LAST WEEK at the CCM!!!

     Exercising consists of daily gym visits mainly playing volleyball, but its fine I guess haha.  I'm not super out of shape! yet! I haven't been to the field yet soo...    I leave on Monday at 7:30 and its about a 4 hour drive.  Not quite sure how far.  I have met a whole bunch of Latinos and Latinas who are going to Querétaro on their missions so I will have plenty of hispanics to talk to on the way there...If I can haha. 

      My companion reported the same day we stay with the same district and companion the entire 6 weeks.  I love all of them so much it will be so sad leaving.  Thats like one of the worst parts so far about a mission is you constantly have to say goodbye to people, possibly forever!  I don't know how many sisters are in my mission to be honest and I haven't met any american sisters going.  I have met 1 Latina sister going, all the rest are males .   I'm so excited to get into the real part of the mission.  My spanish is awful.... I hear the first 6 months are awful and I don't know what to expect.  I will try to keep the best attitude possible even on the bad days.   Which I know will there be many good and bad days.  But, I'm totally pumped.   Elder D. Todd Christofferson came. It was awesome.  I was maybe 5 feet from him the entire time.  It was so cool to be in the presence of an apostole of the Lord.  The spirit was so strong.. It was amazing and he answered a whole bunch of  questions.  It was really cool.  This week is a little different then the others we doing a lot of field orientation type things.  

Well this will be somewhat  a short email, there hasn't been much, but I'm sure next week my email will be super long! like for reals.   I love you all so much this church is true and will bless the lives of all those who come unto it.   go watch this mormon message its super good, its called The holy land in 4k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otP54vrpOJ4  I think it's super good!  I cant wait to hear from you!

Hermana Sever

Week 4 at CCM

      I have 10 days left and next week is my last week in the CCM... I'm freaking out!   It's so cool....'Im so nervous and so excited!  I had the awesome opportunity to go to the Ciudad de Mexico Templo open house.  It was an awesome experience.   We got there and everyone was taking pictures of us because there were so many missionaries at the temple at one time it was fun.  The temple is gorgeous, and huge, and for lack of better words, aztecky... its kind of amazing.  I couldn't take many pictures- they didn't give us much time.  The weather here is amazing, pero, it rains everyday...like thunderstorms! My shoes are soaked through!  It's definitely not 108° like at home, that's for sure.  Good luck!  I have heard a lot of great things about my mission in Querétaro.  Still don't know anyone else going here that's an hermana besides me, but oh well! I can't wait to get out in the field.  Lets see... something weird I figured out, is that the Nacho Cheese Doritos here, look like normal Doritos...but have the distinct taste of Jalapeño...and cilantro...its so weird!  But they are surprisingly delicious.  We are getting a new investigator mañana because hermano Galicia is opening a new district.. its pretty cool.  She is super sweet.  I have already met her, Hermana Felíx.  She's 5 months pregnant, and her and her husband work here at the CCM. 

      I'm sick though..no fun.  Not like stomach flu or anything, just a head cold.  I have still been going to everything, it just makes sleeping a pain.  

     So on a more spiritual note, I found it interesting that the majority of the talks here at the CCM are about conversion, mainly personal.  And how you should not be converted to the church, or the churches programs, or even to a missionary, or to a miembro, thats not converstion. Also that simply having a testimony of the gospel just isn't enough anymore.  With a testimony there is still a chance you could fall away...but REAL conversion should be to Jesucristo and your Padre Celestial (Heavenly Father), not to anything else.  Then Elder David A. Bednar, an apostole for our church said something really interesting, if you are looking to be truly converted, that is not where you will end up. True conversion can come ONLY when you reach outwards towards others, and forget the natural man within you, and solely focus on others, lose yourself in others is when you find yourself. When that becomes your nature is when you are truly converted and you will never fall away from the church.  That hit me because I realize thats where I want to be. Yeah it takes time, but it is absolutely attainable and it comes through service to others.  After all, when you are in the service of your fellow being you are only in the service of your God.   

     They are always drilling that into us missionaries from day one...the lessons are for the investigators, tailored to the needs of the investigators.  The investigator does not meet you spiritually, but you go where the investigator is -spiritually speaking...Holland said that.  It's just a really cool thought. So I invite all of you to think on that...are you truly converted?  And to what are you converted? Look in the new testament, and find ejemplos de Caracter de Jesucristo.  You will never find a moment where Christ is thinking about himself, even in the worst of situations, He is only thinking of others.   

Anyway...Well I guess thats all I really have to say... The CCM is  a paradise in Mexico City, and I cant wait to get out into the field... OH! almost forgot...My companion and I got made Sister Training leaders for our zone till we leave the CCM! Should be an awesome experience! I love you all So much! I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on the earth today, and through it we can obtain the greatest forms of joy possible.  Thomas S. Monson is a true and living prophet of God on this earth today, and if we abide by his teaching we will never be led astray.  I am so greatful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary and to serve the people of Mexico.  If you havnt already read the book of Mormon, I invite you to do so and to contact LDS missionaries to learn more I know that It will bring you so much happiness.  I love you all so much!  En el nombre de Jesucristo Amen.

Hermana Sever

Week 3 at CCM

Only 2 more PDAYS! I'm learning a lot.  I'm still horrible at Spanish, but when me and my companion tried to give a lesson in English, we got so confused so we decided to keep speaking Spanish.  There is so much to say in English! And in Spanish you are forced to stick to the basics because that's all you know! But to be honest, I have learned more about being a missionary and what we need to DO, instead of the language.  They really dont focus on that.  It's like the last resort type thing.  But it works because since everyone here is Latino you speak spanish alot, and we have Solo Español days. 
      Choir is fun! My teacher won't let us out early so we were late and it was super embarrassing pero esta bien.  We had a really cool devotional by Elder holland, not him in person though, he speaks with so much conviction and passion!  He was like yelling and by the end of it, the spirit was sooo strong and literally me and my comp were BALLING!  The hardest I have ever cried since being here.  The entire auditorium was just sobbing...it was insane.  

We get to go to the Mexico City Temple open house next week! So totally pumped!

FYI, I can receive packages and mail via mtcmexicocarepackage.com.  It just makes it easier.  Mexican mail system is famous for being horrible.

     This week has been good though. It's all the same schedule, so not much new to tell. We had our first TRC which is where we teach a real lesson, with either a member, investigator, or less active.  We got a member. Her name is Alisa and she's 15 and so cute! We had a really good lesson about the importance of families en el plan de Dios.  It was a really cool experience.   Also, they have these chips called Habañero Sabrita.  They are the Spanish versions of Lays I think....SO SPICY!!!  It's insane...but really good.  I have had to memorize so many scriptures in Spanish.  Lets see what else...um...I picked my mission scripture- tell me what you think!  It's Alma 26:15 "Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work."  I came across this in my personal scripture study and love it!  It's missionary work. It's when Ammon and his brethen convert   hundreds of Lamanites, and its cool because I'll be teaching the descendants of the Lamanites as well :)  Well other than that...I guess I don't have much else to mention.  The MTC is hard, but we are constantly getting better at  what we do.  Can't wait to get out into the field!  But I will miss it here at the CCM as well.  

Hermana Sever

Week 2 at the CCM

      The CCM is so great (El Centro Capacitacion de Misonal Mexico)!  I am finally settling into my groove here.  The days are long (16 hours) and difficult, but SO TOTALLY WORTH IT! I have never learned so much about spanish, myself, or being a missionary.  It's awesome!  Also, my district is fantastic and we are all just goofballs.  We get off task a lot, unfortunatley, but we always get everything done.  I have taught so many lessons, and I am now on my third investigator.  We got 2 new investigators this week.  Their names are Jonathon y Omar.  (Jonathon happens to be Hermano Hernandez) Our Zone teacher coordinator person (haha) is one of the most honest, sincere, and spiritual people I have ever met, and we got a new maestro.  His name is Hermano Garlicia  (he was Ricardo, and now Omar).  So we have had 2 lessons with Omar so far and 1 with Jonathon.  Everyone told us Jonathan was super hard so we were all nervous.  But we went in, bore our testimonies, and the spirit was totally there and he committed to baptism on the first lesson! oh yea!..and I'm getting so much more confident speaking in Spanish.  I just kinda had to get over my fear of embarrassing myself. But now lessons go pretty well with ease, entirely in Spanish. Oh...and I bore my testimony in Sacrament meeting in Spanish! (No big deal!)

I'ts amazing how much I have learned.  To be honest, most days are pretty similar.  However, each one has helped me so much!  We have 2 language classes a day, and lots of study time.  We sing alot, in spanish of course, and I joined the choir (your WELCOME, mom!).

Also, we went to Immigration today, so we were able to leave the CCM first the first time!  I had to go get my Permanet Resident stuff together, so that was cool! These Latinos speak so fast!!  The Latinos in the CCM are nice because they talk slow and if they know english, like Hermano Hernandez (however Hermano Garlicia hardly knows any, lol) they try to use it.  There were cops everyone in Mexico City.  They had some riot thing going on and there were hundreds of cops just marching up and down the streets.  It was pretty legit.  Also. we saw a group of tourist white people in Mexico City, and they saw our bus  which said missionary training center on it, so they all started waving --they were LDS!  Haha -small world.  I was suppose to go to the temple today but couldn't because of immigration.  I think we are going to go again in a couple weeks, right before we leave the CCM (hopefully).   Also Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming to speak to us right before I leave, so that is super bien!

My District has become super close.  We have this one companionship of Elders that are just goofballs!  Me and my companion are always messing around too, but we help each other out a lot.  I have memorized so many scriptures in Spanish and I memorized the first vision in spanish as well. 

We have days here were certain districts or zones go solo in Español for an entire day, and we have had to do it twice so far.  Also, our classes are more and more becoming entirely in Spanish.  It's odd learning a language from somebody who doesn't speak English, however, it works.

The Lord has been by my side so much.  I have never felt or seen his influence in my life more than I have while I have been here.  My prayers are being answered on a daily basis.  I definitely see it in my lessons and classes.  I can't wait to get to Queretaro.    We have talked alot about the atonement this week  (La Expiacion) and it has really hit me how much Christ has done for  me, and the love that He has for each of us.  We had the opportunity to watch the videos of The John Tanner Story, To this End Was I born,  and then The Ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus Christ left everyone in the CCM crying.

By the way, it's beautiful here!  I'm not sure if I told you but, the CCM is 90 acres, so it is the largest MTC in the world. And it's so beautiful- palm trees, and wonderful weather.  They works so hard around the clock to make sure it is always in pristine condition.  Anyway, I am so glad to hear from everybody.  I love and miss you all!!

Hermana Sever

P.S.  Also the picture above is my entire district doing the whip after we became residents in Mexico!! haha my entire district is going to Mexico, most are going to Mexico City, I'm going to Queretaro, Hermana Stephens is going to Vera Cruz, and Elder Slocum is going to Culiacan, but most are going to mexico north, east, southeast, and a whole bunch of other directions.

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