Week Two Madrid MTC

Hola!!!

Another week down yay!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CUTEST NOAH!!!!!!! AND MY LOVE TATUM!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! 

So last P day we went to the Plaza del Sol and they just let us loose to walk around wherever we wanted and go shopping. I bought the CUTEST skirt and shirt from Zara and of course we got gelato. I was having major Italy flashbacks it was so HAPPY! I got my classic straciatella flavor and it was SO good. Central market doesn't do it justice.

Also we all got the hot chocolate and churros that everyone told me about. SO YUMMY! The chocolate is super thick though so I'm guessing it's more for dipping than drinking. That's what we did anyways. So yummy.

Today we're going to the Museo de El Prado woo!

So this week we had a lot of Spanish lessons that I learned in Spanish 3. Past tense. Not fun. But I'm getting it. Which is amazing because we literally spent all of my junior year doing this stuff. Also SYL (speak your language) is from 8-1 now so no English during those times.

So this week I also made a goal to step up my Spanish study. I try to memorize 20 words a day and 5 phrases a day. And the first vision, the missionary purpose, and Moroni 10:4-5. So that's been good and I feel super great at the end of the day if I've been able to do that. And I use them in my lessons so it's SO useful!

Also I can't remember what day, but we had a devotional by Pres Packer (mtc pres) and he showed us some of the Patterns of Light videos by Elder Bednar. Something that stood out to me that he said regarding discerning between our own thoughts or the spirit was really interesting, and an outlook that I had never heard before. So all you people trying to decide colleges, or majors, or any decision really, pay attention this is gold haha. He said "When we don't know whether it's inspiration or our own thoughts, we need to act and then we'll know which one it is." -Elder Bednar (not a direct quote, but almost haha). Sometimes you just gotta do it. Study it out in your mind, and then do whatever you feel is the best choice. And then if you think you were wrong, and the spirit was actually telling you something different, do that instead. I don't know if I'm making total sense, but I hope this helps. :) 

So some blessings that I've noticed while being here:

I have really felt God's grace, or the enabling power of the atonement. It's something that I've always heard of and known what it is, but since being here I actually have an experience to go with that knowledge that just solidified it in my mind. This place is kinda tough (for lack of a better word). I don't really know how to describe it, but I feel so busy and it's hard not having free time and being in such a different place with new people and not getting to call home or anything. But I have such a happy time. My attitude is SOOO much better than it could be. And I know that's not me. I know it's the Savior helping me out because I am serving Him and my Heavenly Father. And I'm SO grateful for that.

Also something that I realized on the first day but forgot to mention, everything here is different. There's nothing that's super familiar really at all. But I went to bed the first night and said my nighttime prayer and then I got the feeling of familiarity. My prayers are the same. I'm talking to the same Heavenly Father that I've always talked to. And that was such a blessing for me. He's always there and He's always listening. He wants to hear from us. And I'm SO grateful for that.

Oh also I spoke on Sunday! Hermana Barlow translated for me! It was on the Holy Ghost. Super good topic love it.

Also the park. So this week my park companion was Soeur Yee On. She's a sister from Tahiti who is going to one of the France missions. So she speaks barely any English and almost no Spanish. Which was hard because obviously the people we try to talk to in the park are Spanish. BUT we were so blessed and the first people who would talk to us spoke English AND FRENCH perfectly!!!!! So I bore my testimony on God and told them that they can have a personal relationship with them, and my comp talked to them in French about something also and the spirit was so strong. It was awesome. And then we found other people from France who she got to talk to and then a couple that spoke English! It was good. We had 26 contacts and had good conversations with people. And I love Soeur Yee On. She's so cute and even taught me some French words.

Also everyone here is getting sick. They're just dropping like flies (in president's words). So far I've been okay so don't worry lil mom :)

Also our progressing investigator (alexis) who is played by our teacher (hermano Perez) is getting baptized!!! We had a really spiritual lesson where we talked about his dad who had died a few years before and told him that he can be with his dad and because of the atonement we can all return to live with our Heavenly Father. We tied in repentance with that and said that we can all be cleansed from our sins when we repent and the guilt goes away. And that when you are baptized (and after repentance) you are forgiven of your sins and are a step closer to getting to be with Heavenly Father and his Dad who was waiting for him in Heaven. And then we committed him to be baptized. It was awesome.

ALSO I got a calling! I'm our music director. so i chose the hymns (all in Spanish) and I decide who sings in church on Sundays muahaha. I might sing with my comp. She did choir too. 

GUESS WHAT! Part of my dream was in Spanish last night!!! In my mind I'm constantly translating English to Spanish and coming up with sentences in my mind, and i did that in my dream last night!!! YAY!

So that's good.

I love you all so much!!!!!

Hermana Johnson