Missionary angels

HEY HEY Family!!

Sorry about that crazy moment earlier today. I am just not the brightest person in the world, so yeah I just don{t even know what happened.

 

Anyway, I have lots to say and not much time. First things first, I have some bad/funny news and I only tell you this trusting that you wont freak out...75% of the CCM is sick right now. Don{t freak out --- its totally fine and were all being taken care of. Let me explain. So every two weeks, groups of missionaries leave the CCM (since its the end of their 6 weeks), and since Latinos only stay in the CCM for two weeks, there is a day and a half span when there's just a small group of Americans. Then a whole new group comes in on those Wednesday nights. But when its just that small group of Americans, they try to treat us to American-style food. So this past Tuesday it was cheeseburgers for dinner. They looked funny but tasted pretty decent, so we all ate them. And they had french fries so it was quite the treat! Some of the elders ate like 3 or 4 of these things. Anyway...almost everyone here is sick, and were pretty sure its from those burgers. Food poisoning at its finest. Obviously it was an accident, so its not like were upset or anything, but its certainly not a good time. But all day yesterday I was feeling really crappy, so I literally stayed in my room all day long. A lot of other missionaries here had to do the same thing either yesterday or today. Its a bummer, but they take really good care of us. Everyones needs are being met. Luckily our CCM is pretty small, so its easy for every one to get the medicine they need and stuff. I feel so much better today, so don{t worry about me. But its not uncommon to see a missionary walking around with a trash can in their hands...just in case.

 

On a happier note, something super cool happened last week on Saturday. A group of little kids from one of the nearby stakes came to visit the CCM - it was literally a field trip to see the missionaries. It was the sweetest time that I have had here at the CCM. We were all studying outside, and it was a beautiful, sunny day, so it was the perfect time for them to come. When they first got here, the kids just stared at us like we were animals in a zoo. They all walked in in a line, and they were peeking over each other and jumping up and down to get a better view of us, and when they walked over they just stood there and stared at us. Then their teachers said they could come over to us, and they just swarmed us. So many little girls came up and hugged me, kissed me on the cheek, and super shyly told us their names. The little boys were giving us high fives. It was so cute that I wanted to cry. They didn{t know us at all, but just because we were missionaries, we were like angles to them. Just seeing their smiles made me so happy, I can{t even explain it. We haven{t seen kids in so long that all of the missionaries were just grinning from ear to ear, giving hugs and high fives. I just couldn{t handle the cuteness. They took a bunch of pictures of us too, so maybe someday a picture of me will hang in a random church here in Lima. It was really humbling to me though, to see how much those kids looked up to us. It made me realize how important it is for me to do all that I can to live up to the responsibility of being a missionary. People all over the world know who we are and expect us to take good care of the Lords work. Its kind of intimidating to think of it like that, but I know that I can handle it. I want to be the type of missionary that those kids, and people all over the world, know that I can be.

 

In addition to that, Elder Quentin L. Cook came and visited us! He didn{t give us the traditional "talk", he did a little question and answer type thing. It was so cool because it made it so much more personal. We were able to ask any question, and he would just give us an honest answer. I{ve never been that close to an apostle before. I got to stand and ask a question.,...I told him a little bit about our visit with the kids, and mentioned that in a calling like this, its hard to feel qualified sometimes, and hes an apostle so his calling is a little bit more important. I just asked him how he has felt qualified in his calling, and he said "You know that whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. The best advice I have for you is to trust that, and put on your shoes and get to work. He is with you, He loves you, and He knows that you can do it." It was SOOOO cool to have an apostle say that straight to my face over a sea of missionaries. Seriously, I will never ever forget that. And what he said is exactly what I needed to hear.

 

I only have 12 days left in the CCM! Can you believe it?? And its already been one whole month! Sometimes that feels like the longest month of my life, but looking back it has seriously flown by. I have learned so much Spanish its unbelievable. In our lessons, I can understand almost everything that our investigators say, and I find myself speaking really, really well. I know that I am being blessed so much in that, but sometimes I just cant believe how much I have learned. Its amazing. I know that in time I will be fluent...but that will certainly not be anytime soon.

 

Anyway, thats all I have time for. Thanks for all of the love and support. I love getting emails, even though I tear up a lot of the time. Its nice to get a little piece of home every week. I love you all so much, I pray for you always, and I am the happiest Ive ever been! Even on the longest days, I still go to bed smiling. Its great, the life of a missionary. :)

 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Scott