Monday, August 25, 2014

The Pictures I Forgot

Don´t worry! Pictures! 
I found Hermana Bently! She´s in my zone, but not my area. We went to a little mission conference thing to listen to Elder Viñas of the 70 and she was there. The meeting was great. 

The other picture is the "pizza" Hermana Tirado and I made. She called it a pizza, but I couldn´t really bring myself to it. It had a crust, cheese, ham, and eggs. So I mean... :)

The Real Week

Dear Family:

And my first full, real week comes to a close. And I think I´m finally getting the hang of everything now. In reality, this week was a little bumpy. A little harder, and a little better than the first week. For one, I´ve been learning the real meaning of Ether 12:27. God likes to show missionaries their weaknesses. But as I´ve seen all my weaknesses kind of come crumbling at my feet this week, after a while of frustration I realized that if God didn´t give us experiences in which we see the things we lack, we would never find them. It´s like leaving a sliver in your hand because it hurts to dig it out. It´s necessary, and in the end, you´re so much for the better. 

So, a little about my area. One of the sisters in the companionship in our area before us was pretty sick for a month or two, and the president decided to "wash the area" with us. So neither of us have been in the area before, and we´re both just exploring and discovering it together. Because the sister was sick for a while, not a lot of work got done during those months, so we step in with no progressing investigators. Also, the ward hasn´t had a baptism for some four or five years, so we have to recent converts either. So we´re basically starting from scratch. Luckily, we have our nifty thrifty area book in which we´ve dug some former investigators from the depths of its pages to visit and teach. 

The first lesson we taught here was with Gisella. She´s an investigator the sisters had been visiting with before the one Hermana got sick. She lives alone in her apartment, and the first time we visited her she told us about her family, and shared about herself. She told us she had lost her book of mormon, so we brought her a new one. As we´ve visited with her we found that she knows there are some things in her life she wants to change, she´s just having a little trouble with taking that first step. 

The hardest thing about this area is that even when we schedule appointments with them, they´re rarely at home when we visit. We go out with lots of different people written down we can visit, and usually end up visiting with only one or two. There are lots of less active families here too, so we visit with them a lot. 

Oh, so kind of a funny story. We went with some sisters from the relief society to visit a non member, Mabel. We all sat down and Mabel showed us how to make these roses with little peices of material, so we all made them together. Afterward we were going to share a message with her. I thought of the scripture I had recently read, (mom´s favorite!) of the lilies in the field, and I was like, perfect! We´re making flowers, here´s this scripture about how we should be like the flowers and stuff, I´ll share that. So I pull out my Libro de Mormon to share it, and I can´t find the right scripture. I finally just shared one I thought was it, 3 Nephi 13:26, and later found out it was 3 Nephi 13:28. Anyway, it was kind of funny cuz verse 26 talks about birds, so the sisters were probably a little confused. 

I did my first batch of laundry by hand this week. Quite the adventure. If you´re ever bored and happen to have a tub of water and laundry soap, I´d definitely reccommend it. It´s kind of relaxing.

Well, I think that´s about it. I´m going to print out your emails and read them at home today. Love you all! 

Hermana Cannon

Monday, August 18, 2014

Argentina At Last

Dear Family and Friends: 

I´m here! I can hardly believe it! At first I thought the time in the MTC would never end, and then suddenly it all went by so fast. I mean, I guess you can´t really call a 14 hour flight fast...and it wasn´t... but yeah. 

So we flew in to Buenos Aires and took a bus to the temple, had lunch in the visitors center, and walked around the grounds a little bit. Oh, and Wallaces, we didn´t go to the mission offices so I didn´t get the chance to visit with Brother and Sister Wallace, which I was super bummed about. :(

After that we took another flight and bus ride to mendoza where we met with President Goates and his wife. We had the rest of that day and most of the next of orientation and interviews, after which we met our companions and were assigned to our areas! Hermana Tirada is my companion, and our area is San Rafael. Hna Tirada is amazing! She´s more of a compañita because she´s, well... small. :) But she´s been great. She´s from Peru, Cajamarca. She has one brother and he nor either of her parents are members. But she has a very strong testimony, and a great love for the gospel. She´s been out about a year and says that if they asked her to stay out another 6 months after her 18, she would do it in a heart beat. My spanish is better than her english, so although she speaks some, we speak spanish almost all the time. Also, she sings, which has been great. We walk a lot, as missionaries do, so we sing together while we travel. She´s the best. 

Let´s see, the housing. San Rafael, like most of Mendoza, is very poor. Most of the neighborhood streets are dirt, as well as the sidewalks, and the houses are very humble. It reminds me a lot of Ecuador, and actually it´s almost exactly similar. It is the end of winter but each day has been considerably warmer than the last. I wore a coat the first two days, but now I only need a little sweater and I´m good. The nights are a little colder, but my sleeping bag has been excellent. Thanks dad! :) Also, the shower, like Joey´s in columbia, is just a hole in the wall that spurts out water. Apparently those are all the rage here in South America. 

As for packages, the official word is don´t send them. If they ever do eventually get here, the president or zone leader or someone has to go through customs to get it, and the tax usually costs considerably more than the items in the box, so it´s just a huge hassle. Letters though normally get here, although I think I have to pick them up in the main office in Mendoza. So if you want to send pictures, drawings, or dear elders, I would love to get them! Just know that it will be a while before I can get them. Not really sure how often we go to mendoza. 

The language. My companion tells everyone that my spanish is really good, so there´s that. The main problem is that Castellano is awfully fast. So listening to the people here is like putting together a puzzle in my head. I catch words every now and then and try to put them together. But it´s getting easier, so with time, and Heavenly Father, I´ll get it. 

And the thing I love here about being a missionary is seeing all the little miracles that happen. Just little things that God puts in our path, like finding un Hermano on the street and talking to him, just to find out he´s the person who´s house we were just going to visit. I´ve realized these past few days a new level of closeness we can have with God through prayer and diligence in following Him that makes it easier to see these miracles and find blessings. 

I love you all and hope things are all going well! So much more I still wanted to say, I need to learn to plan my emailing time better. :) Love you!

Hermana Cannon

And Some More!

San Rafael! And my Companion Hermana Tirada! Beginning of the day and end of the day pictures. 

More pictures

We didn´t get to go inside the temple, (well, the waiting room, but you know) but here´s us in Buenos Aires! Elder White, Hermana Bonner, and me. The three missionaries from our CCM district sent to Mendoza. 

Pictures!

I´ll upload these before I email so I don´t forget or run out of time. Here they are! Hay muchos... :)

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Your missionary has arrived!

(We received this email on Aug 14)

Dear Parents of new missionaries,
We wanted you to know that your missionaries arrived safely last night in Mendoza. This group is not only exceptionally large, but from what the president read of their profiles, they are exceptionally able and prepared. Thank you. There is a tremendous need for their faith and efforts here, and we are very grateful the Lord sent His very best to us.

The group traveled from the airport to the mission home where the wonderful Rasteli family had a dinner of Argentine ravioli and salad for them.  Very few turned down the dulce de leche flavored ice cream. We sang a hymn from our sixth floor balcony  "Joseph Smith's First Prayer", in four part harmony before having a prayer and sending them to their hotel for the night. They were in amazing spirits, for being so tired from their flights. Oh, to be that young again. Rest assured we will love these young people and help them fulfill their potential as the Lord's servants.

Sincerely,
Hermana Goates




Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Hermana Cannon at the airport

Here is a picture of Emilyn with her companion, Hermana Bonner, at the airport on their way to Argentina.


Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Re: Week One: Title

p.s. I almost forgot, how was trek? I want to hear all about it! Really I just want emails, but you know. Haha just kidding. Tell me all about it! 

p.p.s. I've seen Jessica two or three times here so that's been fun. She came and said hello to my district which was also neat. 


On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 1:47 PM, Emilyn Cannon <emilyn.cannon@myldsmail.net> wrote:
My Dear Familia: (y amigos)

This email is incredibly jumpy-everywherey, so prepare yourselves. 

So I kind of had this idea that the MTC was going to be like General Conference every day. Inspiring messages, intense language classes, and hours of Seminary-like discussions with your district. It's kind of more like, work. Study. Prepare lessons. Speak spanish. Teach lessons. Learn teaching techniques. Work. Missionary work. I get it now. And because the work is so demanding, it's easy to become discouraged here. My first few days here were not the greatest. Lots of things so readily come to mind like, "I can't work this hard" "I'll never learn spanish" "I can't focus" "I'm not feeling the spirit" "I miss pre mission life". It took a few devotionals and Elder Bednar's "Character of Christ" talk before I realized that this work isn't about me. And when it becomes about me, it becomes hard, discouraging, impossible, and a little ridiculous. So I have to "forget myself and go to work". And as soon as I was able to do that, (I still have to remind myself a lot) it becomes infinitely better. 

I don't even know where to start. It feels like I've been here forever. I've already forgotten what it's like to be called by my first name. :) And I don't really remember what I've already told you, (I can hardly remember my first name anymore) but I guess I'll just...write some stuff.

All the missionaries here teach a lesson on their third day. It's a thing. So our teacher pretended to be the investigator, and we had to knock on the door, get to know him, and teach him. Me and my companion Hermana Bonner were extremely nervous. Being in a district full of fluent Spanish speakers is a great way to learn spanish, and also a great way to be reminded every hour how much spanish you really don't know. Yet. 

The lesson went terribly. We hardly made any sense, we were nervous, we jumped around from one thing to another, but we did it. And it was great. We felt so good afterward. Yes, the language was shakey, but we bore our testimonies, we offered heartfelt prayers, we followed the spirit, and we did it. And that's what everyone tells us here. Teaching lessons isn't about the lesson, the language, or our comfort. It's about walking in with the spirit, and saying the things God puts into your heart so that the investigator can feel the spirit. And when we met with our next "investigator," and applied these things, the meeting went much better.

The progression here is incredible, which is probably why everyone says "the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days". Every day you learn so much, and you don't even think about how much you're learning and progressing until you remember that a week has already past. It's a little weird. 

Our district is great. We're trying to figure out how to get these cameras working, so I can show you picutres, but the computers aren't letting us hook them up, so we'll see. But we all get along and have a great time, which is a big help during our short time here. Me, my companion, and one of the Elders, Elder White, are all going to Mendoza. Besides us two are going to Portland Oregan, two to Texas...somewhere, one to Ventura California, and one to Chile Concepcion. Pretty exciting.

Oh, almost forgot. Thanks for all the prayers for my visa, because it came! I got my travel plans! I leave next week on August 11. We'll fly from Salt Lake and get to Georgia at around 5 where we'll have a four hour layover. And guess what that means? I get to call you all! So we'll see how it works when i get there i guess, but you should expect a call somewhere between 5 and 9 PM on August 11. At nine we hop on another plane and arrive in Buenos Aires around 8 the following morning. Yum. I'm so excited. I've learned so much here at the MTC, and the spirit of God's work is here every day, but I can't wait to get out into the field. 

I guess that's all. Thanks for the letters, emails, prayers, and love. The church is true, and this work is real. Hopefully you'll hear from me on Monday!  

Hermana Cannon

Week One: Title

My Dear Familia: (y amigos)

This email is incredibly jumpy-everywherey, so prepare yourselves. 

So I kind of had this idea that the MTC was going to be like General Conference every day. Inspiring messages, intense language classes, and hours of Seminary-like discussions with your district. It's kind of more like, work. Study. Prepare lessons. Speak spanish. Teach lessons. Learn teaching techniques. Work. Missionary work. I get it now. And because the work is so demanding, it's easy to become discouraged here. My first few days here were not the greatest. Lots of things so readily come to mind like, "I can't work this hard" "I'll never learn spanish" "I can't focus" "I'm not feeling the spirit" "I miss pre mission life". It took a few devotionals and Elder Bednar's "Character of Christ" talk before I realized that this work isn't about me. And when it becomes about me, it becomes hard, discouraging, impossible, and a little ridiculous. So I have to "forget myself and go to work". And as soon as I was able to do that, (I still have to remind myself a lot) it becomes infinitely better. 

I don't even know where to start. It feels like I've been here forever. I've already forgotten what it's like to be called by my first name. :) And I don't really remember what I've already told you, (I can hardly remember my first name anymore) but I guess I'll just...write some stuff.

All the missionaries here teach a lesson on their third day. It's a thing. So our teacher pretended to be the investigator, and we had to knock on the door, get to know him, and teach him. Me and my companion Hermana Bonner were extremely nervous. Being in a district full of fluent Spanish speakers is a great way to learn spanish, and also a great way to be reminded every hour how much spanish you really don't know. Yet. 

The lesson went terribly. We hardly made any sense, we were nervous, we jumped around from one thing to another, but we did it. And it was great. We felt so good afterward. Yes, the language was shakey, but we bore our testimonies, we offered heartfelt prayers, we followed the spirit, and we did it. And that's what everyone tells us here. Teaching lessons isn't about the lesson, the language, or our comfort. It's about walking in with the spirit, and saying the things God puts into your heart so that the investigator can feel the spirit. And when we met with our next "investigator," and applied these things, the meeting went much better.

The progression here is incredible, which is probably why everyone says "the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days". Every day you learn so much, and you don't even think about how much you're learning and progressing until you remember that a week has already past. It's a little weird. 

Our district is great. We're trying to figure out how to get these cameras working, so I can show you picutres, but the computers aren't letting us hook them up, so we'll see. But we all get along and have a great time, which is a big help during our short time here. Me, my companion, and one of the Elders, Elder White, are all going to Mendoza. Besides us two are going to Portland Oregan, two to Texas...somewhere, one to Ventura California, and one to Chile Concepcion. Pretty exciting.

Oh, almost forgot. Thanks for all the prayers for my visa, because it came! I got my travel plans! I leave next week on August 11. We'll fly from Salt Lake and get to Georgia at around 5 where we'll have a four hour layover. And guess what that means? I get to call you all! So we'll see how it works when i get there i guess, but you should expect a call somewhere between 5 and 9 PM on August 11. At nine we hop on another plane and arrive in Buenos Aires around 8 the following morning. Yum. I'm so excited. I've learned so much here at the MTC, and the spirit of God's work is here every day, but I can't wait to get out into the field. 

I guess that's all. Thanks for the letters, emails, prayers, and love. The church is true, and this work is real. Hopefully you'll hear from me on Monday!  

Hermana Cannon