Our 4th lesson with him was yesterday and we were so so close to committing him to baptism, but he agreed to come to church with us on Sunday. We teach him again tonight and we are going to teach him about the commandments, including the law of chastity, which is scary but I know that that is what he needs to hear.

Everyone here is so nice and very helpful. It gets very frustrating at times not understanding, but it is going a lot better now.

This week has been one of the HARDEST weeks of my life so far. There have been so many discouragements and Satan has been pressing on me hard to go home. I have cried more this week than I probably ever have in my life. Though it has been so hard, it has also been super duper rewarding. We have had some amazing devotionals and amazing district testimony meetings where the Spirit was so strong you could almost physically touch it!! I have learned so much about the Savior and I have seen God's hand in my life so much this last week. I truly know that God is real. He is there for us and He cares about us. I truly know now more than ever that He knows who we are and what we need.

Sorry if this email is very jumbled. We only have 1 hour and it's hard to collect my thoughts when I'm trying to type as fast as I can. I hope you have a great week and that the kitties keep sitting with you!!! Tell them hi for me!!

I just want you to know that I love you so very much. Your example has helped me so much and continues to help me so so much! Thank you for always sharing your testimony with me and keeping me in line. I love you so much!!

PS forward this to whoever.

PPS I love you

Love always,

Hermana Martineau