MALLORY MORTENSEN

MALLORY MORTENSEN

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5.27.2014

Week 2


Hello!!
First of all I just want everyone to know how amazing the gospel is and how I am truly loving everything so that is such a blessing. Well this is the start of my third week and i can honestly say that I have learned more spanish in these couple weeks than the 3 years of spanish I took in high school combined. Honestly. The way to learn spanish is speaking the language and totally butchering it and sometimes not even conjugating. When Im teaching I know I am butchering half the things I say but I feel so much love for the people I teach and like I just smile a lot and laugh a little and say lo siento hahah. But seriously when i teach i fully rely on the book of mormon. EL LIBRO DE MORMON ES LA PALABRA DE DIOS. I know it with all my heart. Wanna know why? because I don't do the teaching. If I did and only relied on my spanish we would all be in trouble hahah when an investigator has a question, all you have to do is pull out a scripture. The scriptures speak in perfect sophisticated spanish and then its up to el EspĂ­ritu Santo to speak to the investigators heart with power. I know this is true because i have watched it happen and i am so lucky I get to watch it happen everyday.
Okay so I wrote out a little outline cause last time I was so flustered and I wont have this short of time once I'm out on the mission. but first real quick shoutout to all my amazing friends and family in my life. I opened my email to 17 emails. I truly am so lucky and loved. I even got an email from the NJ morristown assistants about the musical number we will be perfroming for my mission presidents when they leave! sometimes I forget there is life after the CCM. 
BIRDS. Birds people. They are everywhere. They fly low and they fly right at me. They are not afraid of people but anyone who knows me knows that I don't do well with flying vultures. So yeah theres that. And one pooped on me today so thats good. First time for everything? My district calls me Tris from divergent and tell me just to get a flaming stick to fight them off hahaha. Oh speaking of animals, last night we were getting ready for bed and i saw a fat mouse run across our room and I almost stepped on it and we were all screaming and freaking out and it was so traumatic. I had nightmares about it. If that ever happens again I will probably swan dive off my bed on the top bunk. 
So apparently our district is doing really well in Spanish and since there are so few people at the CCM, they are having us teach two investigators a day! I know in the field we will be teaching way more, but it is quite the task. We try to talk and really get to know them and be their friends and we only teach for out 5 minutes. We commit them to do things in order to invite the spirit in their life and prepare for baptism and that is what we spend the longest time doing. Hermana Spencer and I were all prepared to teach a lesson to this investigator Daniel and our teacher told us his backstory and we were all pumped about it and then when we were talking to him we realized it was the totally wrong back story (That tricky teacher) and so we were both kinda thrown off and I said the opening prayer and looked over and Hermana Spencer and she whispered "Restoration" so there we went off with the restoration. It was so great for me to be able to recite Joseph Smiths first vision in spanish. It is impossible not to feel the spirit when I say it. And I know that if Im feeling it, the investigator is too. It is truly a privilege to have a member of the Godhead as a companion. 
So in the last email I told you about Hugo. We knew he was a fake investigator cause he was wayy too understanding of what we were saying through broken spanish hahah and i honestly love him. His name in Hermano Montes and he makes me want to be the best ever. The teachers here are amazing. They are so humble and their message is simple but they teach and speak with power. One day after personal study, I was reading in the scriptures about the Doctrine of Christ. (which is so simple. Repent, be clean and come unto him and be baptized and honor those convenios forever). Anyway, I was feeling pretty lousy about myself. I have always taken my baptism and the book of mormon for granted. and I have make some lousy mistakes in my life as well. Havent we all? any way I was looking bothered and Hrm Montez asked me how I was doing and i said good and he wouldn't stop asking me until I finally just told him how I was feeling inadequate just lame hahah then he had me read D.C. 29:3-6. I am so grateful for a Savior who literally died for me so that I can have a merciful god you loves me and all of us enough to forgive us of our sins so  that we can go out and do His work. 
Sorry this is so long hahaha one more thing. I gave a talk in church (oh yes in spanish, everything is in spanish) about diligence! It was so nerve-wracking but also so rewarding to stand up there and say what I believe in such a simple way. I also taught the lesson in District meeting that sunday about the importance of making and working towards Goals in the mission and throughout our lives haha sunday was a big day for me i guess. 
OH I ALMOST FORGOT. I don't know what i did to be lucky enough to have been raised in the best family ever. Mom and Dad thank you for making family home evening on Monday nights as the prophets have counciled such a priority. We have never missed one my whole life. and when i committed an inactive member who is about to be a father to hold a family night with his wife, I was able to bear my testimony about how important it really is and how the evangelio restorado prophets in our day bless families beyond belief. 
wow im so sorry just so much to say! hahaha okay well I think thats all I can think of... oh wait no actually there was an earthquake alarm and we all slept through it so yeah thats exciting. 
Love you all and the church is true. 
Cue Brittany: All eyes on me in the center of the ring, just like a circus (actually this is an earthquake circle)


5.22.2014

Week 1




Oh my word hello family!!
Okay first oh all I felt so loved opening up my inbox to so many emails! This is the best and the hardest thing I think i will ever do. I´m not kidding. I went to the MTC feeling super capable and like I had this thing in the bag and oh my word I have never felt more humbled in my whole entire life. I plead with the Lord every single day for strength and the ability to not only learn Spanish but to speak and understand it.
The first day I got there I met up with my companion Hermana Spencer. She´s from Riverton, UT and she went to Riverton High School! She said she didn´t know Tanner so thats was a bummer haha shes really sweet. She is like the clone of After Izu I swear their mannerisms are so similar. She is going to the Riverside, CA mission. We walked into el comedor for dinner cause we were starving and the two people I know who are here from BYU both saw me and ran up to me. It´s so small here!! Like there are only 200 missionaries here right now but by the end of August there will be over 1000. I like that is small though. I LOVE my district. there´s only 7 of us! One of my good friends from BYU is in my district Elder Moser!! Intermediate class is the best and worst thing that could have happened to me. Honestly, the first real day, thursday, was 100% totally Spanish. Hrmo. Silva my teacher(hes the best teacher at the CCM people say) is so amazing. He has the Highest expectations and some times they seriously stress me out but hey one day at a time.
I feel like ive been here for weeks! the schedules is pretty rigorous. I wake up at 630 and we only have 30 minutes to get ready and 4 girls with one shower so 3 minutes in a freezing cold shower is the daily routine. We live in a casa which is super awesome. It me, my companion, hermana olsen (shes so hilarious) and hermana lee( she said shes friends with nate and gina!) and theres like 7 or 8 native hermanas that live with us. They are so wonderful. I will talk to them and feel pretty good about it and then they just laugh so hard so thats humbling. One of the natives always asks me if I eat hahaha I swear they want me to get fat here. They feed me more than everyone else im convinced. But dont worry, i don{t eat it all.
I{m not gonna lie there have been some nights were I come home and im just like what the heck am i doing here this is soooooo hard but everytime i pray this calm that i have never felt before comes over me.I do not doubt my call as a missionary. I love this gospel. We have this investigator named Hugo. He is the sweetest. It{s all in spanish and when I meet with him I feel so much love for him it{s like so weird and awesome hahaha i know its the Saviors love for him and i am simply the vessel. I get frustrated cause its all in spanish and its so hard for me to understand what he is saying! My comp knows way more spanish than I do, so she kinds takes over and does things a little differently than I would and its like so frustrating for me cause i know exactly what i need to say in english i just don't know how to say it in spanish! I was questioning my call as a missionary and if i would ever get to the point where i would be good enough and wanting to know when this whole gift of tongues thing would kick in. I was studying and came across Moroni 7:37. The felt impressed that I cannot doubt my ability or adequacy as a missionary because that is the opposite of faith. I will only receive the gift of tongues after I demonstrate perfect faith,.
Ignore the typos I don't have much time hahaha}
I MET THE ONLY TWO MISSIONARIES GOING TO HOUSTON!! Elder Murdock and Elder Noriega. They felt like they need to come talk to me and they didn't know why and We were talking in spanish And i asked them where they were going on their mission and BAM so that happened.
I love you all! Im probably forgetting a ton. Dad, SYL started the first day. All day every day. I try my best but its hard hahaha All the workers like to talk to us in spanish and teach us stuff! I say all my prayers out loud and in my head in spanish and I wrote a talk in spanish on repentance. I also have my purpose as a missionary, the first vision and the baptismal invitation memorized in spanish!
Mom my email password is _______ and that made me tear up about dads talk! I miss and love you guys a ton. ITs so busy here there is no time to be homesick so thats good!
Love you !}
Hermana Mortensen



Me and my name tag… I WEAR A NAME TAG

Me and Elder Gates and Elder Moser. Elder Moser and I are friends from BYU!

It is so pretty here!

My District!

Me and Hermana Spencer!

Me and the elders going to Houston. They loved seeing the family picture :)


Arriving in Mexico

Here's the first email Mallory sent home on Wednesday May 14th. It was short and sweet but we were all happy to know she made it safely.




Hello Family!!
I have arrived at the CCM and I already love it here. This keyboard is weird though cause it's like all spanish symbols. anyway, just want to let you guys know that as we were driving through Mexico City, I realized my worries/fears haven't totally disappeared, but I don't feel them anymore. I feel so calm and happy. The Lord is watching out for me. I love my comp and I AM WEARING A MISSIONARY NAME TAG RIGHT NOW. This is actually happening.
Your Missionary's mailing addres is:
[Sister Mortensen]
[6/23/2014] [Branch 14-DistrictA]
Carretera Tenayuca-Chalmita #828
Colonia Zona Escolar, Gustavo A. Madero
07230 Mexico, Distrito Federal
Mexico
The estimated departure date for your missionary is 672372014]. The use of the
above address on all correspondence will greatly faciliate delivery to your missionary
at the MTC. Please don't send packages.
Love you guys!
Hermana Mortensen