Chapter 5 - Final Countdown

Ashley is continuing to do well.  She's down to her last week in the CCM.  She will be on her way to Ecuador next Tuesday!!!!

Ok everyone, its the final countdown! I have like 4 ish days until I'm thrown out into a world where I can only talk to people about the gospel (and I cant even really do that very well), and its really hot, and I will have a companion that only speaks Spanish, and everything will be totally different!! But Im so excited...its been a good ride here in the CCM.

TIDE-TO-GO PEN

Ok, thanks to Hermana Flamm and mom for telling me about the magic of tide to go pens...it is literally saving my district. haha so many people in my district have used it, including myself, and its awesome! Glad I have them!

SPIRIT ANIMAL

Ok, one day a few weeks ago we were all sitting around and everyone in my district gave each other a spirit animal...and they decided mine was a lemur...yeah. I think I like it haha it was so funny. We have some good times here. My companion was a blue jay so that fit her pretty well too.

WE ARE FAMOUS

Ok so last week, when we were at Monsoratte, this lady just came up to us and said something in Spanish to me that I didnt really understand-suprise-but I understood that it had to do with taking a picture so I thought she wanted us to take a picture of her and the lady she was with so I was like, yeah ok sure. But then we started walking out there and the lady had the camera and she wanted to take the picture with us! Haha so me and two elders and my companion all got in a picture with her! haha I felt cool for a few seconds...I guess youre really interesting if youre white and youre in Colombia...

DREAMS

Ok, the CCM makes me have the strangest dreams...like every night I have really strange dreams and most of the time the missionaries from my district are in them..they range from having a soccer game in our classroom to one of the Hermanas in my district being suddenly fluent in Spanish and riding a llama...its so strange..but so funny.
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(Hermana Phippen, Hermana Walker, and Hermana Roylance)

PB&CHOCOLATE

The farm is saved! (this is a favorite expression of Hermana Phippen) So Elder McDermott brought peanut butter and chocolate spread with him and he breaks it out whenever the Latins go to the temple and its just the Nortes there for breakfast and its wonderful. Im pretty sure I took peanut butter for granted before me mission....it is so good! Those are pretty much the best breakfasts. I think Ill have to save up in Ecuador and buy me some pb and nutella!

1 NEPHI 3:7-8

Ok so we did this really awesome thing in my district on Sunday and Monday where we all sat in a circle and one person sat in the middle and we all looked for scriptures that applied to them or just scriptures that we thought they needed and oh my, it was way coool. Everyone in my district got a turn and it was really neat. I feel like we really bonded after that because to me, it was an expression of love and charity...here we are looking for scriptures and listening to the spirit as to what we think that person needed at that time...it was amazing. Well, one of the scriptures that was said about me was 1 Nephi 3:7-8 I will go and do the things the Lord has commanded...and the comment that the Elder made with it was really awesome. So it says in verse 8 I think, something about Nephis father being proud of him and the Elder just said Well I dont know how your dad feels but I bet hes pretty proud of you and glad youre here and lots of other people are glad youre here too.  And I was just like wow-speak to my heart why dont you! It was so awesome and it was really cool because I dont talk to that Elder a lot but he said just the right thing! I knew my dad was thinking about me and is proud of me! I love you dad!

HERE COMES THE SUN

Ok so there are two meanings to this. 1-The sun is litterally coming and Ecuador is going to be sooo so hot and humid so thats one thing but 2-Here comes the sun, as in the song, made quite the difference the other day. So one night we were just in the bathroom and this song just popped into my head, I dont know why, but I just kept singing it. Anyway, one of the Hermanas in my district walked out of a stall and I could see that her eyes were red like she was crying..all I said was hi to her but for some reason I Knew that I just needed to keep singing that song..I was hoping that somehow it would help her. So I continued to sing and then we both went to bed and that was the end of that. Well, yesterday we were in class and part of it was we were sharing our testimonies about prayer and she was paired up with me and she started telling me about how the other day she was in the bathroom crying and just praying for some sort of comfort because she was feeling pretty down and then she heard me singing that song. I wasnt singing it very loud but she said she heard enough to realize what the song was and the lyrics were "here comes the sun...and its alright" and she said thats exactly what she needed. I was so happy to hear that. The Lord really does answer prayers and we are answers to peoples prayers more than we know. I knowo that if we respond to the promptings of the spirit that we will bless the lives of others. And sometimes we are lucky enough to see the results of our efforts. I know the Church is true. I know prayer is communicacion with God and we will receive answers. I know that we can be answers to prayers and God loves us so much!

I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Roylance