Saturday, November 30, 2013

Thanksgiving Week Happenings!

Thanksgiving Week Happenings!

Hola! This past week has been full of its up and downs.  So last Wednesday, they started putting up Christmas decorations and playing Christmas music already!  Also on that Wednesday, we got the new group of North Americans and Latinos.  There were only 6 new North Americans, and only one sister.  Her name is Sister J., and she became my new companion.  She´s from Virginia, and did one semester at BYU, and she´s really nice.  And this new group of Latinos is so different from the last one.  The last group was really big and loud and crazy, and this group is a lot more subdued, but they are really great. So from Thursday to Saturday, not a lot happened, just a lot of classes and studying.  Then on Sunday was really good! The spirit is so strong in the MTC, but especially on Sundays.  We usually watch a few devotionals, and they are always so good and uplifting.

On Tuesday we watched a devotional about temples, and it made me realize how lucky we are to have temples to close by.  They are a wonderful blessing.  We went to the Bogotá temple on Wednesday, and it was really nice.  The temple itself is really big and beautiful.  I wish I could’ve taken a picture of it, but they don’t let us bring our cameras.  Anyway, and that time I didn´t use headphones, so I listened to the whole thing in Spanish, and I was able to understand about 90% of it.  I think my Spanish is improving a lot.  I still have a lot to go, but it’s coming along.  Our investigator, Katy (our teacher) has been progressing in our lessons, and in our last one we committed her to baptism, and it was amazing to feel the spirit as we testified to her, and to see the change in her over the week (even though it wasn’t real, it felt real). She started out as a hippie, and not believing in God, but now she knows she is a daughter of God, and knows the things we are teaching her are true.  Anyway, so that went really well.

So yesterday was thanksgiving! In the morning we did service, by cleaning the whole MTC. Then they had a really nice meal for us. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, a marshmallow fruit salad thing, and a fruit pie like dessert, and chocolate cake.  It was all super yummy.  
Besides that, this week has been really fun.  Since it´s been a lot of class, and of course getting up early and everything, I’ve been really tired, and we all know what happens when I get really tired... I cannot stop laughing!  Also, for a couple of nights, my roommates and I (Sister B., Sister, M, and sister J) have been telling stories and staying up laughing into the night, and it’s been so fun.  These girls are hilarious, and I love them.  Especially Sister B.  She is the funniest person I’ve ever met.  And she and Sister M. are teaching me how to be more sassy.  The boys have nicknamed us the sass pack, ha-ha.

Anyway, also yesterday we had an area Seventy come and give us a devotional, and that was really good.  He talked about how we are doing the work of salvation, and how we have a power within us, the power of the spirit, and we have to remember how amazing we are and what we are doing.
So more cool things coming up.  On Tuesday we will get to go on a field trip! I’m not sure where we will be going, but I am excited to get out! Oh and tomorrow we will go proselytizing again, so I’m excited for that too! Then I think on Wednesday we will be getting Latina companions! Ah! 


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

My First photos at the MTC

Hello Friends and Family,

Today we had our P-day and we got to go to the Bogota Temple. Here are some photos from the MTC.
Some of these pictures are from my first P-Day and from my companions my district and current group at the MTC.


This is the entrance of the MTC or CCM. Centro de Capacitacion Misional.

This is the current group of missionaries at the MTC. Spanish speaking missionaries spend two weeks at the MTC and then are sent to their missions. English speaking missionaries spend 6 weeks at the MTC prior to being sent to the missions they have been called to.

These are my two companions at the MTC. Sister B. and Sister M.

These are my two Latin room-mates. Sister A. from Venezuela and Sister R. from Mexico. They are great and have been helping with the language. They were here at the MTC for two weeks and have left for their assigned countries.

This is Sister M. our instructor, she is like our mom away from home. We love her.

This is our district during P-day having some fun.

My two companions with Sister A. from Venezuela.

My two companions with Sister R. from Mexico.

P-day with my companions.

My companions and our instructor.

Yours truly.

NOTE: In order to protect their privacy the names of my companions will be omitted and their name tags obfuscated.

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© Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia - 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and posted photographs without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

First week adventures at the Colombian MTC.

Hola!

I´m alive! Sorry I haven´t written yet, today is our first P day, and we only have an hour.  It’s really dumb because it´s almost been two weeks since we got here, and the next p day is in like 3 days... but whatever.
So far I am loving the MTC! And I love Colombia! It rains at least once a day (the first week it did), and there are some sweet thunderstorms.

It is so much fun to be here surrounded by all these missionaries! There are about 30 North Americans, and twice as many from South America.  I love all the people here! I love my district and my companions especially!  I´m in a trio with Hermana B., from Washington (and she graduated from BYU), and Hermana M., from North Carolina.  They are both so funny and so awesome! We get along super well.  They make me laugh a lot. I like them A LOT. And we have two other roommates, one from Venezuela and one from Mexico.  They´re both super nice and are helping us with our Spanish.  All of the Latinos here are so great.  And everyone says that the Venezuelans talk the fastest, and I’m like, yeah seriously!  It´s so cool though to be able to have my background that I can connect with people.

Ok, I love the food here.  They have Colombian hot chocolate for breakfast like every morning.   and they have yucca and fried plantains, and arepas, and the bread and dessert is so yummy.  I love it.
The days are super long here.  every morning its wake up at 6:30 AM, we go exercise, then we get ready and have breakfast, and its class, class, class, lunch, class, class, class, dinner, class, class, class, and then get ready for bed.  It´s exhausting, but I´m learning so much. I’m learning a lot of Spanish and a lot of spiritual things as well.  And I love my teachers.  We have Hermano M. and he is so cute and funny, and then Hermana M. is THE BEST.  She is like our mini mommy.  She is the sweetest and she is such a great teacher.

So, so far, a lot of other cool things have happened.  First, a funny story.  On like the third day we had our first practice investigator, who was just Hermano M.  When we went to go teach him, we didn´t know we were supposed to pretend to knock on the door and everything, so my companions and I just walked in and starting talking to him, and he was like “who are you guys?” “what are you doing in my house?” In Spanish of course, and my companions didn´t understand, and I was cracking up, and once I told them that we just walked in, they starting cracking up too, and then I couldn't stop laughing during our whole lesson with him... haha.  It´s gotten a lot better though.

Anyway, so on Wednesday we got to go to the Bogotá temple and that was such a cool experience.  it was cool driving there to see the city and everything. The temple is beautiful! it was awesome.
Then the best thing that´s happened so far was today, we got to go proselyting (street contacting- talking to people on the street) all morning.  We went into the city and walked around and talked to people, and it was such a cool experience.  We found some people that were really accepting and really wanted to talk to us (but maybe that´s just cuz we´re all attractive American girls), but anyway, it was still really cool.  we gave away two books of Mormon and some pamphlets and got 6 people´s information that we can give to the missionaries here.  I want to tell you more about that experience, but for now, it was just really cool, and even though our Spanish wasn´t very good, we could speak and communicate with the people.
I am really excited to learn more and become better at teaching and speaking Spanish.  All of your prayers are appreciated! Muchas gracias! I love you


Sis. Tijerino

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© Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia - 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and posted photographs without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Arrived at the MTC

I arrived at the MTC last Tuesday at midnight after boarding a plane at 5:25 AM the same day. I met up with 5 other Elders and 1 Sister at the Atlanta airport and we sat on the back of the plane and we had a great time. When we arrived the airport at we met with other missionaries flying to the MTC from other countries. We were allowed to sleep in until 7:00AM the next morning.
Here are a couple of pictures at the Airport at home:

© Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and posted photographs without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Monday, November 4, 2013

See ya later!

I don't like the idea of saying goodbye, so this is a "See ya later".  As my last day at home, I've been feeling lots of feels, everywhere from sad and scared, to excited and hopeful.  I've always wanted to go on an adventure, and my time has finally come.  I'm excited to serve the Lord in Bolivia for a year and a half, and have many experiences there.  I know all of my sacrifices to get there will be worth it.
To all of my friends and family, I appreciate all the love and support, and I will miss you all! If you would like to contact me, my email will be Jennifer.tijerino@myldsmail.net.  My parents will post my emails on this blog. If you would like to write, here are my addresses:
MTC
Centro de Capacitacion Misional
Carrera 45, #57B-26
Barrio Nicolas de Federman
Bogota Distrito Capital
Columbia

Mission
Bolivia Santa Cruz North Mission
Casilla de Correo 3873
Zona Central
Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz
Bolivia


I’d love to hear from you! So until next time... see ya later!

© Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material and posted photographs without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jennifer Tijerino and Mission Adventures in Bolivia with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.