El Don De Lenguas

Mi familia!!

I have yet survived another week! Haha, I think we all expected I would make it... We have earthquake evacuations almost every day, but haven´t felt any yet.  So that is good!  It is so good to hear from you guys, but don´t worry, I got like 15 emails in my inbox... so yeah. I am most definitely not neglected.

Mexico is so fantastic! It is weird to get up every morning and think that I am in Mexico! Today we went to the temple and it was crazy to be standing outside, realizing that I am in the Mexico City temple!  (BTW, it was so difficult in Espanol, but luckily everyone is patient.)  The first night we kept hearing big booms outside our windows and people kept telling us it was gunshots.. uh no.  Mexicans just love their firecrackers.  Haha.  Also we found out that Mexicans really love their weekend concerts! Mariachi music starts at 8 pm on Friday night, and basically doesn't end until 2 am Sunday morning.

The food has been so hilarious.  My favorite Spanish phrase is ¨Que es eso!?!¨´ which means, What is that!?! (You use it when you literally have no clue at all what it is.  Generally I say it every meal time.  Haha)  But no sicknesses thus far! Hermana Livingston and I have been so blessed with health.  I am including a picture of a typical Mexican Lunch.  The picture is actually the lunch I had with the MTC president! He came and sat with Hermana Livingston and I, and it was really neat to get to sit with him.  Him and his wife are fantastic.  They are crazy though.  His wife is pretty strict on rules and made me feel like my whole wardrobe is inappropriate.  But they both definitely bring the Spirit and care so much for all 800 of us missionaries here.

Que es eso?!?! We have no idea....

Hermana Livingston and I had art classes together in high school so we totally knew each other.  It has been so much fun getting to know each other better and learning Spanish and the gospel at the same time.  We have very similar personalities, so basically we just party most of the time and pray every once in a while (Yo chiste ;) (That means I´m kidding)).  But I love her already and am so blessed to have a friend as a companion.  The first night we went to our casas after emailing you and found we shared a room with two other girls and a house with 12 others.  The next day we came home, and the girls in our room had moved out! We haven't seen them since, so we're not really sure what happened.  But it has been so great to be able to have our own room.  Now we can sleep in just G's.  Whoop whoop! It was kinda awkward with the other Hermanas...

I had to get a new alarm clock because mine was ridiulous.  The one they have the CCM (Spanish for MTC) store was super cheap and they gave me money to buy it, so wahoo!  When I opened the package I found out it is a mood clock... so basically it changes colors to help my 'mood'.  Haha.  Also it is covered in strawberries, and I have no idea why.  But it wakes me up every morning to 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' so I have no complaints.  Haha. 

A B on the mountain! Not as great as a G or Y, but we will take it. :)

On Friday Hermana Livingston and I started teaching our first investigator! Yippee! His name is Pedro.  He is pretty borning, but so great.  I love him already.  Teaching Pedro has taught me so much about the Spirit and the Gift of Tongues (El Don de Lenguas).  After our first two lessons with Pedro, we felt like we weren't really getting anywhere.  We were teaching him gospel principles, and the Spirit was definitely in the room, but since we had only had two days of Spanish, we were reading our lessons.  We weren't paying attention to him as a person.  So on Monday, we decided to just wing it.  We went into teach Pedro with no notes, no lesson plan, nothing.  We were going to ask him what his needs were, and we were going to address him.  I was so incredibly nervous.  I can barely pray in Spanish.  The first lesson I prayed and said 'I need Pedro' instead of 'let us know the needs of Pedro.'  Whoops.  Haha.  But Family, I have only had 5 days of Spanish at this point, and during the lesson I could have sworn we were fluent.  We prayed so hard before our lesson, and gave specific prayers that we would be able to understand all of Pedro's words, that we would be able to respond quickly, and that we would be able to have the Spirit.  In that room was by far the strongest Spirit I have felt in a long time.  We pray for el Don de Lenguas every day, and it is amazing to see just how much God truly loves me.  I was able to listen and understand all of Pedro's questions, make jokes with him, make him feel like this Gospel is truly all about him.  I was able to testify about the love of Jesus Christ for Pedro.  It was such a specific testimony and I was blown away at how many words came to my remembrance.  I even invited him to church.  Hermana Livingston and I went in with only a few phrases in our heads of Spanish, and God filled in the rest.  Truly He lives, and He loves his children.  He is willing to do whatever He can to help us help others come unto Him.  I feel like I grew wayyy more than Pedro did during that lesson.  Yo se que El Don De Lenguas es verdadero y miraculous. Yo se que La Iglesia de JesuCristo es evidencia del amor de Dior pur sus hijos. 

Love you all!! It has amazing to hear from you.  I cried like a baby.  Not really. 

Todos mi amor,

Hermana Dodson

p.s.  I haven't gotten homesick! It has been the greatest blessing.

p.p.s.  Funny story:  One time we were in class and one of the Elders in my district was like 'Hey, Sadie, were you a gymnast?'  and I was like 'No...'  And then he says, 'Oh.  Well you just look really buff.  Like way more ripped than I am.'  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH  I told him I just like the gym ;)  And then he said, 'Oh.  I respect that.'  HAHAHAHAAHA.  It is basically like high school here because I hang out with 18 year old boys every hour of every day.  But I LOVE IT.

Wanna Hear a Funny Story?

Sadie made it to Mexico safely, and was able to email us when she arrived at the MTC!

Hola mi familia!!

I made it to Mexico safely, and so did all my baggage! Yay!! Thanks for the prayers. :)

Anyways, Mexico City is beautiful.  The buildings are all stacked up on each other and rainbow colored.  I like it already.  I will definitely be doing some drawing based on the scenery.  The weather is great.  When we got here it was slightly cold and not nearly as humid as I expected!

I GOT MY TAG!! I will send pictures on P day, whenever that is. Every time I look down at it I get a little giddy.  I think my friend Emily Livingston from Lindon is going to my companion!! Yippee! We met up at the airport (after I met Todd! That was so great, but kinda stunk because I couldn't hug him.  But still, it definitely made me smile to get to talk to him.)  Emily and I basically stuck together all plane rides and bus rides, and I have already come to love her more.  Traveling with me was about 9 (ish) sisters and 12 (ish) elders? I can't count right now.  Haha. 

If there are typos, I'm sorry! Spanish keyboards are a little difficult.

YOU WANNA HEAR A FUNNY STORY?  It hasn't even been one full day and I am already up to my usual awkward shenanigans.  Are we surprised? No. Was I expecting more of myself? Possibly... Haha.  Anyways, our story begins on the airplane.  Yes, it happened before I even reached Mexico.  First flight was great.  I sat in the 1st row, so I had plenty of leg room. (That was irrelevant to the story, but still info you might have liked to know.)  I drank my water bottle, ate my sandwich, wrote thank you's, took some naps, and drank out of my water bottle more.  It was great.  Anyways, the next flight, I get thirsty.  So I open my water bottle to get a drink.  I think the pressure in this cabin must have been cranked to it's max because when I pushed the button on my spill-proof Contigo cup, a stream of water literally came shooting out of the straw.  It was like my own mini drinking fountain, except with no bowl to catch the water, only me... The water sprayed all over me, the back of the seat in front of me, the window, the seat next to me (which luckily no one was sitting in), and the back of the head of the guy sitting in front of me. (Who I'm sure didn't speak a lick of english.)  But his getting wet was partially his fault, since he leaned his seat all the way back, thus putting himself within firing range.  After being on an airplane for a total of 5 1/2 hours, my reflexes were shot and the water kept spewing until I finally got control on the situation.  By this time, the window was so wet you couldn't see anything out of it.  It looked like it had been ran through a car wash.  But I cleaned it up, don't worry.  Hahaha.  I shouted a couple "I'm sorry's" at the man in front of me, but I think my english just bounced right off him... oops.  So I guess technically I did get a little soggy today, just not from tears. ;)

Anyways, I love you all.  Today was definitely sad for me, but it is unreal that I am here! I am excited to get going.  Also I am excited to eat.  I haven't eaten since 11 since my sandwich got all soggy in the incident... Haha.  Hope you didn't cry too hard and you actually got things done today. ;)

Love you!

Hermana Dodson

p.s. we're having pizza for dinner.  AMERICAN FOOD. Or Italian?? Who knows...

p.p.s. Airplane rides are no bueno when you can't  watch a movie or listen to music and they are four hours long.  And when you have two of them, yeah, it's no bueno.  Haha.

And She's Off!

We dropped Sadie off at the airport this morning, and she has officially begun her service as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

It pretty much sucked, and we were definitely one of those crazy families who sobbed all the way out of the airport. When they tell you it feels like you heart is being ripped out? Yeah, that's an accurate description.  It's been really, really difficult. However, even though we are going to miss her like crazy, we know she is the right place doing the right thing.  

We LOVE you, Hermana Dodson!!!

The Funeral and Becoming a Missionary

Hola, amigos!

This is Sammi, Sadie's older sister and bestest bud.  I am going to be updating this blog weekly (fingers crossed!!) with her emails, so get excited!

Sadie's "funeral" as we like to call it, took place on Sunday, August 18.  She gave a wonderful talk, and we are so appreciative to everyone who came to support her.  The other day I was going through some notes that I had her friends write for her, and I got a little overwhelmed as I realized how many people LOVE her.  Thank you to all of you--you truly have been a positive influence in her life.

“A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a short time, so that others can be with their families for eternity.”  I feel so grateful to be able to serve a mission.  I know that it is the Lord’s work on earth."

The cute blanket the chums made for her!

No, they don't take normal pictures...

Our beautiful Great-Grandma Pete. 

All the grandparents!

She requested Chili's for her last meal, so we went there before her setting apart.  President Woahn set Sadie apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Monday night.  The setting apart was really wonderful, and we know that she will be blessed and protected as she goes about doing the Lord's work.  

Liv promised not to kiss any boys until Sadie gets back!

Dad and his old tag :)

Ceremonial handing off of the phone!

The book I made for Sadie. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Adios!

I will be heading to the Mexico MTC tomorrow morning and then to New York, New York in October to preach the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mail in Mexico is unpredictable, so please write me via email.
sadie.dodson@myldsmail.net

Hasta la vista, y nos vemos!