I LOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooVE Conference!

Querida Familia,

I  LOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooVE Conference. I was so happy after the Women’s Conference on Saturday, and that was only an hour and a half. This weekend I will get EIGHT HOURS of prophetic wisdom and explanations of reality that I need. After the conference on Saturday, I was just floating on a pink-and-purple cloud. Sigh...

Elders Rodríguez, Samano, Torrentera, Lia, and Hna Torales

(I forgot to send this picture of us with the Assistants right before Hermana Torales and Elder Samano went home.)

Back to Conference: I realized though, that things I was hearing would probably not have interested me a year ago. I remember previous conferences when I would think,"They’re talking about covenants... again?" And I tried really hard to concentrate, but didn't really understand what a covenant even was or why it was important.

That is what consistent scripture study and the Spirit will do for a person. :)  And I feel so so grateful that I speak English. Conference is NOT the same through a translation. Actually, I got my first real-time translating experience because they couldn’t figure out how to get the Spanish transmission. So Hermana Pinguelo and I translated for the congregation. But then they got it fixed, so we could go listen in English. Also, if I didn’t listen in English, I couldn’t have appreciated Sister Marriott’s accent. Don’t you all love her? The reason I love her is because she is such a real person. 

On my intercambios (missionary exchanges) in Garcia Gineres with Hermana Maki and Hermana Thomas, I met the coolest person. Her name is Estela, and she is 90 years old and THE SMARTEST YUCATECA EVER. She looks like she’s 65. I couldn’t believe how we could just tell her something and she would understand it. We were reading the Book of Mormon (in between citas (appointments) like we’ve been instructed to do) and we were reading in 3 Nephi 18 about the sacrament. We were reading a passage about how the sacrament was a commandment, and we ask her a question about what the commandment is and she says, “I guess I’ve got to get baptized.” I’m watching Hermana Maki in the mirror on the wall and see her face just light up! Then she asks us a question about needing authority to be baptized.

On the street afterwards, I asked “Do you think that’s what it's like to teach people in the United States?” Hermana Maki responded, “I was asking myself the same question.”  In case you are going to serve a mission in Mexico Mérida, you should start practicing to be patient right now. Unfortunately, most people here do not finish school (there’s no law that you have to stay in school), so they’ve never really learned how to learn. Learning is an incredibly slow process. You have to teach in super small increments, and you can’t just tell them something. You have to really get inside their brain and think what you could say that will help them realize you’re teaching something new, and make it as visual possible. You must verify after every idea you teach.

BUT, we get into a lot of houses and teach a lot of people. And nobody throws things at us. I believe every mission has its own difficulties. I think I definitely needed the specific difficulties of the Mexico Merida mission. :)

 I LOVED Elder Uchtdorf's umbrella analogy. I use it a lot in street contacting to explain why people should go to church, not work on Sundays, quit drinking, etc. MAN I LOVE APOSTLES AND PROPHETS. And I am SO excited to go to the temple. You know what I realized when I was there, is that I still am not comfortable there. I mean, I have more doubts and questions than I have assurances and answers. I want to go often enough that I feel at home there. Maybe I can be a worker when I get home.

We helped a mototaxista (motorcycle taxi) push his moto to get it started today. Yah, sista powah!

Much love,

Hna Ludlam