Hola!
I hope everyone is having a good week at home! This past week absolutely FLEW here. It is so weird, I feel like I've been here for forever, but at the same time I feel like I was just sending out emails yesterday. I don't think I'll ever get used to how time passes here.
But it has been really, really good. It's funny how quickly everything has become "normal" to me here. We have such an amazing capacity to adjust, and I'm so lucky to have a district that gets along so well. But seriously, ME waking up at 6:30 every morning on the reg? That's a miracle in and of itself.
The language is... well it's coming. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it has only been 2 weeks. I feel so frustrated not being able to fully express myself, but I also recognize that my purpose is not to learn Spanish, it is to serve and work to my best ability and those things will come.
Our classroom where we spend most of ouurr ttimmee...
My compenera and I were practicing teaching a lesson to an older couple that's here serving a temple mission, and afterwards we had a chance to talk for a little bit. Hearing about the people here is seriously the best -- I love the openness and honesty of the culture (watch out -- I may come back pretty sassy).
But what stood out to me most was their advice when it came to the language (and I guess it could be applied to anything else). She shared this quote with us,
"There is no comfort in the growth zone,
but there is no growth in the comfort zone."
I see this every single day that I'm here. I am reaching and stretching and growing, and the funny thing is, it's not for me or about me.
Heavenly Father is making me into the person He needs me to be and that my mission needs me to be.
It is going to be so hard (and fun), but pass so fast.
So, on a lighter note, this is one of my favorita maestros, Hermano Nunez. He is HILARIOUS. So much '-tude' it seriously kills me.
He first started learning English through listening to American music and watching MTV music videos.
Last week he told me I looked like Vanessa Carlton... thoughts? ahah
Hermano Nunez
(yay for awk missionary pics!)
He also told me that if you say my name "hermana coe" fast,
it sounds like "I wanna coke" so he is constantly asking,
"Are you sure you don't wanna coke?"
Hermana Coe-ke
We finally got a chance to leave the CCM this week to go to the store. We are in a super wealthy american-ized area of the capitol so the store was pretty much like a walmart back home, and we passed a krispy kreme, pizza hut, and KFC on our way there. It was nice to have a chance to get some things I had forgotten, but let's be honest, the majority of what I got was made up of oreos and diet coke (priorities, priorities...)
(Katherine and Jess - you should be proud, also it's the coke light stuff, LOVE)
So apparently I live up to my new nickname....
NOTE from Sue - Here's some pics Kenzie sent of where she is living.
The Mission Training Center (or CCM) is the 3rd floor of this building.
The other floors are church offices, and apartments that can be used by people who come to attend the temple. (The Santo Domingo Temple is the only one in the Carribbean, so people come to visit it from many different islands in the area)
The Santo Domingo Temple, adjacent to the CCM
View out the window of our building
We also said goodbye to our Haitian district. I will miss them sooo much. However it's probably a good thing, because I've started confusing French phrases with my English and Spanish ones....
But, all in all everything is great! I was talking with Hermana Christensen about being here the other night. I know that we always have opportunities for missionary work...
but this experience will be so unique and once in a lifetime.
I get to fully devote myself every day for 18 months to serving my God.
I get to wear Christ's name right next to mine every day.
Lucky girl, right?
lots of love,
Hermana Coke
Catching some rays on P-day with Hermana Christensen & Mero
(p-day = preparation day - Kenzie's is Thursday, a day off from studying to rest, do laundry, write letters, etc.)
This is GREAT!
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