Week 2: ¡Es un Gran Dia Para Ser Misionera! (It's a Great Day To Be a Missionary!)

¡¡¡Hola!!!

I survived week 2!!!!! 

This week has been tons and tons of Spanish, lots of hard work and being mentally and emotionally exhausted. But I would not change it for ANYTHING!!! 

Brynn with other young ladies serving missions

I seriously would not be able to make it through these longgg days without my awesome district and comp!!! We all get along so well and they make it so much easier to learn a foreign language in 6 weeks! There are 8 boys and 2 girls hahaha the girls are super out numbered here in Guatemala CCM! I love my comp Hermana Banks sooo much!! She is from Manteca, CA and we went to BYUI AT THE SAME TIME!!! 

Brynn with her companion Sis. Banks

I finally can understand the Latinos (I never thought I would make it to that day) the Latinos here are sooo nice and kind and super willing to help us gringos learn Spanish haha but sometimes the Latinos are a little too nice hahaha I was told to watch out for them because they apparently want "white babies" and will try to flirt with the gringas to accomplish that haha. So needless to say I have had many Latino elders ask for my email hahaha, they all try and speak in English to me and it is so funny.

Finally found some food she likes

We committed our "practice" investigator baptism!!!!! I WAS PUMPED! I got to quote the baptismal invitation I learn!! Me and Hermana Banks have been teaching out lessons without notes and it has been so nice to learn to follow the spirit and try out speaking Spanish without a back up plans.

This week we went to the Guatemala immigration office. Just imagine 50 gringos in downtown Guatemala city trying to not draw attention to themselves haha the 4 hermanas that were there ended up having to get taken to a separate spot cause they thought it was too dangerous. I loved being around the people and I was sooo tempted to teach the first lesson to them because I just memorized the lesson points to lesson one and the first vision in Spanish!!! And we had just practiced street contacting!!

More shots from people

Then we got MORE SHOTS!!!! I was not even surprised. I am not even sure which shots I am getting at this point, I am just giving them my arm and hoping for the best hahaha 

In church this week me and my 3 other roommates sang "Andar en la Luz" and let me tell you if you think singing in English is hard try Spanish!!!! It was good though and the spirit was strong! 

And on top of being busy all week the food messed me up this week!!! We have all been super sick from the food and a virus going around the CCM.

Brynn with the Christus Statue

The most important thing I learned this week is a story from the bible when Christ had just died and Peter and the other disciples did not know what to do with their extra time so they decided to go back to fishing. Then the savior appeared and asked Peter 3 times if he loved him, and of course he said yes, and Christ responded and said, "Then feed my sheep." When he called Peter to be a disciple it was forever, when he called Peter to be a missionary he meant forever. You cannot go back to your figurative fishing net, you cannot go back to your old ways after you change your life. Always move onward and upward to become like our savior Jesus Christ. 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury

Week 1: First Week in the MTC

 

WOW this has been the longest week of my life. For good and bad hahaha It all started by taking off from LAX at 12:00 am and landing at 6:00 am !!! Right when I got off the plane a little boy came up to me and asked if he could have my watch in Spanish hahah. I was like what the heck NOOOO then we had a full day at the CCM. I was awake for a total of 50 hours by the time I went to be my first night. It was seriously such a hard day for me.

Just landed in Guatemala to begin their missions!

Right when we pulled up to the MTC everything was in Spanish (nothing has changed a week later) and i was beyond stressed. ON TOP OF THAT some guy walked up to me holding a shot telling me (in Spanish) that i needed a flu shot i was like UHHH WHAT and he didn't look legit at all but i let him do it anyways hahahaha

Brynn got her missionary tag!

Missionary Training Center in Guatemala City, Guatemala

Also this city is super dangerous. there are always 2 guards with guns outside the fence and there are ambulances 24/7 driving up and down the streets. We saw the cops drive by one time and all it was was a truck with a sticker on the side with 8 guys with machine guns in the back ahahha i was dying. People get hit by cars here all the time. 2 people from the mtc got hit this week. AND we had two earthquakes this week so yeah Guatemala City is THE BEST
haha never a dull moment.

It has been non stop learning here at the MTC I seriously have Spanish classes all day long. I have learned and done so much already!!! I have taught 4 lessons in Spanish to an investigator and we have learned how to pray and bear our testimonies!! I already have the missionary purpose and baptismal invites memorized in Spanish. I would say my Spanish is well enough to have small talk but with really bad grammar!! So I am making tons of progress!!

Brynn's District and with her companion Hermana Banks

Don't even get me started on the meals hahaha our favorite thing to do is to get our food and try to guess what it is while we are eating hahaha. SO yeah we don't know what we have been eating but I do know it is killing my intestines hahaha 

The way we have been trying to learn Spanish is speaking Spanglish 24/7. Like if we know the word in Spanish we never say it in English again. It has been awesome, and I know it has paid off because all my roommates told me I have been sleep talking in Spanish hahaha I¨will wake up yelling "QUEEE????" and "SALIR SALIR" ahhaah I feel so bad for them!

Pointing to her mission she will go to after 6 weekes of training

Guatemala Temple

So on Sunday we had sacrament meeting (all in Spanish) and I didn't really know what was going on but I did understand a good 40% of talks haha but anyways the person conducting got up and said (in Spanish) we will now have HERMANA SALISBURY SPEAK FROM THE RETALHULEU MISSION I was in COMPLETE shock!!!!! So I literally got up and gave a 5 minute talk on the atonement in Spanish in front of tons of Latinas aahha the gift of tongues is so real, all the Latinas sitting by me told me i did really good ahha they were probably just being nice!!! Someone also spoke in a native mayan language hahaha so sick!!! 

Today we went to the Guatemala city temple!!! it was such a cool experience! 

In conclusion this has been the craziest week and I am SOOO grateful for the power of prayer and the fact that God does answer prayers. He knows us and will always provide a way for us to reach our goals and fullest potential. The biggest thing I learned this week is I am not here to learn Spanish for my self, I am here to learn Spanish to serve the people of Retalhuleu.

Love Always, 

HERMANA SALISBURY

p.s. i only get an hour to email and i cant send pictures at the mtc because the computers will crash (classic Guatemala) 

Leaving Home.....Onto Guatemala

Return With Honor Brynn

WOW 1st day as a missionary!!

The family spent the day packing and hanging out. I was very calm the entire day. Before we knew it, it was time to head to LAX. We had a family prayer and then dad gave me a fathers blessing. We had the last supper at in-n-out! I got my last double-double for 18 months! Then we drove to LAX and the time went bye so fast!! I blinked and we were already checking my bags. I was in complete shock saying bye to my family. My body and mind could not process what was happening. I hugged and cried with everyone in front of the escalator and then I left. I cried for a couple minutes walking to security, but after that I was good.

 Goodbye Luke

 Goodbye Drew

Goodbye Kamryn

Goodbye Kennedy

Goodbye Mom

 Goodbye Dad

 I walked into the terminal to find at least 30 missionaries!! It was so fun!! I cannot even tell you how much energy there was in that room. Everyone was so PUMPED! We all talked for hours until we boarded our flight! FULL SEND! I hope I can draw strength from the savior’s example. I know I am going to have some hard days in Guatemala but as I follow the saviors example of perseverance I know I can overcome the tough days and focus on my missionary purpose.