Ni Hao! :)
In case you were wondering, that's Hello in Mandarin! :D Haha. My companion, Sister Pien, and I have been teaching each other our languages! I'm so excited to talk to people who speak Mandarin on Temple Square! I've learned how to say some pretty random things (like The church is true, I'm hungry, I need to go to the bathroom, This food is yummy, you're beautiful, I love Jesus Christ, etc) Haha. We have so much fun with it! She knows how to say the same things in Spanish too. :)
Well, if there is one thing that I have a newfound appreciation for, it's the love and patience that my companions have had with me during this time that I've found out grandma is really sick. I have been filled with comforting scriptures and lots and lots of hugs. Of course, nothing beats being with my family right now, but I'm super grateful I was able to speak with grandma on the phone. They usually don't let missionaries call out -- especially out of the country! That call has given me so much peace of mind and even more strength. I'm still not sure on the update on grandma, though. Last I heard she was in the ICU still, but I've been praying for her and for everyone in the family (as have my companions & roommates). It's been really hard to focus and I find myself randomly crying during class and every time I think of her. I want you all to know that I really do know that Heavenly Father is mindful of all of you and that he loves you very much! Please turn to him and pray more than you've ever prayed before. He wants to talk to you and he wants to comfort you. Here are some scriptures that people have given me to read... Try doing the same! D&C 100:1, D&C 121:7, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Matthew 11:28-30, & John 14:18. Our Heavenly Father really is there with us through this all. You can look of hte Doctrine & Covenants online or ask Mom for a copy.
Missionary work is extremely exhausting! No really, in absolutely every single way. But it's all worth it when we we are dedicating ALL of our time to helping others come closer to Christ and miracles happen! So these past two weeks I have been in regular missionary training classes but this third week I will be in Visitor Center training classes. That also means that we changed teachers... so I don't have Brother Starkie or Sister Clark anymore. :'( Which is honestly devastating. Our new teachers are Sister Hawkes & Sister Welch -- they are no where NEAR as entertaining and I find myself yawning more than I probably should. What's really cool though is that my Branch President told me what Brother Starkie said about me -- he said "Sister Cuevas is a powerhouse. She is very close to the spirit and has a fire about her for missionary work. We are so delighted and privileged to have her in our district" Wooh!! Too bad I'm not in that district anymore... Our class before was 11 missionaries but our Elders left on Monday to the Colorado, Colorado Springs mission! That was one of the hardest times because our Elders were so obedient and we never experienced a dull moment with them! Watch out Colorado! :D
I've been adjusting pretty quickly with my new class. It is full of 33 sisters from ALLL over the world. It is so fun!!! There are girls from China, South Korea, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and Taiwan in our class. All of them are learning English and it is SO good. It's amazing how quickly the Lord has helped these sisters learn English so quickly. I'm honestly amazed. Just amazed! On Wednesday we all went to Temple Square as Visitors to walk around and get a tour from some sisters serving there now. On the bus ride down I sat next to this sister from Brazil. When I asked her how old she was she told me that she was 40!!!!!!! i just about fell out of my chair. She looks like she's 25. No joke! It was crazy. I couldn't believe it. I immediately turned and told my companions and probably made it a bigger deal that I should have. hahaha. she didn't mind though. She's SUPER gorgeous though and I'm honestly confused how she's not married. One thing that has really touched my heart is that the Sisters have THE strongest testimonies of our Savior and the truthfulness of the Gospel. It is life-changing to hear their stories and how much the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed their lives.
As missionaries, we seriously pray about EVERYTHING. I don't think I've ever done so many prayers in my entire life. I realized though, how much being on a mission makes you rely on our Savior. Along with prayers we do a LOT of role-playing on temple square or during lessons. We also work a lot on extending invitations to people... like "Will you pray to feel the love that Heavenly Father has for you" etc. Okay family... You will probably mostly understand why I found this so
funny once I'm finished. So I woke up the other day and my conversation with my roommates went
like this... Sister Ying said, "I'm so sorry if I've been waking you all up with my coughing." and then one of my roommates said... "No, I didn't hear you coughing but I heard Sister Cuevas sleep talking - extending commitments to investigators!" Hahah...Lol! and then we spent the next 5 minutes talking about all the things I've been talking about in my sleep these past couple nights. I supposedly yelled "Beautiful!!" the other night and then went back to bed. Oh it kills me. :) My poor roommates.. hahahah.
I'm sorry for such a long letter. I hope I'm not boring you to death.
I am actually reporting to Temple Square on July 23rd at 6am! So send any mail to my temple square address! I can't believe it is coming so fast!
I invite you to serve someone this week! Whether it's paying for someone's meal, making someone's bed, or writing a thank you letter. Always have an attitude of gratitidue!
Try praying to God with a question in mind. Don't be in a rush to finish & enjoy your time talking to him!
I love you!!!! Wo ai ni!!!
SMILE :D, BE HAPPY :), & REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE <3
Love always,
Sister Cuevas!
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