Week 19: Semana una como entrenadora!!! (Week One As a Trainer)

WOW I have been talking in Spanish ALL week and it feels so good to at least type in English!! 

I forgot about Thanksgiving completely until some other Americans in my district reminded me hahaha It is super weird because people don't really decorate here or talk about holidays like they do in America so I forget about the up coming holidays in the world! haha 

But training una CHAPINA has been so fun!! Talking in Spanish all day has been really good for my Spanish! But it is hard!! I have officially started talking to my self in English when I get the chance hahaha I might lose my mind these next couple months!! hahaha not really! It has been awesome! I wont lie there is a lot of stress because this area literally is on my shoulders because I am the senior companion, but I am learning to handle the responsibility. 

Then we had the MOST HORRIBLE NIGHT hahaah on Sunday we had appointments with members every hour of the day. And THEY ALWAYS force us to eat something at the end of the lessons. And we had at least 5 appointments on Sunday. And every single house gave us bread or something, then at the last house when I was already completely full and ready to throw up, she had made us a full course meal with chicken, rice, potatoes, bread, jello, and hot coco. And I seriously thought I was going to barf all over but somehow I ate it all. And right after we walked out of the house I could barely even move hahaha We had to stop at least 6 times while walking home because I thought I would throw up!!! I am honestly still not hungry hahaha 

But anyways this week was easily the hardest week of my mission. Spiritually, mentally, and physically. It has been so good for me to have this challenge. Missionary's wont tell you this but the mission is hard. It FOR SURE is not something fun to do for 18 months. You are constantly being shown your weakness everyday and you learn to improve them quickly so you can work on your next weakness. Now I understand why my dad always said the mission will "Move you forward in life". Because being shown my weaknesses everyday helps me progress so much faster as a person. I am SO thankful for the mission. It literally has changed my life and I am so excited to put all the energy I have into the last 14 months!!!!! GOZO!!!! 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 18: JUST FINISHED TRAINING, AND NOW I'M A TRAINER.

CRAZIEST WEEK OF THE MISSION BYYYY FARRRR!!! 

So someone tried to get into our house super late at night!!! Some random guy kept knocking at our door for like 10 minutes and would not leave!! And he kept saying he needed us to open the door! It was so weird but all is well!!

 I got to go to the temple in quetzaltanango this week!!!! We got special permission to go there from the president of our mission! Usually we cant go because it is outside of our mission, but we had to travel through Quetzaltanango to get to Retalhuleu. It was seriously the best thing ever!! 

Transfers were this week and I got called to TRAIN!!!!!! President Goodman called me Saturday night to ask me to train and of course I said YES! So I packed my bags and went down to Retalhuleu Monday morning! Since I went down earlier I got to work in one of the areas on the coast and WOW I am sooo not ready for the heat down there. It was so hot it was hard to breath hahaha

 But on Tuesday I got to meet my NUEVA!!!! aka MI HIJA!!! Her name is Hermana Morales!!! She is from the capital of Guatemala!!! I am so excited to train her for three months!

 

It is SO much responsibility to train. President always says it is the most important calling in the mission! And I can totally see why!! I honestly feel a little inadequate to be training so early in the mission, but I know that the lord will always push me out side of my comfort zone so I can grow. I am so grateful for the trust heavenly father has for me to be a missionary everyday and teach His children here in Guatemala! PRAY FOR ME THIS WEEK AHHHH

Con Amor,

Hermana Salisbury

 

Week 17: ADIÓS ENTRENAMIENTO (Goodbye Training)

WOWWWW what a week!!

I finally found something I am good at this week!!! Helping kids with their English homework! hahaha It is soo much fun! Random kids will walk up to me on the street and ask for help! It is the best! 

My first convert Hermana Flor de Maria is doing great!! But SHE LOVES telling storys. She goes on for SOO LONG and it is the same stories everytime! hahaha so this week we were in a lesson with her and she seriously told a story for at least 40 minutes and their was no end in site, so my comp leaned over and said END IT in English and I never acted faster to do anything hahaha All I said was BUENO PUES HERMANA vamos a terminar con una oracion, esta bien. hahaha  

We had interviews with our mission president this week, and I can assure all of you BIG THINGS are coming for me this next transfer!!! But nothing is for sure till next week so I wont say anything yet!!! 

This week I got a little discouraged about not being able to find new people to teach. But I kept working really hard being diligent and patient and I can testify THE LORD BLESSES US!! We have found a lot of success the past couple of days!! Everything works through patience and diligence! Always strive to have patience and diligence through your trials and you will see miracles! Choose to push forward! 

Sorry I don't have too much to report this week but I'M DONE WITH MY TRAINING!!! I am so happy! I have grown soo much! and learned SO much! 

Tengan una semana feliz!!! Les amo MUCHO!! 

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury 

Week 16: Dia de los Muertos!!! (Day of the Dead)

HOLA!

This week was super calidad! I got to experience dia de los muertos for the first time!!! It was so much fun! 

Basically here in Guatemala they have the tradition of going to their graves and painting them. Then they all fly kites together and eat FIAMBRE. LET ME TELL YOU. Basically fiambre is cold veggies with cold meat. And it is EVERY TYPE of meat and vegetable you can think of. And when they serve it here it is like A MOUNTAIN. We got fed fiambre 4 DAYS IN A ROW. And every time I had to act SOOO PUMPED to eat it when in reality I wanted to throw upppp! 

One day we had fiambre in a members house with the other missionarys in our ward and the member left the house for a couple of minutes, and one of the other missionarys,straight up, went and got a plastic bag to throw away the fiambre BECAUSE WE HAD SOOO MUCH!! And right as she did that THE MEMBER WALKED IN ahahhha it was SOOO bad and so funny hahaha

We have been working SOO hard out here that I almost fell asleep during a lesson. It was the end of the day and we had walked all over creation that day so needless to say I almost fell asleep and I got caught hahaha

But really walking missions are NO JOKE. I wake up every morning and my feet are BEYOND sore. I seriously wake up barely being able to walk normal just cause I am sore from the day before!! But it is THE BEST! I would not trade it for anything!

Life is not always easy. Everyone has problems and challenges. But this life is not for us to focus on the negative of these trials. This life is for us to learn how to grow through these trials. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow. See the JOY in this life!!!!

ADIOS!!! Heres to another crazy week in SAN MARCOS GUATEMALA!!!

Con Amor, 

Hermana Salisbury