Week 3 at the CCM

Here is Alyssa's latest email. Again anything in red I inserted.

Her email is Alyssa.wandell@myldsmail.net for anyone who wants to send her an email. Her Pdays are Tuesday at the CCM.

If you email with her and she shares anything you think the rest of us would like to hear about forward it to me and I will add it to the blog.

So I got sick. I had a really bad sore throat yesterday and the day before and now I am just super congested. That's all. I'll be fine! At least I don't have a parasite like a few people here do. wooo hoo!! Yeah not pleased about being sick but what can you do??

I will tell someone to email you for me. (I asked her to have someone email me when she gets to Panama) As for Sundays it is your lucky day!! I took a picture of our schedule for the week so you can have a little peek at what life is like at the CCM. Enjoy! (I asked her why Sunday's were her favorite day)

Johanna (friend from Jordan High, that I couldn't remember where she got called to, when she knows 100 missionaries I can't keep them all straight) is going to Kennewick, WA. And it was the least I could do for Parker! (Elder Parker Burton lives 2 doors down from us and is at the MTC now as well - she brought a package with her for him) Another Beetdigger got here this week, but you don’t really know him, but Robert and everyone in that neighborhood does. Elder Chandler Smith got here, I think he is headed to LA but I'm not sure.

We have had a rough week as a district, we all got reprimanded for who knows what. You would think that people would understand what obedience is while on a mission, but I guess not everyone does... anyway then our district leader made us go around and say two things that we think need to be changed.

Also our two afternoon teachers were talking about goals and the one got mad because we hadn't made any goals. So that’s what we did. Well the thing that is frustrating is that they tell us over and over, you need to talk to natives!! Yeah well that is easier said than done because the only time we see them is in the lunch room and we can only sit by the sisters. The other problem is that they all sit together and when you do sit by them they don't seem very interested in talking to you. It seems as though they all don't like the Americans because we don't speak Spanish. Which is really hard. So I was telling my teacher Hermano Arevalo (My favorite) and I started to cry because I was frustrated and he told me that he was grateful that I was feeling this way because it shows that I have a desire to learn and because it is important to go through trials. Then he started to cry and told me that he feels the same way because the American teachers don't want to talk to him in English, which he is trying to learn and really wants to learn, he says it hurts his feelings because they won't help them. Then he told me that he knows I will be a good missionary because I have a desire for it. He said that he was going to tell his friend Hermana Cruz (who is serving in Panama right now) that she needs to look out for an amazing missionary coming her way. Then he said that he knows that I will get the language and that I shouldn't worry because he doesn't worry about me learning the language. He said that I am actually really good and that he doesn't worry about me, he worries about some of the others in my class. I told him thank you and then we had to start doing something else but I don't remember what. He is such a sweet guy! We all love him!

(Insert dist. Pic)

Okay so the people in my district. I'll send a picture with names. (I asked her about the people in her district and where they are from)

Left to right. Elder Angell (Georgia), Elder Delos Reyes (Washington), Elder Loveridge (Herriman, Utah), Elder Faerber (Minnesota), Elder Ballsteadt with his hands up.. (Midway, Utah), Elder Fridal AKA District leader (Logan, Utah), and Elder Pace (Arizona) we have one more named Elder Parker who is from Texas but for some reason he wasn't in this picture...

Girls: Hermana Latu (Rose Park, Utah), Hermana Barth (Holliday, Utah), Hermana Howe (Pleasant Grove, Utah), and me (:

Elder Ballsteadt is from Midway, he knows that one guy (one of my customers) with the twins or at least he knows the twins haha. Only Hermana Latu and I are going to Panama from our district. The other two are going to California. We have two elders going to New York, one going to El Salvador, two going to Texas and like 7 going to California. There are 9 girls in the whole MTC going to Panama.

Speaking of being goofy that was part of our discussion as a district... No more singing when we aren't singing the hymn for the devo at the beginning of class, no whistling, no talking about things unrelated to our work here, no talking above a whisper, no fun... haha it didn't really stick though...

We went to the temple again today and we will go one more time before we leave. It is awesome but today I was so sick and congested and exhausted (had to wake up early to go) that I couldn't focus. It took all I had in me not to fall asleep. There is an elder here that Hermana Howe knows that is from Panama so he was kinda telling us a little. We didn't have much time though, but he said it’s mainly arroz y pollo (rice and chicken).

Haha that’s hilarious! I love the Stick Alyssa. Yeah you should send me a stick Abby (:

Oh so I have to tell you what happened last night. We had an awesome lesson on the Atonement, and we watched this video of elder Holland and he said that the reason why the mission is so hard is because we are experiencing a fraction of what Christ went through. I wish I knew the name of the video but I don't I know it was on YouTube though. You could try to find it just type in something like Elder Jeffery R. Holland and Elder Henry B. Irying, Missionary Work related to the Atonement. IT IS SOOOO GOOD!! I can't even do it justice by explaining it so just try to find it and if you can’t I will ask my teachers what it is called. (I found it and watched and it is probably the best 10 minutes you will spend all day)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6FKiNVbw3Y

Also early this week we had a really good lesson on Ether 12. It was amazing and exactly what I needed. I was having a hard week at first and after reading that I understood why. I'm not 100% sure of the verse but in part of it says that if men come unto Christ (which is what missionaries are all doing) then He will show you your weaknesses and if you humble yourself before Him then He will make the weak things become strong. And then in verse 37 it was just like BOOM! Go read it! I'll let you figure it out, it's that good! (here is a link to Ether 12)

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/12?lang=eng

Anyways after the lesson last night we were at dinner and it started to pour!! By the time we were done it was still coming down. So we took off our shoes and started running, yeah well Hma. Barth and I both slipped. I had a few bumps (one right on my scar) and the others are on my foot and it’s really bruised. But here is the crazy thing, I fell right smack on my butt hahaha... yeah and no bruises no nothing! Power of the garm-trons right there! (Hahaha the girls in my room have picked up that term because that’s what HMA. Barth calls her garments.) Long story short I'm fine. But Hma. Barth ripped her skirt right up the back... it was bad... Oh well at least we are okay!

Hahahaha earthquakes... yay!.. not

The sirens have gone off 3 times now and we haven't felt a thing (My teacher says it’s because of the mountains, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, as long as I don't feel it that I don't care what it is)

So I found out that with DearElder it is free up until I leave the MTC but the problem is that it still takes like two weeks to get here apparently because they print them off in Provo and then pouch mail them here.. dumb I know.. As for the package I'm not really sure.. maybe a take 5 or something. Oh and by the way, I love the shoes that we got at Macy's even though they are ugly. (Black Clarkes) They are amazing! Just so you know.. umm

haha So btw its really cold in Mexico, which makes no sense.. Okay you mentioned Christmas morning! WE HAD NUTELLA THIS MORNING!! We didn't have anything to eat it with because since we had to eat so early to go to the temple the waffles weren't made yet but that didn't stop us from getting a great big spoonful and eating it like that (:

No me gusta black widows!! But Abby will be the coolest kid there!! (we have a black widow in our yard that Abby gets to take to school for insect day) Haha. There are mosquitoes everywhere here! I got bit 11 times two nights ago... not fun... But it was kind of funny because I showed one to our district leader and he was like uhhhhhh I think you should go see the doctor because I think that means you have Malaria! Oh the brains of 18 year old boys.... And I was like no I'm just allergic and he goes nooo I think it’s malaria and I'm sitting there like yeah I have malaria and I don't know how my own body responds to mosquito bites, okay Elder!

I wish you could see the campus that we live on. It is so pretty! WAIT A MINUTE I JUST HAD A THOUGHT!! Mom meet my good friend google.com , Google meet mom! No seriously Google it! It's gorgeous! Oh and did I mention the wild parrots in the palm trees? Yeah they are bright green! Kind of awesome!! My Spanish is coming along, or so I think, so I hope. (I looked it up on Google Earth and you can see it from overhead and the gate out front but because it’s not public Google couldn’t drive down the inside streets so you can’t get a street view of what is past the gate, her pictures from last week are as good as any I can find online)

Okay I LOVE YOU!! Tell my Abby I love her and I miss her muchooooooooooo

Love <3 Hermana Wandell (:

P.S. Oh btw today is the half way point of the CCM!! Hermana Latu and I made up colors for each week. First week you are a greeny, then you are yellow, then orange, then red (that’s us right now), then purple and then blue. Oh and people wear too much cologne/ perfume, the kid I am sitting next to right now is making me nauseous! Okay TTFN!!

Tell Abby I love her! And that she is the cutest little sister in the whole wide world (: