My P-Day got changed to Tuesday this week because all of the American missionaries got to go on a trip to Teotihuacán, Pyramid of the Sun today. Teotihuacán has the ruins of an ancient civilization (the city was in it's prime in about 800 AD, if I remember correctly from a class I took in high school) We just barely got back and it was AMAZING! The temples there are beautiful and the symbolism of everything there is mind-blowing. As you know, I love that kind of stuff, so I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. Even though the prime of this civilization was during the Great Apostacy, it was built before the death of Christ, while the truth was still on the earth. The structure of and the ceremonies performed in these temples were extremely similar to what we have today. Some of the carvings even allude to the garment and very specific things about the endowment session. I won't go into detail, but I was amazed. It will definitely be a highlight of my mission. We also climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun....so many stairs....steep stairs. It was a breathtaking experience though. I learned so much and it only added to me love of culture, especially ancient cultures. I felt like I was walking around in Book of Mormom times. Ahh, I'm still giddy about the opportunity we had to go! I have lots of pictures and if I ever figure out a way to get my pictures on the computer I'd love to send you some. Also, this trip meant that I got to wear jeans....which was glorious!
Another reason I loved this trip was because I got a chance to get outside of the temple square boundaries. I often have to remind myself that I'm in Mexico City because I don't get to see much outside of the gate. Well, I got to see Mexico City today and it was a very humbling experience. We are so blessed! I don't think I could explain some of the sights that I saw on our way out of the city, but they will forever be engrained in my mind. Absolute and extreme poverty, and I'm even in a nicer part of the city. The people I saw and the houses that I saw them living in made me so incredibly grateful to my Father in Heaven for all that I have. I love the people here with all my heart though. I've met some of the kindest hearted people while I've been here, and I love them all.
So, I'm in a companionship of three. My companions are both wonderful, but struggle a little with the language, and have come to rely on me during our appointments with our 'investigators'. Because of this, during our last appointment, they wanted my companions to teach by themselves to see how they did. I was supposed to watch the recording from the camera that is in the room and evaluate the lesson. I wasn't sure how I felt about this at first, but I think it was beneficial for us all. My companions became more confident with their Spanish and realized that they can take on bigger roles during our lessons. I'm very happy about this because I was beginning to feel a bit stressed because I was taking on the majority of the workload. I'll be grateful for their input.
I've learned so much about my responsibility to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord this week. On Sunday I was asked to give a short talk. I had prepared some thoughts about the Doctrine of Christ, the theme for the entire meeting. About 5 minutes before I was supposed to speak I was impressed to center what I said around 3 Nephi 12:16. I wasn't sure why I needed to share this, but if I've learned anything in my life it's that you never ignore a prompting from the Lord. I only had 4 minutes to speak, so I simply shared the scripture and a few of my thoughts about it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, I sat down and the meeting continued. Later that night, right before going back to the dorms, one of the elders from my district, Elder Kipp, came up and thanked me so sincerely for sharing what I did. He told me that he knows it was specifically meant for him. He shook my hand and thanked me for following the Spirit. There are few things that bring more joy than knowing that somebody received the help that they needed because the Lord could use you as an instrument in his hands.
I had a similar experience last night (Monday). Elder Cochran, another elder from my district, and I are very similar and get along extremely well. We've become very good friends. Last night we were both having a difficult time after our lessons. While the rest of our district was talking and getting ready to go to the dormitories, I noticed that Elder Cochran was having a rough time over at his desk. I decided to share one of my favorite scriptures with him. I found it right before leaving and it has helped me a lot. We've talked a lot and I knew that this scripture was PERFECT for him too. I didn't realize that this passage of scripture started out by addressing 'Thomas'. Thomas is Elder Cochran's first name. It is as if this scripture was written specifically for him. He read it and I could see the light come back into his face. He looked at me and told me that he wanted nothing more than to hug me, but unfortunately mission rules forbid it. He gave me a very hearty handshake though. I know that the thought I had to share that scripture was directly from the Lord, and I'm grateful that I followed the prompting and was able to brighten someone's day.
I am quickly running out of time, but I also encourage you guys to listen to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's January 11 2011 Provo MTC devotional. We watched it on sunday and he blew me away yet again with the power that he has when he speaks. Also, I spent a lot of time studying John 15 this week alongside 'The Challenge to Become' by Dallin H. Oaks.
Also, thank you so much for the package! The instructor came into our classroom with it and my heart leaped when I found out it was for me. It's the smallest of the Lord's tender mercies that brighten my day the most.
Family, I love you all SO much! I'm sure I'm forgetting something in this letter, but I guess I'll just have to include it next time. I'm hoping to be able to send you pictures next week as well. You're all amazing and wonderful examples to me!
Much love!!
Go forward with faith!
Hermana Falslev
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