The Field is White: Week 67 - Being a Trainer is Humbling

1. So you know the big question of the week is this – who is your new companion? Where is she from? How do you two get along? How is she adjusting so far?

My hija is Hermana S. She is from Utah... She is really tall! I'm not used to being around someone taller than me lol., We get along really well. I think that this whole training thing is going to be interesting. She's doing well... she doesn't speak much Spanish, but she's learning which is the good thing. she is a positive person which is really good. I'm just not used to doing everything so it was kind of a big adjustment... She is very athletic and has lots of energy and is excited to be here.

2. How has your first week of training been?

It's been a very humbling experience and has brought lots of old memories back. I feel kind of like what I imagine a real mom feels like, lol. Like it's a different relationship training than it is to just have a normal companionship, I think. It's been a load for me because I have to do all the talking in the lessons and all the planning, and I can do it, I just was so used to sharing everything. So it's kind of like double the work and I have to teach Spanish and I don't even know where to start with that. But I guess I just need to have patience with myself and with her and we will be fine. I mean, I couldn't do everything at first either so I can't expect her to be able to. Its just been weird, a change but a good one.

3. Where did Hna A get transferred to? Did any missionaries you know get transferred to Puerto?

She got transferred back to Copan but to Florida and she is with a companion that she has had before, too. One elder that I met before I got transferred here but we got three new missionaries... fun stuff. But there are mostly gringos in the zone now, haha.

4. Have you received any more packages?

No, but the secretary told me that he thought that I had another one in the office.

5. How are D and her family doing? Does their other son still have a baptism date in early February?

Yeah. They are doing really well. Hna D shared in Gospel Principles that she is so grateful for our visits and she can see that she is reaching her goals and changing her family poco a poco (little by little) and she got all teary eyed and so did Hno F and then so did I, lol. They are just such a great family. and their son is going to get baptized on Feb. 7. They all came to church and their son (who got baptized already) passed the sacrament for the first time thie Sunday!

6. How was church yesterday? Did you learn anything new? Did you have any investigators or less active members there?

It was really, really good. We had the most people there that I have seen in my whole time here... 157! WOOHOO! And Familia M came (D and F) and our new family Familia R came for the second Sunday and they are so pilas, too! But they need to get married, too...

7. What did you do for P-Day this week?

Today we cleaned like usual and we bought some things for Hna S -- a backpack and sandals so she can work more comfortably. And we ate at Pizza Hut as a zone and now we are writing! Woohoo.

8. What miracles and tender mercies have you seen this week? Answers to your prayers?

This week we were able to achieve a miracle! The mission standard for lessons with members present is 17... and I used to say that was impossible... until we got 15 and then I saw some hope... well, this week we were able to have 18! I think that the members took pity on me and went out with us, lol, but it felt really, really good and we had a lot of new investigators, too! It was a great week and we even lost a day because we had to go to San Pedro for a training for the new gringos. It was for real a miracle for me... It was just a very good week and really showed me that the Lord is aware of my efforts.

9. How was the transfer meeting?

We don't have transfer meetings anymore... but we at least got to go to the same chapel as a meeting point so that I could say bye to Hna P and Hna V!!! I can't believe that they are already home! What the heck! I don't believe that at all...

10. Were you able to see that woman who contacted you again?

Yeah... but she sent us a message this week and dropped us, lol, she said that the hermanas from the church she visits were now visiting her... whatever.

11. How has someone blessed your life this week?

Hna S shares her food with me. And Familia Galeas is just so sweet! They are trying to help Hna S learn Spanish and they are just great.

12. Describe a time this week when you felt the Spirit.

Well, we were prepping to go to the training for the gringos in San Pedro and Hna S asked me what she should bring and so I told her what I thought we would need and then when we were going to go out the door I saw my mission handbook and just got the feeling that I should bring it with me and so we brought them and then when we got there my trainer's meeting was all about the handbook and we read from it and it was neat because I definitely didn't remember it on my own. The training was the new missionary training because the new missionaries missed it (they missed their flight because of weather) so we had to go back for the training. Oh, we got to see Pres Dester and we have interviews this week!

13. Describe a lesson you taught this week or a visit you had with one of your investigators or a less active member.

Well... we sat down. and we sang a hymn.... and then I asked questions and taught the lesson and my companion listenend. LOL. I don't know what else you want me to say about a lesosn this week, lol....

14. How are Hna M and her family doing?

She's doing well.... She came to church this Sunday but her spouse still didn't... but we will visit them tomorrow and her son is going to go out with us to do some visits.

15. How have you served someone else this week?

I think that training is a 24 hour service...

16. Have you been able to talk to a lot of people this week?

Not as many. It's hard to do everything... I have to do all the contacts this week and so yeah... we didn't do as many as I would have liked.

17. Are there some members of your ward who go out with you pretty regularly?

Well, our mission leader goes out with us more than anyone and one of the young men and his little sister (the sons of Hno Galeas who Hna Butikofer baptized) goes out with us every Sunday and then at night they give us dinner.

18. What was the best thing that happened this week?

We met the goal for lessons with members present!!!! And we got Quiznos on Friday when we went to San Pedro for training for the gringos.

19. What was the funnest/funniest thing that happened this week?

We were talking with Familia Galeas last night and we were talking about weird words in Spanish and Hna S heard us wrong and though we were saying that I was calling one of my other companions a sinner, haha, and it was really funny. And we were in a cita and a little girl started imitating her gringa accent and was saying Spanish words with an accent and we were all laughing so hard. We couldn't even finish the hymn.

20. How are J and N doing?

They are doing well... they didn't come to church this week. :( J had to work. We went to visit them with the second counselor in the stake presidency because she has a ton of respect for him and I think that it went well. It wasn't a very well planned lesson due to lots of stress I had going on ... but I think she heard what she needed to hear from him.

21. What did you learn from your personal study this week?

I really liked the talk "Stay in the Boat" from Elder Ballard... so go read it... and stay in the boat. I think that it is very applicable to our times... And I was reading in Jesus the Christ and a phrase stood out to me... "Paradise is the place where dwell righteous and repentant spirits between bodily death and resurrection" (you can explain the spirit world for no mormon folk). But I guess I always thought that perfect people went to paradise or that we stopped progressing or something. On the mission i think that I have come to understand that we keep progressing all the time! And that we will have the opportunity to repent and to be better even in the spirit world if it is our desire. I guess I just liked the word "repentant"... we don't have to be perfect, but we have to want to be better and to try to be better all the time. But just like those in prison, those in paradise progress, too.

22. Do you know that I love you and I miss you?

Always.

23. What was the most beautiful thing you saw this week?

I don't know... it rained a little bit this week so I suppose the sun. But the weather has been really, really nice.

24. Did you have any unusual experiences this week?

We went looking for a little pathway shortcut to the mountain yesterday and we got lost a little bit and a big dog came out and almost bit us, hahaha, but it was way funny and really fun at the same time. An adventure. My English is really bad too... Like I can't read out loud in English, lol, it sounds so bad, hahaha. I love Spanish so much!!!! When I get home I want to go to the Spanish Group and go out with the Spanish sister missionaries. I hope they give me a calling in the Spanish Group. I want to keep up my Spanish before I go back to BYU. I might do a Spanish minor or maybe a double major.

25. What has been your biggest challenge this week?

TRAINING and teaching Spanish!

I don't know why but I was thinking about Christopher this week. How is he doing?

I'm SOOOO excited that you could find Hna Butikofer. Hno Juan Carlos is going to be SO excited!!!!! Thanks!!!!!

LOVE YOU!

Hermana Gisseman

Don't worry -- I wasn't really sad. I was cutting onions.