June 9, 2018 The Finish Line

Hi all! 

It's starting to sink in that I'm headed out of here in 3 days. The fact that suddenly all my investigators will be real, and I'll need every bit of my tiny Spanish vocabulary is scary! At the same time, I'm so excited to leave the MTC cafeteria and the routine behind me and meet the people I've been called to serve. I've talked to three Redlands natives now, and they've told me to get ready for heat, great grapefruit, and great people. I like 2/3 of those things so I'm feeling pretty lucky. I've been inside all day here, so I figure I'd better arm myself with some serious sunscreen before Tuesday though!

Some things to know about the MTC-- it is amazing. Never again will I get this kind of time to stop, study, and think. It's easy to get caught up in the idea of leaving so soon, so this week I've tried to slow down and enjoy the experience of being here. Our zone receives a new district of missionaries every week now, and since I struggle to remember all the names (I think I'm the human equivalent of Dory from "Finding Nemo"), I'm so grateful for name tags. Unfortunately, however, our zone has a problem with identity theft...they all like to switch! Hermana Johnson especially likes to wear mine. I don't like it as much as she does, as her impressions of me aren't the most flattering to say the least. Let's just say it involves a lot of jumping around and saying things like, "Rayos!", "Mi corazon!", and "Que tragico!" Oh well. If you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at? 

The new missionaries are all amazing. It's so fun to get new ones, as each new district brings a whole batch of stories and backgrounds and personalities. We're the veterans now, so many nights most of the Hermanas end up in our room just to talk. We've dried quite a few tears, but luckily we know the creamery ice cream in the vending machines cures just about anything. Every missionary has a story. Some have wanted to be here there whole lives, every year culminating up to this moment, while for others a mission is a complete 360 of their plans. Both are inspiring for different reasons, and so many have put careers, schooling, relationships, and more on hold to do the work. Pro tip: ask any given missionary how they decided to go on a mission, and you're bound to hear something good. I even like the ones who frankly reply, "Well, I just felt good about it." That's faith for you! 

I'm still not sure if I feel like a real missionary even now, but I'm working on that!. The first week I woke up with "Set Fire to the Rain" stuck in my head every day, and now it's more often hymns, so I'm celebrating the little victories. On that note, we sing almost all our hymns in Spanish here, which has actually been so cool. Translations subtly change the meaning, so you get something completely new out of a hymn you've sung for years. My personal favorite so far is, "The Lord is My Light," which translates to, "Jesus es mi Luz," which starts to sound like a Dr. Seuss book (but boy is it fun to sing!). Another cool thing about Spanish is the absence of "thee" and "thy."  Prayers, ordinances, and hymns are all in "tu" form, which implies a close, personal relationship with Heavenly Father. Love that. 

Little spiritual thought for the week is from our Spanish Tutor, Brother Durrant. Hermana Hall asked him why many famous scientists are atheists. His reply was powerful (at least if I understood his Spanish). "You can't get very far in knowledge of any kind before you see the hand of God," replied Brother Durrant, "His hand is in all things. Anyone who claims otherwise may have a lot of intelligence, but they lack any real wisdom." He went on to say, "Never think you've arrived. The moment you do, you stop thinking you need God." 

Some beautiful Spanish he shared was that "llegar" is "to arrive." The way to say "become" is "llegar a ser" whcih translates to "arrive to be." Christ wants us to become like him, but we can't arrive without him! 

I sure don't feel ready for the field, but in the words of my dad, "You don't often feel ready for anything in life. You just have to dive in and embrace the uncertainty." That's my theme for this week! 

Love you all, 

Hermana Hawkes

Great Quotes: 

"It's way too stressful to eat M&M's with you." --Me (to Hermana Walker...she's a bit OCD about the order in which you eat the colors. Let's just say the whole thing ended with me getting chased around the building and pelted with all the odd numbered M&Ms I didn't eat) 

"Spanish is so hard! I hate having to think about what I say before I say it." --Hermana Johnson

"You can call me 'Hermana Juan-hijo' if you want.--Hermana Johnson

"If you have a dry sense of humor does that mean mine is humid??" --Hermana Hemsley

Stover Girls: Hermana Daley and Sister Connel have arrived! They're both such excited and sunshiney missionaries! 

Pictures: 

---"Late Night" (9:15) Snack party complete with the 'staches Hermana Johnson got from her family. (Mine was actually a 'soul-patch' I will spare you the pictures) 

---In order to make it out of bed by 6:30, all three Hermanas in my room literally "roll out of bed."