May 15, 2014

Hola familia!

I loved being able to hear your voices on Mother´s Day!  So much has gone on this past week, so I hope I can fit it all in!  Also, I’m going to be bouncing around a lot, so just bear with me.  Before I get too far into the email, I just want you to know I am doing GREAT!  Life as a missionary has definitely taken some getting used to, but thus far, I have loved my time at the Argentina CCM.  Every time I walk by a window and see the beautiful Buenos Aires Temple, I ask myself, "Is this real life???"  Probably my favorite part of this whole experience has been meeting PEOPLE!  On both airplane rides over here, I sat by men who showed me pictures of their sweet families.  I loved it!!  My companions are awesome.  We laugh, pray, talk, eat, and learn LOTS together.  My teachers are bomb. Both of them are native Argentinians, and they are just so funny.  And the fact they can speak both Spanish and English so well gives me hope for the future. My district is awesome.  We´ve got three elders and five hermanas in our district.  Isn’t that a crazy ratio? And last but not least, I LOVE the Latinos!  Interacting with them makes me so excited to get out and serve the Uruguayans.  I especially love my cute roomies.  Along with my companions, I room with a hermana from Peru and a hermana from Brazil. Communicating with them has been a little rough, but the other night we started chipping away at the language barrier!  We showed each other pictures of our friends and families, asked each other about boys, told each other about our homelands, and just had an all around good time.  The food is pretty good!  My stomach has felt a little funky, but in general, I’ve loved all the meals.  A typical meal at the CCM includes MEAT (usually two or three kinds), orange juice, potatoes or rice, bread, pasta salads, vegetables, fruits, and dessert (usually it contains dulce de leche)!  It is so much food, but the good thing is, you can pick and choose what you want!  I have been learning so much. My understanding of prayer, scripture study, and working hard has increased, and like I mentioned on Sunday, the most important thing I’ve learned is that God loves ALL His children.  Throughout this week, I’ve realized the gospel is not just for me, a random nineteen-year-old from Colorado. As I’ve met amazing people from America, Canada, and South America, I’ve realized God speaks all languages and understands literally everyone’s thoughts, desires, and prayers.  Every night as I’ve been going to bed, I can’t help but think of all of you back at home.  I imagine all of you sitting around our dinner table and praying for me and Linds to be "safe, happy, and healthy," and it brings tears to my eyes.

Thank you for being so supportive, and I LOVE YOU!


Hermana Dixon